The Phoenix Cluster: New Insights into Galaxy Evolution - Michael McDonald (MIT)

One of the great mysteries in astronomy today is why >90% of the baryons in the Universe, which are in diffuse gas with relatively short cooling times, have not cooled and formed stars. In this talk, I will summarize this outstanding issue, and discuss specifically the most massive galaxies in the Universe, for which star formation is most highly suppressed. The recent discovery of the Phoenix cluster, which appears to host a massive galaxy experiencing a record-eaking burst of star formation, suggests that star formation wasn't always as inefficient as it appears to be today. This unique system appears to be eaking several 'rules', allowing an opportunity to redefine our understanding of what processes are necessary to start and stop star formation in the most massive galaxies in the Universe.

Cette conférence s'adresse à tous, y compris les professeurs, les chercheurs et les étudiants des trois cycles.

Le café est servi à partir de 11h30