Institute for Advanced Study Informal Astrophysics Seminar

Recent observational and theoretical studies indicate that galaxy luminosities and stellar masses are tightly correlated with the masses of their dark matter halo hosts. This allows one to infer the connection between galaxies and their associated dark matter halos and provides a powerful approach to understanding galaxy clustering and other statistics of the galaxy distribution. Based on this connection, I will present a model for understanding how halo masses, galaxy stellar masses, and star formation rates are related, and how these relations evolve with time. I will highlight current uncertainties as well as implications for galaxy formation, including for galaxies at the lowest and highest masses.