Tracing the Escapers: Recomputing the orbits of Very Metal-Poor Stars in the Milky Way Using updated Gaia data

Very metal-poor stars hold significant importance as they serve as fossils of the early Universe, providing crucial insights into the formation and evolution of the Milky Way. Studying their orbits helps us unravel the Galaxy’s accretion events and interactions with smaller systems. However, some of these stars were identified as unbound, meaning they are escaping the gravitational pull of the Milky Way, offering a unique opportunity to study extreme dynamical processes. 

This project aims to re-compute the orbits of these unbound stars using updated Gaia astrometric data and advanced tools like Galpy and Agama. By comparing the influence of updated astrometric information and varying numerical methods, the student will analyze the orbits and better understand the nature and origins of these escaping stars. This work will shed light on the dynamics and distribution of very metal-poor stars and their role in the Milky Way’s evolution.

Image: Multiple realisations of the orbit of an unbound metal-poor star

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