Dr. Pipher at the University of Rochester will use an infrared array camera which she helped develop to obtain images of regions of star formation in our Galaxy and in starburst galaxies. The objective of the program is to study the interactions of stars and of central energy sources of galaxies with the surrounding gas and dust. With the infrared array camera, Dr. Pipher has the unprecedented ability to resolve structure in these cosmic sources, which should unfold new phenomena and elucidate their physical characteristics. The infrared region of the spectrum is only now being exploited with a shift from an instrumental development phase to one of addressing astrophysical problems. Infrared detector arrays now provide high quality images of sources. Regions of star formation and the nuclei of other galaxies have become initial targets for observation at infrared wavelengths because the dust which characterizes these regions prevents any visible radiation from escaping the cloud and revealing activity within. Thus, new cosmic phenomena are being explored in ways never before possible.
