Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik

- Optical & Interpretative Astronomy -

Galaxy Evolution

Some Recent Results

The Local Universe

The formation of hot stellar systems (bulges and elliptical galaxies) is the centrepoint of much of our work, forming a link to the dynamical studies described here. In particular, we find quite different properties for 'classical' and 'pseudo'-bulges , consistent with, respectively, hierarchical, merger-driven and secular, internal-torque driven origins. We find that the light profiles of elliptical galaxies are consistent with a merger history in which black holes and AGN-feedback have had dramatic impact on the observed galaxy properties.

We also study nearby disks: Detailed observation of our neighbouring galaxy Andromeda (M31) have provided tight constraints on the dust distribution and stellar populations in the disk . Meanwhile, the outer profiles of disks fall into different categories, putting constraints on the dynamical and star formation processes which apply at low density.

The Higher Redshift Universe

In the distant Universe our work focuses on large samples of galaxies from deep surveys, and more complete samples of individual clusters and groups. Together with local samples these provide an overview of how galaxy populations populate their dark matter haloes, and have evolved both structurally and in their stellar populations across most of cosmic time.

The most evolved galaxies are found in the cores of rich, local clusters. We examine how these populations have evolved over more than 50 % of cosmic time, utilising photometric and spectroscopic data from the EDisCS project (ESO Distant Cluster Survey). We examine the evolution of mass to light ratio for early-type cluster galaxies, utilizing the fundamental plane evolution and environmental dependence and, importantly, accounting for size evolution. We have also examined how the morphological composition of the galaxy population trace their underlying haloes, utilizing a well-studied sample of spectroscopically-selected groups at z~0.4. Whilst bright elliptical galaxies tend to live in halo cores but are otherwise ubiquitous, lenticular (S0) galaxies exist with similar fractions in groups and clusters, but are relatively absent at lower density. This provides hard constraints for studies of morphological evolution. We are following up X-ray detected groups at z~0.2-0.9 with highly complete spectroscopy to understand how a bright IGM relates to group and galaxy properties. High quality photometric redshifts have allowed us to probe the galaxy population to unprecidented depth up to z~1 within the COSMOS survey. The resultant stellar mass function requires a 'bimodal' bright plus faint fit of both passive and star forming populations, mass dependence of galaxy formation efficiency. Finally, we have developed a multiscale density framework to describe galaxy environments in detail, but without the assumptions which go into the construction of group catalogues.

M31 disk stellar population and dust (as PDF)	Bulge populations (as PDF)	The Light Profiles of Disk Galaxie (as PDF)
The Light Profiles of Elliptical Galaxies (as PDF)	The Fundamental Plane of EDISCS Ellipticals (as PDF)	COSMOS (as PDF)
Morphological Composition of z~0.4 Groups (as PDF)	X-ray Groups (as PDF)	Multi-Scale Environment (as PDF)

The authors of the posters are responsible for their content

Recent Papers

Balogh, Michael L., McGee, Sean L., Wilman, Dave, Bower, Richard G., Hau, George, Morris, Simon L., Mulchaey, J. S., Oemler, A., Jr., Parker, Laura, & Gwyn, Stephen 2009, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 398, 754 The colour of galaxies in distant groups

Barazza, F. D., Jablonka, P., Desai, V., Jogee, S., Aragón-Salamanca, A., De Lucia, G., Saglia, R. P., Halliday, C., Poggianti, B. M., Dalcanton, J. J., Rudnick, G., Milvang-Jensen, B., Noll, S., Simard, L., Clowe, D. I., Pelló, R., White, S. D. M., & Zaritsky, D. 2009, Astronomy and Astrophysics 497, 713 Frequency and properties of bars in cluster and field galaxies at intermediate redshifts

Drory, N., Bundy, K., Leauthaud, A., Scoville, N., Capak, P., Ilbert, O., Kartaltepe, J. S., Kneib, J. P., McCracken, H. J., Salvato, M., Sanders, D. B., Thompson, D., & Willott, C. J. 2009, Astrophysical Journal 707, 159 The Bimodal Galaxy Stellar Mass Function in the COSMOS Survey to z ~ 1: A Steep Faint End and a New Galaxy Dichotomy

Finoguenov, A., Connelly, J. L., Parker, L. C., Wilman, D. J., Mulchaey, J. S., Saglia, R. P., Balogh, M. L., Bower, R. G., & McGee, S. L. 2009, Astrophysical Journal 704, 564 The Roadmap for Unification in Galaxy Group Selection. I. A Search for Extended X-ray Emission in the CNOC2 Survey

Fisher, David B., Drory, Niv, & Fabricius, Maximilian H. 2009, Astrophysical Journal 697, 630 Bulges of Nearby Galaxies with Spitzer: The Growth of Pseudobulges in Disk Galaxies and its Connection to Outer Disks

Gerssen, J., Wilman, D. J., Christensen, L., Bower, R. G., & Wild, V. 2009, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 393, 45 Highly ionized gas on galaxy scales: mapping the interacting Seyfert galaxy LEDA 135736

Hou, Annie, Parker, Laura C., Harris, William E., & Wilman, David J. 2009, Astrophysical Journal 702, 1199 Statistical Tools for Classifying Galaxy Group Dynamics

Kormendy, John, Fisher, David B., Cornell, Mark E., & Bender, Ralf 2009, Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 182, 216 Structure and Formation of Elliptical and Spheroidal Galaxies

López-Sanjuan, Carlos, Balcells, Marc, García-Dabó, Cesar Enrique, Prieto, Mercedes, Cristóbal-Hornillos, David, Eliche-Moral, M. Carmen, Abreu, David, Erwin, Peter, & Guzmán, Rafael 2009, Astrophysical Journal 694, 643 Robust Determination of the Major Merger Fraction at z = 0.6 in the Groth Strip

Maraston, C., Nieves Colmenárez, L., Bender, R., & Thomas, D. 2009, Astronomy and Astrophysics 493, 425 Absorption line indices in the UV. I. Empirical and theoretical stellar population models

Montalto, M., Seitz, S., Riffeser, A., Hopp, U., Lee, C.-H., & Schönrich, R. 2009, Astronomy and Astrophysics 507, 283 Properties of M31. I. Dust. Basic properties and a discussion about age-dependent dust heating

Pannella, Maurilio, Gabasch, Armin, Goranova, Yuliana, Drory, Niv, Hopp, Ulrich, Noll, Stefan, Saglia, Roberto P., Strazzullo, Veronica, & Bender, Ralf 2009, Astrophysical Journal 701, 787 The Evolution of Early- and Late-type Galaxies in the Cosmic Evolution Survey up to z ≈ 1.2

Pelló, R., Rudnick, G., De Lucia, G., Simard, L., Clowe, D. I., Jablonka, P., Milvang-Jensen, B., Saglia, R. P., White, S. D. M., Aragón-Salamanca, A., Halliday, C., Poggianti, B., Best, P., Dalcanton, J., Dantel-Fort, M., Fort, B., von der Linden, A., Mellier, Y., Rottgering, H., & Zaritsky, D. 2009, Astronomy and Astrophysics 508, 117 Photometric redshifts and cluster tomography in the ESO Distant Cluster Survey

Poggianti, Bianca M., Aragón-Salamanca, Alfonso, Zaritsky, Dennis, De Lucia, Gabriella, Milvang-Jensen, Bo, Desai, Vandana, Jablonka, Pascale, Halliday, Claire, Rudnick, Gregory, Varela, Jesus, Bamford, Steven, Best, Philip, Clowe, Douglas, Noll, Stefan, Saglia, Roberto, Pelló, Roser, Simard, Luc, von der Linden, Anja, & White, Simon 2009, Astrophysical Journal 693, 112 The Environments of Starburst and Post-Starburst Galaxies at z = 0.4-0.8

Rudnick, Gregory, von der Linden, Anja, Pelló, Roser, Aragón-Salamanca, Alfonso, Marchesini, Danilo, Clowe, Douglas, De Lucia, Gabriella, Halliday, Claire, Jablonka, Pascale, Milvang-Jensen, Bo, Poggianti, Bianca, Saglia, Roberto, Simard, Luc, White, Simon, & Zaritsky, Dennis 2009, Astrophysical Journal 700, 1559 The Rest-frame Optical Luminosity Function of Cluster Galaxies at z < 0.8 and the Assembly of the Cluster Red Sequence

Sánchez-Blázquez, P., Jablonka, P., Noll, S., Poggianti, B. M., Moustakas, J., Milvang-Jensen, B., Halliday, C., Aragón-Salamanca, A., Saglia, R. P., Desai, V., De Lucia, G., Clowe, D. I., Pelló, R., Rudnick, G., Simard, L., White, S. D. M., & Zaritsky, D. 2009, Astronomy and Astrophysics 499, 47 Evolution of red-sequence cluster galaxies from redshift 0.8 to 0.4: ages, metallicities, and morphologies

Simard, L., Clowe, D., Desai, V., Dalcanton, J. J., von der Linden, A., Poggianti, B. M., White, S. D. M., Aragón-Salamanca, A., De Lucia, G., Halliday, C., Jablonka, P., Milvang-Jensen, B., Saglia, R. P., Pelló, R., Rudnick, G. H., & Zaritsky, D. 2009, Astronomy and Astrophysics 508, 1141 Evolution of the early-type galaxy fraction in clusters since z = 0.8

Wilman, D. J., Oemler, A., Mulchaey, J. S., McGee, S. L., Balogh, M. L., & Bower, R. G. 2009, Astrophysical Journal 692, 298 Morphological Composition of z ~ 0.4 Groups: The Site of S0 Formation

last update: 4/2010, editor of this page: Roberto Philip Saglia