Understanding the Baryon Cycle in Dwarf Galaxies

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Most galaxies in the Universe are significantly smaller than the Milky Way and are referred to as dwarf galaxies. The dwarf galaxies have shallow gravitational potentials that enable them to spread the products of stellar nucleosynthesis far and wide. The program will study how the gas surrounding dwarf galaxies is connected to the stars within the galaxies. The investigator and her team will deduce how dwarf galaxies acquire gas, process gas into stars, and finally release gas and metals into the Universe. The program will also support astronomy classes for inmates at an Arizona state prison. The investigator will host workshops for graduate students involved in the prison education program on evidence-based teaching techniques. The team will conduct a census of stars and interstellar medium via optical imaging and spectroscopy from multiple observatories and 21cm HI spectroscopy with the Green Bank Telescope. These data will then be combined with QSO absorption spectroscopy to unveil correlations between the content and kinematics of the circumgalactic medium, interstellar medium, and stars in dwarf galaxies. By comparing the results to predictions from various simulations, the investigator and her team will identify the nature and impact of gas flow from dwarf galaxies. 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.