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
Abadie J
(2012)
SEARCH FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVES ASSOCIATED WITH GAMMA-RAY BURSTS DURING LIGO SCIENCE RUN 6 AND VIRGO SCIENCE RUNS 2 AND 3
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
Afonso P
(2011)
GRB 050502B optical afterglow: a jet-break at high redshift
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Agnello A
(2013)
Lensing and dynamics in two simple steps
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Agnello A
(2012)
A VIRIAL CORE IN THE SCULPTOR DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Agnello A
(2014)
Dynamical models of elliptical galaxies - I. Simple methods
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Agnello A
(2012)
Virial sequences for thick discs and haloes: flattening and global anisotropy Thick discs and haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Agnello A
(2014)
Dynamical models of elliptical galaxies - II. M87 and its globular clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ahn C
(2012)
THE NINTH DATA RELEASE OF THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY: FIRST SPECTROSCOPIC DATA FROM THE SDSS-III BARYON OSCILLATION SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Aihara H
(2011)
THE EIGHTH DATA RELEASE OF THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY: FIRST DATA FROM SDSS-III
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series