Grants related:
General
Starsbursts play a key role in the cosmic evolution of galaxies, and thus in the star formation (SF) history of the universe, the production of metals, and the feedback coupling galaxies with the cosmic web. Extreme SF conditions prevail early on during the formation of the first stars and galaxies, therefore, the starburst phenomenon constitutes a fundamental ingredient of our understanding of the Universe. Starbursts are observed throughout, from the giant HII regions in nearby spirals, to the massive clumps typical of high redshift objects. This project is aimed at carrying out a comprehensive study of the physics of local massive SF regions in order to enlarge our understanding of the most distant galaxies and most extreme starbursts. We combine observational studies (using ground-based and space-borne spectrophotometry) along with our self-consistent theoretical models. Among the observational facilities, the team is directly involved in the development and scientific exploitation of the GTC instruments EMIR and MEGARA, which will become operational during the timespan of the project.
We have structured our research for the next three years around five main objectives:
1) The interplay between massive SF and the interstellar medium within galaxies.
2) Understanding the formation of disk galaxies.
3) The role of the environment on massive SF and the evolution of galaxies.
4) Extreme starbursting in the early Universe.
5) Participation in the science verification and building of new instrumentation.
The main results expected from this project include: i) constraining the chemical evolution of galaxies using a combination of integral-field spectroscopy and fully bi-dimensional models, ii) understanding the role of molecular gas and high-energy background photons on the formation of galaxies, iii) developing a technique to image the cosmic web gas that feeds the starbursts, iv) characterizing the chemical and dynamical properties of the gas that is falling into the galaxies, v) deciphering the different ways in which the environment can affect the SF in star-forming galaxies along cosmic time; paying special attention to the triggering of violent SF bursts in the lowest metallicity galaxies. vi) explaining how very massive and compact starbursts may evolve in the so-called positive feedback mode, accounting for extreme starbursts in local galaxy analogs to the objects present in the primeval universe. vii) understanding the SF in Lya and Ly-break galaxies, viii) constraining the existence of candidate stars analog to PopIII in extremely metal-poor galaxies, both in the local universe and at high redshift, ix) developing the know-how needed for effective use of EMIR and MEGARA. We aim at getting the most from these new instruments by leading science cases during verification phase and later on.
Members
Results
- Local anticorrelation between star formation rate and gas-phase metallicity in disc galaxies Using a representative sample of 14 star-forming dwarf galaxies in the local Universe, we show the existence of a spaxel-to-spaxel anticorrelation between the index N2 ≡ log ([N II]λ 6583/H α ) and the H α flux.
- Discovery of a high-metallicity low mass galaxy, confirming the stochasticity of the cosmic web gas feed star formation
- Pyroclastic Blowout: Dust Survival in Supernovi Events
- A simultaneous search for high-z LAEs and LBGs in the SHARDS survey.We derive redshifts, star formation rates, Lyα equivalent widths, and luminosity functions (LFs). Grouping within our sample is also studied, finding 92 pairs or small groups of galaxies
- A possible binary AGN has been found in Mrk 622.
Scientific activity
Related publications
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Exploring the Mid-infrared SEDs of Six AGN Dusty Torus Models. II. The DataThis is the second in a series of papers devoted to exploring a set of six dusty models of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with available spectral energy distributions. These models are the smooth torus by Fritz et al., the clumpy torus by Nenkova et al., the clumpy torus by Hönig & Kishimoto, the two-phase torus by Siebenmorgen et al., the two-phaseGonzález-Martín, Omaira et al.
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102019 -
The stellar host in star-forming low-mass galaxies: Evidence for two classesContext. The morphological evolution of star-forming galaxies provides important clues to understand their physical properties, as well as the triggering and quenching mechanisms of star formation. Aims: We analyze the morphology of galaxies hosting star-forming events at low redshift (z < 0.36). We aim at connecting morphology and star-formationLumbreras-Calle, A. et al.
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122019 -
Inferring the 3D Shapes of Extremely Metal-poor Galaxies from Sets of Projected ShapesThe three-dimensional (3D) shape of a galaxy inevitably is tied to how it has formed and evolved and to its dark matter halo. Local extremely metal-poor galaxies (XMPs; defined as having an average gas-phase metallicity <0.1 solar) are important objects for understanding galaxy evolution largely because they appear to be caught in the act ofPutko, J. et al.
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92019 -
MOS spectroscopy of protocluster candidate galaxies at z = 6.5The epoch corresponding to a redshift of z ̃ 6.5 is close to full re-ionization of the Universe, and early enough to provide an intriguing environment to observe the early stage of large-scale structure formation. It is also an epoch that can be used to verify the abundance of a large population of low luminosity star-forming galaxies that areCalvi, R. et al.
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112019 -
Machine learning in APOGEE. Identification of stellar populations through chemical abundancesContext. The vast volume of data generated by modern astronomical surveys offers test beds for the application of machine-learning. In these exploratory applications, it is important to evaluate potential existing tools and determine those that are optimal for extracting scientific knowledge from the available observations. Aims: We explore theGarcia-Dias, Rafael et al.
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92019 -
Characterizing the Local Relation between Star Formation Rate and Gas-phase Metallicity in MaNGA Spiral GalaxiesThe role of gas accretion in galaxy evolution is still a matter of debate. The presence of inflows of metal-poor gas that trigger star formation bursts of low metallicity has been proposed as an explanation for the local anticorrelation between star formation rate (SFR) and gas-phase metallicity (Z g ) found in the literature. In the present studySánchez-Menguiano, Laura et al.
Advertised on:
92019 -
On the Star Formation Efficiencies and Evolution of Multiple Stellar Generations in Globular ClustersBy adopting empirical estimates of the helium enhancement (ΔY) between consecutive stellar generations for a sample of Galactic globular clusters (GGCs), we uniquely constraint the star formation efficiency (ɛ) of each stellar generation in these stellar systems. In our approach, the star formation efficiency (ɛ) is the central factor that linksTenorio-Tagle, Guillermo et al.
Advertised on:
72019 -
Physical Properties of a Coma-analog Protocluster at z = 6.5We present evidence for the discovery of a protocluster of starburst galaxies (Lyα emitters, or LAEs) near the end of the epoch of reionization. The recent trend in the search for high-redshift protoclusters focuses on utilizing bias tracers, such as luminous starburst galaxies, as signposts of overdensities. Thus, we conducted a photometricChanchaiworawit, Krittapas et al.
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52019 -
The Fundamental Metallicity Relation Emerges from the Local Anti-correlation between Star Formation Rate and Gas-phase Metallicity that Exists in Disk GalaxiesThe fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) states that galaxies of the same stellar mass but larger star formation rate (SFR) tend to have smaller gas-phase metallicity ( {Z}g> ). It is thought to be fundamental because it naturally arises from the stochastic feeding of star formation from external metal-poor gas accretion, a process extremelySánchez-Menguiano, L. et al.
Advertised on:
62019 -
Stellar content, planetary nebulae, and globular clusters of [KKS2000]04 (NGC 1052-DF2)[KKS2000]04 (NGC 1052-DF2) has become a controversial and well-studied galaxy after the claims suggesting a lack of dark matter and the presence of an anomalously bright globular cluster (GC) system around it. A precise determination of its overall star formation history (SFH) and a better characterization of its GC or planetary nebulae (PNe)Ruiz-Lara, T. et al.
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72019 -
A distance of 13 Mpc resolves the claimed anomalies of the galaxy lacking dark matterThe claimed detection of a diffuse galaxy lacking dark matter represents a possible challenge to our understanding of the properties of these galaxies and galaxy formation in general. The galaxy, already identified in photographic plates taken in the summer of 1976 at the UK 48-in Schmidt telescope, presents normal distance-independent propertiesTrujillo, I. et al.
Advertised on:
62019 -
Anomalously Low-metallicity Regions in MaNGA Star-forming Galaxies: Accretion Caught in Action?We use data from 1222 late-type star-forming galaxies in the SDSS IV Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey to identify regions in which the gas-phase metallicity is anomalously low compared to expectations from the tight empirical relation between metallicity and stellar surface mass density at a given stellar mass. We findHwang, Hsiang-Chih et al.
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22019 -
Star-forming galaxies at low-redshift in the SHARDS surveyContext. The physical processes driving the evolution of star formation (SF) in galaxies over cosmic time still present many open questions. Recent galaxy surveys allow now to study these processes in great detail at intermediate redshift (0 ≤ z ≤ 0.5). Aims: We build a complete sample of star-forming galaxies and analyze their properties, reachingLumbreras-Calle, A. et al.
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12019 -
Global correlations between the radio continuum, infrared, and CO emissions in dwarf galaxiesCorrelations between the radio continuum, infrared, and CO emissions are known to exist for several types of galaxies and across several orders of magnitude. However, the low-mass, low-luminosity, and low-metallicity regime of these correlations is not well known. A sample of metal-rich and metal-poor dwarf galaxies from the literature has beenMuñoz-Tuñón, C. et al.
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32019 -
A Headless Tadpole Galaxy: The High Gas-phase Metallicity of the Ultra-diffuse Galaxy UGC 2162The cosmological numerical simulations tell us that accretion of external metal-poor gas drives star formation (SF) in galaxy disks. One the best pieces of observational evidence supporting this prediction is the existence of low-metallicity star-forming regions in relatively high-metallicity host galaxies. The SF is thought to be fed by metal-poorSánchez Almeida, J. et al.
Advertised on:
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.
Advertised on:
72018 -
First scientific observations with MEGARA at GTCOn June 25th 2017, the new intermediate-resolution optical IFU and MOS of the 10.4-m GTC had its first light. As part of the tests carried out to verify the performance of the instrument in its two modes (IFU and MOS) and 18 spectral setups (identical number of VPHs with resolutions R=6000-20000 from 0.36 to 1 micron) a number of astronomicalGil de Paz, A. et al.
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72018 -
Pyroclastic Blowout: Dust Survival in Isolated versus Clustered SupernovaeFollowing the current debate on the fate of SN-condensed dust grains, here we explore by means of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations the interaction of dusty supernova remnants (SNRs) with the shocked winds of neighboring massive stars within young massive stellar clusters (SSCs). As a comparison, we have also explored the evolution ofMartínez-González, S. et al.
Advertised on:
102018 -
Climatological Study for the Cherenkov Telescope Array North Site at the Canary Islands I: Temperature, Precipitation, and Relative HumidityWe obtained climate normals over a period of 10 years (2003–2012) at Izaña (2395 m), Tenerife (Spain) with the aim of characterizing the mesoscale climate conditions governing the two astronomical observatories in the Canary Islands: Teide Observatory, located on the summit of Izaña and Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM), approximately 140 kmCastro-Almazán, J. A. et al.
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112018 -
The 1989 and 2015 outbursts of V404 Cygni: a global study of wind-related optical featuresThe black hole transient V404 Cygni exhibited a bright outburst in June 2015 that was intensively followed over a wide range of wavelengths. Our team obtained high time resolution optical spectroscopy (! ˜ ! 90 s), which included a detailed coverage of the most active phase of the event. We present a data base consisting of 651 optical spectraMata Sánchez, D. et al.
Advertised on:
122018
