Probing Star Formation and Morphology in Dwarf Galaxies with the Merian Survey
Abby Mintz
Graduate Student
Princeton University
Dwarf galaxies provide an exciting laboratory for testing our current theories of star formation. They are sensitive to feedback and form stars less efficiently and less smoothly than their more massive counterparts. The recently completed optical medium-band Merian Survey aims to probe the physics of star formation in these low-mass environments using a sample of 100,000 dwarfs at low-z. I will provide an overview of Merian and present some early science results from the first data release. We use the Merian medium bands to study the morphology of Hα emission and stellar continuum light in a sample of Merian dwarfs, finding that the lowest mass objects most actively forming stars have Hα emission that is concentrated and compact. We conclude that high specific star formation rates in low mass galaxies likely result from dynamical instabilities triggered by accretion and interactions. Our results provide insight into the processes that lead to bursts of star formation in low mass galaxies and demonstrate the power of the Merian Survey’s new photometric catalog and imaging.
Hosted by Prof. Kirby