Collaborative Research: Tracing the Evolution of the Largest Cosmic Structures and their Galaxy Constituents in the Distant Universe

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Some galaxies form in dense regions called galaxy clusters, others in regions of moderate density called filaments, and the rest in regions of lower density. This project studies how galaxy growth is spurred and regulated by a galaxy’s surroundings. A collaboration between scientists at Purdue University and Rutgers University are carrying out ODIN: a new survey of galaxies with 83 nights of observations on the 4-meter Blanco telescope. The goal is to observe the biggest region of the universe to-date focusing on detecting Lyman-alpha light, which is sensitive to hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe. ODIN is expected to discover over 100,000 distant galaxies, a factor of 20 larger than current samples of this type of galaxy. The galaxies’ existing mass, rate of forming new stars, and how much they clump together with neighboring galaxies will reveal influences of their surrounding environment. As part of this project, the team will focus on providing research training to several students, and will also engage their broader communities through multiple outreach programs aimed at inspiring the younger generation to appreciate science. This program is aimed at understanding the role of environment in galaxy evolution. The ODIN survey is designed to use Lyman alpha (Lya) as a unique tracer of both galaxies and the large-scale structure of the matter distribution in which they are embedded. ODIN will employ a well-tested technique that combines deep narrow-band and broad-band imaging data to isolate Lya-emitting galaxies in a well-defined cosmic volume. ODIN’s narrow-band filters sample redshifted Lya emission at three widely separated cosmic epochs (cosmic ages of 1.3, 2.0, and 2.7 billion years). Using these galaxies, ODIN will identify a wide range of density environments from proto-clusters to filaments to the field to voids. The program will: (i) characterize the galaxy-dark matter connection through cosmic time to the present-day universe; (ii) determine the effect of environment on the physical properties of galaxies; and (iii) inform state-of-the-art models of galaxy formation through direct comparisons between observations and simulations. The narrow-band filters and survey data products will be made available to the astronomical community, enabling a wide range of investigations to follow.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.