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 plausible link between dynamically unsettled molecular gas and the radio jet in NGC 6328
    We report the detection of outflowing molecular gas at the center of the nearby radio galaxy NGC6328 (z = 0.014), which has a gigahertz-peaked spectrum radio...
  • Publication
    A Population of Dust-rich Quasars at z ~ 1.5
    We report Herschel SPIRE (250, 350, and 500 μm) detections of 32 quasars with redshifts 0.5
  • Publication
    A possible signature of the influence of tidal perturbations in dwarf galaxy scaling relations
    Dwarf galaxies are excellent cosmological probes, because their shallow potential wells make them very sensitive to the key processes that drive galaxy...
  • Publication
    A precise measurement of the magnetic field in the corona of the black hole binary V404 Cygni
    Observations of binary stars containing an accreting black hole or neutron star often show x-ray emission extending to high energies (>10 kilo­–electron volts)...
  • Publication
    A prediction about the age of thick discs as a function of the stellar mass of the host galaxy
    One of the suggested thick disc formation mechanisms is that they were born quickly and in situ from a turbulent clumpy disc. Subsequently, thin discs formed...
  • Publication
    A probabilistic deep learning model to distinguish cusps and cores in dwarf galaxies
    Numerical simulations within a cold dark matter (DM) cosmology form haloes whose density profiles have a steep inner slope ('cusp'), yet observations of...
  • Publication
    A probabilistic deep learning model to distinguish cusps and cores in dwarf galaxies
    Numerical simulations within a cold dark matter (DM) cosmology form halos whose density profiles have a steep inner slope (‘cusp’), yet observations of galaxies...
  • Publication
    A quantitative demonstration that stellar feedback locally regulates galaxy growth
    We have applied stellar population synthesis to 500-pc-sized regions in a sample of 102 galaxy discs observed with the MUSE spectrograph. We derived the star...
  • Publication
    A quasar hiding behind two dusty absorbers. Quantifying the selection bias of metal-rich, damped Lyα absorption systems
    The cosmic chemical enrichment as measured from damped Lyα absorbers (DLAs) will be underestimated if dusty and metal-rich absorbers have evaded identification...