January 2026

20/01/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — Probing chemical enrichment in star-forming emission-line galaxies from direct elemental abundances
Souradeep Bhattachary (University of Hertfordshire)

Abstract

Distinct sets of elements are produced from different nucleosynthesis processes in galaxies that occur in core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), Type-Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), asymptotic-giant-branch stars (AGBs), and various other enrichment sources. I will discuss both supernova and AGB enrichment in galaxies, as probed from integrated deep emission-line spectra of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) with direct elemental abundances. Galactic chemical enrichment from SNe has historically been constrained by alpha-enrichment ([α/Fe]) and metallicity ([Fe/H]) measurements from deep absorption-line spectra of individual stars in the Milky Way (MW) and some local group dwarf galaxies (and a handful of massive ellipticals with deep integrated absorption-line spectra out to z~2). The vast majority of galaxies in the universe are SFGs, with their fraction increasing with increasing redshift. We have recently shown that for SFGs (having deep integrated spectra with temperature sensitive auroral lines, enabling direct abundance determination), the oxygen-to-argon abundance ratio, log(O/Ar), vs Ar abundance, 12+log(Ar/H), is analogous to [α/Fe] vs [Fe/H] for stars. At low-z (z<0.3) with SDSS observations of ~800 SFGs, we show that galaxy chemical enrichment history is driven primarily by the interplay of CCSNe and SNe Ia, with their impact varying with galaxy mass. With a smaller sample of 11 SFGs at high-z (z~1.3-7.7) with JWST/NIRSPEC and Keck/MOSFIRE, we show that MW-like CCSNe and SNe Ia dominated enrichment processes occur at least out to z~4, beyond which rapid but intermittent star-formation may be at play. On the other hand, AGB nucleosynthesis is probed in SFGs from relative abundances of N & O. NIRSPEC@JWST observations revealed a handful of SFGs at high-z with high N/O abundance ratio at low O/H, dubbed extreme N-emitters. Some attribute this to extreme enrichment mechanisms active only in the early universe. However, we found high N/O at low O/H for a sample of 19 low-z (z<0.5) SFGs (a five-fold increase compared to earlier) using DESI DR1 spectra. The enhanced N/O values can be explained using galactic chemical evolution (GCE) models having long-lived N-enhancement from AGBs, coupled with strong outflows.

27/01/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — Disclosing the origin of enigmatic diffuse ionized blobs in a cluster of galaxies near cosmic noon
Christian Maier (University of Vienna)

Abstract

Clusters of galaxies at z>1 are starting their assembly with many 
interactions expected. I will report evidence for hydrodynamical and 
gravitational processes affecting the Warm Ionized Medium found with 
VLT-MUSE in the massive XMMXCSJ2215.9-1738 cluster at z~1.5, with gas 
emission showing enigmatic diffuse ionized gas structures ([OII] Blobs) 
without an HST stellar counterpart and no clear evidence for their 
ionization sources. They extend over areas of several hundreds square kpc.
    To examine the nature of the processes causing these large scale 
structures, we proposed to observe with VLT-KMOS IFUs each of the blobs 
to measure Hbeta, [OIII], Halpha, [NII] and [SII] emission lines (ELs). 
I will present first results from KMOS on how these ELs can be used to 
identify the ionizing source (stars, AGN or shocks) from diagnostic 
diagrams, and to derive gas metallicities to distinguish between 
pristine inflows and enriched outflows (inflows/outflows motions seen in 
the MUSE velocity fields).
   I will also discuss the comparison with TNG-Cluster simulations of 
ionized gas which can constrain the origin and ionization sources of the 
blobs, and distinguish between ram-pressure stripping, in-situ cooling 
and excitation by fast particles, accretion via filaments, AGN or shocks.

February 2026

03/02/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — to be announced
Julia Seidel (Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur)
17/02/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — to be announced
Felipe Avila (University of Valparaiso)
24/02/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — to be announced
Laura Olivera-Nieto (Amsterdam University)

March 2026

03/03/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — to be announced
Unnati Kashyap (Texas Technical University)
17/03/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — to be announced
Marco Mirabile (ESO, Garching)
24/03/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — to be announced
Antoine Schneeberger (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS))

April 2026

28/04/26 (Tuesday)
12:00, Auditorium Telescopium (ESO HQE, Garching) | ESO Garching
Lunch Talk
Talk — to be announced
Simon Weng (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille)