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
Cao C
(2008)
Mid-Infrared spectroscopic properties of ultra-luminous infrared quasars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Menéndez-Delmestre K
(2009)
MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES: EXTENDED STAR FORMATION IN MASSIVE HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Fellhauer M
(2008)
Modelling the dynamical evolution of the Bootes dwarf spheroidal galaxy
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dye S
(2008)
Models of the Cosmic Horseshoe gravitational lens J10044112
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gibson D
(2009)
MOLECULAR LINE OBSERVATIONS OF INFRARED DARK CLOUDS. II. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Peter A
(2007)
Morphologies of Galaxies in and around a Protocluster at z = 2.300
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reddy Naveen A.
(2008)
Multiwavelength constraints on the cosmic star formation history from spectroscopy:: The rest-frame ultraviolet, H
a, and infrared luminosity functions at redshifts 1.9 ? z ? 3.4
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES
Brinchmann J
(2008)
New insights into the stellar content and physical conditions of star-forming galaxies at z = 2-3 from spectral modelling
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vidrih S
(2007)
New ultracool and halo white dwarf candidates in SDSS Stripe 82
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Jong J
(2008)
NUMERICAL COLOR-MAGNITUDE DIAGRAM ANALYSIS OF SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY DATA AND APPLICATION TO THE NEW MILKY WAY SATELLITES
in The Astronomical Journal