Finding and Studying Luminous Dust-Enshrouded Galaxies

Abstract

This meeting was convened to celebrate the career and science interests of Tom Phillips. The possibility of investigating the physics and chemistry of the molecular interstellar medium (ISM) in galaxies, at mm/submm wavelengths has been enabled by many, but Tom’s long-standing and consistent contributions are amongst the greatest. Here I will summarize some of the key developments and prospects for better understanding galaxy evolution, by exploiting the energy generated by stars and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) after it has been absorbed and reprocessed by the solid and gaseous components of the ISM. I highlight the difficulties of identifying and diagnosing the discovered objects. The initial burst of activity associated with the galaxies detected when the first mm/submm-wave imaging instruments were fielded is maturing; however, the advent of in particular Herschel Space Observatory (Herschel), the Atacama Large (Sub-)Millimeter Array (ALMA) and the Cornell-Caltech Atacama Telescope (CCAT) mean that the complimentary view provided by far-infrared (IR) sensors to reveal both the detailed astrophysics of star formation taking place star by star, and of the great bursts of activity seen across the Universe is becoming much more powerful.