Lines of research: Formation & Evolution of Galaxies (FYEG)

Formation & Evolution of Galaxies (FYEG)

Galaxies are formed progressively through a complex combination of gas accretion, star formation and merger processes with other galaxies. The aim of the Galaxy Formation & Evolution research line is to unveil the physical mechanisms responsible for the most significant transformations in these objects. The research team that makes up the research line is strongly involved in the development of forefront instrumentation (EMIR, FRIDA, GTCAO, HARMONI, OSIRIS, WEAVE) and has an important role in the scientific exploitation and  development of international projects (SDSS, EUCLID, LSST) for the study of the formation and evolution of galaxies.

 
The line stands out for studies on the three-dimensional structure of the Milky Way (including its system of globular clusters and satellite galaxies), the characterisation of stellar populations and dynamics of nearby galaxies, the cycle of activity of supermassive black holes at the centres of  galaxies, the conditions of the interstellar medium in the first galaxies, and the role of dark matter in their evolution. Besides, thanks to the recently created simulations group, we also aim to relate observations with theory by means of numerical models over cosmological volumes and thus obtain predictions for future observations.
  • News
    Rapid quasi-periodic oscillations in a relativistic jet
    Active galactic nuclei (AGN) consist of a supermassive black hole fed by the circumnuclear material close to the galaxy center. Around 10% of the AGNs develop a...
  • Publication
    Rapid quasi-periodic oscillations in the relativistic jet of BL Lacertae
    Blazars are active galactic nuclei (AGN) with relativistic jets whose non-thermal radiation is extremely variable on various timescales 1-3. This variability...
  • Publication
    Rates and delay times of Type Ia supernovae in the Dark Energy Survey
    We use a sample of 809 photometrically classified Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the Dark Energy Survey (DES) along with 40 415 field galaxies to...
  • Publication
    Reconstructing the Stellar Mass Distributions of Galaxies Using S4G IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 μm Images. I. Correcting for Contamination by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Hot Dust, and Intermediate-age Stars
    With the aim of constructing accurate two-dimensional maps of the stellar mass distribution in nearby galaxies from Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in...
  • Publication
    Reconstructing the Stellar Mass Distributions of Galaxies Using S4G IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 μm Images. II. The Conversion from Light to Mass
    We present a new approach for estimating the 3.6 μm stellar mass-to-light (M/L) ratio Upsilon3.6 in terms of the [3.6]-[4.5] colors of old stellar populations...
  • Publication
    Recovering Age-Metallicity Distributions from Integrated Spectra: Validation with MUSE Data of a Nearby Nuclear Star Cluster
    Current instruments and spectral analysis programs are now able to decompose the integrated spectrum of a stellar system into distributions of ages and...
  • News
    Red nuggets at the center of nearby galaxies
    The “Lambda Cold Dark Matter” (CDM) cosmological model is the current theory credited for reproducing the physics responsible for the formation and evolution of...
  • Publication
    Red, redder, reddest: SCUBA-2 imaging of colour-selected Herschel sources
    High-redshift, luminous, dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) constrain the extremity of galaxy formation theories. The most extreme are discovered through...
  • Publication
    Redshift Determination and CO Line Excitation Modeling for the Multiply Lensed Galaxy HLSW-01
    We report on the redshift measurement and CO line excitation of HERMES J105751.1+573027 (HLSW-01), a strongly lensed submillimeter galaxy discovered in Herschel...