COSAM News Articles 2021 August Auburn physicists awarded $1 million by NASA and NSF

Auburn physicists awarded $1 million by NASA and NSF

Published: 08/31/2021

Auburn professors Mike Fogle and Stuart Loch, from the Department of Physics, were recently awarded $1.09 million in grants from NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The research involves joint theoretical and experimental projects to produce high-quality atomic data that is needed for astrophysics. The projects will lead to more accurate diagnostics of the elements present in objects such as planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, and the interstellar medium.

The collaborative projects involve researchers from the University of Georgia, Clemson University and the University of West Georgia. High performance computing resources and large-scale experimental facilities in the both the U.S. and Europe will be used throughout the projects. The new atomic data will improve the analysis of observations from existing and future NASA and NSF telescopes. An Auburn intramural grant was leveraged to develop some of the preliminary data for the NASA and NSF grant proposals and the Auburn computing cluster, Easley, will be used for the calculations.

The work will also give Auburn students an opportunity to work extensively with students at the collaborating institutions.

Image of the Ring nebula, taken using an Auburn University astronomy terrace telescope. This is an example of the kind of nebula that the project will study.