Splinter Meeting ISM

Bridging Theory and Observations of the Interstellar Medium

Time: Friday September 15, 14:00-15:45 and 16:15-18:00 CEST (UTC+2)

Room: H 3006

Convenor(s): Tim-Eric Rathjen [1], Brandt A. L. Gaches [2], Ekaterina I. Makarenko [1], Pierre C. Nürnberger [1], Birka Zimmermann [1], Stefanie Walch-Gassner [1]
[1] Uni Köln, [2] Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

The advent of JWST enables an unprecedented view of infrared, optical and ultraviolet (UV) line emission of the high-redshift universe. Additionally, surveys using instruments such as MUSE, LSST and FYST provide a spectroscopically resolved mapping of nearby star-forming galaxies in fine detail. Understanding the origin of emission lines, their excitation source and the underlying gas properties provides fundamental insights into the evolution of the interstellar medium (ISM) and the galaxies hosting it. However, even with modern facilities, interpreting the observations correctly can be very challenging.
There are a plethora of observational uncertainties such as the correct determination of a CO conversion factor, the full extent of dust attenuation, the missing CII conundrum, or the impact of diffuse ionised gas on emission line abundances, which cannot be resolved unambiguously.
In recent years, numerical simulations of the ISM have advanced significantly, offering increasingly detailed models of the physical processes that shape it. By leveraging simulated data, observations can be constrained, leading to more accurate and reliable predictions.
This splinter meeting aims to bring together researchers who use different tools to study the ISM, from observational facilities to supercomputers. The session will highlight new tools to bridge the gap between observations and theory using synthetic observations, radiation transfer, and machine learning tools. The discussions will aim to steer future collaborations between observational and theoretical studies of the ISM. The key questions that will be explored are how to define the physical properties of the ISM using infrared, optical, and/or ultraviolet emission lines, how much impact diffuse ionised gas has on observables like the star formation rate in galaxies, and how well we can predict the emission from individual compact and extended sources using simulations.

Program

Friday September 15, 14:00-15:45 Bridging Theory and Observations of the Interstellar Medium (H 3006)

Friday September 15, 16:15-18:00 Bridging Theory and Observations of the Interstellar Medium (H 3006)

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