Calibrating Cosmology: The Near-Field Approach to Galaxy Formation

天文学家仍然无法理解宇宙早期结构的形成和演化。研究这些最早的纪元是下一代太空望远镜和平方公里阵列(澳大利亚是主要合作伙伴)等数十亿美元投资的驱动力。我们的互补的“近场宇宙学”项目是独一无二的，融合了计算宇宙学、恒星核合成和光学天文学的优势，用详细的化学和运动学信息‘解构’一个星系的形成历史--我们自己的银河系。将理论和观测、宇宙学和核合成相结合，我们将产生星系形成的模板，为远场宇宙学提供锚。

Understanding the formation and evolution of structure in the early Universe continues to elude astronomers. Studying these earliest epochs is the driver for billion-dollar investments like the Next Generation Space Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array (with Australia as a primary partner). Our complementary 'near-field cosmology' project is unique, blending strengths in computational cosmology, stellar nucleosynthesis, and optical astronomy, to 'deconstruct' the formation history of the one galaxy with detailed chemical and kinematical information - our own Milky Way. Combining theory and observation, cosmology and nucleosynthesis, we will produce the template for galaxy formation, providing the anchor for 'far-field' cosmology.