High-redshift radio galaxy searches with the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey

I will present the results of my Masters project to comprehensively search for high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) within 20 fields of the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey's first data release. These fields stand out due to their robust dynamic range and all-encompassing coverage across the optical and infrared spectrum through the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey and the All-sky Wide Infrared Survey Explorer surveys. HzRGs, potentially precursors to local elliptical galaxies, offer a unique lens for exploring diverse astrophysical phenomena, including large-scale cosmic structures, galaxy evolution, and the epoch of reionization. Leveraging adept multiwavelength cross-matching techniques, the candidate pool has been meticulously refined, further bolstered by harnessing in-band spectral indices derived from MeerKAT data. MeerKAT's extreme sensitivity has allowed us to detect a large number of new HzRG candidates, at radio luminosities an order of magnitude lower than other studies, effectively positioning them for subsequent spectroscopic analysis.