The KICP announces the 2010 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship opportunity. Scientists who have or expect a PhD in Physics, Astrophysics or related fields between September 2006 and September 2010 are invited to apply. Successful applicants will be expected to conduct original research in experimental, numerical or theoretical cosmology in an active interdisciplinary environment. To apply please visit the KICP Postdoctoral Research Fellowship website.

New insight into the growth of galaxies: Finding cold gas in massive dark matter halos, Hsiao-Wen Chen and Jean-Rene Gauthier

One of the outstanding questions in galactic cosmology is the detailed process by which galaxies acquire gas from the surrounding intergalactic medium, and how this process varies with galaxy mass and redshift. The rate at which gas is being accreted, and the fraction of hot and cold gas within the dark matter halos of galaxies are key factors in developing a clearer picture of disk and star formation. Numerical simulations that incorporate the complex baryonic physics of gas accretion are just beginning to probe these processes, and techniques for observing cold gas in galactic halos are essential.

New observations by KICP scientists, led by faculty member Hsiao-Wen Chen, graduate student Jean-Rene Gauthier and former KICP fellow Jeremy Tinker, have detected the presence of cold gas in the dark matter halos around luminous red galaxies, which are typically ten to one hundred times more massive than the Milky Way. Their data provide critical input for understanding the growth of these large systems, and an important complement to recent observations of cold gas around smaller galaxies. [more]