Objective
The goal of this project is to discover the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. The astrophysics of galaxy formation is deeply fascinating. From tiny density fluctuations of quantum mechanical nature believed to have formed during an inflationary period a tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang during structure slowly formed through gravitational collapse. This process is strongly dependent on the nature of the dominant, but unknown form of matter - the dark matter. In the project proposed here I will study the epoch of first galaxy formation and the subsequent few billion years of cosmic evolution using gamma-ray bursts and Lyman-α (Lyα) emitting galaxies as probes. I am the principal investigator on two observational projects utilizing these probes. In the first project, I will over three years starting October 2009 be using the new X-shooter spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope to build a sample of ~100 gamma-ray bursts with UV/optical/near-IR spectroscopic follow-up. The objective of this project is to measure primarily metallicities, molecular content, and dust content of the gamma-ray burst host galaxies. I am primarily interested in the redshift range from 9 to 2 corresponding to about 500 million years to 3 billions years after the Big Bang. In the 2nd project we will use the new European Southern Observatory survey telescope VISTA. I am co-PI of the Ultra-VISTA project that over the next 5 years starting December 2009 will create an ultradeep image (about 2000 hr of total integration time) of a piece of sky known as the COSMOS field. I am responsible for the part of the project that will use a narrow-band filter to search for Lyα emitting galaxies at a redshift of 8.8 (corresponding to about 500 million years after the Big Bang) - believed to correspond to the epoch of formation of some of the very first galaxies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy physical cosmology big bang
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy astrophysics dark matter
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy physical cosmology galaxy evolution
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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.
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.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2011-StG_20101014
See other projects for this call
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.
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.
Host institution
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
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.