In February 2024, the picturesque town of Stellenbosch in South Africa hosted the MeerKAT@5 conference. It marked the fifth anniversary of the MeerKAT radio telescope’s contributions to the astronomical community. As a participant and speaker at the conference, I have had the privilege of diving into the discussions that are leading us to new frontiers in the exploration and understanding of space.
MeerKAT, as an integral part of the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, has already redefined what was previously thought possible in radio astronomy. It’s not just a telescope; it’s a window to the universe’s unseen corners, offering insights into phenomena that remain elusive to the naked eye and traditional optical telescopes.
Among the myriad of enlightening talks and sessions, I had the opportunity to contribute with my presentation: “MeerKAT HI observations of nearby spiral galaxies: the physical driver of Rmol.”
My talk centered around MeerKAT’s high-resolution and high-sensitive HI (neutral hydrogen) observations. By examining the distribution and dynamics of HI in nearby spiral galaxies, we are uncovering the physical processes that regulate the conversion of this cold gas into molecular form — a state that precedes the birth of new stars.
One of the key takeaways from my presentation was the emphasis on “Rmol” — the ratio of molecular to atomic gas. Understanding which local conditions drive changes in Rmol across different environments within galaxies can help us piece together the complex puzzle star formation in galaxies. MeerKAT’s sensitivity and resolution have provided unprecedented data, allowing us to observe these processes in greater detail than ever before.
Cosima Eibensteiner, PhD 