LeMMINGs: Legacy e-MERLIN Multi-Band Imaging of Nearby Galaxies Survey
Principle Investigators:
Rob Beswick (JBCA, The
University of Manchester)
and Ian McHardy (University of Southampton)
Time Allocation: 810 hours
Co-Investigators include:-
Susanne Aalto (Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden),
Antxon Alberdi (IAA,Spain),
Paul Alexander (Cambridge),
Megan Argo (Curtin, Australia),
Willem Baan (ASTRON, The Netherlands),
Elias Brinks (Hertfordshire),
John Conway (Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden),
Stephane Corbel (CEA Saclay, France),
Phil Diamond (JBCA, Manchester),
Tom Dwelly (Southampton),
Janine van Eymeren (JBCA, Manchester),
Danielle Fenech (UCL),
Jay Gallagher (Wisconsin, USA),
Jack Gallimore (Bucknell, USA),
Dave Green (Cambridge),
Melvin Hoare (Leeds),
Sebastian Jester (MPIA Heidelberg, Germany),
Rob Kennicutt (Cambridge),
Hans-Rainer Klockner (Oxford),
Johan Knapen (IAC Tenerife, Spain),
Christian Knigge (Southampton),
Elmar Koerding (CEA Saclay, France),
Tom Maccarone (Southampton),
Jon Marcaide (Valencia, Spain),
Sera Markoff (Amsterdam, The Netherlands),
Ivan Marti-Vidal (Valencia, Spain),
Carole Mundell (Liverpool John Moores),
Tom Muxlow (JBCA, Manchester),
Alison Peck (ALMA, Chile),
Alan Pedlar (JBCA, Manchester),
Miguel Perez-Torres (IAA, Spain),
Cristina Romero-Canzales (IAA, Spain),
D. J. Saikia (NCRA, India), Eva
Schinnerer (MPIA Heidelberg, Germany),
Ralph Spencer (JBCA, Manchester),
Ian Stevens (Birmingham),
Ian Stewart (South Africa),
Michele Thornley (Bucknell, USA),
Fabian Walter (MPIA, Heidelberg, Germany),
Phil Uttley (Southamption)
Martin Ward (Durham)
and Jeremy Yates (UCL)
Abstract
The two processes which dominate the appearance of our universe are
star-formation and accretion. Star-formation (SF) is fundamental to the
formation and evolution of galaxies whilst accretion provides a major
power source in the universe, dominating the emission from distant
quasars as well as from nearby X-ray binary systems. The feedback
between these two processes is also crucial, e.g. in reconciling the
observed galaxy luminosity function with the predictions from the
standard hierarchical clustering models. Radio observations provide by
far the best single diagnostic of these two processes, providing a
direct view of SF even in dusty environments and allowing
detection of AGN and measurement of their accretion rate at bolometric
luminosities far below anything detectable at higher energies. A
large, statistically complete, sample of galaxies such as we propose
here, provides the perfect laboratory to study for the first time not
only these two processes, but also to quantify how they interact in
different types of galaxies. e-MERLIN is perfectly tuned to such studies as, even at low frequencies, its
pc-scale resolution, coupled with spectral information, allows almost
unambiguous discrimination of even faint AGN inside large SF
regions. Specifically here we will carry out a complete census of
SF and AGN activity as a function of galaxy mass,
morphology and spectral type, black hole mass and luminosity. We will
thus calibrate other SF indicators, e.g. IR and H
α
luminosity, and constrain patterns in jet strength compared to merger histories.
Additionally, we will determine whether ultra-luminous X-ray
sources may come from intermediate mass black holes.
The broad philosophy of this legacy programme will be to provide the
definitive parsec-scale, μJy sensitivity radio images of a large
sample of well-known galaxies in the nearby universe. As such this
project will both address numerous key science questions regarding SF
and activity in galaxies and is specifically designed to be a lasting
Legacy data-set for the wider community, with the sample selected to
maximize multi-wavelength coverage and consequently the amount of
future legacy science achievable.
Team Web page,
Full proposals (pdf)