Dense gas in the galaxy merger NGC3256

Any physical processes that we aim to study in space have probably been influenced at some point by the process of star formation. Whether it be the interstellar gas and dust, the formation of clusters of stars, or galaxy evolution, star formation plays a role as a strong driving force for the physics behind these fields of research. In this project, we will use observational data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to study and compare the properties of two molecules, HCN and CN, in three nearby galaxies. HCN has been shown to trace the dense gas in which stars are forming, while CN is less understood but connected to HCN through chemical evolution. The goals of this project are to identify physical properties, such as temperatures and densities, of HCN and CN using multiple transition lines, compare the spatial distributions of the abundance ratios of the two molecules throughout the galaxies, and compare the results to the literature to offer support for or against existing ideas about where these molecules are dominant and the physical mechanisms producing the observed abundance ratios.

Faculty Supervisor:

Christine Wilson

Student:

Partner:

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Other; Technology

University:

McMaster University

Program: