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 (Ignacio Martín-Navarro ignacio.martin [at] iac.es (ignacio[dot]martin[at]iac[dot]es)).

    Principal investigator

    Here you can find some of our most recent highlights:

    Related publications

    • Arm and interarm abundance gradients in CALIFA spiral galaxies
      Spiral arms are the most singular features in disc galaxies. These structures can exhibit different patterns, namely grand design and flocculent arms, with easily distinguishable characteristics. However, their origin and the mechanisms shaping them are unclear. The overall role of spirals in the chemical evolution of disc galaxies is another
      Sánchez-Menguiano, L. et al.

      Advertised on:

      7
      2017
      Citations
      26
    • The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE)
      The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), one of the programs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III), has now completed its systematic, homogeneous spectroscopic survey sampling all major populations of the Milky Way. After a three-year observing campaign on the Sloan 2.5 m Telescope, APOGEE has collected a half
      Majewski, S. R. et al.

      Advertised on:

      9
      2017
      Citations
      1000
    • Space Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping Project. VII. Understanding the Ultraviolet Anomaly in NGC 5548 with X-Ray Spectroscopy
      During the Space Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping Project observations of NGC 5548, the continuum and emission-line variability became decorrelated during the second half of the six-month-long observing campaign. Here we present Swift and Chandra X-ray spectra of NGC 5548 obtained as part of the campaign. The Swift spectra show that
      Mathur, S. et al.

      Advertised on:

      9
      2017
      Citations
      36
    • Atypical Mg-poor Milky Way Field Stars with Globular Cluster Second-generation-like Chemical Patterns
      We report the peculiar chemical abundance patterns of 11 atypical Milky Way (MW) field red giant stars observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). These atypical giants exhibit strong Al and N enhancements accompanied by C and Mg depletions, strikingly similar to those observed in the so-called second-generation
      Fernández-Trincado, J. G. et al.

      Advertised on:

      9
      2017
      Citations
      73
    • Observational constraints to boxy/peanut bulge formation time
      Boxy/peanut bulges are considered to be part of the same stellar structure as bars and both could be linked through the buckling instability. The Milky Way is our closest example. The goal of this Letter is to determine if the mass assembly of the different components leaves an imprint in their stellar populations allowing the estimation the time
      Pérez, I. et al.

      Advertised on:

      9
      2017
      Citations
      19
    • The age-metallicity structure of the Milky Way disc using APOGEE
      The measurement of the structure of stellar populations in the Milky Way disc places fundamental constraints on models of galaxy formation and evolution. Previously, the disc's structure has been studied in terms of populations defined geometrically and/or chemically, but a decomposition based on stellar ages provides a more direct connection to
      Shetrone, Matthew D. et al.

      Advertised on:

      11
      2017
      Citations
      140
    • Integral-field kinematics and stellar populations of early-type galaxies out to three half-light radii
      We observed 12 nearby H i-detected early-type galaxies (ETGs) of stellar mass ˜1010 M⊙ ≤ M* ≤ ˜1011 M⊙ with the Mitchell Integral-Field Spectrograph, reaching approximately three half-light radii in most cases. We extracted line-of-sight velocity distributions for the stellar and gaseous components. We find little evidence of transitions in the
      Yildirim, Akin et al.

      Advertised on:

      11
      2017
      Citations
      35
    • The puzzling interpretation of NIR indices: The case of NaI2.21
      We present a detailed study of the Na I line strength index centred in the K band at 22 100 Å (NaI2.21 hereafter) relying on different samples of early-type galaxies. Consistent with previous studies, we find that the observed line strength indices cannot be fit by state-of-the-art scaled-solar stellar population models, even using our newly
      Aguado, D. S. et al.

      Advertised on:

      11
      2017
      Citations
      16
    • A unified model for age-velocity dispersion relations in Local Group galaxies: disentangling ISM turbulence and latent dynamical heating
      We analyse age-velocity dispersion relations (AVRs) from kinematics of individual stars in eight Local Group galaxies ranging in mass from Carina (M* ˜ 106 M⊙) to M31 (M* ˜ 1011 M⊙). Observationally the σ versus stellar age trends can be interpreted as dynamical heating of the stars by giant molecular clouds, bars/spiral arms or merging subhaloes
      de Boer, T. J. L. et al.

      Advertised on:

      12
      2017
      Citations
      28
    • Ultra-diffuse galaxies outside clusters: clues to their formation and evolution
      We identify six ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) outside clusters in three nearby isolated groups (0.014 z 0.026) using very deep imaging in three different Sloan Digital Sky Survey filters (g, r and I bands) from the IAC Stripe 82 Legacy Project. By comparing with the abundance of UDGs in rich galaxy clusters, we find that the density of UDGs (i.e
      Trujillo, I. et al.

      Advertised on:

      7
      2017
      Citations
      166
    • Dynamical masses and non-homology of massive elliptical galaxies grown by dry mergers
      We study whether dry merger-driven size growth of massive elliptical galaxies depends on their initial structural concentration, and analyse the validity of the homology hypothesis for virial mass determination in massive ellipticals grown by dry mergers. High-resolution simulations of a few realistic merger trees, starting with compact progenitors
      Balcells, M. et al.

      Advertised on:

      8
      2017
      Citations
      7
    • Welcome to the Twilight Zone: The Mid-infrared Properties of Post-starburst Galaxies
      We investigate the optical and Wide-field Survey Explorer (WISE) colors of “E+A” identified post-starburst galaxies, including a deep analysis of 190 post-starbursts detected in the 2 μm All Sky Survey Extended Source Catalog. The post-starburst galaxies appear in both the optical green valley and the WISE Infrared Transition Zone. Furthermore, we
      Urry, C. Meg et al.

      Advertised on:

      7
      2017
      Citations
      20
    • The hELENa project - I. Stellar populations of early-type galaxies linked with local environment and galaxy mass
      We present the first in a series of papers in The role of Environment in shaping Low-mass Early-type Nearby galaxies (hELENa) project. In this paper, we combine our sample of 20 low-mass early types (dEs) with 258 massive early types (ETGs) from the ATLAS3D survey - all observed with the SAURON integral field unit - to investigate early-type
      Janz, J. et al.

      Advertised on:

      9
      2017
      Citations
      26
    • Stellar disc truncations and extended haloes in face-on spiral galaxies
      We use data from the IAC Stripe82 Legacy Project to study the surface photometry of 22 nearby, face-on to moderately inclined spiral galaxies. The reprocessed and combined Stripe 82 g ΄, r ΄ and i ΄ images allow us to probe the galaxy down to 29-30 r ΄-magnitudes arcsec-2 and thus reach into the very faint outskirts of the galaxies. Truncations are
      Peters, S. P. C. et al.

      Advertised on:

      9
      2017
      Citations
      24
    • Towards a new classification of galaxies: principal component analysis of CALIFA circular velocity curves
      We present a galaxy classification system for 238 (E1-Sdm) CALIFA (Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area) galaxies based on the shapes and amplitudes of their circular velocity curves (CVCs). We infer the CVCs from the de-projected surface brightness of the galaxies, after scaling by a constant mass-to-light ratio based on stellar dynamics -
      Kalinova, V. et al.

      Advertised on:

      8
      2017
      Citations
      35
    • The Fornax Deep Survey with VST. II. Fornax A: A Two-phase Assembly Caught in the Act
      As part of the Fornax Deep Survey with the ESO VLT Survey Telescope, we present new g- and r-band mosaics of the SW group of the Fornax Cluster. It covers an area of 3 × 2 square degrees around the central galaxy NGC 1316. The deep photometry, the high spatial resolution of OmegaCam, and the large covered area allow us to study the galaxy structure
      Iodice, E. et al.

      Advertised on:

      4
      2017
      Citations
      67
    • The imprints of bars on the vertical stellar population gradients of galactic bulges
      This is the second paper of a series aimed to study the stellar kinematics and population properties of bulges in highly inclined barred galaxies. In this work, we carry out a detailed analysis of the stellar age, metallicity and [Mg/Fe] of 28 highly inclined (i > 65°) disc galaxies, from S0 to S(B)c, observed with the SAURON integral-field
      Molaeinezhad, A. et al.

      Advertised on:

      5
      2017
      Citations
      10
    • Two new confirmed massive relic galaxies: red nuggets in the present-day Universe
      We confirm two new local massive relic galaxies, i.e. untouched survivors of the early Universe massive population: Mrk 1216 and PGC 032873. Both show early and peaked formation events within very short time-scales ( 2 massive population, setting them apart from the typical z ∼ 0 massive early-type galaxies. We find that there seems to exist a
      Ferré-Mateu, Anna et al.

      Advertised on:

      5
      2017
      Citations
      82
    • The effect of environment on the structure of disc galaxies
      We study the influence of environment on the structure of disc galaxies, using imfit to measure the g- and r-band structural parameters of the surface-brightness profiles for ∼700 low-redshift (z 0.063) cluster and field disc galaxies with intermediate stellar mass (0.8 × 1010 M⊙ M⋆ 4 × 1010 M⊙) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, DR7. Based on
      Pranger, Florian et al.

      Advertised on:

      5
      2017
      Citations
      19
    • Spatial distribution of ultra-diffuse galaxies within large-scale structures
      Taking advantage of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe82 data, we have explored the spatial distribution of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) within an area of 8 × 8 Mpc2 centred around the galaxy cluster Abell 168 (z = 0.045). This intermediate massive cluster (σ = 550 km s-1) is surrounded by a complex large-scale structure. Our work confirms the
      Román-García, J. et al.

      Advertised on:

      6
      2017
      Citations
      124

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