Gas flows in and out of galaxies: solving the cosmic baryon cycle

Introduction

Galaxy formation is driven by the flows of gas in and out of galaxies, which remain poorly understood. Galaxies grow and fuel their star formation through the accretion of new gas, while stellar and AGN activities eject copious amounts of gas into the environment. The physics of and interplay between these phenomena (cosmic baryon cycle) are extremely complex, with the consequence that our current understanding of how and when gas flows take place and their impact on the life-cycle of galaxies is still patchy.

Project Goals

Hence, the FLOWS ERC project is designed to precisely determine the properties of gas flows in and out of galaxies across cosmic time and explain their role in galaxy formation and evolution. With FLOWS, we will:

1. Conclusively determine how gas accretion from the environment takes place and how it changes with time.
2. Accurately measure the properties of galactic winds and fountains.
3. Establish the role of these phenomena in regulating the gas content of galaxies.
4. Build the next generation of predictive galaxy evolution models that will include, for the first time, fully constrained gas flows.

Methodology

FLOWS will achieve these ambitious goals thanks to a unique and powerful combination of innovative data analysis and theoretical investigations. My team will study gas flows in and around galaxies using the full range of state-of-the-art data coming from:

• ALMA
• The SKA pathfinders
• The VLT
• The HST
• JWST

Innovative Techniques

Most importantly, we will design new analysis techniques, including the first 3D code to model galactic winds directly in datacubes. Ground-breaking theoretical methods will allow us to combine the benefits of large-scale models with high-resolution magneto-hydrodynamical simulations.

Conclusion

This multifaceted approach, which is the key to cracking the baryon cycle problem, derives its strength from the diverse research lines that I have pursued in the past years, which puts me in a unique position worldwide to make the major leap forward that FLOWS promises to achieve.