Unraveling the Impact of Galaxy Mergers on the Resolved Mass-Metallicity Relationship

📖 Project Description

The resolved mass-metallicity relationship (rMZR) describes how the metal content of a galaxy varies with mass across different regions, offering key insights into galaxy evolution, star formation, and chemical enrichment processes. Galaxies are not isolated systems -- they grow and evolve through interactions and mergers, which can significantly impact their internal structure and composition. While the global mass-metallicity relationship is well established, how mergers influence the local metallicity distribution remains an open question. Mergers trigger gas inflows, starbursts, and metal mixing, all of which can reshape the rMZR at different stages of the interaction.

This project will explore the impact of galaxy mergers at various stages using data from the MaNGA survey, a large integral field spectroscopic survey that provides spatially resolved measurements of galaxy properties. The student will analyze and compare metallicity distributions in merging and non-merging galaxies, investigating how interactions alter the rMZR. The project will involve Python-based data analysis and visualization, equipping the student with valuable computational skills applicable to both astrophysics and data science. This project is well-suited for students interested in galaxy evolution, observational astronomy, and data-driven research.