02/24/2023
By Lynne Schaufenbil

Please join us for the virtual seminar "The social life of galaxies: unfolding the mystery of galactic interactions and transformations in different environments" by Tirna Deb, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Western Cape in South Africa, on Thursday, March 2 at 11 a.m.

Abstract: The neutral atomic hydrogen gas discs are the pivotal components of the cold interstellar medium (ISM) in galaxies, and are the fuel for star formation. These gas discs are also excellent tracers of diverse physical processes that are undergoing in the cosmic neighborhood of galaxies. However, it is still unclear which of the processes dominate the transformation of galaxies from star forming and gas rich, to quiescent and gas poor in diverse cosmic environments. I investigated the influences of the global and local environment on the evolution of galaxies by observing their neutral gas and star formation properties primarily using radio telescopes (MeerKAT in South Africa, JVLA in the USA) all over the world. My aim is to understand the relative importance and effects of the various physical mechanisms that are responsible for reshaping the galaxies. I will also show some interesting case studies like the "jellyfish" galaxies, an extreme example of hydrodynamical stripping with in situ star formation in the tails.

Short bio: Tirna Deb is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Western Cape in South Africa. Her scientific interest is to study galaxy evolution by observing with radio telescopes. She has done her Ph.D. in Astronomy at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and her bachelor's and master's in Physics at Presidency University, Kolkata, India. Originally from India, she has evolved as a global citizen now.

To join the talk, please email Lynne_Schaufenbil@uml.edu for the Zoom link.