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
Peter A
(2007)
Morphologies of Galaxies in and around a Protocluster at z = 2.300
in The Astrophysical Journal
Zych B
(2007)
The host galaxies of strong Ca II quasar absorption systems at z < 0.5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Oey M
(2007)
The Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies. III. Diffuse, Warm Ionized Medium and Escape of Ionizing Radiation
in The Astrophysical Journal
Koposov S
(2007)
The Discovery of Two Extremely Low Luminosity Milky Way Globular Clusters
in The Astrophysical Journal
Chapman S
(2007)
Strangers in the Night: Discovery of a Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy on Its First Local Group Infall
in The Astrophysical Journal
Pontzen A
(2007)
Direct observational test rules out small Mg ii absorbers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Tacconi L
(2008)
Submillimeter Galaxies at z ~ 2: Evidence for Major Mergers and Constraints on Lifetimes, IMF, and CO-H 2 Conversion Factor
in The Astrophysical Journal
Goncalves Thiago S.
(2008)
Detection of the transverse proximity effect:: Radiative feedback from bright QSOs
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
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
Veltz L.
(2008)
Galactic kinematics with RAVE data -: I.: The distribution of stars towards the Galactic poles
in ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS