Sanchyeeta Borthakur Colloquium Abstract (March 25, 2020)

How do galaxies like the Milky Way grow?

Galaxy growth is a slow but continuous process. The Milky Way is constantly accreting matter and forming stars. While the properties of the galaxy support accretion, direct observational evidence indicating gas flows is not conclusive. The need of the hour to measure the properties of the edge of the galaxy disks - interface region that connect the centers of galaxies to the rest of the Universe.

I will discuss the results from our ongoing Disk program, which probes the disk-halo interface. I'll discuss our findings in terms of the signpost of gas accretion and galactic feedback. I'll also show evidence that structures such as high-velocity clouds and extra-planar gas that are thought to be pathways for gas accretion into galaxies are very common for most galaxies, thus strengthening of understanding of their role in feeding galaxies.