Exploring Compact Groups as a Laboratory for Morphological Transformation

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。查尔顿博士和她的合作者将对附近的12个希克森致密星系群进行多波长调查。天基红外、光学和紫外图像已经掌握，x射线观测正在进行中。该团队将获得基于地面的光学宽带成像和光谱学，以确定群体成员，并测量星系中的恒星形成和金属含量。与弗吉尼亚大学的合作者一起，查尔顿博士将使用甚大阵列射电望远镜来绘制群内及其周围中性氢气的分布图。这种分布将与年轻星团、年老球状星团和潮汐矮星系的分布进行比较，所有这些都可能反映星系之间的相互作用。研究生将通过参与研究而得到训练。查尔顿博士在指导本科生研究人员、培养研究生和博士后方面有着非常出色的记录。她还将继续指导AstroFest，这是她所在机构每年夏季的公共宣传活动。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Dr Charlton and her collaborators will conduct a multi-wavelength survey of twelve nearby Hickson compact groups of galaxies. Space-based infrared, optical and ultraviolet images are in hand, and X-ray observations are in progress. The team will obtain ground-based optical broadband imaging and spectroscopy, to determine group membership and to measure the star formation and metal content in the galaxies. With collaborators at the University of Virginia, Dr Charlton will use the Very Large Array radio telescope to map the distribution of neutral hydrogen gas in and around the groups. This distribution will be compared to that of young star clusters, old globular star clusters, and tidal dwarf galaxies, all of which may reflect interactions between the galaxies.A graduate student will be trained by participating in the research. Dr Charlton has an exceptionally strong record in mentoring undergraduate researchers, and in training graduate students and postdocs. She will also continue to direct AstroFest, an annual summer public outreach event at her institution.