Galaxy Evolution at High Redshifts - by Dr Rebecca Bowler

Galactic Fidelity Seminar Series"Studying galaxies at high redshifts (z greater than 3) provides a unique insight into the early stages of galaxy formation and evolution. I will give an overview of how star-forming ‘Lyman-break’ galaxies are selected in the first few billion years, and what is known about their properties from multi-wavelength follow-up (e.g. from ALMA, Hubble). I will then show how samples of these objects can constrain the astrophysics at play in early galaxy formation through the observed shape and evolution of the luminosity function. I will end by looking forward to upcoming wide-area surveys from the Vera Rubin Observatory and Euclid, which, when combined with detailed follow-up (e.g. from JWST) will provide a revolution in the understanding of early galaxy formation." - Talk Abstract by Dr. Rebecca BowlerAbout the speakerRebecca completed her undergraduate degree in Physics at the University of Cambridge. Her study of distant galaxies began as part of her PhD at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh. Since 2015 she has been a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford where she is an expert in the formation and evolution of rare, extremely luminous galaxies in the first 2 billion years. In March 2021 she will start a 5 year Ernest Rutherford Fellowship funded by UK Research and Innovation.This talk was delivered on 24th of March 2021 as a part of the Galactic Fidelity Seminar Series.