Cosmic origins: How do galaxies build chemical complexity over cosmic time?

该项目旨在回答宇宙历史中形成恒星、行星和生命所需的化学复杂性是如何产生的问题。星系是宇宙的化学工厂。在宇宙的生命历程中，它们建造了形成恒星和行星所需元素的储存库。然而，对于这个过程是如何展开的，以及不同星系类型是如何形成的，我们还没有完整的理论。通过使用先进的仪器和开发创新的计算技术，该项目旨在以一种新的方式利用恒星的运动和化学来绘制星系的历史。这将确定不同星系中恒星形成的地点和时间，揭示黑洞、暗物质、星系碰撞和局部环境在我们宇宙中化学复杂性积累中的重要性。

This project aims to answer questions of how the chemical complexity required to form stars, planets and life arose through cosmic history. Galaxies are the chemical factories of the Universe. Over the life of the cosmos, they have built reservoirs of the elements required to make stars and planets. Yet we have no complete theory of how this process unfolds or how different galaxy types form. By using advanced instrumentation and developing innovative computational techniques, this project aims to use the motions and chemistry of stars to map the history of galaxies in a new way. This would establish where and when stars formed in different galaxies, revealing the importance of black holes, dark matter, galaxy collisions and local environment in the build-up of chemical complexity in our Universe.