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
    Constraining the formation of inner bars: photometry, kinematics and stellar populations in NGC 357
    Double-barred galaxies are common in the local Universe, with approximately one-third of barred spirals hosting a smaller, inner bar. Nested bars have been...
  • Publication
    Constraining the inner density slope of massive galaxy clusters
    We determine the inner density profiles of massive galaxy clusters (M 200 > 5 × 10 14 M ☉) in the Cluster-EAGLE (C-EAGLE) hydrodynamic simulations, and...
  • Publication
    Constraining the nature of high frequency peakers. II. Polarization properties
    Aims:The “bright” High Frequency Peakers (HFPs) sample is a mixture of blazars and intrinsically small and young radio sources. We investigate the polarimetric...
  • Publication
    Constraining very-high-energy and optical emission from FRB 121102 with the MAGIC telescopes
    Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright flashes observed typically at GHz frequencies with millisecond duration, whose origin is likely extragalactic. Their nature...
  • Publication
    Constraints on dark matter to dark radiation conversion in the late universe with DES-Y1 and external data
    We study a phenomenological class of models where dark matter converts to dark radiation in the low redshift epoch. This class of models, dubbed DMDR...
  • News
    Constraints on the in situ and ex situ stellar masses in nearby galaxies obtained with artificial intelligence
    The hierarchical model of galaxy evolution suggests that mergers have a substantial impact on the intricate processes that drive stellar assembly within a...
  • Grant
    Contribution of the IAC to space missions: Developments for SPICA and Athena, Herschel post-operations and multi-frequency scientific exploitation
    In the last two decades, Spain has built up strong IR and X-ray communities which have successfully contributed, at Co-I level, to the construction and to the...
  • Publication
    Coronal-line forest active galactic nuclei - I. Physical properties of the emission-line regions
    Coronal-line forest (CLiF) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are characterized by strong high-ionization lines, which contrasts with what is found in most AGNs...
  • Publication
    Cosmic Amorphous Dust Model as the Origin of Anomalous Microwave Emission
    We have shown that the thermal emission of the amorphous dust composed of amorphous silicate dust (a-Si) and amorphous carbon dust (a-C) provides an excellent...