Galaxy Formation and Reionization: Key Unknowns and Expected Breakthroughs by the James Webb Space Telescope

Abstract

The scheduled launch of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in late 2021 marks a new start for studies of galaxy formation at high redshift z>~6 during the era of Cosmic Reionization. JWST can capture sensitive, high-resolution images and multi-object spectroscopy in the infrared that will transform our view of galaxy formation during the first billion years of cosmic history. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the role of galaxies in reionizing intergalactic hydrogen ahead of JWST, achieved through observations with Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based facilities including Keck, the Very Large Telescope, Subaru, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. We identify outstanding questions in the field that JWST can address during its mission lifetime, including with the planned JWST Cycle 1 programs. (Abridged)

To appear in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics

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