University
of
California, Davis
Physics
Department
Cosmology
Seminar
Dr. John Dubinski
"A Universe in Motion: The Dynamical
Evolution of
Galaxies in a Cosmological Context"
Interactions and mergers drive galaxy morphological evolution. The recent convergence of the cosmological paradigm the past few years allows a detailed quantitative examination of the dynamical evolution of galaxies in the cosmological context. Some key issues are understanding the merger rate and its importance for the development of the ellipticals and their scaling relations, the dependence of morphology on galactic environment and the formation of galaxy clusters, their giant central ellipticals and the recently discovered distribution of intracluster stars. Simulations of galaxy mergers reveal both grace and violence that creates a complex, distribution of shells, loops and ripples that lies just below the threshold of the deepest images. Simulations of clusters clearly demonstrate the formation of giant ellipticals and surrounding smaller ellipticals embedded in the spray of intracluster stars.
Thursday,
April 22,
2004
12:10 p.m., 416 PHY/GEO