Recent Talks

MOSAIC is the proposed visible and near-infrared multi-object spectrograph (MOS) for ESO’s forthcoming ELT.  The instrument is currently in the initial project stage known as Phase A. When operational MOSAIC will give the ELT the ability to obtain spectra for large samples of faint astronomical sources which are simply out of reach of ESO’s current facilities--from stars at the very heart of the Milky Way, out to the most distant galaxies at the edge of the observable Universe. I will discuss the top science cases for MOSAIC and identify the key technical requirements for each case. I will then present the instrument concept design and architecture that comply with these requirements, and will end by outlining the next steps for the project.

I will review my past and current research, mainly focussed on  the interactions between stellar dynamics, hot ISM, AGN feedback, black hole accretion in early-type galaxies. In particular, I have investigated the evolution of the X-ray hot halo and star formation in early type-galaxies, their correlation with galaxy shape and kinematics to explain the X-ray observed under-luminosity of flat objects and fast-rotators,their cold gas content and kinematics. Moreover I studied the effects due to AGN radiative and mechanical feedback, including positive feedback in a large sample of simulated ETGs, and the consequences of the BH sub-grid physics commonly employed in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Currently, I am mainly interested in both quasar and radio mode feedback and their effects on BH accretion rate and star formation. At the same time, I am working on the EAGLE and C-EAGLE simulations, studying the evolution of galaxy luminosity function with redshift. Due to large observational community at the Institute, future projects will involve the production of synthetic observations in different bands and spectral signatures from cosmological zoom-in simulations, in order to be compared with real observations.

The assembly history of the stellar halo of our Galaxy might be encoded in the kinematics, metallicities, ages and spatial distribution of the tidal streams, remnants of accreted galaxies. Globular clusters have also played an important role in the study of the processes that led to the formation of our Galaxy. Moreover, the dual Galactic globular cluster system is considered a manifestation of its hierarchical formation in the context of the Lambda-CDM scenario. Wide-field imaging and spectroscopy are crucial tools to unveil the remnants of their progenitor dwarf galaxies, already assimilated by the Milky Way. In this talk, I will summarize the evidence on the presence of accreted globulars in the Galactic halo, gathered during the last decades. I will also present our results probing that the surroundings of Galactic globular clusters are still one of the best places to detect and characterize tidal streams in the Milky Way halo.