Invited review to appear in New Horizons in Astronomy, ASP Conference Series
astro-ph/0512384

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GALAXY FORMATION

Eric Gawiser


NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow (AAPF), Yale Astronomy Department and Yale Center for Astronomy & Astrophysics, PO Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101


Abstract. I summarize current knowledge of galaxy formation with emphasis on the initial conditions provided by the LambdaCDM cosmology, integral constraints from cosmological quantities, and the demographics of high-redshift protogalaxies. Tables are provided summarizing the number density, star formation rate and stellar mass per object, cosmic star formation rate and stellar mass densities, clustering length and typical dark matter halo masses for Lyman break galaxies, Lyman alpha emitting galaxies, Distant red galaxies, Sub-millimeter galaxies, and Damped Lyman alpha absorption systems. I also discuss five key unsolved problems in galaxy formation and prognosticate advances that the near future will bring.


Keywords: galaxies:formation, galaxies:high-redshift


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