Dynamics in the small and large: linking galaxy formation to the next generation of galaxy surveys

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Galaxies of different types and age exhibit different clustering statistics. Thus, an understanding of galaxy formation and evolution is a prerequisite to understanding the large-scale distribution of galaxies. Successful analysis of the next generation of galaxy surveys will be partially determined by how far we advance our knowledge of galaxy formation in the immediate future. Moving the boundaries of our knowledge forward requires that we use state-of-the-art numerical simulation techniques to create virtual universes that contain simulated galaxies within them. By changing the underlying physics models we can study the collective effect of the billions of stars that make up a single galaxy. The birth, evolution and death of stars, along with an unseen dark matter component, all combine to determine the parameters of galaxies, such as rotation speed and luminosity. The research outlined in this proposal will systematically improve our knowledge of the role of star formation in galaxy evolution while at the same time examining issues in large-scale structure. Most importantly, the first simulation of an entire galaxy with sufficient resolution to pick out individual massive stars will be undertaken. The information drawn from this landmark simulation will allow us to test not only theories of galaxies but also those of the interstellar medium that exists between stars.