Astrophysical Sciences and Technology Colloquium: Recent Advances in Understanding the Star Formation Histories of Galaxies

Astrophysical Sciences and Technology Colloquium
Galaxies in the Making: Recent Advances in Understanding the Star Formation Histories of Galaxies

Dr. Kartheik Iyer
NASA Hubble Fellow
Columbia University

Register Here for Zoom Link

Abstract:
Star formation histories (SFHs) encode the rich and complex evolution of galaxies over cosmic time. In recent years, we have made significant progress in understanding SFHs, thanks to a combination of new observational data, theoretical insights, and advances in machine learning. In this talk, Dr. Iyer will focus on: (i) how we infer SFH information from observations, for both individual objects and ensembles of galaxies, (ii) how we can use cosmological simulations to understand the connections between star formation and the underlying physical processes by studying variability (or 'burstiness') on different timescales, and (iii) the role of novel methods at the intersection of astrostatistics and machine learning to tackle challenges posed by large datasets from current and upcoming observatories. He will conclude with a zoomed out view of the landscape of galaxy evolution research enabled by JWST, and the many things to look forward to with Rubin, Roman, and Euclid in the years ahead!

Speaker Bio:
Kartheik Iyer is currently a NASA Hubble Fellow at Columbia University. His research focuses on understanding how galaxies form and evolve, with a particular emphasis on decoding the signatures from a galaxy's past from their multiwavelength observations. He builds and maintains code for analyzing galaxy observations, is a founding member of the Pan-survey SED forum and, and is a part of many collaborations including CEERS, CANUCS and other JWST-focused groups. He is passionate about astrostatistics and machine learning, outreach and better literature searches, and open-source software.

Intended Audience:
Those with interest in the topic. Open to RIT and UofR Physics and Astronomy communities.

To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu