Dr. Churchill heads the NMSU Quasar Absorption Line Group. This
research group studies galaxy evolution in the inverse using the
technique of quasar absorption lines. The sightline along which light
travels to Earth from extremely distant, highly luminous quasars
serves as a core sample through the universe of both time and space. Take
a spectrum of the quasar and coded in the light are the fingerprint
patterns of the kinematic, ionization, and chemical conditions of
extended gaseous halos surrounding intervening galaxies. We use the
Keck, Subaru, and Very Large Telescopes to obtain the high resolution
spectra of the quasars. We decode the complex and beautiful patterns
of missing light (absorption lines) in these spectra and then go out
and find the galaxies hosting the absorbing gas. We then study the
morphology and sky orientations of these galaxies out to redshifts of
0.5-1.0 in detail with the Hubble Space Telescope. We are testing to
see if the large extended halos around galaxies, which can be 10 times
larger than the stellar disks, are dynamically coupled to the galaxies
or are an interface with the cosmic web structures of the
intergalactic medium.
Current Graduate Students
4. Ms. Jessica Evans (5th year)
3. Ms. Elizabeth Klimek (3rd year)
2. Ms. Teresa Ross (1st year)
1. Ms. Nikki Nielsen (1st year)
Graduated Students, Ph.D.
3. Dr. Glenn Kacprzak (7/2008) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Swinburn
2. Dr. Brandon Lawton (7/2008) Postdoc, Space Telescope Science Intstitute
1. Dr. Don Lubowich (7/2006) Professor, University of Hofstra
Graduated Students, M.S.
2. Ms. Allison Widhalm (7/2008) Data Quality Management, NOAO, Chile
1. Ms. Sarah Giandoni (5/2005) Instrument Data Specialist, NASA @ Whitesands
I am looking for an additional graduate student who would be
interested in galaxy evolution form the perspective of gas kinematics,
chemical, and ionization conditions out of the cosmic web. The work
would involve analysis of some 400 HIRES/Keck and UVES/VLT spectra,
ground based imaging and analysis, galaxy spectroscopy and analsysis,
and HST imaging and analysis. If you are an interested prospective
student, please email me and I would be happy to discuss the details
and opportunities for you.
Current Courses: Fall 2010
ASTR 305: Into the FInal Frontier
ASTR 605: Interstellar Medium
Dr. Churchill specializes in observational spectroscopic techniques
and analysis, including long slit and echelle formats. He has taught
many introductory classes in Astronomy and Physics, including
Astrophotography. He is currently working hard to complete a graduate
level text book entitled Absorption
Line Spectroscopy of Cosmological Sources to be published in the
Astrophysics Series of Cambridge University Press.
Dr. Churchill's favorite topics in the class room are "Life in the
Universe" and "Human Space Flight".
Selected Publications...
Halo Gas and Galaxy Disk Kinematics Derived from Observations and LCDM
Simulations of MgII Absorption Selected Galaxies at Intermediate
Redshift
Kacprzak G. G., Churchill, Ceverino, D., Steidel, C. C., Klypin, A., & Murphy, M. T. 2010, ApJ, in press
Halo Gas Cross Sections And Covering Fractions of MgII Absorption Selected Galaxies
Kacprzak G. G., Churchill, Steidel, C. C., & Murphy, M. T. 2008, AJ, 135, 922
A Correlation Between Galaxy Morphology and MgII Halo Absorption Strenth" at z~0.7
Kacprzak G. G., Churchill, Steidel, C. C., Murphy, M. T., & Evans, J. L. 2007, ApJ, 662, 909
On the Heterogeneity of Metal-Line and Ly-Alpha Absorption in Galaxy "Halos" at z~0.7
Churchill, C. W., Kacprzak, G. G., Steidel, C. C., & Evans, J. L. 2007, ApJ, 661, 714
Detection of Diffuse Interstellar Bands in the z=0.5 Damped Lyalpha System toward AO 0235+164
York, B.A., Ellison, S.A. Lawton, B., Churchill, C.W., Snow, T.P., Johnson, R.A., & Ryan, S.G. 2006, ApJ, 647, 29
MgII Absorption through
Intermediate Redshift Galaxies
Churchill, C.W., Kacprzak,
G.G., & Steidel, C.C. 2005, Invited Talk, in Probing Galaxies through Quasar
Absorption Lines, IAU 199 (Cambridge University Press).
