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General
Our small group is well known and respected internationally for our innovative and important work on various aspects of the structure and evolution of nearby spiral galaxies. We primarily use observations at various wavelengths, exploiting synergies that allow us to answer the most pertinent questions relating to what the main properties of galaxies are, and how galaxies have evolved to their current state. We use imaging and spectroscopy, at UV, optical, infrared, millimetre, and radio wavelengths, fully exploiting observing facilities available to us in Spain, at ESO, or elsewhere, along with state-of-the-art analysis tools. The success of this approach can be measured from the employment opportunities offered to ex-members of the group, from the number and quality of collaborations with leading external scientists, from continued citation of our published work, and from invitations to co-organise or speak at the leading international conferences in the field.
In the last few years our group has put a lot of effort into opening up joint research lines with computer scientists, recognising the paradigm shift that is upon us due to the enormous quantities of data that will soon be produced by facilities such as LSST, Euclid, and SKA. We collaborate with computer scientists and aim to prepare the analysis tools, including detection of structure from noise, correction for scattered light and Galactic cirrus, and the use of machine learning-based techniques, so that once LSST (2020) and Euclid (2023) start releasing their huge data sets, our group is ready to analyse them and extract the science from the oceans of bytes.
Members
Results
- From thermal and non-thermal radio maps of the centre of NGC 1097, we discovered that the massive star formation is quenched by non-thermal effects, including pressure from the magnetic field, cosmic rays and turbulence.
- In the centre of NGC 7742, we found a slightly warped inner disk, and two separate stellar components: an old population that counter-rotates with the gas, and a young one, concentrated to the ring, that co-rotates with the gas.
- We re-analysed our deep IR imaging of thick disks to correct for the extended S4G point spread function (PSF), confirming all our previous results and in particular confirming the significant mass present in the thick disk component.
- Analysing a new high-resolution e-MERLIN 1.5 GHz radio continuum map together with HST and SDSS imaging of NGC 5322, an elliptical galaxy hosting radio jets, we found that the low-luminosity AGN/jet-driven feedback may have quenched the late-time nuclear star formation promptly.
- From MUSE observations of low-surface-brightness Lyman-α emission surrounding faint galaxies at redshifts between 3 and 6 we find that the projected sky coverage approaches 100 per cent.
Scientific activity
Related publications
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A giant thin stellar stream in the Coma Galaxy ClusterThe study of dynamically cold stellar streams reveals information about the gravitational potential where they reside and provides important constraints on the properties of dark matter. However, the intrinsic faintness of these streams makes their detection beyond Local environments highly challenging. Here, we report the detection of an extremelySánchez-Alarcón, Pablo M. et al.
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112023 -
Composite Bulges. III. A Study of Nuclear Star Clusters in Nearby Spiral GalaxiesWe present photometric and morphological analyses of nuclear star clusters (NSCs)-very dense, massive star clusters present in the central regions of most galaxies-in a sample of 33 massive disk galaxies within 20 Mpc, part of the "Composite Bulges Survey." We use data from the Hubble Space Telescope including optical (F475W and F814W) and near-IRAshok, Aishwarya et al.
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The truncation of the disk of NGC 4565. Detected up to z = 4 kpc, with star formation, and affected by the warpContext. The hierarchical model of galaxy formation suggests that galaxies are continuously growing. However, our position inside the Milky Way prevents us from studying the disk edge. Truncations are low surface brightness features located in the disk outskirts of external galaxies. They indicate where the disk brightness abruptly drops, and theirMartínez-Lombilla, Cristina et al.
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102023 -
Stellar metallicity from optical and UV spectral indices: Test case for WEAVE-StePSContext. The upcoming generation of optical spectrographs on four meter-class telescopes, with their huge multiplexing capabilities, excellent spectral resolution, and unprecedented wavelength coverage, will provide high-quality spectra for thousands of galaxies. These data will allow us to examine of the stellar population properties atDitrani, F. R. et al.
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92023 -
The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. XIV. Disc breaks and interactions through ultra-deep optical imagingContext. In the standard cosmological model of galaxy evolution, mergers and interactions play a fundamental role in shaping galaxies. Galaxies that are currently isolated are thus interesting because they allow us to distinguish between internal and external processes that affect the galactic structure. However, current observational limits maySánchez-Alarcón, P. M. et al.
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92023 -
A brief review of contrastive learning applied to astrophysicsReliable tools to extract patterns from high-dimensionality spaces are becoming more necessary as astronomical data sets increase both in volume and complexity. Contrastive Learning is a self-supervised machine learning algorithm that extracts informative measurements from multidimensional data sets, which has become increasingly popular in theHuertas-Company, Marc et al.
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12023 -
Mapping non-axisymmetric velocity fields of external galaxiesDisc galaxies are typically in a stable configuration where matter moves in almost closed circular orbits. However, non-circular motions caused by distortions, warps, lopsidedness, or satellite interactions are common and leave distinct signatures on galaxy velocity maps. We develop an algorithm that uses an ordinary least squares method forSylos Labini, Francesco et al.
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92023 -
Flares, Warps, Truncations, and Satellite: The Ultra-thin Galaxy UGC 11859The structure of the outskirts of galaxies provides valuable information about their past and evolution. Due to their projected orientation, edge-on isolated galaxies effectively serve as test labs in which to study the three-dimensional structures of galaxies, including warps and flares, and to explore the possible sources of such distortions. WeOssa-Fuentes, Luis et al.
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72023 -
Extragalactic Magnetism with SOFIA (SALSA Legacy Program). V. First Results on the Magnetic Field Orientation of GalaxiesWe present the analysis of the magnetic field (B-field) structure of galaxies measured with far-infrared (FIR) and radio (3 and 6 cm) polarimetric observations. We use the first data release of the Survey of extragALactic magnetiSm with SOFIA of 14 nearby ( $\lt 20$ Mpc) galaxies with resolved ( $5^{\prime\prime} \mbox{--}18^{\prime\prime} ;$ 90 pcBorlaff, Alejandro S. et al.
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72023 -
The massive relic galaxy NGC 1277 is dark matter deficient. From dynamical models of integral-field stellar kinematics out to five effective radiiAccording to the Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmology, present-day galaxies with stellar masses M ⋆ > 10 11 M ⊙ should contain a sizable fraction of dark matter within their stellar body. Models indicate that in massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) with M ⋆ ≈ 1.5 × 10 11 M ⊙, dark matter should account for ∼15% of the dynamical mass within oneComerón, Sébastien et al.
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72023 -
LeMMINGs. V. Nuclear activity and bulge properties: A detailed multi-component decomposition of e-MERLIN Palomar galaxies with HSTWe used high-resolution HST imaging and e-MERLIN 1.5-GHz observations of galaxy cores from the LeMMINGs survey to investigate the relation between optical structural properties and nuclear radio emission for a large sample of galaxies. We performed accurate, multi-component decompositions of new surface brightness profiles extracted from HST imagesDullo, B. T. et al.
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72023 -
Fully adaptive Bayesian algorithm for data analysis: FABADAThe discovery potential from astronomical and other data is limited by their noise. We introduce a novel non-parametric noise reduction technique based on Bayesian inference techniques, fully adaptive Bayesian algorithm for data analysis (FABADA) that automatically improves the signal-to-noise ratio of one- and two-dimensional data, such asSánchez-Alarcón, Pablo M. et al.
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12023 -
The Isaac Newton Telescope Monitoring Survey of Local Group Dwarf Galaxies. VI. The Star Formation History and Dust Production in Andromeda IXWe present a photometric study of the resolved stellar populations in Andromeda IX (And IX), the closest satellite to M31, a metal-poor and low-mass dwarf spheroidal galaxy. We estimate a distance modulus of ${24.56}_{-0.15}^{+0.05}$ mag based on the tip of the red giant branch. By probing the variability of asymptotic giant branch stars, we studyAbdollahi, Hedieh et al.
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52023 -
LeMMINGs. VI. Connecting nuclear activity to bulge properties of active and inactive galaxies: radio scaling relations and galaxy environmentMultiwavelength studies indicate that nuclear activity and bulge properties are closely related, but the details remain unclear. To study this further, we combine Hubble Space Telescope bulge structural and photometric properties with 1.5 GHz, e-MERLIN nuclear radio continuum data from the LeMMINGs survey for a large sample of 173 'active' galaxiesDullo, B. T. et al.
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72023 -
Sociology and hierarchy of voids: A study of seven nearby CAVITY galaxy voids and their dynamical CosmicFlows-3 environmentContext. The present study addresses a key question related to our understanding of the relation between void galaxies and their environment: the relationship between luminous and dark matter in and around voids. Aims: To explore the extent to which local Universe voids are empty of matter, we study the full (dark+luminous) matter content of sevenCourtois, H. M. et al.
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52023 -
Identification of tidal features in deep optical galaxy images with convolutional neural networksInteractions between galaxies leave distinguishable imprints in the form of tidal features, which hold important clues about their mass assembly. Unfortunately, these structures are difficult to detect because they are low surface brightness features, so deep observations are needed. Upcoming surveys promise several orders of magnitude increase inDomínguez Sánchez, H. et al.
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52023 -
MaNGIA: 10 000 mock galaxies for stellar population analysisContext. Modern astronomical observations give unprecedented access to the physical properties of nearby galaxies, including spatially resolved stellar populations. However, observations can only give a present-day view of the Universe, whereas cosmological simulations give access to the past record of the processes that galaxies have experiencedSarmiento, Regina et al.
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52023 -
MIGHTEE-H I: possible interactions with the galaxy NGC 895The transformation and evolution of a galaxy is strongly influenced by interactions with its environment. Neutral hydrogen (H I) is an excellent way to trace these interactions. Here, we present H I observations of the spiral galaxy NGC 895, which was previously thought to be isolated. High-sensitivity H I observations from the MeerKAT large surveyNamumba, B. et al.
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62023 -
WEAVE-StePS: A stellar population survey using WEAVE at WHTContext. The upcoming new generation of optical spectrographs on four-meter-class telescopes will provide valuable opportunities for forthcoming galaxy surveys through their huge multiplexing capabilities, excellent spectral resolution, and unprecedented wavelength coverage. Aims: WEAVE is a new wide-field spectroscopic facility mounted on the 4.2Iovino, A. et al.
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42023 -
Hidden depths in the local Universe: The Stellar Stream Legacy SurveyContext. Mergers and tidal interactions between massive galaxies and their dwarf satellites are a fundamental prediction of the Lambda-cold dark matter cosmology. These events are thought to provide important observational diagnostics of non-linear structure formation. Stellar streams in the Milky Way and Andromeda are spectacular evidence forMartínez-Delgado, David et al.
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32023
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Discovered: the most distant barred spiral galaxy (until now)Advertised on