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PULSE@ParkesPULsar Student Exploration online at Parkes
Robert Hollow
Australia Telescope National Facility
12 December 2007
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
What is PULSE@Parkes? - Background
• ASKAP Budget Announcement, 8 May 2007:
• ‘As part of the project, CSIRO will extend its annual in-service training for around 200 high school teachers through the provision of Year 11/12 maths and physics education material involving data and information from the ASKAP. This will expose the next generation to world-class science and technology in a unique way.’
• Where to start?
http://www.dest.gov.au/ministers/bishop/budget07/bud34_07.htm
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Challenge
•Need to develop and implement stimulating, engaging, and worthwhile radio astronomy activities appropriate for high school students
•Develop educational pedagogy and technical systems for school use of ASKAP data
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Step 1
•PULSE@Parkes
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
The Project Team
• Coordinator & education leader: Robert Hollow• Science leader: George Hobbs
• Other ATNF staff: David Champion, Jessica Chapman, Mary Mulcahy, Shaun Amy
• Summer Vacation Program student: Matt Carr• CSIRO ICT Centre input: Leila Alem, Laurie Wilson, John Zic,
Alex Krum-Heller• Swinburne: Sarah Burke, Willem van Straten• Link with: Rick Jenet (UTB)
• Possible future link with David McKinnon & Lena Danaia (Charles Sturt University, Bathurst)
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
What are we trying to do?
• High school students observe pulsars using the Parkes radio telescope • Obtain observations with educational value for the students and scientific
value for the astronomical community• Demonstrate and develop remote observing capabilities at Parkes• Promote the ATNF telescopes and extend outreach with the ATNF facilities• Develop a sequence of educational programs for the ASKAP era
• Project inspired by Rick Jenet’s ARCC project at UTB
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Program Development
• Phase 1: Oct 07 – Feb 08• Develop concept
• Apply for telescope time
• Identify and work with two test schools
• Write project materials
• Trial & refine procedures
• Phase 2: Feb 08 - ?• Apply for more telescope time
• Open up project to more schools
• Build up data archive
• Foster collaboration across schools
• Develop more activities and modify existing material as required
• Phase 3: 2008 →• Develop new observing projects
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
School Selection
• Two schools for initial trial
• NSW Government High Schools:• Kingswood High School• Muswellbrook High School
• Selection through:• teacher interest from ATNF
Teacher Workshops• discussion with STANSW – early
mentoring program
• Target group Year 11 (10-12)
• Need to decide future criteria for observing slots
• Schools may be ‘non-observers’ and just use data and activities
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
First Stage
• Successful gaining telescope time: P595; 8 hours
• Trialled remote observation setup from Marsfield in October
• Selected 34 pulsars for project
• Two schools selected
• SVP selected to work on project materials over summer
• First school visit and trial completed – observations on 4 December!
• Second school trial on 13 February 2008
• Project materials under development
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Why Pulsars?
• Existing model of student engagement (ARCC)
• Local expertise & interest
• Single dish astronomy conceptually easier for students
• Possible to get time on Parkes
• Short observations produce useful data for concise activities
• Data is useful for other projects
• Can link in with existing observational programs (PPTA, GLAST) & ARCC
Image Credit: Manchester, R.N. and Taylor, J.H., Pulsars, Freeman, 1977.
Image Credit: Imagine the Universe! at NASA/GSFC
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Selection of pulsars
Pulsars have been chosen so that:1. Each observation only lasts between 2 and 15 minutes2. Have enough pulsars to be observed at any sidereal time3. Are useful for long-term timing programs4. Provide interesting, small experiments for the students to carry out
Selected from:The GLAST timing project (i.e. young, pulsars that show timing irregularities)Millisecond pulsar timing (our sample includes J1713+0747, J2145-0750, J2317+1439)Pulsars with oscillatory timing noise on “long” time scales (e.g. B1828-11)
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Before an observing session
• Students work through online materials and background reading
• Visit the school to talk on the project• Explain about pulsars, radio telescopes and observing• Help the students determine which pulsars they will be able to
observe• Let the students do some basic processing using existing data
sets
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
A typical observing session
• The students will arrive at the ATNF lecture theatre (Marsfield)• Introductory talk and a short movie describing the project• Introduce the students to the Parkes astronomer Parkes ‘by
video conferencing• Students then work through checklist to check if observations
can proceed, eg check the weather via the winds monitor• Show movie of “unstowing the dish”• Once observing the students will
- view webcams of the telescope and control room- be able to control the telescope using VNC- monitor the data in real time (using a website)- chat with the controller at Parkes- monitor the weather displays- hear the “pulsar sounds” recorded by the telescope
• Start initial processing of the data
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Observations at Marsfield
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
TCS Display via VNC
Live webcam
Video conference link (Skype)
TCS
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Observations at Parkes
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
On-line monitoring
• Need to move towards more verbal interaction between students & astronomer
• Less text/typing
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Pulsar Profile
• Pulse profile automatically generated and printed out - immediate feedback
• Archived for later analysis
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Activity 1: Dispersion Measure & Pulsar Distance
Pulsar Name
-0.05
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Time (s)
Inte
nsi
ty
1497MHz
1465MHz
1433MHz
1401MHz
1369MHz
1337MHz
1305MHz
1273MHz
• Data output in .txt file
• Analysed in Excel workbook – available in schools. Template from website
• Archived on website, easily downloaded.
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Dispersion Measure
Dispersion Measure
y = 365694x + 0.2409
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
0 0.0000001 0.0000002 0.0000003 0.0000004 0.0000005 0.0000006 0.0000007
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Galactic position based on DM
Kingswood High Pulsars
Galactic Centre
Test2 Test1
Death Star
EarthHalo
-16.316
-11.316
-6.316
-1.316
3.684
8.684
-13.15 -8.15 -3.15 1.85 6.85 11.85Galactic Centre
Earth
Test2
Test1
Death Star
Halo
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Results
Pulsar Name Galactic Centre Earth Test2 Test1Death
Star Halo
Galactic Longitude 0 0 309.81 53.28442 25.46 47.78
Galactic Latitude 0 0 0.59 15.730467 4.73 -42.08
Distance (kpc) 8 0 4.97 5.2 2 0.5
x 0 0 -5.21104476 5.476757454 1.169579 0.375142
z 0 0 0.069857201 1.924357161 0.225117 -0.45739
y -10.92001092 0 -4.343219881 -4.084566326 -2.45649 -0.3404
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
After an observing session
The students will be able to access their data to:• Measure pulsar dispersion measures and hence distances• Determine how pulse shapes change with frequency• Look for glitches in the timing• Determine orbital parameters from measurements of the pulsar
periods• Determine spin-down parameters and hence estimates of age
and magnetic field strength.
• … any more suggestions for small projects?
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
First Trial
• Ten students from Years 10 and 11.
• Successful observations• Students analysed data,
calculated DMs and plotted positions and distance on workbook.
• Positive feedback• Useful ideas from ICT
Centre
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Educational component
• Establish formal evaluation of project with, eg CSU Bathurst• Publish papers and promote project in science education
research journals and science teacher publications & conferences• Aim to foster discussion between school groups as data archive
grows• Link with similar schemes using major facilities or engaging in
‘real-science’• Scientists in Schools scheme
• Faulkes/Global Jetwatch/HOU
• ARCC
• NRAO GBT Pulsar scheme?
• Provide input into SKA outreach and education planning
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
The near future …
• Project materials published on ATNF Outreach site:• Work with ICT Centre re interface design and student
interactions• Extend project to search for pulsars (probably using the DFB in
search mode)• Sustainable with one school observation (~2 hrs) per month• Allow access from schools (or centres at different institutes
around Australia) to allow access from schools in Vic, WA, etc.• Firewall issues with state DETs need to be resolved if we want
‘mobile’ version running from schools• Strengthen collaborations with USA, Canadian and European
schools and similar projects (such as the ARCC)
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
Beyond…
• Develop other (non-pulsar) single dish projects. Ideas:
• HI projects such as GASS extension (Naomi McClure-Griffiths)
• Dave DeBoer interested in developing SETI project
• Other ideas?
• Develop interferometer projects (ATCA)?• Possible applications for ASKAP dishes situated in NSW• Develop educational pedagogy and technical backend for
school use of ASKAP (and SKA?) data.
CSIRO. PULSE@Parkes
We gain ….
• Large number of high school students will have heard of ATNF and used Parkes.
• Student interest in science/technology (hopefully)• More data for our existing pulsar timing projects• Robust testing of Parkes remote observing issues• High profile CSIRO project• Effective educational pedagogy and technical backend for
school use of ASKAP (and SKA?) data.
Contact UsPhone: 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176
Email: [email protected] Web: www.csiro.au
Thank you
Australia Telescope National FacilityRobert HollowEducation Officer
Phone: 02 9372 4247Email: [email protected]: http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au