MeerKAT(+) and Euclid Team up: an X-Ray and multi-wavelength galaxy evolution study

Project Description:

Galaxies are thought to emerge at the centre of dark matter (DM) halos (Silk & Mamon 2012), forming stars in a way connected to the growth of such halos (so-called galaxy–halo connection). On the micro-scale, supermassive black holes (SMBH) accrete gas and grow tightly connected to the properties of the host galaxies (Kormendy & Ho 2013). Feedback processes within galaxies may impact their surroundings, influencing future gas accretion and star formation (SF). Feedback from radio-loud AGN, in particular, is often invoked to explain the observed properties of massive galaxies in the local Universe. Less clear is the role of jet-induced feedback at higher redshifts (z≳1), where radio-AGN activity shifts towards lower-mass, mostly star-forming galaxies (SFG; Smolcic+17). Shedding light on the interplay between SMBHs, galaxies and DM halos at the peak epoch of cosmic assembly (1<z<3; the ‘cosmic noon’), requires observations over large cosmological volumes to probe all environments and include the rarest galaxy/AGN populations, while also being gas/dust-insensitive to unveil the dominant contribution of obscured AGN and SF activity (Dunlop+2017; Vito+2018). Deep radio–continuum surveys provide a unique tool to reach an unbiased census of SFG and radio AGN (Prandoni & Seymour 2015). Euclid and eventually, the Vera C. Rubin, on the other hand, will provide an unprecedented view of the large-scale structure up to cosmic noon and beyond, as well as a direct estimate of the DM halo mass and distribution around galaxies. In this project, we aim to combine MeerKAT, Euclid and other multi-wavelength observations to study these processes.

Research Area:

Astronomy

Project Level:

Masters

This Project Is Offered At The Following Node(s):

(UCT)