PRR Project

Summary

Galaxies are the building blocks of the Universe. Understanding how galaxies form and evolve since the Big Bang is one of the most challenging and compelling open questions of modern Astrophysics, driving the development of new telescopes and instruments. Despite huge efforts in the past decades, a complete and consistent picture of galaxy evolution is still non-existent.A key parameter to understand galaxies and how they grow is star formation rate (SFR), which reflects the efficiency in the conversion of gas into stars. We know that star formation in galaxies behaves in a complex and puzzling way throughout the history of the Universe: a rapid growth for the first 5 billion years, followed by a relentless decline to the current epoch. Solving this fascinating and unexplained evolution requires observations not possible without major technological developments. Understanding the physics of galaxies at the so-called cosmic noon when the Universe’s star-formation rate peaked, requires massive detailed near-infrared spectroscopic observations of faint galaxies – something that will only soon be available with the deployment of the FCUL-IA co-lead Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) at arguably the best ground-based telescope in operation, ESO’s Very Large Telescope.Since 2010 IA-FCUL is co-leading the proposal, development, construction and, from 2024, the scientific exploitation of ESO’s next generation wide-field multi-object spectrograph MOONS. National participation covers all R&D&I stages - including the development of the MOONS Front-End and Field Corrector, with Portuguese industry participating in the construction phase. The major scientific and technical national contribution to this 31 M€ project will come into full fruition in late 2024, with the start of the scientific exploitation phase – with guaranteed access to a 300-nights survey, MOONRISE, that will map galaxy evolution throughout cosmic-noon. Making full use of the 1000 optical elements of MOONS, operating well into the near-infrared regime, and the power of the 8-m VLT, will result in detailed observations of 500k galaxies at cosmic-noon, an unparalleled resource for galaxy evolution studies.The hired researcher will focus on the exploitation of detailed observations of galaxies, including from MOONS and the MOONRISE survey, and will contribute to the success of IA-FCUL’s strategic plan, which includes the development and exploitation of state-of-the-art astronomical facilities, part of the national strategy for this area of research (including its participation in ESO). He/she will strengthen the Astrophysical research of the Physics Department of FCUL, and in particular its international-leading work in galaxy formation and evolution which includes a technological development component realised by the instrumentation team therein. He/she will also supervise students, engaging them in state-of-the-art research at MSc and PhD levels. The researcher will thus contribute to the leading role of FCUL in one of the areas with the highest international impact in Portugal (Space Sciences, according to the 2023 governmental DGEEC report).The researcher will have a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics and a research track record on the study of galaxy evolution through spectroscopic surveys adequate to the position.He/she will leverage the national participation in ESO through the participation in spectroscopic surveys with the MOONS instrument, co-lead by FCUL-IA. The researcher will take a leading role in the preparation and exploitation of MOONRISE, supporting both the associated national scientific and technological development.As part of this position, the researcher will:-develop procedures to maximise the data exploitation from MOONS observations in what concerns the stellar component of the galaxies observed. The capacity to use spectral synthesis codes to extract physical parameters like age, star-formation rate, metallicity and mass will be necessary and valued;-evaluate the importance of continuum nebular emission in local galaxies and establish low-redshift benchmarks to be compared to the high redshift Universe;-determine the relation between galaxy stellar mass and star formation at cosmic noon through the analysis of MOONS observations performed in the MOONRISE survey;-identify the mechanisms involved in the quenching of star formation in galaxies. This will be done not only by characterising the SF in MOONRISE galaxies, but also by quantifying, using multiwavelength datasets as needed, the existence and impact of Active Galactic Nuclei in those galaxies;-assume a leadership role in the exploitation of MOONS data, guaranteeing the scientific return of the national investment in the project.-further support the national participation in the European Southern Observatory, by identifying and pursuing participation in future spectroscopic facilities, in particular for the European Extremely Large Telescope.