Exploration of the High Redshift Universe With Lyman-Alpha Emitting Galaxies

AST-0071208 Hu，Esther M.探测具有Lyman-Alpha发射星系的高红移宇宙本项目的目标是利用高红移天体的发射线特性，在最高可达红移处研究星星形成、结构形成和可能的宇宙演化历史。该方法是使用斯巴鲁望远镜上的Suprime-Cam，以4 z7范围内的红移莱曼α发射为中心的窄带干涉滤光片和多色深度成像来搜索该范围内的高红移星系。用这种方法确定的候选星系，将用凯克望远镜的狭缝光谱仪、凯克望远镜上的双子望远镜的DEIMOS摄谱仪、近红外摄谱仪NIRSPEC和IRCS进行跟踪。最早的星系的性质--它们的性质和演化--是一个令人十分感兴趣的课题，新一代的大型望远镜已将它置于我们的研究范围之内。 目前的计划旨在利用新的8米和10米级望远镜的能力探索最早期（z=4-7）星系的形成和这些非常高红移星系的性质。 通过深度窄带成像搜索进行的广泛的微弱发射线、微弱星系调查将与多种颜色的极深成像相结合，以确定处于活跃星星形成早期阶段的遥远星系。 这项技术已经在凯克望远镜上成功地率先用于识别一些目前已知的最遥远的星系。该项目将这些技术应用于Keck、Gemini和Subaru望远镜，其中非常宽视场的相机，如Subaru 8.3米望远镜上的0.5度X 0.5度宽的SuprimeCam，以及新的广域光谱仪将在未来两年上线。 国际合作利用这些互补设施将提供这些最遥远星系的大量样本，以探索宇宙的全球星星形成历史，以及星系在非常早期的数量和性质的演变。 这些星系也将成为国际计划的未来太空任务的目标，以调查早期宇宙。该项目的资金由NSF河外天文宇宙学计划（AST/EXC）提供。

AST-0071208Hu, Esther M.Exploration of the High Redshift Universe with Lyman-Alpha Emitting GalaxiesThe goals of this project are to study the history of star formation, structure formation, and possible evolution of the universe at the highest accessible redshifts using the emission-line properties of high-redshift objects. The approach is to use the Suprime-Cam on the Subaru telescope with narrow-band interference filters centered on redshifted Lyman-alpha emission in the range 4z7 and multi-color deep imaging to search for high redshift galaxies in that range. Candidates identified in this way will then be followed up with slit spectroscopy using the Keck, and Gemini telescopes with the DEIMOS spectrograph on the Keck telescope, and the near-infrared spectrographs NIRSPEC and IRCS.The nature of the earliest galaxies -- their properties and evolution -- is a topic of intense interest which has been placed within our reach by the new generation of large telescopes. The present program is intended to explore the very earliest (z=4-7) galaxy formation and the properties of these very high redshift galaxies using the capabilities of the new 8- and 10-m class telescopes. An extensive faint emission-line, faint galaxy survey conducted with deep narrowband imaging searches will be combined with extremely deep imaging in multiple colors to identify distant galaxies in early stages of active star formation. This technique has already been successfully pioneered on the Keck telescope to identify some of the most distant galaxies currently known. This project applies these techniques on the Keck, Gemini, and Subaru telescopes, where very wide field cameras, such as the 0.5 degree X 0.5 degree wide SuprimeCam on the Subaru 8.3-m telescope, and new wide-area spectrographs will be coming on line over the next two years. International cooperation in using these complementary facilities will provide large samples of these most distant galaxies, to explore the global star formation history of the Universe, andthe evolution in the numbers and properties of galaxies at very early times. Such galaxies will also be targets for internationally planned future space missions to investigate the early Universe.Funding for this project is provided by the NSF program for Extragalactic Astronomy & Cosmology (AST/EXC).***