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Reconstructing the star formation histories of galaxies with the dense basis method
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Iyer, Kartheik Ganesh. Reconstructing the star formation histories of galaxies with the dense basis method. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-e5re-6j42

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TitleReconstructing the star formation histories of galaxies with the dense basis method
NameIyer, Kartheik Ganesh (author); Gawiser, Eric (chair); Somerville, Rachel S. (internal member); Baker, Andrew J. (internal member); Oh, Seongshik (internal member); Acquaviva, Viviana (outside member); Rutgers University; School of Graduate Studies
Date Created2019
Other Date2019-10 (degree)
SubjectPhysics and Astronomy, Galaxies -- Formation
Extent1 online resource (xiii, 219 pages) : illustrations
DescriptionThe star formation histories (SFHs) of galaxies have long been approximated by simple parametric forms while estimating quantities like stellar masses, star formation rates and ages. However, there is considerable diversity seen among galaxy SFHs in cosmological simulations, and individual SFHs are variable across a range of timescales corresponding to the various physical processes that govern star formation. With higher S/N multiwavelength Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) from broadband photometry and sophisticated analysis tools, we develop the Dense Basis SED fitting method (Iyer & Gawiser 2017) to reconstruct the SFHs of individual galaxies with uncertainties. Applying this method to CANDELS data, we reconstruct the SFHs of nearly 50,000 galaxies across a wide range of redshifts. An updated version of the method (Iyer et al. 2019) uses Gaussian Processes to create smooth SFHs that are independent of any choice of functional form, with a flexible number of parameters that recover the maximum amount of information from individual SEDs.
Using this method, we estimate the number and duration of major star formation episodes in a galaxy's past, in addition to quantifying the evolution of galaxy SFHs with mass, morphology, and redshift. The distribution of SFHs at a particular epoch constrains feedback and wind strengths modeled in simulations of galaxy evolution. (Iyer et al. 2018) uses SFHs as trajectories in SFR-M* space to probe the previously inaccessible low-mass, high-redshift regime of the SFR-M* correlation. This new technique of SFH reconstruction allows us to probe a wide range of quantities that were previously inaccessible through SED fitting, creating new possibilities of probing galaxy formation and evolution at high redshifts.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-e5re-6j42
LanguageEnglish
CollectionSchool of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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