Wunch @ Princeton

Next Talk: May 26

Title: High-Spatial Resolution Observations of z~1.5 Star Forming Galaxies: Discovering Galactic Disks, Mergers, and Weak AGN

Abstract:
Studies of galaxies in the early universe (z > 1) have greatly benefited from recent advances in diffraction-limited techniques on 8-10m telescopes using adaptive optics and integral field spectroscopy. I will present results from an on-going survey using Keck's latest instrument OSIRIS and adaptive optics to study the dynamics and chemical abundances of z~1.5 star forming galaxies. I will discuss kinematics and properties of both merger and disk candidates within our sample, and their significance in the galaxy formation framework. An unexpected discovery through our study has been spatially concentrated [NII] and [OIII] emission, and peak line ratios, like [NII]/H-alpha, that are best explained by the presence of weak AGN. These are among the weakest known AGN at this epoch, and I will discuss their potential impact on metallicity studies and explore the high redshift AGN luminosity function. Lastly, I will discuss the future of AO instrumentation on extremely large telescopes (30m), and the benefits these instruments offer for studying galaxy formation and evolution.

Full Schedule: Spring 2010

Date	Speaker	Title
January 20	Chao-Chin Yang UIUC, AMNH	Planetesimal and Protoplanet Dynamics in a Turbulent Protoplanetary Disk
January 27	Laurent Ibgui Princeton	Tidal Heating Models for the Radii of Inflated Transiting Extrasolar Giant Planets (EGPs)
February 3	Jo Bovy NYU	The Nature of the Stellar Moving Groups in the Solar Neighborhood
February 10	Kevin Bundy Berkeley	The Rise and Fall of Passive Disk Galaxies
February 17	Carles Badenes Tel Aviv	The SWARMS Survey: Unveiling the Galactic population of Compact White Dwarf Binaries
February 24	Brian Metzger Princeton	Observational Signatures of Compact Object Mergers
March 3	Doron Kushnir Weizmann	Cosmic Rays and Magnetic Fields in Clusters of Galaxies
March 10	Tim Brandt Princeton	The Age Distribution of Type Ia Supernova Progenitors
March 17	Brian Jackson Goddard	Close-in Extra-Solar Planets and Tides
March 24	Renyue Cen Princeton	A Beautiful Cluster
March 31	Anita Krishnamurthi AAS	The FY2011 Budget for Astronomy
April 7	Kathryn Johnston Columbia	Women (and other minorities) in Science and Engineering - A Personal Perspective
April 14	Phil Hopkins Berkeley	How do Massive Black Holes Get their Gas?
April 21	Nevin Weinberg Berkeley	Nonlinear Tides in Close Binary Systems
April 28	Ryan Foley Harvard	A New Class of Supernova
May 5	Michael McElwain Princeton	SEEDS of Exoplanetary Science at the Subaru Telescope
May 12	Frits Paerels Columbia	tba
May 19	Ryan Quadri Leiden	tba
May 26	Shelley Wright Berkeley	tba