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ReIonization and Signatures of Early Stars

Objective

Understanding how the first stars and galaxies formed and drove the Universe's final phase transition by re-ionizing intergalactic hydrogen is one of the long-standing goals of extragalactic astronomy. In the past two decades, we have discovered this ``Epoch of Reionization'' ended around one billion years after the Big Bang (redshift, z < 6), but the process is still poorly understood. We are currently undergoing a radical shift in our ability to observe this epoch with the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Early JWST observations have discovered a surprising excess of luminous z > 9 galaxies, implying stars may have formed differently in the early universe than we had previously expected. However, we can only observe the brightest galaxies directly. Enhanced star formation
in the bulk of the early galaxy population should have produced an early start to reionization, but this is still
very poorly constrained observationally. Excitingly, JWST finally enables us to chart reionization out to its
earliest stages and infer the properties of the first stars.

In RISES, I propose to analyse groundbreaking new datasets I am accruing as PI on JWST with state-of-the-art statistical inference frameworks to connect observations of the bright galaxies visible with JWST to the evolution of the intergalactic medium.

The key aims of this proposal are to: (1) test what drove the enhancement of star formation in the first bright galaxies; (2) establish when reionization began, to infer whether star formation was enhanced in the bulk of early galaxies; and (3) understand how reionization proceeded by connecting galaxies to ionized regions for the first time.

These measurements will push the boundaries of our knowledge of structure formation in the early universe, and enable potential breakthroughs in our understanding of the formation of the first galaxies, the regulation of star formation at the highest redshifts and the evolution of the intergalactic medium.

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG

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Host institution

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 499 478,00
Address
NORREGADE 10
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark

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Region
Danmark Hovedstaden Byen København
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 499 478,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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