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
Laskar T
(2010)
Inverse-Compton X-rays from giant radio galaxies at z ~ 1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Phillips N
(2010)
Target selection for the SUNS and DEBRIS surveys for debris discs in the solar neighbourhood
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Salvatore M
(2010)
Definitive evidence of Hesperian basalt in Acidalia and Chryse planitiae
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Lamarre J
(2010)
Planck pre-launch status: The HFI instrument, from specification to actual performance
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Niederste-Ostholt M
(2010)
RE-ASSEMBLING THE SAGITTARIUS DWARF GALAXY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ruchti G
(2010)
ORIGINS OF THE THICK DISK AS TRACED BY THE ALPHA ELEMENTS OF METAL-POOR GIANT STARS SELECTED FROM RAVE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Christensen L
(2010)
X-shooter observations of the gravitational lens system CASSOWARY 5? X-shooter observations of CSWA 5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Edge A
(2010)
Herschel photometry of brightest cluster galaxies in cooling flow clusters
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Hewett P
(2010)
Improved redshifts for SDSS quasar spectra Improved SDSS redshifts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society