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
Werner M
(2008)
On multiple Einstein rings
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Werk J. K.
(2008)
Isolated OB associations in stripped HI gas clouds
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Weiß A
(2009)
THE LARGE APEX BOLOMETER CAMERA SURVEY OF THE EXTENDED CHANDRA DEEP FIELD SOUTH
in The Astrophysical Journal
Watson M. G.
(2009)
The XMM-Newton serendipitous survey V. The Second XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue
in ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Watkins L
(2009)
Substructure revealed by RR Lyraes in SDSS Stripe 82
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Warren S
(2007)
A very cool brown dwarf in UKIDSS DR1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Walker M
(2008)
Systemic Proper Motions of Milky Way Satellites from Stellar Redshifts: The Carina, Fornax, Sculptor, and Sextans Dwarf Spheroidals
in The Astrophysical Journal
Walker M
(2009)
CLEAN KINEMATIC SAMPLES IN DWARF SPHEROIDALS: AN ALGORITHM FOR EVALUATING MEMBERSHIP AND ESTIMATING DISTRIBUTION PARAMETERS WHEN CONTAMINATION IS PRESENT
in The Astronomical Journal
Walker M
(2009)
STELLAR VELOCITIES IN THE CARINA, FORNAX, SCULPTOR, AND SEXTANS dSph GALAXIES: DATA FROM THE MAGELLAN/MMFS SURVEY
in The Astronomical Journal
Walker M
(2009)
A UNIVERSAL MASS PROFILE FOR DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXIES?
in The Astrophysical Journal