Imaging the Outskirts of Nearby Disk Galaxies

对附近盘状星系的外围进行成像

• 批准号: 1108964
• 负责人: Chris Mihos
• 金额: $ 35.36万
• 依托单位: Case Western Reserve University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-01 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1108964&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Imaging; Outskirts; Nearby; Disk; Galaxies

Precisely how galaxies initially form and how they change throughout their lifetime are among the least understood problems in astrophysics. Many projects are centered on unraveling these mysteries. This project relies on the outskirts of galaxy disks to provide clues about the dynamical evolution of their host galaxy. In galaxy outskirts are preserved the dynamical signatures of past accretions and evolutionary processes such as radial migration, accretion, star formation thresholds, and low level in situ star formation. The principal investigator plans to obtain deep, wide-field images of nearby disk galaxies within 4--10 Mpc to study the structure, stellar populations, and star forming properties of their outer disks. The combination of the investigators' experience with deep, very low surface brightness measurements and the unique telescope/detector instrumentation are ideally suited toward this project. The primary scientific motivations are (1) to determine the structure of extended galaxy disks, (2) to determine how much star formation has contributed to the growth of outer disks, (3) to determine how accretion shaped nearby galaxies, and (4) to determine how surface photometry and discrete star counts compare in their ability to probe the outskirts of galaxies.Educationally, this project will provide opportunities for beginning students to get hands-on research observatory experience---as an observer and as an instrumentalist. Such training is critical for students and for an astronomical community that needs technically-trained scientists. The principal investigator will continue his excellent history of providing his imaging and simulations to planetarium shows and to public outreach web sites, and he will give public talks at local astronomy clubs and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

星系最初是如何形成的，以及它们在整个生命周期中是如何变化的，这是天体物理学中最不为人所知的问题之一。许多项目都以解开这些谜团为中心。这个项目依靠星系盘的外围来提供有关其宿主星系动态演化的线索。在星系外围保存了过去吸积和进化过程的动力学特征，如径向迁移、吸积、恒星形成阈值和低水平原位恒星形成。首席研究员计划在4- 10 Mpc范围内获得附近盘状星系的深、宽视场图像，以研究其外盘的结构、恒星数量和恒星形成特性。研究人员在深层、极低表面亮度测量方面的经验，以及独特的望远镜/探测器仪器，都非常适合这个项目。主要的科学动机是：(1)确定扩展星系盘的结构，(2)确定多少恒星形成对外盘的增长有贡献，(3)确定吸积如何塑造附近星系，(4)确定表面光度法和离散恒星计数法在探测星系外围的能力方面的比较。在教育方面，这个项目将为初学的学生提供机会，让他们亲身体验天文台的研究——作为观察者和仪器演奏家。这样的训练对于学生和需要受过技术训练的科学家的天文团体来说是至关重要的。首席研究员将继续他的杰出历史，为天文馆展示和公共推广网站提供他的成像和模拟，他将在当地天文俱乐部和克利夫兰自然历史博物馆进行公开演讲。