Galaxy formation traced by heavy element pollution

Abstract

Galaxies form and evolve through close interaction with

their surroundings. As a result, the heavy elements ('metals') that are

synthesized in stars, are found both inside and outside galaxies. They trace

the gas returned by stars, while providing information on the time-scales and physical conditions characterizing various stages of galaxy evolution through their elemental composition and ionization state. In this thesis, we explore what metals can tell us about galaxy formation. We complement theoretical work using the EAGLE simulations, where we focus on the galaxies as well as the surrounding medium, with an observational study of the low-redshift (z < 1) circumgalactic medium using the MUSE instrument on the VLT.