Using New Submillimetre Surveys to Identify the Evolutionary Status of High-z Galaxies

In this paper we briefly describe a ‘key’ survey at submm wavelengths which we are currently conducting to address some of the most important questions in cosmology how, at what epoch and over what period of time did massive galaxies form at high-redshift? The primary motivation for undertaking surveys of high-z galaxies at submm wavelengths is the expectation, which has still to be proved, that the most massive galaxies (Mbaryonic ≥ 5× 10 11M⊙) form the majority of their stars in a relatively short (< 1Gyr), but extremely luminous phase at rest-frame FIR wavelengths and hence, at redshifts z > 3, at wavelengths in the atmospheric windows between 350μ− 1300μ which are accessible from the ground. Throughout this paper we are referring to the rest-frame FIR emission when discussing the observed submm spectral energy distribution, and that all physical quantities are calculated assuming H0 = 50kms Mpc and q0 = 0.5.