Ever wonder how galaxies interact with one another? Curious about the world’s largest radio telescope? Find answers to these questions and more at the first Physics Cafe of the spring semester. Parker Troischt, PhD, assistant professor of physics at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY will present a seminar titled “The Study of Galaxy Groups using the World’s Largest Telescope” on Friday (February 11) at 2 p.m. in Horan-O’Donnell, room 015.
The Physics Cafe is an informal seminar series about topics in physics and engineering. All student, faculty, and staff are welcome.
Abstract: We present a study of galaxy groups using data taken with the world’s largest radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The data was taken as part of the “ALFALFA survey” in order to locate cool star-forming gas in systems of galaxies hundreds of millions of light years away. Collaborative work with undergraduate physics majors has allowed the determination of various individual galaxy properties as well as properties of galaxy groups as a whole. We will discuss how to determine which galaxies are “members” of a group and other topics such as galaxy interactions, star formation, dark galaxies, and dark matter.
Submitted by: Michael Wood, PhD, assistant professor, physics
