Martha P. Haynes
Encyclopedia
Martha Patricia Haynes is an American astronomer who specializes in radio astronomy
and radar astronomy
. She is a professor at Cornell University
for graduate school. There she received her M.A. in 1975 and her Ph.D. in 1978. From 1978 until 1981 she worked at the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center when she left to become the assistant director for the Green Bank Telescope
. She joined the faculty at Cornell in 1983. Haynes received together with Riccardo Giovanelli
the Henry Draper Medal
for the first three-dimensional view of some of the remarkable large-scale filamentary structures of our visible universe.
, disk scaling relations and their applications as distance indicators and most notably ALFALFA, the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA survey.
and started on February 4th 2005. It is still ongoing (March 2009). The name is the abbreviation of Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA. ALFA is the abbreviation of Arecibo L-Band Feed Array.
The ALFA is a seven pixel detector and thus seven times faster than the previously used one pixel detectors. It is utilized in combination with the Arecibo Observatory telescope, a 305 meter radio telescope
, which is currently (March 2009) the largest single dish telescope in the world and therefore offers better resolution and sensitivity.
The speed of the ALFA permits it to survey large areas of the sky quickly, while the telescope provides unequalled sensitivity. With the seven feeds it is also possible to detect structures which are too big to be seen with radio interferometers or single-pixel detectors.
The ALFALFA survey is a blind extragalactic survey in neutral atomic hydrogen (HI)
utilizing the ALFA at Arecibo Observatory. The telescope is not directed at preselected targets, but at one location for one night, allowing the sky to pass. This is called drift-scan. The goal is to find up to 25,000 galaxies in the course of 6-7 years. Some of the detected objects should be dark galaxies, consisting largely of dark matter
and in this case hydrogen gas, but no or very few star
s. These galaxies are not visible with optical telescopes and yet (March 2009) undiscovered.
Similar projects are HIPASS
and HIJASS.
2003-2007 member of the Advisory Committee for the Division of Engineering and Physical Sciences of the National Academies
2004-2006 chair of the 2005 Radio and Submillimeter Astronomy Planning Group
2006-ongoing vice president of the International Astronomical Union
2008 chair of the Provost Search Committee, Cornell University
2008-ongoing member of the Board on Physics and Astronomy (previously served in 1991-1993)
2008-ongoing vice chair of the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey
Committee, National Research Council
1993 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Advising, College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell University
1999 elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2000 elected to National Academy of Sciences
2000 elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of the Sciences
2002 elected Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy, Cornell University
2007 Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin lecturer, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
2008 Lyman Spitzer Jr. Lecturer, Princeton University
Haynes, M. P. "Evidence for Gas Deficiency in Cluster Galaxies." In Clusters of Galaxies, W. R. Oegerle, M. J. Fitchett, and L. Danly, eds. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990), 177.
Vogt, N. P., T. Herter, M. P. Haynes, and S. Courteau. "The Rotation Curves of Galaxies at Intermediate Redshift." Ap. J. Letters 415 (1993).
Roberts, M. S., and M. P. Haynes. "Variation of Physical Properties along the Hubble Sequence." Ann. Rev. Astron. Ap. 32, 115 (1994).
Haynes, M. P., and A. H. Broeils. "Cool HI Disks in Galaxies." In Gas Disks in Galaxies, J. M. van der Hulst, ed. (New York: Springer-Verlag, 1995), to appear.
Radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The initial detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was made in the 1930s, when Karl Jansky observed radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observations have identified a number of...
and radar astronomy
Radar astronomy
Radar astronomy is a technique of observing nearby astronomical objects by reflecting microwaves off target objects and analyzing the echoes. This research has been conducted for six decades. Radar astronomy differs from radio astronomy in that the latter is a passive observation and the former an...
. She is a professor at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
Career
Haynes graduated from Wellesley College in 1973 with a B.A. in physics and astronomy. She went to Indiana UniversityIndiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
for graduate school. There she received her M.A. in 1975 and her Ph.D. in 1978. From 1978 until 1981 she worked at the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center when she left to become the assistant director for the Green Bank Telescope
Green Bank Telescope
The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope is the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope and the world's largest land-based movable structure. It is part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory site at Green Bank, West Virginia, USA. The telescope honors the name of the late Senator...
. She joined the faculty at Cornell in 1983. Haynes received together with Riccardo Giovanelli
Riccardo Giovanelli
Riccardo Giovanelli is an Italian born PhD Astronomer. He works as a Professor in Astronomy at Cornell University.In 1989 Giovanelli and Martha Haynes were awarded the Henry Draper Medal from the National Academy of Sciences for their work with on mapping the local universe.He is a principal...
the Henry Draper Medal
Henry Draper Medal
The Henry Draper Medal is awarded by the United States National Academy of Sciences "for investigations in astronomical physics". Named after Henry Draper, the medal is awarded with a gift of USD $15,000...
for the first three-dimensional view of some of the remarkable large-scale filamentary structures of our visible universe.
General research
She is involved in several research projects including observational cosmologyObservational cosmology
Observational cosmology is the study of the structure, the evolution and the origin of the universe through observation, using instruments such as telescopes and cosmic ray detectors.-Early observations:...
, disk scaling relations and their applications as distance indicators and most notably ALFALFA, the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA survey.
ALFALFA
The ALFALFA research project is located at the Arecibo ObservatoryArecibo Observatory
The Arecibo Observatory is a radio telescope near the city of Arecibo in Puerto Rico. It is operated by SRI International under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation...
and started on February 4th 2005. It is still ongoing (March 2009). The name is the abbreviation of Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA. ALFA is the abbreviation of Arecibo L-Band Feed Array.
The ALFA is a seven pixel detector and thus seven times faster than the previously used one pixel detectors. It is utilized in combination with the Arecibo Observatory telescope, a 305 meter radio telescope
Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes...
, which is currently (March 2009) the largest single dish telescope in the world and therefore offers better resolution and sensitivity.
The speed of the ALFA permits it to survey large areas of the sky quickly, while the telescope provides unequalled sensitivity. With the seven feeds it is also possible to detect structures which are too big to be seen with radio interferometers or single-pixel detectors.
The ALFALFA survey is a blind extragalactic survey in neutral atomic hydrogen (HI)
Hydrogen line
The hydrogen line, 21 centimeter line or HI line refers to the electromagnetic radiation spectral line that is created by a change in the energy state of neutral hydrogen atoms. This electromagnetic radiation is at the precise frequency of 1420.40575177 MHz, which is equivalent to the vacuum...
utilizing the ALFA at Arecibo Observatory. The telescope is not directed at preselected targets, but at one location for one night, allowing the sky to pass. This is called drift-scan. The goal is to find up to 25,000 galaxies in the course of 6-7 years. Some of the detected objects should be dark galaxies, consisting largely of dark matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
and in this case hydrogen gas, but no or very few star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s. These galaxies are not visible with optical telescopes and yet (March 2009) undiscovered.
Similar projects are HIPASS
HIPASS
The HI Parkes All Sky Survey was an astronomical survey for neutral atomic hydrogen . Data was taken between 1997 and 2002 using the Parkes Observatory. HIPASS covered 71% of the sky and identified 5317 sources emitting HI's signature wavelength...
and HIJASS.
Selected affiliations
1994-ongoing member of the Board of Trustees, Associated Universities, Inc2003-2007 member of the Advisory Committee for the Division of Engineering and Physical Sciences of the National Academies
2004-2006 chair of the 2005 Radio and Submillimeter Astronomy Planning Group
2006-ongoing vice president of the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
2008 chair of the Provost Search Committee, Cornell University
2008-ongoing member of the Board on Physics and Astronomy (previously served in 1991-1993)
2008-ongoing vice chair of the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey
Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey is a review of astronomy and astrophysics literature produced approximately every ten years by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. The report surveys the current state of the field, identifies research...
Committee, National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
Honors and fellowships
1989 Henry Draper Medal, National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
1993 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Advising, College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell University
1999 elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
2000 elected to National Academy of Sciences
2000 elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of the Sciences
2002 elected Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy, Cornell University
2007 Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin lecturer, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical institutions in the world, where scientists carry out a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education...
2008 Lyman Spitzer Jr. Lecturer, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
Selected publications
Haynes, M. P., and R. Giovanelli. "Large-Scale Structure in the Local Universe: The Pisces-Perseus Supercluster." In Large-Scale Motions in the Universe, V. C. Rubin and G. F. Coyne, eds. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988), 45.Haynes, M. P. "Evidence for Gas Deficiency in Cluster Galaxies." In Clusters of Galaxies, W. R. Oegerle, M. J. Fitchett, and L. Danly, eds. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990), 177.
Vogt, N. P., T. Herter, M. P. Haynes, and S. Courteau. "The Rotation Curves of Galaxies at Intermediate Redshift." Ap. J. Letters 415 (1993).
Roberts, M. S., and M. P. Haynes. "Variation of Physical Properties along the Hubble Sequence." Ann. Rev. Astron. Ap. 32, 115 (1994).
Haynes, M. P., and A. H. Broeils. "Cool HI Disks in Galaxies." In Gas Disks in Galaxies, J. M. van der Hulst, ed. (New York: Springer-Verlag, 1995), to appear.