Galaxy formation and evolution
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
This programmatic five-year rolling grant application addresses one of the most important problems in extragalactic astronomy, the formation and evolution of galaxies, one of the ``big questions'' in the current PPARC Road Map, and is a defining objective of virtually every national decadal survey of astronomy. 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
Dobke B
(2007)
Steepened inner density profiles of group galaxies via interactions: an N-body analysis
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Peter A
(2007)
Morphologies of Galaxies in and around a Protocluster at z = 2.300
in The Astrophysical Journal
Koposov S
(2007)
The Discovery of Two Extremely Low Luminosity Milky Way Globular Clusters
in The Astrophysical Journal
Verrier P
(2007)
Planetary stability zones in hierarchical triple star systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kendall T
(2007)
Two T dwarfs from the UKIDSS early data release
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Seabroke G
(2007)
Revisiting the relations: Galactic thin disc age-velocity dispersion relation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pettini M.
(2007)
Lyman break galaxies: A ten-year perspective
in NUOVO CIMENTO DELLA SOCIETA ITALIANA DI FISICA B-GENERAL PHYSICS RELATIVITY ASTRONOMY AND MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS AND METHODS
Adelman-McCarthy J
(2007)
The Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Zucker D
(2007)
Andromeda X, a New Dwarf Spheroidal Satellite of M31: Photometry
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ibata R
(2007)
The Haunted Halos of Andromeda and Triangulum: A Panorama of Galaxy Formation in Action
in The Astrophysical Journal