The structure, formation and evolution of galaxies in the local universe

虽然结构形成的宇宙学模型现在与最大空间尺度上的观测结果非常吻合，但在星系和更小的尺度上仍然存在严重的差异。不幸的是，要想详细了解星系形成目前状态的机制，最终取决于我们仍然知之甚少的天体物理过程：即气体冷却、恒星形成、恒星和活动星系核的反馈。

While cosmological models of structure formation now show excellent agreement with observations on the largest spatial scales, there remain serious discrepancies on the scales of galaxies and smaller. Unfortunately, a detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which galaxies were assembled into their present state ultimately hinges on astrophysical processes that are still poorly understood: i.e., gas cooling, star formation, and feedback from stars and active galactic nuclei. The best way to understand how these processes unfolded over cosmic time scales is to carry out detailed studies of galaxies in the local universe. This proposal aims to build on such ongoing surveys, focusing on galaxies in the two nearest rich clusters (i.e., Virgo and Fornax), and in the halo of the Milky Way. Observations from a wide array of ground- and space-based facilities (i.e., from HST, CFHT, Keck, MMT, Magellan, Spitzer, KPNO, CTIO and Palomar) taken expressly for this purpose will be used to explore the formation of galactic nuclei and their connection to super-massive black holes, the nature and origin of galaxy scaling relations, and the connections to the smallest and faintest galaxies currently known: those in the outer halo of the Milky Way.