Higher Degree by Research Application Portal

This PhD project will investigate how the angular momentum of baryons evolves from the near-isotropic distribution in early dark matter "protohaloes" to the ordered rotation of present-day disk galaxies and the disordered motions in elliptical galaxies. The student will address these issues using a combination of:

• high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations,
• novel analytic models of AM transport and feedback, and
• comparison with deep survey data of gas and stars at different cosmic epochs.

A key focus will be to test whether current feedback prescriptions employed in cosmological simulations realistically transform angular momentum within evolving galaxies while reproducing their observed sizes, spins, and morphologies — or if new dark matter physics (e.g., warm or self-interacting dark matter) is needed.

The results will clarify how galaxies regulate their spin and structure, help explain the tightness of the mass–AM relation, and improve our understanding of the link between gas inflow, bulge growth, and disk stability.

Aaron D. Ludlow: aaron.ludlow@icrar.org

Danail Obreschkow: danail.obreschkow@uwa.edu.au

The student is expected to have a MSc in Physics, Astronomy, or a closely related field.

Experience with programming in python, R, C, etc, is beneficial but not required.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a program of independent, supervised research that is assessed solely on the basis of a thesis, sometimes including a creative work component, that is examined externally. The work presented for a PhD must be a substantial and original contribution to scholarship, demonstrating mastery of the subject of interest as well as an advance in that field of knowledge. 

Visit the course webpage for full details of this course including admission requirements, course rules and the relevant CRICOS code/s.