MEMBERS OF THE GSMT SCIENCE WORKING GROUP ELIZABETH BARTON-GILLESPIE, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona JILL BECHTOLD, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona MICHAEL BOLTE, University of California, Santa Cruz RAY CARLBERG, University of Toronto MATTHEW COLLESS, Australian National University IRENE CRUZ-GONZALEZ, UNAM, Instituto de Astronomía, Mexico ALAN DRESSLER, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington TERRY HERTER, Cornell University PAUL HO, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics ROLF-PETER KUDRITZKI, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Chair JONATHAN LUNINE, University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Lab. CLAIRE MAX, LLNL and University of California, Santa Cruz CHRISTOPHER MCKEE, Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley FRANÇOIS RIGAUT, Gemini Observatory DOUG SIMONS, Gemini Observatory CHUCK STEIDEL, California Institute of Technology STEPHEN E. STROM, NOAO, Vice-Chair
NOAO-NIO SUPPORT STAFF EXTERNAL OBSERVER SAM BARDEN TETSUO NISHIMURA, NAOJ ROBERT BLUM ARJUN DEY JOAN NAJITA KNUT OLSEN STEPHEN RIDGWAY LARRY STEPP
COVER A montage of multi-color images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope of the Antennae, a pair of colliding galaxies. The bright blue regions are newly-formed clusters of stars produced as a consequence of the collision. Systems similar to the Antennae were common when our expanding Universe was much younger, the average distance between galaxies much smaller, and the likelihood of collision much higher. Galaxy collisions can lead to mergers of the gas and stars initially bound to the two systems. Systems like the Milky Way appear to be product of multiple mergers. GSMT will be able to image colliding systems during the earliest evolutionary phases of the Universe, providing direct observation of the processes that give rise to the Milky Way. Courtesy: B. Whitmore, STScI
FRONTIER SCIENCE ENABLED BY A GIANT SEGMENTED MIRROR TELESCOPE (GSMT)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REPORT OF THE GSMT SCIENCE WORKING GROUP
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... 1
FUTURE ACTIVITIES OF THE GSMT SCIENCE WORKING GROUP...... 3 Members of the GSMT Science Working Group, 4
INTRODUCTION...... 5
THE ORIGIN OF LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE IN THE UNIVERSE ...... 6 Scientific Context and Questions, 6 The Role of GSMT, 7
BUILDING THE MILKY WAY AND OTHER GALAXIES...... 9 Scientific Context and Questions, 9 The Role of GSMT, 10
EXPLORING OTHER SOLAR SYSTEMS...... 12 Scientific Context and Questions, 12 The Role of GSMT, 14
SUPPORTING SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
1 THE POWER OF GSMT...... 1-1
2 A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MAP OF GALAXIES AND GAS IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE...... 2-1
3 STAR FORMATION IN THE VERY EARLY UNIVERSE...... 3-1
4 BUILDING GALAXIES: THE PHYSICS OF GALAXY EVOLUTION ...... 4-1
5 BUILDING GALAXIES: THE HISTORIES OF MATURE GALAXIES ...... 5-1
6 THE ORIGIN OF THE STELLAR INITIAL MASS FUNCTION...... 6-1
7 STUDY OF PLANET FORMATION ENVIRONMENTS...... 7-1
8 CHARACTERIZATION OF EXTRA-SOLAR PLANETS...... 8-1
Frontier Science Enabled by a Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope i TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPENDIX A TECHNOLOGY NEEDED TO ENABLE EXTREMELY LARGE TELESCOPES (ELTS)...... A-1 Telescope Systems, A-1 Adaptive Optics, A-2 Site Evaluation, A-4 Instrumentation, A-4 The Need to Invest Now, A-5
ii Frontier Science Enabled by a Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope REPORT OF THE GSMT SCIENCE WORKING GROUP
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BACKGROUND In spring 2002, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) was asked by the National Science Foundation to organize a Science Working Group (SWG) to “advise the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences on a strategy for guiding federal investment in a Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT).” Following a broad community solicitation (via the June 2002 NOAO Newsletter) seeking interested potential members, and close consultation with the Foundation, sixteen scientists active in ground-based astronomy research, and/or representing national and international groups that expect to play a role in developing next-generation telescopes, accepted invitations to join the SWG. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki, Director of the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, agreed to serve as the SWG Chair.
Over the period July 2002 through May 2003, the SWG held four meetings. Its primary focus has been on developing an understanding of: