CAREER: Studying Galaxies Across Human and Cosmic History

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Principal Investigator (PI) Bezanson and her team will make a census of the history of star formation and the growth of galaxies like the Milky Way. The team will analyze observations of large samples of galaxies at critical epochs in the history of the Universe. This long baseline study will start with the current epoch when most galaxies are in a stable configuration, move on to a sample at Cosmic Twilight, when most large galaxies finish their rapid growth, and then look to Cosmic Noon, when massive galaxies were rapidly forming stars. The quantitative, statistical measures provided by this study are critical to fine-tuning the next generation of simulations and models of galaxy formation. To broaden participation in science the team will revitalize activities at the historic Allegheny Observatory. The program will include public school visits, teacher training workshops, an artist in residence program, and a science kit lending library. The team will analyze spectra from large samples of galaxies at each epoch to estimate stellar populations and test empirical models to determine the assembly histories in galaxies over cosmic time. The sample for the current epoch (z < 0.15) will come from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache point observatory (MaNGA) survey, the sample for Cosmic Twilight (0.6 < z < 1.0) will come from the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census (LEGA-C) survey using the Very Large Telescope, and the sample at Cosmic Noon (z approx 1.5) will come from the Prime Focus Spectrograph survey using the Subaru Telescope. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.