Multiphase Circumgalactic Gas Flow and the Growth of the Galactic Disk

Stephanie Ho被授予美国国家科学基金会天文学和天体物理学奖学金，在新墨西哥州立大学开展研究和教育项目。Ho将对附近星系的环星系介质（CGM）进行观测和模拟，以研究气体如何流入和流出星系。这个项目的结果将阐明气体如何积聚到星系中，如何为恒星形成提供燃料，以及如何形成星系盘。何还将开展外展活动，以提高代表性不足的青年对天文学作为一种可能的职业道路的认识。该研究项目将研究冷CGM、热CGM和银盘之间的相互作用。Ho将把星系盘方向纳入环星系气体流动的物理模型，以解释冷的和温热的CGM的起源。Ho还将分析利用宇宙学模拟产生的模拟吸收光谱，以了解观测到的CGM冷相和温热相之间的运动学失调。最后，她将结合对附近星系的发射线和环星系吸收线的光谱观测来分析气体流动，并了解吸积在磁盘生长中的作用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Stephanie Ho is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at New Mexico State University. Ho will conduct observations and simulations of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of nearby galaxies to study how gas flows in and out of galaxies. Results from this project will elucidate how gas accretes onto galaxies, fuels star formation, and grows galactic disks. Ho will also conduct outreach activities to increase awareness among underrepresented youth about astronomy as a possible career path. This research project will examine the interplay between the cool CGM, the warm-hot CGM, and the galactic disk. Ho will incorporate galaxy disk orientation into physical models of circumgalatic gas flow to explain the origin of the cool and warm-hot CGM. Ho will also analyze mock absorption spectra generated using cosmological simulations to understand the observed kinematic misalignment between the cool and warm-hot phases of the CGM. Finally, she will combine spectroscopic observations of emission lines and circumgalactic absorption lines toward nearby galaxies to analyze gas flow and understand the role of accretion in disk growth.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.