Galaxy formation and evolution

Abstract:

A complete sample of 96 faint ($S > 0.5$ mJy) radio galaxies is selected from the Tenth Cambridge (10C) survey at 15.7~GHz. Optical spectra are used to classify 17 of the sources as high-excitation or low-excitation radio galaxies (HERGs and LERGs respectively), for the remaining sources three other methods are used; these are optical compactness, X-ray observations and mid-infrared colour--colour diagrams. 32 sources are HERGs and 35 are LERGs while the remaining 29 sources could not be classified. We find that the 10C HERGs tend to have higher 15.7-GHz flux densities, flatter spectra, smaller linear sizes and be found at higher redshifts than the LERGs. This suggests that the 10C HERGs are more core dominated than the LERGs. Lower-frequency radio images, linear sizes and spectral indices are used to classify the sources according to their radio morphology; 18 are Fanaroff and Riley type I or II sources, a further 13 show some extended emission, and the remaining 65 sources are compact and are referred to as FR0 sources. The FR0 sources are sub-divided into compact, steep-spectrum (CSS) sources (13 sources) or GHz-peaked spectrum (GPS) sources (10 sources) with the remaining 42 in an unclassified class. FR0 sources are more dominant in the subset of sources with 15.7-GHz flux densities $<$1 mJy, consistent with the previous result that the fainter 10C sources have flatter radio spectra. The properties of the 10C sources are compared to the higher-flux density Australia Telescope 20 GHz (AT20G) survey. The 10C sources are found at similar redshifts to the AT20G sources but have lower luminosities. The nature of the high-frequency selected objects change as flux density decreases; at high flux densities the objects are primarily quasars, while at low flux densities radio galaxies dominate.

Abstract:

Filaments of the cosmic web drive spin acquisition of disc galaxies. The point process of filament-type saddle represent best this environment and can be used to revisit the Tidal Torque Theory in the context of an anisotropic peak (saddle) background split. The constrained misalignment between the tidal tensor and the Hessian of the density field generated in the vicinity of filament saddle points simply explains the corresponding transverse and longitudinal point-reflection symmetric geometry of spin distribution. It predicts in particular an azimuthal orientation of the spins of more massive galaxies and spin alignment with the filament for less massive galaxies. Its scale dependence also allows us to relate the transition mass corresponding to the alignment of dark matter halos spin relative to the direction of their neighboring filament to this geometry, and to predict accordingly it s scaling with the mass of non linearity, as was measured in simulations.

Abstract:

Using the Horizon-AGN simulation we find a mass dependent spin orientation trend for galaxies: the spin of low-mass, rotation-dominated, blue, star-forming galaxies are preferentially aligned with their closest filament, whereas high-mass, velocity dispersion- supported, red quiescent galaxies tend to possess a spin perpendicular to these filaments. We explore the physical mechanisms driving galactic spin swings and quantify how much mergers and smooth accretion re-orient them relative to their host filaments.