“It means a lot to me, since it is a recognition of all the work and nights that I have contributed to this international collaboration. I am excited to see the science we will do in the coming years,” says the expert from the UDP Institute of Astrophysical Studies.
10/01/2024
The mysteries of galaxy formation and the interactions between stars and stellar gas could be revealed thanks to research carried out by astronomer Evelyn Johnston, professor at the Institute of Astrophysical Studies at the Diego Portales University, where, in addition, she recently received the status of “Architect” within the collaboration, which recognizes her work on the technical aspects of the project.
This initiative is called the Local Volume Mapper (LVM) and is linked to the international scientific collaboration known as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The LVM is located at the Las Campanas Observatory (Atacama Region) and will observe, for the first time, the entire Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds with Integral Field spectroscopy.
“While there are many Milky Way imaging surveys, they only have spectra for specific targets within our galaxy, whereas the LVM will have spectra for each pixel on our map of the Milky Way. These spectra will allow us to study in incredible detail the movements of stars, the chemical enrichment of gas and stellar populations throughout our galaxy,” explains Professor Johnston.
And she elaborates: “There are many scientific goals for this project, one of which is to understand the baryon cycle: giant gas clouds in the galaxy collapse and form stars, and as the stars evolve and die, they release gas and metals again into the universe, seeding the interstellar medium (ISM). “This gas and metals enrich the ISM, contributing to the chemical composition of the next generation of stars that form from that material.”
This process controls not only how stars form, but also how galaxies evolve. With the data from the Local Volume Mapper it will be possible to study this process on a wide range of scales, linking what is seen in our own galaxy with neighboring galaxies where these details cannot be resolved.
“Since July 2023 I have been supervising the commissioning of the installation, including writing user manuals and troubleshooting guides, supervising testing of the installation to ensure that it meets the sensitivity and efficiency requirements for the scientific objectives, and the training of volunteer observers,” says Evelyn Johnston. In addition, students of the UDP Doctorate in Astrophysics are already beginning to participate in the latter.
“In recognition of my work, the SDSS recently awarded me Architect status within the collaboration, which recognizes the hard work I have contributed to the technical aspect of the project. It means a lot to me, and now that we are starting to collect real data, I am excited to see the science we will do in the coming years,” she adds.
This appointment also allows Professor Johnston the opportunity to enroll in any scientific project with the LVM that is of interest to her, providing the opportunity to explore new areas of research.
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is an international collaboration that began in 2000 and has different sky “mapping” initiatives. Researchers from the Institute of Astrophysical Studies at UDP participate in them: Paula Jofré is part of Milky Way Mapper, while astronomers Claudio Ricci and Matthew Temple work on the Black Hole Mapper.