” Observations of galaxies are similar to looking through an airplane window during the night and seeing brilliant city lights surrounded by darkness. Finding this fuel source resembles finding that in the darkness lies the farms and supply routes that support the populations in the cities,” discusses Borthakur.
To determine where the gas might be stemming, Borthakur used an analytical approach called cross-correlation (to determine the association between 2 quantities), and data from 2 openly available astronomy catalogues: the ALFALFA study from the Arecibo telescope and the Survey of the Low-Redshift Intergalactic Medium from the Hubble Space Telescopes Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. With those information, she had the ability to quantify how gas-rich galaxies are connected with clouds seen in the intergalactic medium.
” Its like finding the presence and the location of gasoline station in a picture of a city loaded with vehicles,” states Borthakur.
For next actions, she intends to identify the pathways through which these gas clouds can reach the inner regions of the galaxies where stars are formed.
” Galaxies like ours will continue to grow by forming many more planetary systems as new material comes in,” she says. “Understanding the source of the star fuel enables us to anticipate if brand-new stars will be formed in the future.”
Recommendation: “How are Lya Absorbers in the Cosmic Web Related to Gas-rich Galaxies?” by Sanchayeeta Borthakur, 19 January 2022, Astrophysical Journal.DOI: 10.3847/ 1538-4357/ ac3133.
Illustration of the faint fuel reservoirs that surround galaxies, permitting them to form planetary systems and brand-new stars. Credit: Shireen Dooling/ASU
Most galaxies, including our own, grow by collecting brand-new material and turning them into stars– that much is understood. What has actually been unidentified is where that brand-new material comes from and how it flows into galaxies to produce stars.
In a recently released research study, Arizona State University astronomer Sanchayeeta Borthakur has identified the faint fuel reservoirs that surround galaxies, and how this fuel can fall under galaxies, allowing them to form new stars and planetary systems. Her research has been released in the American Astronomical Societys Astrophysical Journal.
Previous research study in the field of star formation suggested that some galaxies are producing more stars than what their reserve of star-forming gas would allow. This indicated to Borthakur, who is an assistant professor at ASUs School of Earth and Space Exploration, that brand-new gas must be entering into the galaxies and supporting the development of brand-new stars and planets.