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// Month[i]=["date","Speaker","Institution","Title","Abstract","Host","Special Time Notes","Special Time Notes"];
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//August[0]=["31","He Ap","Utah","Fun with HEAP","I will talk about fun.","Mr Heap","",""];
//August[0]=["26","All","HEAP","","","","","",""]
August[0]=["26","All","HEAP","Jamboree","We ask each of the faculty members, postdocs, and students to submit one slide on their recent or ongoing research or on their research interests. The seminar will be composed of 1-2min talks by everyone (a.k.a. machine gun talks or lightning talks). This provides an opportunity for people to know the current activities in the astronomy and high-energy groups, and it also serves as an introduction of the groups to the newly coming students.","Local","","",""]
September[0]=["2","","","","","","","",""]
September[1]=["9","Darin Ragozzine","BYU","Exoplanetary Systems: Overview and New Results","NASA's Kepler Space Telescope identified thousands of planets around other stars by observing the periodic dimmings due to the planets transiting in front of their parent star. Kepler's impressive ~5x increase of the number of known exoplanets is outshone by the ~10x increase in the number of known exoplanetary systems of multiple planets. Exoplanetary systems provide critical information related to planet formation, evolution, and habitability and Kepler multi-transiting systems have inspired dozens of publications. I will provide an overview of Kepler results with a strong focus on exoplanetary systems and including my own research. This understanding will be applied to some of the newest results in the field, such as evidence for planet migration, implications for Proxima Centauri, and small planet mass-radius relations.","Doug Bergman","","",""]
September[2]=["16","Bei Wang","UofU/SCI","Advancing the Visualization Capabilities of ALMA Data Cubes through Topological Data Analysis","The availability of large data cubes produced by radio telescopes like the VLA and ALMA, is leading to new data analysis challenges as current visualization tools are ill prepared for the size and complexity of this data. In this talk, I will discuss our project addressing this problem by using the notion of a contour tree from topological data analysis (TDA).  The contour tree provide a mathematically robust technique with fine grain controls for reducing complexity and removing noise from data. Furthermore, to support scientific discovery, new visualizations are being designed to investigate these data and communicate their structures in a salient way--a process that relies on the direct input of astronomers. From this talk, we hope to expand this dialog. Project details, preliminary results, and information about source code access can be found at http://alma-tda.cspaul.com.","Anil Seth","","",""]
September[3]=["23","Jaqueline Radigan","UVU","Weather on Substellar Worlds: Observations of Cloud and Weather Phenomena in the Atmospheres of Cool Brown Dwarfs","Born like stars, but not massive enough to sustain nuclear fusion, brown dwarfs spend their lives simply cooling.  Over cosmic timescales their atmospheres transition from stellar-like to planetary-like temperatures, replete with rich molecular chemistry and expansive silicate clouds. Recent observations of old and cold brown dwarfs in the time-domain have revealed large-amplitude variability at near-infrared wavelengths, indicative of patchy cloud features and evolving weather patterns.  I will review recent work aimed at hunting down the variable brown dwarf population, and discuss how these discoveries provide an unprecedented opportunity to probe cloud structure and dynamics in isolated substellar atmospheres.","Anil Seth","","",""]
September[4]=["30","Julia Silge","Datassist","Non-Academic Careers for Astronomers and Physicists","Most people who complete PhDs in astronomy or physics will eventually work outside academia, but often little is even said in university departments about this fact. In this talk, I will discuss my own background in research astronomy and the path I then took working outside the traditional academic career arc. We will explore the factors that lead individuals to leave academia for other options, and examine strategies that students, postdocs, and faculty should consider in light of these realities. We will particularly focus on data science as a career, since such job opportunities are currently plentiful and the skill set is a great match for people coming from astronomy and physics.","Zheng Zheng","","",""]
October[0]=["7","Jim Matthews","LSU","Plans for the Pierre Auger Observatory Upgrade","Knowledge of the origins of the highest energy cosmic rays remains elusive after many years of operation of the current state-of-the-art observatories in Utah and in Argentina.   The Pierre Auger Observatory has begun a major enhancement of its detectors, to gain better knowledge of the composition of the primary cosmic rays.  I will discuss the details of this project and what we hope to learn.","Doug Bergman","","",""]
October[1]=["21","Kai Martins","IPMU","The XMASS Dark Matter Direct Detection Experiment: Results and an Idea for its Future","After its refurbishment in 2013 the XMASS dark matter detector at the Kamioka Observatory has been taken data with 832kg of liquid xenon in its active volume. After presenting some results obtained with these data I will discuss an idea I have for a potential improvement in future generations of detectors in the XMASS program.","Doug Bergman","","",""]
October[2]=["25","Julia Kamenetzky","Westminster","New Views from Herschel: Warm and Cold Molecular Gas In Nearby Galaxies","Rotational transitions of carbon monoxide (CO) are typically used to trace molecular gas, the raw material for star formation. Such gas offers a window into the feedback interactions among molecular gas, star formation, and galaxy evolution, including the important role of mechanical heating. The majority of CO transitions, however, are blocked by water absorption in the atmosphere. The launch of the Herschel Space Telescope in 2009 provided a window into the mid- to high-J CO lines. We have constructed a catalog of CO J=4-3 to J=13-12, [CI], and [NII] 205 micron line fluxes in 200 galaxies observed with the Herschel FTS. I will present a statistical view of the molecular gas conditions (temperature, density, pressure, mass) that can be ascertained from two-component modeling of galaxy-integrated CO spectral line energy distributions (SLEDs) among a variety of galaxy types. Extremely luminous mid- to high-J CO is ubiquitous in nearby galaxies; it demonstrates the presence of higher-temperature molecular gas than that traced by CO J=1-0.","Anil Seth","","Special Day/Time, 4pm","4:00pm"]
November[0]=["4","Bibushan Shakya","Michigan","Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter with Supersymmetry","Sterile neutrino dark matter, which remains a popular alternative to the WIMP paradigm, has generally been studied in non-supersymmetric setups. In this talk, we investigate dark matter properties of the sterile neutrino within an underlying theory that is supersymmetric, which demonstrates several interesting and novel features such as multiple populations from multiple production mechanisms and significant contributions to the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom. We will also briefly discuss how dark matter considerations can shed light on the scale of supersymmetry.","Pearl Sandick","","",""]
November[1]=["11","Matthieu Roman","LPNHE Paris","The Dependence of Type Ia Supernovae Luminosities on Their Local Environment","Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have proved to be a successful probe of dark energy thanks to their property of standardizable candle allowing us to construct a supernova Hubble diagram with very low scatter through a two-parameter empirical light-curve correction. However, 0.15 magnitude intrinsic luminosity variation remains once corrections are applied, leaving plenty of room for a third variable correlating to Hubble diagram residuals. Indeed, the standardization process does not entirely capture the physical processes at play leading to the triggering of the explosion, and does not take into account the evolution of progenitor properties through history. In an attempt to link host galaxy properties to supernova light-curves, numerous independent studies have shown that host galaxy stellar masses significantly correlate with light-curve standardization parameters, and that Hubble diagram residuals correlate to global properties of the host galaxy. I present a consistent set of measurements of the properties of the global and local environments of type Ia supernovae in the largest spectroscopic sample to date. Our sample includes the full Supernova Legacy Survey data (SNLS) as well as the SDSS data and a number of well-measured low-redshift supernovae. While the analysis is still blinded regarding cosmology, preliminary results can be obtained which cast a new light on the environmental dependence of supernova luminosity.","Julian Bautista","","",""]
November[2]=["18","Daniel Proga","UNLV","Quasars: the most powerful sources of electromagnetic radiation and kinetic energy.","Our best explanation for the extraordinary properties of quasars, including their extremely high luminosities, is accretion of gas onto super massive black holes. However, we do not have direct observational evidence that gas indeed accretes. Instead we commonly observe the opposite: supersonic gas outflows. These outflows affect the observed properties of quasars as well as the energy budgets of the accreting system. Thus, understanding the outflows is an important element and perhaps the main path to understand accretion. In this talk, I review results from multi-dimensional, time-dependent models of gas accretion and outflows in quasars. I discuss the relevance of outflows to the so-called quasar feedback problem and the implications of these theoretical results for other gas accreting systems. I finish with an outline of future work that will focus on developing and observational testing direct ab initio models of mass outflows from a wide range of astrophysical objects, e.g., exoplanets, X-ray binaries, and active galactic nuclei.","Vivek Mariappan","","",""]
December[0]=["2","Mike Brotherton","Wyoming","Weighing the Black Holes Powering Quasars","Quasars, the luminous cores of distant galaxies, are powered by supermassive black holes weighing up to billions of times more than our own sun.  Determining the masses of these enigmatic objects is a triumph of modern astrophysics, but the uncertainties are still large and challenges remain.  In particular, we need to understand the effects of orientation and accretion rate, how they bias our measurements, and how to correct for them.","Vivek Mariappan","","",""]
January[0]=["13","Riccardo DeSalvo","Cal St, LA","Detection of Gravitational Waves 'sounds' from the Universe","Early stellar evolution forged solid matter out of big bang's hydrogen, creating the Universe as we know it. The ashes left behind by this production (neutron stars and black holes) are extremely dense and invisible, but may be more numerous the visible stars. Occasionally, gravitational collisions cause pairs of these ashes into inspiralling orbits, radiating gravitational waves, as predicted by Einstein in 1916. An energy of several solar mass can be emitted in the last fraction of a second seconds before the plunge in which a new Black Hole is formed (for comparison, the sun burns less than 0.5% of its mass into energy over more than 10 billion years). This tremendous burst of power strains space-time sending gravitational waves across the Universe.  These waves expand in space for billions of years and their amplitude gets weaker and weaker, when they reach Earth, they are so weak that produce a strain of less than 10-20. Einstein predicted that man will never be able to detect them. It took more than 30 years to develop instruments sensitive enough to detect them.  On September 14th 2015, by detecting the first gravitational wave, we proved Einstein both right and wrong, they exist but we can detect them!  By measuring them, we were able to 'transduce' the final movements of Black holes, and started learning interesting things about the early Universe.  A weaker event was observed on October 12th. On December 26th a new strong GW signal was detected.  GW astronomy has started for real!","Stephan LeBohec","","",""]
January[1]=["20","","","","","","","",""]
January[2]=["27","Karina Voggel","Utah","The boundary between star clusters and galaxies: On the nature of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies","In recent decades the definition of what makes up a star cluster and a galaxy, has been blurred by the discovery of multiple new intermediate objects. These peculiar objects are more extended than typical globular cluster, but significantly more compact than dwarf galaxies of similar luminosity. This boundary area has been filled with newly discovered with ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) at the bright end. Their existence challenged many previous definitions of what constitutes a star cluster and what is the definition of a galaxy. Their formation channels and evolution is not yet understood. The two possible scenarios for UCD formation are: 1) UCDs are the surviving nuclear star clusters of tidally stripped (dwarf) galaxies or 2) that UCDs are the bright globular clusters that formed as genuine GCs.  I will discuss how we can use (integral-field) observations to distinguish between both possibilities, by measuring the dynamical and chemical properties of UCDs. This is necessary to establish the comprehensive fraction of UCDs that are nuclear star clusters of dwarf galaxies.","Anil Seth","","",""]
February[0]=["3","Yuri Gershtein","Rutgers","New Experimental Techniques for High Luminosity LHC","At the high luminosity LHC, the experiments will have to cope with extreme radiation environment and up to 200 proton collisions per 25 ns bunch-crossing.<br>New sub-detectors and trigger systems are required for the task. I will describe planned CMS experiment upgrades and concentrate on the outer silicon tracker - a device that will allow tracks to be reconstructed at the very first trigger level. I'll cover both tracker module R&D and the back end system for track reconstruction.","Doug Bergman","","",""]
February[1]=["10","Dave Sand","TTU","Moving Near Field Cosmology Beyond the Local Group","Evidence of galaxy buildup in the form of streams, shells and dwarf galaxies allow for quantitative studies that provide stringent tests of our picture of galaxy formation.  This, in a nut shell, is 'Near Field Cosmology' -- studying the nearby Universe to understand galaxy formation.  Over the last decade, wide-field surveys have revolutionized our view of the Local Group, with dozens of new streams and satellite galaxies now amenable to study.  However, to verify that our understanding of galaxy formation is correct, we must measure the faint satellite and stellar stream content of a variety of galaxies, across morphologies, mass scales and environments. This has not been accomplished yet. Here I'll talk about several programs to move Near Field Cosmology beyond the Local Group in order to broaden our understanding of galaxy halo substructure.  Our group has conducted panoramic imaging surveys around three of our nearest galaxy neighbors -- NGC 253, Centaurus A and NGC 3109 -- to measure their faint end satellite luminosity function and to understand the buildup of their stellar halos, all in resolved stars. We have also searched for optical counterparts to the recently discovered population of ultra compact high velocity HI clouds in order to find isolated, star-forming dwarfs in the Local Volume.  Over the next decade, new instrumentation and techniques should decisively measure the faintest stellar substructures across all galaxy environments, and will allow direct tests of galaxy formation models -- I will highlight what progress can be made with LSST, WFIRST and ELT-era telescopes.","Anil Seth","","",""]
February[2]=["17","Beth Willman","LSST/Arizona","The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope","The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will be a public optical survey of ~half of the sky, in 6 filters, to a depth of r ~ 27.5 mag, over ~800 visits over a 10-year period.  Four pillars compose the heart of LSST's science priorities: taking an inventory of our Solar System, exploring the transient and variable optical sky, mapping the Milky Way and its neighborhood, and delving into the nature of dark matter and dark energy. LSST will be a super discovery machine for an enormous number and diversity of objects (including Near Earth Objects, distant supernovae, and ultra-faint galaxies) that will transform our view of the universe for decades to come.  In this seminar, I will give an overview of the LSST Project and science goals, give updates on the construction progress towards first-light in 2019, and highlight ways for the scientific community to get involved now.","Anil Seth","","",""]
February[3]=["24","Anze Slosar","BNL","Optical Intensity Mapping","Intensity mapping refers to a class of methods used to map the structures in the Universe without resolving individual objects, due to either lack of resolution or signal to noise. I will discuss how these methods can be used in optical data. I will present first application of this method to detection of Lyman-alpha emission in cross-correlation of BOSS sky calibration fibers an quasars. I will also present how the same fibers can be used to build a model of the dark sky by isolating physically motivated components such as for example scattered moonlight or zodiacal emission. Finally, I will discuss the prospects of employing intensity mapping in cross-correlation using photometric data. Although numbers based on photon-counting are impressive, the systematics are daunting.","Kyle Dawson","","",""]
March[0]=["3","","","","","","","",""]
March[1]=["10","Juna Kollmeier","Carnegie Observatories","Stellar (and Quasi-stellar) Astrophysics and Galactic Archeology: 2020","As of February 2017, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has successfully commenced observations in the Southern Hemisphere with the APOGEE-2S spectrograph.  I will present a number of scientific highlights anticipated from this program specifically related to unraveling the (sub)structure of the Milky Way using RR Lyrae stars whose exquisite distance information allows us to reach the very inner and outer Galaxy with high fidelity.  I will also describe the current plans for a Next Generation Sky Survey that will begin After SDSS-IV --- AS4.  This survey aims to take full advantage of the leaps and bounds made in astronomical data science as well as in robotic astronomical instrumentation to spectroscopically map millions of stars for the purposes of unraveling the history of the Milky Way galaxy as well as enhancing our physical understanding of how stars and black holes work.","Zheng Zheng","","",""]
March[2]=["24","","","","","","","",""]
March[3]=["31","Joel Green","STScI","The Fiery Seeds of Planet Formation","When a new planetary system forms around a young star, we usually think of the process as a gradual (thousands to millions of years) buildup of material from tiny dust grains to planetessimals.  But is the process of star and planet formation a slow and steady one, or are there bumps in the road to planet construction? Does this leave a measurable signature that we could find if it happened here in our own Solar System 4.6 billion year ago?  In 1936, the young star FU Orionis (FU Ori) became 100 times brighter in only a few short months. FU Ori was undergoing a burst of accretion from its own planet-forming disk cascading onto the star itself -- and nearly 20 Jupiter masses of gas have accreted in during the past 80 years. What changes did this increased brightness wreak upon FU Ori's disk, and what implications would it have for any planets that might have formed or form later? We present  the first multi-epoch infrared spectroscopic study of an FUor, using NASA's Spitzer and SOFIA telescopes, as it appeared in 2004 and 2016, and see what changes the fading heat has left on disk chemistry. Next up: the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA's next great observatory launching in October 2018, will be a perfect tool to follow the evolution of disks like FU Ori.  A hundred times more sensitive than Spitzer, with 50 times the spatial resolution, JWST will revolutionize our understanding of planet formation. How will we maintain the prestige and cultural impact of Hubble as the torch passes to Webb?  And can they work together even more directly, in 3D?","Pearl Sandick","",""]
April[0]=["7","Jake Simon","SwRI","Planetesimal Formation in Protoplanetary Disks: Implications for our Solar System and Beyond","Planetesimals are the precursors to planets, and understanding their formation is an essential step towards developing a complete theory of planet formation, whether it be that of our own solar system or of the many extrasolar planetary systems discovered in recent years. Furthermore, a detailed understanding of planetesimal formation is necessary for explaining the observed properties of asteroids and Kuiper Belt objects. Traditional theories attempt to explain planetesimal formation from a 'bottom-up' approach; small particles (e.g., dust grains) continually grow upward in mass and scale, finally reaching gravitationally bound objects.  For these small solid particles to coagulate into planetesimals, however, requires that these particles grow beyond centimeter sizes; with traditional coagulation physics, this is very difficult. The streaming instability, however, generates sufficiently dense clumps of these smaller constituents that the mutual gravity between the particles eventually causes their collapse towards planetesimal mass and size scales.   In this talk, I will first describe the streaming instability and how it solves the centimeter growth problem. I will then present a series of high resolution, first principles numerical simulations of protoplanetary disk gas and dust to examine in detail, the formation of planetesimals and their resulting size frequency distribution.  Finally, I will discuss the implications of these calculations for the formation of asteroids and Kuiper Belt Objects and for the construction of planetary systems, both our own and beyond.","Ben Bromley","","",""]
April[1]=["14","Seyda Ipek","Fermilab","TBD","TBD","Pearl Sandick","","",""]
April[2]=["21","Jessica Werk","U. of Washington","Multiphase Gas Flows in Gaseous Galaxy Halos","The circumgalactic medium (CGM; non-ISM gas within a galaxy virial radius) regulates the gas flows that shape the assembly and evolution of galaxies. Owing to vastly improved capabilities in space-based UV spectroscopy with the installation of HST/COS, observations and simulations of the CGM have emerged as the new frontier of galaxy evolution studies. My recent work suggests a rapid cycling of massive amounts of gas on scales of hundreds of kiloparsecs that in turn has raised pressing questions concerning the physical characteristics of the gas in the halos of galaxies. In this talk, I will discuss new constraints we have placed on the origin and fate of this material by studying the gas kinematics, metallicity and ionization state. I will conclude by posing several unanswered questions about the CGM that may be addressed with future survey data and hydrodynamical simulations in a cosmological context.","Anil Seth","","",""]