Related papers: The Splash without a merger
Unravelling galaxy formation theory requires understanding galaxies both at high and low redshifts. A possible way to connect both realms is by studying the oldest stars in the Milky Way (i.e., the proto-Galaxy). We use the $APOGEE$-$Gaia$…
We employ N-body, smoothed particle hydrodynamical simulations, including detailed treatment of chemical enrichment, to follow a gas-rich merger which results in a galaxy with disk morphology. We trace the kinematic, structural and chemical…
We present the results of a detailed abundance analysis of one of the confirmed building blocks of the Milky Way stellar halo, a kinematically-coherent metal-poor stellar stream. We have obtained high resolution and high S/N spectra of 12…
Fully cosmological, high resolution N-Body + SPH simulations are used to investigate the chemical abundance trends of stars in simulated stellar halos as a function of their origin. These simulations employ a physically motivated supernova…
Recent studies using Gaia DR2 have identified a massive merger in the history of the Milky Way (MW) whose debris is markedly radial and counterrotating. This event, known as the Gaia-Enceladus/Gaia-Sausage (GE/GS), is also hypothesized to…
We analyze the global structure of the Milky Way (MW)'s stellar halo including its dominant subcomponent, Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE). The method to reconstruct the global distribution of this old stellar component is to employ the…
We improve the identification and isolation of individual stellar populations in the Galactic halo based on an updated set of empirically calibrated stellar isochrones in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1)…
The archaeological record of stars in the Milky Way opens a uniquely detailed window into the early formation and assembly of galaxies. Here we use 11,000 main-sequence turn-off stars with well-measured ages, [Fe/H], [$\alpha$/Fe], and…
The formation of galaxies can be understood in terms of the assembly patterns of each type of galactic component. To perform this kind of analysis, is necessary to define some criteria to separate those components. Decomposition methods…
We use cosmological, chemo-dynamical, smoothed particle hydrodynamical simulations of Milky-Way-analogue galaxies to find the expected present-day distributions of both metal-free stars that formed from primordial gas and the oldest star…
Previous studies have revealed that the Galactic warp is a long-lived, nonsteady, and asymmetric structure. There is a need for a model that accounts for the warp's long-term evolution. Given that this structure has persisted for over 5…
The Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger was a major event in the history of the Milky Way. Studies on Milky Way satellite dwarf galaxies show that key elemental abundance patterns, which probe different nucleosynthetic channels, reflect the host…
The powerful combination of Gaia with other Milky Way large survey data has ushered in a deeper understanding of the assembly history of our Galaxy, which is marked by the accretion of Gaia-Enceladus/Sausage (GES). As a step towards…
The Milky Way harbours a prominent m=1 lopsided distortion in both stellar and neutral gas distributions. On the other hand, chemo-dynamical studies have been proven to be effective in grasping the overall evolution of galaxies. Here, we…
Understanding how the Milky Way's present-day structure was shaped by past major mergers is a key goal of Galactic archaeology. The chemical and dynamical structure of the Galaxy retains the imprint of such events, including a major…
We study the stellar population history and chemical evolution of the Milky Way (MW) in a hierarchical LCDM model for structure formation. Using a Monte Carlo method based on the semi-analytical EPS formalism, we reconstruct the merger tree…
One of the major recent breakthroughs has been the discovery of the last Major Merger to happen in the history of the Milky Way. Around 10 Gyr ago the galaxy Gaia Enceladus, with estimated ~10% of the Milky Way mass, fell into its…
A few topics concerning the early chemical evolution of the Milky Way are critically discussed. In particular, it is argued that: 1) Observed abundance patterns of extremely metal poor stars (of Pop. II) do not constrain the mass range of…
We employ hydrodynamical simulations to study the effects of dissipational gas physics on the vertical heating and thickening of disc galaxies during minor mergers. For the first time we present a suite of simulations that includes a…
The separation of the Milky Way disk into a thin and thick component is supported by differences in the spatial, kinematic and metallicity distributions of their stars. These differences have led to the view that the thick disk formed early…