Molecular Gas and Dust in Galaxies Across Cosmic Time

Start year
2015
Organizational Unit
    General
    Description

    Two of the most fundamental questions in astrophysics are the conversion of molecular gas into stars and how this physical process is a function of environments on all scales, ranging from planetary systems, stellar clusters, galaxies to galaxy clusters. The main goal of this internal project is to get insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies from the cold interstellar medium. This is achieved by probing the cold molecular gas, the fuel of star formation, and dust, the by-product of this formation process, in galaxies across cosmic time. The studies are mainly based on observations in the far-infrared and radio wavelength regime with a special focus on radio interferometric observations with state-of-the art telescopes such as NOEMA, ALMA, ATCA, VLA and SMA. There will be close interrelation with other internal research projects e.g., providing our expertise on radio (interferometric) observations of galaxies. The research group will characterize the star-formation properties of massive galaxies in the distant universe at different epochs enabling us to study the formation sequence of star-forming galaxies. Furthermore, to probe the environmental-dependent evolution, the investigated sources are selected from galaxy clusters and the field. In addition, complementary studies of nearby galaxies (selected from CALIFA and WEAVE-APERTIF) serve as a local reference sample for future studies of high-redshift galaxies.

    Principal investigator
    Project staff
    1. Follow-up observations of a lensed dusty starburst galaxy at z=2.04 with the radio interferometer IRAM NOEMA discovered extreme molecular gas properties and revealed the brightest emission in molecular gas ever seen in the distant universe; Dannerbauer et al. 2019, AJ, in press (astro-ph/1812.03845)..
    2. Contrubution with several articles as co-author (part of international collaborations) of the study of galaxy cluster in formation and its members via multi-wavelenth observations.
    3. Obtaining external funding from 'plan nacional' by MINECO for 2018 and 2019 including funding of a two-years postdoc (AYA2017-84061-P: ´From the first over-densitities to proto-clusters and clusters: The role of the environment´, 141.570 Euro, IP1: H. Dannerbauer, IP2: J. M. Rodriguez-Espinosa).
    4. Obtaining observing time to continue and the finish the ATCA Large Program 'COALAS: CO ATCA Legacy Archive of Star-Forming Galaxies' (PI: Helmut Dannerbauer), in total 640 hrs. (~500.000 Euro). IRAM NOEMA Large Program ‘A Comprehensive NOEMA Redshift Survey of the Brightest Herschel Galaxies’ (CoPI: Dannerbauer) approved, 191 hrs. (~770.000 Euro).
    5. Organization of the mini-synposium 'Build-Up of Galaxy Clusters' during the IAU XXX General Assembly in Vienna in August 2018 and of the splinter meeting "Collaborative GTC-LMT project" during the GTC conference in Valencia in December 2018.

    Related publications

    Environmental Regulation of Dust and Star Formation Unveiled by Subaru Dual Narrowband Imaging: Degree-scale Balmer Decrement Mapping Across a z = 0.9 Supercluster 2025ApJ...995...81L
    The Photometric Analysis of the Environment Around Two Dusty Star-forming Galaxies at z ∼ 2 2025ApJ...995...28B
    Association of cold gas, massive galaxies, and AGNs in a filamentary protocluster traced by triple narrow-band imaging 2025MNRAS.544.2365D
    Enhanced Gas-phase Metallicities and Suppressed Outflows for Galaxies in a Rich Cluster Core at Cosmic Noon 2025ApJ...994....4A
    A Multiwavelength Study of ELAN Environments (AMUSE<SUP>2</SUP>): The Impact of Dense Environment on Massive Dusty Star-forming Galaxies at Cosmic Noon 2025ApJ...993..111W
    Euclid preparation: LV. Exploring the properties of proto-clusters in the Simulated Euclid Wide Survey 2025A&A...693A..59E
    CO(1–0) imaging reveals 10-kiloparsec molecular gas reservoirs around star-forming galaxies at high redshift 2025A&A...700A.278R
    Nature of High Equivalent Width Emitters in the Epoch of Reionization Revealed by JWST Medium-band Imaging 2025ApJ...989...71D
    NASIM: Revealing the low surface brightness Universe from legacy VISTA data 2025A&A...701A.116S
    Euclid: the potential of slitless infrared spectroscopy: a z = 5.4 quasar and new ultracool dwarfs 2025MNRAS.542.1088B
    A Comparative Study of the Ground State Transitions of CO and C I as Molecular Gas Tracers at High Redshift 2025ApJ...987..158F
    COALAS: III. The ATCA CO(1–0) look at the growth and death of Hα emitters in the Spiderweb protocluster at z = 2.16 2025A&A...696A.236P
    Euclid: I. Overview of the Euclid mission 2025A&A...697A...1E
    Euclid preparation: LXI. Cosmic Dawn Survey: 'Pre-launch' multiwavelength catalogues for Euclid Deep Field North and Euclid Deep Field Fornax 2025A&A...695A.229E
    Euclid: A complete Einstein ring in NGC 6505 2025A&A...694A.145O
    Mapping dusty galaxy growth at z &gt; 5 with FRESCO: detection of Hα in submm galaxy HDF850.1 and the surrounding overdense structures 2025MNRAS.537..788H
    The kinematics of massive high-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies 2025MNRAS.536.3757A
    ALESS-JWST: Joint (Sub)kiloparsec JWST and ALMA Imaging of z ~ 3 Submillimeter Galaxies Reveals Heavily Obscured Bulge Formation Events 2025ApJ...978..165H
    Spider-Webb: JWST Near Infrared Camera resolved galaxy star formation and nuclear activities in the Spiderweb protocluster at z = 2.16 2025MNRAS.537L..36S
    A Tale of Three: Magnetic Fields along the Orion Integral-shaped Filament as Revealed by the JCMT BISTRO Survey 2024ApJ...977L..31W
    The JCMT BISTRO Survey: The Magnetic Fields of the IC 348 Star-forming Region 2024ApJ...977...32C
    JWST/NIRCam Paβ Narrowband Imaging Reveals Ordinary Dust Extinction for Hα Emitters within the Spiderweb Protocluster at z = 2.16 2024ApJ...977...74P
    JWST/NIRCam Narrowband Survey of Paβ Emitters in the Spiderweb Protocluster at z = 2.16 2024ApJ...977...73S
    Revealing the Quiescent Galaxy Population in the Spiderweb Protocluster at z = 2.16 with Deep HST/WFC3 Slitless Spectroscopy 2024ApJ...977...58N
    ASW<SUP>2</SUP>DF: Census of the obscured star formation in a galaxy cluster in formation at z = 2.2 2024A&A...692A..22Z
    Spectroscopic analysis of the strongly lensed SN Encore: constraints on cosmic evolution of Type Ia supernovae 2024MNRAS.535.2939D
    Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) science: The hidden circumgalactic medium 2024ORE.....4..117L
    Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) science: Surveying the distant Universe 2024ORE.....4..122V
    MeerKAT observations of Herschel protocluster candidates 2024MNRAS.535..370D
    Euclid preparation: L. Calibration of the halo linear bias in Λ(v)CDM cosmologies 2024A&A...691A..62E
    The RAdio Galaxy Environment Reference Survey (RAGERS): Evidence of an anisotropic distribution of submillimeter galaxies in the 4C 23.56 protocluster at z = 2.48 2024A&A...690A.196Z
    NOEMA formIng Cluster survEy (NICE): Characterizing eight massive galaxy groups at 1.5 &lt; z &lt; 4 in the COSMOS field 2024A&A...690A..55S
    An ALMA survey of submillimetre galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: an unbiased study of SMG environments measured with narrow-band imaging 2024MNRAS.533.2399C
    The Radio Galaxy Environment Reference Survey (RAGERS): a submillimetre study of the environments of massive radio-quiet galaxies at z = 1-3 2024MNRAS.533.1032C
    The MAGPI Survey: massive slow rotator population in place by z 0.3 2024MNRAS.531.4602D
    SN 2020pvb: A Type IIn-P supernova with a precursor outburst 2024A&A...686A..13E
    Star-formation activity of low-mass galaxies at the peak epoch of galaxy formation probed by deep narrow-band imaging 2024MNRAS.531.2335D
    Lensed Type Ia Supernova "Encore" at z = 2: The First Instance of Two Multiply Imaged Supernovae in the Same Host Galaxy 2024ApJ...967L..37P
    JWST Photometric Time-delay and Magnification Measurements for the Triply Imaged Type Ia "SN H0pe" at z = 1.78 2024ApJ...967...50P
    Noema formIng Cluster survEy (NICE): Discovery of a starbursting galaxy group with a radio-luminous core at z = 3.95 2024A&A...684A.196Z