An astronomy colloquium will be held today (Jan. 25) from 3 to 4 p.m. in Sears Building, Room 552.
Laura Lopez, assistant professor of astronomy at Ohio State University, will present “Observational Assessment of Stellar Feedback in Nearby Galaxies.”
Massive stars have a profound astrophysical influence throughout their tumultuous lives and deaths. Stellar feedback—the injection of energy and momentum by stars to the interstellar medium—occurs through a variety of mechanisms: radiation, photoionization heating, winds, jets/outflows, supernovae and cosmic-ray acceleration.
Despite its importance, stellar feedback is cited as one of the biggest uncertainties in astrophysics today, stemming from a dearth of observational constraints and the challenges of considering many feedback modes simultaneously.
In her talk, Lopez will discuss how a systematic approach to multiwavelength observations can be used to overcome these issues. She also will summarize results from application of these methods to massive-star regions in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, where feedback processes are best resolved.
Additionally, she will highlight exciting prospects of using current and upcoming facilities to explore feedback in diverse conditions.