Brief biography of Thomas H. Troland
Troland is a professor of physics and astronomy
at the University of
Kentucky. His research area is radio astronomy with an emphasis upon
observational studies of interstellar material associated with star
formation in the Galaxy. An important physical property of this material
is the magnetic field. Magnetic fields in interstellar material can both
assist and impede the star formation process. Troland makes use of the
Zeeman effect in radio frequency radiation of interstellar material to
measure magnetic field strengths. These measurements are made both with
single dish radio telescopes like that at Arecibo, PR and arrays of radio
telescopes like the Very Large Array in New Mexico. Troland is currently
chair of the Arecibo Users and Scientific Advisory Committee.
"Network applications and remote observing at Arecibo Observatory"
Arecibo Observatory is operated by Cornell
University under contract with
the NSF. The principal instrument is a 300 meter spherical reflector, the
largest in the world. This instrument is used for a very wide range of
research. It is primarily operated as a radio telescope, equipped for
passive reception of radio frequency radiation from our Galaxy and
beyond. It is also equipped with transmitters. Therefore, it can serve as
a radar telescope for study of planetary, satellite and asteroid surfaces
in the Solar System and even for study of the Earth's ionosphere.
High speed network access to the observatory is
essential for a number of
reasons. The telescope system has recently been upgraded with new optics,
receivers and data acquisition systems. As a result, the data output has
and will continue to grow. At the same time, the telescope's inherent
design permits observations of a given source in the sky for only a short
period each day. Therefore, many days of observations may be necessary if
a particular source must be observed for many hours. Finally, the
observatory is located in a locale relatively remote from many of its
users. Already, and increasingly in the future, Arecibo users will use the
facility remotely, and they will have need to control the telescope and
have high speed access to the data it produces.
My research at the observatory illustrates one
part of this need. I am
involved in a long term observing project encompassing many hundreds of
hours of telescope time and spanning many months. Remote observing is the
only practical option. During a brief stay at the observatory, I set up
the project and test out the systems. The remaining observations take
place remotely as does the data analysis. Remote data analysis, in
particular, requires excellent internet connectivity to deal with large
data sets. Future improvements in internet access to Arecibo will be
capable of rendering remote observations nearly as immediate as those
performed directly on site.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Thomas H. Troland
EDUCATION
B.A. Amherst College, 1970
M.A. University of California, Berkeley, 1974
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1980
EMPLOYMENT
1974-1980 Instructor of Astronomy, City College of San Francisco
1977-1980 Research Astronomer, University of California, Berkeley
1981-1985 Assistant Professor of Astronomy, University of Kentucky
1986-1997 Associate Professor of Astronomy, University of Kentucky
1997- Professor of Astronomy, University of Kentucky
VISITING POSITIONS
1985, 1986 Research Astronomer, Paris Observatory at Meudon
1985-1986 Visiting Assistant Professor of Astronomy, University of Illinois,
Urbana
1986 Visiting Scientist, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
1988 Visiting Research Professor, Paris VII University
1988-1989 Research astronomer, Paris Observatory at Meudon
1989-2001 Invited lecturer for NSF-sponsored teacher education program,
Investigating the Universe, held each summer at the National Radio Astronomy
Observatory, Geen Bank, WV (I anticipate participating in this program in summer
2000.)
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
American Astronomical Society
International Astronomical Union
Sigma Xi
ADDRESS
Physics & Astronomy Department, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40606
Telephone: 606 257-8620 or 257-6722, E-mail troland@pa.uky.edu , FAX (606)
323-2846
SOME RECENT PUBLICATIONS (refereed and invited)
49. VLA OH and HI Zeeman Observations of the NGC 6334 Complex, A. P. Sarma, T. H. Troland, D. A. Roberts & R. M. Crutcher, ApJ, 533, 271 (2000).
50. OH Zeeman Magnetic Field Detections Toward Five Supernova Remnants Using the VLA, C. L. Brogan, D. A. Frail, W. M. Goss & T. H. Troland, ApJ, 537, 875 (2000).
51. OH Zeeman Measurement of the Magnetic Field in the L1554 Core, R. M. Crutcher & T. H. Troland, ApJ, 537, L139 (2000).
52. VLA HI Zeeman Observations Toward the W49 Complex, C. L. Brogan & T. H. Troland, ApJ, submitted.
53. VLA HI Zeeman Effect Observations of Centaurus A, A. P. Sarma, T. H. Troland & M. P. Rupen, ApJ, submitted.
54. VLBA Zeeman Effect Observations of H2O
Masers in W3 IRS5, A. P. Sarma, T. H. Troland & J. D. Romney, ApJ (Letters),
submitted.