Collaborative Research: Fireworks at the Ballet: Globular Cluster Formation, Bulge Dynamics and the Role of Central Black Holes in Galaxy Mergers

星系的碰撞和合并是星系分层形成过程中最壮观的事件。这里将研究这些碰撞的两个方面。首先，对碰撞星系中明显年轻的球状星团（GC）候选者的观测表明，在所有星系碰撞中都可能形成GC。将进行高分辨率模拟来研究这种形成，使用多达一百万个粒子来跟踪暗物质、气体和恒星。其次，这些高分辨率模拟将用于校准低分辨率下更大参数的研究，以解决球体速度色散与中心超大质量黑洞质量之间惊人紧密关系的起源。主要的焦点将是决定星系碰撞过程中速度色散变化的因素。这项研究将为目前正在美国自然历史博物馆海登天文馆开发的新太空展提供信息，其中将包括一个关于星系碰撞的部分。有些工作将与德国进行国际合作，有些工作将支持女研究生的论文。

AST-0307200HaimanGalaxy collisions and mergers are the most spectacular events in the hierarchical formation of galaxies. Two aspects of these collisions will be studied here. Firstly, the observation of apparently young globular cluster (GC) candidates in colliding galaxies suggests that GC formation may occur in all galaxy collisions. High-resolution simulations will be performed to study this formation, using up to a million particles to follow dark matter, gas, and stars. Secondly, these high-resolution simulations will be used to calibrate a larger parameter study at lower resolution to address the origin of the astonishingly tight relationship between spheroid velocity dispersion and the mass of the central super-massive black hole. The main focus will be on factors determining the change of velocity dispersion during galaxy collisions. This research will inform the new Space Show currently under development at the Hayden Planetarium of the American Museum of Natural History, which will include a segment on galaxy collisions. Some work will be carried out in an international collaboration with Germany, and some will support the dissertation of a female graduate student.