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CURRENT TEAMS
New Teams Coming Soon!
+ Round 4
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Round 2 - Star Formation in High Redshift Clusters with Spitzer
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Abstract
We propose to study the evolution of star formation in galaxy cluster
environments by making measurements at epochs between 0.54 < z <
0.63. We will measure the integrated SFRs for three optically
selected galaxy clusters from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS)
using MIPS 24µm photometry. We will measure total past SFRs, i.e.
stellar masses, from rest-frame near-infrared (near-IR) photometry
obtained with IRAC. Two of the three galaxy clusters already have
IRAC data. We propose taking new IRAC data for CL1232.5-1250 to
complete the set. We have found that H..-derived starformation rates
depend on both cluster mass and redshift, demonstrating the necessity
of sampling a large range in mass to disentangle evolutionary trends
from trends in mass. Our three targeted clusters span the range in
mass from neargroup environment to the most massive cluster in the
EDisCS sample. This mass range fills the gaps in existing studies,
which are dominated by studies of field environments or of very
massive clusters. The Spitzer MIPS 24µm observations are needed to
make a comprehensive measurement of the star formation rates in
galaxies, because extinction by dust can completely obscure the
majority of star formation in galaxies. The IRAC observations will
determine if AGN activity is present in individual galaxies, which
would bias our measures of the SFR based on the 24µm flux since the
AGN could also heat dust seen at 24µm. The IRAC data will also
provide robust stellar masses to quantify the total past star
formation. We will observe the central 5'x5' of each cluster with
MIPS in 24µm and with IRAC in all four channels. Our 24µm
observations will reach a sensitivity of one solar mass per year and
our IRAC depth is chosen to match the same SFR sensitivity. Extensive
ancillary data are already in hand, i.e. deep VRIJK imaging, 8-meter
telescope spectroscopy, HST I-band imaging for all three clusters,
and IRAC data on two of the clusters. This ancillary data will help
to isolate cluster members and interpret the derived SFRs. The mass
and redshift range of our targets serves as an important complement
to other Spitzer studies of low and intermediate-redshift clusters
and will provide a more comprehensive picture of the evolution of
star formation in galaxy clusters from z ~ 1 to z ~ 0.
Click on any teacher's name to see activities associated with NITARP.
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Lead Teacher:
Participating Teachers:
Velvet Dowdy
Graves County High School, Mayfield, KY
Rosa Hemphill
Oregon Episcopal School, Portland, OR
Ardis Herrold
Grosse Pointe North High School, Grosse Pointe, MI
Thomas Loughran
Saint Joseph's High School (SJHS), South Bend, IN
Dwight Taylor
South Anchorage High School, Anchorage, AK
Support Scientists:
Gregory Rudnick
National Optical Astronomical Observatory, Tucson, AZ
Rose Finn
Siena College, Loudonville, NY
Vandana Desai
Calfornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
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Program News
Proposal - pdf file
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