The SC2RG Survey: investigating blue stellar clumps in a sample of collisional ring galaxies

Project Description:

This research project aims to investigate the influence of the host environment on the formation and evolution mechanisms of the most massive star clusters in the local universe. A representative sample of collisional ring galaxies (CRGs) observed with high-resolution multiband HST observations will be analysed to derive the physical properties of the cluster population. CRGs are peculiar objects that form through the head-on collision between a small galaxy companion and the rotation axis of a larger disk galaxy. SALT spectroscopic observations of bright blue clumps of the host galaxy are also available to study how the local star formation and the physical conditions of the ionized gas were affected by the drop-through collision. This project is unique in a way that there are only a handful of cluster studies hosted by CRGs to date. It is relatively flexible and can be fine-tuned according to the student interests.

Research Area:

Astronomy

Project Level:

Masters

This Project Is Offered At The Following Node(s):

(UCT)

Special Requirements:

Basic (python) programming skills and a desire to learn how to use new astronomy software.