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

合作研究：追踪遥远宇宙中最大的宇宙结构及其星系组成部分的演化

• 批准号: 2206222
• 负责人: Eric Gawiser
• 金额: $ 23.07万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2206222&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Tracing; Evolution; Largest

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.

一些星系形成于称为星系团的致密区域，另一些形成于称为细丝的中等密度区域，其余形成于较低密度区域。这个项目研究星系的生长是如何受到星系周围环境的刺激和调节的。普渡大学和罗格斯大学的科学家正在合作进行ODIN：一项新的星系调查，在4米长的布兰科望远镜上进行了83个夜晚的观测。其目标是观测迄今为止宇宙中最大的区域，重点是探测莱曼α光，这种光对宇宙中最丰富的元素氢敏感。ODIN预计将发现超过100，000个遥远的星系，比目前这类星系的样本大20倍。星系的现有质量，形成新恒星的速度，以及它们与邻近星系聚集在一起的程度将揭示其周围环境的影响。作为该项目的一部分，该团队将专注于为几名学生提供研究培训，并将通过旨在激励年轻一代欣赏科学的多个外展计划参与更广泛的社区。 该计划旨在了解环境在星系演化中的作用。ODIN巡天计划使用莱曼α（Lya）作为这两个星系的独特示踪剂，以及它们所嵌入的物质分布的大尺度结构。ODIN将采用一种经过充分测试的技术，将深窄带和宽带成像数据相结合，以在一个定义明确的宇宙体积中隔离Lya发射星系。ODIN的窄带滤波器在三个相距甚远的宇宙时期（宇宙年龄为13亿年、20亿年和27亿年）对红移的Lya辐射进行采样。利用这些星系，ODIN将识别从原星系团到细丝到场到空洞的各种密度环境。该方案将：㈠通过宇宙时间确定星系-暗物质与当今宇宙的联系; ㈡确定环境对星系物理性质的影响; ㈢通过观测和模拟之间的直接比较，为最先进的星系形成模型提供信息。窄带滤波器和调查数据产品将提供给天文学界，使广泛的调查能够跟进。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得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的支持。