Colloquia Archives

Lars Hernquist (Harvard)
Thursday, November 7, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
The IllustrisTNG Project
Abstract:
A predictive theory of galaxy formation remains elusive, even after more than 50 years of dedicated effort by many renowned astrophysicists. The problem of galaxy formation is made difficult by the large range in scales involved and the many non-linear physical processes at play. This talk describes a new generation of numerical models that are designed to overcome these difficulties based on nove schemes for solving the fluid equations on a moving mesh. In particular, I will describe an ongoing project that extends results from the Illustris simulation by employing refined models for feedback from stars and supermassive black holes. Several applications will be described, including the color evolution of galaxies, low surface brightness galaxies, and the statistics of large-scale structure, pertaining to high precision cosmological surveys.
Song Huang (Princeton)
Thursday, October 31, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
The Bright and Dark Sides of Massive Galaxies from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey
Abstract:
Abstract: Massive galaxies are valuable targets for studying cosmology and galaxy-halo connection as they help us locate massive dark matter halos across the history of the universe. Although the general behavior of stellar-halo mass relation (SHMR) is reasonably constrained at low-redshift, there is still much to learn about the connection between the assembly of massive galaxies to the growth of their host dark matter halos. Using deep images from the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) survey and taking advantage of its unprecedented weak lensing capabilities, we reveal a remarkably tight connection between the stellar mass distribution of massive central galaxies and their host dark matter halo mass. Massive galaxies with more extended stellar mass distributions tend to live in more massive dark matter haloes. We explain this connection with a phenomenological model, showing that halo mass varies significantly at fixed total stellar mass (as much as 0.4 dex) with a clear dependence on stellar mass within 10 kpc. This two-parameter model provides a more accurate picture of the galaxy–halo connection at the high-mass end than the simple SHMR and opens a new window to connect the assembly history of halos with those of central galaxies. I will also discuss potential applications of our model on topics from the assembly of massive galaxies to cosmology using massive clusters.
Karin Sandstrom (UCSD)
Thursday, October 24, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Interstellar Dust at Low Metallicity
Abstract:
Dust plays critical roles in many of the processes occurring in the interstellar medium and dust’s infrared emission serves as a tracer for the ISM and star formation from the nearby universe out to high redshift. While most of our knowledge of dust is built from observations of the local area of the Milky Way, it is clear that dust properties change dramatically in low metallicity conditions which may be prevalent at high redshift and in nearby dwarf galaxies. I will discuss what we know about how dust properties change with metallicity and how this can impact physical processes occurring in the ISM. I will also present new results studying low-metallicity dust in the Small Magellanic Clouds and other nearby galaxies.
Colloquium Jamboree 3: New Postdocs
Thursday, October 17, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
New Postdoc Research
Abstract:
Becky Arnold Stars, Stats, Software I will present a brief outline of my research to date. I will describe my work using N-body simulations to study the evolution of star clusters with a focus on binary clusters. I will then discuss statistical methods for quantifying and comparing spatial-velocity substructures. Finally I will go into my interest in good software development practice for rigorous and reproducible research. Chris Faesi PHANGs: Connecting cloud-scale star formation to galaxy evolution Star formation drives the secular evolution of galaxies across cosmic time. However it is not yet understood how this key process, which occurs on a localized basis within molecular clouds (10s of pc scales), couples to the kpc scale processes and environments of galaxies. The Physics at High Angular Resolution in Nearby Galaxies (PHANGs) collaboration is undertaking a comprehensive series of observational and modeling efforts to systematically explore the cloud-scale star-forming interstellar medium (ISM) in the nearby universe. With ongoing sub-arcsecond resolution ALMA, VLT/MUSE, and Hubble large programs mapping full disks of dozens of nearby galaxies, we are poised to revolutionize our understanding of molecular clouds, HII regions, star clusters, star formation efficiency, and feedback, as well as to explore their environmental dependences. I will highlight some first PHANGs science results and outline the exciting path forward in the coming years, which includes many opportunities for students to get involved. As one example, I am leveraging the MUSE data to map the Balmer decrement-derived dust extinction at 50 pc scales and comparing to ALMA CO emission to understand the cloud-scale distribution of dust and gas across galaxy disks. Matteo Messa Title: Young Star Cluster and Clumps in the local (and far) Universe Abstract: I will briefly go through what I have done, I am doing, and I would like to do, concerning the optical-NIR study of clumpy star formation. This includes: the effects of galaxy environment on the formation and evolution of star clusters; new machine-learning methods to fully exploit the large set of clusters’ observations; the clumpiness of nearby starburst galaxies and their relation with high-redshift galaxies; the use of lensed galaxies to test resolution-effects on the properties of massive clumps at high-redshift. Basically, I will try to convince you (in ~10 min.) that star clusters and star-forming clumps are powerful tools to study star-formation across space and time. Mimi Song Title: Tracing galaxy growth over cosmic time with galaxy stellar mass functions Abstract: Over the last decade the advent of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 has enabled us to build statistically significant samples of galaxies out to z=8. We have subsequently witnessed remarkable progress in our understanding of galaxy evolution in the early universe. However, our understanding of the galaxy stellar mass growth in this era has been limited due to the lack of rest-frame optical data at a comparable depth as the HST data. In this talk, I will first talk about observationally constraining the galaxy stellar mass function at z = 4–8 using deep Hubble and Spitzer data in the CANDELS GOODS fields. Then, I will present an empirical model for galaxy evolution out to z = 8 by combining the dark matter halo growth history extracted from cosmological simulations with the the observed galaxy stellar mass functions over cosmic time.
Elena Sabbi (STScI)
Thursday, October 10, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Title: Young Massive Cluster in the Local Group: unraveling the process of star formation under extreme conditions
Abstract:
Abstract: Young massive clusters trace episodes of intense star formation. Through their intense radiation and feedback they shape the evolution of galaxies, yet the processes that regulate their formation and evolution are still elusive and poorly constrain by observations. The few examples of young massive clusters in the Local Groups are gold mines to test the theories of cluster, star and planet formation and probe their evolution under extreme condition, analog to those found in high redshift star forming regions. I will discuss how, through stellar population characterization, dynamics studies and time series, HST and JWST can be used to dissect how star formation develops in space and time in the young massive clusters that can be resolved into single stars.
Daisuke Nagai (Yale)
Thursday, October 3, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
A New Frontier for Cosmology & Galaxy Formation
Abstract:
A synergetic combination of multi-wavelength astronomical surveys promises to provide an ever more comprehensive view of cosmic structures, by mapping out the distributions of dark matter, gas, stars and black holes in the universe. Such datasets will reveal rich physics of galaxies, clusters and cosmic web and ultimately shed light on the nature of dark matter and dark energy that govern their formation and evolution. However, new astronomical datasets will be large and complex. New way of thinking and problem solving are required. In this talk, I will discuss new opportunities and future challenges at the crossroads of large cosmological surveys, computational astrophysics and data science.
Pete Schloerb
Thursday, September 26, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
The Large Millimeter Telescope
Abstract:
The LMT is a 50m-diameter millimeter-wave antenna located atop Sierra Negra in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The telescope was built in a collaboration between UMass Amherst and the country of Mexico, represented by the Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica, y Electronica. The telescope is instrumented with an array of instruments for spectroscopy and continuum mapping. Recording instruments for Very Long Baseline Interferometry have also been installed, enabling LMT's participation in the recent successful imaging of the black hoe in M87 by the Event Horizon Telescope. In this talk Professor Schloerb will review the recent developments in the project and discuss prospects and plans for the future.
Special Event: Jamboree 2
Thursday, September 19, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Introduction to Department Research
Abstract:
Faculty Research Presentations by: Kate Whitaker, Min Yun, Daniel Wang, Kate Follette, Rob Gutermuth, Houjun Mo, Mauro Giavalisco, Gopal Narayanan
Special Event: Jamboree 1
Thursday, September 12, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Introduction to Department Research
No Colloquium
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Claudia Scarlata, University of Minnesota
Thursday, May 2, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Pushing the limits with extreme emission line galaxies
Abstract:
Low-z "Green Peas” show star formation rate (SFR) per unit stellar mass an order of magnitude above the star-forming main sequence, while their very low nebular oxygen abundance places them equally far below the luminosity—metallicity relation at z~0. Combined with ubiquitous bright Lya emission they are considered the best local analogues of many of the galaxies identified in high-z surveys. While these objects offer many insights into how star formation proceeds in the most extreme environments, they are manifestly not dwarf galaxies, and neither are they close analogues of the faintest high-z galaxy building blocks. Thus they do not offer a sample in which to significantly extend scaling relations, nor push to the lowest masses/SFRs in absolute terms. I will present the results of a spectroscopic campaign targeting a new sample of extreme emission line galaxies, selected to be similar to the Green Peas, but at least one order of magnitude less massive.
Erin Kara, University of Maryland
Thursday, April 25, 2019
4:00 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
A NICER view of black hole accretion
Abstract:
The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) is NASA’s newest X-ray telescope. A small Mission of Opportunity (about the size of a washing machine), it is perched on the International Space Station, with the main science objective of measuring the equation of state of ultra dense matter in neutron stars. Beyond this prime science goal, NICER is also making groundbreaking measurements of black holes. In this talk, I will highlight two recent and ongoing studies from NICER, one on measuring X-ray reverberation light echoes in the bright X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070, which have allowed us to map out scales closer to the event horizon of a stellar mass black hole than ever before. And second, I will present ongoing work on a multi-wavelength monitoring campaign of a transitioning AGN, 1ES 1927+654, which we observed transitioning from a Type 2 to a Type 1 AGN on timescales of a few months. Both of these observations are shedding light on the evolution of the X-ray emitting corona and its connection to the accretion disc and relativistic jets.
Jessica Werk, University of Wisconsin
Thursday, April 18, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Colossal Galaxy Adventure
Abstract:
The circumgalactic medium (CGM; non-ISM gas within a galaxy virial radius) regulates the gas flows that shape the assembly and evolution of galaxies. Owing to the vastly improved capabilities in space-based UV spectroscopy with the installation of HST/COS, observations and simulations of the CGM have emerged as the new frontier of galaxy evolution studies. In the last decade, we have learned that the CGM of Milky Way mass galaxies likely contains enough material to harbor most of the metals lost in galaxy winds and to sustain star-formation for billions of years. Remarkably, this implies that most of the heavy elements on earth cycled back and forth multiple times through the Milky Way's own CGM before the formation of the solar system. In the spirit of MS-DOS adventure games, I have designed a fully interactive colloquium that operates on a complex network of powerpoint hyperlinks. In this adventure, you will choose any of 36 possible tracks on which to explore observational and simulated signatures of cosmic gas flows.
Cara Battersby, University of Connecticut
Thursday, April 11, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
The Milky Way Laboratory
Abstract:
Our own Milky Way Galaxy is a powerful and relatively nearby laboratory in which to study the physical processes that occur throughout the Universe. From the organization of gas on galactic scales to the life cycle of gas and stars under varied environmental conditions, studies of our Milky Way underpin many areas of modern astrophysics. I will present a brief tour of our Milky Way Laboratory, including 1) the connection between long, filamentary molecular clouds and spiral structure, 2) statistical studies of high-mass star formation using surveys of our Galaxy’s disk, and 3) how observing our extreme, turbulent Galactic Center (the Central Molecular Zone) can help us learn more about how gas is converted into stars during the peak epoch of cosmic star formation. I will also briefly discuss the Origins Space Telescope, a NASA mission concept study for the 2020 Decadal survey, opening up about 3 orders of magnitude of discovery space on science from first stars to life.
Sarah Wellons, Northwestern University
Thursday, April 4, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Wild and Crazy Kids: Simulating Galaxy Formation in the Early Universe
Abstract:
Abstract: As techniques have improved over the last decade, observations have peered deep into the Universe’s history and begun to glimpse galaxies which formed in the first few billion years after the Big Bang. Evidence is mounting that galaxies in the early Universe appear and behave very differently from those nearby - for example, the most massive galaxies are extremely compact, and star-forming disks appear to have strange clumpy morphologies. In this talk, I will discuss galaxy formation at z > 2 from a theoretical perspective, presenting results drawn from both large-volume cosmological simulations (which allow us to compare and predict the statistical properties of galaxy populations) and high-resolution zoom-in simulations (which allow us to drill down on the physics governing individual systems). I will focus in particular on massive compact galaxies, whose varied formation and evolution present a case study on how galaxy populations evolve over time, and on massive disks, which are independently predicted by both simulation approaches to be very rapidly rotating at high redshift. The advents of JWST, LSST, and WFIRST over the next decade will provide us an unprecedented view of this dynamic and exciting time in the Universe's history. I will conclude by discussing future prospects for how high-z galaxy theory and simulation can anticipate and meet the challenges that these new observations will inevitably bring.
Alyson Brooks, Rutgers
Thursday, March 21, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
TBD
No Colloquium: Spring Recess
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Katherine Whitaker, University of Connecticut
Thursday, March 7, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
The Cosmic Life Cycle of Massive Galaxies
Abstract:
Over the last few decades, astronomers have progressed from archeological studies of nearby galaxies to direct observations of the early universe. We have uncovered billions of years of cosmic growth that present new challenges to galaxy formation theories. In this talk, I will review the recent innovative techniques developed to probe the distant universe, and the key observations constraining the formation histories of galaxies over the past 11 billion years. We have discovered a population of surprisingly compact and massive “red and dead” (quiescent) galaxies that are no longer actively forming stars. The physical mechanisms responsible for shutting down star formation and the subsequent buildup of this quiescent population at such early times is one of the most outstanding questions in astrophysics today. I will present promising paths forward towards solving this puzzle that leverage strong gravitational lensing and the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as a look toward the future with exciting upcoming public facilities.
Sandro Tacchella, Harvard/CfA
Thursday, February 28, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
TBD
Abstract:
TBD
Prof. Massimo Della Valle, INAF-Observatory of Naples, Italy
Thursday, February 21, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
The Empirical Ground Of The Supernova-GRB Connection
Abstract:
We review the status of the Supernova/Gamma-Ray Burst connection. Several pieces of evidence suggest that long duration Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are associated with type Ic Supernovae (SNe). Current estimates of SN and GRB rates show that only a tiny fraction of massive stars, likely less than 3%, are able to pruduce GRBs.
Topic TBD
Thursday, February 14, 2019
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
TBD
Abstract:
TBD
Anne Jaskot, UMass Amherst
Thursday, February 7, 2019
4:00 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
How to Reionize the Universe - Clues from Green Pea Galaxies
Abstract:
The reionization of the intergalactic medium at z>6 is one of the major transformations in the universe’s history, and yet, we know little about how it occurred. The most likely explanation is that Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation escaped into the intergalactic medium from early star-forming galaxies. However, most star-forming galaxies show no signs of LyC escape. Recently, the “Green Pea” galaxies have emerged as the first known star-forming galaxy population where strong LyC escape is common. I will discuss what we are learning from the Green Peas about ways to identify LyC-leaking galaxies, the role of feedback in LyC escape, and the properties of LyC-emitters.
Todd Tripp, UMass Amherst
Thursday, January 31, 2019
4:00 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Strange Things in the Dark Backwaters: Toward a More Complete Understanding of Galaxies
Abstract:
During the past decade, observational and theoretical studies have increasingly indicated that the extended circumgalactic medium (CGM), i.e., the gaseous halos extending several hundred kpc out from regions where stars are found, is an important component of galaxies that regulates their evolution. The CGM is likely the dominant reservoir of ordinary matter in galaxies at all epochs, and gas flows to and from the CGM surely have profound effects on the tip-of-the-iceberg stellar regions that most people think of as a “galaxy”. The light emitted by the CGM is extremely faint, so the most practical technique for exploring these dark backwaters is to study the absorption lines that they imprint on the spectra of background continuum sources. This talk will review several recent absorption-line studies of the CGM, which turns out to harbor some strange and difficult-to-explain entities. For example, while the CGM plasma is detected in species such as O VI and Ne VIII and is typically highly ionized, it is also profoundly cold – very high-resolution data show that upper limits on the gas temperature are a factor of 10-20 below the temperature where O VI is expected to exist. Moreover, disparate ions ranging from Mg I (ionization potential = 7.6 eV) up to Ne VIII (IP = 239.1 eV) are kinematically very well aligned and clearly have a strong physical relationship. Standard collisional or photoionization models are hard-pressed to explain these data, and more complex physics will probably need to be considered. This talk will also (briefly) present data that suggest some tantalizing connections between CGM and the star-formation properties of galaxies, and some remarks will be made on the type of instruments that will be needed in the future to obtain a more complete understanding of galaxies including the difficult-to-observe components.
Kartik Sheth, NASA HQ
Thursday, December 6, 2018
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Elena D'Onghia, University of Wisconsin
Thursday, November 29, 2018
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Joshua Peek, STScI
Thursday, November 15, 2018
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Amy Jones, University of Alabama
Thursday, November 8, 2018
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Chiara Feruglio, Harvard & INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico Trieste
Thursday, November 1, 2018
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Kelley Hess, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Thursday, October 18, 2018
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Gas processing in the group environment and the coming radio revolution
Abstract:
The environment plays a key role in driving galaxy evolution. The most dramatic examples of this are seen in galaxy clusters, but galaxy groups are where the impact of environment is first felt. This has been teased out from large optical spectroscopic surveys of galaxies, but the atomic neutral hydrogen gas, observed through the 21 cm line in the radio, can reveal and provide insight to ongoing and past interactions in ways that are impossible to know from just observing the stellar content. I will set the stage by discussing how targeted HI observations combined with blind HI surveys such as ALFALFA have led us understand gas processing in groups and clusters. However, we are also on the verge of a new revolution in radio astronomy with several new facilities coming online in the next year. I will present an overview and new data from APERTIF, which will ultimately generate the largest collection of resolved HI galaxies in the northern hemisphere, and will provide an invaluable data set for revealing the nuanced impact of environment on the gas content of galaxies which is the fuel for star formation. By resolving thousands of galaxies in HI across different environments, and combining it with dedicated optical IFU spectroscopic follow-up, we will identify the physical mechanisms in individual galaxies which directly impact the optical tracers through which we infer galaxy evolution.
David Ballantyne, Georgia Institute of Technology
Thursday, October 11, 2018
3:45 p.m.
LGRT 1033
Title:
Nuclear Starburst Disks around Supermassive Black Holes: the Key to AGN obscuration?
Abstract:
Most of the AGNs in the Universe are obscured by significant columns of gas and dust. The origin of the obscuring gas is not understood, but it appears that the fraction of obscured AGN increases at higher z. This implies that processes within the galaxy are connected to producing the absorbing gas. Here, I present a model for AGN obscuration that may be relevant at z~1 and above -- nuclear starburst disks. I'll describe the physical conditions of these very compact and intense star-forming regions, present 1D and 2D models of their properties, and show how they can account for a large fraction of the shape of the X-ray background. I will also describe how they might be a potential origin for some nuclear star clusters seen in the centers of low redshift galaxies.

Pages