| 19th of April 2023 |
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| ATNF Colloquium |
| Challenges in understanding the dynamical evolution of galaxies |
| Caroline Foster (UNSW) |
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Abstract:
In this talk, I will discuss the dynamical transformation of galaxies
across cosmic time. I will explore common barriers to and possible
solutions for the accurate measurement and determination of the
dynamical evolution of galaxies. I will focus on the necessity of
changing dynamical probes / baryonic phases (neutral gas, ionised gas
and stars) depending on the cosmic epoch or redshift.
In the first instance, I will discuss our attempt at quantifying and correcting for the impact of the progenitor bias with redshift using cosmological simulations. I will next address the implications of recent results on the dynamical coupling (or otherwise) of ionised gas and stars in galaxies on our ability to accurately infer dynamical evolution from observations at different epochs. Finally, I will outline how the Middle-Ages Galaxy Properties with Integral field spectroscopy (MAGPI) Survey was designed to explicitly overcome some of these barriers and show a selection of initial results. The image above it a synthetic colour image (R=I-band, G=r-band, B=g-band) of the MAGPI field G15-J140913. Insets show a variety of high level data products as labelled. Stellar velocity (V) and velocity dispersion (sigma) maps are shown for MAGPI1501334289 (Panel A), MAGPI1501219286 (Panel B) and MAGPI15011501191209 (Panel C). Stellar age and metallicity maps are derived for MAGPI1501171118 (Panel D) and MAGPI1501191209 (Panel E), while stellar populations in a 1 arcsec aperture are shown for MAGPI1501219286 (Panel F) and MAGPI1501334289 (Panel G). This figure highlights the exceptional depth and richness of the MAGPI data: our average targets are comparable to the best targets in local IFS surveys. |