The Physical Conditions of the ISM in High-Redshift Galaxies

高红移星系中星际介质(ISM)的物理条件似乎与现在的星系非常不同。我们的SPP项目为开始量化这种差异做出了很大贡献。这一延续计划寻求支持，利用令人兴奋的未来观测前景来研究宇宙时期气体含量最丰富的星系中致密的ISM，今天宇宙中发现的大多数恒星和重元素都是由ISM形成的。通过无线电到红外光谱和成像，我们将研究整个宇宙时间中ISM的结构、演化和物理，并跟踪它与塑造星系和管理恒星形成的过程的关系。具体地说，我们将推动高密度分子气体示踪剂，如H2O和OH，以及原子精细结构线发射，作为量化高z ISM物理的非常强大的诊断工具。我们将继续通过分子深部领域领导对高z ISM的公正描述，这是我们在第一个资助期带头的。波恩和海德堡各有一名经验丰富的博士后，需要继续资助，事实证明，这对我们在第一个资助期取得成功起到了重要作用。我们的计划解决了ISM-SPP的核心目标，并使过去十年中导致50多份联合出版物的成功合作得以集中延续。

The physical conditions of the interstellar medium (ISM) in high-redshift galaxies appear to be very different from that found in present-day galaxies. Our SPP project has contributed much to begin quantify this difference. This continuation proposal seeks support to utilize the exciting future observational prospects to study the dense ISM in galaxies at the cosmic epoch with the richest gas content, an ISM from which most stars and heavy elements found in today's universe were formed. Through radio to FIR spectroscopy and imaging we will investigate the structure, evolution, and physics of the ISM throughout cosmic time, and follow how it relates to the processes that shape galaxies and govern the formation of stars. Specifically we will push high-density molecular gas tracers such as H2O and OH, and atomic fine structure line emission as a very powerful diagnostic to quantify the physics of the high-z ISM. We will continue to lead the unbiased characterization of the high-z ISM through molecular deep fields, which we have spearheaded in the first funding period. Continued funding is requested for an experienced postdoc each at Bonn and Heidelberg, which has proven to be instrumental for our success in the first funding period. Our program addresses central goals of the ISM-SPP and allows the focused continuation of a successful collaboration that led to more than 50 joint publications in the past decade.