UC Irvine

While astronomers believe that we understand how the universe works on large scales, the processes that shape the interiors of galaxies are still very much an area of ongoing research. Today, we are in a unique position to utilize incredibly powerful supercomputers to make predictions about our universe that can, in turn, be confirmed by groundbreaking observations made by modern telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) or the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Using high-resolution, cosmological “zoom” simulations of galaxies run by the Feedback In Realistic Environments (FIRE) collaboration, I advance our understanding of the internal galactic processes responsible for two galaxy scaling relations: (1) A new predicted scaling relation between a dwarf galaxy’s age and strength of its metallicity gradient (the Gradient-Strength Galaxy Age relation, or GSGA). (2) The Radial Acceleration Relation (RAR), which I show is a natural consequence of ΛCDM, contrary to some predictions. I also present a test of two self interacting dark matter implementations in two different simulation codes. Finally, I describe how understanding the effects of these internal processes allows us to use scaling relations as tools to test galaxy formation and dark matter theory.