The origin and evolution of galaxies are closely linked to many different physical phenomena. Among them, the most important one is the environment they reside in. Isolated and cluster member... Show moreThe origin and evolution of galaxies are closely linked to many different physical phenomena. Among them, the most important one is the environment they reside in. Isolated and cluster member galaxies indeed are affected by different forces which affect their evolution. The main concern of this thesis is to understand such forces and how they are related to galaxy evolution. Therefore, this thesis covers various topics including black hole mass calculations, the black hole mass-stellar velocity dispersion relation, the nature of AGN emission in galaxy clusters and field galaxies, a detailed investigation of X-ray and optical galaxy overdensity phenomenon, and the dynamical processes in pre-merging galaxy clusters. Show less
Dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries of the Universe. Its properties cannot be explained with the known laws of physics and elementary particles. Yet, it is the most abundant form of matter... Show moreDark matter is one of the biggest mysteries of the Universe. Its properties cannot be explained with the known laws of physics and elementary particles. Yet, it is the most abundant form of matter in the Universe.Several dark-matter theories exist, including cold dark matter (CDM), self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), and fuzzy dark matter (FDM). These theories make different predictions for the density profiles of dark-matter haloes (cuspy or cored), depending on the nature (CDM, SIDM, FDM) and properties (self-interaction strength, FDM particle mass) of dark matter. These profiles can be determined from the stellar kinematics of the galaxies hosted by the haloes. Many massive dwarf galaxies show cored profiles. However, baryonic processes such as star formation may also induce cores.In this thesis, I test CDM, SIDM, and FDM using the faintest and most dark matter–dominated galaxies, ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs), which offer a new perspective on the cusp–core problem. The stellar kinematics of UFDs should not be significantly affected by baryonic processes. I find that UFDs have no detectable cores, implying that the cores of more massive dwarf galaxies are not caused by dark-matter physics. I can also exclude the previously promising particle masses ~10^-22 eV/c^2 for FDM. Show less
Water is all around us and is vital for all aspects of life. Studying the various compounds and life forms that inhabit natural waters lets us better understand the world around us.Remote sensing... Show moreWater is all around us and is vital for all aspects of life. Studying the various compounds and life forms that inhabit natural waters lets us better understand the world around us.Remote sensing enables global measurements with rapid response and high consistency. Citizen science provides new knowledge and greatly increases the scientific and social impact of research.In this thesis, we investigate several aspects of citizen science and remote sensing of water, with a focus on uncertainty and accessibility. We improve existing techniques and develop new methods to use smartphone cameras for accessible remote sensing of water. Show less
Stars like the sun are born in large molecular clouds existing from gas and dust. During the formation process, the chemical composition of the material can be altered drastically by the changing... Show moreStars like the sun are born in large molecular clouds existing from gas and dust. During the formation process, the chemical composition of the material can be altered drastically by the changing physical conditions. This thesis focuses on how molecules in young protostellar systems are inherited from molecular clouds. The emphasis lies on so-called complex organic molecules and accretion shocks.Based on observations of complex organic molecules, it can be suggested that the molecular composition of a protostellar disk is (partially) inherited from the molecular cloud. The abundance ratio between various molecules is remarkably constant in various protostellar systems, implying that they form under similar conditions in molecular clouds. Furthermore, absence of complex molecules in observations does not directly mean that they are absent in the protostellar system but rather that they are hidden from us.This thesis also focuses on accretion shocks at the boundary between infalling cloud and protostellar disk. Based on a comparison between detailed numerical simulations and observations it can be suggested that strong accretions are not always present in protostellar systems. In turn, this suggests that the chemical composition in protostellar disks can be directly inherited from the molecular cloud. Show less
Low-mass main-sequence stars like our Sun are continuous sources of outflowing hot magnetised plasma. In the case of the Sun, this is known as the solar wind, whereas for other stars they are... Show moreLow-mass main-sequence stars like our Sun are continuous sources of outflowing hot magnetised plasma. In the case of the Sun, this is known as the solar wind, whereas for other stars they are called stellar winds. These types of stars comprise 93% of all stars in our galaxy, and also host the bulk of all exoplanets discovered to date. Therefore, understanding their wind outflows and how they interact with the planets they host is crucial to assessing the long-term evolution of planetary atmospheres, which in turn determines their potential to support life as we know it. The interactions between stellar winds and planets can also produce signals which could be detected with current-generation telescopes.Current measurements of the winds of low-mass main-sequence stars are limited, and have only been successful in a handful of cases. However, by coupling state-of-the-art magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models of stellar winds with observational constraints, 3-dimensional snapshots of the wind environments around planet-hosting stars can be obtained. In this thesis, I utilise such models to explore the winds of these stars, and predict the potentially-observable signatures that may arise from their interactions with orbiting planets. Show less
This thesis focus on the interaction between M dwarf stellar winds and Galactic cosmic rays and the possible effects on the habitability of exoplanets. We use numerical simulations to describe the... Show moreThis thesis focus on the interaction between M dwarf stellar winds and Galactic cosmic rays and the possible effects on the habitability of exoplanets. We use numerical simulations to describe the stellar winds of M dwarfs using observable constraints, such as the mass-loss rate, X-ray luminosity, and magnetic field strength/flux. Additionally, we use numerical simulations to describe the propagation of Galactic cosmic rays within M dwarf planetary systems. With these simulations, we can calculate the flux of Galactic cosmic rays reaching exoplanet magnetospheres/atmospheres. Measuring cosmic ray fluxes in exoplanet atmospheres is yet not possible, but cosmic rays are an important ingredient in the context of planetary habitability. For this reason, quantifying these fluxes is essential to complete the habitability “puzzle”. Future exoplanet atmosphere observations with space telescopes, such as the JWST and the ARIEL, will enable us to constrain cosmic ray fluxes in exoplanet atmospheres. Show less
Until the 1990s, the only known planets were those in our Solar System. Three decades later, several thousand exoplanets have been discovered orbiting stars other than the Sun, and substantial... Show moreUntil the 1990s, the only known planets were those in our Solar System. Three decades later, several thousand exoplanets have been discovered orbiting stars other than the Sun, and substantial efforts have been made to explore these strange new worlds through spectroscopic analyses of their atmospheres. In particular, high-dispersion spectroscopy has provided robust measurements of these objects, enabling investigations of the significant, outstanding questions of exoplanetary science: What kinds of planets exist beyond our Solar System? Of what are they made? How did they form? Is there life beyond Earth? This dissertation touches upon all of these topics. Chapter 2 details a study to understand the chemical composition of one of the most extreme exoplanets. Chapter 3 investigates the feasibility of studying the different isotopes of titanium in large gaseous exoplanets, which may provide insight into their formation. Chapter 4 presents an attempt to detect young, still-forming planets in an effort to better understand how this process works. Chapter 5 concludes this dissertation with an evaluation of the ability of large future telescopes to detect molecular oxygen in Earth-like exoplanets, which may trace the presence of life. Show less
One of the most important puzzles in modern astrophysics is the nature of dark matter. Stellar streams, formed by tidal stripping of the stars from globular clusters or dwarf galaxies, behave as a... Show moreOne of the most important puzzles in modern astrophysics is the nature of dark matter. Stellar streams, formed by tidal stripping of the stars from globular clusters or dwarf galaxies, behave as a group of test particles allowing us to measure the Milky Way’s dark matter content and, therefore, offering us a key to understanding its nature. Open clusters, loosely bound groups of stars that move through the Galaxy together, are, in contrast, an important driver of stellar evolution research. This Thesis presents our studies of these Galactic substructures and the conclusions we can draw on the larger Universe and physics based on these local observations. In chapters 2 - 4, we apply a novel method to map the Milky Way’s dark matter content using stellar streams, taking care to understand the various possible contributors to the systematics. Chapter 5 is dedicated to the study of the Hyades open cluster. Show less
Three major cosmology-focused missions are planned for the next decade: the Euclid space telescope, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Their surveys... Show moreThree major cosmology-focused missions are planned for the next decade: the Euclid space telescope, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Their surveys will detect billions of galaxies over more than a third of the celestial sphere and out to redshifts of z~2 to constrain the evolving matterdistribution using weak gravitational lensing. This thesis focusses on ways of disentangling the contribution of normal matter, baryons for cosmologists, from the measured weak lensing signal for cosmic shear analyses and galaxy cluster mass calibrations. Combining the predictions of computer-simulated universes, evolving billions of particles in time, with simplified models that reproduce the observeddistribution of hot gas inside clusters of galaxies, but that freely vary the amount of matter where no observations are available, we have quantified how strongly our ignorance of the relation between ordinary and dark matter will affect the analysis of the planned surveys. Additionally, we have studied how baryons affect cluster massdeterminations and we suggest a new analysis method for cluster abundance studies that is less sensitive to our lack of knowledge of the exact distribution of normal matter in the outskirts of galaxy clusters. Show less
Galaxies in the local Universe fall into two main categories of spirals and ellipticals. In this Thesis, we explore the structural evolution of galaxies into this bimodal distribution. To do so, we... Show moreGalaxies in the local Universe fall into two main categories of spirals and ellipticals. In this Thesis, we explore the structural evolution of galaxies into this bimodal distribution. To do so, we study galaxies in the context of the Fundamental Plane, the tight scaling relation between galaxy size, kinematics and luminosity, which connects the structural and stellar population properties of galaxies. This work is built on a combination of observational data and theoretical models. Large spectroscopic surveys are used to construct a representative sample of massive quiescent and star-forming galaxies across 8 Gyr of cosmic time. We hence show that there is strong variation and evolution in the mass-to-light ratios of galaxies, due to evolution in the stellar populations. However, surprisingly, all galaxies lie on a single mass Fundamental Plane, which does not evolve with time. Cosmological simulations are used to assess the structural properties that may underlie the observed mass Fundamental Plane. Based on the simulations, we propose that this relation may originate from a systematic variation in the central dark matter content within galaxies as a function of their size and mass. Show less
The intracluster medium (ICM) is a hot, tenuous and X-ray emitting gas that pervades galaxy clusters. Meanwhile, extended synchrotron sources, i.e., radio relics and radio halos are frequently... Show moreThe intracluster medium (ICM) is a hot, tenuous and X-ray emitting gas that pervades galaxy clusters. Meanwhile, extended synchrotron sources, i.e., radio relics and radio halos are frequently observed in galaxy cluster, for which the two widely accepted particle acceleration are shock acceleration and turbulent acceleration, respectively. Both of these scenarios are due to ICM motions, which means that X-ray observations of the ICM are fundamental for quantifying shock wave and turbulence properties to test the acceleration models. This thesis focuses on X-ray observations of galaxy clusters, and covers topics from ICM shock - radio relic connection to turbulence - radio halo connection. The new observational evidences further support the two acceleration scenario. Show less
This Thesis shows discoveries in non-linear astrochemical kinetics as well as a deeper analysis of dark clouds chemistry. It is concluded that autocatalysis in interstellar gas-phase chemistry... Show moreThis Thesis shows discoveries in non-linear astrochemical kinetics as well as a deeper analysis of dark clouds chemistry. It is concluded that autocatalysis in interstellar gas-phase chemistry leads to bistability but when coupled with the gas-grain exchange of key species, the system can show Hopf bifurcation and lead to the appearance of complex chemical oscillations. The results and discussion of the five chapters allow further understanding of the chemical evolution in a gas phase system and in a gas-grain environment, providing better predictions to compare with future observations. Show less
We have conducted a full spectral line survey of the 3-13 micron region of two massive protostars, AFGL 2591 and AFGL 2136, for the first time at high spectral resolution. Utilising SOFIA/EXES... Show moreWe have conducted a full spectral line survey of the 3-13 micron region of two massive protostars, AFGL 2591 and AFGL 2136, for the first time at high spectral resolution. Utilising SOFIA/EXES observations, combined with ground based observations from TEXES and iSHELL, many transitions of HCN, C2H2, NH3, CS, CO and H2O are observed, with all species observed to be in absorption. High temperatures (600 K) and abundances (1-10e-6 w.r.t H) of each species are derived. In this thesis, I will present the new insights into the physical conditions and chemical composition of the disks that these absorption lines probe. In particular, hundreds of ro-vibrational transitions of H2O are detected with EXES towards each object, and are linked to a disk wind in AFGL 2591. Column density variations of HCN and C2H2 in bands that probe the same lower level, across different wavelengths, are also discussed, supporting the location of this gas in the circumstellar disk of these protostars. Finally emission lines of HCN are discussed towards MonR2 IRS 3 and are consistent with an origin in a circumstellar disk, or also possibly an expanding shell of gas, supported by P-Cygni profiles of CO lines. Show less
I have studied the hot, diffuse gas around and between galaxies. Specifically, I have used the EAGLE numerical simulations of galaxy formation to predict the properties of this gas, and I have used... Show moreI have studied the hot, diffuse gas around and between galaxies. Specifically, I have used the EAGLE numerical simulations of galaxy formation to predict the properties of this gas, and I have used those properties to predict specific observables: soft X-ray absorption and emission lines. Measuring this gas is challenging, but if we can observe and characterise it, we can learn much about the gas flows in and out of galaxies that regulate their formation and evolution. Observations of soft X-ray lines with future X-ray telescopes, such as Athena and XRISM, will enable us to do so. For these future X-ray telescopes, the strongest X-ray absorption lines and essentially all detectable line emission will come from the gaseous haloes surrounding galaxies. Some weaker, but still detectable absorption lines will come from the more diffuse gas outside these haloes. Photo-ionisation by the intergalactic ultraviolet/X-ray radiation background affects the absorption and emission lines of the very diffuse gas between galaxies, and the diffuse edges of the galaxy haloes. Emission from this photo-ionised gas is not expected to be detectable, but some absorption should be. Show less
At the largest scales, two ingredients dictate the distribution of matter in the Universe. The first is dark matter, acting as an invisible scaffolding held together by gravitational forces. The... Show moreAt the largest scales, two ingredients dictate the distribution of matter in the Universe. The first is dark matter, acting as an invisible scaffolding held together by gravitational forces. The second is dark energy, an enigmatic component responsible for the accelerated expansion of the Universe. Under these two forces, matter in the Universe organizes itself in the so-called cosmic web. The nodes of this network are large dark matter haloes, and this thesis explores how their boundaries provide information about the nature of dark energy and cosmology. Chapters 3 and 4 present robust theoretical predictions for this titular edge and discuss its simple physical interpretation. Chapters 2 and 5 corroborate these results by presenting measurements of this feature in weak-lensing data. The last scientific chapter of this thesis is a collection of studies in gravitational-wave physics. This chapter explores how these spacetime ripples observed from across the cosmos can be used to detect alternative theories of gravity. Show less
