MS Thesis Defense: Brittany Bonsall

Location

Physics : 401

Date & Time

July 24, 2014, 10:00 am12:00 pm

Description

TITLE: RAM PRESSURE INDUCED STAR FORMATION IN ABELL 3266 ABSTRACT: An x-ray observation of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 3266 was obtained via the ROSAT PSPC. This information, along with spectroscopic data from the WIde-field Nearby Galaxy-clusters Survey (i.e. WINGS), were used to investigate whether ram pressure is a mechanism that influences star formation. Galaxies exhibiting ongoing star formation are identified by the presence of strong Balmer lines (Hβ), known to correspond to early type stars. Galaxies where star formation has recently ceased, known as E+A galaxies, are identified by strong Hβ absorption coupled with little to no [OII] emission. The correlation between recent star formation and “high” ram pressure, as defined by Kapferer et al. (2009) as > 5 x 10-11 ergs cm-2, was tested and lead to a contradiction of the previously held belief that ram pressure influences star formation on the global cluster scale.