Scientific Goals of SPICA for Galaxy Formation and Evolution in Early Universe

¹ Astronomical Institute, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan

Abstract

We review the scientific goals of SPICA for galaxy formation and evolution in the early Universe, along with Japanese activities defining the goals and the specification of the relevant instruments. The main targets are: (1) discovery of first generation objects (Pop III stars) at the reionization epoch, (2) the origin of the cosmic farinfrared background and its fluctuation, (3) the star formation history of dusty galaxies and their contribution to stellar-mass assembly over the cosmic time, (4) the role of super-massive black holes in galaxy evolution, and (5) the effects of environment on galaxy evolution in cluster of galaxies and large scale structures at the high-z Universe. The Japanese community for optical and infrared astronomy has organized a dedicated team for SPICA (SPICA Task Force, SFT). STF is playing a central role in defining the scientific capabilities of SPICA and in supporting the development of SPICA instruments: a large-format MIR camera, MIR spectrometers, and a high contrast photometric and spectroscopic MIR coronagraph.