Dr. Claire E. Max
Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomer, UC Observatories
UC Santa Cruz
Other Positions:
Contact Information:
Office: Center for Adaptive Optics, Room 213
Phone: 831-459-2049,
Fax: 831-459-5717
Email: max at ucolick.org
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Educational Background:
- A. B. Harvard University, Astronomy
- Ph. D., Princeton University, Astrophysical Sciences - Plasma Physics
Research Interests:
My research focuses in two areas:
1)Astronomical applications
of adaptive
optics. I use the adaptive optics systems at the Lick and Keck Observatories
to observe astronomical objects at infrared wavelengths. In the past
several years I have been using adaptive optics to observe dual active
galactic nuclei (galaxies with black holes in their cores) that are involved
in galaxy mergers. In the past, with colleagues from Berkeley, I imaged the
planet Neptune and
Saturn's moon Titan with
adaptive optics.
2) The development of advanced adaptive optics systems for
large current and future ground-based telescopes. I work closely with colleagues
at UCSC, the W. M. Keck Observatory, Caltech, and LLNL. The LLNL group has
developed laser
guide star adaptive optics for the Lick and Keck Observatories.
Administrative Roles:
I serve as the Director of the Center
for Adaptive Optics, a University of California Center with headquarters
at UC Santa Cruz.
Courses:
Astronomy 289:
Adaptive Optics and its Applications
Astronomy 18: Planets
and Planetary Systems
Recent Conferences and Workshops:
Workshop on
Multi-Object Adaptive Optics (MOAO), July 2010
Other Information:
Curriculum Vitae
Publication List
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