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SUMMARY:Towards the next generation of empirical galaxy formation models -
  Benjamin Moster (IoA Cambridge)
DTSTART:20150126T130000Z
DTEND:20150126T140000Z
UID:TALK57364@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Tommaso Giannantonio
DESCRIPTION:The field of galaxy formation is on the cusp of a tide of new 
 data. To understand these in the context of an evolutionary picture\, we n
 eed models that interpret the observed trends. Hydrodynamical simulations\
 , have become the main tool for this. However\, as the resolution in simul
 ations is finite\, not all of the physical processes are resolved. Consequ
 ently\, simple prescriptions (`sub-grid' models) must be resorted to. Empi
 rical galaxy formation models\, on the other hand\, provide a unique and d
 irect link between galaxies and dark matter haloes\, and do not depend on 
 model assumptions on unresolved physics\, only on gravity and observed gal
 axy properties. They are based on a parameterised relation between the ste
 llar mass of a galaxy and the mass of the halo in which it is embedded. I 
 will give a short overview of current empirical models and present a path 
 to the next generation of empirical models. The evolution of individual ga
 laxies is modelled by following the growth histories of their haloes as ex
 tracted from numerical simulations\, and use empirical relations to derive
  galaxy properties such as star formation rate and gas mass. This new tech
 nique can then be applied to make predictions for galaxies at high redshif
 t and their evolution through cosmic time\, e.g. galaxy merger rates\, whi
 ch will be testable in future surveys. Furthermore\, we can use the model 
 with N-body simulations using alternative cosmologies to test how observab
 les change without being biased by galaxy formation physics.
LOCATION:CMS\, Pav. B\, CTC Common Room (B1.19) [Potter Room]
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