Integrated field unit (IFU) spectroscopy provides a unique window to explore gas-phase oxygen abundances in the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies in the local Universe. Two-point correlations are one of the next-generation methodologies proposed to extract new information on ISM diffusion from metal fields inside galaxies. I will present two-point correlation analyses using CALIFA and MUSE that show this approach is robust across local different datasets and can be a powerful tool to investigate the properties of the ISM of nearby galaxies when combined with an analytic model. Two-point correlation methods are also applied to the Auriga simulations obtaining consistent results. The simulations reveal the processes on setting the instantaneous mixing scale and how it evolves with time. Based on the validation of this method on the observation and simulation sides, I will also introduce several ongoing projects that my collaborators are leading, including extensions to nitrogen abundances, high-z Universe, and high-mass-resolution simulations.
BIO
Zefeng Li is currently a postdoctoral research associate at Durham University. He obtained the PhD degree at the Australian National University in 2023 and the bachelor's degree at Peking University in 2017. Making use of observations (KMOS/MUSE@VLT) supplemented by simulations (Auriga), Zefeng's research interests include interstellar medium physics, galaxy formation / evolution, and quasar / AGN as well.
Host: Cheng Li
