2,311 research outputs found

    Infalling Faint [OII] Emitters in Abell 851. I. Spectroscopic Confirmation of Narrowband-Selected Objects

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    We report on a spectroscopic confirmation of narrowband-selected [OII] emitters in Abell 851 catalogued by Martin et al. (2000). The optical spectra obtained from the Keck I Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS) and Keck II Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS) have confirmed [OII]3727 emission in narrowband-selected cluster [OII] candidates at a 85% success rate for faint (i <~ 25) blue (g-i < 1) galaxies. The rate for the successful detection of [OII] emission is a strong function of galaxy color, generally proving the efficacy of narrowband [OII] search supplemented with broadband colors in selecting faint cluster galaxies with recent star formation. Balmer decrement-derived reddening measurements show a high degree of reddening [E(B-V) >~ 0.5] in a significant fraction of this population. Even after correcting for dust extinction, the [OII]/Ha line flux ratio for the high-E(B-V) galaxies remains generally lower by a factor of ~2 than the mean [OII]/Ha ratios reported by the studies of nearby galaxies. The strength of [OII] equivalent width shows a negative trend with galaxy luminosity while the Ha equivalent width does not appear to depend as strongly on luminosity. This in part is due to the high amount of reddening observed in luminous galaxies. Furthermore, emission line ratio diagnostics show that AGN-like galaxies are abundant in the high luminosity end of the cluster [OII]-emitting sample, with only moderately strong [OII] equivalent widths, consistent with a scenario of galaxy evolution connecting AGNs and suppression of star-forming activity in massive galaxies.Comment: 11 pages (LaTeX emulateapj), 8 figures, to appear in ApJ. A version with high resolution figures available from the lead autho

    The discovery of a typical radio galaxy at z = 4.88

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    ‘The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com '. Copyright Royal Astronomical Society. DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00715.xIn this Letter, we report the discovery of a z= 4.88 radio galaxy discovered with a new technique which does not rely on pre-selection of a sample based on radio properties such as steep-spectral index or small angular size. This radio galaxy was discovered in the Elais-N2 field and has a spectral index of α= 0.75 , i.e. not ultra-steep spectrum. It also has a luminosity consistent with being drawn from the break of the radio luminosity function and can therefore be considered as a typical radio galaxy. Using the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic Survey (SWIRE) data over this field, we find that the host galaxy is consistent with being similarly massive to the lower redshift powerful radio galaxies (∼1–3L★) . However, we note that at z= 4.88, the Hα line is redshifted into the IRAC 3.6 μm filter, and some of the flux in this band may be due to this fact rather than the stellar continuum emission. The discovery of such a distant radio source from our initial spectroscopic observations demonstrates the promise of our survey for finding the most distant radio sources.Peer reviewe

    New Herbig-Haro Objects and Giant Outflows in Orion

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    We present the results of a photographic and CCD imaging survey for Herbig-Haro (HH) objects in the L1630 and L1641 giant molecular clouds in Orion. The new HH flows were initially identified from a deep H-alpha film from the recently commissioned AAO/UKST H-alpha Survey of the southern sky. Our scanned H-alpha and broad band R images highlight both the improved resolution of the H-alpha survey and the excellent contrast of the H-alpha flux with respect to the broad band R. Comparative IVN survey images allow us to distinguish between emission and reflection nebulosity. Our CCD H-alpha, [SII], continuum and I band images confirm the presence of a parsec-scale HH flow associated with the Ori I-2 cometary globule and several parsec-scale strings of HH emission centred on the L1641-N infrared cluster. Several smaller outflows display one-sided jets. Our results indicate that for declinations south of -6 degrees in L1641, parsec-scale flows appear to be the major force in the large-scale movement of optical dust and molecular gas.Comment: 14 pages, Latex using MN style, 21 figures in JPEG format. Higher resolution figures available from S.L. Mader. Accepted by MNRAS. Email contact for higher resolution images: [email protected]

    A sample of Seyfert-2 galaxies with ultra-luminous galaxy-wide NLRs -- Quasar light echos?

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    We report the discovery of Seyfert-2 galaxies in SDSS-DR8 with galaxy-wide, ultra-luminous narrow-line regions (NLRs) at redshifts z=0.2-0.6. With a space density of 4.4 per cubic Gpc at z~0.3, these "Green Beans" (GBs) are amongst the rarest objects in the Universe. We are witnessing an exceptional and/or short-lived phenomenon in the life cycle of AGN. The main focus of this paper is on a detailed analysis of the GB prototype galaxy J2240-0927 (z=0.326). Its NLR extends over 26x44 kpc and is surrounded by an extended narrow-line region (ENLR). With a total [OIII]5008 luminosity of (5.7+/-0.9)x10e43 erg/s, this is one of the most luminous NLR known around any type-2 galaxy. Using VLT/XSHOOTER we show that the NLR is powered by an AGN, and we derive resolved extinction, density and ionization maps. Gas kinematics is disturbed on a global scale, and high velocity outflows are absent or faint. This NLR is unlike any other NLR or extended emission line region (EELR) known. Spectroscopy with Gemini/GMOS reveals extended, high luminosity [OIII] emission also in other GBs. WISE 24micron luminosities are 5-50 times lower than predicted by the [OIII] fluxes, suggesting that the NLRs reflect earlier, very active quasar states that have strongly subsided in less than a galaxies' light crossing time. These light echos are about 100 times more luminous than any other such light echo known to date. X-ray data are needed for photo-ionization modeling and to verify the light echos.Comment: This is an update of our previous submission (1211.7098). Apart from layout it is identical to the publication in ApJ. Compared to v1 (1211.7098) type settings and language errors have been corrected. We also added 4 more redshifts, confirming 3 sources (objects #002, #017, #21) and rejecting one (#020, low-z HII region

    Global Star Formation Rate Density over 0.7<z<1.9

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    We determine the global star formation rate density at 0.7<z<1.9 using emission-line selected galaxies identified in Hubble Space Telescope Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph (HST-NICMOS) grism spectroscopy observations. Observing in pure parallel mode throughout HST Cycles 12 and 13, our survey covers ~104 arcmin2 from which we select 80 galaxies with likely redshifted Ha emission lines. In several cases, a somewhat weaker [OIII] doublet emission is also detected. The Ha luminosity range of the emission-line galaxy sample is 4.4 x 10^41 < L(Ha) < 1.5 x 10^43 erg/s. In this range, the luminosity function is well described by a Schechter function with phi* = (4.24\pm3.55) x 10^-3 Mpc^-3, L* = (2.88\pm1.58) x 10^42 erg/s, and alpha = -1.39\pm0.43. We derive a volume-averaged star formation rate density of 0.138\pm0.058 Msun/yr/Mpc3 at z=1.4 without an extinction correction. Subdividing the redshift range, we find star formation rate densities of 0.088\pm0.056 Msun/yr/Mpc3 at z=1.1 and 0.265\pm0.174 Msun/yr/Mpc3 at z=1.6. The overall star formation rate density is consistent with previous studies using Ha when the same average extinction correction is applied, confirming that the cosmic peak of star formation occurs at z>1.5.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

    The Kiloparsec-Scale Kinematics of High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies

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    We present the results of a spectroscopic survey of the kinematic structure of star-forming galaxies at redshift z ~ 2 - 3 using Keck/OSIRIS integral field spectroscopy. Our sample is comprised of 12 galaxies between redshifts z ~ 2.0 and 2.5 and one galaxy at z ~ 3.3 which are well detected in either HAlpha or [O III] emission. These observations were obtained in conjunction with the Keck laser guide star adaptive optics system, with a typical angular resolution after spatial smoothing ~ 0.15" (approximately 1 kpc at the redshift of the target sample). At most five of these 13 galaxies have spatially resolved velocity gradients consistent with rotation while the remaining galaxies have relatively featureless or irregular velocity fields. All of our galaxies show local velocity dispersions ~ 60 - 100 km/s, suggesting that (particularly for those galaxies with featureless velocity fields) rotation about a preferred axis may not be the dominant mechanism of physical support. While some galaxies show evidence for major mergers such evidence is unrelated to the kinematics of individual components (one of our strongest merger candidates also exhibits unambiguous rotational structure), refuting a simple bimodal disk/merger classification scheme. We discuss these data in light of complementary surveys and extant UV-IR spectroscopy and photometry, concluding that the dynamical importance of cold gas may be the primary factor governing the observed kinematics of z ~ 2 galaxies. We conclude by speculating on the importance of mechanisms for accreting low angular-momentum gas and the early formation of quasi-spheroidal systems in the young universe.(abridged)Comment: 34 pages, 13 figures. Revised version accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Version with full-resolution figures is available at http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~drlaw/Papers/OSIRIS_data2.pd

    "Direct" Gas-phase Metallicities, Stellar Properties, and Local Environments of Emission-line Galaxies at Redshift below 0.90

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    Using deep narrow-band (NB) imaging and optical spectroscopy from the Keck telescope and MMT, we identify a sample of 20 emission-line galaxies (ELGs) at z=0.065-0.90 where the weak auroral emission line, [OIII]4363, is detected at >3\sigma. These detections allow us to determine the gas-phase metallicity using the "direct'' method. With electron temperature measurements and dust attenuation corrections from Balmer decrements, we find that 4 of these low-mass galaxies are extremely metal-poor with 12+log(O/H) <= 7.65 or one-tenth solar. Our most metal-deficient galaxy has 12+log(O/H) = 7.24^{+0.45}_{-0.30} (95% confidence), similar to some of the lowest metallicity galaxies identified in the local universe. We find that our galaxies are all undergoing significant star formation with average specific star formation rate (SFR) of (100 Myr)^{-1}, and that they have high central SFR surface densities (average of 0.5 Msun/yr/kpc^2. In addition, more than two-thirds of our galaxies have between one and four nearby companions within a projected radius of 100 kpc, which we find is an excess among star-forming galaxies at z=0.4-0.85. We also find that the gas-phase metallicities for a given stellar mass and SFR lie systematically below the local M-Z-(SFR) relation by \approx0.2 dex (2\sigma\ significance). These results are partly due to selection effects, since galaxies with strong star formation and low metallicity are more likely to yield [OIII]4363 detections. Finally, the observed higher ionization parameter and electron density suggest that they are lower redshift analogs to typical z>1 galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (15 November 2013). 31 pages in emulateapj format with 16 figures and 7 tables. Revised to address referee's comments, which include discussion on selection effects, similarities to green pea galaxies, and nebular continuum contribution. Modifications were made for some electron temperature and metallicity measurement

    Detecting z > 2 Type IIn Supernovae

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    Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn) dominate the brightest supernova events in observed FUV flux (~1200-2000A). We show that multi-band, multi-epoch optical surveys complete to m_r = 27 can detect the FUV emission of ~25 z > 2 SNe IIn deg^-2 yr^-1 rest-frame (~10 SNe IIn deg^-2 yr^-1 observed-frame) to 4 sigma using a technique monitoring color-selected galaxies. Moreover, the strength and evolution of the bright emission lines observed in low redshift SNe IIn imply that the Ly-a emission features in ~70% of z > 2 SNe IIn are above 8m-class telescope spectroscopic thresholds for ~2 yr rest-frame. As a result, existing facilities have the capability to both photometrically detect and spectroscopically confirm z > 2 SNe IIn and pave the way for efficient searches by future 8m-class survey and 30m-class telescopes. The method presented here uses the sensitivities and wide-field capabilities of current optical instruments and exploits (1) the efficiency of z > 2 galaxy color-selection techniques, (2) the intrinsic brightness distribution ( = -19.0 +/-0.9) and blue profile of SNe IIn continua, (3) the presence of extremely bright, long-lived emission features, and (4) the potential to detect blueshifted SNe Ly-a emission shortward of host galaxy Ly-a features.Comment: 26 pages (pre-print), 6 figures, accepted Ap
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