CAREER: Establishing Coherent Frameworks for Massive Galaxy Formation and Inclusive Astronomy

对星系如何形成的研究表明，早期星系被巨大的气藏包围，这些气藏由宇宙网维持，这应该允许稳定地形成新的恒星。然而，仅在大爆炸后30亿年，这些大质量星系中的一半就停止形成新的恒星。该计划的目标是在更大的范围内更好地了解这些星系生态系统，并找出它们为什么形成得这么快，为什么这么早就停止形成恒星。该团队将使用大型毫米波望远镜和斯巴鲁望远镜的数据来绘制星系及其分子气体在宇宙历史上大部分时间的分布图。他们还将在马萨诸塞州大学阿默斯特分校建立一个项目，为STEM领域中代表性不足的群体提供研究机会。他们将为来自低收入学区的女孩举办年度研讨会和外部奖学金，让她们亲身体验真实数据。这将有助于促进所有有抱负的天文学家的包容性和公平性。这位研究员将解决关于大质量星系演化的基本问题。通过绘制大质量星系的度级统计种群图，研究人员将把它们的环境从斯巴鲁望远镜/Prime Focus光谱仪连接到它们的冷气体，就像使用大毫米望远镜上的Toltec仪器追踪到的尘埃一样。通过使用迄今为止最复杂的宇宙学模拟，包括尘埃形成、生长和破坏的物理学，研究人员将进一步对模拟星系进行逐个分析，以了解系统学和校准观测。通过将恒星形成和不同星系栖息地的冷气体联系起来，研究人员将开发一个物理模型，解释早期大质量星系直到今天组装的关键过程。这三个支柱结合在一起允许我们在模拟数据上模拟观测技术-这是既绘制足够广泛的区域又控制系统不确定性的唯一方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Studies on how galaxies form show that early galaxies were surrounded by large gas reservoirs that were sustained by the cosmic web, which should have allowed for a steady formation of new stars. However, only three billion years after the Big Bang, half of these massive galaxies stopped forming new stars. The goal of this program is to better understand these galaxy ecosystems on a larger scale and figure out why they formed so quickly and stopped forming stars so early. This team will use data from the Large Millimeter Telescope and Subaru Telescope to map the distribution of galaxies and their molecular gas throughout most of the history of the universe. They will also establish a program at the UMass Amherst to provide research opportunities for underrepresented groups in STEM fields. They will conduct annual workshops and externships for girls from low-income school districts, giving them hands-on experience with real data. This will help to promote inclusion and equity for all aspiring astronomers.The investigator will address fundamental questions about massive galaxy evolution. By mapping degree-scale statistical populations of massive galaxies, the investigator will connect their environments from the Subaru Telescope/Prime Focus Spectrograph to their cold gas, as traced by dust using the TolTEC instrument on the Large Millimeter Telescope. By using the most sophisticated cosmological simulations to date that include the physics of dust formation, growth, and destruction, the investigator will further perform an apples-to-apples analysis of mock galaxies to understand systematics and calibrate observations. Through linking star formation and cold gas across diverse galaxy habitats, the investigator will develop a physical model explaining the key processes responsible for the assembly of early massive galaxies through to the present day. These three pillars combined allow us to mimic observational techniques on simulated data — this is the only way to both map wide enough area but also to control for systematic uncertainties.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.