This three-year, $263,272 project grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Astronomical Sciences, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), will fund research to better understand galaxy cluster mergers through observational data and advanced hydrodynamical simulations of ten galaxy clusters. The California Institute of Technology will conduct deep, multi-probe observational studies of the selected clusters to map their total mass density, intracluster medium emissivity and temperature, and dark matter velocity structure. Researchers will also create custom hydrodynamical merger simulations for direct comparison. This analysis aims to constrain the merger geometry of each cluster and advance understanding of merger dynamics and population statistics. The award also supports graduate and postdoctoral training in astrophysics and an education and public outreach program involving local high schools. Results from this research have the potential to provide new insights into galaxy formation and evolution processes on the largest scales.
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