Theses

Available projects

• Titolo: Una nuova epoca degli studi dell'effetto Sunyaev Zel'dovich con ALMA

Gli ammassi di galassie si trovano nei nodi della rete cosmica e sono le più grandi strutture in equilibrio dinamico nell'Universo. Le attività di merger durante la formazione di queste strutture lasciano tracce nella morfologia del gas diffuso intra-ammasso (ICM). Questo plasma, formando la maggior parte della massa barionica di un'ammasso, può essere studiato tramite osservazioni in banda X e sfruttando l'effetto Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ). L'effetto SZ è una distorsione dello spettro della radiazione cosmica di fondo (CMB) causato dallo scattering Compton inverso dei fotoni CMB all'interazione con gli elettroni caldi nell'ICM. Inoltre, l'effetto SZ e' proporzionale alla pressione degli elettroni integrata e quindi ci permette non solo una misura dell'energia termica degli ammassi ma anche del loro stato morfologico. Lo scopo di questa tesi è di studiare la struttura di un ammasso di galassie attraverso l'effetto SZ usando dati di ALMA (RXCJ1347, Kitayama et al. 2016) per modellare la sua morfologia. Nello specifico, sarà condotta la riduzione dei dati, la costruzione di modelli di emissione dell'ammasso e il confronto coi dati. Qualora i resultati su RXCJ1347 e il tempo a disposizione lo consentano, sara' possibile considerarne l'applicazione anche ai dati ALMA proprietari non ancora pubblicati. Questa tesi e' ottima per chi vuole imparare a trattare dati interferometrici e richiede un investimento di tempo di minimo 6 mesi.

Contatti: Sandra Burkutean burkutean@ira.inaf.it, Marcella Massardi massardi@ira.inaf.it

Referente UniBO: Myriam Gitti

• Titolo: Giant molecular clouds properties along the bar of NGC3627

ALMA has the ability to resolve star-forming structures in nearby galaxies with unprecedented sensitivity. Detailed studies of Giant molecular clouds (GMC) previously possible only in the Milky Way can be now done on GMC in nearby galaxies. ALMA observations of two CO transitions (CO(1-0) and CO(2-1)) have been recently taken in the bar region of NGC3627 NGC3627 is a nearby, face-on, galaxy, with a prominent bar structure, well observed at different frequencies. The spatial resolution achieved at 230 GHz (CO(2-1)) is of ~30 pc. It is possible to conduct a detailed study of the properties of GMC in different environments: the nucleus of the galaxy, the bar regions, the ends of the bar, the inner rings.

Lavoro: Calibrazione e imaging dei dati ALMA. Analisi dei dati e estrazione delle proprieta' delle GMCs.

Durata: > 6 mesi

Referente IRA-ARC: Rosita Paladino (paladino@ira.inaf.it)

Referente UniBO: Cristian Vignali

• Title: Unveiling the nature of high-redshift radio galaxies in the radio and millimeter band.

Scientific Rationale: High-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) are among the most massive galaxies in the early Universe. They have traditionally been identified by the ultra-steep spectrum of their easily detectable radio continuum, which served as a beacon for tracing the faint host galaxy environment. HzRGs have been observed to be the signposts of large overdensities in the early Universe, the so-called protoclusters that are believed to be the ancestors of local rich clusters. There are strong evidences that HzRGs in the center of high-z clusters are the probable progenitor of the local Brightest Cluster Galaxies. HzRGs are therefore an ideal tool for probing the formation of BCGs and the AGN activity in the host galaxies in premordial cluster environment.

Goals: Clarifying the still unknown continuum millimeter and puzzling radio properties of a sample of HzRGs in the Southern Hemisphere: identification of source components (core, jets, lobes) and possibly the emission mechanisms (thermal or non-thermal?). Studying the cold molecular gas content which is the raw ingredient for star formation and potential fuel for the AGN: how does it relate with the radio morphology?

Methods: Analysis of archival ALMA millimeter observations, and VLA/ATCA radio data.

Acquired skills: Archive mining, CASA imaging, analysis tools (python scripts, KAFE software) Depending on the available time, ALMA data calibration processes

Required working time: > 6 months

IRA-ARC Referent: Elisabetta Liuzzo (liuzzo@ira.inaf.it)-- UniBO Referent: Myriam Gitti

• Title: The origin of the mini-starburst in the War-and-Peace Nebula

Aim: To look for signs of cloud-cloud collisions in one of the most active SF complexes in our Galaxy. This region, aka NGC6357, contains 3 very massive open clusters, hosting some of the most massive stars known to exist. The formation of these star clusters may have been triggered by the collision of two or more molecular clouds. The effects of this should be visible in the morphology and kinematics of the molecular gas.

Available material: maps of the entire complex in: 12CO(3-2) and 13CO(3-2) (JCMT); Near-IR (JHK,H2) (UKIRT); mid-IR (GLIMPSE); dust-continuum emission (450mum, 850mum: SCUBA2; Herschel Hi-GAL)

Duration: 6 months

Supervisors:

IRA-ARC: Jan Brand (brand@ira.inaf.it), Andrea Giannetti (agianne@ira.inaf.it)

Arcetri: Fabrizio Massi (fmassi@arcetri.astro.it)

• Title: Dust polarization study of star-forming objects in the Orion filament

Magnetic fields are found to play an important role in filamentary shaped molecular clouds and most probably also in prestellar cores and young stellar objects. So far only very few polarimetric observations have been carried out at the high angular resolution and sensitivity necessary to capture single star-forming objects. The Laurea thesis will aim at retrieving the polarimetric properties of three young star-forming objects in the Orion filament using Archival ALMA data and relate this to the gravitational energy and outflow properties.

Lavoro: Calibrazione e imaging di dati ALMA in polarizzazione. Analisi dati polarizzazione, del dust continuum e dati CO (JCMT, Archive) per indagare la relazione del campo magnetico rispetto agli effetti di gravita' e outflow.

Durata: > 6 mesi da iniziare da Marzo 2018 in poi

Referente IRA-ARC: Kazi Rygl (kazi@ira.inaf.it) e Rosita Paladino (paladino@ira.inaf.it)

Referente UniBo: Francesca Pozzi (f.pozzi@unibo.it)

On going theses

- Giovanni Sabatini : 'Establishing a timeline for the high-mass star formation process' PhD thesis, supervisor J. Brand, A. Giannetti, G. Giovannini

- Ilaria Ruffa : 'The AGN fueling/feedback cycle: a multi-phase study of a sample of local radio galaxies' PhD thesis, supervisors I. Prandoni, R. Laing, G. Giovannini

- Vincenzo Galluzzi: 'Multi-frequency study of radio source polarimetry in millimetric bands' PhD thesis, supervisor M. Massardi, L. Gregorini

Submitted theses

- Giovanni Sabatini , 'Unveiling the inner morphology and gas kinematics of NGC5135 with ALMA', 2017 Master Thesis, supervisor A. Ciamatti, C. Gruppioni, M. Massardi, F. Pozzi

- Francesco Fragnito , 'Kinematics modelling of molecular gas in NGC 3100', 2017 Master Thesis, supervisor G. Giovannini, I. Prandoni, R. Paladino,

- Matilde Mingozzi , 'Investigating the AGN-starburst connection in a nearby Seyfert galaxy with ALMA and multiwavelength data', 2016 Master Thesis, supervisor F. Pozzi, L. Vallini, A. Mignano.

- Ilaria Riuffa: 'Multi wavelengths properties of a sample of obscured AGNs', 2016 Master Thesis, Supervisor: C. Vignali, A. Mignano

- Eleonora Bianchi: 'Observability of high density tracing molecular lines in lensed galaxies with ALMA' 2014 master thesis, supervisor M. Massardi, L. Gregorini

- Chiara Verdirame: 'The core mass function in star-forming region NGC 6357', 2014 Master thesis, supervisor J. Brand, A. Giannetti [L. Gregorini]

- Andrea Giannetti: 'The evolution of massive clumps in star forming regions', 2014 PhD thesis, supervisor J. Brand [L. Gregorini]

- Daria Dall'Olio: 'IRAS16293-2422 as seen with ALMA: chemistry and morphology', 2013 Master thesis, supervisor J. Boissier [L. Gregorini], in collaboration with J. Brand, A. Mignano, R. Paladino

- Andrea Giannetti: 'A detailed study of molecular clouds and star formation associated with the Galactic HII region G353.2+0.9', 2010 Master thesis, supervisor J. Brand [L. Gregorini]