Final Report Summary - ELIXIR (Early universe exploration with NIRSpec)
The aim of the ELIXIR network (see http://www.iap.fr/elixir/) is to develop European expertise in searches for primeval galaxies and in the extraction of key physical information from deep sky observations, to ensure the maximum scientific return of the European instrument NIRSpec on board the future James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that will be launched in 2018. The accomplishment of this goal requires the combined expertise of four different communities:
1. observational astronomers with expertise in deep sky surveys and in spatially resolved studies of distant galaxies
2. experts in spectral models of galaxies, to interpret the light emitted by distant galaxies in terms of physical parameters such as star formation rate, metallicity and dust content
3. theoreticians with expertise in modelling galaxy formation in its proper cosmological context
4. industrial engineers who are responsible for the performance and calibration of NIRSpec.
The ELIXIR joint work programme is divided into six key projects, designed to provide young researchers with the multidisciplinary training required for the future exploration of the early Universe with JWST and in particular NIRSpec. The main objectives of these projects are:
1. to use the currently most sophisticated ground-based and space-based telescopes to search for and characterise the spectral properties of, galaxies in the early Universe.
2. to build new spectral models of galaxies to derive the physical properties of the first generation of very low-metallicity stellar populations from imaging and spectroscopic observations.
3. to combine these models with state-of-the-art cosmological simulations to constrain galaxy formation scenarios, based on the observed statistics of high-redshift galaxy populations.
4. to use spatially resolved spectroscopy to constrain the stellar and dynamical masses and the spatial distributions of metals and dust in distant galaxies.
5. to develop new models and techniques to study the internal structure and dynamics of galaxies in the early Universe during active and inactive phases of their evolution.
6. to prepare and simulate NIRSpec observations, based on industrial expertise of the instrument.
These objectives are being achieved in close interaction with the associated industrial partners of the project: the European Space Agency (ESA/ESTEC) and EADS/Astrium. EADS/Astrium hosted the first ELIXIR network school, 'The JWST/NIRSpec project', in Ottobrunn (Germany). This gathered the project scientists of all the instruments onboard JWST from around the world. ESA/ESTEC hosted the second ('How does a space project work?') and third ('What will it look like to observe with NIRSpec?') ELIXIR network school.
The 13 early stage researchers (ESRs) funded by the network have contributed to the following main achievements:
1. the discovery of primeval galaxy candidates in deep sky images taken with a new camera onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST); and the spectroscopic follow-up of these galaxies with the most powerful ground-based telescopes.
2. the exploration of star formation, chemical evolution and nuclear activity in the early universe, based on spatially resolved spectroscopic observations with the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile and with HST.
3. the characterisation of a relation between size and mass of distant galaxies and of the evolution of this relation across cosmic time; and the analysis of the shapes of distant galaxies using high-resolution imaging.
4. the design of new methods to study both stellar and neutral-gas kinematics from spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of distant galaxies; and the modelling of such observations of distant galaxies with NIRSpec.
5. a characterisation of the detectability of streams of cold gas falling onto the first gravitational structures in the early universe, by simulating the coupled evolution of gas and ionising radiation in a cosmological simulation of galaxy formation.
6. the development of new spectral evolution models designed for studies of galaxies in the early universe; and studies of model uncertainties and of the relative merits of different types of observations to constrain the stars, gas and dust contents of galaxies.
7. the development of a full spectrum extraction pipeline for NIRSpec observations using the instrument performance simulator; and the participation in the definition of the best on-ground calibration strategies for the instrument.
These achievements have earned all 13 ESRs funded by the ELIXIR network the right to be awarded (or soon be awarded) a PhD degree.
1. observational astronomers with expertise in deep sky surveys and in spatially resolved studies of distant galaxies
2. experts in spectral models of galaxies, to interpret the light emitted by distant galaxies in terms of physical parameters such as star formation rate, metallicity and dust content
3. theoreticians with expertise in modelling galaxy formation in its proper cosmological context
4. industrial engineers who are responsible for the performance and calibration of NIRSpec.
The ELIXIR joint work programme is divided into six key projects, designed to provide young researchers with the multidisciplinary training required for the future exploration of the early Universe with JWST and in particular NIRSpec. The main objectives of these projects are:
1. to use the currently most sophisticated ground-based and space-based telescopes to search for and characterise the spectral properties of, galaxies in the early Universe.
2. to build new spectral models of galaxies to derive the physical properties of the first generation of very low-metallicity stellar populations from imaging and spectroscopic observations.
3. to combine these models with state-of-the-art cosmological simulations to constrain galaxy formation scenarios, based on the observed statistics of high-redshift galaxy populations.
4. to use spatially resolved spectroscopy to constrain the stellar and dynamical masses and the spatial distributions of metals and dust in distant galaxies.
5. to develop new models and techniques to study the internal structure and dynamics of galaxies in the early Universe during active and inactive phases of their evolution.
6. to prepare and simulate NIRSpec observations, based on industrial expertise of the instrument.
These objectives are being achieved in close interaction with the associated industrial partners of the project: the European Space Agency (ESA/ESTEC) and EADS/Astrium. EADS/Astrium hosted the first ELIXIR network school, 'The JWST/NIRSpec project', in Ottobrunn (Germany). This gathered the project scientists of all the instruments onboard JWST from around the world. ESA/ESTEC hosted the second ('How does a space project work?') and third ('What will it look like to observe with NIRSpec?') ELIXIR network school.
The 13 early stage researchers (ESRs) funded by the network have contributed to the following main achievements:
1. the discovery of primeval galaxy candidates in deep sky images taken with a new camera onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST); and the spectroscopic follow-up of these galaxies with the most powerful ground-based telescopes.
2. the exploration of star formation, chemical evolution and nuclear activity in the early universe, based on spatially resolved spectroscopic observations with the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile and with HST.
3. the characterisation of a relation between size and mass of distant galaxies and of the evolution of this relation across cosmic time; and the analysis of the shapes of distant galaxies using high-resolution imaging.
4. the design of new methods to study both stellar and neutral-gas kinematics from spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of distant galaxies; and the modelling of such observations of distant galaxies with NIRSpec.
5. a characterisation of the detectability of streams of cold gas falling onto the first gravitational structures in the early universe, by simulating the coupled evolution of gas and ionising radiation in a cosmological simulation of galaxy formation.
6. the development of new spectral evolution models designed for studies of galaxies in the early universe; and studies of model uncertainties and of the relative merits of different types of observations to constrain the stars, gas and dust contents of galaxies.
7. the development of a full spectrum extraction pipeline for NIRSpec observations using the instrument performance simulator; and the participation in the definition of the best on-ground calibration strategies for the instrument.
These achievements have earned all 13 ESRs funded by the ELIXIR network the right to be awarded (or soon be awarded) a PhD degree.