C R I S T A L

A survey of gas, dust, and stars in star-forming galaxies when the Universe was ~1 billion years old

CRISTAL is an ALMA Cycle 8 Large Program that will observe in the [CII] 158 μm line and dust continuum 19 main-sequence, star-forming galaxies at z~4−5. With the combination of ALMA, HST, and JWST, CRISTAL will produce a systematic census of the gas, dust, and stars on kiloparsec scales when the Universe was only ∼1 billion years old.

CRISTAL is designed to have a lasting impact on four scientific areas

Kinematics

We will constrain the nature of the galaxies (disk vs. merger), quantify the amount of rotation vs. random motions, and measure the rotation curves and velocity dispersion profiles

Outflows

We will search for cold gas outflows on individual galaxies, constraining their occurrence and main properties such as mass and mass loss rates

Morphology & Halo

We will characterize the distribution of the gas, dust and stars on kiloparsec scales. We will study the extended or "halo" emission, exploring its origin and powering mechanism

Interstellar Medium

We will conduct a systematic study of the variations of the infrared and UV emission (IRX-β) on kiloparsec scales. We will constrain the ISM properties comparing the [CII] and dust continuum emission