Advancing Experimental Methods for Studying Galaxy Formation and Evolution

红外窗口为研究近处和远处宇宙中星系的性质提供了一个独特的机会。与星系的聚集和演化、恒星的起源和停止恒星形成的过程以及超大质量黑洞的增长有关的基本问题可以使用创新的红外仪器进行研究。我提出了一个紧密结合的科学研究和仪器开发计划，将解决这些关键的科学问题：***1)我们宇宙中最大的星系与其他星系的形成不同吗？***2)星系的特性是如何随环境而演化的？***3)螺旋星系中超大质量黑洞的生长与椭圆星系中的黑洞不同吗？拟议的五年计划将包括两个主要的仪器和观测项目，以及三个较小的仪器开发项目。首先，我们几乎已经完成了一个积分场红外光谱仪的建设，我们将用它来对附近的星系进行调查。在这次调查中，我们将研究这些星系的恒星特性，以了解它们是如何随着时间的推移形成和演化的。其次，我们已经开始开发一种新型红外光谱仪，用于8-10米级望远镜，我们将使用它来研究遥远星系团中的星系。我们将发现星系在这些环境中是如何变化的。最后，三个较小的仪器项目将涉及开发用于自适应光学的新传感技术、用于灵敏红外测量的光纤技术，以及在加拿大北极高地建立一个红外观测站。这些技术创新可以彻底改变对红外微弱、遥远星系的观测，并有利于30米望远镜（TMT）的下一代仪器。*** *** *** **

The infrared window offers a unique opportunity for studying the nature of galaxies in both the nearby and distant universe. Fundamental questions related to the assembly and evolution of galaxies, the origins of their stars and the processes that halt star formation, and the growth of supermassive blackholes can be studied using innovative infrared instrumentation. I propose a tightly coupled scientific research and instrumentation development program that will address these key scientific questions: ***1) Do the most massive galaxies in our Universe form differently from other galaxies?***2) How do galaxy properties evolve as a function of their environment? ***3) Is the growth of supermassive black holes in spiral galaxies different from their elliptical counterparts?***The proposed five-year program will consist of two major instrumentation and observational programs, and three smaller instrument development projects. First, we have almost completed the construction of an integral field infrared spectrograph, which we will use to carry out a survey of nearby galaxies. In this survey we will study the stellar properties of these galaxies to understand how they formed and evolved over time. Second, we have begun the development of a novel infrared spectrograph for 8-10-meter class telescopes that we will use to study galaxies in distant galaxy clusters. We will discover how galaxies are transformed in these environments. Lastly, the three smaller instrumentation projects will involve developing new sensing technologies for adaptive optics, optical fibre technology to make sensitive infrared measurements, and an infrared observatory in the Canadian High Arctic. These technological innovations can revolutionize observations of faint, distant galaxies in the infrared and benefit the next generation of instrumentation for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).*** *** *** **