Galaxy formation and evolution

Abstract:

We examine dense self-gravitating stellar systems dominated by a central potential, such as nuclear star clusters hosting a central supermassive black hole. Different dynamical properties of these systems evolve on vastly different timescales. In particular, the orbital-plane orientations are typically driven into internal thermodynamic equilibrium by vector resonant relaxation before the orbital eccentricities or semimajor axes relax. We show that the statistical mechanics of such systems exhibit a striking resemblance to liquid crystals, with analogous ordered-nematic and disordered-isotropic phases. The ordered phase consists of bodies orbiting in a disk in both directions, with the disk thickness depending on temperature, while the disordered phase corresponds to a nearly isotropic distribution of the orbit normals. We show that below a critical value of the total angular momentum, the system undergoes a first-order phase transition between the ordered and disordered phases. At the critical point the phase transition becomes second-order while for higher angular momenta there is a smooth crossover. We also find metastable equilibria containing two identical disks with mutual inclinations between $90^{\circ}$ and $180^\circ$.

Abstract:

Combining large-area optical quasar surveys with the new far-infrared (FIR) Herschel-ATLAS Data Release 1, we search for an observational signature associated with the minority of quasars possessing bright FIR luminosities. We find that FIR-bright quasars show broad C IV emission-line blueshifts in excess of that expected from the optical luminosity alone, indicating particularly powerful nuclear outflows. The quasars show no signs of having redder optical colours than the general ensemble of optically selected quasars, ruling out differences in lineof- sight dustwithin the host galaxies.We postulate that these objectsmay be caught in a special evolutionary phase, with unobscured, high black hole accretion rates and correspondingly strong nuclear outflows. The high FIR emission found in these objects is then either a result of star formation related to the outflow, or is due to dust within the host galaxy illuminated by the quasar. We are thus directly witnessing coincident small-scale nuclear processes and galaxy-wide activity, commonly invoked in galaxy simulations that rely on feedback from quasars to influence galaxy evolution.

Abstract:

Nearby dwarf galaxies provide a unique laboratory in which to test stellar population models below $Z_\odot/2$. Such tests are particularly important for interpreting the surprising high-ionization UV line emission detected at $z>6$ in recent years. We present HST/COS ultraviolet spectra of ten nearby metal-poor star-forming galaxies selected to show He II emission in SDSS optical spectra. The targets span nearly a dex in gas-phase oxygen abundance ($7.8<12+\log\mathrm{O/H}<8.5$) and present uniformly large specific star formation rates (sSFR $\sim 10^2$ $\mathrm{Gyr}^{-1}$). The UV spectra confirm that metal-poor stellar populations can power extreme nebular emission in high-ionization UV lines, reaching C III] equivalent widths comparable to those seen in systems at $z\sim 6-7$. Our data reveal a marked transition in UV spectral properties with decreasing metallicity, with systems below $12+\log\mathrm{O/H}\lesssim 8.0$ ($Z/Z_\odot \lesssim 1/5$) presenting minimal stellar wind features and prominent nebular emission in He II and C IV. This is consistent with nearly an order of magnitude increase in ionizing photon production beyond the $\mathrm{He^+}$-ionizing edge relative to H-ionizing flux as metallicity decreases below a fifth solar, well in excess of standard stellar population synthesis predictions. Our results suggest that often neglected sources of energetic radiation such as stripped binary products and very massive O-stars produce a sharper change in the ionizing spectrum with decreasing metallicity than expected. Consequently, nebular emission in C IV and He II powered by these stars may provide useful metallicity constraints in the reionization era.

Abstract:

We present the results from Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array imaging in the [N ii] 205μm fine-structure line (hereafter [N ii] ) and the underlying continuum of BRI 1202-0725, an interacting galaxy system at z = 4.7, consisting of a quasi-stellar object (QSO), a submillimeter galaxy (SMG), and two Ly emitters, all within ∼25 kpc of the QSO. We detect the QSO and SMG in both [N ii] and continuum. At the ∼1″ (or 6.6 kpc) resolution, both the QSO and SMG are resolved in [N ii] , with the de-convolved major axes of ∼9 and ∼14 kpc, respectively. In contrast, their continuum emissions are much more compact and unresolved even at an enhanced resolution of ∼0.″7. The ratio of the [N ii] flux to the existing CO(7-6) flux is used to constrain the dust temperature (T dust ) for a more accurate determination of the FIR luminosity LFIR . Our best estimated T dust equals 43 (±2) K for both galaxies (assuming an emissivity index β = 1.8). The resulting LCO(7-6) /L FIR ratios are statistically consistent with that of local luminous infrared galaxies, confirming that LCO(7-6) traces the star formation (SF) rate (SFR) in these galaxies. We estimate that the ongoing SF of the QSO (SMG) has an SFR of 5.1 (6.9) × 10^3 M⊙ yr^-1 (±30%) assuming Chabrier initial mass function, takes place within a diameter (at half maximum) of 1.3 (1.5) kpc, and will consume the existing 5 (5) × 10^11 M⊙ of molecular gas in 10 (7) × 10 7 years.