Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Over the last few years advances in observational technology and technique have made it possible to reach back in time and observe directly galaxies at high redshift, z>1 - i.e., at a time when galaxies were young. However, primarily for reasons of observational economy, most of the detailed studies of distant galaxies have focused on relatively luminous objects. We currently know very little about faint galaxies that in fact form the bulk of the population by sheer number and that indeed are responsible for forming most of the majority of stars and heavy chemical elements in the distant universe. This program will address this deficiency in our knowledge. Over the next several years I will lead a program that will aim to understand the nature of distant star-forming galaxies by comparing faint and luminous high-redshift objects against each other. We will use existing as well as new data (to be acquired with space and ground-based telescopes) to measure the masses, ages, and other properties of very faint galaxies in the early, distant universe. Then, by comparing faint against luminous galaxies located at the same epoch, we will be able to understand what makes them different from each other. Understanding these differences will give us important new insights into how galaxies in the distant universe form and evolve.