Collaborative Research: The Cosmic Baryon Cycle in 3D

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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.