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Diffuse Gas in Cosmic Ecosystems

The Diffuse Gas in Cosmic Ecosystems Science Interest Group (DGCE SIG) offers an opportunity for researchers across all career stages studying diffuse gas.

About DGCE SIG

Exploring diffuse gas throughout the universe

The Diffuse Gas in Cosmic Ecosystems Science Interest Group (DGCE SIG) provides a forum for researchers and students who are interested in diffuse gas throughout the universe, in the interstellar, circum-galactic, circum-quasar, and intergalactic media, to come together to discuss the latest discoveries and ideas.

This SIG will host monthly topical talks by experts on diffuse gas and its properties, along with regular discussion on what observations and instruments are needed to move the field forward. The talk schedule is monthly, on the 4th Thursday of the month at 4pm Eastern/1pm Pacific time.

DGCE SIG motivation: Most of the ordinary matter in the universe is found in the tenuous gas between stars and galaxies. This matter is mostly diffuse and found in a mixture of phases, spanning a huge range of size scales, connecting galaxies to each other in a massive cosmic web, while also playing a key role in star and planet formation. The physical processes that govern the behavior of this material are the same, regardless of the scale. This Science Interest Group (SIG) organizes community input on Diffuse Gas found across Cosmic Ecosystems, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the systems at all scales. The SIG focus includes the circumgalactic and intergalactic media, and the interstellar medium environment of gas/diffuse plasma between stars and galaxies, as well as the flows within and around each of these media as they connect to each other. This SIG enhances the voice of this critical field within the broader astronomical community.

Star-Forming Region LH 95 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Swirls of gas and dust reside in this ethereal-looking region of star formation imaged by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. This majestic view, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), reveals a region where low-mass, infant stars and their much more massive stellar neighbors reside. A shroud of blue haze gently lingers amid the stars.
NASAESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration; Acknowledgment: D. Gouliermis (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg)

News & Events

DGCE SIG Seminar July 24, 2025

Uncovering Hidden Astrophysical Laboratories with (Diffuse) Molecular Hydrogen Keri Hoadley, University of Florida Molecular hydrogen (H2) permeates almost all regions of cool cosmic ecosystems- from the molecular clouds that stars form in, to planet-forming gaseous disks, and the space between…

Jul 24, 2025
Topic
DGCE SIG Seminar June 26, 2025

Dragonfly Evolved: Ultranarrowband Imaging of the Circumgalactic Medium in the Local Universe Deborah Lokhorst, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics The vast majority of baryons in the universe exist outside galaxies, in regions defined as the circumgalactic and intergalactic medium (CGM and IGM).…

Jun 26, 2025
Topic
DGCE SIG Seminar May 22, 2025

The CGM in 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D (Round, AxiSymmetric, and To Be Determined) Ben Oppenheimer, University of Colorado Today, I will introduce a set of 1-dimensional (“round”) models for gaseous atmospheres. This “Descriptive Parametric Model” is meant to be a…

May 22, 2025
Topic
DGCE SIG Seminar March 27, 2025

Harnessing CAMELS : A Strategic Approach to Precision Cosmology and Galaxy Astrophysics Daisuke Nagai, Yale University As we enter a golden age of data-driven cosmology, multi-wavelength surveys are set to revolutionize our understanding of the universe. Ongoing and upcoming observations…

Mar 27, 2025
Topic
DGCE SIG Seminar February 27, 2025

Galactic Center as an Extragalactic Tool: Gas and the Radiation Field from the Milky Way Dhanesh Krishnarao, Colorado College The inner Milky Way is home to many energetic phenomena impacting the interstellar medium and influencing the environment surrounding our Galaxy,…

Feb 27, 2025
Topic
DGCE SIG Seminar January 23, 2025

Clouds all the way down — resolving small-scale structure in galaxy-scale simulations Evan Schneider, Pittsburgh University Star-forming galaxies are known to host multiphase outflows, many of which span many orders of magnitude in density and temperature and extend many kiloparsecs…

Jan 23, 2025
Topic

Leadership Council

NameAffiliation & Email
Danielle BergUT Austin
Email
Sanchayeeta BorthakurASU
Email
Hsiao-Wen ChenU Chicago
Email
Erika HamdenU Arizona
Email
Gwen RudieCarnegie
Email
Claudia ScarlataU Minnesota
Email
Carlos VargasU Arizona
Email
Jessica WerkU Washington
Email

How to Participate

We invite participation from the community, particularly from early-career researchers and those from under represented backgrounds in astronomy. Please contact us for more information about our activities and mission, and how you can get involved.

Contact Us about How to Participate
Webb and Hubble�s Views of Spiral Galaxy NGC 628

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An illustration of Sun-like star HD 181327 and its surrounding debris disk. The star is at top right. It is surrounded by a far larger debris disk that forms an incomplete ellpitical path and is cut off at right. There’s a huge cavity between the star and the disk. The debris disk is shown in shades of light gray. Toward the top and left, there are finer, more discrete points in a range of sizes. The disk appears hazier and smokier at the bottom. The star is bright white at center, with a hazy blue region around it. The background of space is black. The label Artist's Concept appears at lower left.