Galaxy formation is at the heart of our understanding of cosmic evolution. Although there is a consensus that galaxies emerged from the expanding matter background by gravitational instability of primordial fluctuations, a number of additional physical processes must be understood and implemented in theoretical models before these can be reliably used to interpret observations. In parallel, the astonishing recent progresses made in detecting galaxies that formed only a few hundreds of million years after the Big Bang is pushing the quest for more sophisticated and detailed studies of early structures. In this review, we combine the information gleaned from different theoretical models/studies to build a coherent picture of the Universe in its early stages which includes the physics of galaxy formation along with the impact that early structures had on large-scale processes as cosmic reionization and metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium.
Low luminosity galaxies may be the building blocks of more luminous systems. Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) observations of the low luminosity, early-type galaxy NGC59 are obtained and analysed. These data are used to measure the stellar population parameters in the centre and off-centre regions of this galaxy, in order to uncover its likely star formation history. We find evidence of older stars, in addition to young stars in the emission line regions. The metallicity of the stellar population is constrained to be [Z/H] ~ -1.1 to -1.6, which is extremely low, even for this low lumino…
We use the kinematics of discrete tracers, primarily globular clusters (GCs) and planetary nebulae (PNe), along with measurements of the integrated starlight to explore the assembly histories of early type galaxies. Data for GCs and stars are taken from the SLUGGS wide field, 2-dimensional, chemo-dynamical survey (Brodie et al. 2014). Data for PNe are from the PN.S survey (see contributions by Gerhard and by Arnaboldi, this volume). We find widespread evidence for 2-phase galaxy assembly and intriguing constraints on hierarchical merging under a lambda CDM cosmology.
A modified galaxy classification scheme for local galaxies is presented. It builds upon the Aitken-Jeans nebula sequence, by expanding the Jeans-Hubble tuning fork diagram, which itself contained key ingredients from Curtis and Reynolds. The two-dimensional grid of galaxy morphological types presented here, with elements from de Vaucouleurs' three-dimensional classification volume, has an increased emphasis on the often overlooked bars and continua of disc sizes in early-type galaxies - features not fully captured by past tuning forks, tridents, or combs. The grid encompasses nuclear discs in …
Using data drawn from the DEEP2 and DEEP3 Galaxy Redshift Surveys, we investigate the relationship between the environment and the structure of galaxies residing on the red sequence at intermediate redshift. Within the massive (10 < log(M*/Msun) < 11) early-type population at 0.4 < z <1.2, we find a significant correlation between local galaxy overdensity (or environment) and galaxy size, such that early-type systems in higher-density regions tend to have larger effective radii (by ~0.5 kpc or 25% larger) than their counterparts of equal stellar mass and Sersic index in lower-density environme…
We present 776 truly physical galaxy pairs, 569 of them are close pairs and 208 false pairs from Karachentsev (1972) and Reduzzi & Rampazzo (1995) catalogues, which contains 1012 galaxy pairs. Also we carried out star formation activity through the far-infrared emission (FIR) in physical (truly) interacting galaxies in some galaxy pairs and compared them with projection (optical) interacting galaxy pairs. We focused on the triggering of star formation by interactions and analyzed the enhancement of star formation activity in terms of truly physical galaxy pairs. The large fraction of star form…
We present the results of observations of the galaxy Holmberg I carried out at the Russian 6-m telescope in the narrow-band imaging, long-slit spectroscopy, and scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer modes. A detailed analysis of gas kinematics, ionization conditions, and metallicity of star-forming regions in the galaxy is presented. The aim of the paper is to analyse the propagation of star formation in the galaxy and to understand the role of the ongoing star formation in the evolution of the central 'galaxy-sized' supergiant HI shell (SGS), where all regions of star formation are observed. We…
The manner the galaxy accretes matter along with the star formation rates at different epochs, influence the evolution of the stable isotopic inventories of the galaxy. A detailed analysis is presented here to study the dependence of the galactic chemical evolution on the accretion scenario of the galaxy along with the star formation rate during the early accretionary phase of the galactic thick disk and thin disk. Our results indicate that a rapid early accretion of the galaxy during the formation of the galactic thick disk along with an enhanced star formation rate in the early stages of the…
To understand the formation and evolution of galaxies at redshifts z < 10, one must invariably introduce specific models (e.g., for the star formation) in order to fully interpret the data. Unfortunately, this tends to render the analysis compliant to the theory and its assumptions, so consensus is still somewhat elusive. Nonetheless, the surprisingly early appearance of massive galaxies challenges the standard model, and the halo mass function estimated from galaxy surveys at z > 4 appears to be inconsistent with the predictions of LCDM, giving rise to what has been termed "The Impossibly Ear…
Early-type galaxies (ETGs) are composed of two distinct populations: high-mass and low-mass, which are likely to be built via gas-poor merging and gas-rich merging/accretion, respectively. However, it is difficult to directly associate low-mass ETGs with gas-rich processes, because currently they are gas poor with no signs of ongoing star formation. We report a discovery of an ETG (SDSS J142055.01+400715.7) with Mstellar=10^10 Msun that offers direct evidence for gas-rich merging as the origin of low-mass ETGs. The integrated properties of the galaxy are consistent with a typical low-mass ETG,…
The last two years have seen widespread acceptance of the idea that the Milky Way halo was largely created in an early (8-10 Gyr ago) and massive ($> 10^{10} M_\odot$) merger. The roots of this idea pre-date the Gaia mission, but the exquisite proper motions available from Gaia have made the hypothesis irresistible. We trace the history of this idea, reviewing the series of papers that led to our current understanding.
The galaxy-wide stellar initial mass function (IGIMF) of a galaxy is thought to depend on its star formation rate (SFR). Using a catalogue of observational properties of early-type galaxies (ETGs) and a relation that correlates the formation timescales of ETGs with their stellar masses, the dependencies of the IGIMF on the SFR are translated into dependencies on more intuitive parameters like present-day luminosities in different passbands. It is found that up to a luminosity of approximately $10^9 \ {\rm L}_{\odot}$ (quite independent of the considered passband), the total masses of the stell…
We study the evolution of the gaseous components in massive simulated galaxies and show that their early formation is fuelled by cold, low entropy gas streams. At lower redshifts of z<3 the simulated galaxies are massive enough to support stable virial shocks resulting in a transition from cold to hot gas accretion. The gas accretion history of early-type galaxies is directly linked to the formation of their stellar component in the two phased formation scenario, in which the central parts of the galaxy assemble rapidly through in situ star formation and the later assembly is dominated primari…
Context: Star forming early-type galaxies with blue optical colours at low redshift can be used to test our current understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. Aims: We want to reveal the fuel and triggering mechanism for star formation in these otherwise passively evolving red and dead stellar systems. Methods: We undertook an optical and ultraviolet study of 55 star forming blue early-type galaxies, searching for signatures of recent interactions that could be driving the molecular gas into the galaxy and potentially triggering the star formation. Results: We report here our results on …
We are exploring galaxy evolution in low density environments exploiting smooth particle hydrodynamic simulations including chemo-photometric implementation. From a large grid of simulations of galaxy encounters and mergers starting from triaxial halos of gas e dark matter, we single out the simulations matching the global properties of our targets. These simulations are used to give insights into their evolution. We focus on 11 early-type galaxies selected because of their nearly passive stage of evolution in the nuclear region. However, a variety of UV features are detected in more than half…
The origin of star-formation in customarily passively evolving early-type massive galaxies is poorly understood. We present a case study of a massive galaxy, I~Zw~81, inside the Bootes void. The void galaxy is known to host an active galactic nuclei (AGN). Our detailed 2D decomposition of the surface brightness distribution in the $Canada$ $France$ $Hawaii$ $Telescope$ ($CFHT$) g- and r-bands revealed multiple structural components such as a nuclear point source, a bar, a ring, and an inner exponential disk followed by an outer low surface brightness (LSB) disk. I~Zw~81 turns out to be a disk-…
Using the Illustris cosmological simulation, we investigate the origin of fossil groups in the $M_{200}=10^{13}-10^{13.5}M_{\odot}/h$ mass regime. We examine the formation of the two primary features of fossil groups: the large magnitude gap between their two brightest galaxies, and their exceptionally luminous brightest group galaxy (BGG). For fossils and non-fossils identified at $z=0$, we find no difference in their halo mass assembly at early times, departing from previous studies. However, we do find a significant difference in the recent accretion history of fossil and non-fossil halos; …
We distribute an easy-to-use mock catalog of galaxies with detailed neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) and auxiliary molecular and optical properties. The catalog covers a field of 10-by-10 degrees and a redshift range of z=0-1.2. It contains galaxies with 21cm peak flux densities down to 1uJy and is, within this flux limit, complete for HI masses above 10^8 solar masses. Five random realisations of the catalog in ASCII format (~4GB/file) and subtables with HI flux limits of 10u Jy (~500MB/file) and 100uJy$ (~30MB/file) can be downloaded at http://ict.icrar.org/store/staff/do/s3sax.
We present a set of new analytic solutions aimed at self-consistently describing the spatially-averaged time evolution of the gas, stellar, metal, and dust content in an individual starforming galaxy hosted within a dark halo of given mass and formation redshift. Then, as an application, we show that our solutions, when coupled to specific prescriptions for parameter setting (inspired by in-situ galaxy-black hole coevolution scenarios) and merger rates (based on numerical simulations), can be exploited to reproduce the main statistical relationships followed by early-type galaxies and by their…
Young galaxies are clumpy, gas-rich, and highly turbulent. Star formation appears to occur by gravitational instabilities in galactic disks. The high dispersion makes the clumps massive and the disks thick. The star formation rate should be comparable to the gas accretion rate of the whole galaxy, because star formation is usually rapid and the gas would be depleted quickly otherwise. The empirical laws for star formation found locally hold at redshifts around 2, although the molecular gas consumption time appears to be smaller, and mergers appear to form stars with a slightly higher efficienc…
We introduce Meraxes, a new, purpose-built semi-analytic galaxy formation model designed for studying galaxy growth during reionization. Meraxes is the first model of its type to include a temporally and spatially coupled treatment of reionization and is built upon a custom (100 Mpc)$^3$ N-body simulation with high temporal and mass resolution, allowing us to resolve the galaxy and star formation physics relevant to early galaxy formation. Our fiducial model with supernova feedback reproduces the observed optical depth to electron scattering and evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function be…
The tidal tails of post-merger galaxies exhibit ongoing star formation far from their disks. The study of such systems can be useful for our understanding of gas condensation in diverse environments. The ongoing star formation in the tidal tails of post-merger galaxies can be directly studied from ultraviolet (UV) imaging observations. The post merger galaxy NGC7252 ("Atoms-for-Peace" galaxy) is observed with the Astrosat UV imaging telescope (UVIT) in broadband NUV and FUV filters to isolate the star forming regions in the tidal tails and study the spatial variation in star formation rates. B…
We study the relationships between galaxy environments and galaxy properties related to disk (re)growth, considering two highly complete samples that are approximately baryonic mass limited into the high-mass dwarf galaxy regime, the Environmental COntext (ECO) catalog (data release herein) and the B-semester region of the REsolved Spectroscopy Of a Local VolumE (RESOLVE) survey. We quantify galaxy environments using both group identification and smoothed galaxy density field methods. We use by-eye and quantitative morphological classifications plus atomic gas content measurements and estimate…
We present an orbit-based method of combining stellar and cold gas kinematics to constrain the dark matter profile of early-type galaxies. We apply this method to early-type galaxy NGC 2974, using Pan-STARRS imaging and SAURON stellar kinematics to model the stellar orbits, and introducing HI kinematics from VLA observation as a tracer of the gravitational potential. The introduction of the cold gas kinematics shows a significant effect on the confidence limits of especially the dark halo properties: we exclude more than $95\%$ of models within the $1-σ$ confidence level of Schwarzschild model…
The current hierarchical merging paradigm and $Λ$CDM predict that the $z \sim 4-8$ universe should be a time in which the most massive galaxies are transitioning from their initial halo assembly to the later baryonic evolution seen in star-forming galaxies and quasars. However, no evidence of this transition has been found in many high redshift galaxy surveys including CFHTLS, CANDELS and SPLASH, the first studies to probe the high-mass end at these redshifts. Indeed, if halo mass to stellar mass ratios estimated at lower-redshift continue to $z \sim 6-8$, CANDELS and SPLASH report several ord…
Understanding the effect spiral structure has on star formation properties of galaxies is important to completing our picture of spiral structure evolution. Previous studies have investigated connections between spiral arm properties with star formation, but the effect that the number of spiral arms has on this process is unclear. Here we use the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey paired with the citizen science visual classifications from the Galaxy Zoo project to explore galaxies' spiral arm number and how it connects to the star formation process. We use the votes from the GAMA-KiDS Gal…
SAGE1C\,J053634.78$-$722658.5 is a galaxy at redshift $z=0.14$, discovered behind the Large Magellanic Cloud in the {\it Spitzer} Space Telescope "Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution" Spectroscopy survey (SAGE-Spec). It has very strong silicate emission at 10 $μ$m but negligible far-IR and UV emission. This makes it a candidate for a bare AGN source in the IR, perhaps seen pole-on, without significant IR emission from the host galaxy. In this paper we present optical spectra taken with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to investigate the nature of the underlying host galaxy and …
Early type galaxies have projected central density brightness profile logarithmic slopes, gamma^prime, ranging from about 0 to 1. We show that gamma^prime is strongly correlated, r= 0.83, with the coarse grain phase density of the galaxy core, Q_0 = rho/sigma^3. The gamma^prime-luminosity correlation is much weaker, r= -0.5. Q_0 also serves to separate the distribution of power-law profiles, gamma^prime>0.5 from nearly flat profiles, gamma^prime<0.3, although there are many galaxies of intermediate slope, at intermediate $Q_0$, in a volume limited sample. The transition phase density separatin…
We present a novel method for including the effects of early (pre-supernova) feedback in simulations of galaxy evolution. Rather than building a model which attempts to match idealized, small-scale simulations or analytic approximations, we rely on direct observational measurements of the time-scales over which star-forming molecular clouds are disrupted by early feedback. We combine observations of the spatial de-correlation between molecular gas and star formation tracers on $\sim100$~pc scales with an analytic framework for the expansion of feedback fronts driven by arbitrary sources or mec…
We present galactic chemical evolution (GCE) models of the short-lived radionuclides (SLRs), 26Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, 53Mn and 60Fe, across the entire Milky Way galaxy. The objective is to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of the SLRs in the galaxy. The gamma-ray observations infer widespread distribution of 26Al and 60Fe across the galaxy. The signatures of the SLRs in the early solar system (ESS) are found in meteorites. We present homogeneous GCE simulation models for SLRs across the galaxy. We also develop a set of heterogeneous GCE models to understand the evolution of the galaxy …
The primary method for inferring the stellar mass ($M_*$) of a galaxy is through spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling. However, the technique rests on assumptions such as the galaxy star formation history and dust attenuation law that can severely impact the accuracy of derived physical properties from SED modeling. Here, we examine the effect that the assumed star formation history (SFH) has on the stellar properties inferred from SED fitting by ground truthing them against mock observations of high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic galaxy formation simulations. Classically, SFHs ar…
We report a giant red central disk galaxy in the XMM-LSS north region. The region is covered with a rich variety of multiband photometric and spectroscopic observations. Using the photometric data of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) and spectroscopic observation of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), we find that the galaxy has a stellar mass of $\sim 10^{11.6}$ times of the solar mass $M_\odot$. The galaxy has a red color and has an old stellar population, and thus its star formation has stopped. With the photometric image data of Hyper Suprime-Cam (HS…
We present the first estimate of age, stellar metallicity and chemical abundance ratios, for an individual early-type galaxy at high-redshift (z = 1.426) in the COSMOS field. Our analysis is based on observations obtained with the X-Shooter instrument at the VLT, which cover the visual and near infrared spectrum at high (R >5000) spectral resolution. We measure the values of several spectral absorptions tracing chemical species, in particular Magnesium and Iron, besides determining the age-sensitive D4000 break. We compare the measured indices to stellar population models, finding good agreeme…
The star-formation histories of the main stellar components of the Milky Way constrain critical aspects of galaxy formation and evolution. I discuss recent determinations of such histories, together with their interpretation in terms of theories of disk galaxy evolution.
Late-type galaxies falling into a cluster would evolve being influenced by the interactions with both the cluster and the nearby cluster member galaxies. Most numerical studies, however, tend to focus on the effects of the former with little work done on those of the latter. We thus perform a numerical study on the evolution of a late-type galaxy interacting with neighboring early-type galaxies at high speed, using hydrodynamic simulations. Based on the information obtained from the Coma cluster, we set up the simulations for the case where a Milky Way-like late-type galaxy experiences six con…
We present tentative evidence for the existence of a dissolved star cluster in the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy. In a sample of six stars, we identify three (possibly four) stars around [Fe/H] =-2.7 that are highly clustered in a multi-dimensional chemical abundance space. The estimated initial stellar mass of the cluster is M*,init = 1.9^+1.5_-0.9 (1.6^+1.2_-0.8)*10^5 Msol assuming a Salpeter (Kroupa) initial mass function (IMF). If corroborated by follow-up spectroscopy, this ancient star cluster at [Fe/H] =-2.7 is the most metal-poor system identified to date. Inspired by this finding, w…
We present a model of chemical and spectrophotometric evolution of disk galaxies based on a stochastic self-propagating star formation scenario. The model incorporates galaxy formation through the process of accretion, chemical and photometric evolution treatment, based on simple stellar populations (SSP), and parameterized gas dynamics inside the model. The model reproduces observational data of a late-type spiral galaxy M33 reasonably well. Promising test results prove the applicability of the model and the adequate accuracy for the interpretation of disk galaxy properties.
In this talk, I report results from galaxy merger simulations, which suggest the existence of a ring of star formation produced by close galaxy encounters. This is a generic feature of all galaxy interactions, provided that the disc spins are sufficiently aligned. This signature can be used to identify close galaxy pairs that have actually suffered a close interaction.
Abell 3667 is among the most well-studied galaxy clusters in the Southern Hemisphere. It is known to host two giant radio relics and a head-tail radio galaxy as the brightest cluster galaxy. Recent work has suggested the additional presence of a bridge of diffuse synchrotron emission connecting the North-Western radio relic with the cluster centre. In this work, we present full-polarization observations of Abell 3667 conducted with the Karoo Array Telescope at 1.33 and 1.82 GHz. Our results show both radio relics as well as the brightest cluster galaxy. We use ancillary higher-resolution data …
Recent observations with JWST have identified several bright galaxy candidates at $z\gtrsim 10$, some of which appear unusually massive (up to $\sim 10^{11}\ \rm M_{\odot}$). Such early formation of massive galaxies is difficult to reconcile with standard $Λ\rm CDM$ predictions, demanding very high star formation efficiency (SFE), possibly even in excess of the cosmic baryon mass budget in collapsed structures. With an idealized analysis based on linear perturbation theory and the Press-Schechter formalism, we show that the observed massive galaxy candidates can be explained with lower SFE tha…
The globular cluster systems of galaxies are well-known to extend to large galactocentric radii. Here we quantify the size of GC systems using the half number radius of 22 GC systems around early-type galaxies from the literature. We compare GC system sizes to the sizes and masses of their host galaxies. We find that GC systems typically extend to 4$\times$ that of the host galaxy size, however this factor varies with galaxy stellar mass from about 3$\times$ for M$^{\ast}$ galaxies to 5$\times$ for the most massive galaxies in the universe. The size of a GC system scales approximately linearly…
Galaxy formation simulations are an essential part of the modern toolkit of astrophysicists and cosmologists alike. Astrophysicists use the simulations to study the emergence of galaxy populations from the Big Bang, as well as problems including the formation of stars and supermassive black holes. For cosmologists, galaxy formation simulations are needed to understand how baryonic processes affect measurements of dark matter and dark energy. Owing to the extreme dynamic range of galaxy formation, advances are driven by novel approaches using simulations with different tradeoffs between volume …
We review the current theory of how galaxies form within the cosmological framework provided by the cold dark matter paradigm for structure formation. Beginning with the pre-galactic evolution of baryonic material we describe the analytical and numerical understanding of how baryons condense into galaxies, what determines the structure of those galaxies and how internal and external processes (including star formation, merging, active galactic nuclei etc.) determine their gross properties and evolution. Throughout, we highlight successes and failings of current galaxy formation theory. We incl…
It is not well understood whether the growth of early-type cluster galaxies proceeds inside-out, outside-in, or at the same pace at all radii. In this work we measured the galaxy size, defined by the radius including 80\% of the galaxy light, non-parametrically. We also determined a non-parametric estimate of galaxy light concentration, which measures the curvature of the surface brightness profile in the galaxy outskirts. We used an almost random sampling of a mass-limited sample formed by 128 morphologically early-type galaxies in clusters with $\log M/M_{\odot} \ga 10.7$ spanning the wide r…
In this review I demonstrate that a realistic model for the formation of galaxy disks depends on a proper treatment of the gas in galaxies. Historically, cosmological simulations of disk galaxy formation have suffered from a lack of resolution and a physically motivated feedback prescription. Recent computational progress has allowed for unprecedented resolution, which in turn allows for a more realistic treatment of feedback. These advances have led to a new examination of gas accretion, evolution, and loss in the formation of galaxy disks. Here I highlight the role that gas inflows, the regu…
The extreme astrophysical processes and conditions that characterize the early Universe are expected to result in young galaxies that are dynamically different from those observed today. This is because the strong effects associated with galaxy mergers and supernova explosions would lead to most young star-forming galaxies being dynamically hot, chaotic and strongly unstable. Here we report the presence of a dynamically cold, but highly star-forming, rotating disk in a galaxy at redshift ($z$) 4.2, when the Universe was just 1.4 billion years old. Galaxy SPT-S J041839-4751.9 is strongly gravit…
The origin of super-massive black holes in the early universe remains poorly understood.Gravitational collapse of a massive primordial gas cloud is a promising initial process,but theoretical studies have difficulty growing the black hole fast enough.We report numerical simulations of early black hole formation starting from realistic cosmological conditions.Supersonic gas motions left over from the Big Bang prevent early gas cloud formation until rapid gas condensation is triggered in a proto-galactic halo. A protostar is formed in the dense, turbulent gas cloud, and it grows by sporadic mass…
