Principal Investigator: Dr. Harry Teplitz

UVCANDELS is the definitive extragalactic UV imaging of the four premier HST deep-wide survey fields best suited to JWST observations. We will investigate the key processes of galaxy evolution during the epoch of vigorous star formation at 0.5 < z < 3 by: (1) Using the high spatial resolution UV and Blue data (700 pc at z~1) to study the structural evolution of galaxies and create 2D maps of their star-formation history. (2) Combining UVCANDELS with irreplaceable Herschel legacy data to trace the evolution of the dust content of moderate redshift (z < 1) galaxies. (3) Probing the role of environment in the evolution of low-mass star-forming galaxies. (4) Investigating the decay of star-formation in massive early type galaxies and the role of minor mergers. (5) Stacking images to constrain the escape fraction of ionizing radiation from galaxies at z~2.5 to better understand how star-forming galaxies reionized the Universe at z > 6.

UVCANDELS consists of WFC3/F275W imaging of four CANDELS fields (~430 sq. arcmin; 4x increased UV coverage when combined with archival data), reaching AB=27 for compact galaxies (SFR~0.2 Msun/yr at z=1), together with parallel ACS/F435W (AB>=28.0) imaging. These fields have extensive treasury data and are the natural place to complete HST's UV imaging legacy. This wide-area program complements other deep UV observations (HDUV, UVUDF, ERS, and the Frontier Fields). UVCANDELS is a natural component of the UV Initiative and will support JWST observations of these fields.