Collaborative Research: The Cosmic Baryon Cycle in 3D

气体进出星系的循环调节着星系中星星的形成。气体的辐射很微弱，这使得研究气体的流动变得困难。一个自然的解决方案是观察透镜星系，其中前景星系弯曲来自遥远星系的光。 这种引力透镜就像一个天然的望远镜，放大微弱的发射，放大小尺度结构的地图。首席研究员（PI）Bordoloi和Howk将分析来自透镜星系样本的光谱，以研究气体流动如何影响星星的形成。该团队将开发外展视频和图像，突出积分场光谱学，引力透镜和环星系介质（CGM）中的气体流动。在与北卡罗来纳州州立大学的科学之家的合作中，该团队将为公众举办夜间星星观测和白天太阳观测活动。M.凯克天文台和多单元光谱探测器（MUSE）在甚大望远镜（VLT）的z 2透镜类星体和星系系统的样本。 将使用多个/弧形视线的分析来获得CGM的3D、空间分辨图，比例尺约为1 kpc。该团队将使用这些地图来追踪CGM的运动学和金属丰度，并提供星系形成和星星形成淬灭的见解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

The cycling of gas into and out of galaxies regulates their star formation. Emission from the gas is faint, making it difficult to study the flow of gas. A natural solution is to observe lensed galaxies, where a foreground galaxy bends the light from the distant galaxy. This gravitational lensing serves as a natural telescope, magnifying the weak emission and zooming in to map small scale structures. Principal Investigators (PIs) Bordoloi and Howk will analyze spectra from a sample of lensed galaxies to study how the flow of gas impacts star formation. The team will develop outreach videos and images highlighting integral field spectroscopy, gravitational lensing, and gas flows in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). In collaboration with The Science House at North Carolina State University, the team will host night-time star gazing and day-time solar observing events for the public.The PIs will analyze new and archival spectra from the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) instrument at the W. M. Keck Observatory and The Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of a sample of z 2 lensed quasar and galaxy systems. Analysis of multiple/arced sightlines will be used to obtain 3D, spatially-resolved maps of the CGM on scales of approximately 1 kpc. The team will use the maps to trace the kinematics and metallicity of the CGM and provide insights on galaxy formation and quenching of star formation.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.