Wednesday

Galaxy formation and evolution are regulated by the complex interplay between star-formation, chemical abundance and gas dynamics. Detailed spatially-resolved kinematical and chemical analysis of the ionised gas may help unravel several secrets of the key mechanisms involved in galaxy formation and evolution. Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS) is the best available technique to carry out spatially-resolved studies of the ionised gas in galaxies, because it not only allows us to access information encoded in the emission lines from the ionised gas, but also enables us to map their distribution and varying properties throughout each system. I use IFS observations from the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph-North to study the distribution of physical and chemical properties of H II regions in a sample of BCDs, the local analogues of high redshift galaxies. While answering questions related to chemical homogeneity, ionisation mechanisms and stellar populations within BCDs, I address more profound issues, which go beyond the characterisation of studied BCDs and aim to explain global phenomena with broader implications. Such studies are imperative to enhance our understanding of the chemical abundance patterns and star-formation in galaxies in the high-redshift Universe, and hence be better prepared for a whole new era of high-redshift astronomy initialised by JWST, and complemented by facilities like MUSE and MOONS.