The high-redshift universe and cosmology at Arcetri

How cosmic structures formed and how galaxies were assembled remain key open questions in the study of modern cosmology. Theoretical models of primordial star formation and observations of faint high-redshift galaxy samples are the cornerstone of our group. By combining results from observational and theoretical research, the ultimate aim is to constrain the epoch of structure and galaxy formation, and broaden our understanding of physical processes at work in the early universe. Specifically, our group is engaged in studies of:

• Formation, evolution, and survival of dust grains in primordial objects, and comparison of theoretical predictions and observations (Simone Bianchi)
• Early-type galaxy scaling relations at high redshift (Sperello di Serego Alighieri)
• Chemical evolution and mass-metallicity scaling relations over cosmic epochs (Filippo Mannucci, Guido Risaliti, Marco Salvati, Veronica Sommariva)
• Stellar populations, dynamics, morphology, and physical properties of distant galaxy populations (e.g., GEMS followup, LSD, SINS survey) (Giovanni Cresci, Filippo Mannucci, Marco Salvati, Veronica Sommariva, Stefano Zibetti)
• Supernovae rates and progenitor properties as a function of galaxy morphology and redshift (Giovanni Cresci, Filippo Mannucci, Marco Salvati)
• QSO absorption systems (Stefano Zibetti)
• Gamma-ray bursts, afterglows, and their host galaxies through the Consorzio Italiano per Burst Ottici (CIBO) (Leslie Hunt, Filippo Mannucci)
• Cosmological Birefringence, an astrophysical test of fundamental physics, using polarization (Sperello di Serego Alighieri)

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