Abstract: Optical integral field (imaging) spectroscopic surveys of large numbers of galaxies are now becoming the norm. These surveys allow detailed studies of individual galaxies, which include their stellar/gas kinematics and stellar populations. With a sufficiently large sample, these types of observations are the best tools for understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies. However, similar surveys in the infrared remain challenging. There are two significant gaps that need to addressed: the rest-frame infrared has been untapped for nearby systems due to the lack of wide integral field infrared spectrographs (IFSes), and rest-frame optical observations of the distant universe have been limited to small samples from the lack of high angular resolution, highly multiplexed IFSes. 

I will discuss two instruments that will directly address these gaps: one recently commissioned, the wide integral field infrared spectrograph (WIFIS), and another currently under construction, the Gemini Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph (GIRMOS). WIFIS is currently carrying out an infrared survey of nearby galaxies that studies their stellar populations (particularly their initial mass functions), star-formation, and kinematics, complementing existing optical surveys such as CALIFA and MaNGA. On the other hand, GIRMOS will be a multi-object IFS that takes advantage of the latest developments in adaptive optics and infrared spectroscopy. It will carry out large surveys of the distant universe by simultaneously observing multiple high-redshift galaxies, which will finally complement, in a similar scale, the integral field studies being done in the local universe.

Astro Colloquium and 'coffee & cookies' Department gathering (3:45-4:00pm)

Please click the link to join: https://psu.zoom.us/j/92637070419