Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Reconstructing the Formation Histories of Massive Galaxies

Mariska Kriek

Department of Astronomy
University of California, Berkeley

In past years, large and deep photometric and spectroscopic surveys have significantly advanced our understanding of galaxy growth, from the most active time in the universe (z~2) to the present day. In particular, the evolution in stellar mass, star formation rate, and structure of complete galaxy samples have provided independent and complementary insights into their formation histories. In addition, detailed studies of the properties of distant galaxies have lead to a better apprehension of the physical processes which govern galaxy growth. Nonetheless, many outstanding questions remain. In this talk I will give an overview of our current picture of galaxy growth in the past 11 billion years, discuss current challenges and outstanding questions, and introduce new and future efforts to further unravel the formation histories of massive galaxies.