The Evolution Of Galaxies

A coherent introduction for researchers in astronomy, particle physics, and cosmology on the formation and evolution of galaxies.

The term “chemical evolution of galaxies” refers to the evolution of abundances of chemical species in galaxies, which is due to nuclear processes occurring in stars and to gas flows into and out of galaxies. This book deals with the chemical evolution of galaxies of all morphological types (ellipticals, spirals and irregulars) and stresses the importance of the star formation histories in determining the properties of stellar populations in different galaxies. The topic is approached in a didactical and logical manner via galaxy evolution models which are compared with observational results obtained in the last two decades: The reader is given an introduction to the concept of chemical abundances and learns about the main stellar populations in our Galaxy as well as about the classification of galaxy types and their main observables. In the core of the book, the construction and solution of chemical evolution models are discussed in detail, followed by descriptions and interpretations of observations of the chemical evolution of the Milky Way, spheroidal galaxies, irregular galaxies and of cosmic chemical evolution. The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to students as well as to amend our present ideas in research; the book also summarizes the efforts made by authors in the past several years in order to further future research in the field.

Galaxies have a history: distant galaxies, formed early in the life of the universe, differ from the nearby ones. This book addresses the modeling of galaxy evolution from their cosmological formation to their presently observable structures, presenting the state of the art in the field.

Galaxies, along with their underlying dark matter halos, constitute the building blocks of structure in the Universe. Of all fundamental forces, gravity is the dominant one that drives the evolution of structures from small density seeds at early times to the galaxies we see today. The interactions among myriads of stars, or dark matter particles, in a gravitating structure produce a system with fascinating connotations to thermodynamics, with some analogies and some fundamental differences. Ignacio Ferreras presents a concise introduction to extragalactic astrophysics, with emphasis on stellar dynamics, and the growth of density fluctuations in an expanding Universe. Additional chapters are devoted to smaller systems (stellar clusters) and larger ones (galaxy clusters). Fundamentals of Galaxy Dynamics, Formation and Evolution is written for advanced undergraduates and beginning postgraduate students, providing a useful tool to get up to speed in a starting research career. Some of the derivations for the most important results are presented in detail to enable students appreciate the beauty of maths as a tool to understand the workings of galaxies. Each chapter includes a set of problems to help the student advance with the material.

The Structure and Evolution of Galaxies is a concise introduction to this fascinating subject providing the reader with the fundamentals in a clear and accessible style. This user-friendly text assumes some prerequisite knowledge of astronomy, with the necessary mathematics kept to a minimum. Beginning with an introduction to the existence of our own external galaxies, the book moves on to discuss how perceptions of galaxy development have changed over time. The three categories of galaxies are then discussed with later chapters considering their formation and evolution. The book concludes with an overview of both current developments in the field and considers the direction of future research. Clear and accessible introduction to this dynamic subject Introduces definitions of key terms and puts them in context Includes current research and future developments in the field Appendix of basic definitions to clarify key concepts An invaluable text for students of astronomy and physics

A comprehensive examination of nearly fourteen billion years of galaxy formation and evolution, from primordial gas to present-day galaxies.

Galaxies have a history. This has become clear from recent sky surveys which have shown that distant galaxies, formed early in the life of the Universe, differ from the nearby ones. New observational windows at ultraviolet, infrared and millimetric wavelengths (provided by ROSAT, IRAM, IUE, IRAS, ISO) have revealed that galaxies contain a wealth of components: very hot gas, atomic hydrogen, molecules, dust, dark matter ... A significant advance is expected due to new instruments (VLT, FIRST, XMM) which will allow one to explore the most distant Universe. Three Euroconferences have been planned to punctuate this new epoch in galactic research, bringing together specialists in various fields of Astronomy.

Galaxies have a history. This has become clear from recent sky surveys showing that distant galaxies, formed early in the life of the Universe, differ from the nearby ones. This book contains the proceedings of a 2000 conference addressing observational clues in this area.