Colloquium
The hot circumgalactic medium
Speaker: Smita Mathur (The Ohio State University, USA)
Date and time
Abstract
The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is an important component of a galaxy, at the interface between the intergalactic medium and the galactic disk, playing a critical role in galaxy formation and evolution. The X-ray missions Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku opened a new window on CGM studies, allowing us to probe the warm-hot gas where most of the galactic baryons reside. In over two decades since the launch of the great X-ray observatories, we have made great strides in understanding the CGM, but significant challenges remain. I'll review our progress so for, highlight new discoveries, outline the open questions, and discuss paths for future progress.
Short Biography
Dr. Smita Mathur is a professor of astronomy at the Ohio State University. She got her Ph.D. from IISc as a part of the JAP program, with work done at TIFR. She was then a postdoc and a staff member at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She moved to the Ohio State University in 1999 where she is a full professor and a University Distinguished Scholar. Prof. Mathur is a multi-wavelength observational astronomer, well-known for her work on active galactic nuclei and on the circumgalactic medium.