Elizabeth Jean BartonAssistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy |
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Research Interests |
Observational cosmology and galaxy evolution | |
| URL | Home Page | |
| Appointments |
2001 - 2004 Hubble Fellow, University of Arizona 1999 - 2001 Research Associate, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics |
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Research Abstract |
In the hierarchical picture of galaxy formation that is widely accepted today, galaxies are built through mergers of smaller units. Because we have not observed the building of most of the stellar mass in galaxies directly, however, much of the assembly process is poorly understood. When did star formation begin in the universe? Where did most stars form? When did the galaxies assemble themselves? How can we link the physical processes that we know are at work to the known end products --- the complex galaxies we observe locally? I am currently leading research in three main areas: (1) a beginning search for the earliest known star-forming galaxies at redshifts before the end of reionization, (2) a study of the formation of spheroids and galactic bulges at intermediate redshift through bursts of star formation, and (3) a study of the rates of interactions and mergers of galaxies and the effects of these processes. In order to take this research to the next level in the coming decades, I am also very active in the development of the next generation of extremely large optical/infrared telescopes. | |
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Professional Societies |
American Astronomical Society International Astronomical Union |
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| Research Centers | Center for Cosmology, UCI, Executive Board | |
| Southern California Center for Galaxy Evolution, Governing Board | ||
| Link to this profile | http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=5243 | |
| Last updated | 09/10/2009 | |