The star-formation history of the universe with the SKA

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jarvis, M., Seymour, Nick, Afonso, J., Best, P., Beswick, R., Heywood, I., Huynh, M., Murphy, E., Prandoni, I., Schinnerer, E., Simpson, C., Vaccari, M., White, Sarah
Format: Journal Article
Published: SPIE - Internatioal Society for Optocal Engineering 2014
Online Access:http://pos.sissa.it/archive/conferences/215/068/AASKA14_068.pdf
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/22424
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Summary: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 0:5 arcsec, 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.