illustris_elt’s documentation

The main goal of this project is to connect the Illustris cosmological simulation database to the ELT/MICADO instrument simulator, in order to determine the observational limits of the ELT/MICADO system with respect to star formation before cosmic noon (z>2).

The ELT will have sensitivity similar to the next generation of space-based telescopes, but with a resolution 50x better. This will enable the study of the spatial characteristics of the earliest galaxies on scales of ~100pc. This in turn will enable the scale and spatial extent of the star formation regions to be understood, and should shed light on just how the first stars and galaxies formed in the universe.

Contents:

• Scope and Outcomes
  • Introduction
  • Scope and Method
• Project Description
  • Background
  • Tools
  • Questions
  • Success Criteria
• Tools and software to use in this package
  • Python packages
  • Testing framework
  • Documentation framework
• Roadmap for the Project
  • Get initial galaxy data
  • Pull data from illustris database
  • Make “ideal” mock 2D maps/images of galaxy
• The idea for Illustris ELT
• Literature list
  • High-z galaxies
  • Star formation
  • Illustris
• The “Science as Software” methodology

Goals of this study

Target z>2, goal z>5

• Determine surface brightness observation limits for individual star forming regions in z>2 galaxies in all the major NIR filters

  • Calculate what star formation rate this translates to

• Determine whether the star formation mechanism (triggered vs jeans collapse) will be observable in z>2 galaxies by observing

• See whether this technique of “science as software” is a viable methodology for scientific research