The IKEA model for constructing galaxies on the star-forming sequence

Professor Tom Theuns from the Department of Physics, University of Durham.

Professor Tom Theuns from the Department of Physics, University of Durham, will be presenting a seminar on his research. All welcome to attend.

For many years, numerical simulations of galaxy formation produced blobs rather than galaxies. Simulated galaxies were too massive, too centrally concentrated, and with stars that were too old. Recently, several groups have managed to form simulated galaxies that look remarkably like those observed. I will discuss what made this possible in the context of the Eagle simulations. With simulated galaxies now looking similar to those observed, it is worth taking stock to examine what are the key model ingredients for making a realistic galaxy population. In the IKEA model, only two parameters describe the formation of the galaxy, while the other two describe the cosmological formation of the host halo. Nevertheless, IKEA reproduces many properties of Eagle galaxies very well, including the appearance of a star-forming sequence along which the specific star formation rate depends little on mass but increases rapidly with redshift. For further information, please contact Dr Sven Van Loo