Project area/S
- Epoch of Reionisation
Project Details
Extreme emission line galaxies (EELGs) are a special class of galaxies undergoing their first burst of star formation, with internal properties resembling those of the earliest galaxies. Mergers and galaxy-galaxy interactions are effective in forcing gas to cool down and may play a key role in the stellar mass build-up in the early universe. This project will use deep imaging data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to identify signs of mergers in a sample of EELGs at cosmic noon.
The F182M and F210M medium-band images from the FRESCO survey will provide us with independent access to the spatial distribution of light from gas and stars in a subset of EELGs. We will employ statistical metrics such as Gini, M20, and concentration to determine the likelihood of galaxies experiencing mergers. This project aims to elucidate the role interactions and mergers play in the formation of the first galaxies.
Student Attributes
Academic Background
Basic Knowledge of Astronomy
Computing Skills
Experience with Linux and Python would be desirable, but any programming experience would be fine
Training Requirement
Photometric imaging analysis, Light profile metric estimation
Project Timeline
| Week 1 | Inductions and project introduction |
| Week 2 | Initial presentation |
| Week 3 | Learn about merger classification metrics |
| Week 4 | Apply them on EELGs |
| Week 5 | Use multiple tracers to determine merger fractions |
| Week 6 | Test using simulated mock-images |
| Week 7 | Determine robustness of merger classification algorithms |
| Week 8 | Finalise results |
| Week 9 | Final presentation |
| Week 10 | Final report |
