Research Interests
My primary research interest is the physical structure and evolution
of the multi-phase interstellar medium (ISM) in galaxies. The
structure and evolution of the multi-phase ISM in a galaxy is largely
determined by its interaction with massive stars. The stellar winds
and supernova explosions of massive stars carve a bubble of hot
106 K ionized gas into the ambient ISM, surrounded by a
thin, dense shell. In general, massive stars will form discrete
wind-blown bubbles and supernova remnants (SNRs) if they are isolated,
superbubbles if there is a single burst of star formation, or
supergiant shells if there are multiple bursts of star formation that
have taken place over a period of time in a concentrated area. If the
ambient interstellar density is low or highly clumped, the hot gas
interior to these shells may breakout and vent the chemically-enriched
hot gas into the lower density medium. The hot gas from isolated SNRs
would largely be confined to the galactic disk. The hot gas from the
interiors of superbubbles and supergiant shells may be vented into the
halo of the galaxy because their dimensions are comparable to the
scale height of gas in the disk. If the gravitational potential of
the galaxy is large enough the hot gas in the halo will eventually
cool and rain back down on the disk. Otherwise, the hot gas can
escape the host galaxy and produce a galactic wind. Thus, the
evolution of galaxies themselves is dependent upon the evolution and
physical structure of ISM.
Past and Current Research
To better understand the physical structure of the multi-phase ISM and
its interaction with massive stars, I have examined the nature and
origin of the large-scale diffuse X-ray emission from the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) for my Ph.D. thesis project. This research
consists of: (1) determining the spatial distribution and physical
properties of the 106 K gas; (2) examining the relationship
between the 106 K gas and the ionized 104 K gas;
and (3) performing a detailed study of the multi-phase ISM of the
supergiant shell LMC 2 and its underlying stellar population.