This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Dr. Thomas Troland of the University of Kentucky will undertake an extensive radio survey to measure the strengths of magnetic fields in regions of star formation. He will explore the role of magnetic fields in the evolution of molecular clouds, which are cool, relatively dense portions of the interstellar medium containing dust and molecules of hydrogen, carbon, etc. He will also investigate how magnetic fields may interact with very dense gaseous clumps, to see whether these fields may differ when high-mass and low-mass stars are formed. This work will be performed using radio astronomy facilities in West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and Spain.
The project will have many implications for the theory of star formation. Dr. Troland will involve students in all aspects of this program, including obtaining, analyzing, and disseminating the data. He will also build on his previous experience in K-12 outreach efforts, and will develop a program to address core concepts in the science curricula for the state of Kentucky.
