SMU Physics Department Speaker Series - Dr. Kat Barger (TCU)
Channel: Stephen Sekula
Date: 2021-10-19

Galaxies form stars and planets out of the gas that is contained within their disks. Overtime, the production of new star systems will deplete the galaxy´s gas resources, which will in turn gradually slow down the formation of these systems. However, if the galaxy is able to draw in material from its surroundings, this production can continue. Similarly, if a galaxy cannot hold onto its gas reservoir, this production will diminish. In this talk, we will explore the gas cycles of the Milky Way and the nearby Magellanic Cloud galaxies and how they compete for star and planet formation resources. Our detailed investigations of these gas flows using Hubble Space Telescope UV absorption-line observations and ground-based optical and radio emission-line observations provide us with crucial insight on these processes and how they likely occur at greater distances where they cannot be fully resolved.