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.
  • Publication
    Stellar populations and physical properties of starbursts in the antennae galaxy from self-consistent modelling of MUSE spectra
    We have modelled the stellar and nebular continua and emission-line intensity ratios of massive stellar populations in the Antennae galaxy using high resolution...
  • Publication
    Stellar populations of bulges in 14 cluster disc galaxies
    Photometry and long-slit spectroscopy are presented for 14 S0 and spiral galaxies of the Fornax, Eridanus and Pegasus cluster, and NGC 7582 group. The...
  • Publication
    Stellar populations of galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey up to z ~ 1. I. MUFFIT: A multi-filter fitting code for stellar population diagnostics
    Aims: We present MUFFIT, a new generic code optimized to retrieve the main stellar population parameters of galaxies in photometric multi-filter surveys, and...
  • Publication
    Stellar populations of galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey up to z ̃ 1. II. Stellar content of quiescent galaxies within the dust-corrected stellar mass-colour and the UVJ colour-colour diagrams
    Aims: Our aim is to determine the distribution of stellar population parameters (extinction, age, metallicity, and star formation rates) of quiescent galaxies...
  • Publication
    Stellar populations of galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey up to z ̃ 1. III. The stellar content of the quiescent galaxy population during the last 8 Gyr
    Aims: We aim at constraining the stellar population properties of quiescent galaxies. These properties reveal how these galaxies evolved and assembled since z ̃...
  • Publication
    Stellar splashback: the edge of the intracluster light
    We examine the outskirts of galaxy clusters in the C-EAGLE simulations to quantify the 'edges' of the stellar and dark matter distribution. The radius of the...
  • Publication
    Strong lensing reveals jets in a sub-microJy radio-quiet quasar
    We present e-MERLIN and European VLBI Network observations which reveal unambiguous jet activity within radio-quiet quasar HS 0810+2554. With an intrinsic flux...
  • Publication
    Structural properties of disk galaxies. I. The intrinsic equatorial ellipticity of bulges
    Context: A variety of formation scenarios have been proposed to explain the diversity of properties observed in bulges. Studying their intrinsic shape can help...
  • Publication
    Structural properties of disk galaxies. II. Intrinsic shape of bulges
    Context. Knowledge of the intrinsic shapes of galaxy components provides crucial information when constraining phenomena driving their formation and evolution...