Sub-mm Galaxies: Gas and Star Formation at z~2

We are leading a survey campaign to study the sub-mm galaxy population of dusty starburst galaxies seen in the high-redshift Universe. These surveys combine tracers across a broad swathe of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the radio, sub-millimetre and far-infrared, through the mid- and near-infrared, into the optical, ultra-violet and out to X-rays. This multi-wavelength approach allows us to investigate the growth of this population through both their star formation, the growth in their stellar mass and the attendant decline in their gas content, as well as the accretion which occurs onto black holes within these systems. Our goal is to derive an empirical description of the evolution of the population of luminous, dusty starbursts and so to test their part in the formation of the massive, passive elliptical galaxies at the present-day, as well as links to the luminous Quasar population, whose activity also peaked at z=1-3.
This is observationally-driven PhD project will be use a range of observational facilities to study the sub-mm galaxy population in detail to measure the physical processes occuring within these galaxies. The PhD will provide training in single sighle sub-mm observations with JCMT, interferometric data reduction and analysis, based on data from the JVLA and e-MERLIN radio interferometers and the Plateau de Bure and ALMA millimetre interferometers, as well as the exploitation of integral field spectroscopy (from KMOS and SINFONI on VLT) and wide-field imaging and spectroscopy. We will also relate the observational results to theoretical models being developed at Durham.