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
Batista V
(2009)
Mass measurement of a single unseen star and planetary detection efficiency for OGLE 2007-BLG-050
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ibata R
(2009)
DENSITY AND KINEMATIC CUSPS IN M54 AT THE HEART OF THE SAGITTARIUS DWARF GALAXY: EVIDENCE FOR A 10 4 M ? BLACK HOLE?
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
Donato F
(2009)
A constant dark matter halo surface density in galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Walker M
(2009)
STELLAR VELOCITIES IN THE CARINA, FORNAX, SCULPTOR, AND SEXTANS dSph GALAXIES: DATA FROM THE MAGELLAN/MMFS SURVEY
in The Astronomical Journal
PeƱarrubia J
(2009)
THE SIGNATURE OF GALACTIC TIDES IN LOCAL GROUP DWARF SPHEROIDALS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gibson D
(2009)
MOLECULAR LINE OBSERVATIONS OF INFRARED DARK CLOUDS. II. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Belokurov V
(2009)
The discovery of Segue 2: a prototype of the population of satellites of satellites
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Perley D
(2009)
THE HOST GALAXIES OF SWIFT DARK GAMMA-RAY BURSTS: OBSERVATIONAL CONSTRAINTS ON HIGHLY OBSCURED AND VERY HIGH REDSHIFT GRBs
in The Astronomical Journal
Geach J
(2009)
THE CHANDRA DEEP PROTOCLUSTER SURVEY: Lya BLOBS ARE POWERED BY HEATING, NOT COOLING
in The Astrophysical Journal