White dwarfs are among the most common objects in the stellar halo; however, due to their low luminosity and low number density compared to the stars in the discs of the Milky Way, they are scarce in the observable volume. Hence, they are still poorly understood one hundred years after their discovery as relatively few have been observed. They are crucial to the understanding of several fundamental properties of the Galaxy – the geometry, kinematics and star formation history, as well as to the study of the end-stage of stellar evolution for low- and intermediate-mass stars. White dwarfs were traditionally identified by their ultraviolet (UV) excess, however, if they have cooled for a long time, they become so faint in that part of the spectrum that they cannot be seen by the most sensitive modern detectors. Proper motion was then used as a means to identify white dwarf candidates, due to their relatively large space motions compared to other objects with the same colour. The use of proper motion as a selection criterion has proven effective and has yielded large samples of candidates with the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In this work I will further increase the sample size with the Panchromatic Synoptic Telescope And Rapid Response System 1 (Pan–STARRS1). To construct luminosity functions for the study of the local white dwarfs, I require a density estimator that is generalised for a proper motion-limited sample. My simulations show that past works have underestimated the density when the tangential velocity was assumed to be a constant intrinsic parameter of an object. The intrinsically faint objects which are close to the upper proper motion limits of the surveys are most severely affected because of the poor approximation of a fixed tangential velocity. The survey volume is maximised by considering the small/intermediate scale variations in the observation properties at different epochs. This type of volume maximisation has not been conducted before because previous surveys did not have multi-epoch data over a footprint area of this size. The tessellation of the 3π Steradian Survey footprint is so complex that the variations are strong functions of position. I continue to demonstrate how a combination of a galactic model and the photometric limits as a function of position can give a good estimate of the completeness limits at different colour and different line-of-sight directions. Finally, I compare the derived white dwarf luminosity function with previous observational and theoretical work. The effect of interstellar reddening on the luminosity functions is also investigated.

In this study we present GALEX UV, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and Spitzer infrared imaging, along with an optical Hα map of the interacting galaxy pair Arp 107. IRAF photometry was used to analyze 29 star forming regions identified in previous work done with Spitzer colors. In this paper further analysis of the clumps of newly formed stars was done by creating Spectral Energy Distribution plots to sort the clumps as quiescent or starbursts. Color - color plots were used to estimate the ages and extinctions of the clumps by comparing magnitudes to stellar population synthesis models. Results seem to agree with previous models, and indicate a sequence of increasing age around the galaxy arm.

The environmental conditions in the center of the Milky Way galaxy (Central Molecular Zone; CMZ) are much more extreme than in the disk of the galaxy with molecular gas properties similar to those seen in galaxies at z~2. While the CMZ hosts several massive star clusters, the formation of stars from these dense molecular clouds and the feedback of these massive stars on the ISM is not well understood. I present in my thesis a case study of a few regions in the CMZ using VLA continuum and spectral line observations. I explore feedback eects of recent star formation (a young massive stellar cluster) on the surrounding ISM (molecular and ionized gas). Using the kinematic information of molecular and ionized gas, obtained dierent species of spectral lines, I will determine the line of sight geometry of the dierent gas components. I will then establish the relationship of these components to the larger structure of molecular gas in the CMZ.

Appendix inside back cover. "June 2002" Bibliography: leaves 157-168. Experimental and theoretical studies were carried out on a number of unusual organic molecules of potential astronomical significance. The experimental work was corroborated by various theoretical approaches and by utilising computer-based quantum chemical calculations. Various covalently bound, anionic and neutral oxocarbon species were formed and studied. Additionally, two analogous heterocumulenic systems were investigated. Some isomers of either system, when energised, were shown to undergo gas-phase rearrangement processes.

This thesis presents an observational study of molecular abundances in the dense cores of 27 prominent molecular clouds in the southern galactic plane.The molecular abundances and physical conditions in dense condensations have been derived from millimetre-wavelength observations of molecular rotational transitions.The study has produced a comprehensive data set of transition intensities and abundances for 10 different molecules in bright southern molecular clouds, and the general characteristics of emissions from these molecules such as optical depth, excitation and relative abundances are discussed. A comparison of different methods of calculating molecular hydrogen column density from observations of carbon monoxide emission is included.Both the analysis and the data collected provide an excellent starting point for further observational and theoretical studies of molecular clouds in the southern Milky Way utilising new instruments such as the millimeter-wave upgrade to the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Attacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA). / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Appendix inside back cover. / "June 2002" / Bibliography: leaves 157-168. / x, 168, [19] leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Experimental and theoretical studies were carried out on a number of unusual organic molecules of potential astronomical significance. The experimental work was corroborated by various theoretical approaches and by utilising computer-based quantum chemical calculations. Various covalently bound, anionic and neutral oxocarbon species were formed and studied. Additionally, two analogous heterocumulenic systems were investigated. Some isomers of either system, when energised, were shown to undergo gas-phase rearrangement processes. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Chemistry, 2002

"February 2003" / Bibliography: leaves 186-201. / viii, 201, ix, [41] leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Chemistry, 2003

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-204).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Department of Chemistry and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, June 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Progress in our understanding of the chemical composition of the interstellar medium leans both on laboratory analyses of high resolution rotational spectra from molecules that may be present in these regions, and on radio astronomical observations of molecular tracers to constrain astrochemical models. Due to the thermodynamic conditions in outer space, some molecules likely to be found in interstellar regions in relevant abundances are open shell radicals. In a series of laboratory studies, the pure rotational spectra of the transition metal containing radicals sulfur species ScS, YS, VS and ZnSH were obtained for the first time. In addition to accurate and precise rest frequencies for these species, bonding characteristics were determined from fine and hyperfine molecular parameters. It was found that these sulfides have a higher degree of covalent bonding than their mostly ionic oxide counterparts. Isomers and isotope ratios are excellent diagnostic tools for a variety of astrochemical models. From radio observations of isotopes of nitrile species, the galactic gradient of ¹⁴N/¹⁵N was accurately established. A further study of this ratio in carbon rich asymptotic giant branch stars provided observational evidence for an unknown process in J type carbon stars, and highlighted the need to update stellar nucleosynthesis models. Proper radiative transfer modeling of the emission spectra of interstellar molecules can yield a wealth of information about the abundance and distribution of these species within the observed sources. To model the asymmetric emission of SO and SO₂ in oxygen-rich supergiants, an in-house code was developed, and successfully applied to gain insight into circumstellar sulfur chemistry of VY Canis Majoris. It was concluded that current astrochemistry kinetic models, based on spherical symmetry assumptions, need to be revisited.