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
McConnachie A
(2008)
A Trio of New Local Group Galaxies with Extreme Properties
in The Astrophysical Journal
Fellhauer M
(2008)
The Cambridge N-Body Lectures
Koch A
(2008)
Kinematic and Chemical Constraints on the Formation of M31's Inner and Outer Halo
in The Astrophysical Journal
Zwaan M
(2008)
ARE THE KINEMATICS OF DLAs IN AGREEMENT WITH THEIR ARISING IN THE GAS DISKS OF GALAXIES?
in The Astronomical Journal
Richardson J
(2008)
THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF SUBSTRUCTURE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF M31. I. SURVEYING THE STELLAR CONTENT WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE ADVANCED CAMERA FOR SURVEYS
in The Astronomical Journal
Nestor D
(2008)
The quasar-frame velocity distribution of narrow C iv absorbers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dutta P
(2008)
H i power spectrum of the spiral galaxy NGC 628
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Ryan-Weber E
(2008)
The Local Group dwarf Leo T: H i on the brink of star formation H i in Leo T
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bell Eric F.
(2008)
The accretion origin of the Milky Way's stellar halo
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Amanullah R.
(2008)
Light curves of five type Ia supernovae at intermediate redshift
in ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Shin E
(2008)
Lensing by binary galaxies modelled as isothermal spheres
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Werk J. K.
(2008)
Isolated OB associations in stripped HI gas clouds
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Maschietto F
(2008)
[O iii] emitters in the field of the MRC 0316-257 protocluster
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nestor D
(2008)
Measurements of Ca ii absorption, metals and dust in a sample of z ? 1 DLAs and subDLAs ?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kniazev A
(2008)
Spectroscopy of two PN candidates in IC 10 ?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ménard B
(2008)
Lensing, reddening and extinction effects of Mg ii absorbers from z = 0.4 to 2
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zwitter T
(2008)
THE RADIAL VELOCITY EXPERIMENT (RAVE): SECOND DATA RELEASE
in The Astronomical 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
Munari U.
(2008)
Diffuse interstellar bands in RAVE survey spectra
in ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Siebert A
(2008)
Estimation of the tilt of the stellar velocity ellipsoid from RAVE and implications for mass models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Koch Andreas
(2008)
THE HIGHLY UNUSUAL CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE HERCULES DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXY
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Becker A
(2008)
Two-Micron All-Sky Survey J01542930+0053266: a new eclipsing M dwarf binary system
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society