Leah Fulmer

Working with Prof. Monica Rubio, learning the CASA and Class programs used to reduce ALMA data before beginning a project in molecular line astronomy.

Working with Prof. Jeff Kenney to study star formation trends in Virgo Cluster galaxies via SED modeling. Using UV-through-FIR data in matched apertures, we modeled the spectral energy distributions (SED) of 50 Virgo cluster spiral galaxies with the modeling program Magphys (da Cunha+ 2008). We used the results from these models to explore the relationships between the stellar masses (M*), specific star formation rates (sSFR), and HI properties in our sample. Our investigation offers supportive evidence for gas accretion in the outskirts of the Virgo cluster: the galaxies with the highest sSFRs in the mass range 1e9-1e10 M⊙ are all HI-rich, have extended irregular HI envelopes, and lie in the outskirts of the cluster. We propose that these galaxies are accreting gas onto their disks, a process which enhances their SFRs. By confirming these systematic trends in the stellar properties of Virgo galaxies due to accretion, we can gain a more thorough understanding of the processes by which galaxy in clusters evolve.

Worked with Prof. Jay Gallagher to investigate the evolution of the late-type isolated galaxy NGC 5523. Although NGC 5523 is highly isolated, it exhibits irregular structural properties indicative of these galaxy-galaxy interactions. We performed the first photometric measurements and analysis of this galaxy using multi-band archival images from SST and the WIYN 3.5-m Telescope. We concluded that the asymmetrical features found in NGC 5523 are most likely the products of one or more non-disruptive mergers between NGC 5523 and companion galaxies or satellites. Research Note submitted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics January 1, 2016.