Spitzer Space Telescope - Theoretical Research Proposal #30065


Comparing Simulations and Observations of Reionization-Epoch Galaxies

Principal Investigator: Romeel Dave
           Institution: University of Arizona

Co-Investigators: 
Kristian Finlator, University of Arizona                              

Science Category: high-z galaxies (z>0.5) 
Dollars Approved: 56649.0 

Abstract:
We propose to test and constrain models of early galaxy formation
through comparisons with observations of reionization-epoch (z>6)
galaxies observed using Spitzer.  The goals are to (1) Make
predictions for z>6 objects using state-of-the-art cosmological
hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy formation tailored to study the
reionization epoch;  (2) Develop a publicly-available tool called SPOC
designed to obtain detailed constraints on physical properties of
observed galaxies through comparisons with simulated galaxy catalogs;
and (3) Use SPOC to test and constrain models of galaxy formation
through comparisons with rapidly- advancing observations in the new
frontier of early universe studies.  The results of this study will
yield deeper insights into the galaxy formation process at these
mostly unexplored epochs, with implications for understanding the
formation of massive galaxies, studying the topology and evolution of
IGM reionization, and designing future surveys to detect first
objects.  The SPOC tool will facilitate a closer connection between
observations and theory by enabling the community to interpret data
within the framework of current hierarchical structure formation
models, in turn providing detailed tests of these models that is
essential for driving the field forward.