0 Assigned ID: 971 ----- Attempting Submission 1 (Fri Apr 10 22:38:59 GMT 2015) ----- HST Phase I Proposal 971 (MaduraHSTCycle23Theory.apt) successfully submitted. Receipt: # 971-1 ----- Attempting Submission 2 (Fri Apr 10 23:23:06 GMT 2015) ----- We cannot send probes to study astronomical (extrasolar) objects from the multiple viewing angles needed to provide us with 3-D spatial information. However, spatially-resolved spectra can be obtained using the HST/STIS, producing a 3-D (2-D spatial + 1-D wavelength or velocity) data cube. The underlying 3-D structure and properties of a system can then be determined by comparing observational data cubes with synthetic cubes generated using 3-D time-dependent simulations. Many extended objects have been mapped with STIS, including galaxies, jets from young stars, and the colliding stellar winds in Eta Car. Still, a basic analysis framework and robust methods to statistically measure the degree of similarity between synthetic and observed data cubes does not exist. We propose to use 3-D hydrodynamical and 3-D radiative transfer simulations of Eta Car's binary colliding winds to create synthetic observations of forbidden emission lines for comparison to multi-epoch HST/STIS data cubes of Eta Car's central colliding winds. The goals are to (1) perform the first robust comparison of observational to synthetic HST/STIS data cubes of a time-varying (on a human life timescale) and spatially-extended astrophysical system, (2) present a framework that can be extended to quantitatively model the 3-D structure of similar astrophysical systems observed with HST/STIS, and (3) better determine the stellar properties of Eta Car's binary companion and constrain any recent mass-loss changes in the system. The field of astronomy has invested more than one billion US dollars in hardware for multi-D data acquisition and critically needs new methods to properly model and interpret such data. HOT STARS 0 Regular false false false false true SUPPORTED