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
Wyatt M
(2010)
Collisional evolution of eccentric planetesimal swarms Collisional evolution of eccentric debris
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McConnachie A
(2010)
THE PHOTOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF A VAST STELLAR SUBSTRUCTURE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF M33
in The Astrophysical Journal
Punturo M
(2010)
The third generation of gravitational wave observatories and their science reach
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Wyrzykowski L
(2010)
The OGLE view of microlensing towards the Magellanic Clouds - II. OGLE-II Small Magellanic Cloud data? OGLE-II microlensing towards the SMC
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Matthews B
(2010)
Resolving debris discs in the far-infrared: Early highlights from the DEBRIS survey
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Clarke C
(2010)
The physics and modes of star cluster formation: simulations.
in Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
McKean J
(2010)
The mass distribution of a moderate redshift galaxy group and brightest group galaxy from gravitational lensing and kinematics Gravitational lensing by a galaxy group
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sanders J
(2010)
Deep high-resolution X-ray spectra from cool-core clusters Deep X-ray spectra from cool-core clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wickramasinghe D
(2010)
Does GD 356 have a terrestrial planetary companion?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lagattuta D
(2010)
ADAPTIVE OPTICS OBSERVATIONS OF B0128+437: A LOW-MASS, HIGH-REDSHIFT GRAVITATIONAL LENS
in The Astrophysical Journal