From feast to famine: understanding active transformation in galaxy groups (Public Lecture)

HI is a key tracer of galaxy fuel, feeding the appetite of star formation, but it also acts as a signpost of tidal interactions. Gas stripped by tidal forces inhibits future star formation, but studies of compact groups have revealed rapid evolution similar to that of the Coma Infall region, suggest...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cluver, Michelle
Other Authors: Swinburne University of Technology
Format: Other/Unknown Material
Language:unknown
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/442452
https://www.saao.ac.za/event/from-feast-to-famine-understanding-active-transformation-in-galaxy-groups/
Description
Summary:HI is a key tracer of galaxy fuel, feeding the appetite of star formation, but it also acts as a signpost of tidal interactions. Gas stripped by tidal forces inhibits future star formation, but studies of compact groups have revealed rapid evolution similar to that of the Coma Infall region, suggesting an additional mechanism within these much shallower gravitational potential wells. Spitzer spectroscopy has revealed shock-excited H2, most likely tracing collisions with tidally-stripped HI debris. These can be catastrophic, causing the rapid cessation of star formation. Combining the sophisticated group measures from the GAMA survey, optical IFU observations from SAMI, HI observations from KAT-7 and MeerKAT and mid-infrared data from WISE, we aim to address the feeding and feedback nature of neutral gas.