|
Advisor: Lauren N. Stephenson
University of Missouri - St. Louis
Advisor: Dr. Bruce Wilking
Abstract
Building upon a previous study, this research expanded the spectroscopic sample size in order to identify young stellar objects and derive their ages and masses. From the raw data, it can be concluded that there are 47 candidate young stellar objects associated with the Rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud. Determinations of the spectral types, effective temperatures, and luminosities of these sources were made and compared to theoretical models. Of the group, 20 had not been classified previously as young stellar objects.
Lauren Stephenson is a Michigan native from the small town of Otsego. After completing an Aviation Technology BS degree at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN in 2006, she accepted an offer with The Boeing Company in St. Louis, MO, where she currently resides with her husband and two cats. Now studying at University of Missouri - St. Louis, Lauren is in her final year of attaining a second bachelor's degree in Physics, with an emphasis on Astrophysics, maintaining the highest GPA in her class while continuing to work full-time. Near-term goals include attending graduate school to pursue a PhD in Astronomy or Astrophysics, with a long-term goal of being a professional research astronomer.
|
