The following document lists the file abstract/EEGAMI_PROP_1.abs
from catalogue VI/111.
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Our inability to detect primeval galaxies (PGs) has been one of the major problems in the current observational cosmology. Here, PGs are defined as progenitors of the present-day normal, luminous galaxies undergoing their first major bursts of star formation at large redshifts. Despite the great sensitivities of current detectors in both optical and near-IR, we have still not seen PGs. In fact, the null results from recent deep imaging and spectroscopic surveys are so puzzling that we are completely at a loss with respect to our understanding of galaxy formation processes. One way to explain the current situation is that PGs are heavily obscured by dusts. For example, if there is a PG at z = 4, even its K-band light, being B-band in the restframe, could suffer significant dust extinction. In order to examine this possibility, we propose to perform a serach for PGs using ISOCAM at 6.75 micron (LW2). At this wavelength, we can considerably reduce the effect of dust extinction. Currently, only ISO has a capability of doing deep imaging at such a long wavelength. We will specifically look at fields around already known z>4 quasars. Since galaxies tend to cluster, we could enhance our chance of finding high-z galaxies by looking at the vicinity of known high-z galaxies. We have already obtained deep images of these fields in the B, I, and K band in our related PG survey from the ground. By looking for objects which are detected by ISO but not in the ground data, we will examine the possibility that PGs are heavily obscured and therefore cannot be detected at shorter (< 2.2 micron) wavelengths with the sensitivities currently available on the ground.