CAREER: Linking the IGM and Galaxies Near Reionization

事业：连接 IGM 和接近再电离的星系

• 批准号: 1751404
• 负责人: George Becker
• 金额: $ 85.37万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1751404&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Linking; IGM; Galaxies; Near

Thirteen billion years ago the Universe was a very different place. Galaxies were just beginning to form from the matter created in the Big Bang, and the intense radiation emitted by these galaxies was burning away the fog of hydrogen gas permeating deep space. In less than one billion years the fog had cleared, and the young galaxies lived in a Universe where ultraviolet radiation could travel freely through space. This transformation of the gas in deep space is known as "cosmic reionization", and it was a landmark event in the early Universe. By studying reionization we learn not only about the history of matter in the Universe, but about the formation of the first galaxies. The goal of this project is to connect the changes we see happening in deep space during reionization to the characteristics of the first galaxies themselves. How can we combine observations of galaxies and deep space to learn more about this era of cosmic history? What imprints on the Universe does reionization leave behind? The PI will use the world's largest telescopes to directly probe both galaxies and intergalactic gas over the same regions early in cosmic history. The observations will be combined with state-of-the art computer modeling to better understand how cosmic reionization occurred and the ways in which it impacted early galaxies and the matter in deep space. Building on this research, the PI will integrate his observational expertise into local high-school and undergraduate education. A key element of this program will be the creation of a campus observatory at UC Riverside. This will be one of the few such facilities in the country to offer spectroscopy, one of the most broadly used techniques in science and industry, and will be used to promote STEM engagement among underserved groups in Southern California.Roughly one billion years after the Big Bang the Universe underwent a global transformation. The first galaxies formed in a Universe filled with dark matter and cold, neutral gas. As the radiation from these galaxies permeated deep space, however, the gas was ionized and heated, rendering the Universe transparent to ultraviolet photons. Thirteen billion years later the gas in deep space is still highly ionized. The early transition from neutral to ionized was therefore the last phase transition of matter in the Universe. Known as "reionization", this transformation was a key event in cosmic history. The goal of this proposal is to determine when and how reionization occurred by simultaneously studying the gas in deep space and the galaxies embedded within it. The PI will use the word's largest telescopes to study galaxies (via wide-field imaging) and intergalactic gas (via absorption-line spectroscopy) in the same cosmic volumes during and after reionization. Spectroscopy will also be used to study the gas in and around galaxies themselves. These will be the first observations to directly connect the evolving conditions in deep space to the sources driving the evolution. By further combining data with state-of-the-art modeling, this project will provide a better understanding of how cosmic reionization occurred and the ways in which it shaped early galaxies and intergalactic matter throughout the Universe. Building on this research, the PI will integrate his observational expertise into local high-school and undergraduate education by creating a campus observatory at UC Riverside. This will be one of the few such facilities in the country to offer spectroscopy, one of the most broadly used techniques in science and industry, and will be used to promote STEM engagement among underserved groups in Southern California.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

130亿年前，宇宙是一个非常不同的地方。 银河系刚刚开始从大爆炸中产生的物质中形成，这些星系发出的强烈辐射正在燃烧弥漫在太空深处的氢气雾。 在不到10亿年的时间里，迷雾已经消散，年轻的星系生活在一个紫外线辐射可以自由穿越太空的宇宙中。 深空气体的这种转变被称为“宇宙再电离”，它是早期宇宙中的一个里程碑事件。 通过研究再电离，我们不仅了解宇宙中物质的历史，而且了解第一个星系的形成。 这个项目的目标是将我们在深空再电离过程中看到的变化与第一个星系本身的特征联系起来。 我们如何将对星系和深空的联合收割机观测结合起来，以更多地了解这个宇宙历史时代？ 再电离在宇宙中留下了什么印记？ PI将使用世界上最大的望远镜直接探测宇宙历史早期相同区域的星系和星系际气体。 这些观测结果将与最先进的计算机建模相结合，以更好地了解宇宙再电离是如何发生的，以及它影响早期星系和深空物质的方式。 在这项研究的基础上，PI将把他的观察专业知识融入当地的高中和本科教育中。 该计划的一个关键要素将是在加州大学滨江分校建立一个校园天文台。 这将是美国为数不多的提供光谱学的设施之一，光谱学是科学和工业中使用最广泛的技术之一，并将用于促进南加州服务不足的群体的STEM参与。大爆炸后大约10亿年，宇宙经历了全球性的转变。 第一个星系形成于充满暗物质和冷中性气体的宇宙中。 然而，当来自这些星系的辐射渗透到深空时，气体被电离和加热，使宇宙对紫外光子透明。 130亿年后，深空的气体仍然高度电离。 因此，从中性到电离的早期转变是宇宙中物质的最后一次相变。 这种转变被称为“再电离”，是宇宙历史上的一个关键事件。 该计划的目标是通过同时研究深空气体和嵌入其中的星系来确定再电离发生的时间和方式。PI将使用世界上最大的望远镜在再电离期间和之后研究相同宇宙体积中的星系（通过宽视场成像）和星系际气体（通过吸收线光谱）。 光谱学也将用于研究星系内部和周围的气体。 这将是第一次直接将深空的演变条件与推动演变的来源联系起来的观测。 通过进一步将数据与最先进的建模相结合，该项目将更好地了解宇宙再电离是如何发生的，以及它在整个宇宙中塑造早期星系和星系间物质的方式。 在这项研究的基础上，PI将通过在加州大学滨江分校创建一个校园天文台，将他的观测专业知识融入当地的高中和本科教育。 这将是美国为数不多的提供光谱学的设施之一，光谱学是科学和工业中最广泛使用的技术之一，并将用于促进南加州服务不足的群体的STEM参与。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

项目成果

Chemical abundance of z ~ 6 quasar broad-line regions in the XQR-30 sample

XQR-30 样本中 z ~ 6 类星体宽线区域的化学丰度

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac1001
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: Lai, Samuel;Bian, Fuyan;Onken, Christopher A.;Wolf, Christian;Mazzucchelli, Chiara;Bañados, Eduardo;Bischetti, Manuela;Bosman, Sarah E. I.;Becker, George;Cupani, Guido
• 通讯作者: Cupani, Guido

The XQR-30 metal absorber catalogue: 778 absorption systems spanning 2 ≲ z ≲ 6.5

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac3662
• 发表时间: 2022-11
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: R. Davies;E. Ryan-Weber;V. D’Odorico;S. Bosman;R. Meyer;G. Becker;M. Bischetti;A. M. Sebastian;A. Eilers;E. Farina;Feige Wang;Jinyi Yang;Yong Zhu

New quasar proximity zone size measurements at z ∼ 6 using the enlarged XQR-30 sample

使用放大的 XQR-30 样本在 z ≤ 6 处进行新的类星体邻近区域尺寸测量

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad1326
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: Satyavolu, Sindhu;Eilers, Anna-Christina;Kulkarni, Girish;Ryan-Weber, Emma;Davies, Rebecca L.;Becker, George D.;Bosman, Sarah E. I.;Greig, Bradley;Mazzucchelli, Chiara;Bañados, Eduardo
• 通讯作者: Bañados, Eduardo

The evolution of the Si iv content in the Universe from the epoch of reionization to cosmic noon

从再电离时代到宇宙正午时期宇宙中Siâiv含量的演变

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac545
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: D’Odorico, V.;Finlator, K.;Cristiani, S.;Cupani, G.;Perrotta, S.;Calura, F.;Cènturion, M.;Becker, G.;Berg, T. A. M.;Lopez, S.
• 通讯作者: Lopez, S.

Constraints on the End of Reionization from the Density Fields Surrounding Two Highly Opaque Quasar Sightlines

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac2a34
• 发表时间: 2021-09
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: H. Christenson;G. Becker;S. Furlanetto;F. Davies;M. Malkan;Yong Zhu;E. Boera;A. Trapp