Galaxy formation and evolution 2010 - 2015
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
TThis programmatic five-year rolling grant application addresses one of the most important problems in extragalactic astronomy, the formation and evolution of galaxies. The task is one of the key goals in the current STFC Road Map and is a defining objective of virtually every national decadal survey world-wide. A full understanding of galaxy formation and evolution requires multiple lines of attack. Observations of the resolved stellar populations in the Milky Way and its Local Group companions provide a detailed fossil record of the dynamical assemblies of the galaxies, the formation of stars, and the buildup of heavy elements over a wide range of mass scales and initial conditions. At the other end of the scale, observations of distant galaxies spanning lookback times of up to 12 Gyr provide direct measurements of the evolution of galaxy populations and the buildup of stars and metals with cosmic time. Finally, measurements of the large-scale star formation and abundance properties of nearby galaxies form a vital astrophysical bridge between the studies of nearby resolved stellar populations and the distant high-redshift investigations, by allowing us to characterise the evolutionary properties of the Hubble sequence and the complex ``gastrophysical'' processes that regulate the accretion of gas and the formation of stars in galaxies. In this rolling grant application we propose a series of investigations that will advance our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution on all three fronts.
Organisations
Publications
Ertel S
(2012)
A peculiar class of debris disks from Herschel /DUNES A steep fall off in the far infrared
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kordopatis G
(2011)
A spectroscopic survey of thick disc stars outside the solar neighbourhood
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Letarte B
(2010)
A high-resolution VLT/FLAMES study of individual stars in the centre of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Costantini E
(2012)
XMM-Newton observation of 4U 1820-30 Broad band spectrum and the contribution of the cold interstellar medium
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Damiani F
(2014)
Gaia -ESO Survey: Empirical classification of VLT/Giraffe stellar spectra in the wavelength range 6440-6810 Å in the ? Velorum cluster, and calibration of spectral indices
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rémy-Ruyer A
(2014)
Gas-to-dust mass ratios in local galaxies over a 2 dex metallicity range
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ponti G
(2012)
Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509 XI. Reverberation of the Fe K a line
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kordopatis G
(2013)
Through thick and thin: Structure of the Galactic thick disc from extragalactic surveys
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Babusiaux C
(2014)
Metallicity and kinematics of the bar in situ
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Nicuesa Guelbenzu A
(2012)
The late-time afterglow of the extremely energetic short burst GRB 090510 revisited
in Astronomy & Astrophysics