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
Kordopatis G
(2013)
Through thick and thin: Structure of the Galactic thick disc from extragalactic surveys
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Boeche C
(2013)
The relation between chemical abundances and kinematics of the Galactic disc with RAVE
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Nicuesa Guelbenzu A
(2012)
Multi-color observations of short GRB afterglows: 20 events observed between 2007 and 2010
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ciesla L
(2012)
Submillimetre photometry of 323 nearby galaxies from the Herschel Reference Survey
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Boone F
(2013)
An extended Herschel drop-out source in the center of AS1063: a normal dusty galaxy at z = 6.1 or SZ substructures?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kordopatis G
(2011)
Automatic stellar spectra parameterisation in the IR Ca ii triplet region
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Damiani F
(2014)
Gaia -ESO Survey: Empirical classification of VLT/Giraffe stellar spectra in the wavelength range 6440-6810 Å in the ? Velorum cluster, and calibration of spectral indices
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cormier D
(2012)
The nature of the interstellar medium of the starburst low-metallicity galaxy Haro 11: a multi-phase model of the infrared emission
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Antoja T
(2014)
Constraints on the Galactic bar from the Hercules stream as traced with RAVE across the Galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rossi A
(2012)
A deep search for the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts with no detected optical afterglow
in Astronomy & Astrophysics