Title: A novel view of the Milky Way disk and outer Solar system

Abstract: Combining big survey data with advanced statistical analysis is a fruitful approach to new discoveries. I will present two examples.   (1) One is a new mapping technique to provide for the first time a clear and flat view of the phase space of Milky Way disk. Applying it to Gaia data, we found sharp new structures with order-of-unity contrast in number density and metallicity. It opens a new window to study galactic dynamics, calling for theoretical explanation and observational search for similar structures in other disk galaxies.  (2) Another example is a new algorithm searching for moving objects from imaging survey. Applying it to cosmological surveys, I found a dwarf planet with the widest orbit in the Solar system, which places an interesting challenge to the Planet Nine / Planet X hypothesis.

Title: Warm ionized gas filaments in non-central early-type galaxies

Abstract: Filamentary multiphase gas is nearly ubiquitous within the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) of cool-core clusters and is likely related to the feeding and feedback of their supermassive black holes. Determining how such filaments form is crucial to understanding the interplay between baryon cycling, active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, and the evolution of early-type galaxies (ETGs). However, BCGs account for only a small fraction of all ETGs and their gaseous atmospheres are thought to be strongly influenced by the extreme, dense cluster environments in which they reside. In this talk, I will present the results of our multiwavelength analysis of 126 nearby ETGs that sit outside of the immediate cores of galaxy groups and clusters (hereafter “non-central” ETGs) - with the aim of connecting our current understanding of filamentary multiphase gas formation to the greater ETG population. Using archival VLT-MUSE observations, we detect warm ionized gas in 54 of the 126 non-central ETGs. Most of these systems (35/54) host ordered, rotating gas disks, while the remainder (19/54) show extended filamentary structures that resemble the multiphase filaments seen in BCGs. I will discuss how the MUSE data, in tandem with archival Chandra X-ray observations, support an interpretation in which the warm filaments condense out of cooling, thermally unstable hot halos. Furthermore, I will present emission-line diagnostics that test the ionization mechanisms capable of powering the filaments.

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Title: Using the Metallicity of Simulated Galaxies to Understand Galaxy Evolution

Abstract: Numerical simulations are an invaluable tool for understanding how galaxies form and evolve. Yet, the current generation of simulations suffers from significant modeling uncertainties, rooted in divergent predictions from different codes using similar prescriptions and in a lack systematic comparisons between qualitatively different models. In this talk, I will highlight the oftentimes underappreciated differences between popular cosmological simulations (e.g., IllustrisTNG, EAGLE, FIRE) through examining their metal content. Metals serve as powerful observational tracers of the galactic baryon cycle and are highly sensitive to the details of feedback physics. I will show that even for nominally similar simulation models (e.g., IllustrisTNG and EAGLE), the overall metal budget of the galaxy can be significantly different. Moreover, distinct physical implementations (e.g., IllustrisTNG and FIRE) make very different predictions for the spatial distribution of metals within galaxies. Together, these predictions provide a theoretical framework through which we can leverage the wealth of observational data on metals to gain deeper insight into the processes driving galaxy evolution.

Zoom Link: https://uky.zoom.us/j/82910452708

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Gauge theories describe the fundamental interactions, but their complexity makes questions involving real-time dynamics beyond the reach of classical computation. Quantum computers open a new path by naturally representing quantum fields and evolving them in real time thus circumventing for example the sign problem that limits classical Monte Carlo methods. In this talk, we will discuss the challenges and recent progress in encoding and simulating Gauge theories on fault-tolerant quantum computers.

Title: Better Together: Combining the Strengths of Rubin, LS4 and Euclid for Time-domain Science and Cosmology

Abstract: We have entered an exciting decade for survey science with such space-based surveys as Euclid and such ground-based surveys as LSST and LS4 providing overlapping imaging datasets across the optical and IR.  LSST will identify thousands of tidal disruption events (TDEs) and millions of AGN and supernovae, including hundreds of gravitationally lensed supernovae (gLSNe) from which we can measure the Hubble Constant. I will discuss how joint analysis of ground and space-based data via multi-resolution forward modeling methods will enable us to search for TDEs from non-nuclear massive black holes, undertake time delay cosmography with populations of gLSNe and study the environments of supernovae and dwarf galaxy AGN.