Version 2.0 Assigned ID: 62 ----- Attempting Submission 1 (Wed Mar 05 00:09:12 GMT 2008) ----- Phase I Proposal 62 (pf.apt) successfully submitted. ----- Attempting Submission 2 (Fri Mar 07 20:46:20 GMT 2008) ----- We propose to determine the highest redshift portion (3<z<6.8) of the galaxy merger rate from the BVi'-band dropout galaxies identified in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) and the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF). By adopting methods widely discussed in the literature, we can construct a robust sample of merging galaxies while correcting for a variety of selection biases and completeness issues, which are inherent to any flux-limited survey. Contrary to other schemes for identifying merging galaxies, this approach will best utilize the deep, high resolution imaging available only through HST. Our Archival proposal focuses on two primary science goals: (1) Identify the dynamically-close, merging pairs at z>3. While galaxy merging is widely regarded as the primary mechanism of galaxy evolution, there are currently no merger studies at z>3. When our results are combined with the wealth of published data at z<1 and our work at 0.5<z<2.5, we will have determined the galaxy merger history for ~93% of the age of the Universe. (2) Compare the observed redshift evolution to galaxy formation and cosmological models. In particular, the galaxy merger rate depends on the equation of state of the dark energy component in the standard LCDM cosmology. However, the role of the cosmological model cannot be uniquely determined from low redshift observations alone, owing to considerable degeneracies in this modeling. Only these deep fields observed with HST can provide the angular resolution, depth, and statistics needed to study high redshift galaxy merging.

COSMOLOGY 12 55000 false 0.0 0.0 false false false false false SUPPORTED