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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Kinematics of Extremely Metal-poor Galaxies: Evidence for Stellar Feedback
The extremely metal-poor (XMP) galaxies analyzed in a previous paper have large star-forming regions with a metallicity lower than the rest of the galaxy. Such a chemical inhomogeneity reveals the external origin of the metal-poor gas fueling star formation, possibly indicating accretion from the cosmic web. This paper studies the kinematic
Olmo-García, A. et al.Advertised on:
12017 -
A millisecond pulsar candidate in a 21-h orbit: 3FGL J0212.1+5320
We present the discovery of a variable optical counterpart to the unidentified gamma-ray source 3FGL J0212.1+5320 and argue that this is a new compact binary millisecond pulsar (MSP) candidate. We show 3FGL J0212.1+5320 hosts a semidetached binary with a 0.869 55 ± 0.000 15 d orbital period and an F6-type companion star at an estimated distance of
Linares, M. et al.Advertised on:
32017 -
Constraining the Epoch of Reionization from the Observed Properties of the High-z Universe
We combine observational data on a dozen independent cosmic properties at high-z with the information on reionization drawn from the spectra of distant luminous sources and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to constrain the interconnected evolution of galaxies and the intergalactic medium since the dark ages. The only acceptable solutions are
Salvador-Solé, E. et al.Advertised on:
12017 -
Supernovae and Their Expanding Blast Waves during the Early Evolution of Galactic Globular Clusters
Our arguments deal with the early evolution of Galactic globular clusters and show why only a few of the supernovae (SNe) products were retained within globular clusters and only in the most massive cases (M ≥ 106 M⊙), while less massive clusters were not contaminated at all by SNe. Here, we show that SN blast waves evolving in a steep density
Tenorio-Tagle, G. et al.Advertised on:
112015 -
SHARDS: A Global View of the Star Formation Activity at z ~ 0.84 and z ~ 1.23
In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at intermediate redshifts (z ∼ 1). We combine the ultra-deep optical spectro-photometric data from the Survey for High-z Absorption Red and Dead Sources (SHARDS) with deep UV-to-FIR observations in the GOODS-N field. Exploiting two of the 25 SHARDS medium-band
Cava, A. et al.Advertised on:
102015 -
A deep look at the nuclear region of UGC 5101 through high angular resolution mid-IR data with GTC/CanariCam
We present an analysis of the nuclear infrared (IR, 1.6-18 μm) emission of the ultraluminous IR galaxy UGC 5101 to derive the properties of its active galactic nucleus (AGN) and its obscuring material. We use new mid-IR high angular resolution (0.3-0.5 arcsec) imaging using the Si-2 filter (λC = 8.7 μm) and 7.5-13 μm spectroscopy taken with
Martínez-Paredes, M. et al.Advertised on:
122015 -
Localized Starbursts in Dwarf Galaxies Produced by the Impact of Low-metallicity Cosmic Gas Clouds
Models of galaxy formation predict that gas accretion from the cosmic web is a primary driver of star formation over cosmic history. Except in very dense environments where galaxy mergers are also important, model galaxies feed from cold streams of gas from the web that penetrate their dark matter halos. Although these predictions are unambiguous
Sánchez Almeida, J. et al.Advertised on:
92015 -
Nuclear obscuration in LINERs. Clues from Spitzer/IRS spectra on the Compton thickness and the existence of the dusty torus
Context. Most of the optically classified low-ionisation, narrow emission-line regions (LINERs) nuclei host an active galactic nucleus (AGN). However, how they fit into the unified model (UM) of AGN is still an open question. Aims: The aims of this work are to study at mid-infrared (mid-IR) (1) the Compton-thick nature of LINERs (i.e. hydrogen
González-Martín, O. et al.Advertised on:
62015 -
GLACE survey: OSIRIS/GTC tuneable filter Hα imaging of the rich galaxy cluster ZwCl 0024.0+1652 at z = 0.395. I. Survey presentation, TF data reduction techniques, and catalogue
The cores of clusters at 0 ≲ z ≲ 1 are dominated by quiescent early-type galaxies, whereas the field is dominated by star-forming late-type galaxies. Clusters grow through the accretion of galaxies and groups from the surrounding field, which implies that galaxy properties, notably the star formation ability, are altered as they fall into overdense
Sánchez-Portal, M. et al.Advertised on:
62015 -
VIMOS integral field spectroscopy of blue compact galaxies. I. Morphological properties, diagnostic emission-line ratios, and kinematics
Context. Blue compact galaxies (BCG) are gas-rich, low-luminosity, low-metallicity systems that undergo a violent burst of star formation. These galaxies offer us a unique opportunity to investigate collective star formation and its effects on galaxy evolution in a relatively simple environment. Spatially resolved spectrophotometric studies of BCGs
Cairós, L. M. et al.Advertised on:
52015 -
Extremely Metal-poor Galaxies: The Environment
We have analyzed bibliographical observational data and theoretical predictions, in order to probe the environment in which extremely metal-poor dwarf galaxies (XMPs) reside. We have assessed the H i component and its relation to the optical galaxy, the cosmic web type (voids, sheets, filaments and knots), the overdensity parameter and analyzed the
Filho, M. E. et al.Advertised on:
42015 -
On the Use of the Index N2 to Derive the Metallicity in Metal-poor Galaxies
The N2 index ([N II] λ6584/Hα) is used to determine emission line galaxy metallicities at all redshifts, including high redshift, where galaxies tend to be metal-poor. The initial aim of this work was to improve the calibrations used to infer oxygen abundance from N2 by employing updated low-metallicity galaxy databases. We compare N2 and the
Morales-Luis, A. B. et al.Advertised on:
122014 -
A mid-infrared view of the inner parsecs of the Seyfert galaxy Mrk 1066 using CanariCam/GTC
We present mid-infrared (MIR) imaging and spectroscopic data of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 1066 obtained with CanariCam (CC) on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC). The galaxy was observed in imaging mode with an angular resolution of 0.24 arcsec (54 pc) in the Si-2 filter (8.7 μm). The image reveals a series of star-forming knots within the
Ramos Almeida, C. et al.Advertised on:
122014 -
X-ray spectral variability of LINERs selected from the Palomar sample
Context. Variability is a general property of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The way in which these changes occur at X-rays is not yet clearly understood. In the particular case of low-ionization nuclear emission line region (LINER) nuclei, variations on the timescales from months to years have been found for some objects, but the main driver of
Hernández-García, L. et al.Advertised on:
92014 -
Polarized Mid-infrared Synchrotron Emission in the Core of Cygnus A
We present high-angular (~0.''4) resolution mid-infrared (MIR) polarimetric observations in the 8.7 μm and 11.6 μm filters of Cygnus A using CanariCam on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS. A highly polarized nucleus is observed with a degree of polarization of 11% ± 3% and 12% ± 3% and a position angle of polarization of 27° ± 8° and 35° ± 8° in
Lopez-Rodriguez, E. et al.Advertised on:
102014 -
Higher prevalence of X-ray selected AGN in intermediate-age galaxies up to z ˜ 1
We analyse the stellar populations in the host galaxies of 53 X-ray selected optically dull active galactic nuclei (AGN) at 0.34 < z < 1.07 with ultradeep (mAB = 26.5, 3σ) optical medium-band (R ˜ 50) photometry from the Survey for High-z Absorption Red and Dead Sources (SHARDS). The spectral resolution of SHARDS allows us to consistently measure
Hernán-Caballero, A. et al.Advertised on:
102014 -
Episodic star formation in a group of LAEs at z = 5.07
We are undertaking a search for high-redshift low-luminosity Lyman Alpha sources in the SHARDS (Survey for High-z Absorption Red and Dead Sources) survey. Among the pre-selected Lyman Alpha sources two candidates were spotted, located 3.19 arcsec apart, and tentatively at the same redshift. Here, we report on the spectroscopic confirmation with
Rodríguez Espinosa, J. M. et al.Advertised on:
102014 -
Star formation sustained by gas accretion
Numerical simulations predict that metal-poor gas accretion from the cosmic web fuels the formation of disk galaxies. This paper discusses how cosmic gas accretion controls star formation, and summarizes the physical properties expected for the cosmic gas accreted by galaxies. The paper also collects observational evidence for gas accretion
Sánchez Almeida, J. et al.Advertised on:
72014 -
Nuclear 11.3 μm PAH emission in local active galactic nuclei
We present Gran Telescopio CANARIAS CanariCam 8.7 μm imaging and 7.5-13 μm spectroscopy of six local systems known to host an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and have nuclear star formation. Our main goal is to investigate whether the molecules responsible for the 11.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature are destroyed in the close
Alonso-Herrero, A. et al.Advertised on:
92014 -
Synapses of active galactic nuclei:. Comparing X-ray and optical classifications using artificial neural networks
Context. Many classes of active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been defined entirely through optical wavelengths, while the X-ray spectra have been very useful to investigate their inner regions. However, optical and X-ray results show many discrepancies that have not been fully understood yet. Aims: The main purpose of the present paper is to study
González-Martín, O. et al.Advertised on:
72014
