The last star formation wave that swept the galaxy

We will study ages and compositions of hundreds of thousands of stars in the Galactic disk to determine the timing, strength, spatial coverage, and causes of the last star formation wave.

First, a data-oriented approach will measure the timing of the latest star formation wave at different positions in the disk; second, by matching the chemical compositions of disk stars with the predictions from analytical chemical evolution models, the entire star formation history across the disk will be assessed; third, simulations will be compared to observations to establish the cause of the star formation wave