Sean Colgan

Email: sean.colgan@nasa.gov

Phone: (650)604-0420

Professional Biography

Dr. Sean Colgan is a staff member in the Astrophysics Branch. His interests include research and scientific software development. From 1995 into 2024 his efforts focussed on various aspects of SOFIA. He played a major role in teams which developed and maintained the tools used in constructing and submitting SOFIA proposals. He developed from scratch a software package which formed a part of the GREAT data acquisition system. He serves on the Ames Software Engineering Working Group and assists Research groups in formally releasing their software.

Sean’s research has included radio and infrared studies of Black Holes, the Galactic Center, Star Forming Regions, the Interstellar Medium, and Supernova 1987A. He has led or collaborated in investigations at the Arecibo, VLA, KAO, HST, ISO, Spitzer, IRTF, SOFIA and JWST Observatories. Currently he is involved with the effort to create SpaceMol – a database of infrared molecular line detections in space.

Education

1986 Cornell, Ph.D. in Astronomy

Thesis topic: Emission-Absorption Observations of the Interstellar Medium.

1983 Cornell, M.S. in Astronomy

1980 California Institute of Technology, B.S. in Astronomy

Research Interests

Star-forming regions, Interstellar Medium, Supernovae, Galactic Center

Select Publications

“The Mid-infrared Molecular Inventory toward Orion IRc2”, Sarah Nickerson etal. 2023, ApJ, 945, id.26, 33 pp

“PDRs4All: A JWST Early Release Science Program on Radiative Feedback from Massive Stars” Olivier Berne et.al. 2022, PASP, 134, 054301

“Sagittarius B1: A Patchwork of HII Regions and Photodissociation Regions,” Janet P. Simpson, Sean W.J. Colgan, Angela S. Cotera, Michael J. Kaufman, & Susan R. Stolovy, 2021, ApJ, 910, id.59, 13 pp.

“The First Mid-infrared Detection of HNC in the Interstellar Medium: Probing the Extreme Environment toward the Orion Hot Core”, Sarah Nickerson etal. 2021, ApJ, 907, id.51, 15 pp.

“High Spectral Resolution SOFIA/EXES Observations of C2H2 toward Orion IRc2” Naseem Rangwala etal. 2018 ApJ, 856

“Spitzer observations of extragalactic HII regions – III. NGC6822 and the hot star, HII region connection” Robert H. Rubin etal.  2016 MNRAS, 459, 1875

“Aligned grains and inferred toroidal magnetic fields in the envelopes of massive your stellar objects” Janet P. Simpson etal. 2013 MNRAS, 435, 3419

“[12CII] and [13CII] 158 μm emission from NGC 2024: Large column densities of ionized carbon” U. U. Graf etal. 2012, AA, 542, L16

“Spitzer reveals what is behind Orion’s Bar” Robert H. Rubin etal. 2011, MN, 1420, 1320

“Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Polarization Observations of Three Edge-on Massive Young Stellar Objects” Janet P. Simpson etal. 2009,  ApJ, 700, 1488

“NICMOS Observations of Shocked H2 in Orion’’ Sean W. J. Colgan etal.  2007,  ApJ, 671, 536

“Spitzer IRS Observations of the Galactic Center: Shocked Gas in the Radio Arc Bubble’’ Janet P. Simpson etal. 2007,  ApJ, 670, 1115

“The Interaction of the Galactic Center Arches Cluster and the Thermal Filaments” A. S. Cotera etal. 2005, ApJ, 622, 333

“NICMOS Narrowband Images of OMC-1” A. S. B. Schultz etal. 1999, ApJ, 511, 282

“Probing Galactic Center Black Hole Candidates with Far-Infrared Spectroscopy” P. R. Maloney, S. W. J. Colgan, & D. J. Hollenbach, 1997  ApJ, 482, L41

“Excitation of the “Arched” Filaments near the Galactic Center” S. W. J. Colgan etal. 1996  ApJ, 470, 882.

“Day 640 Infrared Line and Continuum Measurements: Dust Formation in SN1987A” S. W. J. Colgan etal. 1994,  ApJ, 427, 874

“Detection of the [NII] 122 and 205 m Lines: Densities in G333.6-0.2,” S. W. J. Colgan etal. 1993,  ApJ, 413, 237

“Theoretical Infrared Spectra of SN 1987A“ S. W. J. Colgan, & D. J. Hollenbach 1988 ApJ, 329, L25

Accepted Proposals

NASA ADAP: “Database of Molecules in Space”  PI Naseem Rangwala, CoIs Sarah Nickerson and Douglas Hoffman

SOFIA Cycle 6: “Targeted Extension of the EXES Molecular Line Survey Towards Orion IRc2”, PI Naseem Rangwala, Co-Is Eric Herbst, Kinsuk Acharyya, Romane Le Gal, Tim Lee, Xinchuan Huang, Matt Richter, and Curtis De Witt.

SOFIA Cycle 6: “Using SOFIA to Unveil the Star Formation History of the  Massive Galactic Center H II Region Sagittarius B1” PI Jan Simpson, Co-Is  Angela Cotera, Michael Kaufman, and Susan Stolovy,

“A TEXES High-Resolution Molecular Line Survey of the Orion Hot Core”, PI Naseem Rangwala, Co-Is Kinsuk Acharyya, Adwin Boogert, Eric Herbst, John Lacy, Romane Le Gal, Tim Lee, Xinchuan Huang, and Matt Richter.

NASA Missions

HST, SPITZER, JWST, KAO, SOFIA

Awards & Others

NASA Group Achievement Awards:

SOFIA Software Science Development Team

SOFIA Telescope Assembly Characterization and First Light

Observations of Supernova 1987A

NASA Superior Accomplishment Award: SOFIA Project Support 

NASA Public Service Group Achievement Award: SETI Institute