Etude des propriétés physiques de galaxies vues par Herschel

The Herschel Reference Survey (Boselli et al. 2010b) is a guaranteed time key project aimed at studying the physical properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) of 323 nearby galaxies, covered by multi-wavelength data. This volume limited, K-band selected sample is composed of galaxies spanning the whole range of morphological types (from ellipticals to late-type spirals) and environments (from the field to the centre of the Virgo Cluster). My PhD work consists in performing a precise submillimeter photometry of every galaxies of the survey, and conducting a statistical study on the ISM properties of nearby galaxies based on the analysis of their spectral energy distributions. To achieve this goal I fit the data with the models of Draine & Li (2007). The output of Draine & Li (2007) models are the intensity of the interstellar radiation field, the PAH abundance, the contribution of photodissociation regions, the total mass of dust. I study the relations between these outputs and the physical properties such as the stellar mass, the specific star formation rate, the metallicity or the morphological type. I will present a preliminary analysis of these relations leading to a better understanding of the processes at play in the ISM and provide new infrared sets of templates from 8 to 500 microns parameterized by all the physical parameters just cited. These templates calibrated on nearby galaxies will be a benchmark for the study of the ISM properties of high redshift galaxies.Le Herschel Reference Survey (Boselli et al. 2010b) est un programme clé à temps garanti conçu pour étudier les propriétés physiques du milieu interstellaire (MIS) de 323 galaxies proches, dotées de données multi-fréquences. Cet échantillon sélectionné en bande K et limité en volume est composé de galaxies couvrant tous les types de morphologies (des elliptiques aux galaxies spirales) et tous les types d'environnement (des galaxies de champs aux galaxies du centre de l'amas de la Vierge). Mon travail de thèe consiste à effectuer une photométrie submillimétrique précise de ces 323 galaxies, et de conduire une analyse statistique des propri'et'es du MIS de ces galaxies proches bas'ee sur leur distribution spectrale d'énergie. Dans ce but, j'ai utilisé les modèles de Draine & Li (2007) que j'ai ajusté aux données. Les paramètres de sorties de ces modèles sont l'intensité du champ de radiation, l'abondance des PAH, la contribution des régions de photo-dissociation dans le chau ffage de la poussière, et la masse de poussière. J'étudie les relations entre ces paramètres de sorties et les propriétés physiques telles que la masse stellaire, le taux de formation stellaire spécifique, la métallicité ou encore le type morphologique. Je vais présenter les études préliminaires liées à ces relations, entrainant une meilleur compréhension des processus en jeu dans le MIS, et procurer de nouveaux modèles infrarouges et submillimétriques paramétrés par les quantités physiques que je viens de citer. Ces modèles, calibrés sur les galaxies proches, seront déterminant pour l'étude des propriétés du MIS des galaxies à haut redshifts

On the SFR-M* main sequence archetypal star-formation history and analytical models

From the evolution of the main sequence we can build the star formation history (SFH) of MS galaxies, assuming that they follow this relation all their life. We show that this SFH is not only a function of cosmic time but also involve the seed mass of the galaxy. We discuss the implications of this MS SFH on the stellar mass growth, and the entry in the passive region of the UVJ diagram, while the galaxy is still forming stars. We test the ability of different analytical SFH forms found in the literature to probe the SFR of all type of galaxies. Using a sample of GOODS-South galaxies, we show that these SFHs artificially enhance or create a gradient of age, parallel to the MS. A simple model of a MS galaxy, such as those expected from compaction or variation in gas accretion, undergoing some fluctuations provide does not predict such a gradient, that we show is due to SFH assumptions. We propose an improved analytical form, taking into account a flexibility in the recent SFH that we calibrate as a diagnostic to identify rapidly quenched galaxies from large photometric survey

Observational evidence of a slow downfall of star formation efficiency in massive galaxies during the last 10 Gyr

In this paper we study the causes of the reported mass-dependence of the slope of SFR-M* relation, the so-called "Main Sequence" of star-forming galaxies, and discuss its implication on the physical processes that shaped the star formation history of massive galaxies over cosmic time. We use the CANDELS near-IR imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope to perform the bulge-to-disk decomposition of distant galaxies and measure for the first time the slope of the SFR-Mdisk relation at z=1. We find that this relation follows very closely the shape of the SFR-M* correlation, still with a pronounced flattening at the high-mass end. This is clearly excluding, at least at z=1, the secular growth of quiescent bulges in star-forming galaxies as the main driver for the change of slope of the Main Sequence. Then, by stacking the Herschel data available in the CANDELS field, we estimate the total gas mass and the star formation efficiency at different positions on the SFR-M* relation. We find that the relatively low SFRs observed in massive galaxies (M* > 5e10 Msun) are caused by a decreased star formation efficiency, by up to a factor of 3 as compared to lower stellar mass galaxies, and not by a reduced gas content. The trend at the lowest masses is likely linked to the dominance of atomic over molecular gas. We argue that this stellar-mass-dependent SFE can explain the varying slope of the Main Sequence since z=1.5, hence over 70% of the Hubble time. The drop of SFE occurs at lower masses in the local Universe (M* > 2e10 Msun) and is not present at z=2. Altogether this provides evidence for a slow downfall of the star formation efficiency in massive Main Sequence galaxies. The resulting loss of star formation is found to be rising starting from z=2 to reach a level comparable to the mass growth of the quiescent population by z=1. We finally discuss the possible physical origin of this phenomenon.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in A&

The Galaxy end sequence

A common assumption is that galaxies fall in two distinct regions of a plot of specific star formation rate (SSFR) versus galaxy stellar mass: a star-forming galaxy main sequence (GMS) and a separate region of ‘passive’ or ‘red and dead galaxies’. Starting from a volume-limited sample of nearby galaxies designed to contain most of the stellar mass in this volume, and thus representing the end-point of ≃12 billion years of galaxy evolution, we investigate the distribution of galaxies in this diagram today. We show that galaxies follow a strongly curved extended GMS with a steep negative slope at high galaxy stellar masses. There is a gradual change in the morphologies of the galaxies along this distribution, but there is no clear break between early-type and late-type galaxies. Examining the other evidence that there are two distinct populations, we argue that the ‘red sequence’ is the result of the colours of galaxies changing very little below a critical value of the SSFR, rather than implying a distinct population of galaxies. Herschel observations, which show at least half of early-type galaxies contain a cool interstellar medium, also imply continuity between early-type and late-type galaxies. This picture of a unitary population of galaxies requires more gradual evolutionary processes than the rapid quenching process needed to explain two distinct populations. We challenge theorists to predict quantitatively the properties of this ‘Galaxy End Sequence’

The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey XIX. Physical properties of low luminosity FIR sources at z < 0.5

Context. The star formation rate is a crucial parameter for the investigation galaxy evolution. At low redshift the cosmic star formation rate density declines smoothly, and massive active galaxies become passive, reducing their star formation activity. This implies that the bulk of the star formation rate density at low redshift is mainly driven by low mass objects. Aims. We investigate the properties of a sample of low luminosity far-infrared sources selected at 250 μm. We have collected data from ultraviolet to far-infrared in order to perform a multiwavelengths analysis. The main goal is to investigate the correlation between star formation rate, stellar mass, and dust mass for a galaxy population with a wide range in dust content and stellar mass, including the low mass regime that most probably dominates the star formation rate density at low redshift. Methods. We define a main sample of ~800 sources with full spectral energy distribution coverage between 0.15 <λ< 500 μm and an extended sample with ~5000 sources in which we remove the constraints on the ultraviolet and near-infrared bands. We analyze both samples with two different spectral energy distribution fitting methods: MAGPHYS and CIGALE, which interpret a galaxy spectral energy distribution as a combination of different simple stellar population libraries and dust emission templates. Results. In the star formation rate versus stellar mass plane our samples occupy a region included between local spirals and higher redshift star forming galaxies. These galaxies represent the population that at z 3 × 1010 M⊙) do not lie on the main sequence, but show a small offset as a consequence of the decreased star formation. Low mass galaxies (M∗< 1 × 1010 M⊙) settle in the main sequence with star formation rate and stellar mass consistent with local spirals. Conclusions. Deep Herschel data allow the identification of a mixed galaxy population with galaxies still in an assembly phase or galaxies at the beginning of their passive evolution. We find that the dust luminosity is the parameter that allow us to discriminate between these two galaxy populations. The median spectral energy distribution shows that even at low star formation rate our galaxy sample has a higher mid-infrared emission than previously predicted

Spatially resolved stellar, dust and gas properties of the post-interacting Whirlpool Galaxy system

Using infrared imaging from the Herschel Space Observatory, observed as part of the VNGS, we investigate the spatially resolved dust properties of the interacting Whirlpool galaxy system (NGC 5194 and NGC 5195), on physical scales of 1 kpc. Spectral energy distribution modelling of the new infrared images in combination with archival optical, near- through mid-infrared images confirms that both galaxies underwent a burst of star formation ~370-480 Myr ago and provides spatially resolved maps of the stellar and dust mass surface densities. The resulting average dust-to-stellar mass ratios are comparable to other spiral and spheroidal galaxies studied with Herschel, with NGC 5194 at log M(dust)/M(star)= -2.5+/-0.2 and NGC 5195 at log M(dust)/M(star)= -3.5+/-0.3. The dust-to-stellar mass ratio is constant across NGC 5194 suggesting the stellar and dust components are coupled. In contrast, the mass ratio increases with radius in NGC 5195 with decreasing stellar mass density. Archival mass surface density maps of the neutral and molecular hydrogen gas are also folded into our analysis. The gas-to-dust mass ratio, 94+/-17, is relatively constant across NGC 5194. Somewhat surprisingly, we find the dust in NGC 5195 is heated by a strong interstellar radiation field, over 20 times that of the ISRF in the Milky Way, resulting in relatively high characteristic dust temperatures (~30 K). This post-starburst galaxy contains a substantial amount of low-density molecular gas and displays a gas-to-dust ratio (73+/-35) similar to spiral galaxies. It is unclear why the dust in NGC 5195 is heated to such high temperatures as there is no star formation in the galaxy and its active galactic nucleus is 5-10 times less luminous than the one in NGC 5194, which exhibits only a modest enhancement in the amplitude of its ISRF.Comment: 26 pages, 24 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

DISCOVERY OF A GALAXY CLUSTER WITH A VIOLENTLY STARBURSTING CORE AT z=2.506

We report the discovery of a remarkable concentration of massive galaxies with extended X-ray emission at z(spec) = 2.506, which contains 11 massive (M-* greater than or similar to 10(11) M-circle dot) galaxies in the central 80 kpc region (11.6 sigma overdensity). We have spectroscopically confirmed 17 member galaxies with 11 from CO and the remaining ones from Ha. The X-ray luminosity, stellar mass content, and velocity dispersion all point to a collapsed, cluster-sized dark matter halo with mass M-200c = 10(13.9 +/- 0.2) M-circle dot, making it the most distant X-ray-detected cluster known to date. Unlike other clusters discovered so far, this structure is dominated by star-forming galaxies (SFGs) in the core with only 2 out of the 11 massive galaxies classified as quiescent. The star formation rate (SFR) in the 80 kpc core reaches similar to 3400 M-circle dot yr(-1) with a. gas depletion time of similar to 200 Myr, suggesting that we caught this cluster in rapid build-up of a dense core. The high SFR is driven by both a high abundance of SFGs and a higher starburst fraction (similar to 25%, compared to 3%-5% in the field). The presence of both a collapsed, cluster-sized halo and a predominant population of massive SFGs suggests that this structure could represent an important transition phase between protoclusters and mature clusters. It provides evidence that the main phase of massive galaxy passivization will take place after galaxies accrete onto the cluster, providing new insights into massive cluster formation at early epochs. The large integrated stellar mass at such high redshift challenges our understanding of massive cluster formation.Peer reviewe

A z=1.85 galaxy group in CEERS: evolved, dustless, massive intra-halo light and a brightest group galaxy in the making

We present CEERS JWST/NIRCam imaging of a massive galaxy group at z=1.85, to explore the early JWST view on massive group formation in the distant Universe. The group contains >16 members (including 6 spectros. confirmations) down to log10(Mstar/Msun)=8.5, including the brightest group galaxy (BGG) in the process of actively assembling at this redshift. The BGG is comprised of multiple merging components extending ~3.6" (30kpc) across the sky. The BGG contributes 69% of the group's total galactic stellar mass, with one of the merging components containing 76% of the total mass of the BGG and a SFR>1810Msun/yr. Most importantly, we detect intra-halo light (IHL) in several HST and JWST/NIRCam bands, allowing us to construct a state-of-the-art rest-frame UV-NIR Spectral Energy Distribution of the IHL for the first time at this high redshift. This allows stellar population characterisation of both the IHL and member galaxies, as well as the morphology distribution of group galaxies vs. their star-formation activity when coupled with Herschel data. We create a stacked image of the IHL, giving us a sensitivity to extended emission of 28.5 mag/arcsec2 at rest-frame 1um. We find that the IHL is extremely dust poor (Av~0), containing an evolved stellar population of log10(t50/yr)=8.8, corresponding to a formation epoch for 50% of the stellar material 0.63Gyr before z=1.85. There is no evidence of ongoing star-formation in the IHL. The IHL in this group at z=1.85 contributes ~10% of the total stellar mass, comparable with what is observed in local clusters. This suggests that the evolution of the IHL fraction is more self-similar with redshift than predicted by some models, challenging our understanding of IHL formation during the assembly of high-redshift clusters. JWST is unveiling a new side of group formation at this redshift, which will evolve into Virgo-like structures in the local Universe.Comment: 14 pages + appendix, 11 figures, 4 tables. Accepted to A&A on 15th May 202

Can dust emission be used to map the interstellar medium in high-redshift galaxies? Results from the Herschel Reference Survey

It has often been suggested that an alternative to the standard CO/21-cm method for estimating the mass of the interstellar medium (ISM) in a galaxy might be to estimate the mass of the ISM from the continuum dust emission. In this paper, we investigate the potential of this technique using Herschel observations of ten galaxies in the Herschel Reference Survey and in the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey. We show that the emission detected by Herschel is mostly from dust that has a temperature and emissivity index similar to that of dust in the local ISM in our galaxy, with the temperature generally increasing towards the centre of each galaxy. We calibrate the dust method using the CO and 21-cm observations to provide an independent estimate of the mass of hydrogen in each galaxy, solving the problem of the uncertain `X factor' for the molecular gas by minimizing the dispersion in the ratio of the masses estimated using the two methods. With the calibration for the dust method and the estimate of the X-factor produced in this way, the dispersion in the ratio of the two gas masses is 30%, which gives an upper limit on the fundamental accuracy of the dust method. The calibration we obtain for the dust method is very similar to an independent Herschel measurement for M31 and to the calibration for the Milky Way from Planck measurements.Comment: Submitted to the Astrophysical Journa