Related papers: Theoretical problems and perspectives
We explore the motivation behind large stellar surveys in Galactic astronomy, in particular, surveys that measure the photometric, phase space and abundance properties of thousands or millions of stars. These observations are essential to…
I discuss the historical roots of the landscape problem and propose criteria for its successful resolution. This provides a perspective to evaluate the possibility to solve it in several of the speculative cosmological scenarios under study…
I review the understanding of bulges that emerged from the lively discussions and presentations during the meeting, and emphasize areas for future work. The evidence is for a diversity of `bulges', and of formation mechanisms.
How is the universe organized on large scales? How did this structure evolve from the unknown initial conditions to the present time? The answers to these questions will shed light on the cosmology we live in, the amount, composition and…
I review in these lectures our present understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe, making emphasis on the most recent observations of the acceleration of the universe, the precise measurements of the microwave background…
Recent multifrequency observations contribute to derive a comprehensive picture of the origin and evolution of relativistic particles in galaxy clusters. In this review I briefly discuss theoretical aspects and open problems of this…
Recent results are reviewed on galaxy dynamics, bar evolution, destruction and re-formation, cold gas accretion, gas radial flows and AGN fueling, minor mergers. Some problems of galaxy evolution are discussed in particular, exchange of…
In this review I give a summary of the state-of-the-art for what concerns the chemo-dynamical numerical modelling of galaxies in general and of dwarf galaxies in particular. In particular, I focus my attention on (i) initial conditions;…
I review the outstanding problems in galaxy formation theory, and the role of feedback in resolving them. I address the efficiency of star formation, the galactic star formation rate, and the roles of supernovae and supermassive black…
Three are the main questions that were posed to the audience during this discussion session: a) Can galaxy abundances be believed?, b) What progress can we expect soon and from where? and c) Can we agree, as a community, on topics in which…
This paper outlines astrophysical issues related to the long term fate of the universe. We consider the evolution of planets, stars, stellar populations, galaxies, and the universe itself over time scales which greatly exceed the current…
The Local Group provides an interesting and representative sample of galaxies in the rest of the Universe. The high accuracy with which many problems can be addressed in Local Group galaxies is of paramount importance for understanding…
In the last talk of the conference I summarized the main progress and contributions to high energy astrophysics made by studies of microquasars in our Galaxy. To stimulate the general discussion I have underlined some of the questions that…
The dependence of star formation rate on galaxian environment is a key issue in the understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. However, the study of this subject is complex and observationally challenging. This paper reviews some of…
This article reviews the prevailing paradigm for how galaxies and larger structures formed in the universe: gravitational instability. Basic observational facts are summarized to motivate the standard cosmological framework underlying most…
We give a brief overview of where we stand with respect to some old and new questions bearing on how massive stars evolve and end their lifetime. We focus on the following key points that are further discussed by other contributions during…
I describe recent challenges in hierarchical galaxy formation theory, including the formation of disk galaxies and of ellipticals. Problems with cold dark matter are summarized, and possible solutions are presented. I conclude with a…
I review the current state of our understanding of the galaxy formation and evolution process from the modeler's perspective. With the advent of the cold dark matter model and the support of fast computers and advanced simulation…
Numerical simulations have become a major tool for understanding galaxy formation and evolution. Over the decades the field has made significant progress. It is now possible to simulate the formation of individual galaxies and galaxy…
In this review I will describe a number of recent advances in extragalactic astronomy. First of all I will describe our current best estimates of the star formation history of the Universe. Then I will describe measurements of local…