wvu senior research projects national radio astronomy observatory david frayer, ryan lynch, richard...

WVU Senior Research ProjectsNational Radio Astronomy Observatory

David Frayer, Ryan Lynch, Richard Prestage, Hanna Sizemore

2.3 acre collecting area

485 ft

At 100 m, the GBT is the largest fully steerable telescopein the world.

305 ft

The Advantage of Unblocked OpticsDynamic Range

Near sidelobes reduced by a factor >10 from conventional antennas

Gain & SensitivityThe 100 meter diameter GBT performs better than a 120 meter conventional antenna

Reduced Interference

Characteristics of the GBT

Large Collecting AreaSensitive to Low Surface Brightness

Sky Coverage & Tracking (>85%)Angular ResolutionFrequency CoverageRadio Quiet ZoneUnblocked Aperture

state-of-art receivers & detectorsmodern control softwareflexible scheduling

A telescope for cosmologyThe origin and destiny of the Universe

Studying black holes and extreme environments to determine the fate and age of the Universe

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A telescope for understanding galaxiesStudying the formation and evolution of stellar systems

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“On the continuing formation of the Andromeda Galaxy: Detection of HI Clouds in the M31 Halo”

Thilker et al 2004 ApJ

“Neutral Hydrogen clouds in the M81/M82 Group” Chynoweth et al. 2008 AJ

A Telescope Designed to be EnhancedWe have an ongoing development program to ensure the GBT remains a vibrant, cutting-edge

instrument for years to come

All development is done in conjunction with college & university groups around the

country

WVU / NRAO Senior Research Projects• Satisfy Physics Department Capstone Requirement– Phys 496

• Jointly supervised by an Astrophysics Faculty Advisor / NRAO Scientist

• Fall and/or Spring Semester

• Work in Morgantown with occasional trips to Green Bank

• Stipend of $1k per semester – $10 per hr x 10hrs per week x 10 weeks

• A wide variety of potential topics7

Thank you for your attention!

For more information, contact:

Richard Prestage (rprestag@nrao.edu)Maura McLaughlin (

maura.mclaughlin@mail.wvu.edu)

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