The Local Universe at Arcetri

Galaxy evolution is occurring in the present epoch in the Local Universe, through gas accretion, and gas consumption through star formation. Evolutionary processes can be studied in nearby galaxies with a detail that high-redshift objects do not allow. We rely on a multiwavelength approach and comparison with theoretical predictions; special attention is given to the interstellar medium of star-forming galaxies and how its properties vary with galaxy mass and metallicity. The ultimate aim is to exploit studies of nearby galaxies in the cosmological context to better understand how galaxies form and evolve. Specifically, our group is engaged in studies of:

• Star formation processes in the Local Group (Edvige Corbelli, Carlo Giovanardi, Laura Magrini)
• Gas and dust content and radiation transfer modeling of nearby spirals (Simone Bianchi, Edvige Corbelli, Carlo Giovanardi, Leslie Hunt, Ciro Pappalardo)
• Stellar mass in galaxies: its measurement and its effects (Leslie Hunt, Stefano Zibetti)
• Dark matter, gas and satellite accretion in galaxies (Edvige Corbelli, Stefano Zibetti)
• ISM properties of dwarf ellipticals (Sperello di Serego Alighieri, Carlo Giovanardi, Ciro Pappalardo)
• Dust features and ISM components of star-forming metal-poor dwarf galaxies (Simona Bovinelli, Leslie Hunt)
• Herschel Open Time Key Projects for nearby galaxies, including KINGFISH (Leslie Hunt, Stefano Zibetti), and HeViCS (Simone Bianchi, Edvige Corbelli, Sperello di Serego Alighieri, Carlo Giovanardi, Leslie Hunt, Ciro Pappalardo, Stefano Zibetti)

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