Staff

Alberto Franceschini, Giulia Rodighiero, Paolo Cassata 

PostDoc

Laura Bisigello

PhD students

Gilberto Nicolas Estrada Martinez, Francesco Sinigaglia, Toby Devereaux

Research Activity

Our research group is working on different topics concerning the formation and evolution of galaxies:

• The dark and dusty universe: Our team has a longstanding experience in the exploitation of data provided by guarantied time programs carried out with Herschel (an ESA cornerstone mission). By observing the wavelength range encompassed by the infrared and sub-mm regimes, Herschel enables the study of crucial phases of the formation of stars and galaxies that take place enshrouded (i.e., obscured) by dust.
• Detailed analysis of spectral energy distributions(SEDs): We aim at developing models that reproduce the physics hidden in the observed SEDs of infrared sources, including processes such as the radiative transfer through the intergalactic medium and the presence of active galactic nuclei (i.e., supermassive accreting black holes located at the center of galaxies). These models enable the estimation (minimizing the degenerations) of physical parameters of galaxies, such as the stellar mass, extinction (proportional to the dust mass), formation redshift, and star formation rate.
• Statistical properties and evolution of dusty galaxies: We study the number counts and their evolution with redshift, and luminosity functions at the different wavelengths (from the near infrared to the sub-mm) from both the observational and theoretical perspectives.