Elena Arjona-Gálvez

Elena Arjona-Gálvez

She/Her

PhD Student in Astrophysics

Conferences

AGN Feedback in low-mass galaxies: tracing outflows and their influence

October 09, 2025

Invited Talk, Galactic Centers as tracers of Galaxy Evolution, Lorentz Center, Leiden, Netherlands

This invited talk presented the follow-up work to Arjona-Gálvez et al. (2024), extending the analysis of AGN feedback in dwarf galaxies to explore in greater depth the physics of gas outflows driven by supermassive black holes. Using the same suite of AURIGA cosmological simulations, I examined the kinematic and thermodynamic properties of the gas surrounding active nuclei in low-mass galaxies, identifying clear signatures of AGN-driven winds and quantifying their impact on the surrounding interstellar medium. These results provide a bridge between theoretical models and observations, offering predictive diagnostics that can be directly tested with current and upcoming integral-field spectroscopic surveys. Being invited to present at the Zooming in Galactic Centers workshop at the Lorentz Center—an international meeting dedicated to understanding the physical processes that govern the center of galaxies—offered an opportunity to discuss this new phase of my research with leading experts in AGN and galactic physic. The presentation highlighted how dwarf galaxies, though small, serve as crucial laboratories for understanding the fundamental mechanisms by which AGN regulate star formation across cosmic time. As the project’s lead investigator, I developed the analysis framework for identifying and characterizing outflowing gas components, implemented new post-processing tools for synthetic observation generation, and interpreted the results within the context of current observational campaigns. This talk not only disseminated cutting-edge findings but also initiated collaborations aimed at comparing simulation-based predictions with real datasets, strengthening the link between numerical and observational astrophysics.

A physically motivated galaxy size definition across different state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations

June 06, 2025

Highlight Talk, Día de Nuestra Ciencia (annual IAC conference),, Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), La Laguna, Spain

I was invited to deliver the highlight talk representing the Galaxy Formation research line at the annual Día de Nuestra Ciencia y Tecnología conference, an internal event that showcases the most relevant research from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC). My presentation focused on the results from Arjona-Gálvez et al. (2025). This work provides a consistent and robust framework for comparing simulated galaxy properties, addressing long-standing inconsistencies in size measurements that arise from differing definitions across simulation suites and obseved galaxies. In addition to presenting the methodology and key results of my own research, I also offered an overview of the collective progress of the IAC simulation group. The talk therefore served both as a platform to disseminate my first-author publication and as a representation of the group’s broader contributions to galaxy evolution research. Being selected to give the highlight talk among numerous candidates was a recognition of the scientific relevance and impact of my work, as well as my growing leadership role within the simulation community at the IAC. The discussion that followed provided valuable feedback from senior researchers, which helped to shape subsequent extensions of the project toward satellite galaxy populations and cluster environments.

The role of AGN feedback on the evolution of dwarf galaxies from cosmological simulations

July 17, 2024

Research Talk, Sociedad Española de Astronomía, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Granada, Spain

This talk presented the key results of Arjona-Gálvez et al. (2024), which investigates how active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback influences the evolution of dwarf galaxies using the AURIGA cosmological simulations. The study provides evidence that feedback from supermassive black holes can suppress star formation in low- mass galaxies, offering new insights into the physical processes that regulate their growth. Presenting these findings at the SEA meeting—the largest astronomy conference in Spain—was an important step in sharing my research with a broad audience of both theoretical and observational astrophysicists. The talk generated discussion on the detectability of AGN signatures in dwarf galaxies and the implications for upcoming surveys such as LSST and Euclid. As the first author and lead analyst, I was responsible for the design, implementation, and interpretation of the simulation analysis. This presentation allowed me to strengthen connections within the Spanish astrophysics community, receive constructive feedback, and showcase the impact of my work on understanding black hole–galaxy coevolution in the low-mass regime, leading to new collaborations inside the astronomical Spanish community.

The role of AGN feedback on the evolution of dwarf galaxies from cosmological simulations

June 12, 2024

Talk, CLUES colaboration meeting, Warsav, Poland

In this talk, I presented the main results of my first-author paper Arjona-Gálvez et al. (2024), which investigates the impact of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback on the evolution of dwarf galaxies using a modification of the AURIGA suite of cosmological simulations. The study provides one of the first systematic analyses of how supermassive black holes influence the star formation histories, gas content, and dark matter of low-mass galaxies within a fully cosmological context. My results demonstrated that even relatively low-supermassive black holes can substantially suppress star formation in dwarf galaxies, thereby offering new insights into the physical mechanisms that regulate their baryonic evolution. As the principal author, I led all aspects of this project — from simulation analysis and data processing using Pynbody and Python-based pipelines, to the interpretation of the physical trends and the manuscript preparation. The work bridges the gap between theoretical modeling and observational efforts to detect AGN activity in dwarf galaxies, showing that feedback from supermassive black holes may play an underestimated role in shaping their observable properties. Presenting this research at the CLUES meeting allowed me to engage directly with an international audience of experts in galaxy formation and the local universe. The discussions following my talk were particularly valuable for contextualizing my findings within broader questions of feedback efficiency and environmental dependence.

The effect of AGN feedback in simulated dwarf galaxies

December 06, 2023

Talk, BH on Broadways: The Next Generation of AGN Models in Galaxy Formation, Flatiron, NY, USA

In this talk, I presented the main results of what would later become Arjona-Gálvez et al. (2024), discussing the impact of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback on the evolution of dwarf galaxies using a modify suite of the AURIGA cosmological simulations. The presentation explored how supermassive black holes influence gas accretion and star formation in low-mass systems, offering new theoretical predictions that can be tested both theorethically and observationally. The Black Holes on Broadway workshop brought together leading experts in AGN and galaxy formation simulations, providing an exceptional opportunity to share my findings within a highly specialised and internationally recognised community. Presenting alongside scientists from major simulation collaborations such as IllustrisTNG, SIMBA, FIRE and AREPO, I received valuable feedback that helped refine the interpretation and presentation of my results prior to publication. As the first author and primary developer of the analysis pipeline, I was responsible for designing the methodology, conducting the statistical analysis, and synthesising the physical interpretation. The discussion following the presentation helped identify potential extensions to the project, particularly regarding the inclusion of dynamical friction effects and the observational constraints on black hole growth in dwarfs that directly influences this fellowship proposal. Participating in this workshop was a key step in consolidating my international research profile. It allowed me to present my work to a distinguished audience, exchange ideas with leaders in the field, and strengthen professional ties that have informed both my current and future research directions in black hole physics and galaxy evolution.