CAREER: The Early History of Galaxy Disk Formation

建议ID：AST-0238683机构：华盛顿大学PI：达尔坎顿，华盛顿大学的朱莉安·达尔坎顿博士将利用她的职业生涯奖来研究星系盘的形成。盘形成的理论模型在解释盘星系的许多基本特征方面取得了实质性的成功。盘星系的Tully-Fisher关系、指数面亮度分布和旋转曲线都可以用旋转气体云的简单球形坍塌模型来再现。然而，最近发现，所有的薄盘星系都嵌在一个额外的厚盘成分中，这表明现有的图像过于简单。要么这个无处不在的厚盘组件捕捉到银河系最初坍塌时的一个明显阶段，要么它跟踪了银河系早期的等级建立(现有模型中没有这个阶段)。有了这一奖项，达尔坎顿博士将提供关键的测量结果和必要的理论基础，将厚盘的创造纳入盘星系形成的模型中。通过测量大量厚盘的运动学、年龄和金属含量，她将能够清楚地区分厚盘形成和盘状星系早期演化的几种情况。她还将执行一项系统的模拟和分析计算计划，以得出之前未被探索的厚盘天体的宇宙学含义。除了培训下一代科学家的工作外，达尔坎顿博士还将设计和执行一个新颖的项目，在中学女生开始从科学、数学和技术领域流失之前，抓住并加强她们的科学兴趣。该计划的重点将是同时接触女孩和她们的母亲，帮助在家庭中培养“科学积极”的文化，并增加倾向于科学的年轻女性从她们最有影响力的女性榜样那里获得的支持。这个项目是她目前在一个致力于培养青春期前女孩对科学技术兴趣的非营利性组织董事会工作的结果。

Proposal ID: AST-0238683 Institution: University of Washington PI: Dalcanton, Julianne Dr. Julianne Dalcanton of the University of Washington will use her CAREER award to study the formation of galactic disks. Theoretical models of disk formation have had substantial success in explaining many of the basic features of disk galaxies. The Tully-Fisher relation, the exponential surface brightness profiles, and the rotation curves of disk galaxies all can be reproduced by models of a simple spherical collapse of a rotating gas cloud. However, the recent discovery that all thin disk galaxies are embedded within an additional thick disk component suggests that the existing picture is too simple. Either this pervasive thick disk component captures a distinct phase in the initial collapse of the galaxy, or it tracks the early hierarchical build-up of the galaxy (a phase absent from existing models). With this award, Dr. Dalcanton will provide the critical measurements and the theoretical foundations necessary for incorporating the creation of thick disks into models of disk galaxy formation. By measuring the kinematics, ages, and metallicities of a large sample of thick disks, she will be able to cleanly distinguish among several scenarios for the formation of thick disks and the early evolution of disk galaxies. She will also carry out a systematic program of simulations and analytic calculations to derive the cosmological implications of the previously unexplored thick disk population. In addition to her work in training the next generation of scientists, Dr. Dalcanton will design and execute a novel program to capture and reinforce the scientific interest of middle school girls, before their attrition from scientific, mathematical, and technological fields begins. The program will focus on outreach to the girls and their mothers simultaneously, to help foster a "science positive "culture within the home, and to increase the support that scientifically inclined young women receive from their most influential female role model. This project is an outgrowth of her current work on the Board of Directors of a non-profit organization devoted to fostering the interest of pre-teen girls in science and technology.