Galaxy Clusters from Adolescence to Maturity: What do we learn from Simulations?

Protoclusters – the progenitors of today’s galaxy clusters – represent unique environments for studying the processes that drive the transitional evolution of galaxy populations. These processes leave a distinct imprint not only on galaxy properties but also on the thermo- and chemo-dynamical characteristics of the proto-Intracluster Medium (proto-ICM), which is now being detected at redshifts of z ~ 2-4. In this talk, I will present results from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations tracking the evolution of galaxy clusters from this early ‘adolescent’ phase. I will critically analyze these results to assess the successes and shortcomings of current simulations, shedding light on the limitations of numerical models in describing galaxy evolution within the complex ecosystems of galaxy clusters.

Dr. Stefano Borgani, Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste (OATs, INAF)

Stefano Borgani got a Phd in Astronomy at SISSA – Trieste in 1992, he was a researcher at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics until 2002, and then Associate Professor at the University of Trieste where he has been Full Professor since 2012. He works on the use of galaxy clusters as astrophysical laboratories and for cosmological applications, and on massive cosmological N-body and hydrodynamical simulations to describe the formation and evolution of cosmic structures. He is a member of the Euclid Consortium, the collaboration working on the surveys provided by the Euclid Satellite of the European Space Agency.