Massive elliptical galaxies in the local universe appear to have their high-redshift analogs in the form of extremely compact quiescent galaxies. Therefore, it seems that compact star formation appears to play a pivotal role in the evolutionary pathways of massive galaxies across cosmic history. However, it remains to be understood what this role is in the broader picture set by the main sequence and the scaling relations in galaxy evolution. From an ALMA survey at 1.1mm, we reveal that compact star formation appears to be the norm in massive star-forming galaxies, and sizes as extended as typical star-forming stellar disks are rare. A population of galaxies with modest star formation rates, but which exhibit extremely compact star formation with starburst-like depletion timescales unveils. Compact star formation appears as a physical driver of depletion timescales, gas fractions, and dust temperatures. Gas and star formation compression seems to be a mechanism that allows to hold their star formation rate even when their gas fractions are low and they are presumably on the way to quiescence. Another population of galaxies missed in the deep optical surveys but bright at far-IR/mm wavelengths unveils thanks to recent JWST observations. We present a study investigating the drivers of dust attenuation in massive galaxies in the JWST-era, showing how the stellar mass and morphology plays an important role, with evidence for more compact stellar profiles resulting in the obscuration of galaxies.
Local contact:Thierry FOGLIZZO
Organizer: Frédéric GALLIANO
