Speaker
Description
Galaxy evolution over time remains unclear, with ongoing debate about how collisions affect star formation and metallicity. The role of the local environment shaped by the large-scale structure of the Universe in galaxy mergers may be significant, yet it has not been thoroughly examined. Using the IllustrisTNG cosmological simulation, we processed the catalogue data and merger tree files of the TNG300-1 run. We calculated the average star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass of galaxies over the redshift range 0 < z < 15 to trace the cosmic star formation history and galaxy growth. We investigated the environments of galaxy mergers with a focus on local density within the cosmic web, and found that interactions with gas-rich dwarf galaxies can trigger a resurgence in gas supply, highlighting the importance of gas dynamics in sustaining star formation. We compared our results with recent JWST observations and identified differences in the star formation rate density (SFRD) history between simulations and observations, providing new insights into early galaxy formation and evolution. See Koncz et. al. Universe 2025, 11(9), 286.