Slater Jones Oden

Physics PhD Candidate

MSU Physics Webpage

Welcome!

I am currently a Physics PhD candidate at Montana State University (MSU) working with Dr. David Nidever. Broadly, I study the kinematics, chemistry and structural morphology of giant stellar populations of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC/SMC).

Dr. David Nidever's Webpage

Please explore my research website to learn more about me and the research that I do.

General Research Overview

My research focuses on the morphology, kinematics, star formation history, and assembly history of the Magellanic Clouds (MCs), with particular emphasis on their outer periphery and low-surface-brightness substructures. Using resolved stellar populations, I combine photometric, spectroscopic, and astrometric datasets to construct the full 6D observable phase space of individual stars. This enables the identification of dynamically perturbed structures and facilitates direct comparison with numerical simulations, providing constraints on the orbital history and dynamical evolution of the MC system. In parallel, I utilize deep photometric data from DELVE-MC to derive spatially resolved star formation histories, allowing me to link observed structural and kinematic features to specific epochs of interaction between the Magellanic Clouds.

Data

I utilize a combination of photometric, spectroscopic, and astrometric datasets for my research. The photometry I use comes from the DECam Local Volume Exploration Magellanic Clouds (DELVE-MC), the MAgellanic Periphery Survey (MAPS; Nidever et al. 2011; Majewski et al. 2009) and the Gaia space telescope (Gaia Collaboration 2023 ). The spectroscopic surveys I use include the on-going Sloan Digital Sky Survey - V Magellanic Genesis Survey (SDSS-V MGS; Nidever in prep) and the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE; Majewski et al. 2017). These surveys primarily work in the optical/near-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing the derivation of radial velocities and metallicities from stellar spectra. I additionally use the expansize astrometric data set from Gaia to help select Magellanic members and map the 3D kinematics of stellar populations in the LMC, essential for studying the galaxy's dynamic history.

Check out my PhD comprehensive exam paper (2024) for a more complete introduction to my research and two specific projects I am currently working on. comp paper

Check out my recent paper on the distances and morphology of the Magellanic Clouds using their giant red clump stellar populations. ArXiv Identifier: 2512.04200

Research Interests