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
Koch Andreas
(2007)
Chemical Abundances in the Carina Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
in Astronomische Nachrichten
Mortlock D
(2009)
Discovery of a redshift 6.13 quasar in the UKIRT infrared deep sky survey
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kendall T
(2007)
Two T dwarfs from the UKIDSS early data release
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Barcons X
(2007)
The XMM-Newton serendipitous survey IV. Optical identification of the XMM-Newton medium sensitivity survey (XMS)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Munari U.
(2008)
Diffuse interstellar bands in RAVE survey spectra
in ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Nissen P
(2007)
Sulphur and zinc abundances in Galactic halo stars revisited
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Veltz L.
(2008)
Galactic kinematics with RAVE data -: I.: The distribution of stars towards the Galactic poles
in ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Caccianiga A.
(2008)
The
XMM-
Newton bright serendipitous survey -: Identification and optical spectral properties
in ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Koposov S
(2008)
Automated search for Galactic star clusters in large multiband surveys I. Discovery of 15 new open clusters in the Galactic anticenter region
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Fabbian D
(2009)
The C/O ratio at low metallicity: constraints on early chemical evolution from observations of Galactic halo stars
in Astronomy & Astrophysics