The Astrophysics of the Obscured Universe Across Cosmic Time

Dust changes our view of astronomical objects. It interacts with light from distant stars to make them more dim. Dust also radiates heat, which astronomers can see with millimeter and radio telescopes. Early galaxies contained more dust, and that impacts our understanding of how galaxies form and change with time. The investigator will use multiple telescopes to understand how dust in the most distant galaxies affects the cosmos. Undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds will be trained in related astronomy research. Dust makes up a negligible fraction of the mass budget of galaxies (<1%) and yet has transformative effect on their integrated spectra. Its efficient absorption of starlight in the ultraviolet and optical results in half of all extragalactic light in the Universe being thermally re-radiated in the far-infrared and millimeter (FIR/mm). Yet galaxies' thermal dust emission is poorly understood relative to stellar emission processes. The importance of dust to a wide range of astrophysical processes -- from its role in the condensation of cold molecular clouds to form stars, the coagulation of planetesimals, or the reprocessing of starlight at longer wavelengths -- makes it a crucial ingredient of the Universe requiring detailed observations. This project will use a diverse range of observational FIR/mm datasets to comprehensively characterize the dust emission of galaxies across cosmic time. Core concepts of this research will be used to bolster the retention of under-represented students in astrophysics careers through support of summer research and innovative equity-focused pedagogical activities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.