Related papers: Two formation paths for cluster dwarf galaxies?
We investigate structural properties of old, metal-poor globular clusters (GCs) formed at high redshifts (z>6) and located inside and outside virialized galaxy-scale halos in clusters of galaxies with the total masses of M_CL based on…
I review recent measurements of the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function in galaxy clusters. Evidence is presented that the luminosity function of galaxies in the central parts of clusters is remarkably constant between clusters and…
Compact galaxy groups are at the extremes of the group environment, with high number densities and low velocity dispersions that likely affect member galaxy evolution. To explore the impact of this environment in detail, we examine the…
Globular cluster (GC) systems of massive galaxies often show a bimodal colour distribution. This has been interpreted as a metallicity bimodality, created by a two-stage galaxy formation where the red, metal-rich GCs were formed in the…
The Milky Way stellar disk has both a thin and a thick component. The thin disk is composed mostly of younger stars ($\lesssim$8 Gyr) with a lower abundance of $\alpha$ elements, while the thick disk contains predominantly older stars…
Based on high-resolution spectra obtained during gravitational microlensing events we present a detailed elemental abundance analysis of 32 dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. [ABRIDGED], we now have 58 microlensed bulge dwarfs…
The Small Magellanic Cloud is a close, irregular galaxy that has experienced a complex star formation history due to the strong interactions occurred both with the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Galaxy. Despite its importance, the chemical…
We present a study of the fundamental plane, FP, for a sample of 71 dwarf galaxies in the core of Coma cluster in magnitude range $-21 < M_I <-15$. Taking advantage of high resolution DEIMOS spectrograph on Keck II for measuring the…
We discuss how knowledge of the whole evolutionary history of dwarf galaxies, including details on the early star formation events, can provide insight on the origin of the different dwarf galaxy types. We suggest that these types may be…
The Milky Way is surrounded by dozens of ultra-faint (< $10^5$ solar luminosities) dwarf satellite galaxies. They are the surviving remnants of the earliest galaxies, as confirmed by their ancient (~13 billion years old) and chemically…
Clusters of galaxies allow a direct estimate of the metallicity and metal production yield on the largest scale so far. It is argued that cluster metallicity ($\sim 1/3$ solar) should be taken as representative of the low-$z$ universe as a…
Recent observations have revealed that at least 8 globular clusters (GCs) in the Galaxy show internal abundance spreads in [Fe/H]. We investigate the origin of these `anomalous' GCs using numerical simulations of GCs in the dwarfs orbiting…
In this thesis we have identified two star formation sites for star formation in galaxies which differ widely in metal content. We conclude that `massive' star formation that occurs in a high density, high metallicity environment, like that…
We study numerically the formation of dSph galaxies. Intense star bursts, e.g. in gas-rich environments, typically produce a few to a few hundred young star clusters, within a region of just a few hundred pc. The dynamical evolution of…
We investigate the stellar populations in a sample of 89 faint (M*+2 to M*+4) red galaxies in the Coma cluster, using high S/N spectroscopy from the MMT. Our sample is drawn from two 1-degree fields, one centred on the cluster core and the…
We present a study of the smallest and faintest galaxies found in a very deep photographic R band survey of regions of the Virgo Cluster, totalling over 3 square degrees, made with the UK Schmidt Telescope. The objects we detect have the…
We present age and metallicities determinations based on narrow band continuum colors for the galaxies in the rich clusters A1185 and Coma. Using a new technique to extract luminosity-weighted age and [Fe/H] values for non-star-forming…
In the past, the cumulative metallicity distribution function (CMDF) turned out as a useful tool to constrain the accretion history of various components of the Milky Way. In this Letter, by means of analytical, leaky-box chemical evolution…
We analyse a sample of about 2000 galaxies in 40 regular clusters, to look for evidence of segregation with respect to galaxy luminosities and morphological types. We find evidence of luminosity segregation for galaxies brighter than $M_R <…
We study the intrinsic shapes of a sample of over 400 quiescent galaxies in the cores of the Virgo and Fornax clusters with luminosities $10^{6} \leq L_{g}/L_{\odot} \leq 10^{8}$. Similar to satellites of the Local Group and Centaurus A,…