Two Talks

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Two Talks

Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 12:00pm - 01:00pm

This repeat is an exception to the normal repeat pattern

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Claire Finley, The University of Texas at Austin
Tracing Planet Formation with Comets and Wide Planets

Abstract

In this two-part talk, I approach the question of planet formation through the lenses of Jupiter Family Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák (41P/TGK) and wide planet SR 12 c. The first section delves into my research conducted at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where I investigated the parent volatile composition of 41P/TGK, highlighting the role of comets in discerning the early solar system's chemical conditions and formation history. In the second section, I focus on my ongoing research here at UT Austin, where I am using a multi-wavelength study of SR 12 c to characterize and jointly constrain the disk’s physical and accretion processes from 0.3-21 μm with HST and JWST.

Jackson White, The University of Texas at Austin
Probing Stellar Interiors with Pseudoatoms

Abstract

Stellar structure and evolution models require detailed input physics across a wide range of conditions. Plasma properties including the opacity, equation of state, electric microfield, and the diffusion rate influence energy transfer throughout the interior and atmosphere of stars. However ongoing laboratory experiments at solar interior conditions as well as discrepancies between solar models and helioseismology have raised concerns about the accuracy of currently employed theoretical calculations, particularly regarding the opacity. In this talk I will discuss the concept of a pseudoatom, a statistically averaged representation of an atom which is calculated using density-functional-theory. Pseudoatoms are powerful and computationally efficient tools for modeling the extreme conditions of stellar interiors. I will detail my recent work developing a configuration-resolved pseudoatom molecular dynamics approach and its applicability to Stark broadening in stars. To conclude I will highlight some possible next steps in this work and their crossover with my recent work modeling resonant molecular line shapes in white dwarf stars.

Location: PMA 15.216B and online