Series: Astronomy Colloquium
Date: Wednesday 15-Nov-2023
Time: 16:05-17:00 (4:05-5:00 pm)
Location: ATL 2400
Speaker: Dr. Pieter van Dokkum (Yale University)
Title: Did JWST break the Universe? New insights into the origins of massive galaxies
The first JWST images of the distant Universe showed a hoped-for, yet unexpected, richness of galaxies that are beyond the reach of HST. One of the most puzzling results was an apparent population of Milky Way-mass galaxies when the Universe was only 500 Myr old. The discovery of these "Universe breakers" led to intense discussion and analysis, as such objects should not exist in most models of galaxy formation in a LCDM cosmology. The talk will review these and other JWST results on early massive galaxies, as well as HST spectroscopy of their putative descendants in the nearby Universe. Taken together, the currently-available information suggests that the central few 100 pc of massive galaxies had a unique formation history, stretching back to extremely early times. There are still major uncertainties, such as a lack of direct dynamical measurements of the earliest galaxies. Fortunately we can expect rapid progress over the next few years as we are only at the very beginning of JWST's era of exploration.
In-person colloquia are usually preceded by espresso and ice cream at 1:45 pm outside room PSC 1150 and are followed by an informal reception at 5:15 pm in that room. Anyone interested in talking with the speaker, or being added to the colloquium announcement email list, should contact the colloquium organizer Dr. Leslie Sage. Lunch will normally be reserved for the speaker to talk to graduate students. Anyone asking a question during a talk is asked to raise their hand and be acknowledged before speaking. Contact Dr. Leslie Sage for details.
Colloquium Organizer:
Dr. Leslie Sage
Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities can be made by calling (301) 405-3001. It would be appreciated if we are notified at least one week in advance.
