WP1: New tools for the analysis of IFS data

The aim of this Work Package is to define suitable algorithms to subtract the contribution from the underlying stellar populations and/or Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) to the spectra of emission-line galaxies, using physical evolutionary stellar population models. This will allow the reconstruction of the star formation history across the entire galaxy including kinematical information.

WP2: Bi-dimensional analysis

Up to now, spectroscopically-derived properties across galaxies have been usually characterised by radial distributions. However, this in fact responds to an observational limitation derived from the need to use fixed-aperture and/or long-slit spectroscopy. Fortunately, the advent of Multi-Object Spectrometers (MOS) and IFS instrumentation with large fields of view (FOV) now offers the opportunity to undertake a new generation of emission-line observations, based on samples that score up to to hundreds of HII regions and provide a full 2D coverage of irregular galaxies and the discs of spirals. This Work Package is oriented towards the transition from a 1D to a a 2D description of all the galaxy properties in a self-consistent way.

WP3: Instrumentation

The demand for IFS instrumentation is rapidly increasing due to improvements in the spatial resolution and the size of large telescopes existing and foreseen. A number of these instruments is at present in the phase of commissioning or science verification, and others are in advanced phase of design; some of them will produce large survey samples. The goal of this Work Package is to adapt the developed methodologies to efficiently exploit these data.

WP4: Training and dissemination

The training of young researchers in IFS is one of the main objectives of this action and will be accomplished through the realisation of PhD thesis and the organisation of Advanced Schools. Outreach activities, directed towards a general audience, will also be carried out, and the numerical implementation of our methodologies will be made available to the scientific community. All these tasks deserve special attention and have been thus detached as a separate Work Package.