Galaxy Cluster Studies in the Era of High-resolution X-ray Spectroscopy

Events Calendar

 Time:  Friday, October 25, 2024, 12:00 am
 Title:  Galaxy Cluster Studies in the Era of High-resolution X-ray Spectroscopy
 Speaker:  Congyao Zhang (UChicago)
 Location:  Physics Building E225

ABSTRACT

Galaxy clusters, as massive, virialized halos within the cosmic web, serve as ideal laboratories for advancing our understanding of cosmology, plasma physics, and the nature of dark matter. High-resolution spectroscopy in soft X-rays will open a new window to map multiphase gas in galaxy clusters and probe physics of the intracluster medium, including but not limited to chemical enrichment histories, circulation of matter and energy during large-scale structure evolution, stellar and black hole feedback, halo virialization, and gas mixing processes. In this talk, I will discuss several on-going and proposed X-ray missions (e.g., XRISM, LEM) and their major science drivers on galaxy clusters and intergalactic medium (IGM). I will highlight our recent progress in understanding gas motions in the Perseus cluster using the XRISM PV-phase data.


BIO

Congyao Zhang is currently a research scientist at the University of Chicago and will soon move to Masaryk University for a new postdoctoral position. Prior to this, he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) as a postdoctoral researcher. He earned his PhD degree at the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (KIAA) at Peking University in 2016. His research interests include galaxy clusters, large-scale structures, and high-energy astrophysics. He is actively involved in multiple international teams for the development of X-ray missions/mission concepts, such as XRISM, LEM, AXIS, and Athena.


Host: Junjie Mao