Interstellar Medium, Molecular Clouds, Star Formation & Evolution, Supernovae & Their Remnants, Long Gamma-ray Bursts, Cosmic Rays
Image credit: ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / Alexandra Angelich, NRAO / AUI / NSF.
Stars are the fundamental building blocks and probes of the Universe. They are formed in stellar nurseries enshrouded by dust and gas, and end their lives in violent explosions, creating some of the most captivating events one can witness. Faculty in CIERA study, model, and observe many stages of a star’s life from birth to death, the planets formed around them, how they impact their environments, as well as the compact remnants they leave behind.
Research at CIERA
Evolving to the end states of stellar evolution, Professor Fong’s team uses radio and optical observations to study and model relativistic explosions called gamma-ray bursts and their host galaxy environments, probing star formation from the local neighborhood to the high-redshift Universe.
Professor Tchekhovskoy uses state-of-the-art simulations to study the formation of relativistic jets in core-collapse gamma ray bursts.
Professor Miller’s group uses ground- and space-based telescopes to study the endpoints of the stellar life cycle as punctuated by supernovae. The group uses data science methods, such as machine learning, to support the discovery and classification of these explosions prior to studying their properties in greater detail.
Professor Figueroa-Feliciano’s group studies the X-ray signatures of supernova remnants through the NASA Micro-X Sounding Rocket, a Northwestern-led rocket payload which takes high-energy-resolution spectra of remnants in suborbital flights.
Professor Kilpatrick uses optical, infrared, and X-ray imaging of nearby galaxies to understand the stellar channels that lead to their cataclysmic collapse and explosion as supernovae, focusing on deep, high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy that can be used to study their local environments, nucleosynthetic content, and progenitor stars.
Opportunities
Deadline: 11:59pm, March 19, 2024
REACH (Research Experiences in Astronomy at CIERA for High School Students) is a highly interactive, in-person 3-week program (with an optional 3-week extension) that provides high school students experience with astronomy research in an atmosphere of team-style learning, hands-on training, and mentorship from professional scientists. Students enrolled in the program engage in astronomy research projects with
Deadline: 11:59pm, March 22, 2024
Funded by an educational grant awarded by NASA to Northwestern University through the Illinois Space Grant Consortium, Northwestern offers a College Summer Research Program for outstanding undergraduates. The program provides an opportunity for college students to work with a professor in one of several areas of space sciences and astrophysics. It is open to students
News
Gallery
Bursts of star formation explain mysterious brightness at cosmic dawn
Bursts of star formation explain mysterious brightness at cosmic dawn
Artist conception of early starbursting galaxies. Stars and galaxies are shown in the bright white points of light, while the more diffuse dark matter and gas are shown in purples and reds. When scientists viewed the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) first images of the universe’s earliest galaxies, they were shocked. The young galaxies appeared
Aaron M. Geller, Northwestern, CIERA + IT-RCDS
- Science
Unprecedented gamma-ray burst explained by long-lived jet
Unprecedented gamma-ray burst explained by long-lived jet
Last year, Northwestern University researchers uncovered new observational evidence that long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can result from the merger of a neutron star with another compact object (either another neutron star or black hole) — a finding that was previously believed to be impossible. Now, another Northwestern team offers a potential explanation for what generated
Ore Gottlieb/Danat Issa/Alexander Tchekhovskoy/CIERA/Northwestern
- Science
‘Jupiter’ passed through massive stars
‘Jupiter’ passed through massive stars
A Northwestern University-led team of researchers, including postdoctoral fellow Evan Anders, developed the first 3D simulations of energy rippling from a massive star’s core to its outer surface. Using these new models, the researchers determined, for the first time, how much stars should innately twinkle. Depending on how large or bright a massive star is,
Northwestern University
‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ passed through massive stars
‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ passed through massive stars
A Northwestern University-led team of researchers, including postdoctoral fellow Evan Anders, developed the first 3D simulations of energy rippling from a massive star’s core to its outer surface. Using these new models, the researchers determined, for the first time, how much stars should innately twinkle. Depending on how large or bright a massive star is,
Northwestern University
Listen to a star ‘twinkle’
Listen to a star ‘twinkle’
A Northwestern University-led team of researchers developed the first 3D simulations of energy rippling from a massive star’s core to its outer surface. Using these new models, the researchers determined, for the first time, how much stars should innately twinkle. The team converted these rippling waves of gas into sound waves, enabling listeners to hear
Supernova SN2023ixf visible in pinwheel galaxy
Supernova SN2023ixf visible in pinwheel galaxy
Graduate student Imran Sultan’s photo of the recently visible supernova (SN2023ixf) in the pinwheel galaxy M101. The image was taken overnight, May 20-21, 2023 about 70 miles outside of Chicago. Imran used an 80mm refractor and a DSLR on a star tracker.
Imran Sultan
- Outreach
People
Core Faculty
Kari Frank
Director of Operations of CIERA, Research Assistant Professor