ABSTRACT
The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is the outermost, gaseous envelope of a galaxy, spanning beyond the visible stellar disk and dominates the galalxy's baryonic mass. This expansive gas reservoir plays an influential role in cosmic structure formation, and records critical information about a galaxy’s past and ongoing interactions with the surrounding environment. Understanding the detailed physical properties of the CGM is a vital step to Unveiling the Drivers of Galaxy Growth, a priority area identified by the 2020 Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Leveraging the magnifying power of strong gravitational lensing and the exquisite sensitivity of the latest generation of integral-field spectrographs, I present observational studies that provide empirical constraints on CGM dynamics across a wide range of redshifts between z≈0.5 and z≈4, including the steep velocity gradient of star-formation driven outflows and the subsonic turbulent energy cascade in active halos.
BIOGRAPHY
Mandy Chen is an observational astronomer specializing in the dynamics of the circumgalactic medium to unravel the complexities of baryon cycle and galaxy evolution. She is currently a Brinson Prize Postdoctoral Fellow with joint appointments at Caltech and Carnegie Observatories. Mandy earned her Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of Chicago, and holds an M.Phil. in Astronomy and B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Hong Kong.
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