A Survey of Atomic Carbon [C I] in High-redshift Main-Sequence Galaxies

We present the first results of an ALMA survey of the lower fine structure line of atomic carbon [C I](^3P_1\,-\,^{3}P_0) in far infrared-selected galaxies on the main sequence at $z\sim1.2$ in the COSMOS field. We compare our sample with a comprehensive compilation of data available in the literature for local and high-redshift starbursting systems and quasars. We show that the [C I]($^3P_1$$\rightarrow$$^3P_0$) luminosity correlates on global scales with the infrared luminosity $L_{\rm IR}$ similarly to low-$J$ CO transitions. We report a systematic variation of L'_{\rm [C\,I]^3P_1\,-\, ^3P_0}/$L_{\rm IR}$ as a function of the galaxy type, with the ratio being larger for main-sequence galaxies than for starbursts and sub-millimeter galaxies at fixed $L_{\rm IR}$. The L'_{\rm [C\,I]^3P_1\,-\, ^3P_0}/$L'_{\rm CO(2-1)}$ and $M_{\rm{[C I]}}$/$M_{\rm dust}$ mass ratios are similar for main-sequence galaxies and for local and high-redshift starbursts within a 0.2 dex intrinsic scatter, suggesting that [C I] is a good tracer of molecular gas mass as CO and dust. We derive a fraction of $f_{\rm{[C\,I]}} = M_{\rm{[C\,I]}} / M_{\rm{C}}\sim3-13$% of the total carbon mass in the atomic neutral phase. Moreover, we estimate the neutral atomic carbon abundance, the fundamental ingredient to calibrate [C I] as a gas tracer, by comparing L'_{\rm [C\,I]^3P_1\,-\, ^3P_0} and available gas masses from CO lines and dust emission. We find lower [C I] abundances in main-sequence galaxies than in starbursting systems and sub-millimeter galaxies, as a consequence of the canonical $\alpha_{\rm CO}$ and gas-to-dust conversion factors. This argues against the application to different galaxy populations of a universal standard [C I] abundance derived from highly biased samples.Comment: 14 pages + Appendix. Accepted for publication in ApJ. All the data tables in Appendix will be also released in electronic forma

GOODS-HerschelHerschel: identification of the individual galaxies responsible for the 80-290μ\mum cosmic infrared background

We propose a new method of pushing $Herschel$ to its faintest detection limits using universal trends in the redshift evolution of the far infrared over 24$\mu$m colours in the well-sampled GOODS-North field. An extension to other fields with less multi-wavelength information is presented. This method is applied here to raise the contribution of individually detected $Herschel$ sources to the cosmic infrared background (CIRB) by a factor 5 close to its peak at 250$\mu$m and more than 3 in the 350$\mu$m and 500$\mu$m bands. We produce realistic mock $Herschel$ images of the deep PACS and SPIRE images of the GOODS-North field from the GOODS-$Herschel$ Key Program and use them to quantify the confusion noise at the position of individual sources, i.e., estimate a "local confusion noise". Two methods are used to identify sources with reliable photometric accuracy extracted using 24$\mu$m prior positions. The clean index (CI), previously defined but validated here with simulations, which measures the presence of bright 24$\mu$m neighbours and the photometric accuracy index (PAI) directly extracted from the mock $Herschel$ images. After correction for completeness, thanks to our mock $Herschel$ images, individually detected sources make up as much as 54% and 60% of the CIRB in the PACS bands down to 1.1 mJy at 100$\mu$m and 2.2 mJy at 160$\mu$m and 55, 33, and 13% of the CIRB in the SPIRE bands down to 2.5, 5, and 9 mJy at 250$\mu$m, 350$\mu$m, and 500$\mu$m, respectively. The latter depths improve the detection limits of $Herschel$ by factors of 5 at 250$\mu$m, and 3 at 350$\mu$m and 500$\mu$m as compared to the standard confusion limit. Interestingly, the dominant contributors to the CIRB in all $Herschel$ bands appear to be distant siblings of the Milky Way ($z$$\sim$0.96 for $\lambda$$<$300$\mu$m) with a stellar mass of $M_{\star}$$\sim$9$\times$10$^{10}$M$_{\odot}$.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for publication by Astronomy and Astrophysic

Testing Diagnostics of Nuclear Activity and Star Formation in Galaxies at z>1

We present some of the first science data with the new Keck/MOSFIRE instrument to test the effectiveness of different AGN/SF diagnostics at z~1.5. MOSFIRE spectra were obtained in three H-band multi-slit masks in the GOODS-S field, resulting in two hour exposures of 36 emission-line galaxies. We compare X-ray data with the traditional emission-line ratio diagnostics and the alternative mass-excitation and color-excitation diagrams, combining new MOSFIRE infrared data with previous HST/WFC3 infrared spectra (from the 3D-HST survey) and multiwavelength photometry. We demonstrate that a high [OIII]/Hb ratio is insufficient as an AGN indicator at z>1. For the four X-ray detected galaxies, the classic diagnostics ([OIII]/Hb vs. [NII]/Ha and [SII]/Ha) remain consistent with X-ray AGN/SF classification. The X-ray data also suggest that "composite" galaxies (with intermediate AGN/SF classification) host bona-fide AGNs. Nearly 2/3 of the z~1.5 emission-line galaxies have nuclear activity detected by either X-rays or the classic diagnostics. Compared to the X-ray and line ratio classifications, the mass-excitation method remains effective at z>1, but we show that the color-excitation method requires a new calibration to successfully identify AGNs at these redshifts.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Accepted to ApJ Letter

Interaction between vortices in models with two order parameters

The interaction energy and force between widely separated strings is analyzed in a field theory having applications to superconducting cosmic strings, the SO(5) model of high-temperature superconductivity, and solitons in nonlinear optics. The field theory has two order parameters, one of which is broken in the vacuum (giving rise to strings), the other of which is unbroken in the vacuum but which could nonetheless be broken in the core of the string. If this does occur, there is an effect on the energetics of widely separated strings. This effect is important if the length scale of this second order parameter is longer than that of the other fields in the problem.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Minor changes in the text. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Reconstructing and Classifying SDSS DR16 Galaxy Spectra with Machine-Learning and Dimensionality Reduction Algorithms

Optical spectra of galaxies and quasars from large cosmological surveys are used to measure redshifts and infer distances. They are also rich with information on the intrinsic properties of these astronomical objects. However, their physical interpretation can be challenging due to the substantial number of degrees of freedom, various sources of noise, and degeneracies between physical parameters that cause similar spectral characteristics. To gain deeper insights into these degeneracies, we apply two unsupervised machine learning frameworks to a sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 16 (SDSS DR16). The first framework is a Probabilistic Auto-Encoder (PAE), a two-stage deep learning framework consisting of a data compression stage from 1000 elements to 10 parameters and a density estimation stage. The second framework is a Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP), which we apply to both the uncompressed and compressed data. Exploring across regions on the compressed data UMAP, we construct sequences of stacked spectra which show a gradual transition from star-forming galaxies with narrow emission lines and blue spectra to passive galaxies with absorption lines and red spectra. Focusing on galaxies with broad emission lines produced by quasars, we find a sequence with varying levels of obscuration caused by cosmic dust. The experiments we present here inform future applications of neural networks and dimensionality reduction algorithms for large astronomical spectroscopic surveys.Comment: ASP Conference Series, Compendium of Undergraduate Research in Astronomy and Space Science (accepted), 24 pages, 14 figure

The FMOS-COSMOS survey of star-forming galaxies at z~1.6. IV: Excitation state and chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium

We investigate the physical conditions of ionized gas in high-z star-forming galaxies using diagnostic diagrams based on the rest-frame optical emission lines. The sample consists of 701 galaxies with an Ha detection at $1.4\lesssim z\lesssim1.7$, from the FMOS-COSMOS survey, that represent the normal star-forming population over the stellar mass range $10^{9.6} \lesssim M_\ast/M_\odot \lesssim 10^{11.6}$ with those at $M_\ast>10^{11}~M_\odot$ being well sampled. We confirm an offset of the average location of star-forming galaxies in the BPT diagram ([OIII]/Hb vs. [NII]/Ha), primarily towards higher [OIII]/Hb, compared with local galaxies. Based on the [SII] ratio, we measure an electron density ($n_e=220^{+170}_{-130}~\mathrm{cm^{-3}}$), that is higher than that of local galaxies. Based on comparisons to theoretical models, we argue that changes in emission-line ratios, including the offset in the BPT diagram, are caused by a higher ionization parameter both at fixed stellar mass and at fixed metallicity with additional contributions from a higher gas density and possibly a hardening of the ionizing radiation field. Ionization due to AGNs is ruled out as assessed with Chandra. As a consequence, we revisit the mass-metallicity relation using [NII]/Ha and a new calibration including [NII]/[SII] as recently introduced by Dopita et al. Consistent with our previous results, the most massive galaxies ($M_\ast\gtrsim10^{11}~M_\odot$) are fully enriched, while those at lower masses have metallicities lower than local galaxies. Finally, we demonstrate that the stellar masses, metallicities and star formation rates of the FMOS sample are well fit with a physically-motivated model for the chemical evolution of star-forming galaxies.Comment: 38 pages; Accepted for publication in Ap

The FMOS-COSMOS survey of star-forming galaxies at z~1.6 III. Survey design, performance, and sample characteristics

We present a spectroscopic survey of galaxies in the COSMOS field using the Fiber Multi-Object Spectrograph (FMOS), a near-infrared instrument on the Subaru Telescope. Our survey is specifically designed to detect the Halpha emission line that falls within the H-band (1.6-1.8 um) spectroscopic window from star-forming galaxies with 1.4 ~10^10 Msolar. With the high multiplex capability of FMOS, it is now feasible to construct samples of over one thousand galaxies having spectroscopic redshifts at epochs that were previously challenging. The high-resolution mode (R~2600) effectively separates Halpha and [NII]6585 thus enabling studies of the gas-phase metallicity and photoionization state of the interstellar medium. The primary aim of our program is to establish how star formation depends on stellar mass and environment, both recognized as drivers of galaxy evolution at lower redshifts. In addition to the main galaxy sample, our target selection places priority on those detected in the far-infrared by Herschel/PACS to assess the level of obscured star formation and investigate, in detail, outliers from the star formation rate - stellar mass relation. Galaxies with Halpha detections are followed up with FMOS observations at shorter wavelengths using the J-long (1.11-1.35 um) grating to detect Hbeta and [OIII]5008 that provides an assessment of extinction required to measure star formation rates not hampered by dust, and an indication of embedded Active Galactic Nuclei. With 460 redshifts measured from 1153 spectra, we assess the performance of the instrument with respect to achieving our goals, discuss inherent biases in the sample, and detail the emission-line properties. Our higher-level data products, including catalogs and spectra, are available to the community.Comment: 26 pages, Updated version resubmitted to ApJSS; Data products and catalogs are now available at http://member.ipmu.jp/fmos-cosmos

Infrared color selection of massive galaxies at z > 3

We introduce a new color-selection technique to identify high-redshift, massive galaxies that are systematically missed by Lyman-break selection. The new selection is based on the H_{160} and IRAC 4.5um bands, specifically H - [4.5] > 2.25 mag. These galaxies, dubbed "HIEROs", include two major populations that can be separated with an additional J - H color. The populations are massive and dusty star-forming galaxies at z > 3 (JH-blue) and extremely dusty galaxies at z < 3 (JH-red). The 350 arcmin^2 of the GOODS-N and GOODS-S fields with the deepest HST/WFC3 and IRAC data contain 285 HIEROs down to [4.5] 3) HIEROs, which have a median photometric redshift z ~4.4 and stellar massM_{*}~10^{10.6} Msun, and are much fainter in the rest-frame UV than similarly massive Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs). Their star formation rates (SFRs) reaches ~240 Msun yr^{-1} leading to a specific SFR, sSFR ~4.2 Gyr^{-1}, suggesting that the sSFRs for massive galaxies continue to grow at z > 2 but at a lower growth rate than from z=0 to z=2. With a median half-light radius of 2 kpc, including ~20% as compact as quiescent galaxies at similar redshifts, JH-blue HIEROs represent perfect star-forming progenitors of the most massive (M_{*} > 10^{11.2} Msun) compact quiescent galaxies at z ~ 3 and have the right number density. HIEROs make up ~60% of all galaxies with M_{*} > 10^{10.5} Msun identified at z > 3 from their photometric redshifts. This is five times more than LBGs with nearly no overlap between the two populations. While HIEROs make up 15-25% of the total SFR density at z ~ 4-5, they completely dominate the SFR density taking place in M_{*} >10^{10.5} Msun galaxies, and are therefore crucial to understanding the very early phase of massive galaxy formation.Comment: ApJS, in pres

The Gemini Deep Deep Survey: VIII. When Did Early-type Galaxies Form?

We have used the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (Ford et al. 2003) to measure the cumulative mass density in morphologically-selected early-type galaxies over the redshift range 0.8 < z < 1.7. Our imaging data set covers four well-separated sight-lines, and is roughly intermediate (in terms of both depth and area) between the GOODS/GEMS imaging data, and the images obtained in the Hubble Deep Field campaigns. Our images contain 144 galaxies with ultra-deep spectroscopy obtained as part of the Gemini Deep Deep Survey. These images have been analyzed using a new purpose-written morphological analysis code which improves the reliability of morphological classifications by adopting a 'quasi-Petrosian' image thresholding technique. We find that at z \~ 1 about 80% of the stars living in the most massive galaxies reside in early-type systems. This fraction is similar to that seen in the local Universe. However, we detect very rapid evolution in this fraction over the range 0.8 < z < 1.7, suggesting that over this redshift range the strong morphology-mass relationship seen in the nearby Universe is beginning to fall into place. By comparing our images to published spectroscopic classifications, we show that little ambiguity exists in connecting spectral classes to morphological classes for spectroscopically quiescent systems. However, the mass density function of early-type galaxies is evolving more rapidly than that of spectroscopically quiescent systems, which we take as further evidence that we are witnessing the formation of massive early-type galaxies over the 0.8 < z < 1.7 redshift range