S. Michael Fall
Published 1996-11-20Version 1
We outline a method to infer the global history of star formation in galaxies with input only from absorption-line observations of quasars. The application of the method to existing data leads to the conclusion that most stars formed at relatively low redshifts (z <~ 2). We combine the global rate of star formation with stellar population synthesis models to compute the mean comoving emissivity and mean intensity of background radiation from far-UV to far-IR wavelengths. These predictions are consistent with all the available measurements and observational limits, including recent results from HST and COBE.
Comments: 6 pages, LaTeX, macros included, 1 embedded figure, to appear in "HST and the High Redshift Universe" (proceedings of the 37th Herstmonceaux Conference, held in Cambridge, UK, July 1996)
Infall Collapse Solutions in the Inner Limit: Radiation Pressure and its Effects on Star Formation
Cluster Formation and the ISM
Surface Brightness Gradients Produced by the Ring Waves of Star Formation
