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sean lindsay
Sean Lindsay
Senior Lecturer/Astronomy Coordinator
Research Assistant Professor

Office: 218 Nielsen
Phone: 865-974-2362
slindsay@utk.edu


Brief Vita
  • PhD, Astronomy, New Mexico State University (2012)
  • MS, Astronomy, New Mexico State University (2010)
  • BS, Physics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2005)
  • BS, Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2005)
  • Astronomy Coordinator/Lecturer/Research Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee (2015–Present)
  • Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford (2014–2015)
  • Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Tennessee (2012–2014)
Selected Honors
  • UT Society of Physics Students Teacher of the Year (2023)
  • UT College of Arts and Sciences, College Convocation Teaching Award (Lecturer) (2018)
  • NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program Fellow (2008-2011)
    • Research Areas

    Sean Lindsay is an expert at computationally modeling the optical properties (absorption and scattering efficiencies) of cosmic crystalline silicates. His PhD dissertation pioneered modeling the absorption efficiencies for forsterite grains for polyhedral shapes and many grain sizes. These models are now used by a variety of researchers to model the thermal flux of dust in comet comae and asteroid surface environments. His expertise includes: 1) spectroscopic performing mineralogical analyses of small body surfaces using visible, nearand mid-infrared spectroscopic data; and 2) modeling the thermal gradient and mid-infrared emissivity of porous regolith surfaces on airless bodies. His primary research is on determining the mineralogy and relative abundances of dust species for the small bodies of the Solar System (SS) to understand the origins and evolution of the SS small bodies.

    Selected Publications

    Google Scholar Page

    1. Small bodies science with the Twinkle space telescope. Edwards, Billy; Lindsay, Sean; Savini, Giorgio; et al. Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems 5 3 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.5.3.034004
    2. Remote-sensing characterization of major Solar System bodies with the Twinkle space telescope. Edwards, Billy; Savini, Giorgio; Tinetti, Giovanna; et al. Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems 5 1 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.5.1.014006
    3. Hungaria asteroid region telescopic spectral survey (HARTSS) I: Stony asteroids abundant in the Hungaria background population. Lucas, Michael P.; Emery, Joshua P.; Pinilla-Alonso, Noemi; et al. Icarus 291 268-287 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2016.11.002
    4. The red edge problem in asteroid band parameter analysis. Lindsay, Sean S.; Dunn, Tasha L.; Emery, Joshua P.; et al. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 51 4 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.12611
    5. Composition of potentially hazardous asteroid (214869) 2007 Pa8: An H chondrite from the outer asteroid belt. Sanchez, Juan A.; Reddy, Vishnu; Dykhuis, Melissa; et al. Astrophysical Journal 808 1 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/93
    6. Composition, mineralogy, and porosity of multiple asteroid systems from visible and near-infrared spectral data. Lindsay, S. S.; Marchis, F.; Emery, J. P.; et al. Icarus 247 53-70 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2014.08.040
    7. Absorption efficiencies of forsterite. I. Discrete dipole approximation explorations in grain shape and size. Lindsay, Sean S.; Wooden, Diane H.; Harker, David E.; et al. Astrophysical Journal 766 1 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/766/1/54

     

     

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