The Birth of Stars and Galaxies

The light illuminating the night sky is emitted by the billions of stars in our galaxy, known as the Milky Way, which itself is just one of billions of galaxies in the universe. Stars and galaxies did not exist immediately following the Big Bang and the birth of the universe. They were formed later through complex physical processes involving gravitation, hydrodynamics and atomic physics. Explaining the process of formation and evolution of stars and galaxies is a major challenge for modern astrophysics.

Professor Hugo Martel conducts a research program in theoretical and numerical astrophysics focused on star and galaxy formation and the evolution of galaxies and the intergalactic medium. This require the development of numerical simulation software, semi-analytical models, and visualization techniques. Professor Martel has recently moved to a new post in Canada, but he retains his connection with the UT department and supervises the work of several graduate students.

Several graduate students at the University of Texas are directly or indirectly involved in this project: Marcelo Alvarez, Kyungjin Ahn, Shadrian Holmes, and Andrea Urban, all in the Astronomy Department. Most calculations are currently being performed on the IBM Regatta (longhorn) at the TACC.