Start year
1992
Organizational Unit
Organizing institutions
Grants related:
General
Description
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
Principal investigator
Casiana
Muñoz Tuñón
Project staff
Collaborators
Nicola
Caon
José Alfonso
López Aguerri
Jairo
Méndez Abreu
Jorge Francisco
Sánchez Almeida
Antonia
Varela Pérez
Dr.
Nieves D. Castro Rodriguez
Dr.
Cecilia Fariña
Dr.
Daniel Reverte Paya
Claudio
Dalla Vecchia
Artemio
Herrero Davo
Dr.
Ricardo Amorin Barbieri
Dr.
Irene Cruz-González
Dr.
Erika Benitez
Dr.
Omaira González Martín
Dr.
Rafael Guzmán Llorente
Dr.
David Sobral
Dr.
Eduard Salvador Solé
Dr.
Miguel Mas Hesse
Dr.
Jesus Gallego Maestro
Dr.
Guillermo Tenorio Tagle
Dr.
Sergio Martinez
Dr.
Pablo Perez Gonzalez
Dr.
Bruce Elmegreen
Dr.
Debra Elmegreen
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
-
Numerical simulations of dark matter haloes produce polytropic central cores when reaching thermodynamic equilibriumSelf-gravitating astronomical objects often show a central plateau in the density profile (core) whose physical origin is hotly debated. Cores are theoretically expected in N-body systems of maximum entropy, however, they are not present in the canonical N-body numerical simulations of cold dark matter (CDM). Our work shows that despite thisSánchez Almeida, Jorge et al.
Advertised on:
62021 -
Extreme emission-line galaxies in SDSS - I. Empirical and model-based calibrations of chemical abundancesLocal star-forming galaxies show properties that are thought to differ from galaxies in the early Universe. Among them, the ionizing stellar populations and the gas geometry make the recipes designed to derive chemical abundances from nebular emission lines to differ from those calibrated in the Local Universe. A sample of 1969 extreme emissionPérez-Montero, E. et al.
Advertised on:
62021 -
Is the Bremer Deep Field reionized, at z ∼ 7?We show herein that the population of star-forming galaxies in the Bremer Deep Field (BDF) has enough ionizing power to form two large ionized bubbles that could be in the process of merging into a large one with a volume of 14 000 cMpc 3. The sources identified in the BDF have been completed with a set of expected low-luminosity sources at z ∼ 7Rodríguez Espinosa, J. M. et al.
Advertised on:
52021 -
Probing the existence of a rich galaxy overdensity at z = 5.2We report the results of a pilot spectroscopic program of a region at z = 5.2 in the GOODS-N field containing an overdensity of galaxies around the well-known submillimetre galaxy (SMG) HDF850.1. We have selected candidate cluster members from the optical 25 medium-band photometric catalogue of the project SHARDS (Survey for High-z Absorption RedCalvi, Rosa et al.
Advertised on:
42021 -
Evidence for the Accretion of Gas in Star-forming Galaxies: High N/O Abundances in Regions of Anomalously Low MetallicityWhile all models for the evolution of galaxies require the accretion of gas to sustain their growth via on-going star formation, it has proven difficult to directly detect this inflowing material. In this paper we use data of nearby star-forming galaxies in the SDSS IV Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey to search forLuo, Yuanze et al.
Advertised on:
22021 -
Lucky spectroscopy, an equivalent technique to lucky imaging. II. Spatially resolved intermediate-resolution blue-violet spectroscopy of 19 close massive binaries using the William Herschel TelescopeContext. Many massive stars have nearby companions. These hamper a characterization of massive stars through spectroscopy. Aims: We continue to obtain spatially resolved spectroscopy of close massive visual binaries to derive their spectral types. Methods: We used the lucky spectroscopy technique to obtain a large number of short long-slitMaíz Apellániz, J. et al.
Advertised on:
22021 -
Three generations of stars: a possible case of triggered star formationEvidence for triggered star formation linking three generations of stars is difficult to assemble, as it requires convincingly associating evolved massive stars with H II regions that, in turn, would need to present signs of active star formation. We present observational evidence for triggered star formation relating three generations of stars inAreal, M. B. et al.
Advertised on:
72020 -
Galactic extinction laws - II. Hidden in plain sight, a new interstellar absorption band at 7700 Å broader than any known DIBWe have detected a broad interstellar absorption band centred close to 7700 Å and with a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 176.6 ± 3.9 Å. This is the first such absorption band detected in the optical range and is significantly wider than the numerous diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). It remained undiscovered until now because it is partiallyMaíz Apellániz, J. et al.
Advertised on:
22021 -
Early science with the LMT: molecular torus in UGC 5101As part of the Early Science Large Millimeter Telescope projects, we report the detection of nine double-peaked molecular lines, produced by a rotating molecular torus, in the ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRG) - Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGN) galaxy UGC 5101. The double-peaked lines we report correspond to molecular transitions ofCruz-González, I. et al.
Advertised on:
92020 -
Local and Global Gas Metallicity versus Stellar Age Relation in MaNGA GalaxiesThe search for new global scaling relations linking the physical properties of galaxies has a fundamental interest. Furthermore, their recovery from spatially resolved relations has been in the spotlight of integral field spectroscopy (IFS). In this study, we investigate the existence of global and local relations between stellar age (Age ⋆) andSánchez-Menguiano, Laura et al.
Advertised on:
112020 -
The principle of maximum entropy explains the cores observed in the mass distribution of dwarf galaxiesCold dark matter (CDM) simulations predict a central cusp in the mass distribution of galaxies. This prediction is in stark contrast with observations of dwarf galaxies that show a central plateau or "core" in their density distribution. The proposed solutions to this core-cusp problem can be classified into two types. One invokes feedbackSánchez Almeida, Jorge et al.
Advertised on:
102020 -
Studying star-forming processes at core and clump scales: the case of the young stellar object G29.862-0.0044Aims: To advance our knowledge of star formation, in addition to statistical studies and large surveys of young stellar objects (YSOs), it is important to carry out detailed studies towards particular objects. Given that massive molecular clumps fragment into cores where star formation takes place, these kinds of studies should be done on differentAreal, M. B. et al.
Advertised on:
92020 -
Restoring the night sky darkness at Observatorio del Teide: First application of the model Illumina version 2The propagation of artificial light into real environments is complex. To perform its numerical modelling with accuracy, one must consider hyperspectral properties of the lighting devices and their geographic positions, the hyperspectral properties of the ground reflectance, the size and distribution of small-scale obstacles, the blocking effect ofAubé, Martin et al.
Advertised on:
72020 -
Physical characterization of 2020 AV<SUB>2</SUB>, the first known asteroid orbiting inside Venus orbitThe first known asteroid with the orbit inside that of Venus is 2020 AV 2. This may be the largest member of a new population of small bodies with the aphelion smaller than 0.718 au, called Vatiras. The surface of 2020 AV 2 is being constantly modified by the high temperature, by the strong solar wind irradiation that characterizes the innermostPopescu, M. et al.
Advertised on:
62020 -
Differences and similarities of stellar populations in LAEs and LBGs at z ∼ 3.4-6.8Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs) and Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) represent the most common groups of star-forming galaxies at high z, and the differences between their inherent stellar populations (SPs) are a key factor in understanding early galaxy formation and evolution. We have run a set of SP burst-like models for a sample of 1558 sources at 3.4 <Arrabal Haro, P. et al.
Advertised on:
52020 -
Analysis of the galaxy size versus stellar mass relationThe scatter in the galaxy size versus stellar mass (M ⋆) relation gets largely reduced when, rather than the half-mass radius R e, the size at a fixed surface density is used. Here, we address why this happens. We show how a reduction is to be expected because any two galaxies with the same M ⋆ have at least one radius with identical surfaceSánchez Almeida, J.
Advertised on:
42020 -
An ionized superbubble powered by a protocluster at z = 6.5We show herein that a proto-cluster of Ly α emitting galaxies, spectroscopically confirmed at redshift 6.5, produces a remarkable number of ionizing continuum photons. We start from the Ly α fluxes measured in the spectra of the sources detected spectroscopically. From these fluxes, we derive the ionizing emissivity of continuum photons of theRodríguez Espinosa, J. M. et al.
Advertised on:
32020 -
Multiwavelength observations of the triple-peaked AGN Mrk 622A detailed multiwavelength study of the properties of the triple-peaked active galactic nucleus (AGN) Mrk 622 showing different aspects of the nuclear emission region is presented. Radio, near- and mid-infrared, optical, and X-ray data have been considered for the analysis. In the optical, the WHAN diagnostic diagrams show that the three nuclearBenítez, E. et al.
Advertised on:
122019 -
A contribution of star-forming clumps and accreting satellites to the mass assembly of z ̃ 2 galaxiesWe investigate the contribution of clumps and satellites to the galaxy mass assembly. We analysed spatially resolved HubbleSpace Telescope observations (imaging and slitless spectroscopy) of 53 star-forming galaxies at z ̃ 1-3. We created continuum and emission line maps and pinpointed residual `blobs' detected after subtracting the galaxy discZanella, A. et al.
Advertised on:
102019 -
Exploring the Mid-infrared SEDs of Six AGN Dusty Torus Models. I. Synthetic SpectraAt distances from the active galaxy nucleus where the ambient temperature falls below ̃1500-1800 K, dust is able to survive. It is thus possible to have a large dusty structure present that surrounds the active galaxy nucleus. This is the first of two papers aiming at comparing six dusty torus models with available spectral energy distributionsGonzález-Martín, Omaira et al.
Advertised on:
102019
