Uncovering the Nature of Lyman-alpha Nebulae in the Distant Universe

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。Zabludoff博士将研究Lyman-alpha斑点，这是一种遥远宇宙中巨大的发光气体云，可能代表着当今最明亮星系的青春期。她和她的团队将完成两项互补的盲测，以寻找莱曼α斑点，这些斑点距离我们很远，我们看到的是大爆炸后30亿年的样子。这些巡天将使用窄带滤光片和国家光学天文台的Steward 2.3米望远镜和两台4米望远镜上的宽视场成像仪。用较小的望远镜进行浅层但超宽的调查，目标是最罕见、最明亮的斑点，而用4米望远镜进行的调查将更深，以探测更多更暗的斑点。然后，Zabludoff博士将在光学和红外波段对最亮的斑点进行光谱测量，以测量气体的运动，并限制温度、密度和化学成分。比较不同光谱线的轮廓将显示发光的气体是落入，还是以星系风的形式吹出。将这些观测结果与模型进行比较，将显示莱曼α斑点是否可能是吸积气体的新生星系。一名研究生和一名本科生将通过参与研究来接受培训。扎布多夫博士将把研究结果纳入本科生的课堂练习中。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Dr Zabludoff will study Lyman-alpha blobs, large clouds of glowing gas in the distant Universe that may represent the adolescence of today's brightest galaxies. She and her team will complete two complementary, blind surveys to search for Lyman-alpha blobs so distant that we see them as they were only 3 billion years after the Big Bang. These surveys will use a narrow-band filter with the wide-field imagers on the Steward 2.3-meter telescope and the two 4-meter telescopes of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. The shallow but ultra-wide survey with the smaller telescope targets the rarest, most luminous blobs, while the survey with the 4-meter telescopes will be deeper to detect the more numerous fainter blobs. Dr Zabludoff will then take spectra of the brightest blobs at optical and infrared wavelengths, to measure the gas motions and to constrain the temperature, density and chemical composition. Comparing profiles of the different spectral lines will show whether the glowing gas is falling in, or blowing out as a galactic wind. Comparing these observations with models will show whether the Lyman-alpha blobs are likely to be gas-accreting nascent galaxies.A graduate student and an undergraduate will be trained by participating in the research. Dr Zabludoff will incorporate results from the research into classroom exercises for undergraduate students.