Michael J. Lundquist

About Michael

Michael is currently a staff astronomer at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Waimea, Hawaii. His main interests concern observations of the transient universe. This includes a focus on searches for supernovae and kilonovae, and the associated software infrastructure. Michael was previously a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Arizona where he led the Searches After Gravitational waves Using ARizona Observatories (SAGUARO) program and was a core member of the Distance Less Than 40 Mpc (DLT40) survey. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming in 2015, under the supervision of Chip Kobulnicky.

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EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Physics
University of Wyoming

MAY 2015

M.S. in Physics
University of Wyoming

MAY 2012

B.S. in Physics
University of Minnesota

MAY 2009

B.S. in Astrophysics
University of Minnesota

MAY 2009


Employment History

Staff Astronomer
W. M. Keck Observatory

March 2021 - Present

Employment History

Postdoctoral Scholar
University of Arizona

August 2018 - February 2021

Science Fellow
Gemini Observatory

July 2015 - July 2018

Graduate Research Assistant
University of Wyoming

June 2011 - June 2015

Wyoming Spacegrant Fellow
University of Wyoming

June 2010 - May 2011

Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of Wyoming

August 2009 - May 2010


RESEARCH

SAGUARO

Michael leads the Searches After Gravitational waves with ARizona Observatories (SAGUARO) project at the University of Arizona. SAGUARO uses the facilities at the Univeristy of Arizona to discover and follow up optical counterparts to gravitational wave events. These include both the smaller ( ∼ 1.5m) observatories and the larger (MMT, Magellan, LBT) facilities that Arizona has access to. When a gravitational wave event occurs, we trigger Catalina Sky Survey telescope to search for the optical counterpart and additional telescopes to monitor potential candidates.

DLT40

Michael is a core member of the Distance Less Than 40 Mpc (DLT40) Survey. DLT40 uses two telescopes, one in Australia and one in Chile, to observe the same nearby galaxies each night to discover young, nearby supernovae. Early imaging and spectroscopy are crucial for gaining insight into the supernova explosion itself as these observations provide clues about the progenitor star systems and their explosion mechanisms, including signatures of shock cooling, flash spectroscopy, and companion shocking which may reveal the progenitors of the supernovae, companions, and/or the recent mass loss history of the systems.

ARTN

Michael is a member of the Arizona Robotic Telescope Network (ARTN). ARTN is a project with the long-term goal of roboticizing several Steward Observatory telescope facilities including the Kuiper, Bok, and VATT telescopes. ARTN will provide queue scheduled observations increasing the overall efficiency and adding target of opportunity capabilities.



CONTACT

Email
mlundquist@keck.hawaii.edu

Address
65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy
Kamuela, Hawaii
96743

Phone
(520) 621-2288

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