The physical processes shaping galaxies
Seminar for Master students (MVSem: mandatory advanced seminar)

Dr. Thorsten Lisker
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Winter semester 2011/2012
Friday 09:00-11:00, ARI seminar room basement
Dates: Nov 18, Dec 02, Dec 09, Jan 13


Schedule:

Nov 18, 9:00 Emer Brady Structure formation in the cold dark matter universe
Nov 18, 10:00 Tilman Hartwig How and where can galaxies lose their gas through ram pressure stripping?
Dec 02, 9:45 Karina Voggel Major mergers - forming massive ellipticals
Dec 09, 9:00 Eike Fokken Clumpy objects in deep Hubble images: spiral galaxy formation in action?
Dec 09, 10:00 Marc Rohloff Black holes in the centers of galaxies: what can they tell about galaxy formation?
Jan 13, 09:00 Hoda Shariati Shaping galaxy haloes through accretion of dwarfs
Jan 13, 10:00 André Herling Tidal disruption and dark matter content of Milky Way satellites


The seminar topics cover those processes that gave galaxies their diverse shapes and appearances they show us today. This includes galaxy mergers, galaxy interactions, formation of disks and bulges, environmental influence like ram pressure stripping and tidal heating, the connection of central black holes and their host galaxies, and further aspects. The literature sources will mainly be scientific publications.

This is a "mandatory advanced seminar" for Master students. A description of what this means is given in this excerpt from the module handbook, version 2011.1 (June 2011). Diploma and PhD students may attend if they are interested. Bachelor students are recommended not to attend, as this may otherwise result in conflicts with those modules they will need to take in their later Master studies. Please contact me in case of doubt.

    Successful participation in the seminar requires:
  • To prepare and give a 30-minute presentation
  • To write up the contents of the presentation as continuous, stand-alone text
  • To attend the other seminar presentations and participate actively in the question and discussion sessions.
    • The presentation and the write-up will be graded, and be averaged to form the final grade. Details on these issues will be explained in the first seminar class on Oct 14. The seminar is worth 6 CP.

PDF overview from first class 14.10.2011


    Initial list of topics:
  • Tidal disruption and dark matter content of Milky Way satellites
  • How and where can galaxies lose their gas through ram pressure stripping?
  • "Galaxy harassment": the influence of tidal forces in extreme conditions
  • Major mergers - forming massive ellipticals
  • Minor mergers - making galaxies grow in mass
  • Black holes in the centers of galaxies: what can they tell about galaxy formation?
  • Why dwarf galaxies are diffuse and bulgeless: the effect of supernova outflows
  • Clumpy objects in deep Hubble images: spiral galaxy formation in action?
  • Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies: stripped nuclei or merged super star clusters?
  • Structure formation in the cold dark matter universe
    • Further topics will be available depending on the number of participants, and also upon request or suggestion.