Collaborative Research: Spatially Resolving the Mechanisms of Star Formation Quenching Using Molecular Gas Observations

合作研究：利用分子气体观测空间解析恒星形成淬灭的机制

• 批准号: 2307440
• 负责人: Tony Wong
• 金额: $ 43.32万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-15 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2307440&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Spatially; Resolving; Mechanisms

When we look deep into space with modern telescopes, the finite speed of light enables us to see galaxies as they appeared in the distant past. What we have learned from such observations is that most galaxies experience rapid star formation in their youth and declining star formation as they age. Still, there are wide variations in how quickly star formation stops, and we do not fully understand why the rate of star formation in galaxies changes. Have aging galaxies just run out of fuel, or has the fuel become unusable for some reason? One way to advance our knowledge is to make connections between the star formation rate and the cold hydrogen gas which is the fuel for star formation. The project investigators will take advantage of recently completed surveys of nearby galaxies, as well as state-of-the-art computer models, to pursue this goal. Through research experiences and mentoring, the project will expand pathways to scientific careers for students from minority backgrounds. The research experiences are designed for soldiers transitioning from the military to STEM fields.The team plans a wide variety of observations, including spatially resolved measurements of CO emission, which trace the molecular gas content, and optical integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopic surveys, which trace the young and old stellar populations. The investigators have merged their measurements into the Extragalactic Database for Galaxy Evolution (EDGE) and are now poised to extend these studies to galaxies with much lower gas content and star formation activity. They will conduct and analyze high-resolution simulations that match evolutionary scenarios to observational predictions, allowing factors such as galaxy structure and environment to be considered quantitatively. Among the key questions to be addressed are whether the cessation of star formation is driven largely by exhaustion of the available gas supply or by changes to the properties of the gas reservoir.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.

当我们用现代望远镜深入到太空时，有限的光速使我们能够看到星系出现在遥远的过去时。 我们从这样的观察结果中学到的是，大多数星系在青年时代经历了快速的恒星形成，并且随着年龄的增长而下降。 尽管如此，恒星形成的速度速度有很大差异，我们并不完全理解星系中星形形成的速率发生变化。 老化的星系刚好耗尽燃料，还是由于某种原因而无法使用燃料？ 提高我们知识的一种方法是在恒星形成速率和冷氢气之间建立连接，这是恒星形成的燃料。 项目调查人员将利用最近完成的有关附近星系以及最先进的计算机模型的调查来实现这一目标。 通过研究经验和指导，该项目将为来自少数族裔背景的学生扩展到科学职业的途径。 该研究经验是为从军事过渡到STEM场的士兵而设计的。该团队计划进行各种观察，包括对CO排放的空间分辨测量值，这些测量值追踪分子气体含量和光学整体场单元（IFU）光谱调查，以追踪年轻人和老年恒星种群。 研究人员将其测量值合并到了银河系进化（EDGE）的外层流数据库中，现在有望将这些研究扩展到具有较低气体含量和恒星形成活性的星系。 他们将进行和分析高分辨率模拟与观察预测相匹配的高分辨率模拟，从而允许诸如银河结构和环境等因素进行数量考虑。 要解决的关键问题之一是，停止恒星形成是主要是由于可用的天然气供应的精疲力尽或通过更改天然气储层的特性而驱动的。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准来通过评估来获得支持的。