Galaxy formation and evolution

Abstract:

We present an alternative method to X-ray surveys for hunting down the high-redshift type-2 quasar population, using Spitzer and VLA data on the Spitzer First Look Survey. By demanding objects to be bright at 24 μm but faint at 3.6 μm, and combining this with a radio criterion, we find 21 type-2 radio-quiet quasar candidates at the epoch at which the quasar activity peaked. Optical spectroscopy with the WHT confirmed 10 of these objects to be type-2s with 1.4 ≤ z ≤ 4.2 while the rest are blank. There is no evidence for contamination in our sample, and we postulate that our 11 blank-spectrum candidates are obscured by kpc-scale dust as opposed to dust from a torus around the accretion disk. By carefully modelling our selection criteria, we conclude that, at high redshift, 50-80 % of the supermassive black hole growth is obscured by dust. ©2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Abstract:

We present the results of a study which uses the 3CRR sample of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) to investigate the evolution of the hlack-hole: spheroid relation in the most massive early-type galaxies from 0 < z < 2. Radioloud unification is exploited to obtain virial (line-width) black-hole mass estimates from the 3CRR quasars, and stellar mass estimates from the 3CRR radio galaxies, thereby providing black-hole and stellar mass estimates for a single population of early-type galaxies. At low redshift (z < 1) the 3CRR sample is consistent with a black-hole:spheroid ratio of Mbh/Msph ≃ 0.002, in good agreement with that observed locally for quiescent galaxies of similar stellar mass (Msph ≃ 5 × 10 11M⊙). However, over the redshift interval 0 < z < 2 the 3CRR black-hole:spheroid ratio is found to evolve as M bh/Msph ∝ (1 + z)2-07±0.76, reaching Mbh/Msph ≃ 0.008 by redshift z ≃ 2. This evolution is found to be inconsistent with the local black-hole:spheroid ratio remaining constant at a moderately significant level (98%). If confirmed, the detection of evolution in the 3CRR black-hole:spheroid mass ratio further strengthens the evidence that, at least for massive early-type galaxies, the growth of the central supermassive black hole may be completed before that of the host spheroid. © 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Abstract:

[Abridged] We use mock catalogues based on the GALICS model (Hatton et al. 03) to explore the nature of galaxy clustering observed in the SDSS. We measure low and high order angular clustering statistic from these mock catalogues, after selecting galaxies the same way as for observations, and compare them directly to estimates from SDSS data. Note that we also present measurements of S3-S5 on the SDSS DR1. We find that our model is in general good agreement with observations in the scale/luminosity range where we can trust the predictions. This range is found to be limited (i) by the size of the dark matter simulation used -- which introduces finite volume effects at large scales -- and by the mass resolution of this simulation -- which introduces incompleteness at apparent magnitudes fainter than $r\sim 20$. We then focus on the small scale clustering properties of galaxies and investigate the behaviour of three different prescriptions for positioning galaxies within haloes of dark matter. We show that galaxies are poor tracers both of DM particles or DM sub-structures, within groups and clusters. Instead, SDSS data tells us that the distribution of galaxies lies somewhat in between these two populations. This confirms the general theoretical expectation from numerical simulations and semi-analytic modelling.

Abstract:

We investigate the nature of a sample of 92 Spitzer MIPS 24 μm-selected galaxies in the CDF-S, showing power-law-like emission in the Spitzer IRAC 3.6-8 μm bands. The main goal is to determine whether the galaxies not detected in X-rays (47% of the sample) are part of the hypothetical population of obscured AGNs not detected even in deep X-ray surveys. The majority of the IR power-law galaxies are ULIRGs at z > 1, and those with LIRG-like IR luminosities are usually detected in X-rays. The optical-to-IR SEDs of the X-ray-detected galaxies are almost equally divided between a BLAGN SED class (similar to an optically selected QSO) and an NLAGN SED (similar to the BLAGN SED but with an obscured UV/optical continuum). A small fraction of SEDs resemble warm ULIRGs (e.g., Mrk 231). Most galaxies not detected in X-rays have SEDs in the NLAGN+ULIRG class as they tend to be optically fainter and possibly more obscured. Moreover, the IR power-law galaxies have SEDs significantly different from those of high-z (zsp > 1) IR (24 μm) selected and optically bright (WDS IAB ≤ 24) star-forming galaxies whose SEDs show a very prominent stellar bump at 1.6 μm. The galaxies detected in X-rays have 2-8 keV rest-frame luminosities typical of AGNs. The galaxies not detected in X-rays have global X-ray-to-mid-IR SED properties that make them good candidates to contain IR-bright X-ray-absorbed AGNs. If all these sources are actually obscured AGNs, we would observe a ratio of obscured to unobscured 24 μm-detected AGNs of 2:1, whereas models predict a ratio of up to 3:1. Additional studies using Spitzer to detect X-ray-quiet AGNs are likely to find more such obscured sources. © 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.