In 1054 AD, Asian astronomers witnessed a spectacular cosmic explosion whose afterglow was visible to the naked eye for months. This "Guest Star" is known to have been the supernova explosion of a massive star. Left in its place is a glowing cloud, a supernova remnant commonly known as the Crab Nebula. At its heart is the compact, rapidly rotating, and degenerate stellar remnant of its progenitor core, a neutron star. The neutron star in the Crab Nebula is a radio pulsar. It is so called because of its bright beamed bursts of radiation in the radio regime, observable once per rotation period, like a lighthouse beacon.
The fundamental properties of the young neutron star population are yet to be determined. It is not known whether the formation of objects like the Crab pulsar is common or unusual, what fraction of all young neutron stars is observable as pulsars, and what fraction of pulsars are born in supernova explosions. It is not known what are the birth properties of neutron stars, namely how fast they typically rotate, the magnitude of their magnetic fields and the strength and composition of their winds. These issues are basic to an understanding of the fate and physics of massive stars, the supernova mechanism, and the Galactic population of neutron stars and supernova remnants. Pulsars are observed to be the fastest-moving stellar objects in the Milky Way, with some objects plowing through the interstellar medium at upwards of 1000 km/sec. The origin of these speeds is very likely tied to the physics of their birth events, although exactly how is not known. These questions and others will investigated by using leading radio and optical telescopes worldwide to make observations of the pulsars. Among specific observational projects to be carried our are major searches for new pulsars and detailed follow-up of newly discovered sources, using radio and optical timing and imaging. This research is well suited to the training of students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and there will be major student involvement in the research projects.
Traditional university lecture techniques have a venerable history; they evolved long before many of today's modern technological advances became available. It should surprise no one if innovative teaching techniques, especially incorporating computer graphics in the classroom, improve the quality of physics education. This improvement is needed to alter the prevailing culture that physics is out of the grasp of all but the cream of the crop. Pulsars, the topic of research, are also ideally suited for illustrating many of the salient points in the MIT course Physics III, "Waves and Vibrations." Computer and scientific illustration enhancements, as well as a decidedly interactive lecturing technique, will be incorporated into Physics III lectures. Overall, astronomy has the virtue that it is easily accessible to the general public, including children. It is a valuable "hook" with which to foster an appreciation for science early in life. An outreach program targeting elementary school children thus lays the foundation for science literacy later in life. Furthermore, the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in such programs fosters a tradition of outreach among tomorrow's scientists, while simultaneously developing their presentation skills and confidence. Specific outreach ideas that will be implemented as part of this project will include a Virtual Pen Pal program in which Physics graduate students respond to elementary school children's science queries using personalized World Wide Web page responses, slide shows at local elementary schools, and Astronomy Night at local summer camps.
