The End of Star Formation

Event Type

Conference/Workshop

Sponsor

NSF, AUI, NRAO, NAASC, Royal Astronomical Society

Location

National Center for Supercomputing Applications

Date

Mar 2, 2026 - Mar 6, 2026   All Day

Contact

Decker French

E-Mail

deckerkf@illinois.edu

Views

5

Scientific Rationale

Galaxy merging is a central prediction of the ΛCDM paradigm, and has the potential to drive rapid changes in galaxy properties. Most importantly, mergers have the potential to both rapidly enhance and then rapidly halt – or "quench" – star formation in the remnant. In this conference, we will bring together members of the astrophysical community studying the merger-driven rapid quenching of star formation in galaxies, from the nearby universe to high-redshift. We aim to address the following key questions: 

1. What are the main mechanisms for rapid quenching and what are its signatures? 

2. How is rapid quenching related to morphological change and the buildup of central black holes? 

3. What are the big open questions regarding the physics of rapid quenching? 

4. What is the influence of AGN throughout the quenching phase?

5. What have we learned in the last several years (with e.g., JWST, ALMA, new cosmological simulations, etc.) and how will upcoming facilities progress our understanding of rapid galaxy quenching? 

The idea of this meeting is to bring together observers, with experience at all wavelengths, and theorists working on rapid quenching at any simulation scale. With a focus on discussion and model–observation comparison, we aim to identify the biggest open questions on how and why galaxies quench, and collaboratively discuss which areas are most critical for advancement. 

Abstracts & Registration

Update: Abstract submission deadline extended to November 22, 2025. Additional funding for travel support now available. 

Abstract submission (due November 22): https://forms.gle/rJeKzVTMpn7HYUmP6

We anticipate providing decisions on accepted abstracts around December 15th.

Registration will open in December, with an anticipated deadline of late January.