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David S. Meier



Associate Professor (Astrophysics)
Physics Department
333 Workman Center
New Mexico Tech
801 Leroy Place
Socorro, NM 87801

Phone: (575) 835-5340 
Office: Workman 359 

David.Meier@nmt.edu

 



Useful Astronomy Links:

A.D.S.
N.E.D.
D.S.S.
Sky-Map
 Astro-ph
Astrophysical Journal
Astronomical Journal
A.R.A.&A.
 Splatalogue
JPL molspec
Cologne molspec
Lovas List
 Astrochemistry.net
The Astrochymist
Sky & Telescope
Astronomy Mag.

Research:

My research focuses on the evolution of star formation and its natal fuel across galaxies. My primarily observational program uses radio/millimeter interferometry and IR continuum/spectroscopy of nearby star forming galaxies to image, at high spatial resolution, the physical and chemical properties of star formation's molecular gas fuel. The radio/millimeter spectroscopy is done using interferometers including, NRAO's Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA), the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the IRAM Interferometer. The IR observations are done with both ground and space-based telescopes including, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope and the W. H. Keck Observatories. Such observations illuminate the physical (temperature, density, pressure, amount and location of heating/cooling sources), dynamical (gas motions, locations of shocked gas, presence of outflows, feedback from pre-existing stars or supermassive black holes [AGN]), chemical (molecular abundance, nucleosynthetic state, degree of evolution) and star formation properties of a galaxy.

Studying spectral lines originating from transitions between quantum mechanical levels within a wide variety of molecules give us directly the chemical abundances in the interstellar medium, as well as can be used as 'thermometers' and 'barometers' of the gas. [For a description of interstellar molecular spectroscopy see the nice online NRAO Essential Radio Astronomy Lecture section.] Moreover, the abundances and temperatures of the molecular gas tell us about the internal microphysics that control the cloud's state. Different molecules trace different chemical regimes. Fortunately the interstellar medium has a rich chemistry of diagnostic molecules ( see list; with one of these [Cyanoformaldehyde] being co-discovered by yours truly), including both common species found on Earth (e.g. water [H2O], ammonia [NH3], methane [CH4], formaldehyde [H2CO], carbon monoxide [CO]) and more exotic species (e.g. HCO+, N2H+, c-C3H2, HCCNC, HC9N). Example research highlights are given below:

Recent Research Highlights:

 See Publications for an exhaustive list of my publications. If you would like to use the images below, a citation to the paper is required and I would appreciate an email indicating their use.