The environment of galaxies is known to influence their evolution via a wide range of processes, such as tidal interactions, ram-pressure stripping, or galaxy harassment. However, the exact interconnectivity between the large scale environment-driven mechanisms and the other internal processes (starburst, star formation quenching, nuclear activity, and both outflows and inflows) remains poorly understood. This thesis describes the use of the WiFeS and MUSE integral field spectrographs to study gas flows and star formation activity inside two members of compact groups of galaxies: HCG 16c and HCG 91c. In particular, WiFeS and MUSE are used to resolve scales of 1 kpc at the distances of HCG 16c and HCG 91c - the size of giant molecular clouds and HII regions - in an effort to tie the environment to its impact within the disks of the galaxies. HCG 16c is found to host an asymmetric, bipolar, rotating galactic wind, powered by a nuclear starburst. Emission line ratio diagnostics indicate that photoionization is the dominant excitation mechanism at the base of the wind. The asymmetry of the wind is likely caused by one of the two lobes of the wind-blown bubble bursting out of its HI envelope. The characteristics of the wind suggest that it is caught early (a few Myr) in the wind evolution sequence. The wind is also quite different to the galactic wind in the partner galaxy HCG 16d which contains a symmetric, shock-excited wind. Given that both galaxies have (likely) similar interaction histories, the different wind characteristics must be a consequence of the intrinsic properties of HCG 16c and HCG 16d. In HCG 91c, WiFeS and MUSE reveal HII regions with kinematic and abundance offsets in this otherwise unremarkable star-forming spiral. Specifically, at least three HII regions harbor an oxygen abundance 0:15 dex lower than expected from their immediate surroundings and from the overall abundance gradient present in the disk of this galaxy. The same star forming regions are also associated with a small kinematic offset in the form of a lag of 5-10kms1 with respect to the local circular rotation of the gas. HI observations of HCG 91 from the VLA and broadband optical images from Pan-STARRS suggest that HCG 91c is caught early in its interaction with the compact group HCG 91. Altogether, evidence point towards infalling and collapsing extra-planar halo gas clouds at the disk-halo interface of the galaxy. As such, HCG 91c provides evidence that some of the perturbations possibly associated with the early phase of galaxy evolution in compact groups impact the star forming disk locally, and on sub-kpc scales. Finally, this thesis also describes a series of new tools developed for the processing, analysis and visualization of these integral field spectroscopy datasets. These comprise a new data reduction pipeline for the WiFeS instrument, interactive PDF & HTML documents for multi-dimensional data visualization and publication, 3-D printing of astrophysical datasets, the pyqz code to derive oxygen abundances & ionization parameters from strong emission line ratios, and 3-D line ratio diagnostic diagrams.

A galaxy's evolution is quite sensitive to the impact of external influences. In this thesis, the impact of external environment from both large and small scale effects is investigated, along with a study of how the HI gas fraction of a galaxy can modulate a galaxy's response to perturbations by galaxy-galaxy interactions. This thesis makes use of the statistical power of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 (SDSS DR7) to assemble a large spectroscopic sample of galaxies, select samples of interest, and select control samples of galaxies matched to each galaxy within the sample of interest in mass, redshift, and (if applicable) local density. It is possible to trace a galaxy's internal gas motions which mark its disturbance by using the metrics of star formation rate (SFR) and gas-phase metallicity.To investigate the influence of large scale environment, a sample of star forming galaxies in a locally dense environment, but relatively isolated from larger scale structure, is constructed. This sample is further divided into groups which are truly isolated from any large scale structure (no cluster potential within 1 Mpc), and those which, in spite of their relative local isolation, are embedded within a larger cluster structure (within 1 Mpc of a cluster). As the local galaxy density is identical between isolated and embedded group structures, a fair comparison between the star forming properties of the galaxies within those group structures can be made. Star forming galaxies whose groups are embedded within a larger structure are found to show statistically lower SFRs than those galaxies whose groups are truly isolated from any larger cluster potential.The impact of local galaxy?galaxy interactions is subsequently considered. Using a sample of star-forming galaxies in pairs from the SDSS DR7, the enhancement in SFRs and the suppression of metallicities is traced as a function of projected separation (rp). The metallicity dilution as a function of rp is presented for the first time. Galaxies in pairs are found to have SFRs and metallicity values which are offset from a carefully selected control sample to separations of at least 80 kpc/h. Using a suite of simulations developed for the purposes of comparison with these observational results, a new interpretive framework is developed for enhancements as a function of rp.To investigate the role that gas fraction plays in moderating the strength of interaction triggered starbursts, new data is obtained from the Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). The VLA data supplements the existing SDSS data with HI gas masses for a subsample of resolvable galaxy pairs at small rp(in kpc/h). HI masses are obtained and gas fractions are calculated for a sample of 34 paired galaxies. A positive correlation is detected at > 2? between the gas fraction of a galaxy and the SFR enhancement of that galaxy.The work presented in this thesis has expanded the understanding of physical variables, both internal and external, which can change the star forming properties of a galaxy through an examination of tracers of internal gas flows in those galaxies.

This book contains the proceedings of the sixth Eurographics Workshop on Vir tual Environments. The event took place from June 1 to June 2, 2000, in Am sterdam. We hope that readers will find these proceedings to be valuable, not only for virtual environment researchers, but also for practitioners developing or using virtual environment applications. We are glad to report that visibility of the workshop continues to expand and that virtual environment researchers and practitioners from allover the world are submitting papers. This year, 40 papers and case studies were submitted of which 20 were accepted. In addition, we are glad to see that the focus of the workshop is also expanding. We accepted 6 research papers on evaluation of virtual environments and there was a broad sampling of other topics. We would like to thank all those involved in organizing the symposium. In particular, thanks go to Mieke Brune who was in charge of the local organization. In addition, we want to thank the international program committee for their excellent, yet laborious, job in reviewing all submitted papers. The quality of the workshop is a reflection of the quality of the submitted papers and the quality of the reviewing process.

This volume contains the written versions of the lectures given at the 26th course of the renowned Saas-Fee series. The book represents a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the field of galaxy interaction. Nowadays, galaxies are no longer seen as immutable objects: they evolve, interact, merge, blaze, and reshape. Dynamic forces can induce powerful stellar activity able to transform the matter composition and morphology of galaxies. The lectures included in this book aim at a better understanding of these remarkable and fascinating phenomena. Though the book is intended for graduate students and young post-docs in astrophysics, it contains more advanced and original material, as well as historical perspectives, which will be of great interest to experts and astronomy teachers also.

While mounting observational evidence suggests the coevolution of galaxies and their embedded massive black holes (MBHs), a comprehensive astrophysical understanding which incorporates both galaxies and MBHs has been missing. To tackle the nonlinear processes of galaxy formation, we develop a state-of-the-art numerical framework which self-consistently models the interplay between galactic components: dark matter, gas, stars, and MBHs. Utilizing this physically motivated tool, we present an investigation of a massive star-forming galaxy hosting a slowly growing MBH in a cosmological LCDM simulation. The MBH feedback heats the surrounding gas and locally suppresses star formation in the galactic inner core. In simulations of merging galaxies, the high-resolution adaptive mesh allows us to observe widespread starbursts via shock-induced star formation, and the interplay between the galaxies and their embedding medium. Fast growing MBHs in merging galaxies drive more frequent and powerful jets creating sizable bubbles at the galactic centers. We conclude that the interaction between the interstellar gas, stars and MBHs is critical in understanding the star formation history, black hole accretion history, and cosmological evolution of galaxies. Expanding upon our extensive experience in galactic simulations, we are well poised to apply this tool to other challenging, yet highly rewarding tasks in contemporary astrophysics, such as high-redshift quasar formation.

In a unique collaboration, Nature Publishing Group and Institute of Physics Publishing have published the most extensive and comprehensive reference work in astronomy and astrophysics. This unique resource covers the entire field of astronomy and astrophysics and this online version includes the full text of over 2,750 articles, plus sophisticated search and retrieval functionality and links to the primary literature. The Encyclopaedia's authority is assured by editorial and advisory boards drawn from the world's foremost astronomers and astrophysicists. This first class resource is an essential source of information for undergraduates, graduate students, researchers and seasoned professionals, as well as for committed amateurs, librarians and lay people wishing to consult the definitive astronomy and astrophysics reference work.