Recent advances in ground and space based near-infrared imaging are giving us the first glimpses of galaxy formation in the early universe. However, considerable uncertainty remains in how these objects are formed and what their present day counterparts are. I will begin by outlining what we know about the universe when it was ~1/3 its present age (z~2) and what constraints this places on the process of galaxy formation at higher redshift. Then, using multi-wavelength data and deep spectroscopy from the 10m Keck telescopes I will show that the number and mass of galaxies appears to be growing rapidly between 400 million and 1.5 billion years after the big bang (44). Finally, using deep wide-field near-infrared data I will examine the population of galaxies in the first 2-300 million years after the big bang (9

March 5, 2010
11:00 am

Array Operations Center Auditorium

All NRAO employees are invited to attend via video, available in Charlottesville Room 230, Green Bank Basement and Tucson N525.

Local Host: Joan Wrobel