Ian Roberts earned his PhD from McMaster University in 2020, was a postdoctoral fellow at the Leiden Observatory until 2023, and is currently a Banting Fellow at the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics. His research interests cover various aspects of galaxy evolution, across multiple wavelengths, with a focus on the impact of the galaxy cluster environment on star formation.
Title: A Panchromatic View of Ram Pressure Stripping in Nearby Groups and Clusters
Abstract: As early as the first half of the 20th century it was noted that galaxy clusters host an excess of "red-and-dead" galaxies compared to lower density environments. This "environmental quenching" of star formation has been firmly established over the past 50 years, but an understanding of which physical mechanisms drive this quenching in which types of environment remains outstanding. A leading candidate for galaxy clusters is ram pressure stripping, where gas is removed from satellite galaxies as they orbit through the intra-cluster medium. In this talk I will present recent work constraining the frequency and impact of ram pressure stripping on galaxies in low redshift groups and clusters, using a wide range of observational wavelengths. I will make the case that ram pressure stripping is not solely associated with reduced star formation but often (temporarily) enhances star formation in clusters galaxies. Finally, I will introduce the Coma Legacy IFU Survey, an upcoming survey of the Coma Cluster that will obtain resolved optical spectroscopy for a large number of Coma galaxies with the newly commissioned WEAVE spectrograph.