• The global structure of the ISM in disk galaxies. We are investigating the radial and vertical profiles of gas, stars, and star formation in a number of nearby spiral galaxies, including the prototypical edge-on galaxy NGC 891. These profiles can shed light on the star formation law, the origin of exponential and “thick” disks, and the conditions for the formation of H2. Collaborators include Alberto Bolatto (U. Maryland), Adam Leroy (OSU), and Erik Rosolowsky (U. Alberta), and PhD graduates Kijeong Yim (KASI), David Rebolledo (ALMA JAO), and Rui Xue (NRAO).

• Studies of the ISM in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Making use of data from Australian radio facilities (ATCA and Mopra), and more recently the ALMA Telescope, as well as space-based UV, optical, and IR telescopes, we have been investigating several overlapping issues, including the relationship between atomic and molecular gas, the internal structure of star-forming molecular clouds, and the origin of the radio/far-infrared correlation. Collaborators include Rui Xue (NRAO), Dan Welty (STScI), Annie Hughes (IRAP Toulouse), Toshikazu Onishi (Osaka Prefecture U.), Snezana Stanimirovic (U. Wisconsin), Yasuo Fukui (Nagoya University), and Juergen Ott (NRAO).

• Molecular line mapping of GMCs in the Galaxy. Using the Mopra telescope, we have been obtaining fully sampled maps of southern giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in CO, 13CO, and C18O. These maps provide a “deeper” view of cloud structure than CO maps alone, and can be used to investigate current issues in molecular cloud evolution, including the role of turbulence.

Data Access

• ALMA CO & 13CO Mosaics of six molecular clouds in the LMC.

• ATCA HCO+ & HCN Mosaics of several regions in the LMC, reprocessed in 2015-6 with help from UIUC undergraduate student Aamodini Gupta.

• MAGMA, the Magellanic Mopra Assessment. A CO survey of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds that achieves the best available angular resolution on clouds detected by the NANTEN survey. Observations were conducted with the Mopra telescope in Australia.

• CARMA Survey Towards Infrared-bright Nearby Galaxies (CARMA STING). A survey of 23 spiral galaxies observed in CO and 13CO with CARMA. Targets IR-luminous galaxies from the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample with a wealth of ancillary data (including VLA, SDSS, and Spitzer).

• CARMA Extragalactic Database for Galaxy Evolution (CARMA EDGE). A survey of 125+ galaxies with CARMA, one of the last major projects undertaken by the telescope.