Galaxy formation and evolution

Abstract:

Using Herschel Photodetector Array Camera (PACS) and Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) observations of Lockman Hole-North and Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North (GOODS-N) as part of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) project, we explore the far-infrared (IR) properties of a sample of mid-IR-selected starburst-dominated ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z~ 2. The selection of the sample is based on the detection of the stellar bump that appears in the spectral energy distribution of star-forming galaxies at 1.6 μm. We derive robust estimates of infrared luminosities (LIR) and dust temperatures (Td) of the population and find that while the luminosities in our sample span less than an order of magnitude (12.24 ≤ log(LIR/L·) ≤ 12.94), they cover a wide range of dust temperatures (25 ≤Td≤ 62 K). Galaxies in our sample range from those that are as cold as high-z submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) to those that are as warm as optically faint radio galaxies (OFRGs) and local ULIRGs. Nevertheless, our sample has median Td= 42.3 K, filling the gap between SMGs and OFRGs, bridging the two populations. We demonstrate that a significant fraction of our sample would be missed from ground-based (sub)mm surveys (850-1200 μm), showing that the latter introduce a bias towards the detection of colder sources. We conclude that Herschel observations confirm the existence of high-z ULIRGs warmer than SMGs, show that the mid-IR selection of high-z ULIRGs is not Td dependent, reveal a large dispersion in Td of high-z ULIRGs and provide the means to characterize the bulk of the ULIRG population, free from selection biases introduced by ground-based (sub)mm surveys. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 RAS.

Abstract:

We use the Herschel-Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (ATLAS) science demonstration data to investigate the star formation properties of radio-selected galaxies in the GAMA-9h field as a function of radio luminosity and redshift. Radio selection at the lowest radio luminosities, as expected, selects mostly starburst galaxies. At higher radio luminosities, where the population is dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGN), we find that some individual objects are associated with high far-infrared luminosities. However, the far-infrared properties of the radio-loud population are statistically indistinguishable from those of a comparison population of radio-quiet galaxies matched in redshift and K-band absolute magnitude. There is thus no evidence that the host galaxies of these largely low-luminosity (Fanaroff-Riley class I), and presumably low-excitation, AGN, as a population, have particularly unusual star formation histories. Models in which the AGN activity in higher luminosity, high-excitation radio galaxies is triggered by major mergers would predict a luminosity-dependent effect that is not seen in our data (which only span a limited range in radio luminosity) but which may well be detectable with the full Herschel-ATLAS data set. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 RAS.

Abstract:

We present new radio data of IRAS FSC10214, a gravitationally lensed starburst/AGN composite galaxy at z=2.3. Our Bayesian MCMC source plane reconstruction places what we argue to be the AGN core (VLA 8 GHz) and the scattered quasar light (HST rest-frame ultraviolet) at an angle perpendicular to the ultraviolet polarisation angle. The size of and projected distance to the dominant HST UV emission component is roughly consistent with the smooth polarisation angle variation observed with HST polarimetry, suggesting that the modelled offset between these two components is reasonably accurate. Both of these components lie inside a larger 1.6 GHz component (observed with MERLIN) thought to be dominated by a radio lobe based on its steep radio spectrum but very likely to include star formation as well given the substantial molecular mass (MH2 ~ 1012 µ−1 M) in this system. Our lens model finds the HST rest-frame UV component is preferentially magnified due to its closer proximity to the cusp of the caustic. A preferential magnification of the narrow line region dust clouds, where the ultraviolet scattering is assumed to occur, supports previous claims that differential magnification could mask the expected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon spectral features in the Spitzer mid-infrared spectrum which broadly trace the star forming regions. fu¨rther predictions will be tested with upcoming EVN and VLBA observations.

Abstract:

Lynds dark cloud LDN1622 represents one of the best examples of anomalous dust emission, possibly originating from small spinning dust grains. We present Cosmic Background Imager (CBI) 31-GHz data of LDN1621, a diffuse dark cloud to the north of LDN1622 in a region known as Orion East. A broken ring-like structure with diameter ≈20 arcmin of diffuse emission is detected at 31 GHz, at ≈20-30 mJy beam-1 with an angular resolution of ≈5 arcmin. The ring-like structure is highly correlated with far-infrared (FIR) emission at 12-100 μm with correlation coefficients of r ≈ 0.7-0.8, significant at ~10σ. The FIR-correlated emission at 31 GHz therefore appears to be mostly due to radiation associated with dust. Multifrequency data are used to place constraints on other components of emission that could be contributing to the 31-GHz flux. An analysis of the GB6 survey maps at 4.85 GHz yields a 3σ upper limit on free-free emission of 7.2 mJy beam-1 (30 per cent of the observed flux) at the CBI resolution. The bulk of the 31-GHz flux therefore appears to be mostly due to dust radiation. Aperture photometry, at an angular resolution of 13 arcmin and with an aperture of diameter 30 arcmin, allowed the use of IRAS maps and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 5-yr W-band map at 93.5 GHz. A single modified blackbody model was fitted to the data to estimate the contribution from thermal dust, which amounts to~10 per cent at 31 GHz. In this model, an excess of 1.52 ± 0.66 Jy (2.3σ) is seen at 31 GHz. Correlations with the IRAS 100 μm gave a coupling coefficient of 18.1 ± 4.4 μK (MJy sr-1)-1, consistent with the values found for LDN1622. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation. © 2010 RAS.

Abstract:

We present the first results of a new Keck spectroscopic survey of UV faint Lyman break galaxies in the redshift range 3 < z < 7. Combined with earlier Keck and published European Southern Observatory (ESO) VLT data, our spectroscopic sample contains more than 600 dropouts offering new insight into the nature of sub-L* sources typical of those likely to dominate the cosmic reionization process. In this first paper, in a series discussing these observations, we characterize the fraction of strong Lyα emitters within the continuum-selected dropout population. By quantifying how the 'Lyα fraction', xLyα, varies with redshift, we seek to constrain changes in Lyα transmission associated with reionization. In order to distinguish the effects of reionization from other factors which affect the Lyα fraction [e.g. dust, interstellar medium (ISM) kinematics], we study the luminosity and redshift-dependence of the Lyα fraction over 3 ≲z≲ 6, when the intergalactic medium (IGM) is known to be ionized. These results reveal that low-luminosity galaxies show strong Lyα emission much more frequently (xLyα= 0.47 ± 0.16 at MUV=-19) than luminous systems (xLyα= 0.08 ± 0.02 at MUV=-21), and that at fixed luminosity, the prevalence of strong Lyman α emission increases moderately with redshift over 3 < z < 6 (d xLyα/d z= 0.05 ± 0.03). Based on the bluer mean UV slopes of the strong Lyα emitting galaxies in our data set (〈Β〉Lyα-〈Β〉noLyα=-0.33 ± 0.09 at MUV=-20.5) we argue that the Lyα fraction trends are governed by redshift and luminosity-dependent variations in the dust obscuration, with likely additional contributions from trends in the kinematics and covering fraction of neutral hydrogen. Using the limited infrared spectroscopy of candidate z{reversed tilde} 7 galaxies, we find a tentative decrease in the Lyα fraction by a factor of >1.9 with respect to the predicted z{reversed tilde} 7 value, a result which, if confirmed with future surveys, would suggest an increase in the neutral fraction by this epoch. Given the abundant supply of z and Y drops now available from deep Hubble WFC3/IR surveys, we show it will soon be possible to significantly improve estimates of the Lyα fraction using optical and near-infrared multi-object spectrographs, thereby extending the study conducted in this paper to 7 ≲z≲ 8. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 RAS.