Grants related:
General
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
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
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The GTC facility instruments: a status reviewThe 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 observations are being carried out routinely from Monday through to Thursday every week. The GTC will begin science observation by the end of the year, and will be offered to the community inRodriguez Espinosa, J. M. et al.
Advertised on:
82008 -
Science of active galactic nuclei with the GTC and CanariCamCanariCam is the facility mid-infrared (MIR) instrument for the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), a 10.4m telescope at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma. One of the science drivers for CanariCam is the study of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We will exploit the instrument's high sensitivity in imaging, spectroscopy, andLevenson, Nancy A. et al.
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82008 -
Characterization of AGN and their hosts in the Extended Groth StripWe have employed a reliable technique of classification of AGN based on the fit of their spectral energy distributions with a complete set of AGN types and starburst galaxy templates. We apply this method to a sample of 116 AGN selected for their X-ray and mid-infrared emissions in the extended Groth strip (96 with single detections and 20 withRamos Almeida, Cristina et al.
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02008 -
Integral Field Spectroscopy of Nearby StarburstsStarbursts are events in which hundreds of solar masses per year of gas are transformed into stars on timescales much shorter than the Hubble time. They are essential in galaxy evolution as they are responsible for the largest part of the chemically enriched material in the interstellar and intergalactic medium where the metals have been depositedMonreal-Ibero, A. et al.
Advertised on:
62008 -
The Structural Properties of a Sample of Blue Compact GalaxiesWe study the structural properties of the low surface brightness stellar hosts in blue compact galaxies by fitting a two-dimensional Sérsic law to their optical images. The accurate isolation of the starburst emission is an important strength of the method. It allows us to obtain more reliable structural parameters, especially when a Sérsic law isAmorín R. O. et al.
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62008 -
The intrinsic equatorial ellipticity of bulgesTraditionally, the study of the structural parameters of galaxies have been used to understand the bulge formation processes. However, one piece lost in this study is the three-dimensional shape of the bulges. In this work, the structural parameters of a magnitude-limited sample of 148 unbarred S0-Sb galaxies were derived to study the correlationsMéndez-Abreu, J. et al.
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72008 -
The Intrinsic Equatorial Ellipticity of BulgesThe structural parameters of a magnitude-limited sample of 148 unbarred S0-Sb galaxies were derived to study the correlations between bulge and disk parameters as well as the probability distribution function (PDF) of the intrinsic equatorial ellipticity of bulges. A new algorithm (GASP2D) was used to perform the bidimensional bulge-diskMéndez-Abreu, J. et al.
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102008 -
Secular Evolution of Bulges Induced by Satellite AccretionSatellite accretion events have been invoked for mimicking the internal secular evolutionary processes of bulge growth tep{Kormendy04}. In order to investigate this question, we perform N-body models of the accretion of satellites onto disk galaxies. A scaling between the primary and the satellite based on the Tully-Fisher relation ensures that theEliche-Moral, M. C. et al.
Advertised on:
102008 -
Properties of Bars in the Local UniverseWe studied the fraction and properties of bars in a sample of about 3000 galaxies extracted from SDSS-DR5. This represents a volume limited sample with galaxies located between redshift 0.01 -20, and inclination i 60°. Interacting galaxies were excluded from the sample. The fraction of barred galaxies in our sample is 45%. We found that 32% of S0sMéndez-Abreu, J. et al.
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102008 -
Kinematics and stellar populations of the double-barred early-type galaxy NGC357We have carried out a kinematical and stellar population analysis of the double-barred galaxy NGC357 to provide a more complete characterization of these systems and their role in the formation of galaxy bulges. We clearly identify the presence of the inner bar in the radial velocity and velocity dispersion profiles. The age, metallicity and [Mg/Fede Lorenzo-Cáceres, Adriana et al.
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72008 -
Kinematic Analysis of the Double-Barred Galaxy NGC 357We present a kinematic analysis of the double-barred early-type galaxy NGC 357. The radial velocity and velocity dispersion profiles along both the nuclear bar axis and the semi-major axis clearly reveal the presence of the two bars. The results indicate that the bulge is pressure supported whereas the |vr|/σ ratio shows a plateau along the nuclearde Lorenzo-Cáceres, A. et al.
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62008 -
Galaxies with Nested Bars: Constraining Their Formation ScenariosNot Availablede Lorenzo-Cáceres, Adriana et al.
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02008 -
Analysis of the Structural Properties of the Low Surface Brightness Stellar Host in a Sample of Blue Compact GalaxiesBased on the Sérsic parameters, obtained by fitting pixel to pixel their deep optical galaxy images, the structural properties of the underlying stellar host of a sample of 20 star-forming dwarf galaxies have been analyzed. Our 2D technique has been improved to derive reliable Sérsic models, such as the proper isolation of the starburst emissionAmorín, R. O. et al.
Advertised on:
102008 -
A New Method for Unveiling Box/Peanut Bulges in Face-On GalaxiesWe measured the stellar kinematics of three face-on galaxies with the aim of searching for box/peanut-shaped (B/P) bulges. These observations test and confirm that face-on B/P bulges can be recognized by two minima in the radial profile of the fourth Gauss-Hermite moment h_4 of the line-of-sight velocity distribution measured along the bar majorCorsini, E. M. et al.
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102008 -
The Nuclear Infrared Emission of Low-luminosity Active Galactic NucleiWe present high-resolution mid-infrared (MIR) imaging, nuclear spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and archival Spitzer spectra for 22 low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs; L bolMason, R. E. et al.
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72012 -
The importance of galaxy interactions in triggering type II quasar activityWe present deep Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph-South optical broad-band images for a complete sample of 20 Sloan Digital Sky Survey selected type II quasars taken from Zakamska et al., with redshifts in the range 0.3 z 0.41 and [O III]λ5007 emission-line luminosities L[O iii ]>108.5 L . The images were taken with the aim of investigating theBessiere, P. S. et al.
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102012 -
Spitzer Mid-IR Spectroscopy of Powerful 2 Jy and 3CRR Radio Galaxies. I. Evidence against a Strong Starburst-AGN Connection in Radio-loud AGNWe present deep Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra for complete samples of 46 2 Jy radio galaxies (0.05 z 0.7) and 19 3CRR FRII radio galaxies (z 0.1), and use the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features to examine the incidence of contemporaneous star formation and radio-loud active galactic nucleus (AGN) activityDicken, D. et al.
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22012 -
Are luminous radio-loud active galactic nuclei triggered by galaxy interactions?We present the results of a comparison between the optical morphologies of a complete sample of 46 southern 2 Jy radio galaxies at intermediate redshifts (0.05 z 0.7) and those of two control samples of quiescent early-type galaxies: 55 ellipticals at redshifts z ≤ 0.01 from the Observations of Bright Ellipticals at Yale (OBEY) survey, and 107Ramos-Almeida, C. et al.
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12012 -
Supersonic Line Broadening within Young and Massive Super Star ClustersThe origin of supersonic infrared and radio recombination nebular lines often detected in young and massive superstar clusters is discussed. We suggest that these arise from a collection of repressurizing shocks (RSs), acting effectively to re-establish pressure balance within the cluster volume and from the cluster wind which leads to an evenTenorio-Tagle, Guillermo et al.
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12010 -
Qualitative Interpretation of Galaxy SpectraWe describe a simple step-by-step guide to qualitative interpretation of galaxy spectra. Rather than an alternative to existing automated tools, it is put forward as an instrument for quick-look analysis and for gaining physical insight when interpreting the outputs provided by automated tools. Though the recipe is for general application, it wasSánchez-Almeida, J. et al.
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92012
