Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LACEGAL (Latin American Chinese European Galaxy Formation Network)
Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2025-02-28
The astronomy sector has provided many breakthroughs thanks to its combination of observational innovations and astounding computer simulations, with Europe always at the forefront. However, to ensure that Europe maintains its lead there is a need to continue with advancements in simulation technology. These are considered essential for their success. The MSCA-funded LACEGAL project will build on the success of the Horizon 2020 RISE network. It will focus on supercomputer resources and on astronomy research. The project will also create bonds between collaborating international research centres and make full use of modern EU investments in this sector.
In particular, LACEGAL focuses on trying to address fundamental questions in Observational Cosmology:
what is the dark-matter and the dark-energy that dominate the evolution of the universe ?
•how galaxies acquire their form? what determines their properties ?
•how did our Milky Way form and how it relates to its stellar populations ?
LACEGAL research program is based on developing state-of-the-art cosmological simulations and analyze them alongside new galaxy surveys, such as DESI or Euclid, to answer these key questions.
In particular, LACEGAL focuses on trying to address fundamental questions in Observational Cosmology:
what is the dark-matter and the dark-energy that dominate the evolution of the universe ?
•how galaxies acquire their form? what determines their properties ?
•how did our Milky Way form and how it relates to its stellar populations ?
LACEGAL research program is based on developing state-of-the-art cosmological simulations and analyze them alongside new galaxy surveys, such as DESI or Euclid, to answer these key questions.
These are the main achievements of the project so far, within each Work Package (WP):
WP1 Simulations of Milky Way galaxies: we improved the modeling of key processes in the gas dynamics in numerical simulations. New method implemented in Auriga Superstar high-resolution simulations. Compared simulated versus recent observational data from WEAVE and 4MOST surveys.
WP2 Simulations of the Galaxy population: we developed a new method to model galaxy formation in numerical simualtions (Colibre).
WP3 Simulations of Galaxy Clusters: Implementation of a novel scheme to treat sub-resolution dynamical friction on the orbits of Black Hole particles in cosmological simulations.
WP4 Large Scale structure - Cosmology: development of state-of-the art high-fidelity galaxy mocks for the preparation and scientific exploitation of new galaxy surveys (ESA Euclid, DESI). Development of multi-probe analysis pipelines for cosmological inference, as well as fast and accurate emulators for summary statistics for dark-matter and tracers.
WP1 Simulations of Milky Way galaxies: we improved the modeling of key processes in the gas dynamics in numerical simulations. New method implemented in Auriga Superstar high-resolution simulations. Compared simulated versus recent observational data from WEAVE and 4MOST surveys.
WP2 Simulations of the Galaxy population: we developed a new method to model galaxy formation in numerical simualtions (Colibre).
WP3 Simulations of Galaxy Clusters: Implementation of a novel scheme to treat sub-resolution dynamical friction on the orbits of Black Hole particles in cosmological simulations.
WP4 Large Scale structure - Cosmology: development of state-of-the art high-fidelity galaxy mocks for the preparation and scientific exploitation of new galaxy surveys (ESA Euclid, DESI). Development of multi-probe analysis pipelines for cosmological inference, as well as fast and accurate emulators for summary statistics for dark-matter and tracers.
We have developed new re-simulation methods for high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations of Milky-way like galaxies, as well as improved methods for modeling the gas physics in galaxies which will shed new light on how galaxies form. We have also developed end-to-end pipelines for the production of massive galaxy mocks that will be key in the scientific exploitation of new galaxy survey data. Results from these research has already been published in leading international journals and presented in scientific workshops.