Topic: cosmic history

Most cosmic star formation occurs in main-sequence galaxies, but their activity has changed greatly over cosmic history. This seminar asks how their appearance and evolution depend on molecular gas, why galaxies in the early Universe formed stars much faster than the Milky Way today, and what eventually suppresses star formation.

This lecture explores the growth of central black holes through gas accretion and galaxy mergers. It relates active galactic nuclei to their stellar surroundings and focuses on the puzzle posed by very massive quasars observed early in cosmic history. Explaining their rapid assembly is a central theme.