This essay appeared in the 2021 Fueling Discovery special section of the Wisconsin State Journal on 10/17/21. View the full 2021 Fueling Discovery PDF here.
About the author
Sherry Wong is from New York, N.Y. She is majoring in computer sciences, but is also interested in astrophysics and data science. She expects to graduate in May 2024.
New developments in software and increased computer capabilities have given researchers better tools. I am using computer simulations to understand how galaxies form and evolve over millions of years. I originally came to UW-Madison seeking research opportunities, and I was fortunate enough to be matched with Ellen Zweibel, a professor of astronomy and physics, as a freshman. My research question is based on how magnetic fields and cosmic rays can affect a galaxy over time.
Cosmic rays are energetic particles that move close to the speed of light. They are released by energetic events like supernovas and active galactic nuclei. They also affect how particles move by adding heat or kinetic energy. Both factors can affect gas clouds and determine a galaxy’s thickness.
In my research, I am studying the evolution of hot, dense gas bubbles that shoot out from the simulated galaxy. They are driven by magnetic reconnection and cosmic rays. Magnetic reconnection occurs when magnetic field lines cross and change shape, resulting in heated, accelerated gas.
This reconnection is a result of something called the Parker instability. In galaxies, the Parker instability models how magnetic fields will warp as they are weighed down unevenly by gravity. It is this warping that draws magnetic fields together and causes reconnection. Reconnection is responsible for solar flares on our Sun, a phenomenon that occurs when the Sun ejects some of its mass into space.
We want to know more about the forces that drive these bubbles, their features and how they can affect the larger galactic system. By running simulations, we can attempt to answer these questions. Astronomers have already observed hot gas bubbles in space, but we know little about bubbles created by reconnection. I have been learning about the physical phenomena that drive the behavior modeled in these simulations, and how to unpack those behaviors from the simulations. I am currently in the process of learning how to run these simulations myself using resources from the Center for High Throughput Computing at UW-Madison.
Working with Professor Zweibel and graduate student Roark Habegger has taught me things about the world of research that can only be learned through experience, like how to reach out to other researchers, what it means to be a scientist, how to set your own goals and how to work with tools and knowledge that are always changing.
