2023 Project Description

Exploring the Physical Properties of DESI Lyman Alpha Emitters

Supervisors

Ting-Wen Lan
Find out more about supervisors on ASIAA website

Task Description and Goals

Galaxies evolve through cosmic time. In order to better understand the physical mechanisms driving galaxy evolution, it is crucial to characterize the physical properties of galaxies at different cosmic epochs. This project aims to study and explore a star-forming galaxy population at z~2 that produces strong Lyman alpha emission lines, called Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs), by using the largest spectroscopic dataset provided by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey. While DESI is not designed to obtain spectra of LAEs at z~2, some LAEs are found in the DESI dataset based on visual inspection. In this project, we will first explore the observed properties of LAEs and develop an automatic method to identify LAEs in the DESI database. We will then compile a sample of LAEs and investigate the physical properties of the LAEs observed by DESI. Finally, by comparing the properties of LAEs observed by DESI and other projects, we will have a better understanding of the nature of LAE galaxy population and the role it plays in the context of galaxy evolution.

In this project, the student will (1) work on big astronomical dataset, including the state-of-the-art DESI spectroscopic dataset and photometric dataset, (2) develop statistical techniques and possible machine learning methods, and (3) learn the astrophysics of galaxy evolution and statistics.

Required Background

1. Basic/advanced knowledge in astrophysics is preferred, but not mandatory.
2. Basic knowledge and skills of computer programming (such as Python) would be desirable.
3. Passion for astrophysical research, Independent thinking, and hard working