Description: Most galaxies in the Universe form an average one or two new stars per year. However, there is a rare population of extreme galaxies, known as “starbursts,” capable of producing over a thousand solar masses of new stars every year. Understanding the origin and evolution of these systems represents one of the major challenges in extragalactic astrophysics.
The goal of this thesis project is to study the entire evolutionary cycle of these exceptional “star factories” using data from the TNGCluster cosmological simulation. In the first phase, we will identify the galaxies with the highest star formation rates during the peak of cosmic star formation activity, about 10 billion years ago. Subsequently, using the simulation’s merger trees, we will reconstruct their evolution both in the past, to pinpoint their origins, and in the future, to determine their ultimate fate.
The analysis will allow us to address several fundamental questions:
- What physical conditions favor the formation of these galaxies?
- Is their development primarily determined by the surrounding environment, such as the presence of a galaxy overdensity, or by their intrinsic properties ?
- Furthermore, what happens when the gas available for star formation is depleted?
- Do these galaxies evolve into the massive passive galaxies we observe today at the center of galaxy clusters, or do they follow different evolutionary paths?
The study will also allow us to establish for how long these galaxies can sustain such high star formation rates and to identify the physical mechanisms responsible for their extreme activity, evaluating the role of galaxy mergers, intergalactic gas accretion, and other processes. The results will help clarify the role of extreme starburst galaxies in galaxy evolution and in the star formation history of the Universe.
Duration: 3-9 months
Degree: Bachelor’s and Master’s (Triennale e Magistrale)
Prerequisites: English language