Star Formation through Radio Eyes: Probing Magnetic Fields with CARMA

How do stars form?  How can we use radio waves to probe the origins of stars within their cold, dusty natal clouds?  And how do magnetic fields affect the star-formation process?  Come and find out how I use CARMA, a millimeter-wave radio telescope in the Eastern Sierras, to find answers to these questions.  I will begin by discussing the basics of radio astronomy, radio telescopes, and star formation.  I will then talk about the research I've been doing on polarization and magnetic fields in forming stars, using the dual-polarization receiver system that I helped install and commission at CARMA.

Speaker: Chat Hull, UC Berkeley