120 research outputs found
A Search for Young Stars in the S0 Galaxies of a Super-Group at z=0.37
We analyze Galaxy Evolution Explorer UV data for a system of four gravitationally bound groups at z = 0.37, SG1120, which is destined to merge into a Coma-mass cluster by z = 0, to study how galaxy properties may change during cluster assembly. Of the 38 visually classified S0 galaxies, with masses ranging from log (M *)[M ☉] ≈ 10-11, we detect only one in the near-UV (NUV) channel, a strongly star-forming S0 that is the brightest UV source with a measured redshift placing it in SG1120. Stacking the undetected S0 galaxies (which generally lie on or near the optical red sequence of SG1120) still results in no NUV/far-UV (FUV) detection (\u3c2σ). Using our limit in the NUV band, we conclude that for a rapidly truncating star formation rate, star formation ceased at least ~0.1-0.7 Gyr ago, depending on the strength of the starburst prior to truncation. With an exponentially declining star formation history over a range of timescales, we rule out recent star formation over a wide range of ages. We conclude that if S0 formation involves significant star formation, it occurred well before the groups were in this current pre-assembly phase. As such, it seems that S0 formation is even more likely to be predominantly occurring outside of the cluster environment
Preprocessing Among the Infalling Galaxy Population of EDisCS Clusters
We present results from a low-resolution spectroscopic survey for 21 galaxy
clusters at selected from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey. We
measured spectra using the low-dispersion prism in IMACS on the Magellan Baade
telescope and calculate redshifts with an accuracy of . We
find 1763 galaxies that are brighter than in the large-scale cluster
environs. We identify the galaxies expected to be accreted by the clusters as
they evolve to using spherical infall models and find that
to of the cluster population lies outside the virial radius
at . For analogous clusters at , we calculate that the ratio
of galaxies that have fallen into the clusters since to those that
were already in the core at that redshift is typically between and
. This wide range of ratios is due to intrinsic scatter and is not a
function of velocity dispersion, so a variety of infall histories is to be
expected for clusters with current velocity dispersions of km s. Within the infall regions of clusters, we find a larger red fraction of galaxies than in the field and
greater clustering among red galaxies than blue. We interpret these findings as
evidence of "preprocessing", where galaxies in denser local environments have
their star formation rates affected prior to their aggregation into massive
clusters, although the possibility of backsplash galaxies complicates the
interpretation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
The Environmental Dependence of the Evolving S0 Fraction
We reinvestigate the dramatic rise in the S0 fraction, f_S0, within clusters
since z ~ 0.5. In particular, we focus on the role of the global galaxy
environment on f_S0 by compiling, either from our own observations or the
literature, robust line-of-sight velocity dispersions, sigma's, for a sample of
galaxy groups and clusters at 0.1 < z < 0.8 that have uniformly determined,
published morphological fractions. We find that the trend of f_S0 with redshift
is twice as strong for sigma < 750 km/s groups/poor clusters than for
higher-sigma, rich clusters. From this result, we infer that over this redshift
range galaxy-galaxy interactions, which are more effective in lower-sigma
environments, are more responsible for transforming spiral galaxies into S0's
than galaxy-environment processes, which are more effective in higher-sigma
environments. The rapid, recent growth of the S0 population in groups and poor
clusters implies that large numbers of progenitors exist in low-sigma systems
at modest redshifts (~ 0.5), where morphologies and internal kinematics are
within the measurement range of current technology.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 13 pages, 6
figure
LBT/LUCIFER Observations of the z~2 Lensed Galaxy J0900+2234
We present rest-frame optical images and spectra of the gravitationally
lensed, star-forming galaxy J0900+2234 (z=2.03). The observations were
performed with the newly commissioned LUCIFER1 near-infrared instrument mounted
on the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). We fit lens models to the rest-frame
optical images and find the galaxy has an intrinsic effective radius of 7.4 kpc
with a lens magnification factor of about 5 for the A and B components. We also
discovered a new arc belonging to another lensed high-z source galaxy, which
makes this lens system a potential double Einstein ring system. Using the high
S/N rest-frame optical spectra covering H+K band, we detected Hbeta, OIII,
Halpha, NII and SII emission lines. Detailed physical properties of this high-z
galaxy were derived. The extinction towards the ionized HII regions (E_g(B-V))
is computed from the flux ratio of Halpha and Hbeta and appears to be much
higher than that towards stellar continuum (E_s(B-V)), derived from the optical
and NIR broad band photometry fitting. The metallicity was estimated using N2
and O3N2 indices. It is in the range of 1/5-1/3 solar abundance, which is much
lower than the typical z~2 star-forming galaxies. From the flux ratio of SII
6717 and 6732, we found that the electron number density of the HII regions in
the high-z galaxy were >1000 cm^-3, consistent with other z~2 galaxies but much
higher than that in local HII regions. The star-formation rate was estimated
via the Halpha luminosity, after correction for the lens magnification, to be
about 365\pm69 Msun/yr. Combining the FWHM of Halpha emission lines and the
half-light radius, we found the dynamical mass of the lensed galaxy is
5.8\pm0.9x10^10 Msun. The gas mass is 5.1\pm1.1x10^10~Msun from the H\alpha
flux surface density by using global Kennicutt-Schmidt Law, indicating a very
high gas fraction of 0.79\pm0.19 in J0900+2234.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures accepted by ApJ, revised based on referee repor
Intracluster supernovae in the Multi-epoch Nearby Cluster Survey
The Multi-Epoch Nearby Cluster Survey (MENeaCS) has discovered twenty-three
cluster Type Ia supernovae (SNe) in the 58 X-ray selected galaxy clusters (0.05
< z < 0.15) surveyed. Four of our SN Ia events have no host galaxy on close
inspection, and are likely intracluster SNe. Deep image stacks at the location
of the candidate intracluster SNe put upper limits on the luminosities of faint
hosts, with M_{r} > -13.0 mag and M_{g} > -12.5 mag in all cases. For such
limits, the fraction of the cluster luminosity in faint dwarfs below our
detection limit is <0.1%, assuming a standard cluster luminosity function. All
four events occurred within ~600 kpc of the cluster center (projected), as
defined by the position of the brightest cluster galaxy, and are more centrally
concentrated than the cluster SN Ia population as a whole. After accounting for
several observational biases that make intracluster SNe easier to discover and
spectroscopically confirm, we calculate an intracluster stellar mass fraction
of 0.16^{+0.13}_{-0.09} (68% CL) for all objects within R_{200}. If we assume
that the intracluster stellar population is exclusively old, and the cluster
galaxies themselves have a mix of stellar ages, we derive an upper limit on the
intracluster stellar mass fraction of <0.47 (84% one-sided CL). When combined
with the intragroup SNe results of McGee & Balogh, we confirm the declining
intracluster stellar mass fraction as a function of halo mass reported by
Gonzalez and collaborators. (Abridged)Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, ApJ publishe
The Multi-Epoch Nearby Cluster Survey: type Ia supernova rate measurement in z~0.1 clusters and the late-time delay time distribution
We describe the Multi-Epoch Nearby Cluster Survey (MENeaCS), designed to
measure the cluster Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) rate in a sample of 57 X-ray
selected galaxy clusters, with redshifts of 0.05 < z < 0.15. Utilizing our real
time analysis pipeline, we spectroscopically confirmed twenty-three cluster SN
Ia, four of which were intracluster events. Using our deep CFHT/Megacam
imaging, we measured total stellar luminosities in each of our galaxy clusters,
and we performed detailed supernova detection efficiency simulations. Bringing
these ingredients together, we measure an overall cluster SN Ia rate within
R_{200} (1 Mpc) of 0.042^{+0.012}_{-0.010}^{+0.010}_{-0.008} SNuM
(0.049^{+0.016}_{-0.014}^{+0.005}_{-0.004} SNuM) and a SN Ia rate within red
sequence galaxies of 0.041^{+0.015}_{-0.015}^{+0.005}_{-0.010} SNuM
(0.041^{+0.019}_{-0.015}^{+0.005}_{-0.004} SNuM). The red sequence SN Ia rate
is consistent with published rates in early type/elliptical galaxies in the
`field'. Using our red sequence SN Ia rate, and other cluster SNe measurements
in early type galaxies up to , we derive the late time (>2 Gyr) delay
time distribution (DTD) of SN Ia assuming a cluster early type galaxy star
formation epoch of z_f=3. Assuming a power law form for the DTD, \Psi(t)\propto
t^s, we find s=-1.62\pm0.54. This result is consistent with predictions for the
double degenerate SN Ia progenitor scenario (s\sim-1), and is also in line with
recent calculations for the double detonation explosion mechanism (s\sim-2).
The most recent calculations of the single degenerate scenario delay time
distribution predicts an order of magnitude drop off in SN Ia rate \sim 6-7 Gyr
after stellar formation, and the observed cluster rates cannot rule this out.Comment: 35 pages, 14 figures, ApJ accepte
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