Blood from a Turnip? The Implications of Cold Gas in Early Type Galaxies

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AST-0507432YoungEarly-type galaxies (ellipticals and S0s) are substantially more complex than simple formation models suggest, and the molecular gas they contain is a crucial clue in deciphering their histories. This research will address three major questions about gas and the evolution of early-type galaxies: 1) how did the cold gas originate, and how does this depend on galaxy parameters? 2) what are the rate and efficiency of star formation in carbon-monoxide-rich early-type galaxies, and what is the rate of growth of dynamically cold disks inside dynamically hot galaxies? 3) how does the molecular gas interact with other phases of the interstellar medium? The work involves morphological analysis of early-type galaxies, dynamical studies of gas and stars, comparisons of molecular gas and young stellar populations, and analysis of the physical properties of dust, atomic gas, molecular gas, and hot gas.Students will play an important role in this research, as well as in the outreach and public education organized around the campus radio interferometer. This includes a radio astronomy class for regional K-12 teachers.