Areas of Interest:
- Theoretical Astrophysics
- Extragalactic Astronomy
- Intergalactic Medium
- Cosmology
- Numerical Hydrodynamics
Phone: (520) 621-4681
Office: Steward Observatory 322
E-mail: rdave@as.arizona.edu
Personal Website:http://ursa.as.arizona.edu/~rad/
Dr. Davé is interested in how galaxies form. The physical processes involved are immensely complex, and span an enormous range of scales. Dr. Davé uses supercomputers to model the evolution of galaxies and the intergalactic medium (IGM) from shortly after the Big Bang until today. By comparing such models to observations, it is possible to constrain theories of galaxy formation. Dr. Davé is particularly interested in the interrelationship between galaxies and the IGM. The IGM provides fresh fuel for star formation via hierarchical accretion, while galaxies return a significant fraction of accreted material into the IGM via outflows. Understanding this cosmic feedback cycle is the key to deciphering how galaxies evolve, and why they span the wide range of masses, colors, and sizes that they do.
Professional Affiliations and Awards:
- Hubble Fellowship, 2000-2003
- Lyman J. Spitzer Postdoctoral Fellow, 1998-2000