Abstract

Galaxy Mergers and Assembly in the Early Universe

Jennifer Lotz (STScI)

Greg Snyder, STScI

Galaxy mergers are expected to be extremely frequent in the early universe, and can play a critical role in the star-formation and assembly histories of galaxies. JWST will detect the first galaxy mergers, and provide spatially-resolved kinematic and gas-ionization properties. I will discuss our current understanding of the role of galaxy mergers during the first few billions years of the universe, and the prospects for tracing galaxy mergers with JWST.

Talk