Astro Seminar
Towards high-order galaxy chemical evolution (GCE) in simulations
Speaker: Robert Yates (Hertfordshire)
Date: Wednesday 8 July 2026
Time: 14:00
Venue: N1.32
Cosmological-scale simulations of galaxy evolution are now able to confidently predict chemical element abundances in both nearby galaxies and at high redshift (z). These predictions are often in promising agreement with the latest precise gas-phase metallicity observations at z~0-4, as well as those from ALMA and JWST at z~7-8. However, higher-order galaxy chemical evolution (GCE) phenomena such as dust production, and particularly complex molecule formation and planet formation, remain largely unprobed. In this talk, I will introduce my team's work on extending our GCE capabilities in simulations, primarily using the L-Galaxies semi-analytic simulation. I will begin by outlining L-Galaxies' current successes in reproducing the gas-phase and dust chemistry observed in galaxies back to to high z, including its match to radial metallicity gradients, dust-to-metal ratios, and the total cosmic metal budget. I will then discuss our on-going developments in incorporating (a) complex molecule formation and (b) synthetic spectra into the simulation. These developments are allowing us to model GCE in more detail and realism than has been possible before, in some cases resolving long-standing differences between simulations and observations. I will end by signposting our future work, including the inclusion of planet formation models in post-processing, and the synchronisation of L-Galaxies with super-high-resolution hydro simulations in order to coherently study GCE on spatial scales ranging from individual massive stars to the entire cosmic web.