Galaxies and Cosmology

Galaxies and Cosmology

The research carried out by the Arcetri extragalactic group revolves around understanding the physical processes that drive the formation and evolution of galaxies and galaxy clusters and the baryon cycle within and outside galaxies. We approach these goals mostly from an observational point of view, covering virtually all spectral bands (with both photometry and spectroscopy) and different spatial scales. We aim at gathering a comprehensive phenomenology of the physical properties of galaxy components both in the local Universe and as a function of redshift and in different environments. This is key to constraining both internal processes (star formation regulation, chemical enrichment, feedback and secular evolution) and external processes (accretion, mergers and environmental interactions), aided by comparison with simulations and theoretical predictions. Our activity can be outlined in the following lines of research: physics of the interstellar medium, galaxy properties and their evolution, large scale structure, active galactic nuclei.
Our group is also involved in the scientific planning of several instrument development projects, both from space and from ground, as well as in their early science exploitation, including Guaranteed Time Observations. These include, from ground: ERIS, MOONS, MAVIS, MOSAIC, HIRES, WEAVE, SRT, SKA, and from space: NIRSpec, Euclid.

Physics of the interstellar medium

Galaxy properties and their evolution

Large scale structure

Active galactic nuclei

Webpage of the research group