Galaxy Evolution

ARC researchers study the evolution of galaxies by studying galaxies near and far, including our own. They use large surveys as well as state-of-the-art telescopes/instruments (e.g., JWST, SPT, Chandra, ALMA, MUSE, MeerKAT) to compile statistics of galactic properties and study galaxies at multiple epochs to generate an evolutionary timeline. ARC researchers also pursue theoretical and computational modelling of galaxy evolution.

KILOGAS

KILOGAS (Kiloparsec Investigations of Local Objects’ Gas And Star-formation) is a large ALMA program aimed at transforming our understanding of the drivers of star formation activity in galaxies. We will map CO(2-1) at 1 kpc resolution in a sample of ~500 galaxies, an order of magnitude more than in any existing survey, and crucially representative of the entire local population (in terms of mass, SFR, size, morphology and environment). KILOGAS is the state-of-the-art for mapping kpc-scale gas in low redshift galaxies.

Contact: Sara Ellison

Canada France Imaging Survey (CFIS UNIONS)

Canada France Imaging Survey (CFIS UNIONS) uses new u band observations on the Canada France Hawaii Telescope to observe halo stars in the Milky Way.

Contact: Alan McConnachie, Sara Ellison

Galaxy Mergers

Gravitational interactions are known to dramatically alter the properties of their constituent galaxies. The UVic group studies the galaxy merger process by using both state-of-the-art simulations to predict the impact of the interaction on properties such as black hole accretion and star formation, as well as large observational datasets that test these predictions.

Contact: Sara Ellison

Galaxy Groups and Clusters

Studying (a) the formation and evolution of galaxies in galaxy groups and clusters, including their massive central galaxies; (b) the physics of AGN-powered outflows and their impact on the circumgalactic/intragroup media; and (c) supermassive BH dynamics, the emergence of binaries and their contribution to the gravitational wave background. We use a combination of bespoke observational surveys [Canadian Cluster Comparison Project (CCCP) / The Complete Local-Volume Groups Sample (CLoGs) / Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS)] and advanced numerical simulations (Romulus, Simba and Obsidian).

Contact: Arif Babul

 

The ALMaQUEST Survey

Understanding galactic star formation requires detailed spatial studies of both molecular gas and star formation rates in a statistically meaningful sample of galaxies. The ALMA MaNGA Quenching and Star-Formation (ALMaQUEST) survey achieves this goal thanks to its sample of over 50 galaxies, which span the range from starbursts to galaxies in the process of quenching, observed at kpc-scales with both the MaNGA IFU survey and ALMA. The ALMaQUEST survey is tackling questions such as: Why do galaxies quench? What physical mechanism drives a starburst? What regulates galactic scaling relations?

Contact: Sara Ellison