Simon J. Murphy
Simon Murphy

Willkommen! – I am a Gliese Fellow at the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut of the University of Heidelberg. I received my Ph.D. in 2012 from the Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory. My research interests are broadly centred around identifying and characterising the youngest stars in the Solar neighbourhood. By studying these nearby stars I hope to better understand:

1.the star formation history of the Solar neighbourhood;

2.the physical conditions required for star formation; and

3.whether these are the same throughout the Galaxy;

4.how the dusty disks around young stars evolve; and

5.how star clusters dissolve over time into the Galaxy.

To answer these questions I use data from a variety of telescopes, including the latest all-sky surveys. I also have an active interest in the international Virtual Observatory effort, which is developing standards for the discovery, exchange and analysis of astronomical data.

...for a more technical description of my work, see my research page.


Latest Publications

A High-Resolution Spectroscopic Search for the Remaining Donor for Tycho's Supernova
Kerzendorf et al., 2013, Submitted to ApJ
arXiv: 1210.2713
The most metal-poor stars. I. Discovery, data, and atmospheric parameters
Norris et al., 2013, ApJ, 762, 25
arXiv: 1208.2999
Rapid disappearance of a warm, dusty circumstellar disk
Melis, C., Zuckerman, B., Rhee, J. H., Song, I., Murphy, S. J. & Bessell, M. S., 2012, Nature, 487, 74
arXiv: 1207.1162 | Gemini Observatory press release with animation

...more on my publications page.

Background image credit: Akira Fujii