Nonfiction Articles
Can be read online via my Suite 101 profile here.
Undergraduate Research Projects (portions of some of these projects have been converted into Articles published by Suite 101)
H2EX and the Interstellar
Formation of Molecular Hydrogen -
pdf download to read - 3rd year undergraduate
project
Presented is a review of developments to date in the observation and analysis
of molecular hydrogen in the interstellar medium, with emphasis placed on H2
formation on dust grains within molecular clouds. A summary of the methods of
detecting astronomical molecular hydrogen is given, including the emissions
from excitation by UV pumping, fluorescence and vibrational heating in protoplanetary
nebulae. Also summarised are the mechanisms for molecular hydrogen formation
on dust grains, the most common wavelengths for detecting H2 in the infra-red
and the physics behind the so-called “warm H2” theoretically detectable
by using spin flip emissions. The project proposal for the rejected H2EX mission
is examined and comparisons drawn with the more successful SPICA mission, along
with considerations on why H2EX was rejected and how SPICA may be able to fulfil
H2EX’s mission criteria instead. Finally some sample astronomical images
are presented as examples of the methods and difficulties in detecting molecule
hydrogen using existing observational techniques.
Review of Turbulence,
Structure and Star Formation in Molecular Clouds -
pdf download to read - 3rd year undergraduate
dissertation
Presented are reviews of five recent academic papers on the subject of interstellar
turbulence, the structure of molecular clouds and the efficiency of star formation
within
them. The topics investigated include the excess of pre main sequence stars
in observed molecular cloud complexes and the resulting conclusion of short
cloud lifetimes, the mechanisms supporting molecular clouds against self-gravitational
collapse and an analysis of how gasdynamical turbulence affects this. The systems
behind rapid star
formation in molecular clouds is also examined, particularly the role turbulence
plays in the production of association clusters, and the unbound nature of molecular
clouds is explored further in studying the variable efficiency of star formation
on both a local and global scale for a molecular cloud. Finally the role of
supernovae explosions in driving interstellar turbulence is investigated, and
conclusions from the entire review presented in detail.