Damir Gasymov (Russia)

damir.gasymov @ stud.uni-heidelberg.de

Environmental effects on galaxy evolution and cluster assembly

The large-scale environment plays a crucial role in shaping galaxy evolution. Accretion of external gas, tidal interactions, and group or cluster membership can significantly alter star formation, gas content, and kinematics. Galaxies with stellar counter-rotation -- two coplanar disks rotating in opposite directions - are especially valuable in this context, as they preserve clear signatures of past accretion events.

My main research interest is in understanding how such galaxies form and evolve in different environments. Using a large MaNGA-based sample, supplemented by deep spectroscopy from SALT, Keck, and Gemini, I study the stellar populations and kinematics of counter-rotating disks. In my PhD project, I focus on identifying how dense environments, such as clusters or massive groups, influence the formation of these structures and what this reveals about gas accretion processes in disk galaxies.

Supervisor:    Eva Grebel  (ARI)