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 high fidelity Milky Way simulation with Kraken, Gaia-Enceladus, and Sequoia analogues: clues to their accretion histories
    Within a simulated Milky Way-like galaxy, we identify and analyse analogues of the Gaia-Enceladus (GE), Kraken, and Sequoia mergers that each matches remarkably...
  • Publication
    A high-resolution investigation of the multiphase ISM in a galaxy during the first two billion years
    We have carried out the first spatially resolved investigation of the multiphase interstellar medium (ISM) at high redshift, using the z = 4.24 strongly lensed...
  • News
    A huge stream of stars is discovered in the Coma cluster
    An international team of scientists, with participation by researchers at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has discovered a very large, but thin...
  • News
    A huge superbubble observed in an interacting galaxy
    Research led by Artemi Camps, who started it while he was studying for his doctorate in the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and the University of La Laguna...
  • Publication
    A hyperluminous obscured quasar at a redshift of z ≍ 4.3
    In this work we report the discovery of the hyperluminous galaxy HELP_J100156.75 + 022344.7 at a photometric redshift of $z$ ≍ 4.3. The galaxy was discovered in...
  • Publication
    A joint XMM-NuSTAR observation of the galaxy cluster Abell 523: Constraints on inverse Compton emission
    Aims: We present the results of a joint XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observation (200 ks) of the galaxy cluster Abell 523 at z = 0.104. The peculiar morphology of the...
  • Publication
    A KMOS survey of the nuclear disk of the Milky Way. I. Survey design and metallicities
    Context. In the central few degrees of the bulge of the Milky Way there is a flattened structure of gas, dust, and stars, known as the central molecular zone...
  • Publication
    A Ks-band-selected catalogue of objects in the ALHAMBRA survey
    The original ALHAMBRA catalogue contained over 400 000 galaxies selected using a synthetic F814W image, to the magnitude limit AB(F814W) ≈ 24.5. Given the...
  • News
    A large tidal stream observed in the Sombrero galaxy
    According to the latest cosmological models, large spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way grew by absorbing smaller galaxies, by a sort of galactic cannibalism...