High-redshift galaxy populations

We now see many galaxies as they were only 800 million years after the Big Bang, and that limit may soon be exceeded when wide-field infrared detectors are widely available. Multi-wavelength studies show that there was relatively little star formation at very early times and that star formation was at its maximum at about half the age of the Universe. A small number of high-redshift objects have been found by targeting X-ray and radio sources and most recently, γ-ray bursts. The γ-ray burst sources may provide a way to reach even higher-redshift galaxies in the future, and to probe the first generation of stars.