Tracing Cosmic Evolution: From the CMB to the Web, the CGM, and Galactic Disks

Abstract: Understanding how galaxies form and evolve remains one of the central challenges in modern astrophysics. In this talk, I will present my research over the past decade on the multi-scale processes that govern galaxy formation, from the initial conditions imprinted in the cosmic microwave background to the assembly of galactic disks.

I will show that the effect of the cosmic environment on galaxy formation is not purely stochastic. Instead, anisotropic large-scale structures—the filaments, walls, and voids of the cosmic web—exert coherent, directional influences that imprint themselves on halo assembly, mass accretion, and especially angular momentum. This influence can, to a surprising extent, be captured using analytical frameworks grounded in the initial density field and the dynamics of critical points.

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) emerges as a key mediator in this cascade, translating the large-scale structure’s influence into the conditions for star formation within galaxies. Understanding its thermodynamic and kinematic state is therefore essential, and represents one of the current frontiers in the field. I will highlight recent results from large-scale simulations that probe the interplay between the CGM and galactic morphology, including the MEGATRON and EDGE projects.

Finally, I will discuss our ongoing efforts to develop Dyablo, a next-generation simulation code designed to meet the challenges of this new regime. In an era where no single researcher can span the full simulation pipeline alone, Dyablo exemplifies a paradigm shift: from monolithic codebases to collaborative, interoperable infrastructures built for community-scale science.