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
Boeche C
(2013)
Chemical gradients in the Milky Way from the RAVE data I. Dwarf stars
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Boeche C
(2011)
THE RAVE CATALOG OF STELLAR ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES: FIRST DATA RELEASE
in The Astronomical Journal
Boeche C
(2013)
The relation between chemical abundances and kinematics of the Galactic disc with RAVE
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Boeche C
(2014)
Chemical gradients in the Milky Way from the RAVE data II. Giant stars
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Bolton J
(2013)
On the rapid demise of Ly a emitters at redshift z ? 7 due to the increasing incidence of optically thick absorption systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bolton J
(2011)
How neutral is the intergalactic medium surrounding the redshift z = 7.085 quasar ULAS J1120+0641?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Bolton J
(2012)
Improved measurements of the intergalactic medium temperature around quasars: possible evidence for the initial stages of He ii reionization at z ? 6 IGM temperature measurements around z ? 6 quasars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bolton J
(2010)
A first direct measurement of the intergalactic medium temperature around a quasar at z= 6 The IGM temperature around a quasar at z=6
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bonsor A
(2012)
The scattering of small bodies in planetary systems: constraints on the possible orbits of cometary material Scattering in planetary systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bonsor A
(2011)
Dynamical effects of stellar mass-loss on a Kuiper-like belt Dynamical effects of stellar mass-loss
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society