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Research Interests · Stellar populations · Globular cluster (GC) and
ultra-compact dwarf galaxy (UCD) formation · The history of NGC 5128 (Centaurus
A) · Galaxy groups |
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Current
Projects ·
Kinematics of
compact stellar systems in NGC 5128: o
Collaborators:
Thomas Puzia, Matias Gomez, Kristin Woodley o
Using high resolution spectra taken at the Very Large Telescope,
I am using the internal kinematics of some of the brightest star clusters
around NGC 5128 to infer their dynamical masses and mass-to-light ratios.
This information helps to shed light on various properties of the clusters,
such as rotation, tidal disruption, and even the possible presence of central
black holes and dark matter! ·
The Survey of
Centaurus A’s Baryonic Structures (SCABS): o
Collaborators:
Thomas Puzia, Mia Bovill,
Robert Muñoz, Paul Eigenthaler o
A deep, wide,
multi-band (u’g’r’i’z’) survey of the Centaurus A
galaxy group, of which NGC 5128 is the central massive galaxy. Covering
almost 69 sq. degrees using the Dark Energy Camera, this is the deepest and
widest ground-based survey of NGC 5128 ever conducted. Our group’s primary
goals are to detect >99% of the group’s star cluster system(s), discover
many faint new dwarf galaxies and trace out diffuse tidal features never
before seen. These results will place strong constraints on the formation
history of NGC 5128, and have significant near-field cosmological
implications. ·
Compact Stellar
Systems in Hickson Compact Groups: o
Collaborators:
Paul Eigenthaler, Iskren Georgiev, Paul Goudfrooij,
Michael Hilker, Arian Lançon,
Gary Mamon, Steffen Mieske,
Bryan Miller, Roberto Muñoz, Eric Peng, Thomas Puzia,
Ruben Sánchez-Janssen, Yasna Ordenes o
This project is
an effort to identify over half of the compact stellar systems around nearby
compact galaxy groups. The locations of the clusters will probe the
interaction histories between the group members by tracing out tidal features
that are not easily observable otherwise. Follow-up spectroscopy will provide
cluster radial velocities, so that the velocity map of these groups can be
known. These data will then constrain the amount of star cluster
“pre-processing" that occurs in compact galaxy groups before they are
accreted onto larger structures like galaxy clusters. |
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