Galaxy formation and evolution 2010 - 2015
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
TThis programmatic five-year rolling grant application addresses one of the most important problems in extragalactic astronomy, the formation and evolution of galaxies. The task is one of the key goals in the current STFC Road Map and is a defining objective of virtually every national decadal survey world-wide. 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
Van Leeuwen F
(2009)
Hipparcos, the New Reduction
in Space Science Reviews
Corradi R
(2009)
IPHAS and the symbiotic stars II. New discoveries and a sample of the most common mimics
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Zoghbi A
(2010)
X-ray reprocessing and reverberation in the AGN 1H0707-495
Beirão P
(2010)
Far-infrared line imaging of the starburst ring in NGC 1097 with the Herschel /PACS spectrometer
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Cossins P
(2010)
The effects of opacity on gravitational stability in protoplanetary discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gair J
(2010)
Nested sampling as a tool for LISA data analysis
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Li Y
(2010)
SPITZER 70 µm EMISSION AS A STAR FORMATION RATE INDICATOR FOR SUB-GALACTIC REGIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Suyu S
(2010)
DISSECTING THE GRAVITATIONAL LENS B1608+656. II. PRECISION MEASUREMENTS OF THE HUBBLE CONSTANT, SPATIAL CURVATURE, AND THE DARK ENERGY EQUATION OF STATE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Abadie J
(2010)
All-sky search for gravitational-wave bursts in the first joint LIGO-GEO-Virgo run
in Physical Review D
Tauber J
(2010)
Planck pre-launch status: The Planck mission
in Astronomy and Astrophysics