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
    Kinematic Analysis of the Double-Barred Galaxy NGC 357
    We present a kinematic analysis of the double-barred early-type galaxy NGC 357. The radial velocity and velocity dispersion profiles along both the nuclear bar...
  • Publication
    Kinematic Clues to Bar Evolution for Galaxies in the Local Universe: Why the Fastest Rotating Bars are Rotating Most Slowly
    We have used Spitzer images of a sample of 68 barred spiral galaxies in the local universe to make systematic measurements of bar length and bar strength. We...
  • Publication
    Kinematic signatures of nuclear discs and bar-driven secular evolution in nearby galaxies of the MUSE TIMER project
    The central regions of disc galaxies hold clues to the processes that dominate their formation and evolution. To exploit this, the TIMER project has obtained...
  • Project
    Kinematic, Structural and Composition Studies of the Interstellar and Intergalactic Media
    The basic objective of the broject is to investigate the evolution of galaxies by deepening our understanding of the interaction between the insterstellar...
  • Publication
    Kinematics and stellar populations of the double-barred early-type galaxy NGC357
    We have carried out a kinematical and stellar population analysis of the double-barred galaxy NGC357 to provide a more complete characterization of these...
  • Publication
    Kinematics of Arp 270: gas flows, nuclear activity and two regimes of star formation
    We have observed the Arp 270 system (NGC 3395 and NGC 3396) in Hα emission using the Galaxy Hα Fabry-Perot spectrometer on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope...
  • Publication
    Kinematics of Extremely Metal-poor Galaxies: Evidence for Stellar Feedback
    The extremely metal-poor (XMP) galaxies analyzed in a previous paper have large star-forming regions with a metallicity lower than the rest of the galaxy. Such...
  • Publication
    Kinematics of the ionized and molecular gas in nearby luminous infrared interacting galaxies
    We have observed three luminous infrared galaxy systems which are pairs of interacting galaxies, with the Galaxy Hα Fabry-Perot system mounted on the 4.2 m...
  • News
    La Palma telescopes participate in the discovery of a young blazar produced by the merger of two galaxies
    An international team of scientists has obtained the first unequivocal detection of a very high speed jet of matter emitted by a galaxy in the process of...