NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009B-0451
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009B-0451 |
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PI: Robert da Silva, University of California, Santa Cruz, rdasilva.astro@gmail.com
Address: Astronomy Department, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, United States
CoI: J. Xavier Prochaska, UCO/Lick Observatory
CoI: David Rosario, UC Santa Cruz
CoI: Thomas J. Cox, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Title: Shining Light on a Pair of Merging Galaxies
Abstract:
We will observe a unique interacting galaxy pair where one of the
galaxies is in a quasar phase. This system has the remarkable quality
that the light from the quasar is photoionizing the otherwise
unobservable gas in the merger making it visible through line emission.
Additionally, the phase of the merger is constrained by the stellar
populations and relative separation of the components. We propose a
GMOS-IFU study to obtain a complete view of the kinematics of the gas in
this system. This will allow a meaningful comparison with merger
simulations that will reveal details of the relationship between mergers
and black hole growth. Hand-in-hand we will also measure the strength
of ionization of the gas as well as its spatial variation, and thereby
determine the quasar's sphere of influence with important implications
for models of IGM ionization and feedback studies.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2009B-0451 |
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