The case for a 'sub-millimeter SDSS': a 3D map of galaxy evolution to
  z~10
  The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) was revolutionary because of the
extraordinary breadth and ambition of its optical imaging and spectroscopy. We
argue that a 'sub-millimeter SDSS' - a sensitive large-area
imaging+spectroscopic survey in the sub-mm window - will revolutionize our
understanding of galaxy evolution in the early Universe. By detecting the
thermal dust continuum emission and atomic and molecular line emission of
galaxies out to z~10 it will be possible to measure the redshifts, star
formation rates, dust and gas content of hundreds of thousands of high-z
galaxies down to ~L*. Many of these galaxies will have counterparts visible in
the deep optical imaging of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. This 3D map of
galaxy evolution will span the peak epoch of galaxy formation all the way back
to cosmic dawn, measuring the co-evolution of the star formation rate density
and molecular gas content of galaxies, tracking the production of metals and
charting the growth of large-scale structure.
