Galaxy formation and evolution

Galaxies are the building blocks of structure in the Universe. They are islands of stars and gas, embedded in halos of dark matter. Their internal evolution is determined by a complex interplay of gravity (including black holes and AGN), magneto-hydrodynamics, radiative physics, nucleosynthesis and astrochemistry. Their evolution is also impacted by external processes, for example through collisions or by their host group or cluster environment. There is a wealth of observational data that provide key insights into these processes, ranging from multi-wavelength, high-resolution deep studies of individual galaxies to surveys measuring the properties of millions of galaxies. On the theoretical side, galaxy formation and evolution are governed by a complex interplay of several physical processes, which require the development of advanced theoretical models or numerical simulations that are run on some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

At the E.A. Milne Centre, we combine observations, taken with telescopes from around the globe and in space, with theoretical models and  numerical simulations of galaxies within cosmological volumes, to disentangle the effects of internal and external processes.