Collaborative Research: Tracing the Evolution of the Largest Cosmic Structures and their Galaxy Constituents in the Distant Universe

一些星系形成于密度较高的区域，称为星系团，另一些形成于中等密度的区域，称为细丝，其余的形成于密度较低的区域。这个项目研究星系的生长是如何受到星系周围环境的刺激和调节的。普渡大学和罗格斯大学的科学家们正在合作进行Odin：一项新的星系调查，在4米的Blanco望远镜上进行了83个晚上的观测。目标是观察迄今为止宇宙中最大的区域，重点是探测莱曼-阿尔法光，这种光对氢敏感，氢是宇宙中最丰富的元素。奥丁预计将发现超过10万个遥远的星系，比目前这类星系的样本大20倍。星系的现有质量、新恒星的形成速度以及它们与邻近星系聚集在一起的程度将揭示它们周围环境的影响。作为该项目的一部分，该团队将专注于为几名学生提供研究培训，并将通过旨在激励年轻一代欣赏科学的多个外展计划，吸引更广泛的社区。这个项目旨在了解环境在星系演化中的作用。奥丁勘测的目的是使用莱曼阿尔法(LYA)作为两个星系及其所在物质分布的大尺度结构的独特示踪剂。奥丁将使用一种经过良好测试的技术，将深层窄带和宽带成像数据结合在一起，在定义明确的宇宙体积中分离发射Lya的星系。奥丁的窄带滤光器采样了三个相距甚远的宇宙纪元(宇宙年龄分别为1.3年、2.0年和27亿年)的红移LYA发射。利用这些星系，奥丁将识别从原始星系团到细丝、从磁场到空洞的广泛密度环境。该计划将：(I)表征从宇宙时间到当今宇宙的星系-暗物质联系；(Ii)确定环境对星系物理性质的影响；以及(Iii)通过观测和模拟之间的直接比较，提供最先进的星系形成模型。窄带滤光片和测量数据产品将向天文学社区提供，从而能够进行广泛的调查。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。

Some galaxies form in dense regions called galaxy clusters, others in regions of moderate density called filaments, and the rest in regions of lower density. This project studies how galaxy growth is spurred and regulated by a galaxy’s surroundings. A collaboration between scientists at Purdue University and Rutgers University are carrying out ODIN: a new survey of galaxies with 83 nights of observations on the 4-meter Blanco telescope. The goal is to observe the biggest region of the universe to-date focusing on detecting Lyman-alpha light, which is sensitive to hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe. ODIN is expected to discover over 100,000 distant galaxies, a factor of 20 larger than current samples of this type of galaxy. The galaxies’ existing mass, rate of forming new stars, and how much they clump together with neighboring galaxies will reveal influences of their surrounding environment. As part of this project, the team will focus on providing research training to several students, and will also engage the broader community through multiple outreach programs aimed at inspiring the younger generation to appreciate science. This program is aimed at understanding the role of environment in galaxy evolution. The ODIN survey is designed to use Lyman alpha (Lya) as a unique tracer of both galaxies and the large-scale structure of the matter distribution in which they are embedded. ODIN will employ a well-tested technique that combines deep narrow-band and broad-band imaging data to isolate Lya-emitting galaxies in a well-defined cosmic volume. ODIN’s narrow-band filters sample redshifted Lya emission at three widely separated cosmic epochs (cosmic ages of 1.3, 2.0, and 2.7 billion years). Using these galaxies, ODIN will identify a wide range of density environments from proto-clusters to filaments to the field to voids. The program will: (i) characterize the galaxy-dark matter connection through cosmic time to the present-day universe; (ii) determine the effect of environment on the physical properties of galaxies; and (iii) inform state-of-the-art models of galaxy formation through direct comparisons between observations and simulations. The narrow-band filters and survey data products will be made available to the astronomical community, enabling a wide range of investigations to follow.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.