Unveiling the low-surface-brightness Universe with new deep-wide surveys: the role of mergers in driving galaxy evolution

通过新的深层调查揭示低表面亮度宇宙：合并在驱动星系演化中的作用

• 批准号: 1957027
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Hertfordshire
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-1957027
• 关键词: Unveiling; low; surface; brightness; Universe

Merging is the principal driver of galaxy evolution, triggering star-formation episodes, building black holes and inducing morphological transformations. Since low-mass galaxies outnumber their massive counterparts, galaxy assembly proceeds primarily via mergers with unequal mass ratios ('minor mergers'). However, while clearly fundamental, minor merging remains virtually unexplored, as the low-surface-brightness tidal features they produce are invisible in today's surveys. A complete understanding of merging (and therefore galaxy evolution) requires exploration of the low-surface-brightness Universe, e.g. using a telescope like LSST. While LSST and other facilities will usher in a new era of low-surface-brightness astronomy, the algorithms required to detect/characterize low-surface-brightness tidal features need to be developed. The student will use state-of-the-art cosmological simulations (e.g. Horizon-AGN) to create mock galaxy images, build/train algorithms on these images, test them on available precursor datasets and build low-surface-brightness pipelines for facilities like LSST, EUCLID, DES etc. He/she will sit at the centre of a collaborative network that is led by Hertfordshire, with nodes at Princeton, Oxford and the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris. The student will gain expertise in key theoretical and observational techniques and write benchmark papers on low-surface-brightness science and the role of mergers in galaxy evolution.

合并是星系演化的主要驱动力，引发恒星形成、黑洞形成和形态转变。由于低质量星系的数量超过了大质量星系，星系的组合主要是通过不相等质量比的合并（“小合并”）进行的。然而，虽然这显然是基本的，但较小的合并实际上仍未被探索，因为它们产生的低表面亮度潮汐特征在今天的调查中是看不见的。要完全了解合并（以及星系演化），就需要对低表面亮度的宇宙进行探索，例如使用像LSST这样的望远镜。虽然LSST和其他设施将迎来低地表亮度天文学的新时代，但检测/表征低地表亮度潮汐特征所需的算法需要发展。学生将使用最先进的宇宙学模拟（例如Horizon-AGN）来创建模拟星系图像，在这些图像上构建/训练算法，在可用的前体数据集上进行测试，并为LSST， EUCLID， DES等设施构建低表面亮度管道。他/她将坐在赫特福德郡领导的协作网络的中心，在普林斯顿、牛津和巴黎天体物理研究所设有节点。学生将获得关键理论和观测技术方面的专业知识，并撰写关于低表面亮度科学和星系演化中合并作用的基准论文。

项目成果

Massive spheroids can form in single minor mergers

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stz2440
• 发表时间: 2019-09
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: Ryan A. Jackson;G. Martin;S. Kaviraj;C. Laigle;J. Devriendt;Y. Dubois;C. Pichon