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A new simulation study suggests that the Antarctic 12-m Terahertz Telescope (ATT12), a next-generation facility led by University of Tsukuba, could uncover between 1 and 10 million dusty star-forming galaxies throughout cosmic history.
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Although stars continuously form within galaxies, some galaxies contain vast amounts of dust that absorb and scatter starlight, obscuring their stellar populations and star formation at visible wavelengths. Understanding this dust-obscured star formation is crucial to revealing the formation and evolution of galaxies throughout the history of the universe.
In this study, researchers performed a detailed assessment of the observational capabilities of the ATT12. The telescope is planned for construction in the interior of Antarctica, a location with some of the lowest atmospheric water vapor levels on Earth. Because water vapor strongly absorbs far-infrared and terahertz radiation, Antarctica's exceptionally dry conditions make it one of the world's premier sites for observations at these wavelengths.
The work is published in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan.
A clearer view of hidden galaxies
Simulation results reveal that the wide-field multiband imaging cameras planned for ATT12 could detect distant galaxies that existed less than one billion years after the Big Bang. Surveys covering a large area of the southern sky could potentially identify between 1 million and 10 million dusty star-forming galaxies that are difficult to detect with optical observations.
Additionally, the study shows that the spectroscopic instruments for ATT12 will enable detailed investigations of galactic gas density and chemical composition through far-infrared emission-line observations. These measurements are expected to provide new insights into galaxy evolution and the physical conditions within galaxies in the early universe.
This research demonstrates that ATT12 could play a major role in revealing the history of obscured star formation and the evolution of galaxies across cosmic time.
More information: Koki Wakasugi et al, ATT12: The Antarctic 12 m terahertz telescope for studies of dusty galaxies. I. Instrument sensitivity and science forecasts, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan (2026). DOI: 10.1093/pasj/psag048
Provided by University of Tsukuba
This story was originally published on Phys.org.
