Research Overview:
Multi-phase Circumgalactic Gas Flow & the Assembly of Galactic Disk
Gas accretion, feedback, and baryon recycling shape the growth of galaxies. These processes describe the dynamic interplay between galaxies and the intergalactic medium and operate in the region around galaxies called the circumgalactic medium (CGM) [review article].
My research focuses on the circumgalactic gas flow and how it affects the evolution of galaxies. Here are some questions I aim to answer:
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How does the circumgalactic gas feed the galactic disk and grow the disk inside-out?
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How do galactic outflows affect the CGM and regulate the star formation of galaxies?
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Are different phases of the CGM dynamically related? What can that tell us about the feeding of galaxies and feedback?
I study the CGM using both observations and cosmological simulations:
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Observations: Currently, I am analyzing the kinematics of the warm-hot CGM traced by O VI. Previously, I co-led the Quasar Probing Galaxies project with Prof. Crystal Martin at UCSB. Our project characterizes the cool circumgalactic gas kinematics relative to the galactic reference frame. We also establish the 3D galactic disk orientation and incorporates that into physical models to explain the gas kinematics.
[Research/Circumgalactic Gas Kinematics] -
Simulations: I analyze the EAGLE cosmological simulations to study galaxy gas accretion and the morphological and kinematic structures of the multiphase CGM (the cool Mg II CGM and the warm-hot O VI CGM). I also demonstrate how observational bias could affect measurements of the gas distribution and rotation of the CGM.
[Research/Simulation Analysis using EAGLE]