New Models of the Cosmic Dawn

当恒星第一次照亮宇宙时，宇宙黎明是天文学中最令人兴奋的前沿之一。这些第一代发光物体可能与附近的星系有很大不同。虽然到目前为止，它们与我们的遥远距离使望远镜无法观察它们，但新的设施正在建设中，希望在未来几年内探测这些第一代物体。该项目将开发并公开发布这些物体的新理论模型，该模型将在一个符合现代统计分析的连贯框架中将它们的许多新观察到的特性联系起来。PI还将开发各种在线材料，向公众描述这个时代迷人的天体物理学，包括动画，教程和基于他的一些模型的可下载应用程序。这个项目将通过几个相关的努力来推进我们对宇宙黎明的理解。首先，PI将开发一套新的“半分析”星系形成模型，以适应我们宇宙历史上正常星系形成的最早阶段。这些模型将使用物理驱动的星星形成和反馈处方来探索这个时代可能相关的广泛的天体物理学。其次，他将改进光子吸收的处理，在快速模拟再电离时代，这是必不可少的模型，该过程的准确性。最后，他将这些新的理论模型连接到一个广泛的可观测性，包括星系测量和低频无线电调查的再电离过程，使用参数推断代码。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得的支持，通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The Cosmic Dawn, when stars first illuminated the Universe, is one of the most exciting frontiers in astronomy. These first generations of luminous objects likely differed significantly from nearby galaxies. While their vast distance from us has so far prevented telescopes from observing them, new facilities are now under construction that hope to probe these first generations of objects in the next several years. This project will develop and publicly release a new theoretical model of these objects, which will link many of their newly observable properties in a coherent framework amenable to modern statistical analyses. The PI will also develop a variety of online materials describing the fascinating astrophysics of this era to the public, including animations, tutorials, and a downloadable application based on some of his models.This project will advance our understanding of the Cosmic Dawn through several related efforts. First, the PI will develop a new set of "semi-analytic" galaxy formation models tuned to the earliest phases of normal galaxy formation in our Universe's history. The models will use physically motivated star formation and feedback prescriptions to explore the wide range of astrophysics that may be relevant during this era. Second, he will improve the treatment of photon absorption in fast simulations of the reionization era, which is essential to model that process accurately. Finally, he will connect these new theoretical models to a wide range of observables, including galaxy measurements and low-frequency radio investigations of the reionization process, using a parameter inference code.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.