Galaxy formation

J. Silk (1) , A. Di Cintio , I. Dvorkin

1 IAP - Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris

Galaxy formation is at the forefront of observation and theory in cosmology. An improved understanding is essential for improving our knowledge both of the cosmological parameters, of the contents of the universe, and of our origins. In these lectures intended for graduate students, galaxy formation theory is reviewed and confronted with recent observational issues. In lecture 1, the following topics are presented: star formation considerations, including IMF, star formation efficiency and star formation rate, the origin of the galaxy luminosity function, and feedback in dwarf galaxies. In lecture 2, we describe formation of disks and massive spheroids, including the growth of supermassive black holes, negative feedback in spheroids, the AGN-star formation connection, star formation rates at high redshift and the baryon fraction in galaxies.

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

J. Silk, A. Di Cintio, I. Dvorkin. Galaxy formation. La Rivista del Nuovo Cimento, 2015, 37, pp.621-668. ⟨10.1393/ncr/i2015-10107-y⟩. ⟨insu-03644778⟩