Speaker: Stephen McKay, Physics PhD Graduate Student
Abstract: Once entirely undetected in large galaxy surveys, dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs)--a population of massive, dust-enshrouded galaxies with prodigious star formation rates (SFRs)--contribute heavily to the cosmic star formation history at high redshifts (z ≳ 1). However, since their original detection nearly three decades ago as submillimeter galaxies (or SMGs), a detailed understanding of these galaxies has been extremely difficult to obtain for large samples, in particular for faint sources that fall below typical wide-field survey limits. In this talk, I will discuss my work on inferring the multiwavelength properties of large samples of high-redshift DSFGs using observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). I will describe how my work will shed light on crucial characteristics of the faint DSFG population, including their dust content, stellar populations, ongoing star formation, molecular gas, and, ultimately, their obscured contribution to the Universe's star formation history across cosmic time.