An Infrared Perspective on Cosmic Star Formation
Caitlin Casey
Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai'i
Whether many of the Universe's stars are formed in galaxy mergers or
quiescent, secularly evolving disk galaxies is fiercely debated. Whatever
the formation mechanism, about half of all star formation activity is
emitted in the infrared by dusty galaxies. Observing the most luminous
star-forming galaxies -- galaxies which are rare but produce huge numbers
of stars very rapidly -- provides an important method of studying galaxy
evolution and the stellar mass assembly of the early Universe. Infrared
observations are uniquely useful since they probe star formation directly,
as seen from dust-reprocessed emission of ultraviolet light from young
stars.
I will describe some of the latest research surrounding infrared-luminous
starburst galaxies, from low to high redshift, and present some of the
conundrums of the field (from sample selection biases, observational
limitations, to disagreements over galaxies' evolution). With a plethora
of new observational tools just becoming available in the infrared and
sub-millimeter (e.g. Herschel Space Observatory, SCUBA2, and ALMA),
distant galaxies will soon be studied in exquisite detail in both dust and
gas, filling in gaps of information which cannot be answered by detailed
studies of their stellar emission. Our eventual goal is to reach an
understanding of the triggering mechanisms for star formation episodes in
extreme, ultraluminous starburst environments, how they relate to star
formation in more common "Milky Way" type galaxies at high-redshift, and
what the implications are for galaxy evolution today.
Date: | Mercredi, le 13 mars 2013 |
Heure: | 10:30 |
Lieu: | Université de Montréal |
| Pavillon Claire-McNicoll, local Z-337 |
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