A central challenge in astrophysics today is to understand the complex processes of galaxy formation: the development of galactic structure, the conversion of gas into stars, and the growth of supermassive black holes. The far-infrared / submillimetre waveband is of particular importance for studying these processes because roughly half of the cosmic energy density produced by galaxies arises from optical/UV starlight that has been absorbed by dust and reradiated at these wavelengths. Existing surveys are already presenting a serious challenge for theorists, revealing many more luminous, massive galaxies at high redshifts than are predicted by simple prescriptions within the hierarchical merging paradigm. Submillimetre surveys however have been extremely limited but have already provided tantalizing clues to a strongly evolving population of infrared-luminous galaxies.
We propose HerMES, the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey, to chart the formation and evolution of infrared galaxies throughout cosmic history. HerMES consists of a nested set of fields that will bring unprecedented depth and breadth to the study of infrared galaxies. We will use HerMES to measure the bolometric emission of infrared galaxies, study the evolution of the luminosity function, measure their clustering properties, and probe populations of galaxies below the confusion limit through lensing and statistical techniques. HerMES is closely coordinated with the PACS Evolutionary Probe survey. We will make maximum use of ancillary surveys from radio to X-ray wavelengths to facilitate redshift determination, rapidly identify unusual objects, and understand the relationships between thermal dust emission and other emission mechanisms. HerMES will provide a rich data set legacy for the greater astronomical community to mine for years to come.
Publication
Co-evolution of Extreme Star Formation and Quasars: Hints from Herschel and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey . Ma Zhiyuan et al. . The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 811, Issue 1, article id. 58, 25 pp. (2015). . 811 . 10.1088\/0004-637X\/811\/1\/58 . 2015ApJ...811...58M , Star Formation Black Hole Growth and Dusty Tori in the Most Luminous AGNs at z=2-3.5 . Netzer Hagai et al. . The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 819, Issue 2, article id. 123, 23 pp. (2016). . 819 . 10.3847\/0004-637X\/819\/2\/123 . 2016ApJ...819..123N , Deep uGMRT observations of the ELAIS-North 1 field: statistical properties of radio-infrared relations up to z 2 . Sinha Akriti et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2022MNRAS.514.4343S , Ultraviolet photo-ionisation in far-infrared selected sources . Curran S. J. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2019A&A...627A..93C , Observational evidence that positive and negative AGN feedback depends on galaxy mass and jet power . Kalfountzou E. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 471, Issue 1, p.28-58 . 471 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stx1333 . 2017MNRAS.471...28K , S2COSMOS: Evolution of gas mass with redshift using dust emission . Millard Jenifer S. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2020MNRAS.494..293M , Candidate high-redshift protoclusters and lensed galaxies in the Planck list of high-z sources overlapping with Herschel-SPIRE imaging . Lammers Caleb et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2022MNRAS.514.5004L , Preparing for LSST data. Estimatin...g the physical properties of z &lt; 2.5 main-sequence galaxies . Riccio G. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2021A&A...653A.107R , Spectral Energy Distributions in Three Deep-drilling Fields of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time: Source Classification and Galaxy Properties . Zou Fan et al. . The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series . null . null . 2022ApJS..262...15Z , A Far-infrared Spectroscopic Survey of Intermediate Redshift (Ultra) Luminous Infrared Galaxies . Magdis Georgios E. et al. . The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 796, Issue 1, article id. 63, 18 pp. (2014). . 796 . 10.1088\/0004-637X\/796\/1\/63 . 2014ApJ...796...63M , Cosmic happenstance: 24-μm selected, multicomponent Herschel sources are line-of-sight projections . Scudder Jillian M. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 480, Issue 3, p.4124-4137 . 480 . 10.1093\/mnras\/sty2009 . 2018MNRAS.480.4124S , A Systematic Search for the Reddest Far-infrared and Submillimeter Galaxies: Revealing Dust-embedded Starbursts at High Redshifts . Yan Haojing et al. . The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series . null . null . 2020ApJS..249....1Y , Candidate high-z protoclusters among the Planck compact sources, as revealed by Herschel-SPIRE . Greenslade J. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 476, Issue 3, p.3336-3359 . 476 . 10.1093\/mnras\/sty023 . 2018MNRAS.476.3336G , CO Emission in Infrared-selected Active Galactic Nuclei . Kirkpatrick Allison et al. . The Astrophysical Journal . null . null . 2019ApJ...879...41K , A Redshift Survey of Herschel Far-infrared Selected Starbursts and Implications for Obscured Star Formation . Casey C. M. et al. . The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 761, Issue 2, article id. 140, 24 pp. (2012). . 761 . 10.1088\/0004-637X\/761\/2\/140 . 2012ApJ...761..140C , From the LIR-T Relation to the Limited Sizes of Dusty Starbursting Regions at High Redshifts . Yan Haojing et al. . The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 820, Issue 1, article id. L16, 6 pp. (2016). . 820 . 10.3847\/2041-8205\/820\/1\/L16 . 2016ApJ...820L..16Y , Herschel Multitiered Extragalactic Survey: clusters of dusty galaxies uncovered by Herschel and Planck . Clements D. L. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 439, Issue 2, p.1193-1211 . 439 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stt2253 . 2014MNRAS.439.1193C , Mid-IR cosmological spectrophotometric surveys from space: Measuring AGN and star formation at the cosmic noon with a SPICA-like mission . Spinoglio Luigi et al. . Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia . null . null . 2021PASA...38...21S , The discrepancy in the mid-infrared continuum and the features of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for Spitzer and Herschel SWIRE-field galaxies . Zhu Yi-Nan et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 446, Issue 1, p.254-263 . 446 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stu1967 . 2015MNRAS.446..254Z , HELP: modelling the spectral energy distributions of Herschel detected galaxies in the ELAIS N1 field . Małek K. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 620, id.A50, 17 pp. . 620 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201833131 . 2018A&A...620A..50M , Mid- to far-infrared properties of star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei . Magdis G. E. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 558, id.A136, 20 pp. . 558 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201322226 . 2013A&A...558A.136M , The spectral energy distribution of galaxies at z > 2.5: Implications from the Herschel/SPIRE color-color diagram . Yuan Fangting et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 582, id.A90, 16 pp. . 582 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201425497 . 2015A&A...582A..90Y , HerMES: point source catalogues from Herschel-SPIRE observations II . Wang L. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 444, Issue 3, p.2870-2883 . 444 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stu1569 . 2014MNRAS.444.2870W , LOFAR properties of SILVERRUSH Lyα emitter candidates in the ELAIS-N1 field . Gloudemans A. J. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2021A&A...648A...7G , Red but not dead: unveiling the star-forming far-infrared spectral energy distribution of SpARCS brightest cluster galaxies at 0 < z < 1.8 . Bonaventura N. R. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 469, Issue 2, p.1259-1281 . 469 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stx722 . 2017MNRAS.469.1259B , The nature of hyperluminous infrared galaxies . Gao F. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2021A&A...654A.117G , The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey Deep Fields. The star-formation rate-radio luminosity relation at low frequencies . Smith D. J. B. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2021A&A...648A...6S , Extreme star formation events in quasar hosts over 0.5 < z < 4 . Pitchford L. K. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 462, Issue 4, p.4067-4077 . 462 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stw1840 . 2016MNRAS.462.4067P , The roles of star formation and AGN activity of IRS sources in the HerMES fields . Feltre A. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 434, Issue 3, p.2426-2437 . 434 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stt1177 . 2013MNRAS.434.2426F , The bright end of the infrared luminosity functions and the abundance of hyperluminous infrared galaxies . Wang L. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2021A&A...648A...8W , Lens Models of Herschel-selected Galaxies from High-resolution Near-IR Observations . Calanog J. A. et al. . The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 797, Issue 2, article id. 138, 26 pp. (2014). . 797 . 10.1088\/0004-637X\/797\/2\/138 . 2014ApJ...797..138C , Cosmic evolution of low-excitation radio galaxies in the LOFAR two-metre sky survey deep fields . Kondapally Rohit et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2022MNRAS.513.3742K , The LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey: Deep Fields Data Release 1. III. Host-galaxy identifications and value added catalogues . Kondapally R. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2021A&A...648A...3K , Dust in Clusters: Separating the Contribution of Galaxies and Intracluster Media . Gutiérrez C. M. et al. . The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 835, Issue 1, article id. 111, 10 pp. (2017). . 835 . 10.3847\/1538-4357\/835\/1\/111 . 2017ApJ...835..111G , Dust temperature and mid-to-total infrared color distributions for star-forming galaxies at 0 < z < 4 . Schreiber C. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 609, id.A30, 25 pp. . 609 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201731506 . 2018A&A...609A..30S , Early Science with the Large Millimeter Telescope: CO and [C II] Emission in the z = 4.3 AzTEC J095942.9+022938 (COSMOS AzTEC-1) . Yun Min S. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 454, Issue 4, p.3485-3499 . 454 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stv1963 . 2015MNRAS.454.3485Y , The multiwavelength properties of red QSOs: Evidence for dusty winds as the origin of QSO reddening . Calistro Rivera G. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2021A&A...649A.102C , XXL-HSC: Link between AGN activity and star formation in the early Universe (z ⩾ 3.5) . Pouliasis E. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2022A&A...667A..56P , Deep Extragalactic VIsible Legacy Survey (DEVILS): SED fitting in the D10-COSMOS field and the evolution of the stellar mass function and SFR-M⋆ relation . Thorne Jessica E. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2021MNRAS.505..540T , A Population of z > 2 Far-infrared Herschel-SPIRE-selected Starbursts . Casey C. M. et al. . The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 761, Issue 2, article id. 139, 24 pp. (2012). . 761 . 10.1088\/0004-637X\/761\/2\/139 . 2012ApJ...761..139C , PAHs as tracers of the molecular gas in star-forming galaxies . Cortzen I. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 482, Issue 2, p.1618-1633 . 482 . 10.1093\/mnras\/sty2777 . 2019MNRAS.482.1618C , Probing the megaparsec-scale environment of hyperluminous infrared galaxies at 2 &lt; z &lt; 4 . Gao F. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2022A&A...668A..54G , Extreme submillimetre starburst galaxies . Rowan-Robinson M. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 619, id.A169, 19 pp. . 619 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201832671 . 2018A&A...619A.169R , The HerMES submillimetre local and low-redshift luminosity functions . Marchetti L. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 456, Issue 2, p.1999-2023 . 456 . 10.1093\/mnras\/stv2717 . 2016MNRAS.456.1999M , HELP: the Herschel Extragalactic Legacy Project . Shirley R. et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2021MNRAS.507..129S ,
Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth 'cornerstone' mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities.
