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.
  • Grant
    SUNRISE. The first sources in the universe
    The ALBA Network: The first Lights of the Universe, intends to detect the first sources to appear in the Universe. The ALBA collaboration started from a sub...
  • Publication
    Superdense Massive Galaxies in the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS)
    We find a significant number of massive and compact galaxies in clusters from the ESO Distant Clusters Survey (EDisCS) at 0.4 z 1. They have similar stellar...
  • Publication
    Superdense Massive Galaxies in the Nearby Universe
    Superdense massive galaxies (re ~ 1 kpc; M ~ 1011 M sun) were common in the early universe (z gsim 1.5). Within some hierarchical merging scenarios, a non...
  • Publication
    Superdense Massive Galaxies in Wings Local Clusters
    Massive quiescent galaxies at z > 1 have been found to have small physical sizes, and hence to be superdense. Several mechanisms, including minor mergers, have...
  • Publication
    Supermassive black hole wake or bulgeless edge-on galaxy?
    A recent paper reported the serendipitous discovery of a thin linear object interpreted as the trail of star-forming regions left behind by a runaway...
  • Publication
    Supermassive black hole wake or bulgeless edge-on galaxy?. II. Order-of-magnitude analysis of the two physical scenarios
    Context. A recently discovered thin long object aligned with a nearby galaxy could be the stellar wake induced by the passage of a supermassive black hole (SMBH...
  • News
    Supermassive black holes change the central regions of galaxies
    Cristina Ramos Almeida, a researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has led research which used data from the ALMA telescope in Chile to...
  • Publication
    Supernovae 2016bdu and 2005gl, and their link with SN 2009ip-like transients: another piece of the puzzle
    Supernova (SN) 2016bdu is an unusual transient resembling SN 2009ip. SN 2009ip-like events are characterized by a long-lasting phase of erratic variability...
  • Publication
    Supernovae and Their Expanding Blast Waves during the Early Evolution of Galactic Globular Clusters
    Our arguments deal with the early evolution of Galactic globular clusters and show why only a few of the supernovae (SNe) products were retained within globular...