Aprajita Verma

Abstract:

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will enable revolutionary studies of galaxies, dark matter, and black holes over cosmic time. The LSST Galaxies Science Collaboration has identified a host of preparatory research tasks required to leverage fully the LSST dataset for extragalactic science beyond the study of dark energy. This Galaxies Science Roadmap provides a brief introduction to critical extragalactic science to be conducted ahead of LSST operations, and a detailed list of preparatory science tasks including the motivation, activities, and deliverables associated with each. The Galaxies Science Roadmap will serve as a guiding document for researchers interested in conducting extragalactic science in anticipation of the forthcoming LSST era.

Abstract:

© 2017. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) at z ≳ 1 are luminous in the far-infrared, and have star formation rates, SFR, of hundreds to thousands of solar masses per year. However, it is unclear whether they are true analogs of local ULIRGs or whether the mode of their star formation is more similar to that in local disk galaxies.We target these questions by using Herschel-PACS to examine the conditions in the interstellar medium (ISM) in far-infrared luminous SMGs at z ∼ 1-4. We present 70-160 μm photometry and spectroscopy of the [O IV]26 μm, [Fe II]26 μm, [S III]33 μm, [Si II]34 μm, [O III]52 μm, [N III]57 μm, and [O I]63 μm fine-structure lines and the S(0) and S(1) hydrogen rotational lines in 13 lensed SMGs identified by their brightness in early Herschel data. Most of the 13 targets are not individually spectroscopically detected; we instead focus on stacking these spectra with observations of an additional 32 SMGs from the Herschel archive-representing a complete compilation of PACS spectroscopy of SMGs. We detect [O I]63 μm, [Si II]34 μm, and [N III]57 μm at ≥3σ in the stacked spectra, determining that the average strengths of these lines relative to the far-IR continuum are (0.36 ± 0.12) × 10-3, (0.84 ± 0.17) × 10-3, and (0.27 ± 0.10) × 10-3, respectively. Using the [O III]52 μm/[N III]57 μm emission line ratio, we show that SMGs have average gas-phase metallicities ≳Zo. By using PDR modeling and combining the new spectral measurements with integrated far-infrared fluxes and existing [C II]158 μm data, we show that SMGs have average gas densities, n, of ∼101-3 cm-3 and FUV field strengths, G0 ∼ 102.2-4.5 (in Habing units: 1.6 × 10-3 erg cm-2 s-1), consistent with both local ULIRGs and lower luminosity star-forming galaxies.

Abstract:

In these proceedings we highlight the primary scientific goals and design of the WEAVE-LOFAR survey, which will use the new WEAVE spectrograph on the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope to provide the primary source of spectroscopic information for the LOFAR Surveys Key Science Project. Beginning in 2018, WEAVE-LOFAR will generate more than 10$^6$ R=5000 365-960 nm spectra of low-frequency selected radio sources, across three tiers designed to efficiently sample the redshift-luminosity plane, and produce a data set of enormous legacy value. The radio frequency selection, combined with the high multiplex and throughput of the WEAVE spectrograph, make obtaining redshifts in this way very efficient, and we expect that the redshift success rate will approach 100 per cent at $z < 1$. This unprecedented spectroscopic sample - which will be complemented by an integral field component - will be transformational in key areas, including studying the star formation history of the Universe, the role of accretion and AGN-driven feedback, properties of the epoch of reionisation, cosmology, cluster haloes and relics, as well as the nature of radio galaxies and protoclusters. Each topic will be addressed in unprecedented detail, and with the most reliable source classifications and redshift information in existence.