Speaker: Oscar Agertz (Lund Universtiy)

Title: Early Galactic Disks and Their Connections to Present-Day Galaxies

Abstract: Recent observations with JWST and ALMA have revealed that a substantial fraction of galaxies at very high redshift are rotationally supported disks. Many of these systems exhibit kinematically cold, or “settled,” gaseous disks — a result that stands in tension with predictions from many galaxy formation models. In this seminar, I will provide an overview of the current state of cosmological simulations of disk galaxy formation. I will discuss the properties of gas-rich high-redshift disks, their turbulent nature, and the connections between these early phases of disk assembly and spectroscopic and astrometric observations of the Milky Way. Finally, I will present new results indicating that baryon-dominated, highly turbulent galaxies may be more susceptible to global gravitational instabilities, such as bar formation, than previously thought. These findings have important implications for the rapid formation of bulges and for the fueling of central black holes.

• Date:
  Dec. 4, 2025, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  
  
• Location:

  AIP; Kirch building, Conference room

  
  
• Contact:
  Ewald Puchwein
  epuchwein@aip.de