Witnessing the formation of the first galaxies is one of the key goals of extragalactic astrophysics. Astronomers wish to understand when galaxies first emerge, what physical processes regulate their early evolution, and to what extent their star formation drives the subsequent evolution of the universe. The research enabled by this NSF award will fundamentally resolve long-standing questions about the makeup of the universe in its first billion years, and it will form the bedrock of future studies with ground- and space-based telescopes.
This program has three components. The PI and his team will (1) perform a survey of large sample of low mass star-forming galaxies at 2 < z < 4 using optical spectrographs on the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), Magellan, Keck, and Very Large Telescope (VLT) observatories. They will also (2) compare emission line properties of low mass galaxies to those predicted from large grid of photoionization models. Finally, the team will (3) perform a transformative study to search for [CIII] and other rest-UV emission lines in z > 6 galaxies using near-infrared spectrographs on the Keck, VLT, and LBT observatories.
The PI will also work with the Mount Lemmon Sky Center to build a 5-week curriculum on extragalactic astronomy for the newly-developed University of Arizona Sky Ambassador program. The program will link regional high school teachers to the many resources available at the University of Arizona, and will teach students the basics of stellar evolution and cosmology, while bringing to life commonly taught concepts in physics and chemistry classes.
