Galaxies 09: Assembly, Gas Content and Star Formation History of Galaxies

Christy Tremonti
MPIA

Starburst and AGN Feedback

The influence of massive stars and accreting black holes on the surrounding interstellar medium, termed `feedback', has been regarded as an important ingredient of galaxy evolution since the 1970's. Feedback of some form is included in nearly all modern numerical simulations, but our understanding of the complex interplay between the baryonic constituents of galaxies is still woefully incomplete. Some of the best empirical constraints on the feedback process come from the study of its most dramatic manifestation: galactic-scale gaseous outflows or galactic winds. I will review observational and theoretical progress in the study of galactic winds and highlight opportunities and challenges for the coming decade.



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