Toward a Holistic Understanding of the Multi-scale, Multiphase Circumgalactic Medium

Organizers:

Hsiao-Wen Chen, University of Chicago
Claude-Andre Faucher-Giguere, Northwestern University
*S. Peng Oh, University of California Santa Barbara
Gwen Rudie, Carnegie Observatories

The CGM is host to a multitude of physical processes critical to the formation and evolution of galaxies. On large scales, these include inflows from the cosmic web (~Mpc) that fuel star formation and outflows produced by galactic feedback. On small scales, multiphase gas gives rise to a spectrum of cold gas structures going down to sub-pc scales. However, the mutual interplay between small-scale structure and large-scale dynamics remains a key open question. A major challenge is that the enormous range of physical scales and physical processes involved means that this problem cannot be solved by brute-force computation. Instead, we must combine insights from different approaches, including cosmological simulations, well-resolved idealized simulations (such as how cold clouds exchange mass, momentum, and energy with a hot phase), analytic modeling, and multi-wavelength observations. This workshop will bring together theorists and observers with different perspectives to exchange ideas, stimulate innovative projects through extended discussions, and seed new collaborations to advance the field. Key themes will include the physics of multiphase gas, connecting small scales and large scales, and how existing and new observations can constrain CGM physics.