Modeling Galaxies in the Modern Era: A Synergy between Theory and Observations

绘制星系的形成和增长图，比如我们自己的银河系，是现代天体物理学的基本目标。这位研究人员研究了形成恒星的星系以及星系外观随时间的变化。研究人员将研究星系中的元素如何随着恒星的形成而变化，然后随后发生爆炸。回答这些问题需要一种名为光谱能量分布(SED)拟合的技术，天文学家用这种技术对来自星系的光进行建模，然后推断其物理性质。然而，与拟合技术相关的潜在误差可能会导致对星系物理性质的误解。研究人员将对潜在的误差进行建模，从而得出更准确的遥远宇宙中星系的图像。研究人员将通过运行星系形成和变化的大规模计算机模拟来改进他们的星系理论模型。这些模拟使用了数百万个小时的计算机。他们将模拟银河系随时间的变化，从大爆炸后不久到现在。调查员还将与夏季访问校园的高中教师合作，培训他们学习与教案配套的软件和背景材料。课程模块将利用世界望远镜和银河动物园项目的能力。研究人员将把宇宙模拟转化为飞行互动电影，向公众展示这些引人入胜的模拟的美丽。研究人员这个项目的目标是测试SED拟合技术。他们将采用一系列宇宙学星系形成模拟，其中单个星系从早期宇宙到现在都会发生变化。他们将从最先进的宇宙流体力学模拟中选择要放大的星系，并运行从银河系质量到当前最大质量星系团的前身的各种模型。研究人员接下来将使用他们的详细模拟，并根据望远镜的特性计算天文学家将看到的东西。因为天文学家使用程序从观测中推断出物理性质，所以研究人员可以将星系模拟与模拟观测得出的值进行比较。这将检验观测结果的准确性，这种比较将被用来设计出更好的天文测量方法。他们的主要目标是改进恒星形成率、恒星质量和金属丰度估计的模型。

Charting the formation and growth of galaxies, such as our own Milky Way, is a fundamental goal of modern astrophysics. The investigator studies galaxies forming their stars and changes in the appearance of galaxies with time. The investigator will study how the elements seen in galaxies change as stars form, then later explode. Answering these questions requires a technique called Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) fitting, where astronomers model the light coming from a galaxy, then infer its physical properties. However, associated with the fitting technique are potential errors that could result in a misunderstanding of the physical properties of galaxies. The investigator will model potential errors and therefore derive a more accurate view of galaxies in the distant Universe. The investigators will improve on their theoretical models for galaxies by running large-scale computer simulations of galaxies forming and changing. These simulations use many millions of computer hours. They will model galaxy changes with time, starting from soon after the Big Bang until present times.The investigator will also work with high school teachers visiting in the campus in the summer to train them in the software and background material that will accompany the lesson plans. The lesson modules will leverage the capabilities of both the World-Wide Telescope and the Galaxy Zoo projects. The investigator will transform the cosmological simulations into fly-through interactive movies to show the public the beauty of these fascinating simulations.The investigator's goal for this project is testing SED fitting techniques. They will employ a series of cosmological galaxy formation simulations in which individual galaxies change with from early Universe to the present time. They will select the galaxies to zoom in on from state-of-the-art cosmological hydrodynamic simulations and run models ranging from Milky Way mass through the progenitors of the most massive clusters at present epoch. The investigators will next use their detailed simulations and compute what the astronomers would see, given the telescope characteristics. Because astronomers use programs to deduce the physical properties from observations, the investigator can compare the galaxy simulation with the values deduced from the simulated observations. This will test the accuracy of observational results, and the comparison will be used to devise better ways of making astronomical measurements. Their main goals are to improve models of star formation rate, stellar mass, and metallicity estimates.