Postgraduate Research Projects

This page lists some potential research projects that could be undertaken by a postgraduate student supervised by Dr. Michael Burton.

Please contact him at M.Burton@unsw.edu.au for further information.

• The Galactic Centre. Probing the stars and gas in the centre of the Galaxy through near-IR imaging, spectroscopy and polarimetry. There is particular emphasis on understanding the nature of the clusters of young, massive stars recently dicovered both in the nucleus, and in the central 50 parsecs of the Galaxy, and also how these stars interact with the molecular clouds which surround them. The project also has opportunities for combined radio-IR investigations, seeking sources for many of the unexplained radio emission features within the central 100 parsecs of the Galaxy.
  
  Telescopes: AAT, ATCA, HST

• The Shock-Excitation of Molecular Clouds in Star Forming Regions. Studying how outflows and mass ejection from proto-stars interact with their surrounding cocoons of gas, shock-heating the molecules and leading to intense emission in the infrared lines of molecular hydrogen. There is particular application to the study of the `bullets' in Orion, the explosive ejection of planetary mass shrapnell recently observed from the core of the Orion molecular cloud.
  
  Telescopes: AAT, HST, UKIRT

• The UV-excitation of Molecular Clouds. The study of photodissociation regions, the surfaces of molecular clouds heated by UV radiation from massive young stars, yielding copious emission in spectral lines across the entire IR wavebands from 1 to 1000 microns. Of particular interest is determing new spectral probes through which we can study the dynamical evolution of these regions. Recently we have been applying the SPIREX telescope at the South Pole to imaging the 3.3um PAHs emission from extended regions of massive star formation in the southern galactic plane. This illuminates the surfaces layers of the shells of gas surrounding the young stars, allowing us to probe the feedback mechanisms between star formation and cloud collapse.
  
  Telescopes: AAT, SPIREX, UKIRT, La Palma

• The Interaction of Supernova Remnants with the Interstellar Medium. Studying the interaction of supernova blast waves with molecular clouds, and the role these events play in the life cycle of the interstellar medium and the triggering of star formation. Offers the chance of cross-fertilisation of infrared and radio techniques, studying the gas at high spatial resolution through the near-IR molecular hydrogen lines, and at high spectral resolution through the mm lines of CO and HCO⁺. The recent discovery of 1720 MHz OH maser emission with SNRs offers a new signpost to the interaction of these remnants with molecular clouds, sites where molecular shock waves may be present and observable through their H₂ line emission.
  
  Telescopes: AAT, ATNF

• Star Formation in Embedded Clusters. Infrared imaging and spectroscopy of young clusters of stars, still deeply embedded within their natal molecular clouds, classifying the nature of the stars present to determine the initial mass function of clusters and search for `brown dwarf' stars. Surveys of the molecular gas content of the southern Galactic plane can be undertaken with the upgraded Mopra millimetre telescope, investigating the star formation efficiency of the clouds and its dependency on the local environment.
  
  Telescopes: AAT, ANU 2.3m, Mopra

• Methanol Masers as a signpost for Massive Star Formation. Through Andrew Walsh's (my recent graduate student) work it has become clear that methanol masers are associated with a very early stage of massive star formation, before an ultra-compact HII region (or ball of ionized gas) forms around the star. Several interesting research projects have presented themselves as a result of this work, including searching for embedded mid-IR sources associated with the masers, searching for molecular outflows and shocked H₂ emission that may excite the masers, and searching for further embedded protostars by detecting their methanol maser emission.
  
  Telescopes: AAT (UNSWIRF + MANIAC), Mopra

• Astronomy from the Antarctic Plateau for Astronomy. In the development of the Antarctic Plateau for astronomy a range of projects are possible, from site testing, IR imaging, development of new instrumentation, and the application of new engineering technology. Current projects include the `AASTO' site testing observatory, to be deployed to Dome C on the high plateau, the SPIREX/Abu thermal infrared array camera at the South Pole, and the SPIRIT 2.5-m IR optimised telescope for the Pole or Dome C.
  
  Likely sites: South Pole, Dome Circe, Dome Argus

If interested in applying to UNSW for a postgraduate place further information can be had through the School web site, at http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/

Author: Michael Burton

Last updated: 27 August 1998