The evolution of galaxies from primeval irregulars to present-day ellipticals

Masao Mori () and Masayuki Umemura
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Masao Mori: University of California
Masayuki Umemura: University of Tsukuba

Nature, 2006, vol. 440, issue 7084, 644-647

Abstract: Galactic voyage Galaxies are thought to form via a series of assemblies between clumps of gas and stars, and to evolve by repeated enrichment with heavy elements from supernova explosions. The relationship between the distant irregular galaxies seen at high redshifts, as they were 13 billion years ago, and present-day galaxies is uncertain. But now an ultra-high-resolution numerical simulation has succeeded in modelling both the formation of primeval irregular galaxies and their evolution into ellipticals. The model shows that after a billion years, the system resembles a ‘Lyman break’ galaxy and the abundance of heavy elements is already solar. A collision-free process lasting over 10 billion years then results in the evolution of an elliptical galaxy. The cover shows an early stage in the evolution, at 0.3 billion years. At about this time, multiple supernova explosions trigger star formation and also expel some of the gas into space.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04553

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