The Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM): a Next-Generation Experiment for Galaxy Evolution Studies

Understand

Understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time is one of the foremost goals of astrophysics and cosmology today.

• The cosmic star formation rate has undergone a dramatic evolution over the course of the last 14 billion years, and dust obscured star forming galaxies (DSFGs) are a crucial component of this evolution.
• A variety of important, bright, and unextincted diagnostic lines are present in the far-infrared (FIR) which can provide crucial insight into the physical conditions of galaxy evolution, including the instantaneous star formation rate, the effect of AGN feedback on star formation, the mass function of the stars, metallicities, and the spectrum of their ionizing radiation.
• FIR spectroscopy is technically difficult but scientifically crucial.