Andrey Kravtsov is a Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago and a member of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics since 2001.
His research interests span from studies of formation of the smallest dwarf galaxies to the most massive galaxy clusters and he uses numerical simulations and analytical models to study formation of these systems.
His recent research focuses on development of realistic models of dwarf galaxy formation, investigations of physical drivers of star formation and feedback in galaxies and the origin
of their low star formation efficiency, and dynamical origin and observable signatures of caustics in dark matter and shocks in gas in the outskirts of galaxy clusters.
Talk Title and Abstract:
Splashback as a physical boundary of galaxy halos: theoretical predictions, observational detections, and implications for galaxy evolution
Theoretical models of spherical collapse predict a sharp discontinuity in the radial matter density profile at the boundary between matter infalling onto halo for the first time and accreted matter "splashing back" towards its first orbital apocenter. I will show that such sharp "splashback" features are detectable around real LCDM halos despite the added complexities of their collapse and will argue that these features are a natural physical boundary of halos. I will discuss recent observational detections of such boundaries around real galaxy clusters and will show some examples of how splashback in matter and galaxy distribution can help with interpretation of galaxy evolution and clustering.
Would you like to join this Zoom seminar? Please email Donna Hayes.