522 research outputs found
AGN feedback at z~2 and the mutual evolution of active and inactive galaxies
The relationships between galaxies of intermediate stellar mass and moderate
luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 1<z<3 are investigated with the
Galaxy Mass Assembly ultra-deep Spectroscopic Survey (GMASS) sample
complemented with public data in the GOODS-South field. Using X-ray data,
hidden AGNs are identified in unsuspected star-forming galaxies with no
apparent signs of non-stellar activity. In the color-mass plane, two parallel
trends emerge during the ~2 Gyr between the average redshifts z~2.2 and z~1.3:
while the red sequence becomes significantly more populated by ellipticals, the
majority of AGNs with L(2-10 keV)>10^42.3 erg s^-1 disappear from the blue
cloud/green valley where they were hosted predominantly by star-forming systems
with disk and irregular morphologies. These results are even clearer when the
rest-frame colors are corrected for dust reddening. At z~2.2, the ultraviolet
spectra of active galaxies (including two Type 1 AGNs) show possible gas
outflows with velocities up to about -500 km s^-1 that are not observed neither
in inactive systems at the same redshift, nor at lower redshifts. Such outflows
indicate the presence of gas that can move faster than the escape velocities of
active galaxies. These results suggest that feedback from moderately luminous
AGNs (logL_X~2 by contributing to
outflows capable of ejecting part of the interstellar medium and leading to a
rapid decrease in the star formation in host galaxies with stellar masses
10<logM<11 M_Sun.Comment: Astrophysical Journal Letters, in press (6 pages, 4 figures
The Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS): a large-scale structure at z=0.73 and the relation of galaxy morphologies to local environment
We have identified a large-scale structure at z~0.73 in the COSMOS field,
coherently described by the distribution of galaxy photometric redshifts, an
ACS weak-lensing convergence map and the distribution of extended X-ray sources
in a mosaic of XMM observations. The main peak seen in these maps corresponds
to a rich cluster with Tx= 3.51+0.60/-0.46 keV and Lx=(1.56+/-0.04) x 10^{44}
erg/s ([0.1-2.4] keV band). We estimate an X-ray mass within
corresponding to M500~1.6 x 10^{14} Msun and a total lensing mass (extrapolated
by fitting a NFW profile) M(NFW)=(6+/-3) x 10^15 Msun. We use an automated
morphological classification of all galaxies brighter than I_AB=24 over the
structure area to measure the fraction of early-type objects as a function of
local projected density Sigma_10, based on photometric redshifts derived from
ground-based deep multi-band photometry. We recover a robust morphology-density
relation at this redshift, indicating, for comparable local densities, a
smaller fraction of early-type galaxies than today. Interestingly, this
difference is less strong at the highest densities and becomes more severe in
intermediate environments. We also find, however, local "inversions'' of the
observed global relation, possibly driven by the large-scale environment. In
particular, we find direct correspondence of a large concentration of disk
galaxies to (the colder side of) a possible shock region detected in the X-ray
temperature map and surface brightness distribution of the dominant cluster. We
interpret this as potential evidence of shock-induced star formation in
existing galaxy disks, during the ongoing merger between two sub-clusters.Comment: 15 pages (emulateapj style), 16 figs (low res.); to appear in the ApJ
Supplement COSMOS Special Issue. Low-resolution figures; full resolution
version available at:
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~cosmos/publications/files/guzzo_0701482.pd
Morphological studies of the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic survey galaxy population in the UGC 10214 Hubble space telescope/advanced camera for surveys field
We present the results of a morphological analysis of a small subset of the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic survey (SWIRE) galaxy population. The analysis is based on public Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) data taken inside the SWIRE N1 field, which are the deepest optical high-resolution imaging available within the SWIRE fields as of today. Our reference sample includes 156 galaxies detected by both ACS and SWIRE. Among the various galaxy morphologies, we disentangle two main classes, spheroids (or bulge-dominated galaxies) and disc-dominated ones, for which we compute the number counts as a function of flux. We then limit our sample to objects with Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) fluxes brighter than 10 ÎŒJy, estimated ~90 per cent completeness limit of the SWIRE catalogues, and compare the observed counts to model predictions. We find that the observed counts of the spheroidal population agree with the expectations of a hierarchical model while a monolithic scenario predicts steeper counts. Both scenarios, however, underpredict the number of late-type galaxies. These observations show that the large majority (close to 80 per cent) of the 3.6- and 4.5-ÎŒm galaxy population, even at these moderately faint fluxes, is dominated by spiral and irregular galaxies or mergers
Pancreatic islets from non-heart beating donor pig: Two-layer preservation method in an in vitro porcine model
Purpose: Pancreata from non-heart beating donors could represent an unlimited source of islets if their cell viability can be efficiently preserved during the time necessary to process the organs by the use of a better solution of preservation compared to the classic University of Wisconsin solution. The aim of this study was to determine whether it is possible to obtain functioning "alive islets" from non-heart-beating donors by comparing, on a porcine model, the classic "UW ice-store" method with a two-layer cold storage method (TLM) using oxygenated Perfluorocarbons (PFC) and UW.Methods: Whole pancreata were harvested from 20 NHBDs female pigs with similar characteristics and preserved for 4 h in UW solution (n=10) or TLM (UW/PFC) solution (n=10). The isolated islets were then evaluated for number, viability, purity, and insulin secretion, also estimated after 8 weeks of cryopreservation.Results: The total number of islets obtained from isolation, and their function assayed by the insulin stimulation index, before and after cryopreservation, showed a higher value in the TLM group. No significative differences in terms of purity and viability before and after cryopreservation were found when comparing the two groups.Conclusions: TLM solution for NHBDs porcine pancreata with cold ischemia time lower than 4 h offers significant advantages over UW solution storage, thereby increasing the isolation yield and isolation success rate of the pancreatic porcine islet
Limits on the LyC signal from z~3 sources with secure redshift and HST coverage in the E-CDFS field
Aim: We aim to measure the LyC signal from a sample of sources in the Chandra
deep field south. We collect star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and active galactic
nuclei (AGN) with accurate spectroscopic redshifts, for which Hubble Space
Telescope (HST) coverage and multi-wavelength photometry are available. Method:
We selected a sample of about 200 sources at z~3. Taking advantage of HST
resolution, we applied a careful cleaning procedure and rejected sources
showing nearby clumps with different colours, which could be lower-z
interlopers. Our clean sample consisted of 86 SFGs (including 19 narrow-band
selected Lya emitters) and 8 AGN (including 6 detected in X-rays). We measured
the LyC flux from aperture photometry in four narrow-band filters covering
wavelengths below a 912 A rest frame (3.11<z<3.53). We estimated the ratio
between ionizing (LyC flux) and 1400 A non-ionizing emissions for AGN and
galaxies. Results: By running population synthesis models, we assume an average
intrinsic L(1400 A)/L(900 A) ratio of 5 as the representative value for our
sample. With this value and an average treatment of the lines of sight of the
inter-galactic medium, we estimate the LyC escape fraction relative to the
intrinsic value (fesc_rel(LyC)). We do not directly detect ionizing radiation
from any individual SFG, but we are able to set a 1(2)sigma upper limit of
fesc_rel(LyC)<12(24)%. This result is consistent with other non-detections
published in the literature. No meaningful limits can be calculated for the
sub-sample of Lya emitters. We obtain one significant direct detection for an
AGN at z=3.46, with fesc_rel(LyC) = (72+/-18)%. Conclusions: Our upper limit on
fescrel(LyC) implies that the SFGs studied here do not present either the
physical properties or the geometric conditions suitable for efficient
LyC-photon escape.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A on Jan 5th, 201
A Coherent Study of Emission Lines from Broad-Band Photometry: Specific Star-Formation Rates and [OIII]/H{\beta} Ratio at 3 < z < 6
We measure the H{\alpha} and [OIII] emission line properties as well as
specific star-formation rates (sSFR) of spectroscopically confirmed 3<z<6
galaxies in COSMOS from their observed colors vs. redshift evolution. Our model
describes consistently the ensemble of galaxies including intrinsic properties
(age, metallicity, star-formation history), dust-attenuation, and optical
emission lines. We forward-model the measured H{\alpha} equivalent-widths (EW)
to obtain the sSFR out to z~6 without stellar mass fitting. We find a strongly
increasing rest-frame H{\alpha} EW that is flattening off above z~2.5 with
average EWs of 300-600A at z~6. The sSFR is increasing proportional to
(1+z)^2.4 at z<2.2 and (1+z)^1.5 at higher redshifts, indicative of a fast mass
build-up in high-z galaxies within e-folding times of 100-200Myr at z~6. The
redshift evolution at z>3 cannot be fully explained in a picture of cold
accretion driven growth. We find a progressively increasing
[OIII]{\lambda}5007/H{\beta} ratio out to z~6, consistent with the ratios in
local galaxies selected by increasing H{\alpha} EW (i.e., sSFR). This
demonstrates the potential of using "local high-z analogs" to investigate the
spectroscopic properties and relations of galaxies in the re-ionization epoch.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, 3 table
A panchromatic spatially-resolved analysis of nearby galaxies -- I. Sub-kpc scale Main Sequence in grand-design spirals
We analyse the spatially resolved relation between stellar mass (M)
and star formation rate (SFR) in disk galaxies (i.e. the Main Sequence, MS).
The studied sample includes eight nearby face-on grand-design spirals, e.g. the
descendant of high-redshift, rotationally-supported star-forming galaxies. We
exploit photometric information over 23 bands, from the UV to the far-IR, from
the publicly available DustPedia database to build spatially resolved maps of
stellar mass and star formation rates on sub-galactic scales of 0.5-1.5 kpc, by
performing a spectral energy distribution fitting procedure that accounts for
both the observed and the obscured star formation processes, over a wide range
of internal galaxy environments (bulges, spiral arms, outskirts). With more
than 30 thousands physical cells, we have derived a definition of the local
spatially resolved MS per unit area for disks,
=0.82log-8.69. This is consistent with the
bulk of recent results based on optical IFU, using the H line emission
as a SFR tracer. Our work extends the analysis at lower sensitivities in both
M and SFR surface densities, up to a factor 10. The self
consistency of the MS relation over different spatial scales, from sub-galactic
to galactic, as well as with a rescaled correlation obtained for high redshift
galaxies, clearly proves its universality.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
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