Collaborative Research: The Cosmic Baryon Cycle in 3D

气体进出星系的循环调节着它们的恒星形成。气体的排放物很微弱，因此很难研究气体的流动。一个自然的解决方案是观察透镜星系，在透镜星系中，前景星系弯曲来自遥远星系的光线。这种引力透镜就像一个自然望远镜，放大了微弱的发射并放大了地图上的小尺度结构。首席研究人员(PI)Bordoloi和Howk将分析透镜星系样本的光谱，以研究气体流动如何影响恒星形成。该团队将开发外展视频和图像，突出显示环星系介质(CGM)中的积分场光谱、引力透镜和气体流动。该团队将与北卡罗来纳州立大学的科学馆合作，为公众举办夜间恒星观测和白天太阳观测活动。PI将分析W.M.Keck天文台的Keck宇宙网络成像仪(KCWI)和甚大望远镜(VLT)的多单元光谱探测器(MUSE)对z 2透镜类星体和星系系统样本的新光谱和档案光谱。对多条/弧形视线的分析将被用来获得大约1kpc比例尺的CGM的3D、空间分辨率地图。该团队将使用这些地图来追踪CGM的运动学和金属丰度，并就星系形成和恒星形成的猝灭提供见解。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The cycling of gas into and out of galaxies regulates their star formation. Emission from the gas is faint, making it difficult to study the flow of gas. A natural solution is to observe lensed galaxies, where a foreground galaxy bends the light from the distant galaxy. This gravitational lensing serves as a natural telescope, magnifying the weak emission and zooming in to map small scale structures. Principal Investigators (PIs) Bordoloi and Howk will analyze spectra from a sample of lensed galaxies to study how the flow of gas impacts star formation. The team will develop outreach videos and images highlighting integral field spectroscopy, gravitational lensing, and gas flows in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). In collaboration with The Science House at North Carolina State University, the team will host night-time star gazing and day-time solar observing events for the public.The PIs will analyze new and archival spectra from the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) instrument at the W. M. Keck Observatory and The Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of a sample of z 2 lensed quasar and galaxy systems. Analysis of multiple/arced sightlines will be used to obtain 3D, spatially-resolved maps of the CGM on scales of approximately 1 kpc. The team will use the maps to trace the kinematics and metallicity of the CGM and provide insights on galaxy formation and quenching of star formation.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.