Understanding the baryonic profile of gas in and around dark matter halos, with application to fast radio bursts, metal absorption lines, and weak lensing

银河系浸没在未知大小和密度的电离气体的大晕中。在接下来的几年里，对瞬时快速射电爆发的观测将提供气体分布的稀疏图，补充现有的金属吸收线数据集。McQuinn和他的合作者将开发必要的工具来解释这些组合数据集。该团队将使用完全的宇宙学模拟和更简单的模型来了解来自恒星和黑洞的剧烈星系反馈过程如何塑造这些气体晕并影响星系的形成。McQuinn和合作者将指导华盛顿大学的Pre-MAP项目的大一本科生，目标是让他们在职业生涯的早期参与研究。五名本科生将提供暑期研究实习。该团队还将在西雅图地区进行一系列公开讲座。以前对星系周围气体晕的理论研究主要依赖于将金属吸收线观测与复杂宇宙学模拟的预测进行比较，并特别实施恒星和黑洞反馈。该团队将开发更灵活的气体分布模型，该模型将使用经验输入以及放大模拟激励的输入。这些模型将与FRB和金属吸收线测量进行比较，以更全面地说明富集气体的空间分布。该模型还将用于了解星系周围的气体分布如何影响弱透镜观测的宇宙学约束。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Galaxies are immersed in large halos of ionized gas of unknown size and densities. In the next few years, observations of transient fast radio bursts will provide sparse maps of the gas distribution, complementing existing metal absorption line data sets. McQuinn and his collaborators will develop the tools necessary to interpret these combined data sets. The team will use both fully cosmological simulations and simpler models to understand how violent galactic feedback processes from stars and black holes shape these gas halos and influence galaxy formation. McQuinn and collaborators will mentor freshman undergraduates enrolled in the Pre-MAP program at the University of Washington, with the goal of engaging them in research early in their careers. Five undergraduate students will be offered summer research internships. The team will also give a series of public lectures in the Seattle area.Previous theoretical studies of the gas halos around galaxies have primarily relied on comparing metal absorption line observations with the predictions of complex cosmological simulations with particular implementations of stellar and black hole feedback. The team will develop more flexible models for the gas distribution, which will use empirical inputs as well as inputs motivated by zoom-in simulations. These models will be compared to FRB and metal absorption line measurements to make more general statements about the spatial distribution of the enriched gas. The models will also be used to understand how the distribution of gas around galaxies could affect cosmological constraints from weak lensing observations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.