Fabry-Perot data of compact group galaxies have been used to show that the Tully-Fisher relation in any photometric band, for galaxies with vmax > 100 km/s, is very similar to that for galaxies in other less dense environments. In the low-luminosity end, however, a few compact group galaxies fall above the relation apparently because they are too bright for their mass. Here we show that if the mass is properly computed from spectral energy distribution fitting or mass modelling, for the low-luminosity galaxies, their positions in the stellar-mass or baryonic Tully-Fisher relation are what is expected for a normal Tully-Fisher relation and the outlying positions observed in the B and K Tully-Fisher relation could be explained by brightening of the low-luminosity interacting galaxies due to strong star formation or AGN activity.

Understanding the evolution of galaxies from the starforming blue cloud to the quiescent red sequence has been revolutionized by observations taken with Herschel Space Observatory, and the onset of the era of sensitive millimeter interferometers, allowing astronomers to probe both cold dust as well as the cool interstellar medium in a large set of galaxies with unprecedented sensitivity. Recent Herschel observations of of H2-bright Hickson Compact Groups of galaxies (HCGs) has shown that [C ii] may be boosted in diffuse shocked gas. CARMA CO(1–0) observations of these [C ii]-bright HCGs has shown that these turbulent systems also can show suppression of SF. Here we present preliminary results from observations of HCGs with Herschel and CARMA, and their [C ii] and CO(1–0) properties to discuss how shocks influence galaxy transitions and star formation.

The physical processes responsible of sweeping up the surrounding gas in the host galaxy of an AGN, and able in some circumstances to expel it from the galaxy, are not yet well known. The various mechanisms are briefly reviewed: quasar or radio modes, either momentum-conserving outflows, energy-conserving outflows, or intermediate. They are confronted to observations, to know whether they can explain the M-sigma relation, quench the star formation or whether they can also provide some positive feedback and how the black hole accretion history is related to that of star formation.

Early studies of nearby Seyfert galaxies have led to the picture that the Narrow Line Region is a cone-shaped region of gas ionized by radiation from a nuclear source collimated by a dusty torus, where the gas is in outflow. In this contribution, I discuss a 3D view of the NLR obtained via Integral Field Spectroscopy, showing that: (1) although the region of highest emission is elongated (and in some cases cone-shaped), there is also lower level emission beyond the “ionization cone”, indicating that the AGN radiation leaks through the torus; (2) besides outflows, the gas kinematics include also rotation in the galaxy plane and inflows; (3) in many cases the outflows are compact and restricted to the inner few 100pc; we argue that these may be early stages of an outflow that will evolve to an open-ended, cone-like one. Inflows are observed in ionized gas in LINERs, and in warm molecular gas in more luminous AGN, being usually found on hundred of pc scales. Mass outflow rates in ionized gas are of the order of a few M⊙ yr−1, while the mass inflow rates are of the order of tenths of M⊙ yr−1. Mass inflow rates in warm molecular gas are ≈ 4–5 orders of magnitude lower, but these inflows seem to be only tracers of more massive inflows in cold molecular gas that should be observable at mm wavelengths.

We present ALMA cycle 0 observations of the luminous merger VV 114. One of the main goals is to investigate mechanisms of molecular line ratio enhancement. Regions with the high 12CO (1–0)/13CO (1–0) and 12CO (3–2)/12CO (1–0) is located at a central filamentary structure (∼6 kpc) in VV 114. The filament consists of the eastern nucleus and the overlap region, where the galaxy disks are colliding. We also investigate these molecular line ratios on the Kennicutt-Schmidt law. VV 114 fills a gap between the “starburst” sequence and the “normal disk” sequence, and regions with the high ratios show the high ΣSFR and ΣH2. We suggest that the high ratios in VV 114 are due to star-forming activities in the both progenitor's nuclei and the merger-induced overlap region.

Here we present the first results from the Siding Spring Southern Seyfert Spectroscopic Snapshot Survey (S7) which aims to investigate the physics of ∼140 radio-detected southern active Galaxies with z<0.02 through Integral Field Spectroscopy using the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS). This instrument provides data cubes of the central 38×25 arc sec. of the target galaxies in the waveband 340–710nm with the unusually high resolution of R=7000 in the red (530–710nm), and R=3000 in the blue (340–560nm). These data provide the morphology, kinematics and the excitation structure of the extended narrow-line region, probe relationships with the black hole characteristics and the host galaxy, measures host galaxy abundance gradients and the determination of nuclear abundances from the HII regions. From photoionisation modelling, we may determine the shape of the ionising spectrum of the AGN, discover whether AGN metallicities differ from nuclear abundances determined from HII regions, and probe grain destruction in the vicinity of the AGN. Here we present some preliminary results and modelling of both Seyfert galaxies observed as part of the survey.

We implement the Single Degenerate (SD) scenario proposed for Type Ia Supernova (SNIa) progenitors in SPH simulations. We analyse the chemical evolution of bulge-type galaxies together with the observed correlations relating SNIa rates with the characteristics of the host galaxy, such as their SFR. The models reproduce the observed signatures shown by [O/Fe] ratios in the Galactic Bulge and the present day SNIa rates. Also, the observed correlation found by Sullivan et al. (2006) between SSFR (specific star formation rate) and the SNIa rate per unit of galaxy mass (SSNIaR), naturally arises. This analysis helps to set more stringent constraints to the galaxy formation models and gives some hint on the progenitor problem.

We conduct a case study on a normal star-forming galaxy (z=0.05) observed by the SAMI Galaxy Survey and demonstrate the feasibility and potential of using large integral field spectroscopic surveys to investigate the prevalence of galactic-scale outflows in the local Universe. We perform spectral decomposition to separate the different kinematic components overlapping in the line-of-sight direction that causes the skewed line profiles in the integral field data. The three kinematic components present distinctly different line ratios and kinematic properties. We model the line ratios with the shock/photoionization code mappings iv and demonstrate that the different emission line properties are caused by major galactic outflows that introduce shock excitation in addition to photoionization. These results set a benchmark of the type of analysis that can be achieved by the SAMI Galaxy Survey on large numbers of galaxies.

Submillimetre-selected galaxies are the most luminous, heavily star-forming galaxies in the Universe. While this field has exploded observationally over the past decade and a half, theorists have struggled to develop a concordance model for their origin. Here, I review the major theoretical efforts in this field. I then present a newly developed model for the origin of this enigmatic population of galaxies.

We present the first results obtained by analyzing the detailed kinematics of a subsample of 9 massive and compact galaxies found in the WINGS survey. The observed galaxies are very old (both luminosity and mass- weighted age are on average ≥ 10 Gyr), while they resemble more typical galaxies in the other characteristics. The total M/L ratio is determined using as free parameters the anisotropy β and the galaxy inclination i.

We used FORS2 in MXU mode to mimic a coarse ‘IFU’ in order to measure the 3D large-scale kinematics around the central Hydra I cluster galaxy NGC 3311. Our data show that the velocity dispersion field varies as a function of radius and azimuthal angle and violates point symmetry. Also, the velocity field shows similar dependence, hence the stellar halo of NGC 3311 is a dynamically young structure. The kinematic irregularities coincide in position with a displaced diffuse halo North-East of NGC 3311 and with tidal features of a group of disrupting dwarf galaxies. This suggests that the superposition of different velocity components is responsible for the kinematic substructure in the Hydra I cluster core.

Several observations of the central region of the Hydra I galaxy cluster point to a multi-epoch assembly history. Using our novel FORS2/VLT spectroscopic data set, we were able to map the luminosity-weighted age, [Fe/H] and [α/Fe] distributions for the stellar populations around the cD galaxy NGC 3311. Our results indicate that the stellar populations follow the trends of the photometric substructures, with distinct properties that may aid to constrain the evolutionary scenarios for the formation of the cluster core.

By studying the individual star-formation histories of the bulges and discs of lenticular (S0) galaxies, it is possible to build up a sequence of events that leads to the cessation of star formation and the consequent transformation from the progenitor spiral. In order to separate the bulge and disc stellar populations, we spectroscopically decomposed long-slit spectra of Virgo Cluster S0s into bulge and disc components. Analysis of the decomposed spectra shows that the most recent star formation activity in these galaxies occurred within the bulge regions, having been fuelled by residual gas from the disc. These results point towards a scenario where the star formation in the discs of spiral galaxies are quenched, followed by a final episode of star formation in the central regions from the gas that has been funnelled inwards through the disc.

For the first time in any ram pressure stripped galaxy, we detect large amounts of cold molecular gas in the X-ray bright, and star forming tail of ESO 137-001 in the Norma cluster. We find very low star formation efficiency in the stripped gas, similar to values found in the outer spiral disks where however molecular gas is mostly undetected. The results were recently published in Jáchym et al. (2014).

We present an early-look analysis of the “Cosmic Skidmark”. Discovered following visual inspection of the Geach, Murphy & Bower (2011) SDSS Stripe 82 cluster catalogue generated by ORCA (an automated cluster algorithm searching for red-sequences; Murphy, Geach & Bower 2012), this z = 0.19 1.4L⋆ galaxy appears to have been caught in the rare act of transformation while accreting onto an estimated 1013–1014h−1 M⊙-mass galaxy group. SDSS spectroscopy reveals clear signatures of star formation whilst deep optical imaging reveals a pronounced 50 kpc cometary tail. Pending completion of our ALMA Cycle 2 and IFU observations, we show here preliminary analysis of this target.

Spatially- and spectrally-resolved studies have proven very powerful in exploring the processes driving baryonic mass assembly and star formation at redshifts z ∼ 1–3, the heyday of massive galaxy formation. This contribution presents selected key results from near-infrared integral field spectroscopic studies of z ∼ 1–3 galaxies, including from the SINS/zC-SINF and KMOS3D surveys with SINFONI and KMOS at the ESO Very Large Telescope, highlights synergies with observations at other wavelengths, and discusses some of the implications for early galaxy evolution from mass assembly to feedback processes.

Quasar feedback in the form of powerful outflows is invoked as a key mechanism to quench star formation, preventing massive galaxies to over-grow and producing the red colors of ellipticals. On the other hand, some models are also requiring ‘positive’ AGN feedback, inducing star formation in the host galaxy through enhanced gas pressure in the interstellar medium. However, finding observational evidence of the effects of both types of feedback is still one of the main challenges of extragalactic astronomy, as few observations of energetic and extended radiatively-driven winds are available. We present SINFONI near infrared integral field spectroscopy of XID2028, an obscured, radio-quiet z=1.59 QSO, in which we clearly resolve a fast (1500 km/s) and extended (up to 13 kpc from the black hole) outflow in the [OIII] lines emitting gas, whose large velocity and outflow rate are not sustainable by star formation only. The narrow component of Hα emission and the rest frame U band flux show that the outflow position lies in the center of an empty cavity surrounded by star forming regions on its edge. The outflow is therefore removing the gas from the host galaxy (‘negative feedback’), but also triggering star formation by outflow induced pressure at the edges (‘positive feedback’). XID2028 represents the first example of a host galaxy showing both types of feedback simultaneously at work.

The KMOS3D survey will provide near-IR IFU observations of a mass-selected sample of ∼600 star-forming galaxies at 0.7<z<2.7 with the K-band Multi Object Spectrograph (KMOS) at the VLT. We present kinematic results for a first sample of ∼200 galaxies, focusing on the evolution of the gas velocity dispersion with redshift. Combined with existing measurements, we find an approximate (1+z) evolution from z∼4 to the present day, which can be understood from the co-evolution of the gas fraction and specific star formation rate (sSFR) in the the equilibrium picture of galaxy evolution.

We combine the KMOS3D sample with data from the LUCI and SINFONI spectrographs, as well as multi-wavelength HST imaging from CANDELS, to address the relations between stellar mass, SFR, and the [N II]/Hα flux ratio as an indicator of gas-phase metallicity for a sample of 222 star-forming galaxies. We find a constant slope at the low-mass end of the mass-metallicity relation and can fully describe its redshift evolution through the evolution of the characteristic turnover mass where the relation begins to flatten at the asymptotic metallicity. At a fixed mass and redshift, our data do not show a correlation between the [N II]/Hα ratio and SFR.

Spatially resolved spectroscopy is even more powerful when combined with magnification by gravitational lensing. I discuss observations of lensed galaxies at z≃2 with spatial resolution reaching 100 parsecs. Near-IR integral field spectroscopy reveals the kinematics, distribution and physical properties of star forming regions, and gas-phase metallicity gradients. Roughly two thirds of observed galaxies are isolated systems with coherent velocity fields, large velocity dispersion, multiple giant star-forming regions, and negative gas-phase metallicity gradients, suggestive of inside-out growth in gravitationally unstable disks. The remainder are undergoing mergers and have shallower metallicity gradients, indicating mixing of the interstellar gas via gravitational interaction. The metallicity gradients in isolated galaxies are consistent with simulations using standard feedback prescriptions, whereas simulations with enhanced feedback predict shallower gradients. These measurements therefore constrain the growth of galaxies from mergers and star formation as well as the regulatory feedback.

Star formation occurs on physical scales corresponding to individual star forming regions, typically of order ∼100 parsecs in size, but current observational facilities cannot resolve these scales within field galaxies beyond the local universe. However, the magnification from strong gravitational lensing allows us to measure the properties of these discrete star forming regions within galaxies in the distant universe. New results from multi-wavelength spectroscopic studies of a sample of extremely bright, highly magnified lensed galaxies are revealing the complexity of star formation on sub-galaxy scales during the era of peak star formation in the universe. We find a wide range of properties in the rest-frame UV spectra of individual galaxies, as well as in spectra that originate from different star forming regions within the same galaxy. Large variations in the strengths and velocity structure of Lyman-alpha and strong P Cygni lines such as C IV, and MgII provide new insights into the astrophysical relationships between extremely massive stars, the elemental abundances and physical properties of the nebular gas those stars ionize, and the galactic-scale outflows they power.