Are quasars and star formation linked?
Using data from Herschel’s science demonstration field, the authors of this paper investigate the connection between star formation and activity of a galaxy’s central engine.
Weighing black holes and watching galaxies grow
It is currently accepted that most, if not all, galaxies have a black hole smack dab in their center. These black holes are mind bogglingly massive – think millions to billions of suns! This paper focuses on whether the black holes grow before stars group on galactic scales to form the galaxy.
Energy Dissipation in Galaxy Mergers
Dissipative effects due to gas friction during galaxy mergers may be a crucial ingredient in the process of elliptical galaxy formation.
Finding needles in the cosmological haystack with the SZ effect
A new cluster of galaxies discovered in the early universe using the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) effect could have important consequences for studying galaxy evolution and cosmology.
Nature vs. nurture in the evolution of elliptical galaxies
The general picture of galaxy formation was hashed out in the 1960s and 70s. In the decades since, countless lines of theoretical and observational evidence have suggested additional mechanisms which can influence the evolution of galaxies, and sorting out which of these are the most important is among the most lively fields in astrophysics.