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 universal variability of the stellar initial mass function probed by the TIMER survey
    The universality of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is one of the most widespread assumptions in modern Astronomy and yet, it might be flawed. While...
  • Publication
    The Unusual Vertical Mass Distribution of NGC 4013 Seen through the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G)
    NGC 4013 is a nearby Sb edge-on galaxy known for its "prodigious" H I warp and its "giant" tidal stream. Previous work on this unusual object shows that it...
  • Publication
    The UV-brightest Lyman continuum emitting star-forming galaxy
    We report the discovery of J0121+0025, an extremely luminous and young star-forming galaxy (M UV = -24.11, log[$L_{\rm Ly \alpha } / \rm erg~s^{-1}] = 43.8$) at...
  • Publication
    The VANDELS ESO public spectroscopic survey
    VANDELS is a uniquely deep spectroscopic survey of high-redshift galaxies with the VIMOS spectrograph on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). The survey has...
  • Publication
    The VANDELS ESO public spectroscopic survey. Final data release of 2087 spectra and spectroscopic measurements
    VANDELS is an ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey designed to build a sample of high-signal-to-noise ratio, medium-resolution spectra of galaxies at redshifts...
  • Publication
    The VANDELS ESO public spectroscopic survey: Observations and first data release
    This paper describes the observations and the first data release (DR1) of the ESO public spectroscopic survey "VANDELS, a deep VIMOS survey of the CANDELS CDFS...
  • Publication
    The VANDELS survey: dust attenuation in star-forming galaxies at z = 3-4
    We present the results of a new study of dust attenuation at redshifts 3 z 4 based on a sample of 236 star-forming galaxies from the VANDELS spectroscopic...
  • Publication
    The Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations Project. I. USNO Objects Missing in Modern Sky Surveys and Follow-up Observations of a “Missing Star”
    In this paper we report the current status of a new research program. The primary goal of the “Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations”...
  • Publication
    The variability patterns of the TeV blazar PG 1553 + 113 from a decade of MAGIC and multiband observations
    PG 1553 + 113 is one of the few blazars with a convincing quasi-periodic emission in the gamma-ray band. The source is also a very high energy (VHE; >100 GeV)...