Quasars are some of the most luminous objects in the universe. Through analysis of quasar spectra, outflows of gas and dust can be identified by absorption troughs. Outflows that travel at speeds greater than 10% of the speed of light are known as Extremely High Velocity Outflows (EHVOs), and while there have been fewer studies compared to those at lower speeds, they might carry out large amounts of energy due to their higher speeds. The amount of gas in these outflows can be measured and studied through their CIV absorption troughs. However, in some cases, this absorption is contaminated by absorption of other ions at lower speeds. I have developed programming tools to analyze some of these complex EHVO absorption features. I will present the results of applying these techniques to two interesting cases: (1) one of the most luminous quasars in the universe and (2) the fastest known EHVO to date. My work improves the quality of EHVO analysis, resulting in more accurate measurements of absorption of these extreme outflows. This is crucial to obtain better estimates of mass outflow rates and kinetic energies in quasars, of which EHVOs might be some of the largest contributors.

Quasars, located at the centers of distant galaxies, are among the most luminous objects in the universe due to the accretion disks surrounding their central supermassive black holes. By analyzing their spectra, we can observe outflows launched from their accretion disks which grant us insight into their physical and chemical conditions. Some of these outflows, known as Extremely High Velocity Outflows or EHVOs, have been discovered traveling at speeds greater than 10% the speed of light. Due to their extreme speeds, EHVOs carry a significant amount of kinetic energy that could potentially be impacting their host galaxies by either enhancing or quenching their star formation. While outflows traveling at lower speeds have been well studied, there is still much to learn about EHVOs. My project focuses on uncovering the mechanisms that drive EHVOs and the conditions necessary to launch them at such high speeds. To achieve this, I am collaborating with a research team at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in a theoretical-observational partnership. They generate simulated spectral data of quasar winds using the Sirocco tool, adjusting quasar physical properties such as black hole mass to try and reproduce the conditions that generate EHVOs. We compare these results to observational data from the largest EHVO sample identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s 16th data release and provide feedback for refining theoretical inputs to better match the data. I will present the results from this work as well as what we have learned from this latest EHVO survey.

After the Mexican Revolution fought from 1910-1920, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) which dominated Mexican politics onwards, openly embraced mestizaje, an ideology rooted in the assimilation of Mexican citizens to produce a national identity. This marginalized Indigenous subjects while valorizing Mexico’s unique pre-hispanic heritage, a process that proved to be unsustainable in the wake of the 1994 Zapatista Uprising in Chiapas, which brought attention across Latin America to the struggle. Scholars have written on how the neighboring state of Oaxaca became divided on the struggle for Indigenous rights throughout the 1990s, while others have focused on the history of Oaxacan radicalism and resurgence in dissent politics present during the 2006 Oaxacan social movement to argue against narratives of defeat. My research examines Teotitlan del Valle, a Zapotec community in the central valleys of Oaxaca, throughout the twentieth century into the 2000s, in order to explore the roles played by Indigenous communities not explicitly involved in dissident politics. My work builds on cultural studies conducted in Indigenous Oaxaca which examine the unique versions of ethnicity and their purposes. I focus on translations of press coverage and Spanish-language advertisements from the period, along with an oral history interview I conducted with a citizen from Teotitlán del Valle to reexamine the definition and redefinition of the local identity, connecting it to the history of Oaxacan radicalism. I argue that, while Teotitlan’s elite took advantage of mestizaje and commodified the community’s local identity, regular citizens of Teotitlan have pushed against this process to different degrees with varying effects. In doing so, this research proposes that the Zapotec villages in the central valleys of Oaxaca, who are often left out in the history of Oaxacan radicalism and it’s resurgence in 2006, are a central component to understanding the strengths and limitations of Oaxacan radicalism.