Collaborative Research: The Spatially Resolved Circumgalactic Medium of Galaxies

University Of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN

Investigators

Abstract

Galaxies are the factories of cosmic creation. This project will simulate the formation of galaxies using a supercomputer to understand how gas cycles in galaxies. The broader impacts of this work will be felt through the mentoring of early-career scientists in research and the wide dissemination of pedagogical videos. These videos will share the results of this research and the methods behind it. The circumgalactic medium (CGM) surrounding galaxies serves as their fuel tank, waste dump, and recycling center. Inspired by novel integral-field instruments, this project will compile a new public database of spatially-resolved CGM observations and build new simulations to address key problems in the formation of star-forming disks and galaxy quenching. This project has two key science goals: (1) to pin down the kinematics and metal content of CGM gas that may be accreting, escaping, or recycling as disks form and evolve, and (2) to characterize the abundance and kinematics of cold gas in the inner halos of passive galaxies as a constraint on quenching. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.