Colloquium on Jan. 3, 2024

Unraveling Galaxy Evolution through Spectral Analysis

Speaker: Shuang Zhou (INAF-OAB)

Venue: SWIFAR Building 2111

Time: 16:00 PM, Friday, Jan. 3, 2024

Abstract:

The spectra of galaxies encode a wealth of information about their formation and evolution processes. One of the key challenges in galaxy evolution studies is extracting detailed physical properties of the stars and gas that make up each galaxy from the spectra. In this talk, we explore various spectral analysis techniques used to study the evolution of galaxies, with a focus on a novel semi-analytical spectral fitting approach. This method allows for the simultaneous determination of star formation and chemical evolution histories, as well as the gas inflow and outflow histories—critical quantities for understanding the physical processes that drive galaxy evolution. We present studies on local galaxies observed in the SDSS-IV/MaNGA IFU survey, as well as galaxies at higher redshifts. In particular, we discuss how the environment has influenced the star formation and chemical evolution of these galaxies. Finally, we propose potential applications of this method to upcoming galaxy surveys such as WEAVE, 4MOST, DESI, and PFS, highlighting the potential for future insights into galaxy evolution.