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
Kalirai J
(2009)
THE SPLASH SURVEY: A SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF THE METAL-POOR, LOW-LUMINOSITY M31 dSph SATELLITE ANDROMEDA X,
in The Astrophysical Journal
Walker M
(2009)
A UNIVERSAL MASS PROFILE FOR DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXIES?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Koposov S
(2009)
A QUANTITATIVE EXPLANATION OF THE OBSERVED POPULATION OF MILKY WAY SATELLITE GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Hainline L
(2009)
A MID-INFRARED IMAGING SURVEY OF SUBMILLIMETER-SELECTED GALAXIES WITH THE SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Belokurov V
(2010)
BIG FISH, LITTLE FISH: TWO NEW ULTRA-FAINT SATELLITES OF THE MILKY WAY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Mateo M
(2008)
The Velocity Dispersion Profile of the Remote Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Leo I: A Tidal Hit and Run?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Chapman S
(2008)
Interferometric CO Observations of Submillimeter-faint, Radio-selected Starburst Galaxies at z ~ 2
in The Astrophysical Journal
Walker M
(2009)
LEO V: SPECTROSCOPY OF A DISTANT AND DISTURBED SATELLITE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Menéndez-Delmestre K
(2009)
MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES: EXTENDED STAR FORMATION IN MASSIVE HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Koch A
(2009)
A SPECTROSCOPIC CONFIRMATION OF THE BOOTES II DWARF SPHEROIDAL
in The Astrophysical Journal