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
Zwitter T
(2008)
THE RADIAL VELOCITY EXPERIMENT (RAVE): SECOND DATA RELEASE
in The Astronomical Journal
Zwaan M
(2008)
ARE THE KINEMATICS OF DLAs IN AGREEMENT WITH THEIR ARISING IN THE GAS DISKS OF GALAXIES?
in The Astronomical Journal
Alexander D
(2008)
WEIGHING THE BLACK HOLES IN z ˜ 2 SUBMILLIMETER-EMITTING GALAXIES HOSTING ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI
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
Keel W
(2009)
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF Lya BLOBS: A GALEX SEARCH AT z = 0.8
in The Astronomical Journal
Walker M
(2009)
STELLAR VELOCITIES IN THE CARINA, FORNAX, SCULPTOR, AND SEXTANS dSph GALAXIES: DATA FROM THE MAGELLAN/MMFS SURVEY
in The Astronomical 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
Casetti-Dinescu D
(2008)
KINEMATICS OF STARS IN KAPTEYN SELECTED AREA 71: SAMPLING THE MONOCEROS AND SAGITTARIUS TIDAL STREAMS
in The Astronomical Journal
Sen B
(2009)
Streaming motion in Leo I
in The Annals of Applied Statistics
Pettini M.
(2007)
Lyman break galaxies: A ten-year perspective
in NUOVO CIMENTO DELLA SOCIETA ITALIANA DI FISICA B-GENERAL PHYSICS RELATIVITY ASTRONOMY AND MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS AND METHODS