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.
  • News
    The Gran Telescopio Canarias finds the "fossil fingerprint" of the Universe's first stars in a neighboring galaxy
    Clues to the first stars may be hiding much closer to home than expected. An international team led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has...
  • News
    The Gran Telescopio Canarias observes the closest “Little Red Dot,” shedding light on how the first black holes grew
    An international team led by researchers at the Kavli Institute for Cosmology at the University of Cambridge, and including scientists from the Instituto de...
  • Publication
    The GTC facility instruments: a status review
    The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) 10.4m telescope received its First Light on July 13, 2007. At present the GTC is undergoing commissioning tests. Night time...
  • Publication
    The GTC project: under commissioning
    The GTC (Gran Telescopio Canarias) is an optical/IR telescope, with a 10,4 meter segmented primary, installed at the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos...
  • Publication
    The HerMES SPIRE submillimeter local luminosity function
    Local luminosity functions are fundamental benchmarks for high-redshift galaxy formation and evolution studies as well as for models describing these processes...
  • Publication
    The Herschel ATLAS
    The Herschel ATLAS is the largest open-time key project that will be carried out on the Herschel Space Observatory. It will survey 570 deg of the extragalactic...
  • Publication
    The Herschel Bright Sources (HerBS): sample definition and SCUBA-2 observations
    We present the Herschel Bright Sources (HerBS) sample, a sample of bright, high-redshift Herschel sources detected in the 616.4 deg2 Herschel Astrophysical...
  • Publication
    The Herschel census of infrared SEDs through cosmic time
    Using Herschel data from the deepest SPIRE and PACS surveys (HerMES and PEP) in COSMOS, GOODS-S and GOODS-N, we examine the dust properties of infrared (IR)...
  • Publication
    The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey: HerMES
    The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) is a legacy programme designed to map a set of nested fields totalling ˜380 deg2. Fields range in size...