ABSTRACT
An overwhelming body of research shows that the gravitational torques experienced in galaxy-galaxy collisions cause galaxies to form stars at an expedited rate and drive changes to galaxy structures. However, much of this research has focused on collisions between galaxies of comparable masses (major mergers) due to observational challenges in detecting small, low-mass galaxies colliding with larger galaxies. In this talk, I focus on "mini" collisions using a large, high-resolution simulation of galaxy formation. I show that collisions between massive galaxies and small satellites have an inconspicuously important role in driving structural change and star formation in massive galaxies. Such collisions are meant to be ubiquitous in cold dark matter models, but are suppressed by warmer and lighter dark matter species.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Connor Bottrell is an astrophysicist focused on galaxy formation and what galaxies can tell us about the nature of dark matter. He takes data-driven approach to astronomy research. Using observational galaxy surveys and numerical simulations of galaxy formation, he uses statistics and machine learning to constrain the physics baryons and dark matter. Connor obtained his PhD at the University of Victoria in Canada and held a Kavli Fellowship at the Kavli Institute of the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU) at the University of Tokyo. He is currently a Forrest Fellow at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) at the University of Western Australia.
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