Start year
2006
Organizational Unit
Organizing institutions
Grants related:
General
Description
Welcome to the Traces of Galaxy Formation research group website.
We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.
A complex star formation history, as the one expected to describe galaxy evolution, needs a multidisciplinary approach to be fully understood. Our group at the IAC consists of experienced researchers in cosmological simulations, dynamical studies, stellar populations and morphological properties of galaxies up to high redshift. We combine different approaches (e.g. observations and theory, secular and cosmological evolution studies) to obtain a complete view of the dominant mechanisms driving the evolution of galaxies.
Within this general framework, we are currently exploring three main areas of research:
- Stellar population synthesis models
- Development of new stellar population synthesis models
- Stellar population analysis tools
- Universality of the stellar initial mass function (IMF)
- Cosmic evolution of galaxies
- Massive galaxy evolution
- Stellar populations in different environments
- Low surface brightness science
- Machine learning and cosmological simulations
- Evolutionary processes in nearby galaxies
- The role of black holes in the evolution of galaxies
- Surveys of nearby galaxies
- Stellar kinematics and dynamical models
If you want to get in contact or work with us, please send an email to the head of the group (Ignacio Martín-Navarro ignacio.martin [at] iac.es (ignacio[dot]martin[at]iac[dot]es)).
Members
Principal investigator
Ignacio
Martín Navarro
Project staff
Ignacio
Trujillo Cabrera
Alexandre
Vazdekis Vazdekis
Ignacio Alfonso
Ferreras Páez
Jesús
Falcón Barroso
Marc
Huertas-Portocarrero Company
Adriana de
Lorenzo-Cáceres Rodríguez
Anna
Ferré Mateu
Mireia
Montes Quiles
Regina
Sarmiento
Iveth Adaena
Gaspar Gorostieta
Eirini
Angeloudi
Giulia
Golini
Laura Elizabeth
Scholz Díaz
Pablo
Rodríguez Beltrán
Results
Here you can find some of our most recent highlights:
- Local variations of the stellar velocity ellipsoid - II. The effect of the bar in the inner regions of Auriga galaxies. Walo et al. 2022, MNRAS (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022MNRAS.513.4587W)
- Anisotropic satellite galaxy quenching modulated by black hole activity. Martín-Navarro et al. 2021, Nature (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021Natur.594..187M)
- Evaluating hydrodynamical simulations with green valley galaxies. Angthopo et al. 2021, MNRAS (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021MNRAS.502.3685A)
- Sub one per cent mass fractions of young stars in red massive galaxies. Salvador-Rusiñol et al. 2020, Nature Astronomy (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020NatAs...4..252S)
- Detection of young stellar populations in apparently quenched low-mass galaxies using red spectral line indices. de Lorenzo-Cáceres et al. 2020, MNRAS (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020MNRAS.498.1002D)
Scientific activity
Related publications
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Transfer learning for galaxy morphology from one survey to anotherDeep learning (DL) algorithms for morphological classification of galaxies have proven very successful, mimicking (or even improving) visual classifications. However, these algorithms rely on large training samples of labelled galaxies (typically thousands of them). A key question for using DL classifications in future Big Data surveys is how muchWalker, A. R. et al.
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32019 -
Impact of metallicity and star formation rate on the time-dependent, galaxy-wide stellar initial mass functionThe stellar initial mass function (IMF) is commonly assumed to be an invariant probability density distribution function of initial stellar masses. These initial stellar masses are generally represented by the canonical IMF, which is defined as the result of one star formation event in an embedded cluster. As a consequence, the galaxy-wide IMFJeřábková, T. et al.
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112018 -
Mirach's Goblin: Discovery of a dwarf spheroidal galaxy behind the Andromeda galaxyContext. It is of broad interest for galaxy formation theory to carry out a full inventory of the numbers and properties of dwarf galaxies, both satellite and isolated, in the Local Volume. Aims: Ultra-deep imaging in wide areas of the sky with small amateur telescopes can help to complete the census of these hitherto unknown low-surface-brightnessMartínez-Delgado, David et al.
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122018 -
MEGARA, the R=6000-20000 IFU and MOS of GTCMEGARA is the new generation IFU and MOS optical spectrograph built for the 10.4m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC). The project was developed by a consortium led by UCM (Spain) that also includes INAOE (Mexico), IAA-CSIC (Spain) and UPM (Spain). The instrument arrived to GTC on March 28th 2017 and was successfully integrated and commissioned at theCarrasco, E. et al.
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72018 -
The first sample of spectroscopically confirmed ultra-compact massive galaxies in the Kilo Degree SurveyWe present results from an ongoing investigation using the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) on the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) to provide a census of ultra-compact massive galaxies (UCMGs), defined as galaxies with stellar masses {M_{\star }}> 8 × 10^{10} { M_⊙} and effective radii {R_e} 1.5 kpc. UCMGs, which are expected to have undergone very few mergerTortora, C. et al.
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122018 -
The IAC Stripe82 Legacy Survey: Improved Sky-rectified ImagesThe IAC Stripe 82 Legacy Survey is a new co-addition of the SDSS Stripe 82 data (Abazajian et al. 2009), especially reduced to preserve the faintest surface brightness features of this data set. The survey maps a 2.5 degree wide stripe along the Celestial Equator in the Southern Galactic Cap (-50$^{\circ}$ $Román, J. et al.
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82018 -
Fornax3D project: Overall goals, galaxy sample, MUSE data analysis, and initial resultsThe Fornax cluster provides a uniquely compact laboratory in which to study the detailed history of early-type galaxies and the role played by the environment in driving their evolution and their transformation from late-type galaxies. Using the superb capabilities of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer on the Very Large Telescope, high-qualitySarzi, M. et al.
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82018 -
Integrated-light analyses vs. colour-magnitude diagrams. II. Leo A: an extremely young dwarf in the Local GroupContext. Most of our knowledge of the stellar component of galaxies is based on the analysis of distant systems and comes from integrated light data. It is important to test whether the results of the star formation histories (SFH) obtained with standard full-spectrum fitting methods are in agreement with those obtained through colour-magnitudeRuiz-Lara, T. et al.
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92018 -
Shocked POststarburst Galaxy Survey. III. The Ultraviolet Properties of SPOGsThe Shocked POststarburst Galaxy Survey (SPOGS) aims to identify galaxies in the transitional phase between actively star-forming and quiescence with nebular lines that are excited from shocks rather than star formation processes. We explored the ultraviolet (UV) properties of objects with near-ultraviolet (NUV) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) photometryArdila, F. et al.
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82018 -
On the shape and evolution of a cosmic-ray-regulated galaxy-wide stellar initial mass functionIn this paper, we present a new derivation of the shape and evolution of the integrated galaxy-wide initial mass function (IGIMF), incorporating explicitly the effects of cosmic rays (CRs) as regulators of the chemical and thermal state of the gas in the dense cores of molecular clouds. We predict the shape of the IGIMF as a function of starFontanot, F. et al.
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102018 -
Stellar feedback and the energy budget of late-type Galaxies: missing baryons and core creationIn a ΛCDM cosmology, galaxy formation is a globally inefficient process: it is often the case that far fewer baryons are observed in galaxy discs than expected from the cosmic baryon fraction. The location of these `missing baryons' is unclear. By fitting halo profiles to the rotation curves of galaxies in the SPARC data set, we measure theKatz, H. et al.
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112018 -
CLUES about M33: the reversed radial stellar age gradient in the outskirts of Triangulum galaxyHST/ACS observations along the major axis of M33 show that the mean age of its stars decreases with increasing distance from the galaxy centre. Such a behaviour is consistent with an inside-out growth of the disc. However, in the outermost observed field, at r ≃ 11.6 kpc, a reversal of this gradient is detected, with old stars found in highMostoghiu, R. et al.
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112018 -
The intrinsic three-dimensional shape of galactic barsWe present the first statistical study on the intrinsic three-dimensional (3D) shape of a sample of 83 galactic bars extracted from the CALIFA survey. We use the galaXYZ code to derive the bar intrinsic shape with a statistical approach. The method uses only the geometric information (ellipticities and position angles) of bars and discs obtainedMéndez-Abreu, J. et al.
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92018 -
On the early evolution of Local Group dwarf galaxy types: star formation and supernova feedbackAccording to star formation histories (SFHs), Local Group dwarf galaxies can be broadly classified in two types: those forming most of their stars before z = 2 (fast) and those with more extended SFHs (slow). The most precise SFHs are usually derived from deep but not very spatially extended photometric data; this might alter the ratio of old toBermejo-Climent, J. R. et al.
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92018 -
Impact of young stellar components on quiescent galaxies: deconstructing cosmic chronometersContext. Cosmic chronometers may be used to measure the age difference between passively evolving galaxy populations to calculate the Hubble parameter H(z) as a function of redshift z. The age estimator emerges from the relationship between the amplitude of the rest frame Balmer break at 4000 Å and the age of a galaxy, assuming that there is oneLópez-Corredoira, M. et al.
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72018 -
Evolution of the anti-truncated stellar profiles of S0 galaxies since z = 0.6 in the SHARDS survey. II. Structural and photometric evolutionContext. Anti-truncated lenticular galaxies (Type-III S0s) present tight scaling relations between their surface brightness photometric and structural parameters. Although several evolutionary models have been proposed for the formation of these structures, the observations of Type-III S0 galaxies are usually limited to the local Universe. Aims: WeBorlaff, A. et al.
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72018 -
Spectroscopic characterization of the stellar content of ultra-diffuse galaxiesUnderstanding the peculiar properties of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) via spectroscopic analysis is a challenging task requiring very deep observations and exquisite data reduction. In this work, we perform one of the most complete characterizations of the stellar component of UDGs to date using deep optical spectroscopic data from OSIRIS at GranRuiz-Lara, T. et al.
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82018 -
A quartet of black holes and a missing duo: probing the low end of the MBH-σ relation with the adaptive optics assisted integral-field spectroscopyWe present mass estimates of supermassive black holes in six nearby fast rotating early-type galaxies (NGC 4339, NGC 4434, NGC 4474, NGC 4551, NGC 4578, and NGC 4762) with effective stellar velocity dispersion around 100 km s-1. We use near-infrared laser-guide adaptive optics observations with the GEMINI/NIFS to derive stellar kinematics in theKrajnović, D. et al.
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72018 -
MUSE observations of the counter-rotating nuclear ring in NGC 7742Aims: We present results from MUSE observations of the nearly face-on disk galaxy NGC 7742. This galaxy hosts a spectacular nuclear ring of enhanced star formation, which is unusual in that it is hosted by a non-barred galaxy, and because this star formation is most likely fuelled by externally accreted gas that counter-rotates with respect to itsMartinsson, T. P. K. et al.
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42018 -
The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the Second Phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution ExperimentThe fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since 2014 July. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the 14th from SDSS overall (making this Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes the data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (2014–2016 July) publicAbolfathi, B. et al.
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42018
