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
Andrews J
(2014)
BIG FISH IN SMALL PONDS: MASSIVE STARS IN THE LOW-MASS CLUSTERS OF M83
in The Astrophysical Journal
Weisz D
(2012)
THE STAR FORMATION HISTORY OF LEO T FROM HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE IMAGING
in The Astrophysical Journal
Chandar R
(2011)
NEW CONSTRAINTS ON MASS-DEPENDENT DISRUPTION OF STAR CLUSTERS IN M51
in The Astrophysical Journal
Smail I
(2014)
THE SCUBA-2 COSMOLOGY LEGACY SURVEY: ULTRALUMINOUS STAR-FORMING GALAXIES IN A z = 1.6 CLUSTER
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bouwens R
(2013)
PHOTOMETRIC CONSTRAINTS ON THE REDSHIFT OF z ~ 10 CANDIDATE UDFj-39546284 FROM DEEPER WFC3/IR+ACS+IRAC OBSERVATIONS OVER THE HUDF
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ruchti G
(2011)
OBSERVATIONAL PROPERTIES OF THE METAL-POOR THICK DISK OF THE MILKY WAY AND INSIGHTS INTO ITS ORIGINS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reis R
(2012)
SUZAKU OBSERVATION OF THE BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE MAXI J1836-194 IN A HARD/INTERMEDIATE SPECTRAL STATE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Skibba R
(2012)
THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF DUST AND STELLAR EMISSION OF THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Frebel A
(2013)
THE 300 km s -1 STELLAR STREAM NEAR SEGUE 1: INSIGHTS FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF ITS BRIGHTEST STAR
in The Astrophysical Journal
Johnson B
(2013)
MEASURING GALAXY STAR FORMATION RATES FROM INTEGRATED PHOTOMETRY: INSIGHTS FROM COLOR-MAGNITUDE DIAGRAMS OF RESOLVED STARS
in The Astrophysical Journal