The star-formation history of the Universe with the SKA

Conference item

Radio wavelengths offer the unique possibility of tracing the total star-formation rate in galaxies, both obscured and unobscured. As such, they may provide the most robust measurement of the star-formation history of the Universe. In this chapter we highlight the constraints that the SKA can place on the evolution of the star-formation history of the Universe, the survey area required to overcome sample variance, the spatial resolution requirements, along with the multi-wavelength ancillary data that will play a major role in maximising the scientific promise of the SKA. The required combination of depth and resolution means that a survey to trace the star formation in the Universe should be carried out with a facility that has a resolution of at least ~0.5arcsec, with high sensitivity at < 1 GHz. We also suggest a strategy that will enable new parameter space to be explored as the SKA expands over the coming decade.

Authors: Jarvis, M; Seymour, N; Afonso, J; Best, P; Beswick, R

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Sissa Medialab srl
• Journal: Proceedings of Science
• Article number: 068
• Publication date: 2015-05-29
• Event title: Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA (AASKA14)
• Event location: Giardini Naxos, Italy
• Event website: http://pos.sissa.it/cgi-bin/reader/conf.cgi?confid=215
• Event start date: 2014-06-09
• Event end date: 2014-06-13
• DOI: 10.22323/1.215.0068
• ISSN: 1824-8039
• Language: English