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
Casey C
(2009)
Constraining star formation and AGN in z ~ 2 massive galaxies using high-resolution MERLIN radio observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Koposov S
(2010)
CONSTRAINING THE MILKY WAY POTENTIAL WITH A SIX-DIMENSIONAL PHASE-SPACE MAP OF THE GD-1 STELLAR STREAM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Evans N
(2009)
Cores and cusps in the dwarf spheroidals
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Pontzen A
(2008)
Damped Lyman a systems in galaxy formation simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mackey A
(2010)
Deep Gemini/GMOS imaging of an extremely isolated globular cluster in the Local Group
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Goncalves Thiago S.
(2008)
Detection of the transverse proximity effect:: Radiative feedback from bright QSOs
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Pettini M
(2008)
Deuterium abundance in the most metal-poor damped Lyman alpha system: converging on O b,0 h 2
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Munari U.
(2008)
Diffuse interstellar bands in RAVE survey spectra
in ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Jorgenson R
(2009)
DIRECT EVIDENCE OF COLD GAS IN DLA 0812+32B
in The Astrophysical Journal