Dusty Star-Forming Galaxies Across Cosmic Time

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The role of dusty star forming galaxies (DSFGs) in the overall picture of galaxy evolution is currently unclear. They are suspect to have roles as the progenitors of the most massive galaxies in galaxy clusters and as the precursors of quasars but we still lack a clear observational picture of these processes within the overall history of galaxy evolution. This PhD project will address several open questions in this broad area including: a comparison of local and high redshift DSFGs using the AKARI FIS all sky survey recalibrated using PACS data to allow comparison to IRAS fluxes; an investigation of candidate DSFG galaxy protoclusters using optical and NIR data to search for non-dusty cluster members. This will use both existing data, such as the SHARKS survey, and new observations obtained for the candidate prototclusters; a study of the nature of extreme starburst galaxies which, if confirmed, would be the most luminous objects known. This will use new data from Subaru, Keck and other ground based optical and mm/sub telescopes; the search for very high redshift DSFGs using SPIRE undetected submm sources using high resolution SMA images to provide optical/NIR counterparts from which photo-z estimates can be made and for which spectroscopic redshifts can be obtained. Once these studies are complete we will have a much improved view of the population of DSFGs, locally and at high redshift, and their role in various aspects of galaxy formation and evolution. These observational results can then be compared with cosmological simulations to see if the models match the universe we live in.