A Multiwavelength Analysis of the Effect of Cluster Environments on Galaxy Evolution
type: CreativeWork
description: In this work, we present analysis to constrain the role of local environment on galaxy evolu- tion. The hot, dense galaxy cluster environment is utilized as a comparative laboratory to galaxies that reside in the less dense field where it is ‘alone’. Within clusters, the buildup of red, passive galaxies is observed to be in excess of the field, yet the mechanisms responsible for this graveyard of galaxies remain to be clearly identified. This indicates that external gas quenching in the cluster environment such as through ram-pressure stripping is potentially dominating over any internal processes that deplete the gas supply. Observations focusing on the cores of clusters reveal that galaxies are typically already quenched and in a passive state, indicating that the processes respon- sible occur while the galaxy is located in the outskirts. Therefore, expanding observations beyond the cores is crucial towards deriving a more representative sample across varying cosmic densities and is more likely to capture the site of galaxy transformation in situ. With current telescope capa- bility ranging from spectroscopy to deep imaging, a thorough inspection of individual members of a galaxy cluster is feasible.This study combines the power of ground-based wide-field imaging with space-based slitless spectroscopy to deliver a multifaceted look into galaxies in clusters as they were more than 5 billion years ago. This is accomplished in 2 distinct ways: 1) determination of the passive fraction through a binary classification in UVJ color-color space to determine whether a galaxy is star-forming or quiescent and 2) further refine these efforts with Hα-based star-formation rate observations from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3. The first portion of this thesis is devoted towards an aggregate view of the EDisCS clusters, where cluster membership is defined to at least the infall radius of each galaxy cluster. This data sample consists of 13 mid-mass clusters in the range 0.…
abstract: In this work, we present analysis to constrain the role of local environment on galaxy evolu- tion. The hot, dense galaxy cluster environment is utilized as a comparative laboratory to galaxies that reside in the less dense field where it is ‘alone’. Within clusters, the buildup of red, passive galaxies is observed to be in excess of the field, yet the mechanisms responsible for this graveyard of galaxies remain to be clearly identified. This indicates that external gas quenching in the cluster environment such as through ram-pressure stripping is potentially dominating over any internal processes that deplete the gas supply. Observations focusing on the cores of clusters reveal that galaxies are typically already quenched and in a passive state, indicating that the processes respon- sible occur while the galaxy is located in the outskirts. Therefore, expanding observations beyond the cores is crucial towards deriving a more representative sample across varying cosmic densities and is more likely to capture the site of galaxy transformation in situ. With current telescope capa- bility ranging from spectroscopy to deep imaging, a thorough inspection of individual members of a galaxy cluster is feasible.This study combines the power of ground-based wide-field imaging with space-based slitless spectroscopy to deliver a multifaceted look into galaxies in clusters as they were more than 5 billion years ago. This is accomplished in 2 distinct ways: 1) determination of the passive fraction through a binary classification in UVJ color-color space to determine whether a galaxy is star-forming or quiescent and 2) further refine these efforts with Hα-based star-formation rate observations from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3. The first portion of this thesis is devoted towards an aggregate view of the EDisCS clusters, where cluster membership is defined to at least the infall radius of each galaxy cluster. This data sample consists of 13 mid-mass clusters in the range 0.…
author: Cooper, Jennifer Rose
language: en
keywords: Astrophysics, Physics, Galaxy Clusters, Galaxy Evolution, Machine Learning
date published: 2021-08-31
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:46:52Z
provider: University of Kansas
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Kansas

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/1808/35267