Related papers: Observing the first galaxies - a case for an inter…
We investigate the formation of a galaxy reaching a virial mass of $~ 10^8$ solar mass at $z=10$ by carrying out a zoomed radiation-hydrodynamical cosmological simulation. This simulation traces Population~III (Pop~III) star formation,…
The InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is a first-light instrument being designed for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). IRIS is a combination of an imager that will cover a 16.4" field of view at the diffraction limit of TMT (4 mas…
The initial mass function (IMF) of the first (Population III) stars and Population II (Pop II) stars is poorly known due to a lack of observations of the period between recombination and reionization. In simulations of the formation of the…
Here we report some results from an ESO-VLT programme to observe individual stars in nearby dwarf galaxies at high resolution with the UVES spectrograph (Tolstoy, Venn, Shetrone, Primas, Hill, Kaufer & Szeifert 2002, submitted to AJ). We…
Superluminous supernovae have been proposed to arise from Population III progenitors that explode as pair-instability supernovae. Pop III stars are the first generation of stars in the Universe, and are thought to form as late as $z \sim…
We present an investigation about the shape of the initial mass function (IMF) of early-type galaxies (ETGs), based on a joint lensing and dynamical analysis, and on stellar population synthesis models, for a sample of 55 lens ETGs…
Detection of the radiation emitted from the first galaxies at z > 10 will be made possible in the next decade, with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We carry out cosmological radiation hydrodynamics simulations of…
The long-standing assumption that the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is universal has recently been challenged by a number of observations. Several studies have shown that a "heavy" IMF (e.g., with a Salpeter-like abundance of low mass…
The population of nearby dwarf galaxies in the Local Group constitutes a complete galactic environment, perfect suited for studying the connection between stellar populations and galaxy evolution. In this study, we are conducting an optical…
The reddening properties and the star formation history of a sample of 19 starburst galaxies are investigated using multiwavelength spectroscopy and infrared broad band photometry. The difference in reddening between the ionized gas and the…
Green Pea galaxies are remarkable for their intense star formation and serve as a window into the early universe. In our study, we used integral field spectroscopy to examine 24 of these galaxies in the optical spectrum. We focused on the…
Pop III stars are the key to the character of primeval galaxies, the first heavy elements, the onset of cosmological reionization, and the seeds of supermassive black holes. Unfortunately, in spite of their increasing sophistication,…
We present preliminary results of VLT/FORS spectroscopy of globular clusters in nearby early-type galaxies. Our project aims at studying the chemistry and determine the ages of globular cluster (sub-)populations. First results indicate that…
We present spectroscopic observations in the rest-frame optical and near- to mid-infrared wavelengths of four gravitationally lensed infrared (IR) luminous star-forming galaxies at redshift 1 < z < 3 from the LUCIFER instrument on the Large…
Recent studies of early-type galaxies have suggested that the initial mass function (IMF) slope is bottom-heavy, i.e. they contain a larger fraction of low-mass stars than the Milky Way. However, measurements of the IMF remain challenging…
Building on the experience of the high-resolution community with the suite of VLT high-resolution spectrographs, which has been tremendously successful, we outline here the (science) case for a high-fidelity, high-resolution spectrograph…
Population III (Pop III) stars formed out of metal free gas in minihalos at $z>20$. While their ignition ended the Dark Ages and begin enrichment of the IGM, their mass distribution remains unconstrained. To date, no confirmed Pop III star…
Quantitative spectroscopy of O-type stars in galaxies beyond 1 Mpc requires the unprecedented sensitivity of the so-called Extremely Large Telescopes. Visible spectroscopy with these exciting new facilities will give us the first chance to…
We give an introduction into the observational technique of integral field or 3D spectroscopy. We discuss advantages and drawbacks of this type of observations and highlight a few science projects enabled by this method. In the second part…
With new observational facilities becoming available soon, discovering and characterising supernovae from the first stars will open up alternative observational windows to the end of the cosmic dark ages. Based on a semi-analytical merger…