Traces of Galaxy Formation: Stellar populations, Dynamics and Morphology

    General
    Description

    Welcome to the Traces of Galaxy Formation research group website.

    We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.

    A complex star formation history, as the one expected to describe galaxy evolution, needs a multidisciplinary approach to be fully understood. Our group at the IAC consists of experienced researchers in cosmological simulations, dynamical studies, stellar populations and morphological properties of galaxies up to high redshift. We combine different approaches (e.g. observations and theory, secular and cosmological evolution studies) to obtain a complete view of the dominant mechanisms driving the evolution of galaxies.

    Within this general framework, we are currently exploring three main areas of research:

    1. Stellar population synthesis models

      • Development of new stellar population synthesis models
      • Stellar population analysis tools
      • Universality of the stellar initial mass function (IMF)

       

    2. Cosmic evolution of galaxies

      • Massive galaxy evolution
      • Stellar populations in different environments
      • Low surface brightness science
      • Machine learning and cosmological simulations

       

    3. Evolutionary processes in nearby galaxies
      • The role of black holes in the evolution of galaxies
      • Surveys of nearby galaxies
      • Stellar kinematics and dynamical models

    If you want to get in contact or work with us, please send an email to the head of the group (Anna Ferré-Mateu, anna.ferre [at] iac.es (anna[dot]ferre[at]iac[dot]es)).

    Here you can find some of our most recent highlights:

    Related publications

    APOGEE chemical abundances of globular cluster giants in the inner Galaxy 2017MNRAS.466.1010S
    Galactic archaeology with asteroseismology and spectroscopy: Red giants observed by CoRoT and APOGEE 2017A&A...597A..30A
    Stellar kinematics across the Hubble sequence in the CALIFA survey: general properties and aperture corrections 2017A&A...597A..48F
    The inner mass distribution of late-type spiral galaxies from <monospace>SAURON</monospace> stellar kinematic maps 2017MNRAS.464.1903K
    IMF and [Na/Fe] abundance ratios from optical and NIR spectral features in early-type galaxies 2017MNRAS.464.3597L
    MUSE tells the story of NGC 4371: The dawning of secular evolution 2015A&A...584A..90G
    Recovering star formation histories: Integrated-light analyses vs. stellar colour-magnitude diagrams 2015A&A...583A..60R
    Tracing kinematic (mis)alignments in CALIFA merging galaxies. Stellar and ionized gas kinematic orientations at every merger stage 2015A&A...582A..21B
    Single stellar populations in the near-infrared. I. Preparation of the IRTF spectral stellar library 2015A&A...582A..96M
    The abundance of satellites depends strongly on the morphology of the host galaxy 2015MNRAS.454.1605R
    The sensitivity of harassment to orbit: mass loss from early-type dwarfs in galaxy clusters 2015MNRAS.454.2502S
    Massive Relic Galaxies Challenge the Co-evolution of Super-massive Black Holes and Their Host Galaxies 2015ApJ...808...79F
    The BaLROG project - I. Quantifying the influence of bars on the kinematics of nearby galaxies 2015MNRAS.451..936S
    The initial mass function of a massive relic galaxy 2015MNRAS.451.1081M
    Virgo cluster and field dwarf ellipticals in 3D - III. Spatially and temporally resolved stellar populations 2015MNRAS.452.1888R
    Constraints on the evolutionary mechanisms of massive galaxies since z ∼ 1 from their velocity dispersions 2015MNRAS.453..704P
    IMF&ndashMetallicity: A Tight Local Relation Revealed by the CALIFA Survey 2015ApJ...806L..31M
    Central star formation and metallicity in CALIFA interacting galaxies 2015A&A...579A..45B
    Formation of S0 galaxies through mergers. Explaining angular momentum and concentration change from spirals to S0s 2015A&A...579L...2Q
    The trace of a substantial assembly of massive E-S0 galaxies at 0.8 < z < 1.5 in galaxy number counts 2015MNRAS.451.1158P
    Evidence for temporal evolution in the M33 disc as traced by its star clusters 2015MNRAS.451.3400B
    A SLUGGS and Gemini/GMOS combined study of the elliptical galaxy M60: wide-field photometry and kinematics of the globular cluster system 2015MNRAS.450.1962P
    CALIFA, the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area survey. III. Second public data release 2015A&A...576A.135G
    Bar pattern speeds in CALIFA galaxies. I. Fast bars across the Hubble sequence 2015A&A...576A.102A
    Stellar population synthesis models between 2.5 and 5 μm based on the empirical IRTF stellar library 2015MNRAS.449.2853R
    Evolutionary stellar population synthesis with MILES - II. Scaled-solar and α-enhanced models 2015MNRAS.449.1177V
    A cosmological context for compact massive galaxies 2015MNRAS.449.2396S
    The initial mass function of early-type galaxies: no correlation with [Mg/Fe] 2015MNRAS.449L.137L
    Stellar Kinematics and Structural Properties of Virgo Cluster Dwarf Early-type Galaxies from the SMAKCED Project. III. Angular Momentum and Constraints on Formation Scenarios 2015ApJ...799..172T
    Further evidence for a time-dependent initial mass function in massive early-type galaxies 2015MNRAS.448L..82F
    Discovery of true, likely and possible symbiotic stars in the dwarf spheroidal NGC 205 2015MNRAS.447..993G
    Census of H II regions in NGC 6754 derived with MUSE: Constraints on the metal mixing scale 2015A&A...573A.105S
    Radial variations in the stellar initial mass function of early-type galaxies 2015MNRAS.447.1033M
    Ionized gas kinematics of galaxies in the CALIFA survey. I. Velocity fields, kinematic parameters of the dominant component, and presence of kinematically distinct gaseous systems 2015A&A...573A..59G
    Overview of the SDSS-IV MaNGA Survey: Mapping nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory 2015ApJ...798....7B
    The Stellar Initial Mass Function at 0.9 < z < 1.5 2015ApJ...798L...4M
    Dissecting galactic bulges in space and time - I. The importance of early formation scenarios versus secular evolution 2015MNRAS.446.2837S
    A Tale of a Rich Cluster at z ~ 0.8 as Seen by the Star Formation Histories of its Early-type Galaxies 2014ApJ...797..136F
    Stellar Kinematics and Structural Properties of Virgo Cluster Dwarf Early-type Galaxies from the SMAKCED Project. II. The Survey and a Systematic Analysis of Kinematic Anomalies and Asymmetries 2014ApJS..215...17T
    Nearby supernova host galaxies from the CALIFA Survey. I. Sample, data analysis, and correlation to star-forming regions 2014A&A...572A..38G
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