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Galaxies SIG Seminar

Galaxies Science Interest Group

Galaxies SIG about Galaxies SIG Seminar

Location

Virtual

dates

3 June 2026
1:00pm ET

Community

Galaxies SIG

Type

Seminar

Lights Out: Physical Views of Galaxy Quenching

Speaker

Lori Porter

Abstract

The shutdown of star formation, or quenching, is one of the most important transitions in a galaxy’s lifetime. It gives rise to the observed galaxy color bimodality, yet the physical processes responsible for quenching remain incompletely understood. The persistence of large cold gas reservoirs in many quenched galaxies suggests that galaxies can stop forming stars without fully exhausting or expelling their fuel supply. In this talk, I will review recent work investigating how galactic dynamics regulate star formation, with a particular focus on the role of shear. Recent simulations and star formation models indicate that strong differential rotation can stabilize dense gas against collapse in bulge-dominated galaxies, reducing star formation efficiency through a process known as dynamical suppression. This framework offers a natural explanation for why some galaxies remain gas-rich but quiescent, and may result in elevated Coriolis forces. Finally, I will discuss how future observatories such as HWO will provide the spatial resolution and sensitivity needed to connect gas kinematics and star formation across cosmic time, helping to reveal the physical mechanisms that drive galaxies from active growth to quiescence.

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Angled from the upper left corner to the lower right corner is a cone-shaped orange-red cloud known as Herbig-Haro 49/50. This feature takes up about three-fourths of the length of this angle. The upper left end of this feature has a translucent, rounded end. The conical feature widens slightly from the rounded end at the upper right down to the lower right. Along the cone there are additional rounded edges, like edges of a wave, and intricate foamy-like details, as well as a clearer view of the black background of space. In the upper left, overlapping with the rounded end of Herbig-Haro 49/50, is a background spiral galaxy with a concentrated blue center that fades outward to blend with red spiral arms. The background of space is speckled with some white stars and smaller, more numerous, fainter white galaxies throughout.