Exploring Galaxy Evolution as a Function of Environment Using Submillimeter Galaxies as Signposts of Protoclusters

Karin Menendez-Delmestre博士被授予美国国家科学基金会天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在华盛顿卡内基研究所天文台开展研究和教育项目。梅内德斯-德尔梅斯特博士将对高红移的原星团进行多波长研究，利用亚毫米星系作为这些大规模结构的路标。该项目的目的是研究星系性质与其原星团环境之间的关系。在z - 1处建立了形态-密度关系，特别解决了星系团内星系形态的分布问题。梅内德斯-德尔梅斯特博士将扩展目前关于星系演化作为环境函数的知识，纳入其他星系特性（形态、大小、恒星形成速率、恒星年龄、恒星质量、金属丰度、流出物和活跃星系核活动），并将研究扩展到亚毫米星系z ~ 1-3所追踪的更高红移。这项研究的主要组成部分是对单个原始星团成员进行详细的光谱和光度观测，这些观测使用了佩尔松的辅助内myth红外相机（PANIC）和麦哲伦望远镜上的稻盛麦哲伦面摄谱仪（IMACS）。梅内德斯-德尔梅斯特还将通过加强与格里菲斯天文台（洛杉矶社区公认的公共教育中心）现有的非正式联系，将卡内基对洛杉矶社区更广泛的外展和教育的承诺扩展到更广泛的社区。洛杉矶的西班牙裔人口超过50%，是一个非常适合发展专门针对西班牙裔社区的教育推广项目的地区。梅嫩德斯-德尔梅斯特博士将担任格里菲斯项目团队的策展顾问，该团队由劳拉·丹利博士（格里菲斯天文台馆长）领导，其职责是：(1)帮助实施格里菲斯学校针对小学生的天文学项目；(2)培训天文台导览员；（三）检讨天文台教材的准确性；(4)帮助在格里菲斯组织与天文学有关的公共活动。

Dr. Karin Menendez-Delmestre is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Dr. Menendez-Delmestre will conduct a multi-wavelength study of proto-clusters at high redshift that will use submillimeter galaxies as signposts of these large-scale structures. The aim of the program will be to investigate the relationship between galaxy properties and their proto-cluster environment.The morphology-density relation, which particularly addresses the distribution of galaxy morphologies within clusters, has been established at z 1. Dr. Menendez-Delmestre will extend current knowledge of galaxy evolution as a function of environment to incorporate other galaxy properties (morphologies, sizes, star-formation rates, stellar ages, stellar masses, metallicities, outflows and active galactic nuclei activity) and to extend the study out to the higher redshifts traced by submillimeter galaxies, z ~ 1-3. Major components to this research are detailed spectroscopic and photometric observations of individual proto-cluster members using Persson's Auxilliary Nasmyth Infrared Camera (PANIC) and the Inamori Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph (IMACS) on the Magellan Telescope.Dr. Menendez-Delmestre will also extend Carnegie's commitment to outreach and education towards a broader section of the Los Angeles community by strengthening the existing, yet informal ties with the Griffith Observatory, a well recognized leader in the Los Angeles community as a center of public education. With a Hispanic population greater than 50%, Los Angeles is an exceptionally well suited area to develop educational outreach programs that specifically target the Hispanic community. Dr. Menendez-Delmestre will serve as a Curatorial Advisor to the Griffith program team led by Dr. Laura Danly (Curator, Griffith Observatory) by: (1) helping in the implementation of a Griffith school astronomy program directed at elementary-school children; (2) training Observatory guides; (3) reviewing the accuracy of the Observatory's educational materials; and (4) helping to organize public, astronomy-related activities at Griffith.