Study level
Master of Philosophy
Honours
Vacation research experience scheme
Faculty/School
Science and Engineering Faculty
Topic status
We're looking for students to study this topic.
Supervisors
- Position
- Astrophysics Research and Teaching Associate
- Division / Faculty
- Science and Engineering Faculty
External supervisors
- Professor Andrew Hopkins, Australian Astronomical Optics
Overview
The analysis of galaxies found throughout cosmic time provides us with the means to probe the underlying characteristics of the known universe.
Over the last few decades, new observations of galaxies with various ground and space-based telescopes have provided us with an abundance of multi-wavelength data.
By coupling these observations with theory, spectral energy distribution analysis allows us to derive the intrinsic properties of distant galaxies, which provides constraints for various galaxy formation and evolution scenarios.
During this project, you will have access to the newly released FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey, which is a catalogue of over 70,000 galaxies spanning 90% of cosmic time.
The survey is comprised of data gathered from the Magellan and Keck ground-based observatories, as well as the Chandra, XMM-Newton, Herschel, Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes.
Research activities
The principle aim of this project is to perform spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis on a sample of distant galaxies.
Specific activities for each project will be tailored to your study level and available time.
Specific project topics include:
Fitting the SEDs of distant galaxies
A galaxy's SED allows us to investigate the distribution of energy over wavelength. Therefore, the SED of a galaxy encodes various processes that drive its evolution.
This project will involve estimating various galaxy parameters, including distance, energy output and supermassive black hole mass from observed SEDs through new fitting procedures and models.
Isolating the nuclear contribution to the observed SED of galaxies
Theory suggests that the nuclear emission from a galaxy's accreting supermassive black hole regulates star formation either by removing or heating the precious star-forming gas.
Therefore, a complete study of galaxy evolution requires a comprehensive understanding of this nuclear contribution.
This project will involve applying and testing a novel approach to isolate the nuclear contribution to the observed SED of a large sample of galaxies.
Outcomes
Upon conclusion of this research, we expect to uncover the physical constraints for various galaxy formation and evolution scenarios, advancing our knowledge in cosmology.
This has the potential to generate high impact factor publications.
You'll also have great networking opportunities with astronomers based in various institutions around the world.
Skills and experience
The analysis and interpretation of the data will involve custom-designed data processing.
Therefore, familiarity with a programming language, such as Python or IDL, is desirable, but not essential.
Scholarships
You may be able to apply for a research scholarship in our annual scholarship round.
Keywords
Contact
Contact the supervisor for more information.