Probing Galaxy Formation and Cosmology with Dwarf Galaxies in Voids

用空洞中的矮星系探索星系的形成和宇宙学

• 批准号: 1410525
• 负责人: Michael Vogeley
• 金额: $ 24.8万
• 依托单位: Drexel University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-15 至 2018-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1410525&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Probing; Galaxy; Formation; Cosmology; Dwarf

This program will combine observations of neutral hydrogen with existing Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging and spectroscopy, plus satellite imaging, to study certain types of galaxies in regions largely devoid of galaxies. The main purpose is to address critical questions about galaxy formation and cosmology. Broader impacts of the work include training of undergraduate and graduate students. An astronomy outreach program for elementary school students will be run by Dr. Vogeley and his group at a school in a minority, economically-challenged neighborhood, with talks, interactive activities, and visits to the Joseph Lynch Observatory at Drexel. The current best cosmological model (lambda cold dark matter) severely over-predicts the abundance of void dwarfs unless star formation is strongly suppressed in low-mass dark matter halos, or the spectrum of halo masses is modified. The void environment, in which gas-stripping galaxy interactions are extremely rare, is therefore a crucial test of our understanding of the processes affecting galaxy formation. The exact degree of mismatch between predicted halos and observed galaxies will be quantified, the detailed star formation and gas properties of void dwarfs will be measured, and comparison will be made to high-resolution cosmological simulations.

该计划将把中性氢的联合收割机观测与现有的斯隆数字巡天成像和光谱学以及卫星成像结合起来，研究基本上没有星系的地区的某些类型的星系。 主要目的是解决有关星系形成和宇宙学的关键问题。这项工作的更广泛影响包括培训本科生和研究生。Vogeley博士和他的小组将在一所少数民族学校的一个经济困难的社区开展一个面向小学生的天文学推广项目，包括讲座、互动活动和参观德雷克塞尔的约瑟夫·林奇天文台。目前最好的宇宙学模型（λ冷暗物质）严重高估了空矮星的丰度，除非星星的形成在低质量暗物质晕中受到强烈抑制，或者晕质量的光谱被修改。因此，在空洞环境中，气体剥离星系的相互作用是极其罕见的，这是对我们理解影响星系形成过程的关键考验。预测的晕和观测到的星系之间的不匹配的确切程度将被量化，详细的星星形成和空矮星的气体特性将被测量，并将与高分辨率的宇宙学模拟进行比较。