Hai Fu, PhD
Polarization of radio emission in massive galaxy mergers
Collisions of galaxies redistribute angular momentum of the interstellar gas, leading to rapid gas inflows that can fuel both star formation and the accretion disks around supermassive black holes at the galactic nuclei. With observations from the Very Large Array, we have detected strong radio emission from both nuclei in a sample of galaxy mergers. Now polarization measurements are needed to distinguish between star formation and black hole accretion, which is the goal of this project.
At least one physics course. Experience with computers and programming is preferred, but not required.
Students will learn about the complexities of galaxies and how observations at different wavelengths reveal different components of a galaxy. Students will become familiar with basic python programming skills in the process of analyzing radio interferometer data and measuring the degree of polarization of the radio emission.
