What Builds and Quenches the Most Massive Galaxies in the Early Universe?

Abstract

The first few billion years of cosmic history witnessed the rapid emergence of the most massive galaxies, yet their true space density, baryon assembly pathways, and early quenching mechanisms remain poorly constrained. Current surveys lack the wide-field, rest-frame FIR sensitivity needed to obtain a complete census of massive systems and to trace their cold gas, dust, and diffuse emission on galactic and circumgalactic scales. A next-generation facility with a very large aperture, wide field of view, and high mapping speed is essential to carry out deep, degree-scale rest-frame FIR surveys. Such capabilities are required to determine how common massive galaxies are, how they assemble their baryons, and what physical processes drive their early transformation and quenching.