Research Projects

Galaxies evolve within a complex, anisotropic network of filaments, sheets, voids, and clusters known as the Cosmic Web, a large-scale structure that governs the flow of matter and energy in the Universe. While considerable attention has been paid to internal processes such as supernova feedback, star formation thresholds, and AGN-driven outflows, the influence of cosmic web environment on these processes remains poorly understood. This project seeks to bridge that gap by addressing how a galaxy’s large-scale environment regulates its gas inflow and outflow rates, star formation efficiency, and AGN triggering mechanisms. One of the central problems we address is: Why do only a subset of galaxies with known AGN-favorable conditions (i.e., bulge and gas) host active nuclei? By incorporating both observations (from SDSS and JWST) and theoretical models (EAGLE and IllustrisTNG simulations), this project aims to isolate the role of the cosmic environment in governing AGN activity. We will explore whether environmental properties such as filament connectivity, gas phase structure, and interaction history contribute to the onset or suppression of black hole fueling, questions that remain unanswered in current literature. A major innovation of this proposal is its focus on the multi-phase gas structure across environments. Most existing studies treat cold molecular gas as the primary regulator of star formation. In contrast, we will assess how the relative abundance and transition between HI, H₂, and the elusive Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) differ across filaments, sheets, and voids, and how this affects a galaxy’s star-forming potential and AGN fueling capacity. To handle the high dimensionality and complex dependencies in galaxy properties, we will implement a machine learning-based statistical framework, combining principal component analysis (PCA) and mutual information measures. This will help us disentangle mass-driven trends from environment-specific signatures and uncover subtle correlations obscured in traditional analyses. We will also classify cosmic environments using a Hessian-based deformation tensor method, enabling robust spatial categorization of galaxies within the cosmic web. A particularly novel aspect of this work is the investigation of AGN feedback beyond host galaxies, including the role of Mpc-scale jets from radio-loud AGNs in modifying the gas content and star formation activity of neighbouring galaxies. We will examine whether jet–filament alignments and environmental IGM conditions affect how energy is deposited and propagated, with implications for both feedback models and early Universe structure formation. This integrative project thus tackles a fundamental question in astrophysics - how cosmic environment shapes the life cycles of galaxies and their central black holes by leveraging multi-wavelength data, state-of-the-art simulations, and advanced analytical methods. The outcomes are expected to significantly enhance our understanding of galaxy evolution and contribute essential tools and insights for future deep-field surveys and theoretical modeling efforts.