Examining the Internal Kinematics of Interacting Dwarf-Dwarf Galaxy Pairs with SDSS-MaNGA
By Nikhil De
A recently emerging and novel method of the observation of galaxies is through Integral Field Unit (IFU) Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy - in contrast to photometry which measures the total brightness or flux of light - allows us to see the amount of light observed at each discrete wavelength within the observed range. Accordingly, since many physical processes are associated with the absorption or emission of light at specific wavelengths, we are able to measure these processes in distant objects through spectroscopy … In this work, I seek to apply some of the unique forms of analysis permitted by IFU spectroscopy to the phenomena of dwarf interactions. One such innovation which IFU spectroscopy allows for is the examination of 2-dimensional resolved velocity dispersions, maps which display the movements of discrete stellars and gaseous elements within the galaxy.