Galaxy formation and evolution

Abstract:

The upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will enable astronomers to discover rare and distant astrophysical transients. Host-galaxy association is crucial for selecting the most scientifically interesting transients for follow-up. LSST deep drilling field (DDF) observations will detect distant transients occurring in galaxies below the detection limits of most all-sky catalogs. Here, we investigate the use of preexisting, field-specific catalogs for host identification in the DDFs and a ranking of their usefulness. We have compiled a database of 70 deep catalogs that overlap with the Rubin DDFs and constructed thin catalogs to be homogenized and combined for transient-host matching. A systematic ranking of their utility is discussed and applied based on the inclusion of information such as spectroscopic redshifts and morphological information. Utilizing this data against a Dark Energy Survey sample of supernovae with pre-identified hosts in the XMM-Large Scale Structure and the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South fields, we evaluate different methods for transient-host association in terms of both accuracy and processing speed. We also apply light data-cleaning techniques to identify and remove contaminants within our associations, such as diffraction spikes and blended galaxies where the correct host cannot be determined with confidence. We use a lightweight machine learning approach in the form of extreme gradient boosting to generate confidence scores in our contaminant selections and associated metrics. Finally, we discuss the computational expense of implementation within the LSST transient alert brokers, which will require efficient, fast-paced processing to handle the large stream of survey data.

Abstract:

Massive star-forming clumps are a prominent feature of high-redshift galaxies and are thought to trace gravitational fragmentation, feedback, and bulge growth in gas-rich disks. We present a statistical analysis of clumps in ∼3600 galaxies spanning 2 ≲ z ≲ 8 from deep JWST/NIRCam imaging in the JADES GOODS–South field. Clumps are identified as residual features after subtracting smooth Sérsic profiles, enabling a uniform, rest-frame optical census of subgalactic structure. We characterize their physical properties, size–mass relations, and spatial distributions to constrain models of subgalactic structure formation and evolution. We find that clumps in our sample are typically low-mass (10∼7−8M⊙), actively star-forming, and show diverse gas-phase metallicity, dust attenuation, and stellar population properties. Their sizes and average pairwise separations increase with cosmic time (toward lower redshift), consistent with inside-out disk growth. The clump mass function follows a power law with slope α=−1.50−0.17+0.19 , consistent with fragmentation in turbulent disks. We find a deficit of relatively young clumps near galaxy centers and a radial transition in the size–mass relation: outer clumps exhibit steeper, near-virial slopes ( Re∝M*∼0.3 ), while inner clumps follow flatter trends ( Re∝M*∼0.2 ), consistent with structural evolution via migration or disruption. These results provide new constraints on the formation, survival, and dynamical evolution of clumps, highlighting their role in shaping galaxy morphology during the peak of cosmic star formation.

Abstract:

Abstract A key question in extragalactic astronomy is how the star-formation rate density (SFRD) evolves over cosmic time. A powerful way of addressing this question is using radio-continuum observations, where the radio waves are unaffected by dust and are able to reach sufficient resolution to resolve individual galaxies. We present an investigation of the 1.4 GHz radio luminosity functions (RLFs) of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) using deep radio continuum observations in the COSMOS and XMM–LSS fields, covering a combined area of ∼4 deg2. These data enable the most accurate measurement of the evolution in the SFRD from mid-frequency radio continuum observations. We model the total RLF as the sum of evolving SFG and AGN components, negating the need for individual source classification. We find that the SFGs have systematically higher space densities at fixed luminosity than found in previous radio studies, but consistent with more recent studies with MeerKAT. We attribute this to the excellent low-surface brightness sensitivity of MeerKAT. We then determine the evolution of the SFRD. Adopting the far-infrared – radio correlation results in a significantly higher SFRD at z > 1, compared to combined UV and far-infrared measurements. However, using more recent relations for the correlation between star-formation rate and radio luminosity, based on full spectral energy distribution modelling, can resolve this apparent discrepancy. Thus radio observations provide a powerful method of determining the total SFRD, in the absence of dust-sensitive far-infrared data.

Abstract:

Abstract Studying samples of young star-forming regions allows us to statistically examine the evolution of their natal gas and dust along with the associated timescales in the volatile early stages of their lives. With the PHANGS survey data, we analyze the diversity of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the rich sample of massive star-forming regions found in NGC 1365. By combining unique detections across a variety of datasets from HST, JWST, and ALMA images, we produce a catalog of 85 star-forming regions located in the central starbursting region of NGC 1365. Prior to analysis, we observe clear saturation effects in our four JWST/MIRI images, and implement a saturation-correction method which allows us to recover data for 23 of 32 saturation-affected regions in these images. We then perform photometry in 13 HST & JWST images which are convolved to match the resolution of MIRI/F2100W (~64pc), allowing us to probe star clusters as well as their immediate surroundings. Upon deriving their properties from SED-fitting using CIGALE, we observe that regions selected with progressively redder wavebands are younger and generally more reddened. We also identify three SED features correlated with age: 1) sources with a positive near-infrared slope ((F300W+F360M)/(2×F200W)) are by median half the age of those with negative near-infrared slopes; turnover occurs around 6 Myr, 2) the relative strength of dust emission (F2100W/F200W) and 3) PAH emission (F335M/F300M) both show that larger such ratios correlate with younger ages. Considering our working resolution, these features are robust to the inclusion of nearby emission surrounding star clusters.