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News:
Nov 2009:
David Alvarez defended M.S. Thesis
Jan 2010:
Doug White defended Ph.D. Dissertation
Welcome!
We specialize in the study of interstellar and planetary materials. This includes the dark clouds of gas and dust found in the vast regions of space between stars (the interstellar medium) as well as materials found on the surfaces of objects within the outer Solar System (such as the nuclei of comets, the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and the mineralogy of the surface of Mars).
We use spectroscopy in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as the infrared or ultaviolet, to study the compositions of astrophysically relevant materials. Our lab data help to predict and interpret observations made with astronomical observatories such as the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, space telescopes such as the Spitzer Space Telescope, and planetary missions such as Cassini. We also create laboratory analogs of these materials in order to understand their physical and chemical changes when exposed to particle radiation and high-energy photons.
The Astrophysics Laboratory is located in the Department of Physics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. On this web site, you can find spectra collected in our laboratory. Links to individual databases may be found by visiting our Spectral Databases page.
