UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1230

serial: '1230'
sid: '20746'
uuid: 2a143d25-4e18-41d2-8a9b-a42eab6dd312
uri: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal
created: '1755534039'
completed: '1755535380'
changed: '1756139574'
in_draft: '0'
current_page: ''
remote_addr: 144.174.27.244
uid: '0'
langcode: en
webform_id: urop_project_proposal_portal
entity_type: node
entity_id: '1116'
locked: '0'
sticky: '0'
notes: ''
metatag: meta
data:
  roundtable_info: {  }
  approximately_how_many_hours_a_week_would_the_research_assistant: '10'
  are_you_currently_looking_for_students_: 'Yes'
  confirmation_1: '1'
  contact_email_fsu_email: ''
  contact_email_fsu_email2: ''
  contact_email_fsu_email_if_affiliated_: tplewa@fsu.edu
  faculty_advisor_confirmation: ''
  faculty_advisor_name: ''
  faculty_advisor_s_fsu_email: ''
  fsu_college: 'Arts and Sciences'
  fsu_department_if_applicable_: 'Scientific Computing'
  headshot_optional_: '62611'
  if_the_project_location_is_off_campus_does_the_student_need_to_p: ''
  mentoring_philosophy: |-
    Promoting learning through inquiry -- the Socratic method.
    Sharing own research experience.
    Creating a safe environment in which mentees feel that is acceptable to fail and learn from their mistakes.
  mentor_handbook_and_faqs: '1'
  name_of_other_faculty_collaborator_if_applicable_: ''
  number_of_assistants_needed_faculty_postdoc_max_6_graduate_stude: '1'
  other_faculty_collaborator_s_preferred_pronouns: ''
  overall_research_project_description: |-
    Motivated by observations of supernova remnants such as SN 1987A or Tycho, we are investigating links between the supernova progenitor structure, instabilities developing during the explosion process, and characteristics of emerging young supernova remnants. The starting point for such investigations are stellar evolution studies of supernova progenitors.

    From practical point of view, stellar evolution calculations require solving a set of coupled, nonlinear ordinary or partial differential equations. In this project, we will be using the MESA code,

    http://mesa.sourceforge.net/

    to solve the required evolutionary equations. In recent years, MESA had become a tool of choice for studying variety of astrophysical systems such as stars, binary stars, planets, and basic physics problems in dedicated settings. In this project, we study the evolution of thermonuclear flames powering Type Ia supernovae explosions, and assess sensitivity of their properties, such as speed and width, on the fuel parameters. The results of this study will subsequently be used as input to supernova explosion codes such as Agile-IDSA,

    http://www.physik.unibas.ch/~liebend/download/index.html

    or FLASH,

    https://flash.rochester.edu/site/flashcode/

    More advanced students may participate in and contribute to the analysis of multiphysics simulation results, such as computing nucleosynthetic yields and obtaining specific characteristics of explosion models.

    This project is strongly computationally-oriented and requires practical user knowledge of Linux or MacOS operating system. In addition, a broader range of topics is available to students fluent with programming languages such as C, C++, Fortran, or Python. Familiarity with simulation data analysis and visualization tools (e.g. Excel, gnuplot, matplotlib) is a plus.

    Applications of students who do not have programming skills or do not plan taking a programming class during the first semester of this project are strongly discouraged.

    Additional information related to the project can be obtained at

    http://people.sc.fsu.edu/~tplewa/Research/index.html
  please_add_any_additional_information_here: |-
    https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.18482
    https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slaa141
    https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.16674
  please_provide_a_link_to_your_publications_a_video_clip_or_a_web: 'https://news.fsu.edu/news/science-technology/2020/12/17/fsu-computational-scientist-demonstrates-how-supernovae-detonate/'
  please_select_the_choice_that_most_accurately_describes_your_exp: 'Partially Remote'
  please_select_the_location_of_your_project_: 'On FSU Main Campus'
  position_availability_for_student_research: 'Flexible schedule'
  position_title: Faculty
  primary_research_mentor_name: 'Tomasz Plewa,'
  project_keywords: 'astronomy physics computer programming data analytics'
  relevant_student_major_s_: 'physics and astrophysics, physics, statistics, computer science, computational science, mathematics, engineering, oceanography, meteorology'
  research_mentor_preferred_pronoun2: ''
  research_mentor_pronouns: ''
  research_mentor_supervisor_if_different_from_above_: ''
  research_tasks_for_student_research_assistant_s_: |-
    All the required work will be done on desktop computers provided by the Department of Scientific Computing or with student's laptop computers serving as front ends to departmental computers (connecting via Remote Desktop/Anydesk software), and in person or Zoom for weekly communications.

    The project tasks involve,
    (1) Review text book information about mathematics and physics relevant to problems in stellar evolution.
    (2) Familiarize with the Linux operating system. Download, install, and familiarize with the MESA stellar evolution code.
    (3) Construct a series of stellar evolution tracks for various stellar masses (Hertzsprung-Russel Diagram).
    (4) Present evolution of stellar structure using Kippenhahn's diagrams (see, e.g., https://github.com/orlox/mkipp ).
    (5) Study sensitivity of stellar progenitors characteristics or stellar physics phenomena to problem parameters.
    (6) Obtain a series of stellar evolution or relevant multiphysics simulations.
    (7) Analyze obtained results.
    (8) Prepare a poster presenting the project findings.
  roundtable_times_and_zoom_links: ''
  skills_that_research_assistants_may_need_: |-
    Recommended: practical knowledge of a Linux/MacOS-type operating system.
    Required: practical knowledge of MATLAB, Python, or Fortran/C/C++.
    Required: strong interest in nature of physics phenomena and good preparation in the areas of mathematics, physics, or statistics.
  title_of_the_project: 'Experiments in Computational Stellar Astrophysics'
  update_url: 'https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?element_parents=elements/research_mentor_information/headshot_optional_&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=fV29KOISmsP_5X4lcSqP38nsO0bSWXSECt-SWzG74vs'
  urop_performance_evaluation: '1'
  urop_poster_presentation: '1'
  when_potential_research_assistants_are_reaching_out_via_email_2: ''
  when_potential_research_assistants_are_reaching_out_via_email_wh: ''
  when_students_are_reaching_out_via_email_what_is_your_preferreda: tplewa@fsu.edu
  would_you_like_to_participate_in_the_urop_research_mentor_round2: 'No'
  would_you_like_to_participate_in_the_urop_research_mentor_roundt: ''
  year: '2025'