Collaborative Research: RUI: Absorption and Emission Line Probes of Galactic Winds with eBOSS

恒星的形成是一个非常低效的过程，只有5%-20%的气体转化为恒星。银河系外流在自我调节恒星形成和维持低效率方面发挥着重要作用。首席研究员Tremonti、Diamond-Stanic和Lundgren将利用扩展重子振荡光谱观测(EBOSS)对300,000个星系的观测来测量星系的物理性质，包括外流气体，以调查导致银河系恒星形成效率低的潜在物理原因。为了促进学生对科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)的参与，PIS将利用EBOSS的调查数据设计一套适合高中生和本科生的基于网络的计算天文学活动。该团队将通过为教育工作者举办的一系列研讨会来传播这些活动，并评估它们在提高学生数据素养、计算技能和对科学的兴趣方面的有效性。该团队将基于数千个红移为0.4 z 1的EBoss星系光谱堆叠来创建和分析高质量光谱。他们将比较通过吸收线追踪的流出气体和通过发射线追踪的流出气体，以测试这些方法测量的流出气体成分是相同的还是不同的。他们还将通过背光实验测量流出的几何形状和空间范围，这些实验使用背景类星体的光谱，并使用这些信息来估计稳健的质量流出速率。该团队将确定银河系外流和星系之间明确的经验关系。他们将向公众发布堆叠光谱和相关物理性质的目录。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Star formation is a very inefficient process with only 5% - 20% of the gas converted into stars. Galactic outflows play an important role in self-regulating star formation and maintaining the low efficiency. The Principal Investigators (PIs) Tremonti, Diamond-Stanic and Lundgren, will use observations of 300,000 galaxies from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) to measure the physical properties of galaxies, including the outflowing gas, to investigate the underlying physics responsible for the low efficiency of galactic star formation. To promote student engagement in science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) the PIs will design a set of web-based computational astronomy activities suitable for both high school and undergraduate students using the eBOSS survey data. The team will disseminate these activities through a series of workshops for educators and evaluate their effectiveness in improving students’ data literacy, computational skills, and interests in science.The team will create and analyze high-quality spectra based on stacks of thousands of individual eBOSS galaxy spectra at redshifts of 0.4 z 1. They will compare outflowing gas traced via absorption lines to outflowing gas traced via emission lines to test whether these methodologies are measuring the same or different components of the outflow. They will also measure the geometry and spatial extent of the outflows through backlighting experiments that use the spectra of background quasars and use this information to estimate robust mass outflow rates. The team will identify clear empirical relationships between galactic outflows and galaxies. They will release a catalog of stacked spectra and associated physical properties to the public.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.