Prof.dr. Scott Trager and Prof.dr. Reynier Peletier have a PhD studentship
available to begin in 2008. The student will determine abundance
ratios, ages, and metallicities of nearby galaxies using
newly-developed models to be calibrated and extended by the student.
Background:
By examining individual elemental abundance ratios we can begin to
learn about distant, massive, unresolved galaxies in the same way we
learn about the Milky Way and its dwarf satellite galaxies that can be
be studied star-by-star. For example, overabundances of Mg, Si,
S, and Na relative to Fe in galaxies tells us that their stars formed
quickly---within 100 Myr or so---while normal (solar) abundances of
these elements tell us that they took much longer to form their
stars---at least 1 Gyr. We therefore can determine the time
scales of galaxy formation in old galaxies.
Project:
This project is a combination of observation, data reduction and
analysis, and modelling and is divided into three components. (1)
Determine abundance ratios, as well as ages and metallicities for a set
of calibration galaxies, such as cluster ellipticals. This work
includes searching data archives for good, high S/N spectroscopy and
reducing those as well as using already-available high-quality
spectroscopy, as well as applying for new observations. (2)
Calibrate and extend next-generation stellar population models,
including adding new indices to examine, for example, s-process
elements. (3) Develop stellar populations models in the
near-infrared based on current-generation stellar models and a new
library of optical and near-infrared stellar spectra to be collected
with X-Shooter, a new spectrograph for the VLT to be commissioned in
2009. We expect that the student will spend at least three months
during the project working with team members in the USA or Spain.
The
student's application should include a curriculum vitae, an academic
transcript including a list of courses and grades and an indication of
the (expected) date of the award of a MSc (doctoraal) degree or
equivalent, two reference letters, and a summary of undergraduate
research projects carried out and how they fit into the student's aims
for PhD research. If English is not the student's native
language, the reference letters should include an assessment of the
English level (written and oral) of the student. All materials
should arrive via email, FAX, or regular post no later than 1 June 2008 addressed to
Prof.dr. S.C. Trager
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
P.O. Box 800
NL-9700 AV Groningen
The Netherlands
Fax: +31-50-3636100
More information can be obtained by emailing Prof. Trager or Prof. Peletier.