Abstract

Combining the Power of JWST with Gravitational Lenses to Constrain the Properties of Extremely Low-Luminosity Galaxies

Rychard Bouwens (Leiden University)

Rychard Bouwens (Leiden University)

The Hubble Frontier Fields program is an ambitious and visionary campaign enabling astronomers to look at the potential of gravitational lensing by massive galaxy clusters to probe the properties of ultra-low luminosity galaxies in the early universe. Thanks to the deep observations available over these clusters from Hubble+Spitzer and the supporting spectroscopy from the ground, astronomers are in the position to calibrate these gravitational telescopes very precisely using a variety of techniques and then to apply them to background galaxies, allowing for a probe of the faint-end of the UV luminosity function from z=2-10+. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of the new state-of-the-art results we have obtained from the soon-to-be-completed Hubble Frontier Fields program, the lessons we have learned from this program, and the prospects for improving upon these results using the unique capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope, both in terms of results on the UV luminosity function and also in terms of the prospects for characterizing the individual properties of ultra-faint galaxies. Particular attention will be given to the issue of systematic errors in the discussion we provide.

Talk