The growth of galaxies and their gaseous haloes

Abstract

Galaxies grow by accreting gas, which they need to form stars, from their surrounding haloes. These haloes, in turn, accrete gas from the diffuse intergalactic medium. Feedback from stars and black holes returns gas from the galaxy to the halo and can even expel it from the halo. This cycle of gas inflow and outflow, its impact on star formation, and the detectability of the gas outside of galaxies are discussed in this thesis. The growth of galaxies and their gaseous haloes depends strongly on their mass, the age of the Universe, and the inclusion of feedback processes, as do their physical and observational properties.