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Report of the ELT Science Working Group

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Report of the ELT Science Working Group Science Cases and Requirements for the ESO ELT Report of the ELT Science Working Group 30 April 2006 Report of the ELT Science Working Group April 30 2006 Table of Contents Executive Summary.......................................................................................................... 1 1. Table of requirements for Prominent Science Cases............................................ 3 I. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 4 II. Science Cases: Stars and Planets.............................................................................. 5 S1. Solar System Comets:....................................................................................... 5 Hans-Uli Käufl ......................................................................................................... 5 S2. Extra-Solar-System Comets ............................................................................. 7 Hans-Uli Käufl ......................................................................................................... 7 S3. From giant to terrestrial exoplanets: detection, characterisation and evolution9 R. Rebolo and S. Udry.............................................................................................. 9 S4. Freely-floating planetary mass objects........................................................... 12 F. Comeron, M. McCaughrean, & H. Zinnecker.................................................... 12 S5. Young stellar clusters (incl. Galactic Centre)................................................. 15 F. Comerón, M. McCaughrean, H. Zinnecker........................................................ 15 S6. Magnetic fields in star formation and in very low-mass objects.................... 17 Eike Guenther (TLS) and Hans Zinnecker (AIP)................................................... 17 S7. Origin of massive stars ................................................................................... 20 H. Zinnecker, H.-U. Käufl, M. McCaughrean........................................................ 20 S8. LMC and SMC field star population .............................................................. 22 H. Zinnecker & F. Comerón................................................................................... 22 S9. Circumstellar Disks........................................................................................ 24 M. McCaughrean, W. Benz. H.-U. Käufl............................................................... 24 S10. Stellar remnants: black holes and neutron stars ............................................. 27 R. Rebolo................................................................................................................ 27 S11. Asteroseismology ........................................................................................... 29 S. Udry.................................................................................................................... 29 III. Science Cases – Stars and Galaxies.................................................................... 31 G1. The intracluster stellar population .................................................................. 31 Magda Arnabodli.................................................................................................... 31 G2. Planetary Nebulae as traces of the element abundances in early type galaxies and diffuse light in clusters......................................................................................... 33 Magda Arnaboldi.................................................................................................... 33 G3. Stellar Clusters and the Evolution of Galaxies............................................... 35 Arne Ardeberg and Peter Linde.............................................................................. 35 G4. Imaging & Spectroscopy of Resolved Stellar Populations in Galaxies ......... 37 E. Tolstoy ............................................................................................................... 37 G5. Spectral observations of star clusters: ............................................................ 46 Kissler-Patig ........................................................................................................... 46 G6. Young, massive star clusters .......................................................................... 48 Kissler-Patig ........................................................................................................... 48 G7. Measuring the stellar IMF in local group galaxies......................................... 50 Guido de Marchi..................................................................................................... 50 G8. Star formation history through supernovae .................................................... 53 Bruno Leibundgut................................................................................................... 53 G9. AGN Demographics ....................................................................................... 56 R. Fosbury .............................................................................................................. 56 IV. Science Cases – Galaxies and Cosmology ......................................................... 58 C1. Dark Energy – Type Ia Supernovae as Distance Indicators ........................... 58 ii Report of the ELT Science Working Group April 30 2006 Isobel Hook ............................................................................................................ 58 C2. A dynamical measurement of the expansion history of the Universe ............ 64 M. Haehnelt ............................................................................................................ 64 C3. Testing the variability of fundamental constants with QSO absorption spectra 66 Martin Haehnelt...................................................................................................... 66 C4. First light - The Highest Redshift Galaxies (z>10) ........................................ 68 M. Franx ................................................................................................................. 68 C5. Galaxies and AGN at end of reionizaion........................................................ 71 M. Franx ................................................................................................................. 71 C6. Probing reionization with GRBs and quasars................................................. 73 J. Bergeron & P. Shaver ......................................................................................... 73 C7. Is the low density IGM metal-enriched? ........................................................ 76 J. Bergeron.............................................................................................................. 76 C8. Topology of the IGM at z = 2-3 ..................................................................... 78 J. Bergeron.............................................................................................................. 78 C9. Galaxy Formation and Evolution ................................................................... 80 A.Cimatti & P.Rosati.............................................................................................. 80 C10. Physics of High Redshift Galaxies ................................................................. 83 A. Cimatti & P. Rosati............................................................................................ 83 C11. Gravitational Lensing..................................................................................... 87 P.Rosati & P.Shaver ............................................................................................... 87 C12. Deep Galaxy Studies at z=2-5 ........................................................................ 89 M. Franx ................................................................................................................. 89 V. Prominent Science Cases........................................................................................ 91 VI. Table of Requirements ....................................................................................... 92 VII. Appendices ......................................................................................................... 95 1. Synergies and Operations ................................................................................... 95 2. JWST .................................................................................................................. 96 3. Considerations for the ELT Site ......................................................................... 97 Synergy considerations for the ELT site Summary................................................ 97 4. Working Group Members................................................................................. 100 5. Useful links....................................................................................................... 101 6. Further work needed......................................................................................... 103 7. Terms of Reference .......................................................................................... 104 8. Meeting agendas............................................................................................... 106 iii Report of the ELT Science Working Group April 30 2006 Executive Summary The ESO-ELT Science Working
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