Dr. Jackie Champagne

I am a JASPER (JWST Arizona/Steward Postdoc in Early galaxies & Reionization) Postdoctoral Scholar at Steward Observatory, University of Arizona. I work primarily in the High-z Quasar Group with Prof. Xiaohui Fan & Dr. Feige Wang on characterizing the cosmic environments of luminous reionization-era quasars. I received my PhD in 2022 from the University of Texas at Austin, where I worked with Prof. Caitlin Casey on dusty star-forming galaxies in galaxy protoclusters at z>2.

My Research

Broadly, I am interested in the processes by which large-scale structures form and evolve along the cosmic timeline. In particular, I use major infrared-through-radio facilities to trace galactic features (e.g., cold molecular and atomic gas, dust emission, and starlight) in the hopes of studying the physics behind the most highly star-forming galaxies in the Universe and how they are shaped by their environments. I care a lot about the evolution of galaxy protoclusters from the epoch of reionization down to cosmic noon, particularly those that are anchored by massive systems --- radio galaxies, active galactic nuclei (AGN) and/or highly luminous quasars.

An infrared spectroscopic view of quasar environments

I am a member of the ASPIRE team (A SPectroscopic Survey of biased halos In the Reionization Era), which targets 25 z>6.5 quasars with JWST/NIRCam broadband imaging and WFSS, ALMA Band 6 imaging and spectroscopy, and a host of other instruments spanning X-ray to radio wavelengths. I am most interested in characterizing overdense environments of these luminous quasars to find evidence of star-forming protoclusters, as traced by [OIII] and [CII]. In Champagne et al. (2024ab), we discovered a protocluster around a z=6.6 quasar extending beyond 10 Mpc! The structure shows evidence of spatial variations in star-forming properties which we take as evidence for inside-out growth and increased star formation/AGN fuel from cosmic gas inflows. Stay tuned for more results!

Searching for companions around z>6 quasars

My master's project built on my work with Dr. Fabian Walter at MPIA, in which we used ALMA Band 6 observations of z=6 quasars to search for dust continuum overdensities. Such an overdensity would suggest evidence for early clustering around massive quasars, and these have been found with other tracers such as [CII] and Lyman-alpha. Interestingly, we did not find a statistical overdensity in continuum dust emission, but it's important to keep in mind that a continuum search probes Gpc scales: a true overdensity may exist but its signal could be washed out.

Indeed, in a followup paper we tried a complementary technique using HST to look for Lyman break-selected galaxies -- i.e., the less extreme star-forming galaxies than those traced by ALMA. In a subsample of three quasars, we found an extreme overdensity around one z=6.6 quasar, a moderate overdensity very close to a z=6 quasar whose overdensity profile is in line with those predicted for protocluster cores, and no overdensity around a z=6.9 quasar. These works highlight the genuine diversity of environments around quasars as well as the limitations of photometric selections to constrain overdensities.

Galaxy protoclusters near coalescence at z~2.5

Are DSFGs ubiquitous in protoclusters? Do all protoclusters go through starburst periods? Can the molecular gas trigger simultaneous starburst events in structures several comoving Mpc across? Working with a famous knot of the COSMOS Hyperion protocluster at z=2.5, we performed a full census of the molecular gas, dust, and stellar content, and have drawn exciting conclusions about the assembly of protoclusters across cosmic time. Most notably, protoclusters at z~2.5 mark an important transitional phase just before virialization, where extremely gas- and dust-rich galaxies begin to fall towards the dense central core, just before we see the smoking gun X-ray signature of the intracluster medium.

Bibliography

You can find a full CV here or take a look at my ADS record.

"No Evidence for Millimeter Continuum Source Overdensities in the Environments of z=6 Quasars," Champagne et al., 2018, ApJ, 867, 153

"Comprehensive Gas Characterization of a z=2.5 Protocluster: A Cluster Core Caught in the Beginning of Virialization?" Champagne et al., 2021, ApJ, 913, 110

"A Mixture of LBG Overdensities in the Fields of Three z=6-7 Quasars: Implications for the Robustness of Photometric Selection," Champagne et al. 2023, ApJ, 952, 99

"A Quasar-Anchored Protocluster at z=6.6 in the ASPIRE Survey: I. Properties of [OIII] Emitters in a 10 Mpc Overdensity Structure," Champagne et al. 2024, ApJ submitted

"A Quasar-Anchored Protocluster at z=6.6 in the ASPIRE Survey: II. An Environmental Analysis of Galaxy Properties in an Overdense Structure," Champagne et al., 2024, ApJ accepted

Girl with the ALMA Tattoo

I grew up in Jackson, New Jersey. I love bagels, pizza, and the Jersey Shore, and I hate making left turns. I love getting tattoos, traveling the world, and hanging out with my two cats, Blue and Purple.

I earned my B.S. in physics and astrophysics in 2016 from Rutgers University, where I completed a bachelor's thesis under the advice of Prof. Chuck Keeton. As an undergraduate, I was an NSF-REU student at Cornell University working on gravitationally lensed submillimeter galaxies, which was my first introduction to submillimeter observations with the SMA! I was also a research intern under Dr. Fabian Walter at MPIA using ALMA data to search for dust continuum overdensities around z>6 quasars. A budding interest in submillimeter observations and dusty galaxies led me to Prof. Caitlin Casey, who eventually supervised my doctoral thesis.

As I was learning about astronomy as a career option, what fascinated me most was radio interferometry and how it has revolutionized what we know about the long-wavelength Universe. To celebrate that passion, I tattooed a dish on my arm, so feel free to call me by my self-given nickname, Girl with the ALMA Tattoo. I guess I need a second one to make it a true interferometer, or maybe it's time to get a JWST tat!

Professional Activities

I'm interested in lots of professional activities besides research! I'm particularly passionate about making astronomy research more accessible for undergraduates through teaching and mentoring.

Python for beginners

Developed for the aforementioned TAURUS program, I have designed a series of Jupyter notebooks containing step-by-step tutorials for Python beginners. The beginning tutorials are aimed toward the first-time undergraduate unfamiliar with basic command-line work, but it is easy to jump ahead if you are simply looking for some Python basics. It contains instructions for the fundamental things like syntax, array manipulation, plotting, plus astropy demonstrations geared specifically for astronomers. We have newly added some more advanced demos for photometry, spectroscopy, and plotting tricks. This is all available on github.

Teaching

In 2019 I was a team member for the UC Santa Cruz ISEE Professional Development Program, for which we developed an undergraduate inquiry activity about galaxy spectra. I returned in 2024 to deliver an optics activity to the Akamai Workforce Initiative interns in Hilo, HI. In 2022 I joined the Computational Research Access NEtwork (CRANE) team, an NSF-supported and early career researcher-led mentorship and teaching program focused on bringing Python fundamentals to physics and astronomy majors, particularly students of color. As a graduate student I TAed for introductory astronomy courses as well as an observational techniques class in conjunction with McDonald Observatory, which was a lot of fun!

Equity & Inclusion in Astronomy

As a woman in STEM and a global citizen in general, I am passionate about tackling institutional biases and unfair treatment in academia. As part of the ISEE PDP, I worked closely with UH Hilo and the Akamai Workforce Initiative to foster STEM inclusitivity amonst Hawai'ian undergraduates. I hope to continue fostering community with the astronomers and citizens of Hawai'i, an important and sacred place which has given us invaluable astronomical insight but also calls upon us with kuleana (responsibility) to respect and learn about native culture and history in Hawai'i. Lastly, I was heavily involved in developing seminars for TAURUS, a former nine-week summer research program designed for URM undergraduates.

Astronomy on Tap

Astronomy on Tap is an international organization hosting astronomy-themed talks at local venues geared toward the public. Austin once boasted the most widely-attended chapter, where I co-hosted the monthly Astronomy in the News segment. I have given a couple talks on the magic of interferometry, available here. I have reclaimed my title as News Anchor at Tucson Space Drafts as well, so catch me every third Tuesday of the month!

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