Professor Almudena Alonso Herrero

Research Interests:

  • Active Galaxies (Seyferts, quasars, LLAGN)
  • Star Forming Galaxies both in the local and distant Universe.
  • Stellar populations in galaxies.
  • Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies.
  • The dusty molecular torus of the AGN Unified Model.
  • Infrared and (sub)millimeter observations.

Member of the IAU, EAS, SEA and RAS.

Corresponding member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences.

NEWS!

JWST Cycle 4 proposal: Deciphering the torus and extended dust properties of local active galactic nuclei

Science groups of Infrared Instruments:

Messier 74 or the Phantom Galaxy observed with the MIRI instrument on board the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team.

Recent Selected Publications

  • NEW!!!: The Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS): XII. Unveiling physical processes in local active galaxies. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of JWST MIRI/MRS observations, L. Hermosa Muñoz, J. R. González Fernández, A. Alonso Herrero et al. 2026, A&A, 708, A297
  • MICONIC: JWST/MIRI MRS reveals a fast ionized gas outflow in the central region of Centaurus A, A. Alonso Herrero, L. Hermosa Muñoz et al. 2025, A&A, 699, 334
  • MICONIC: Dual active galactic nuclei, star formation, and ionised gas outflows in NGC 6240 seen with MIRI/JWST, L. Hermosa Muñoz, A. Alonso Herrero et al. 2025, A&A, 693, A321
  • MICONIC: JWST/MIRI MRS observations of the nuclear and circumnuclear regions of Mrk 231, A. Alonso Herrero, L. Hermosa Muñoz et al. 2024, A&A, 690, A95
  • A biconical ionised gas outflow and evidence of positive feedback in NGC 7172 uncovered by MIRI/JWST, L. Hermosa Muñoz, A. Alonso Herrero et al. 2024, A&A, 690, A350
  • A mature quasar at cosmic dawn revealed by JWST rest-frame infrared spectroscopy, S. Bosman, J. Álvarez Márquez, L. Colina, F. Walter, A. Alonso-Herrero et al. 2024, Nature Astronomy, 8, 1054
  • Deconvolution of JWST/MIRI Images: Applications to an Active Galactic Nucleus Model and GATOS Observations of NGC 5728, M. Leist et al. 2024, ApJ, 167, 96
  • GATOS: III. Revealing the inner ice structure in local active galactic nuclei. I. García-Bernete, A. Alonso-Herrero et al. 2024, A&A, 681, L7
  • AGN feedback in action in the molecular gas ring of NGC7172. A. Alonso-Herrero, S. García-Burillo et al. 2023, A&A, 675, A88
  • GATOS: II. Torus and polar dust emission in Seyfert galaxies. A. Alonso-Herrero, S. García-Burillo et al. 2021, A&A, 652, A99
  • GATOS: I. ALMA images of dusty molecular tori in Seyfert galaxies. S. García-Burillo, A. Alonso-Herrero et al. 2021, A&A, 652, A98

Check ORCID for my complete list of publications.

Credit: ESO/A. Alonso-Herrero et al.; ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

Current surveys:

  • GATOS (Galaxy Activity, Torus and Outflow Survey): An optical/infrared/(sub)millimeter survey of a complete X-ray selected sample of nearby Seyfert galaxies.
  • MICONIC and MIDIS of the MIRI European Consortium.
  • SHARDS: A medium-band optical survey of galaxies and AGN at intermediate redshifts using OSIRIS on the GTC 

Past surveys:

  • ARCHES: A European FP7 project to provide a multi-wavelength view of X-ray sources from the 3XMM catalog 
  • Los Piratas: A mid-infrared survey of AGNs using CanariCam on the GTC. Observations include 100 hours of guaranteed time (Coordinator C. Packham) and 180 hours of an ESO/GTC large program (PI A. Alonso Herrero). The paper with the published spectroscopic catalog -the largest AGN mid-IR spectroscopic survey conducted on a 10m telescope: Alonso-Herrero et al. 2016, MNRAS, 455, 563.

BOOKS (in Spanish)

“Descubriendo Galaxias”, 2022, Next Door Publishers.

“El Telescopio Espacial James Webb”, 2023, Libros La Catarata.

Favorite Clumpy Torus and Disk+Wind Models:

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: We offer a short term contract starting in the summer/fall of 2026 to analyze JWST observations of a nearby active galaxy, including imaging and IFU observations, as part of the SpectralML project in collaboration with the European University Cyprus. Experience with the analysis of JWST spatially resolved observations, including aperture photometry is required. If interested, contact me at aalonso at cab.inta-csic.es before May 1, 2026 for further details.

NEW EXHIBITION: AstronomAs

EXHIBITION:Las Mujeres sostienen la mitad del cielo

Last updated: April 2026