Research

My first year project focuses on Class 0 stars in the early stages of stellar formation. My advisor was Gopal Narayanan. I analyzed data from the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) to understand the kinematic structure of a region known as the rho-Ophiuchi molecular cloud. In particular, I investigated the role of infall, rotation, and outflow in the sources VLA 1623 and SM1N. I hope to publish my results in the Astrophysical Journal on the dynamic age of these objects and constraints upon parameters such as mass, velocity, and luminosity. The goal of this research is to understand the earliest stages of star formation and the process by which stars acquire their mass and interact with their local environment. I will soon place a link to my paper on this page.

I even received recognition in NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day as a member of the SHASSA team.

Presentations & Publications:

Wilson, Grant W., Austermann, Jason, Logan, Dan W., and Yun, M., First-generation continuum cameras for the Large Millimeter Telescope, Proceedings of Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2004: Millimeter and Submillimeter Detectors for Astronomy II, Glasgow, Scotland, 2004

Silverberg, Robert F.; Campano, Barbara; Chen, Tina C.; Cheng, Edward; Cottingham, David A.; Crawford, Thomas M.; Downes, Tom; Finkbeiner, Fred M.; Fixsen, Dale J.; Logan, Dan; Meyer, Stephan S.; Perera, Thushara; Sharp, Elmer H.; Wilson, Grant W., A bolometer array for the SPEctral Energy Distribution (SPEED)Camera,Proceedings of Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2004: Millimeter and Submillimeter Detectors for Astronomy II, Glasgow, Scotland, 2004

Wilson G.W., Chen, T., Cheng, E.S., Cottingham, D.A., Crawford, T.M., Finkbeiner, F.M., Fixsen, D.J., Logan, D.W., Meyer, S.S., Perera, T., Sharp, E.H., Silverberg, R.F., Frequency Selective Bolometers - Progress and Projections, Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology, Northampton, MA, 2004

Silverberg, R.F., Ali, S., Bier, A., Campano, B., Chen, T.C., Cheng, E.S., Cottingham, D.A., Crawford, T.M., Downes, T., Finkbeiner, F.M., Fixsen, D.J., Logan, D., Meyer, S.S., O'Dell, C., Perera, T., Sharp, E.H., Timbie, P.T., and Wilson, G.W., A bolometer array for the spectral energy distribution (SPEED) camera, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 520, 421-423, 2004

Wilson, G.W., Chen, T.C., Cheng, E.S., Cottingham, D.A., Crawford, T., Fixsen, D.J., Finkbeiner, F.M.,Logan, D.W., Meyer, S., Silverberg, R.F., and Timbie, P.T., The Spectral Energy Distribution Camera on the LMT, Proceedings of Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2002: Topics in Astronomy: Information Technologies, MMW and Sub-MMW Detectors, Solar Astrophysics, Non-EM Astronomy, Exo-Planet Detection, and Astrobiology, Kona, HI, 2002

Cottingham, D.A., Bier, A., Campano, B., Chen, T.C., Cheng, E.S., Crawford, T., Finkbeiner, F.M.,Logan, D.W., Meyer, S., Sharp, E.H., Silverberg, R.F., and Wilson, G.W., Development of Frequency Selective Bolometers for Ground-Based MM-Wave Astronomy, Proceedings of Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2002: Topics in Astronomy: Information Technologies, MMW and Sub-MMW Detectors, Solar Astrophysics, Non-EM Astronomy, Exo-Planet Detection, and Astrobiology, Kona, HI, 2002

McCullough, P.R., Logan, D.W. Stardial: An Autonomous Astronomical Camera on the Web. American Astronomical Society Meeting #193, Abstract 91.03