RUI: Exploring the gas-phase properties of MaNGA galaxies

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Much of the chemical enrichment of pristine gas in galaxies is through stellar mass loss and explosions. Principal Investigator (PI) Scudder will use data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point (SDSS-MaNGA) to measure the chemical composition of the gas in galaxies. This work will further our understanding of the growth of galaxies through star formation. The PI will offer academic year and summer research opportunities to undergraduate students at Oberlin College.PI Scudder will use archival integral field spectra from the SDSS-MaNGA survey of 10,000 galaxies to determine spatially resolved gas-phase metallicities. The measurements will be assessed for contamination from emission from an active galactic nucleus (AGN). To obtain a more accurate estimate of stellar enrichment the PI will quantify metallicity indicator systematics and biases through a comparison of different calibration methods.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.