Quantifying the Laws of Star Formation on Galactic Scales

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AST-0307482ZaritskyThis research takes advantage of progress on both theoretical and observational fronts to investigate the physics behind the properties of Local Group (LG) galaxies, by comparing simulated star formation histories to their observed counterparts. Large-scale, high-resolution, N-body simulations will be complemented by smaller, detailed gas-dynamical simulations, which can follow the progress of LG-like structures identified in the first step. The results will be compared to the observed kinematic and photometric properties of LG galaxies. This work should address the star formation and chemical enrichment histories of LG galaxies, the origins of different stellar populations, the properties, spatial and orbital distribution, of satellite galaxies in the LG, and the origin and nature of the current LG mass function.The project will make public both the algorithms used and movies of the simulations (which are educationally quite effective). The research will also contribute to more than one doctoral thesis.