Project area/S
- Extragalactic Radio Science
- The Local Universe
Project Details
This project will involve looking at recent data from WALLABY — the all-sky neutral hydrogen (HI) survey on Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope — and identifying interacting galaxy systems. As galaxies are drawn to one an-other, due to gravitational attraction, they perform dances that can create gaseous HI connections and extensions. These tidally-formed features can trace the dynamics of each interaction event; however, these events take place over millions of years. As such, each identified system only provides a single, still frame snapshot. By surveying the nearby Universe with the resolution and sensitivity provided by ASKAP, we can identify more interacting systems and map out these faint tidal features. We can then group systems with similar properties, possibly linking together different stages of the dances they are performing, to better constrain the details of this evolutionary process.
Student Attributes
Academic Background
Strong science background. Preferably some understanding of astronomy and astrophysics.
Computing Skills
Student is expected to be comfortable with at least one data analysis-related programming language (e.g. R, Python, MATLAB, IDL).
Training Requirement
Student should be willing to learn how to work with various as-tronomical data processing and analysis tools.
Project Timeline
- Week 1 Inductions and project introduction
- Week 2 Initial presentation
- Week 3 Look through recent WALLABY data to identify potential inter-acting galaxies
- Week 4 Extract the parameters of interacting members, from existing WALLABY catalogues, to make a preliminary sub-catalogue
- Week 5 Make subcubes, from WALLABY mosaicked cubes, of regions containing interacting members
- Week 6 Run source extraction on subcubes
- Week 7 Produce a catalogue (and associated HI images) of interacting galaxies and their tidal features
- Week 8 Compare and contrast tidal features of different systems
- Week 9 Final presentation
- Week 10 Final report