Theoretical Astrophysics
Santa Cruz
Nuclear astrophysics; supernovae; gamma ray bursts; nucleosynthesis
High-energy astrophysics; stellar explosions; GRBs; accretion disks
DON'T BE DISTRACTED...
...by the redwood trees, pristine beaches, and
brilliant sunshine...
SANTA CRUZ HOSTS HARDCORE ASTROPHYSICS.
UCSC’s astrophysics group is one of the world’s best, boasting top faculty across a broad range of subjects, great access to instrumental and computational resources, and a top-notch graduate training program. And yes, exceptional quality of life. Interested?
TASC is a research unit spanning four affiliated departments. We work closely with each other and with experimentalists, instrumentalists, and observers at the University of California Observatories, the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, the Center for Adaptive Optics, the Center for the Origin, Dynamics, and Evolution of Planets, and the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics. As part of TASC, you will also have opportunities to access our new world-class Pleiades Supercomputer and to become deeply involved in science using GLAST, Hubble, Keck, Spitzer, VERITAS, NuSTAR, planetary spacecraft, and other world-class instruments.
TASC science tackles a wide range of problems, such as: How do stars and planets form, evolve, move, and die? Is Earth unique? How were the elements created? How do black holes impact the Universe? What is the nature of dark matter and dark energy? How do galaxies form and evolve? How did the Universe begin (and are there other universes)?
DID YOU KNOW?...
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Cold-dark-matter galaxy formation theory began at UCSC. -
The hypernova model for GRBs was invented at UCSC.
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UCSC’s physics faculty is the nation’s most highly cited.
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Most known extrasolar planets were discovered with UCSC-built equipment.
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UCSC physicists are major builders and users of GLAST.
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UCSC pioneered giant optical telescopes like Keck, and is making the key technology breakthroughs for even larger telescopes.
As a TASC graduate student, you will contribute significantly to world-class, cutting-edge discoveries while positioning yourself to follow previous UCSC students who have gone on to become Hubble Fellows, Keck Fellows, Chandra Fellows, and junior faculty at excellent institutions.
Origin and evolution of the solar system; comets and asteroids
HOW TO APPLY: submit all applications to the Graduate Division of the University of California at Santa Cruz (http://graddiv.ucsc.edu/admissions). Apply to the UCSC department of your choice but indicate your interest in TASC in the application. All TASC-oriented applications will be reviewed jointly. Also send a separate letter of interest to Maria Sliwinski (sliwinsk@ucsc.edu), TASC graduate program advisor, 201 Interdisciplinary Sciences Bldg., UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA 95064. For further information see http://astro.ucsc.edu/tasc
