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
    A diffuse tidal dwarf galaxy destined to fade out as a "dark galaxy"
    We have explored the properties of a peculiar object detected in deep optical imaging and located at the tip of an H I tail emerging from Hickson Compact Group...
  • News
    A distance of 13 Mpc resolves the claimed anomalies of the galaxy lacking dark matter
    The claimed detection of a diffuse galaxy lacking dark matter represents a possible challenge to our understanding of the properties of these galaxies and...
  • Publication
    A distance of 13 Mpc resolves the claimed anomalies of the galaxy lacking dark matter
    The claimed detection of a diffuse galaxy lacking dark matter represents a possible challenge to our understanding of the properties of these galaxies and...
  • Publication
    A Duality in the Origin of Bulges and Spheroidal Galaxies
    Studying the resolved stellar populations of the different structural components that build massive galaxies directly unveils their assembly history. We aim at...
  • Publication
    A dust-obscured massive maximum-starburst galaxy at a redshift of 6.34
    Massive present-day early-type (elliptical and lenticular) galaxies probably gained the bulk of their stellar mass and heavy elements through intense, dust...
  • Publication
    A dusty star-forming galaxy at z = 6 revealed by strong gravitational lensing
    Since their discovery, submillimetre-selected galaxies1,2 have revolutionized the field of galaxy formation and evolution. From the hundreds of square degrees...
  • Publication
    A Far-infrared Spectroscopic Survey of Intermediate Redshift (Ultra) Luminous Infrared Galaxies
    We present Herschel far-IR photometry and spectroscopy as well as ground-based CO observations of an intermediate redshift (0.21 1 is already significant by z ~...
  • Publication
    A fast version of the k-means classification algorithm for astronomical applications
    Context. K-means is a clustering algorithm that has been used to classify large datasets in astronomical databases. It is an unsupervised method, able to cope...
  • Publication
    A feather on the hat: tracing the giant stellar stream around the Sombrero galaxy
    Recent evidence of extremely metal-rich stars found in the Sombrero galaxy (M104) halo suggests that this galaxy has undergone a recent major merger with a...