Research Overview
Resolved HI Disks
SDSS/VLA Image of UGC 5288 (Click for a larger image)
My primary area of research (i.e., PhD thesis work) is on galaxy that possess HI disks that extend far beyond the optical disk. A classic example of this is UGC 5288 whose HI to optical radii ratio is about ten. Explanations for these disk range from them being the remnants of the protogalacitc cloud from which the host galaxy collapsed to the gas expelled by a major star formation event. Despite galaxy such as UGC 5288 begin know for more than 30 years, little work as been done to establish the nature of these disks. The primary reason for this is that too few systems are know to carry a proper survey of their properties.
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Super Star Clusters
SDSS Image of NGC 4214 (Click for a larger image)
Super star clusters (M > 105 Msun) represent the most extreme form of star formation and provide an excellent place to test theories of star formation. One such galaxy that hosts these types of clusters is NGC 4214 (pictured above).
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