Australia Telescope National Facility

The Periphery of Disks

PowerHouse Museum, Sydney

The majority of all galaxies host disks which evolve in a number of ways and drive the evolution of their host galaxies over cosmic times. Some disks are rich in gas and grow by star formation. However, the details of how this star formation is fueled are still a puzzle as it is still unknown whether galaxies accrete gas from their surroundings or recycle material ejected by dying stars. Furthermore, galaxy disks can run out of gas and stop growing, change size due to low mass mergers, or be destroyed and reformed altogether in major mergers.

Studying the periphery of galaxy disks can increase our understanding of the physics involved with these processes. The gas that fuels star formation travels through these regions, which are also the interface between cold gas in the disk and the hot gaseous medium around it. Furthermore, signatures of recent interactions with other galaxies are found in a galaxy's outskirts. This conference aims to bring together astronomers who study these transition regions (e.g. outer disks, halos, thick disks and the IGM) and to cover both the theoretical and (multi-wavelength) observational sides of this research field.