Tyler Coffey , IT 2010
A Simulation of the Magnetic Field of the Milky Way
Major
Physics
Mentor
Terry Jones, Astronomy
Brief Bio
I work on the solar car project and I play Frisbee.
Future Plans
I am unsure of my future plans.
Why Research?
I found it interesting and a very good idea for people in the physics department to get research experience.
What Did I Get from Research?
I learned a lot about computer simulation.
How Did I Start?
I went around and asked professors in the department of physics if they had a project they wanted me to work on. I found my mentor, and he gave me my project.
My Advice for Another Student:
Doing research is a good experience.
Research Summary
I wrote a computer simulation that tells us what we would see in the sky for a given model of a magnetic field of the galaxy. The output of this program can be compared to observations from the Planck satellite to determine the structure of the Milky Way’s magnetic field.