Dust Evolution in the Early Universe and Galatic Systems: Observational Consequences and Cosmological Implications

A primary objective of astrophysics is to develop a clear history of the evolution of the universe from the formation of the cosmic microwave background to the complex structures seen in the Hubble Deep Field. The remarkably smooth early universe, composed primarily of H and He, developed over a few billion years into one which looks remarkably similar to the local universe. The process of structure formation and energy release are closely related, and recent observations suggest that a significant fraction of the cosmic star-formation activity took place early on, during the first billion years after the Big Bang. Interpretation of these observations depends crucially on our understanding of the role of dust, which is present in almost every astrophysical environment. To this end, we propose to study the evolution of dust in a variety of key astrophysical objects, ranging from the frist generation of stars and low-- mteallicity systems, starbust and merging galaxies to the more mundane components of the universe such as spiral and elliptical galaxies. The results of our studies will be important for the interpretation of currently available HST and ISO data, as well as in planning for , and the interpretations of, observations that will be obtained with the next generation of UV and IR space facilitites.