Publications and Research
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
12-4-2024
Abstract
The cosmic web is the largest structure in the universe, consisting of streams of gas and dust that connect galaxies made of stars, dark matter, and more gas and dust. Denser areas of the cosmic web tend to have more massive and redder galaxies, which implies a strong connection between cosmic structure and galaxy evolution. The degree to which galaxies are influenced by the cosmic web outside of relatively dense areas, particularly in the case of small filaments near galaxies, is still an area of active study. Low mass galaxies, known as dwarf galaxies, are particularly sensitive to the environment around them and are thus an ideal way to identify smaller filaments and investigate how exactly they impact galactic evolution. We use simulated observations for the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) conducted by the Rubin Observatory, which is expected to discover 20 billion new galaxies including a wealth of dwarfs in the nearby universe. We use these data to identify and select low mass galaxies and infer their properties, such as position, distance from our galaxy, stellar mass, and star formation rate. We use the distance and position of the galaxies to reconstruct two-dimensional filaments in a way that is consistent with what will be available from observations. This will allow us to study how the properties of the dwarf galaxies are correlated with their proximity to a filament and apply this process to the upcoming LSST data. This work, combined with the unprecedented amount of data from LSST, promises to unlock deep insights into the details of how the cosmic web drives galaxy evolution.
Comments
This poster was presented at the 41st Semi-Annual Dr. Janet Liou-Mark Honors & Undergraduate Research Poster Presentation, December 4th, 2024. Mentors: Prof. Charlotte Welker and Charlotte Olson (Physics).