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Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) science: Surveying the distant Universe
Eelco van Kampen1, Tom Bakx2, Carlos De Breuck1
1European Southern Observatory, Garching bei München, Bayern, 85748, Germany.
Open Research Europe
|October 15, 2024
Summary
The Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) will enable comprehensive studies of high-redshift galaxies, including dusty star-forming populations, to understand cosmic evolution. This powerful telescope will provide crucial data on galaxy properties and cosmological parameters.
Area of Science:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Cosmology
- Galaxy Evolution
Background:
- During peak galaxy formation (redshift 1 < z < 3), dust obscures star formation, re-emitting light in infrared bands observable in mm/sub-mm wavelengths.
- Observing the high-redshift galaxy population requires sensitive, high-resolution sub-mm surveys with wide frequency coverage for spectroscopic redshift determination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce the proposed 50-m Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) as a solution for observing high-redshift galaxies.
- To detail AtLAST's capabilities for studying dusty star-forming galaxies and their properties (gas content, star formation rate, dust mass/temperature) up to z ~ 7.
- To demonstrate AtLAST's potential for cosmological measurements, including growth rate (fσ8), Hubble constant, and cosmic expansion history via line-intensity mapping.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a large single-dish sub-mm telescope (AtLAST) with fast mapping, high sensitivity, and high angular resolution.
- Employing wide-bandwidth, spectrally resolved, and multiplex spectroscopic capabilities for direct mm spectroscopy.
- Designing deep and wide surveys, including targeted observations of proto-clusters.
Main Results:
- AtLAST will enable the study of the entire high-z galaxy population, including dust-obscured systems.
- Comprehensive data on gas content, cooling budget, star formation rate, dust mass, and dust temperature will be obtainable for individual galaxies up to z ~ 7.
- Surveys with AtLAST can accurately measure cosmological parameters like fσ8 and the Hubble constant.
Conclusions:
- AtLAST is uniquely positioned to revolutionize the study of high-redshift galaxies and their evolution.
- The telescope's capabilities will significantly advance our understanding of galaxy formation and the early universe.
- AtLAST will provide crucial constraints on cosmological expansion history through advanced observational techniques like line-intensity mapping.
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