The interstellar medium (ISM), made up of ionised, neutral and molecular gas, and interstellar dust, is a fundamental ingredient of galaxy evolution. It is the “primary repository” of galaxies, where star formation (SF) takes place, depositing energy, momentum and chemical enriched material via stellar evolution events (e.g. stellar winds, supernova explosions). ISM properties can be largely influenced also by Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) activity, that through outflows and jets is capable of heating, compressing and/or removing the gas (feedback). SF and AGN activities are part of the so-called galaxy baryon cycle, that encloses a variety of physical processes, driving and shaping galaxy formation and evolution. 

 

My research is mainly focused on probing and interpreting ISM properties in different types of galaxies and in different conditions within a galaxy, through the use of integral field spectroscopy, observed diagnostics, and photoionisation and shock models. Indeed, high and low ionisation emission lines (e.g. [OIII]λ5007 and [NII]λ6584) in the optical, originating from nebulae photoionised by massive stars or gas located in the inner kiloparsecs of AGN represent one of most powerful tracers of density, temperature, level and source of excitation, and chemical composition of the ISM gas. On the other hand, the relative strengths of the rotational transitions of CO lines in the submm wavelength range depend as well on the ISM properties and gas excitation mechanisms, meaning that a high ratio of high-excitation to low-excitation CO lines can be used for instance as a diagnostic of AGN heating.

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