The Department of Physics

RADIAL Summer Internship 2022.

Kaylan-Marie Achong

Growing up in Trinidad, there exists a stigma around pursuing career paths outside what is considered ideal. Included in this stigma is often the lack of opportunities and jobs for persons interested in these fields.  Nevertheless, I pursued my interest in astronomy, disregarding the ‘warnings’ from elders, friends and associates that I would be unable to accomplish my career goals. Although it was disheartening, I pushed forward, hoping to make my dream a reality, and the work I did with RADIAL made me feel one step closer to that.

I am deeply thankful to everyone that was involved in this process of creating a RADIAL-UWI network. The opportunity to interact with other marginalised groups that shared my passion enabled a development of cherished connections that I continue to maintain. Although the  summer school experience was derived purely through online observations, due to time constraints involving applications for the US Visa, my two mentors did their best to nurture a connection that helped me to grow my skills as a researcher and my confidence in calling myself an astronomer.

Work with my mentors, Eric and Melissa, initially focused on defining an individual research project in the category: Galaxy formation and evolution, for everyone in our group. I chose to further analyse Yjan’s (a colleague of the group, and fellow researcher in the field) catalogue on potential Double Radio Sources associated with Active Galactic Nuclei (DRAGN’s). His catalogue, prepublished at that time, involved using an algorithm to analyse VLA data in the 14GHz range to look for potential radioactive double component AGN sources. In comparison, I decided to focus on triple component radioactive AGN sources. These are sources whose core also produces radio emission, and are of interest because we can use them to understand specific morphologies of bent jet AGN’s. In comparison, for double radio sources, whose cores are not radioactive, it is a bit more difficult to ascertain the host galaxy, location of the core, and define whether the AGN is a bent jet or not. Additionally, triple component sources provide useful information on the galactic environment, as well as the density and geometries of the WHIM. Such information can then be used to further understand why some galaxies cease star production unexpectedly.

Initially, my work focused on the development of a program that could calculate the opening angle of the triple component bent jet AGN through use of the coordinates of each radioactive component. Additionally, after developing a list of the ~3000 potential triple component bent jet AGN’s from Yjan’s catalogue, I, along with my mentors, set to work to visually inspect each object. Visual inspection was needed to determine the amount of actual bent jets to artefacts present in the sample set, as well as to qualitatively categorise the bent jets on the degree of their bending. Here, artefact detection was important because Yjan’s algorithm used did not possess the ability to discern VLA noise on images, which bore the same shape as bent jets. Although this process was immensely tedious, it allowed me to be included in Yjan’s paper on his catalogue as well as the ability to present an iPoster at the 241st AAS on Measuring the Opening Angle of Triple Component Bent Jet AGN’s. Both experiences were extremely rewarding. My presence at the AAS meeting enabled me to engage with a number of top astronomers and research groups. Additionally, having been featured on a research paper as an undergraduate should surely help me in my journey of applying for graduate school.

Furthermore, work on my catalogue- a sub-catalogue of Yjan’s, still continues with my mentors. Although some aspects of the research are difficult, it is most rewarding to be able to produce useful work. At the moment, we are attempting to derive the radius of curvature of the AGN objects, as well as other useful categorizations. We hope to be able to soon publish this catalogue.

Genevierre De Gazon

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory RADIAL summer research and training experience was first introduced to students by the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine senior astronomy professor, Dr. Shirin Haque. The Radio Astronomy Data Imaging and Analysis Lab (RADIAL) program is a direct partnership between NRAO and 14-minority-serving institutions (MSIs)of higher education. This program was established to focus on data-intensive research in radio astronomy. The program ran from a period of May 30th- August 5th. Many unexpected challenges came along the way, for instance, the onset of the peak period for the covid -19 pandemic which caused the experience to be a remote virtual experience. However, being a part of this program has been an incredible learning experience for me, providing me with the opportunity to apply my academic knowledge to real-world situations and gain valuable skills that will aid in my future endeavours. In this essay, I will explore the various aspects of my internship, from the tasks and projects I worked on to the relationships I have built with my colleagues and mentors. In addition, I will also reflect on the lessons I have learned and how they would have tremendously impacted my personal and professional growth moving forward.

During the internship, students were assigned specific tasks or projects that are relevant to their area of study or career interests. I chose to focus on the topic of Active Galactic Nuclei galaxies (AGNs) as it aligns with my interests and goals. As someone, who has always been fascinated by galaxies, I was drawn to the potential impact of these AGNs in the field of astronomy and the opportunity to contribute to ongoing research and development in this area. Throughout my internship, I was able to work under the supervision of two mentors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Eric Hooper, and Ms. Melissa Morris. To ensure that the internship was a positive and valuable experience for all involved, it was important to establish clear guidelines and expectations. The goals that I was set on obtaining were firstly being able to gain experience and an understanding of how these theoretical concepts can be applied to real-life settings. Secondly, developing a range of skills and abilities, from communication and teamwork to problem-solving and critical thinking. Thirdly, building professional networks by having opportunities to work with professionals in the field of interest. Lastly, utilizing the program to explore career options available for international students. These goals were obtained throughout the summer by attending various professional development workshops and weekly lecture series, in addition to the feedback and guidance of my mentors throughout my research.

Moreover, to highlight how these goals were attained, this paragraph delves into the background of my research topic and the lessons learned. Active Galactic Nuclei are supermassive black holes. Thus, the most devouring and dynamic black holes in the universe can be found with two jets of matter streaming from their canters. These jets often accelerate with very high speeds out into space in opposing directions and are usually lined up along the axis of the spinning black holes. However, some of these AGN jets appear bent back and these were of particular interest to our research. Studying AGN galaxies is important for several reasons, from understanding galaxy evolution and black hole physics to advancing our understanding of exoplanet research and cosmology. The search for bent jet AGN galaxies was done by a team comprising myself, Kaylan-Marie Achong, and Yesenia Beltran. This was done by conducting a study using data from the ongoing Very Large Array Sky Survey. The VLASS sky survey was important, as it can map 80% of the sky using high spatial resolution and sensitivity. The VLA Sky survey generates thousands of unprecedented resolutions giving astronomers the ability to reveal and discover more details of space, mapping the universe! At this step, my goal mentioned prior was achieved as I developed the skill of coding using Python which aided in automating the data from the VLA sky survey. In addition, the coding skills allowed me to gain visualization skills that made the data easier to understand for instance in the form of quick-look images and 3D models.

Furthermore, we searched a pre-publication catalog of approximately 15,000 sources (Y. Gordon et al,.in prep) for bent double radio sources. Based on the initial visual analysis we found that within Yjan’s entire catalog, 152% were bent radio galaxies. This is promising as there are approximately 3000 possible bent double radio sources. Based on continuous research, it was discovered that galaxies hosting these AGNs with bent radio jets are used as tracers of dense environments such as galaxy groups and clusters. Additionally, clusters are partially characterized observationally by galaxy populations and hot X-ray emitting gas. Therefore, my independent research entitled “Exploring galaxy clusters using bent AGN jets” was undertaken by comparing the densities using x-ray data and these bent jet AGNs. It is imperative to state that both my mentors’ and my expectations for this program have been exceeded, based on the results thus far, there are many publications that are set to be officially published by the latter half of 2023.

Despite the challenges that the covid-19 pandemic posed to our in-person trip during the summer program, we were given the chance to present our work at the 241st American Astronomical Society (AAS) winter conference meeting held at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The AAS meetings serve as a forum for thousands of astronomers and scientists to gather and share their research findings through scientific plenary sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities. We were required to submit an abstract that describes the research being presented, which was illustrated in the form of an i-poster. The use of i-posters at the AAS meeting has several advantages over typically printed posters which includes enhanced interactivity, wider audience reach, and improved data visualization. This opportunity aided me in fulfilling my goals listed above as it allowed me to facilitate collaborations and networking. In the Caribbean opportunities in the field of astronomy is quite limited. Thus, by attending the AAS meeting and participating in an international internship, my home institution was granted the opportunity to gain recognition. It gave me the chance to showcase the quality of education provided by my home institution which is the University of the West Indies, St, Augustine campus.

In conclusion, I am extremely grateful to have gotten the opportunity for this RADIAL program as it was a transformative experience that deepened my passion for astronomy and provided me with valuable skills and experience. From the RADIAL program, I was able to find newfound confidence in myself and my career goals, as I have plans to further my education to the level of acquiring a Ph.D. in Astronomy. I would highly recommend the RADIAL program to undergraduates who are looking to gain practical experience and develop their skills in the field of astronomy.