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
Swinbank A
(2008)
The properties of submm galaxies in hierarchical models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dutta P
(2008)
H i power spectrum of the spiral galaxy NGC 628
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Dye S
(2008)
Models of the Cosmic Horseshoe gravitational lens J10044112
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Begum A
(2008)
Baryonic Tullyâ??Fisher relation for extremely low mass Galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Siebert A
(2008)
Estimation of the tilt of the stellar velocity ellipsoid from RAVE and implications for mass models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mateo M
(2008)
The Velocity Dispersion Profile of the Remote Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Leo I: A Tidal Hit and Run?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Koch A
(2008)
Kinematic and Chemical Constraints on the Formation of M31's Inner and Outer Halo
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dye S
(2008)
The SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES) - VII. Optical/IR photometry and stellar masses of submillimetre galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Verrier P
(2008)
HD 98800: a most unusual debris disc
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Richardson J
(2008)
THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF SUBSTRUCTURE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF M31. I. SURVEYING THE STELLAR CONTENT WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE ADVANCED CAMERA FOR SURVEYS
in The Astronomical Journal