The Four-star Galaxy Evolution Survey: Opening a New Window into Galaxy Formation

Texas A&M Research Foundation, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

The Four-Star Galaxy Evolution (FourGE) Survey will identify, catalog, and measure the cosmological redshifts of approximately 10,000 galaxies, using the new Four-Star wide-field near-infrared imaging camera on the 6.5-meter Magellan telescope. The Principal Investigator, co-Principal Investigator, and the postdoctoral researcher and graduate student supported by this award will, over the course of 30 observing nights on Magellan, obtain deep imaging of six different sky fields using five custom-built medium-band filters. These filters have been designed to accurately constrain redshifts (z) of galaxies in the range 1.5 < z < 3.5. The depth of the imaging will detect galaxies as small as those likely to be the precursors of present-day galaxies the size of the Milky Way. The redshift precision will be sufficient to trace the underlying large-scale structure marked by galaxies and substantially reduce the uncertainties in star formation rates and the total mass contributed by stars. By targeting this range of redshifts, the survey focuses on the phase of cosmological history when star formation and the growth of galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN) were at their peak. By coupling the survey data with archival X-ray data, the team plans to measure the growth of the stellar masses of galaxies in different environments; to constrain the role of AGN in halting star formation; and constrain theories of galaxy formation through comparison with large-scale simulations. In addition to professional training and mentoring of the postdoctoral fellow and graduate student, the project will support a range of broader impacts including release of the survey data to the community through the Virtual Astronomical Observatory, involvement of undergraduate students from under-represented groups, and the use of survey data in undergraduate classes and public presentations, as well as contributing to the early-career development of two women researchers.