C. Richardson - Elon University
LOCAL ANALOGUES TO EARLY UNIVERSE GALAXIES
Why are they interesting?
The first galaxies formed around 200 million years after the Big Bang. Their primordial composition of relatively few heavy elements and high rate of star formation created a physical environment very different from nearby massive galaxies like the Milky Way and Andromeda. Directly observing the first galaxies at high redshift (high-z) is a key mission goal for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This has yielded an interesting picture of galaxies more massive and more chemically evolved than simulations predicted in the pre-JWST era. These observations have also revealed a new class of galaxies known as little red dots (LRDs). However, long exposure times prohibit the collection of large galaxy samples at high-z, and bias our interpretation of them, while the low spatial resolution limits how much about the physical enviroment can be inferred.
One possible solution involves understanding highly metal poor dwarf galaxies at z ~ 0, which can exhibit many of the same properties present as less evolved galaxies at high-z. Observing relatively local galaxies enables in a greater sample size that can examined in greater detail. Particularly of interest is the idea that these galaxies can leak radiation into their surrounding medium, a mechanism possibly responsible for the reionization epoch of the Universe. I'm interested in the proper treatment of X-ray binaries, stellar atmospheres, stellar evolution, and cloud topology in the highly metal poor regime to improve photoionization models that will elucidate big picture questions about these exotic galaxies.