Project:	Measuring hidden star formation and AGN in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies with JWST
Disciplines:	Astronomy, Astrophysics
Mentor:	Jeff Rich, Outreach Coordinator, (PMA), jrich@carnegiescience.edu
Mentor URL:	https://obs.carnegiescience.edu/dr-jeffrey-rich  (opens in new window)
Background:	“Ultraluminous” Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) are the most active galaxies in the nearby Universe. ULIRGs host intense bursts of star formation and supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth driven primarily by two massive galaxies merging. This transformative process makes ULIRGs an ideal cosmic laboratory to study the intense processes that drive galaxy growth and the feedback mechanisms that stall and extinguish star formation. ULIRGs emit most of their light at infrared wavelengths: copious dust reprocesses intense ultraviolet radiation from star formation and active galactic nuclei (AGN). The IR capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) facilitate a deep, high resolution look at nearby ULIRGs. New images and spectra from JWST allow us to measure the tracers and fuel of star formation and SMBH growth in ULIRGs that were previously unobservable, helping us better understand how galaxies grow and change.
Description:	For this project the student will analyze near and mid-infrared JWST observations of one or more nearby ULIRGs taken as part of the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey (GOALS). The student will use existing spectroscopic diagnostic software written in Python (CAFE), tailored to analyze JWST data. The results will be used to measure the properties of dust grains and ionized, atomic, and molecular gas and to search for and characterize starburst and AGN-driven outflows. Given the richness of the JWST data, the scope of the project can be tailored based on the results and student’s interests. This SURF research project will be hosted at Carnegie Observatories, which is located roughly a mile north of Caltech campus. Carnegie hosts undergraduate research summer students from a variety of colleges and universities across Southern California. In addition to research, Carnegie summer interns (including those from the SURF program) participate in a wide variety of professional development activities, including a coding bootcamp at the beginning of the summer, scientific communication workshops throughout the program, and seminars on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in science. Upon successful completion of the program, all students will also be given the opportunity to attend the American Astronomical Society meeting and present their research the following January. For information about the Carnegie Summer program please visit our website: https://obs.carnegiescience.edu/CASSI.
References:	https://goals.ipac.caltech.edu/ https://www.stsci.edu/jwst/phase2-public/3368.pdf https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/600092/pdf
Student Requirements:	Position available to Caltech students only. Research will be conducted at Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena as part of the Carnegie Astrophysics Summer Student Internship (CASSI) program which runs from June 17th - Aug 23rd. Students must be present for the full duration of the program.
Programs:	This AO can be done under the following programs:   Program    Available To        SURF    Caltech students only  Click on a program name for program info and application requirements.