Grants related:
General
Our small group is well known and respected internationally for our innovative and important work on various aspects of the structure and evolution of nearby spiral galaxies. We primarily use observations at various wavelengths, exploiting synergies that allow us to answer the most pertinent questions relating to what the main properties of galaxies are, and how galaxies have evolved to their current state. We use imaging and spectroscopy, at UV, optical, infrared, millimetre, and radio wavelengths, fully exploiting observing facilities available to us in Spain, at ESO, or elsewhere, along with state-of-the-art analysis tools. The success of this approach can be measured from the employment opportunities offered to ex-members of the group, from the number and quality of collaborations with leading external scientists, from continued citation of our published work, and from invitations to co-organise or speak at the leading international conferences in the field.
In the last few years our group has put a lot of effort into opening up joint research lines with computer scientists, recognising the paradigm shift that is upon us due to the enormous quantities of data that will soon be produced by facilities such as LSST, Euclid, and SKA. We collaborate with computer scientists and aim to prepare the analysis tools, including detection of structure from noise, correction for scattered light and Galactic cirrus, and the use of machine learning-based techniques, so that once LSST (2020) and Euclid (2023) start releasing their huge data sets, our group is ready to analyse them and extract the science from the oceans of bytes.
Members
Results
- From thermal and non-thermal radio maps of the centre of NGC 1097, we discovered that the massive star formation is quenched by non-thermal effects, including pressure from the magnetic field, cosmic rays and turbulence.
- In the centre of NGC 7742, we found a slightly warped inner disk, and two separate stellar components: an old population that counter-rotates with the gas, and a young one, concentrated to the ring, that co-rotates with the gas.
- We re-analysed our deep IR imaging of thick disks to correct for the extended S4G point spread function (PSF), confirming all our previous results and in particular confirming the significant mass present in the thick disk component.
- Analysing a new high-resolution e-MERLIN 1.5 GHz radio continuum map together with HST and SDSS imaging of NGC 5322, an elliptical galaxy hosting radio jets, we found that the low-luminosity AGN/jet-driven feedback may have quenched the late-time nuclear star formation promptly.
- From MUSE observations of low-surface-brightness Lyman-α emission surrounding faint galaxies at redshifts between 3 and 6 we find that the projected sky coverage approaches 100 per cent.
Scientific activity
Related publications
-
Radio jets in NGC 4151: where eMERLIN meets HST
We present high-sensitivity eMERLIN radio images of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 at 1.51 GHz. We compare the new eMERLIN images to those from archival MERLIN observations in 1993 to determine the change in jet morphology in the 22 yr between observations. We report an increase by almost a factor of 2 in the peak flux density of the central core
Williams, D. R. A. et al.Advertised on:
122017 -
A remarkably large depleted core in the Abell 2029 BCG IC 1101
We report the discovery of an extremely large (Rb ∼2.77 arcsec ≈ 4.2 kpc) core in the brightest cluster galaxy, IC 1101, of the rich galaxy cluster Abell 2029. Luminous core-Sérsic galaxies contain depleted cores - with sizes (Rb) typically 20-500 pc - that are thought to be formed by coalescing black hole binaries. We fit a (double nucleus) +
Knapen, J. H. et al.Advertised on:
102017 -
The puzzling interpretation of NIR indices: The case of NaI2.21
We present a detailed study of the Na I line strength index centred in the K band at 22 100 Å (NaI2.21 hereafter) relying on different samples of early-type galaxies. Consistent with previous studies, we find that the observed line strength indices cannot be fit by state-of-the-art scaled-solar stellar population models, even using our newly
Aguado, D. S. et al.Advertised on:
112017 -
Stellar disc truncations and extended haloes in face-on spiral galaxies
We use data from the IAC Stripe82 Legacy Project to study the surface photometry of 22 nearby, face-on to moderately inclined spiral galaxies. The reprocessed and combined Stripe 82 g ΄, r ΄ and i ΄ images allow us to probe the galaxy down to 29-30 r ΄-magnitudes arcsec-2 and thus reach into the very faint outskirts of the galaxies. Truncations are
Peters, S. P. C. et al.Advertised on:
92017 -
The JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey - XI. Environmental variations in the atomic and molecular gas radial profiles of nearby spiral galaxies
We present an analysis of the radial profiles of a sample of 43 H i-flux selected spiral galaxies from the Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey (NGLS) with resolved James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) CO J = 3 - 2 and/or Very Large Array (VLA) H I maps. Comparing the Virgo and non-Virgo populations, we confirm that the H I discs are truncated in the
Mok, Angus et al.Advertised on:
62017 -
Inferring gas-phase metallicity gradients of galaxies at the seeing limit: a forward modelling approach
We present a method to recover the gas-phase metallicity gradients from integral field spectroscopic (IFS) observations of barely resolved galaxies. We take a forward modelling approach and compare our models to the observed spatial distribution of emission-line fluxes, accounting for the degrading effects of seeing and spatial binning. The method
Carton, David et al.Advertised on:
62017 -
Colors of barlenses: evidence for connecting them to boxy/peanut bulges
Aims: We aim to study the colors and orientations of structures in low and intermediate inclination barred galaxies. We test the hypothesis that barlenses, roundish central components embedded in bars, could form part of the bar in a similar manner to boxy/peanut bulges in the edge-on view. Methods: A sample of 79 barlens galaxies was selected from
Herrera-Endoqui, M. et al.Advertised on:
22017 -
The Radio Spectral Energy Distribution and Star-formation Rate Calibration in Galaxies
We study the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the radio continuum (RC) emission from the Key Insight in Nearby Galaxies Emitting in Radio (KINGFISHER) sample of nearby galaxies to understand the energetics and origin of this emission. Effelsberg multi-wavelength observations at 1.4, 4.8, 8.4, and 10.5 GHz combined with archive data allow us
Tabatabaei, F. S. et al.Advertised on:
22017 -
Updated 34-band Photometry for the Sings/KINGFISH Samples of Nearby Galaxies
We present an update to the ultraviolet-to-radio database of global broadband photometry for the 79 nearby galaxies that comprise the union of the KINGFISH (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: A Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel) and SINGS (Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey) samples. The 34-band data set presented here includes contributions
Dale, D. A. et al.Advertised on:
32017 -
Synchrotron emission from the blazar PG 1553+113. An analysis of its flux and polarization variability
In 2015 July 29-September 1, the satellite XMM-Newton pointed at the BL Lac object PG 1553+133 six times, collecting data for 218 h. During one of these epochs, simultaneous observations by the Swift satellite were requested to compare the results of the X-ray and optical-UV instruments. Optical, near-infrared and radio monitoring was carried out
Raiteri, C. M. et al.Advertised on:
42017 -
The UK Infrared Telescope M 33 monitoring project - V. The star formation history across the galactic disc
We have conducted a near-infrared monitoring campaign at the UK Infrared Telescope of the Local Group spiral galaxy M 33 (Triangulum). On the basis of their variability, we have identified stars in the very final stage of their evolution, and for which the luminosity is more directly related to the birth mass than the more numerous less-evolved
Javadi, A. et al.Advertised on:
12017 -
A MUSE map of the central Orion Nebula (M 42)
We present a new integral field spectroscopic dataset of the central part of the Orion Nebula (M 42), observed with the MUSE instrument at the ESO VLT. We reduced the data with the public MUSE pipeline. The output products are two FITS cubes with a spatial size of ~5.´9×4.´9 (corresponding to ~0.76 × 0.63 pc2) and a contiguous wavelength coverage
Weilbacher, P. M. et al.Advertised on:
102015 -
Interacting galaxies in the nearby Universe: only moderate increase of star formation
We investigate the influence of interactions on the star formation by studying a sample of almost 1500 of the nearest galaxies, all within a distance of ˜45 Mpc. We define the massive star formation rate (SFR), as measured from far-IR emission, and the specific star formation rate (SSFR), which is the former quantity normalized by the stellar mass
Knapen, J. H. et al.Advertised on:
122015 -
The Odd Offset between the Galactic Disk and Its Bar in NGC~3906
We use mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging of NGC 3906 from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) to understand the nature of an unusual offset between its stellar bar and the photometric center of an otherwise regular, circular outer stellar disk. We measure an offset of ∼910 pc between the center of the stellar bar and
de Swardt, B. et al.Advertised on:
72015 -
The BaLROG project - I. Quantifying the influence of bars on the kinematics of nearby galaxies
We present the BaLROG (Bars in Low Redshift Optical Galaxies) sample of 16 morphologically distinct barred spirals to characterize observationally the influence of bars on nearby galaxies. Each galaxy is a mosaic of several pointings observed with the integral-field unit (IFU) SAURON leading to a tenfold sharper spatial resolution (˜100 pc)
Seidel, M. K. et al.Advertised on:
72015 -
Hα kinematics of S4G spiral galaxies - II. Data description and non-circular motions
We present a kinematical study of 29 spiral galaxies included in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies, using Hα Fabry-Perot (FP) data obtained with the Galaxy Hα Fabry-Perot System instrument at the William Herschel Telescope in La Palma, complemented with images in the R band and in Hα. The primary goal is to study the evolution and
Erroz-Ferrer, S. et al.Advertised on:
72015 -
Starbursts Are Preferentially Interacting: Confirmation from the Nearest Galaxies
We complement a recent Letter by Luo et al. by comparing the fraction of starburst galaxies that are interacting with the overall fraction of interacting galaxies in the nearby galaxy population (within ∼40 Mpc). We confirm that in starburst galaxies the fraction of interacting galaxies is enhanced, by a factor of around two, but, crucially, we do
Knapen, J. H. et al.Advertised on:
72015 -
The Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G): Stellar Masses, Sizes, and Radial Profiles for 2352 Nearby Galaxies
The Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies is a volume, magnitude, and size-limited survey of 2352 nearby galaxies with deep imaging at 3.6 and 4.5 μm. In this paper, we describe our surface photometry pipeline and showcase the associated data products that we have released to the community. We also identify the physical mechanisms leading
Muñoz-Mateos, J. C. et al.Advertised on:
72015 -
The Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G): Multi-component Decomposition Strategies and Data Release
The Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) is a deep 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging survey of 2352 nearby (
Salo, H. et al.Advertised on:
72015 -
The Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G): Precise Stellar Mass Distributions from Automated Dust Correction at 3.6 μm
The mid-infrared is an optimal window to trace stellar mass in nearby galaxies and the 3.6 μ {{m}} IRAC band has been exploited to this effect, but such mass estimates can be biased by dust emission. We present our pipeline to reveal the old stellar flux at 3.6 μm and obtain stellar mass maps for more than 1600 galaxies available from the Spitzer
Querejeta, M. et al.Advertised on:
72015
