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
-
Evolution along the sequence of S0 Hubble types induced by dry minor mergers. II. Bulge-disk coupling in the photometric relations through merger-induced internal secular evolutionContext. Galaxy mergers are widely discussed as one possible evolution mechanism for lenticular galaxies (S0s), because even minor mergers induce structural changes that are difficult to reconcile with the strong bulge-disk coupling observed in the photometric scaling relations of these galaxies. Aims: We check if the evolution induced onto S0s byPrieto, M. et al.
Advertised on:
42013 -
Virgo cluster and field dwarf ellipticals in 3D - I. On the variety of stellar kinematic and line-strength propertiesWe present the first large-scale stellar kinematic and line-strength maps for dwarf elliptical galaxies (nine in the Virgo cluster and three in the field environment) obtained with the SAURON (Spectrographic Areal Unit for Research on Optical Nebulae) integral-field unit. No two galaxies in our sample are alike: we see that the level of rotation isvan de Ven, Glenn et al.
Advertised on:
22013 -
Characterizing the satellites of massive galaxies up to z ˜ 2: young populations to build the outskirts of nearby massive galaxiesThe accretion of minor satellites is currently proposed as the most likely mechanism to explain the significant size evolution of the massive galaxies during the last ˜10 Gyr. In this paper, we investigate the rest-frame colours and the average stellar ages of satellites found around massive galaxies (Mstar ˜ 1011 M&sun;) since z ˜ 2. We find thatBarro, G. et al.
Advertised on:
22013 -
Systematic variation of the stellar initial mass function with velocity dispersion in early-type galaxiesAn essential component of galaxy formation theory is the stellar initial mass function (IMF) that describes the parent distribution of stellar mass in star-forming regions. We present observational evidence in a sample of early-type galaxies (ETGs) of a tight correlation between central velocity dispersion and the strength of several absorptionRicciardelli, Elena et al.
Advertised on:
22013 -
Hα kinematics of S4G spiral galaxies - I. NGC 864We present a study of the kinematics of the isolated spiral galaxy NGC 864, using Hα Fabry-Perot data obtained with the Galaxy Hα Fabry-Perot System (GHαFaS) instrument at the William Herschel Telescope in La Palma, complemented with images at 3.6 μm, in the R band and in Hα filter, and integral-field spectroscopic data. The resulting data cubesSeibert, Mark et al.
Advertised on:
122012 -
The cosmic evolution of oxygen and nitrogen abundances in star-forming galaxies over the past 10 GyrAims: The chemical evolution of galaxies on a cosmological timescale is still a matter of debate despite the increasing number of available data provided by spectroscopic surveys of star-forming galaxies at different redshifts. The fundamental relations involving metallicity, such as the mass - metallicity relation (MZR) or the fundamentalZamorani, G. et al.
Advertised on:
12013 -
CALIFA, the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area survey. II. First public data releaseWe present the first public data release (DR1) of the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey. It consists of science-grade optical datacubes for the first 100 of eventually 600 nearby (0.005 z 0.03) galaxies, obtained with the integral-field spectrograph PMAS/PPak mounted on the 3.5 m telescope at the Calar Alto observatory. TheZiegler, B. et al.
Advertised on:
12013 -
SHARDS: An Optical Spectro-photometric Survey of Distant GalaxiesWe present the Survey for High-z Absorption Red and Dead Sources (SHARDS), an ESO/GTC Large Program carried out using the OSIRIS instrument on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). SHARDS is an ultra-deep optical spectro-photometric survey of the GOODS-N field covering 130 arcmin2 at wavelengths between 500 and 950 nm with 24 contiguous mediumZamorano, Jaime et al.
Advertised on:
12013 -
Evolutionary paths among different red galaxy types at 0.3 < z < 1.5 and the late buildup of massive E-S0s through major mergersSome recent observations seem to disagree with hierarchical theories of galaxy formation about the role played by major mergers in the late buildup of massive E-S0s. We re-address this question by analysing the morphology, structural distortion level and star formation enhancement of a sample of massive galaxies (M* > 5 × 1010 M&sun;) lying on theZamorano, Jaime et al.
Advertised on:
12013 -
Early-type galaxies have been the predominant morphological class for massive galaxies since only z ˜ 1Present-day massive galaxies are composed mostly of early-type objects. It is unknown whether this was also the case at higher redshifts. In a hierarchical assembling scenario the morphological content of the massive population is expected to change with time from disc-like objects in the early Universe to spheroid-like galaxies at present. In thisConselice, Christopher J. et al.
Advertised on:
12013 -
Formation and evolution of dwarf early-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster. II. Kinematic scaling relationsWe place our sample of 18 Virgo dwarf early-type galaxies (dEs) on the (V - K)e-velocity dispersion, Faber-Jackson, and fundamental plane (FP) scaling relations for massive early-type galaxies (Es). We use a generalized velocity dispersion, which includes rotation, to be able to compare the location of both rotationally and pressure supported dEsToloba, E. et al.
Advertised on:
122012 -
A unified picture of breaks and truncations in spiral galaxies from SDSS and S4G imagingThe mechanism causing breaks in the radial surface-brightness distribution of spiral galaxies is not yet well known. Despite theoretical efforts, there is not a unique explanation for these features and the observational results are not conclusive. In an attempt to address this problem, we have selected a sample of 34 highly inclined spiralSeibert, Mark et al.
Advertised on:
122012 -
The chemical evolution of globular clusters - I. Reactive elements and non-metalsWe propose a new chemical evolution model aimed at explaining the chemical properties of globular clusters (GCs) stars. Our model depends upon the existence of (i) a peculiar pre-enrichment phase in the GC's parent galaxy associated with very low-metallicity Type II supernovae (SNe II) and (ii) localized inhomogeneous enrichment from a single TypeSánchez-Blázquez, P. et al.
Advertised on:
52009 -
Spectroscopic hint of a cold stream in the direction of the globular cluster NGC 1851We present the results of a spectroscopic survey performed in the outskirts of the globular cluster NGC 1851 with VIsible MultiObject Spectrograph (VIMOS)/Very Large Telescope (VLT). The radial velocities of 107 stars in a region between 12 and 33 arcmin around the cluster have been derived. We clearly identify the cluster stellar population overSollima, A. et al.
Advertised on:
102012 -
Evolution along the sequence of S0 Hubble types induced by dry minor mergers. I. Global bulge-to-disk structural relationsContext. Recent studies have argued that galaxy mergers are not important drivers for the evolution of S0's, on the basis that mergers cannot preserve the coupling between the bulge and disk scale-lengths observed in these galaxies and the lack of correlation of their ratio with the S0 Hubble type. However, about 70% of present-day S0's reside inEliche-Moral, M. C. et al.
Advertised on:
112012 -
The dominant role of mergers in the size evolution of massive early-type galaxies since z ~ 1Aims: The role of galaxy mergers in massive galaxy evolution, and in particular to mass assembly and size growth, remains an open question. In this paper we measure the merger fraction and rate, both minor and major, of massive early-type galaxies (M ⋆ ≥ 1011 M&sun;) in the COSMOS field, and study their role in mass and size evolution. Methods: WeLópez-Sanjuan, C. et al.
Advertised on:
122012 -
Gemini/GMOS spectroscopy of the spheroid and globular cluster system of NGC 3923We present a technique to extract ultra-deep diffuse-light spectra from the standard multi-object spectroscopic observations used to investigate extragalactic globular cluster (GC) systems. This technique allows a clean extraction of the spectrum of the host galaxy diffuse light from the same slitlets as the GC targets. We show the utility of theNorris, Mark A. et al.
Advertised on:
32008 -
Extending the baseline: Spitzer mid-infrared photometry of globular cluster systems in the Centaurus A and Sombrero GalaxiesSpitzer IR Array Camera (IRAC) mid-infrared photometry is presented for the globular cluster (GC) systems of the NGC 5128 (`Centaurus A') and NGC 4594 (`Sombrero') galaxies. Existing optical photometric and spectroscopic are combined with this new data in a comprehensive optical-to-mid-IR colour catalogue of 260 GCs. Empirical colour-metallicitySpitler, Lee R. et al.
Advertised on:
92008 -
A 2dF spectroscopic study of globular clusters in NGC 5128: probing the formation history of the nearest giant ellipticalWe have performed a spectroscopic study of globular clusters (GCs) in the nearest giant elliptical NGC 5128 using the 2dF facility at the Anglo-Australian Telescope. We obtained integrated optical spectra for a total of 254 GCs, 79 of which are newly confirmed on the basis of their radial velocities and spectra. In addition, we obtained anBeasley, Michael A. et al.
Advertised on:
52008 -
The origin of the light distribution in spiral galaxiesWe analyse a high-resolution, fully cosmological, hydrodynamical disc galaxy simulation, to study the source of the double-exponential light profiles seen in many stellar discs, and the effects of stellar radial migration upon the spatiotemporal evolution of both the disc age and metallicity distributions. We find a `break' in the pure exponentialSánchez-Blázquez, P. et al.
Advertised on:
92009
