My research is focused primarily on understanding the earliest stages of massive star and cluster formation. Despite their profound impact on our universe throughout cosmic history and today, the formation mechanism for massive stars remains unkown. Massive stars (almost) always form alongside other stars in clusters. Observing the early phases of a massive stars' life is a challenging task. Massive stars are more rare, and therefore, farther away on average than low-mass stars as well as being highly embedded in a cold, dense cocoon. Additionally, once the star is formed, it quickly heats and ionizes their surrounding environment, erasing much information about it's natal molecular cloud.
An example of an Infrared Dark Cloud seen in absorption in
this 3-color mid-IR image. The contours are cold dust emission seen in
millimeter emission. Image from Battersby et al. 2010
In the past decade, compelling evidence has emerged that suggests Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) may be the precursors to stellar clusters and therefore massive stars. This makes IRDCs prime candidates for observational studies of the earliest phases of massive star and cluster formation. IRDCs are extremely cold, dense objects (so cold and dense in fact that they obscure the mid-IR light behind them... we are talking 10s-100s of magnitudes of extinction), therefore, I primarily observe in the radio, submm, and IR portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, where IRDCs and star-formation tracers embedded within them can be seen.
Using telescopes all around the world, I peer into the depths of IRDCs and other massive star-forming environments and try to understand the physical properties and evolution of these cold, dense clouds into bright massive stars and clusters.
A cartoon depicting a possible observational evolutionary
sequence for massive star and cluster formation from Battersby et al.
2010
I am a member of the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) team, one of the first large-area, systematic surveys of the Galactic Plane in the millimeter continuumn, giving us an optically thin view of dust continuum emission from cold pre-star-forming regions throughout the Galaxy. I am also a member of the Hi-GAL team which provides a groundbreaking new look at our Galaxy in the far-IR with Herschel.
Current Projects:
* Characterizing the earliest evolutionary phases of cluster formation in
Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs),
* Understanding the relationship between IRDCs and submm dust
continuum sources using Hi-GAL,
* High-resolution temperature maps of star-forming clumps using ammonia as a thermometer on the EVLA, and
* Precise densitometry measurements in young star-forming clumps using formaldehyde absorption (on the GBT).
As an undergraduate, I worked with the AzTEC instrument team at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. AzTEC is
a bolometer camera that operates in the submm. A major driving
force in the development of AzTEC is to understand the population of submm galaxies. I also worked with Preethi Pratap at MIT Haystack Observatory exploring the nature of Class I Methanol Masers.
Past Research:
