Collaborative Research: The Origin and Role of Dense Molecular Gas in Star-Forming Galaxies

California Institute Of Technology, Pasadena CA

Investigators

Abstract

The team will use the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) to observe the dense gas in nearby galaxies. The team has added a cutting-edge instrument, Argus, to this NSF facility. This has paved the way for these important observations at millimeter wavelengths. The team will study how galaxies form stars in their dense gas. They will compare their observations to theoretical models. Senior team members will train junior members recruited from underrepresented groups. The team will feature the research in materials for the Bay Area Science Festival in California and the Green Bank Visitors Center in West Virginia. The team will also help others use Argus for their own research. The team will use Argus on the GBT to map the dense molecular gas in nearby galaxies at high spatial resolution. They will combine these new data with existing data at other wavelengths to study (1) how the amount of star formation per unit of dense gas depends on the local conditions in the galaxies, and (2) how the amount of dense gas depends on the local conditions in the galaxies.