Request For Proposals 2003 Fellows 2002 Fellows 2001 Fellows 2000 Fellows 1999 Fellows 1998 Fellows 1997 Fellows 1996 Fellows 1995 Fellows 1994 Fellows 1993 Fellows

1. Veera Boonyasait (UF) "Determination of Bar Pattern Speeds"
2. Pimol Moth (UF) "A Near Infrared Study of z = 3-3.5 Galaxies in Four Quasar Fields"
3. James Radomski (UF) "A High Resolution Mid-Infrared Survey of Luminous Infrared Galaxies"

A Near Infrared Study of z = 3-3.5 Galaxies in Four Quasar Fields

Pimol Moth

Recently, there have been numerous detections of very distant galaxies at a redshift of approximately three using the Lyman break technique (Steidel et al 1993). We propose to conduct the first comprehensive study of the physical properties of these Lyman break galaxies by using near infrared spectroscopy to obtain their star formation rate, velocity dispersions, rotational velocities, and chemical abundances. We will use velocity dispersions to calculate directly the virial masses of the galaxies. Ultimately, we will compare our observations with existing observations and galaxy formation models to determine the nature of Lyman break galaxies. The study of these high redshift galaxies is crucial in our effors to better understand galaxy formation and evolution.