Multiwavelength studies of galaxy evolution

科学中最深刻的问题之一是：宇宙中丰富而复杂的结构是如何在大爆炸之后的极其简单的条件下形成和演化的？利用最先进的设备，天文学家将观测深入到早期宇宙，试图通过追踪星系随时间的演化来阐明这一过程。成功的观测需要对各种波长的光进行观测，从紫外线到射电，因为不同的波长对不同的物理过程敏感。红外和亚毫米波波段特别重要，因为它们对尘埃颗粒的热辐射进行采样，这些颗粒被形成恒星和超大质量黑洞的吸积释放的能量加热；这两个过程都与星系的演化密切相关，并且经常被尘埃茧所笼罩。

One of the most profound questions in science is: how did the rich and complex structure in the universe form and evolve from the exquisitely simple conditions following the Big Bang? Using state of the art facilities astronomers have pushed observations deep into the early universe in an attempt to clarify this process by tracing the evolution of galaxies with time. Success requires observations at a variety of wavelengths of light, from the ultraviolet to the radio, since different wavelengths are sensitive to different physical processes. The infrared and submillimeter wavelength regimes are particularly important as they sample the thermal emission from dust grains heated by the energy released from forming stars and accretion onto supermassive black holes; both of these processes are intimately tied to galaxy evolution and are often enshrouded in dust cocoons.