Objective
The formation of stars and galaxies in the first billion of years after the Big Bang presents many open questions and opportunities for (unexpected) discoveries. How and when the first stars and galaxies were formed? How do they evolve with time into the galaxies, stars and black holes that we observe today? To address these fundamental questions, we propose to study star formation in the first protoclusters of galaxies during the infancy of the Universe. We started finding these rare overdensities with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as early as 650 million years after the Big Bang (at redshift z~8, more than 13 billion light years from us). Now, we aim at characterizing their properties. Our approach is based on combining observations using the most powerful telescopes, such as HST, Spitzer, ALMA, VLT and Keck, with computer simulations and theoretical modeling to interpret the datasets. Protocluster galaxies live in overdense regions with an earlier than average assembly history, hence they are ideal to investigate the very first instances of star formation and cosmic reionization. Our project will (1) characterize galaxies in the most distant protocluster known to date, which we discovered thanks to a large HST campaign; (2) discover new protoclusters at similar redshift in the short term, and out to redshift z~15 (300 Myr after the Big Bang) in the future with the James Webb Space Telescope; (3) model the formation and evolution of these systems across cosmic time, testing not only our understanding of how stars and galaxies are born, but also of the fundamental nature of dark matter particles. The project is based on ongoing observations and modeling started in the United States, and supported by ample NASA funding awarded to the researcher before his reintegration into the EU. The award of a CIG will ensure that the scientific leadership is permanently established in the EU, contributing to its scientific excellency.
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 observational astronomy optical astronomy
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy physical cosmology big bang
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy astrophysics black holes
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy astrophysics dark matter
- natural sciences mathematics applied mathematics mathematical model
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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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG
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.
MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG)
Coordinator
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
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.