Radio astronomy sees the invisible in our Solar system, Galaxy, and Universe. You will work in a collaborative group using various new and existing radio telescopes to investigate radio signals arriving at our campus from space. This will include using our 3 m radio telescope to investigate H I regions in the Milky Way and explore the Spiral Arms of the Galaxy or to detect radiation from powerful astrophysical Masers in turbulent stellar environments. You will use a single aperture radio telescope and well as a 2 or 3 element interferometer to explore the quiet and the active Sun. You will also build and use a dipole radio telescope to investigate our Sun and cyclotron radiation from the poles of Jupiter, where you will determine the magnetic field of this gas giant.

You will acquire both practical and theoretical skills while learning what this invisible radiation can tell us about astronomical objects. You will have the opportunity to explore a great variety of physics and astrophysical systems. You will use the full suite of radio instruments available in the Department of Physics and will apply them in novel ways, including using radio telescopes to measure atmospheric methane, and to work with collaborations involving NASA, ESA, and MIT.