Searching for “First Light” with the Gemini telescopes

Astronomers from across the Gemini partnership have embarked on an ambitious mission to discover the first stars and forming galaxies during the epoch of reionization (6 < z < 15). Observers are using new techniques and technologies to make this dream a reality. In this article I provide an overview of a few of these programs, focusing primarily on experiments searching for objects with redshifts z > 7, which must be observed and studied at near-IR wavelengths (1-2.5 μm). Programs currently in progress include searches for high-redshift galaxies lensed by foreground galaxy clusters, the use of narrow-band filters to improve the signal-to-noise ratio by reducing the background, and near-IR spectroscopic follow-up of optical drop-out high-redshift candidates. Other programs seek to identify and observe high-redshift gamma-ray bursts. Finally, I describe Gemini's plans for the future, and ways that objects with z > 7 may be identified in the next few years.