Symposia S6  01-02 Jul 2026

Shaping galaxies and their gaseous environment in the early Universe

Aims and scope

Understanding how galaxies form and evolve in the early Universe requires deciphering the complex mechanisms regulating the cycle of baryons in and out of galaxies. State-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation predict that key evolutionary processes -including gas accretion, feedback, and chemical enrichment- take place around galaxies on scales of tens to hundreds of kiloparsecs, within the circumgalactic medium (CGM). With the advent of powerful observing facilities such as VLT/MUSE, ALMA, and JWST, we can now map the gaseous environments of galaxies with unprecedented detail, paving the way for a comprehensive characterization of the CGM in the early cosmic epochs. We are entering an era in which the link between galaxies and their surrounding gas can be directly established, enabling transformative advances in our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.

This symposium aims to bring together experts on both models and observations to build on the most recent advancements in the field and develop a coherent framework of the gas-galaxy connection shaping galaxy formation and evolution. The wealth of information from current world-class facilities requires careful modeling and comparison with theoretical predictions on the gas thermodynamics, chemical evolution, morphology, and kinematics. By investigating how these properties inform us on gas accretion, feedback, and recycling mechanisms across different phases (i.e., molecular, atomic, ionized), we will bridge the gap between observational challenges and theoretical models.

Programme

In this symposium we will address the following key questions:

  • 1. What are the physical properties of the gas around galaxies across cosmic time?
  • 2. What are the mechanisms driving the cycle of baryons in and out of galaxies?
  • 3. How to overcome the current limitations of both models and observations in getting a complete view of the connections between galaxies and their surrounding gaseous environment?
This symposium is timely in guiding computational efforts to develop new models and future observational campaigns with next-generation facilities -ELT, WST, SKA, ALMA 2040, and AtLAST- thereby advancing our exploration of galactic environments.

Invited speakers

  • Arrigoni Battaia Fabrizio (MPA)
  • Fraternali Filippo (University of Groningen)
  • Lochhaas Cassi (CfA)
  • Wright Ruby (UWA)
  • van de Voort Freeke (Cardiff University)
  • Zhang Yi (MPA)
  • and more to appear!

Scientific organisers

  • Manuela Bischetti (INAF - OATs) - co-Chair
  • Sebastiano Cantalupo (University of Milano Bicocca)
  • Tiago Costa (University of Newcastle)
  • Claudia Lagos (ICRAR)
  • Antonio Pensabene (DAWN/DTU-Space) - co-Chair
  • Celine Peroux (ESO)
  • Francesco Salvestrini (INAF - OATs) - Chair
  • Dominika Wylezalek (University of Heidelberg)

Contact

Please contact Francesco Salvestrini (francesco.salvestrini @ inaf.it), Antonio Pensabene (anpen @ dtu.dk) and/or Manuela Bischetti (manuela.bischetti @ inaf.it) if you have any queries regarding this Symposium. Image credit: TNG Simulations

Updated on Fri Jan 30 11:43:43 CET 2026
European Astronomical Society