Blood from a Turnip? The Implications of Cold Gas in Early Type Galaxies

年轻型星系（椭圆型和S0s型）比简单的形成模型所显示的要复杂得多，它们所包含的分子气体是破解它们历史的关键线索。这项研究将解决关于气体和早期星系演化的三个主要问题：1)低温气体是如何产生的，这如何取决于星系参数？2)在富含一氧化碳的早期型星系中恒星形成的速率和效率是多少？在动态热星系中动态冷盘的生长速率是多少？3)分子气体如何与星际介质的其他相相互作用？这项工作包括对早期星系的形态分析，气体和恒星的动力学研究，分子气体和年轻恒星群的比较，以及对尘埃、原子气体、分子气体和热气体的物理性质的分析。学生将在这项研究以及围绕校园无线电干涉仪组织的外展和公共教育中发挥重要作用。这包括为地区K-12教师开设射电天文学课程。

AST-0507432YoungEarly-type galaxies (ellipticals and S0s) are substantially more complex than simple formation models suggest, and the molecular gas they contain is a crucial clue in deciphering their histories. This research will address three major questions about gas and the evolution of early-type galaxies: 1) how did the cold gas originate, and how does this depend on galaxy parameters? 2) what are the rate and efficiency of star formation in carbon-monoxide-rich early-type galaxies, and what is the rate of growth of dynamically cold disks inside dynamically hot galaxies? 3) how does the molecular gas interact with other phases of the interstellar medium? The work involves morphological analysis of early-type galaxies, dynamical studies of gas and stars, comparisons of molecular gas and young stellar populations, and analysis of the physical properties of dust, atomic gas, molecular gas, and hot gas.Students will play an important role in this research, as well as in the outreach and public education organized around the campus radio interferometer. This includes a radio astronomy class for regional K-12 teachers.