I will discuss recent efforts in using simulation-based inference to extract unobservable properties of galaxies, and groups and clusters of galaxies, starting from the output of cosmological magneto-hydrodynamical simulations.
In particular, I will show results that use the outcome of the IllustrisTNG simulations and of its newest spin-off project that we have developed in Heidelberg: TNG-Cluster.
Is it possible to infer the past merger and assembly history of galaxies based on their photometric images? Or can we learn anything about the supermassive black holes at the center of massive galaxy clusters from the maps of their core regions from X-ray spectroscopy?
I will give examples of these opportunities, discuss limitations and look ahead.
