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Thanks to new and expanded observational facilities, and ever more sophisticated theoretical calculations, the past decade has seen tremendous progress in our understanding of infrared-luminous galaxies, both locally and at high redshift. In particular, submillimeter observations, which probe the dust-reprocessed UV light from obscured star formation, has been instrumental in this process. This seminar will focus on the role of submillimeter-selected galaxies in the formation and evolution of galaxies. First, we review the benefits (and downsides) of submillimeter selection, and the broad properties of this population of galaxies. Then we discuss the use of high-resolution interferometric imaging to unambiguously identify counterparts at shorter wavelengths, which provides evidence for hyperluminous starbursts even earlier in cosmic time than previously thought. Finally, we use a combination of observational and theoretical techniques to probe the engine driving their tremendous luminosity, and the relative roles of star formation and AGN in these most extreme environments. |