Galaxy Formation and Evolution - IAP Research Group

The current knowledge on the formation and evolution of galaxies raises a large number of questions, to which the scientists in the group are attempting to answer using observations and theoretical modelling:

Have the proprerties of galaxies been acquired very early-on or at later times ?

What is the nature of the energetic phenomena such as active nuclei and radio emission within galaxies ? Which links can be established with the formation and evolution of central massive black holes ? What is the relationship between these phenomena and the stellar formation in galaxies ?

Are the properties of nearby galaxies observed in the UV and visible transposable to the properties of distant galaxies in the IR, and at sub-millimeter and millimeter wavalenths ? What are the implications on the determination of the age and evolution of these differents objets ?

Which types of galaxies are detected preferentially at mid-IR, far-IR, and sub-millimeter wavelenths, and what has been the contribution of these galaxies to the history of star formation ?

What is the impact of physical processes such as conduction and magnetic fields onto the evolution of galaxy properties ?

Key issues