Early star-forming galaxies and the reionization of the Universe

Understand

Star forming galaxies represent a valuable tracer of cosmic history.

• Recent observational progress with Hubble Space Telescope has led to the discovery and study of the earliest-known galaxies corresponding to a period when the Universe was only ~800 million years old.
• Intense ultraviolet radiation from these early galaxies probably induced a major event in cosmic history: the reionization of intergalactic hydrogen.
• New techniques are being developed to understand the properties of these most distant galaxies and determine their influence on the evolution of the universe.