Exploring Cosmic Dawn with James Webb Space Telescope

Project description

Study could reveal a glimpse of the universe’s cosmic dawn

The cosmic dark ages – when the universe was filled with neutral hydrogen that was opaque to ultraviolet light – are thought to have ended around a billion years after the Big Bang. This was the period when the first light sources produced enough energetic photons to ionise the neutral hydrogen and the first galaxies started to form. However, this is also one of the least understood epochs in the universe’s evolution. The EU-funded FIRSTLIGHT project aims to fill this knowledge gap using deep observations from the large and powerful James Webb Space Telescope, after its launch. Researchers will work to determine the timeline of reionisation, identify the role the first galaxies played in this process and determine stellar properties of the earliest galaxies.

Fields of science

• natural sciences › physical sciences › astronomy › physical cosmology › big bang
• natural sciences › physical sciences › astronomy › observational astronomy
• natural sciences › physical sciences › theoretical physics › particle physics › photons

Programme(s)

• HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme

Topic(s)

• ERC-2021-ADG - ERC ADVANCED GRANTS

Call for proposal

ERC-2021-ADG

See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based

Coordinator

UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI

Net EU contribution

€ 2 086 250,00

Address

Kongresni Trg 12
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia

Region

Slovenija › Zahodna Slovenija › Osrednjeslovenska

Activity type

Higher or Secondary Education Establishments

Links

Other funding

€ 0,00