Time takes its toll: understanding why galaxies slow down as they get older

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The spin of galaxies is slowing down and nobody really knows why. This dynamical transformation is predicted by theoretical simulations, but different simulations disagree on its exact causes and their relative importance. Until recently, the data required to map the gas and stars in galaxies during the transition and identify its root causes in galaxies around 3-4 billion years ago were critically lacking. This project leverages on a new dataset designed to directly detect and address this important unknown. Expected outcomes are a reliable measurement of the dynamical evolution of galaxies, identification of its physical drivers and important new constraints for theoretical simulations of galaxy formation.