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.
  • Talk
    The Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter telescope (AtLAST) design study
    Astrophysical observations at (sub)mm wavelengths (from ~300 micron to ~3mm) allow us to study the cold and dense material in the Universe, hence probing the...
  • Publication
    The Aurora radiation-hydrodynamical simulations of reionization: calibration and first results
    We introduce a new suite of radiation-hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation and reionization called Aurora. The Aurora simulations make use of a...
  • Publication
    The awakening of BL Lacertae: observations by Fermi, Swift and the GASP-WEBT
    Since the launch of the Fermi satellite, BL Lacertae has been moderately active at γ-rays and optical frequencies until 2011 May, when the source started a...
  • Publication
    The BaLROG project - I. Quantifying the influence of bars on the kinematics of nearby galaxies
    We present the BaLROG (Bars in Low Redshift Optical Galaxies) sample of 16 morphologically distinct barred spirals to characterize observationally the influence...
  • Publication
    The bar rotation rate as a diagnostic of dark matter content in the centre of disc galaxies
    We investigate the link between the bar rotation rate and dark matter content in barred galaxies by concentrating on the cases of the lenticular galaxies NGC...
  • Publication
    The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey of SDSS-III
    The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) is designed to measure the scale of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the clustering of matter over a...
  • Publication
    The Baryonic Tully-Fisher Relationship for S4G Galaxies and the "Condensed" Baryon Fraction of Galaxies
    We combine data from the Spitzer Survey for Stellar Structure in Galaxies, a recently calibrated empirical stellar mass estimator from Eskew et al., and an...
  • Publication
    The beamed jet and quasar core of the distant blazar 4C 71.07
    The object 4C 71.07 is a high-redshift blazar whose spectral energy distribution shows a prominent big blue bump and a strong Compton dominance. We present the...
  • Publication
    The bifurcated age-metallicity relation of Milky Way globular clusters and its implications for the accretion history of the galaxy
    We use recently derived ages for 61 Milky Way (MW) globular clusters (GCs) to show that their age-metallicity relation (AMR) can be divided into two distinct...