Benjamin Gregg

Currently my research interests are focused on studying the evolution of star formation in high redshift galaxies in dense environments. My current work is searching for CO(1-0) emission in one of the highest redshift massive galaxy clusters known using the VLA.

The goal is to quantify the molecular gas contents of this forming cluster in order to place constraints on the future star formation within cluster member galaxies. The carbon-oxygen CO(1-0) molecular gas in these galaxies is a direct tracer of the molecular hydrogen gas, which is what condenses to form stars. So by studying the CO contents of these galaxies, we are learning about their potential to form stars in the future.

By studying the molecular gas contents of forming galaxy clusters at high redshift, we are learning about how the abundance of molecular gas and the star formation history influence the cluster’s formation and evolution. We are learning about how the dense cluster environment affects the star formation efficiency of galaxies at an essential period in time where the star formation rate density SFRD was at its peak across the universe, known as “cosmic noon.”