Research

Research Interests: Cosmology -- Galaxy Formation, Dwarf Galaxies in Hydrodynamic Simulations -- HI gas kinematics, galaxy-halo connection

I'm interested in how galaxies grow and evolve as dark matter and gas influence each other. Dwarf galaxies are more sensitive to gas processes because of their low masses, so they are the perfect laboratories to explore this! HI is the most abundant gas in the ISM, and extends further out than stars in galaxies. My research focuses on the galaxy-halo connection through HI observables. From simulated dwarf galaxies, I generate HI rotation curves, velocity moment maps, emission profiles, and velocity dispersions to compare with observations. My advisor is Dr. Alyson Brooks, and I am part of the N-Body Shop Collaboration which makes astrophysical simulations with the code Gasoline and ChaNGa.

Software/packages that I have worked with: Pynbody, TIPSY, MARTINI, pyBBAROLO, emcee, GALA, lensmodel, pyGRAVLENS, AIPS

Publications

Here's a list of my publications on ADS, and here are some of my selected publications:

  1. "Velocity definitions, potential definitions, and sensitivity influence the turndown in the baryonic Tully Fisher Relationship", D. Ruan, A. Brooks, in prep.
  2. "Statistical bias in the Hubble constant and mass power law slope with galaxy-scale mock lenses" D. Ruan , C. Keeton, 2023, arXiV e-prints
  3. "Discovery of a pulsar wind nebula around B0950 + 08 with the ELWA" D. Ruan , G. B. Taylor, J. Dowell, K. Stovall, F. K. Schinzel, P. B. Demorest, 2020, MNRAS, arXiv:2005.03303

Education/Institutions

(2020-2026) Rutgers University, Ph.D. program in Dept of Physics and Astronomy
(2018) National Radio Astronomy Observatory, REU student
(2016-2020) University of New Mexico, B.S. in Astrophysics

About Me - Dilys Ruan

Second-generation Chinese-American || she/her || my name is pronounced like "D"+"Elise". I was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'm an organizer in Rutgers AAUP-AFT union, and a member of the Minorities in Physics and Astronomy (MiPA) group.

Random things I'd like to share.

Toph

This is my pet turtle, Toph. She's a sassy red-eared slider.

Groundhogs at Rutgers

At Rutgers, Busch campus is known for its many wildlife sightings of deer, hawks, and (notoriously) geese, but groundhogs too!

2023 Annular Eclipse

What are the chances that an annular eclipse happens at the same time as NM's hot air balloon fiesta?! I took these photos with my phone and solar glasses over the lens, and surprisingly they came out okay!

Deserts are cool

If you're ever in Albuquerque, NM, look east and you'll see the Sandia Mountains!