Project description
Milky Way evolution through detailed information on dwarf galaxies
The Milky Way contains valuable information regarding the formation and evolution of the galaxy across cosmic time. These remnants offer an opportunity for detailed study, unveiling insights into the initial stars, the accumulation of chemical elements in the universe, dark matter and the hierarchical formation of galaxies. In this context, the ERC-funded TREASURES project will maximise the scientific potential of the large-scale survey 4DWARFS. The project seeks to provide stellar ages, radial velocities and chemical abundances for over 130 000 stars. This includes information in dwarf galaxies and streams, expanding our knowledge by several orders of magnitude. The 4DWARFS survey will gather high-quality spectra of individual stars in nearly 50 dwarf galaxies and multiple stellar streams from systems undergoing disruption.
Objective
The Milky Way is an environment rich with satellite galaxies, stellar streams and accreted systems. Encoded in these structures is the formation and evolution of the Galaxy through cosmic time. Fortunately, these nearby relics can be studied in extraordinary detail – star by star – revealing the properties of the first stars, the build-up of chemical elements in the Universe, the nature of dark matter, and hierarchical galaxy formation.
To unlock these treasure troves of hidden information, I designed a large-scale survey: 4DWARFS (PI: Skúladóttir, 520,000 fibre hours) that after a very competitive 2-year selection has now been accepted as a 5-year 4MOST survey, starting in 2024. 4DWARFS will collect high-quality spectra of individual stars in close to 50 dwarf galaxies, and dozens of stellar streams from systems currently undergoing disruption.
The goal of TREASURES is to execute and exploit this large 4DWARFS survey to its highest scientific potential. TREASURES will provide the community with stellar ages, radial velocities and chemical abundances for over 130,000 stars, and thus increase the number of stars with detailed abundance information in dwarf galaxies and streams by several orders of magnitude, ensuring the far-reaching impact of this project. Furthermore, TREASURES will use state-of-the-art models to contrast these new large data against theory, and put in context with the Milky Way.
Through an ambitious combination of modelling and data of unprecedented magnitude and completeness TREASURES will quantify and put fundamental constraints on:
(I) The properties of the first stars (mass and energy distributions)
(II) The origin of the chemical elements (physics of stars, supernovae and neutron star mergers)
(III) Hierarchical galaxy formation at the smallest mass scales, and structure of dark matter halos
TREASURES will thus paint a comprehensive picture of the formation and evolution of the Milky Way environment, from cosmic dawn until the present day.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomystellar astronomyneutron stars
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringsatellite technology
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyastrophysicsdark matter
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyphysical cosmologygalaxy evolution
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomystellar astronomysupernova
Keywords
- Local group
- dwarf galaxies
- ultra faint dwarf galaxies
- dwarf spheroidal galaxies
- stellar streams
- accreted systems
- galaxy mergers
- dark matter
- chemical evolution
- chemical abundances
- nucleosynthesis
- first stars
- supernovae
- supernovae type Ia
- neutron star mergers
- asymptotic giant branch stars
- stellar physics
- stellar ages
- kinematics
- dynamics
- hierarchical galaxy formation
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
50121 Florence
Italy