343 research outputs found
The Space Density of Compton-thick AGN
We constrain the number density and evolution of Compton-thick Active
Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and their contribution to the extragalactic X-ray
background. In the local Universe we use the wide area surveys from the Swift
and INTEGRAL satellites, while for high redshifts we explore candidate
selections based on mid-IR parameters. We present the properties of a sample of
211 heavily-obscured AGN candidates in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South
(ECDF-S) selecting objects with f24/fR>1000 and R-K>4.5. The X-ray to mid-IR
ratios for these sources are significantly larger than that of star-forming
galaxies and ~2 orders of magnitude smaller than for the general AGN
population, suggesting column densities of NH>5x10^24 cm^-2. The space density
of CT AGN at z~2 derived from these observations is ~10^-5 Mpc^{-3}, finding a
strong evolution in the number of LX>10^44 erg/s sources from z=1.5 to 2.5.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in proceedings for 'X-ray Astronomy
2009', Bologna 09/2009, AIP Conference Series, Eds. A. Comastri, M. Cappi, L.
Angelini; author list fixe
Magellan/MMIRS near-infrared multi-object spectroscopy of nebular emission from star forming galaxies at 2<z<3
To investigate the ingredients, which allow star-forming galaxies to present
Lyalpha line in emission, we studied the kinematics and gas phase metallicity
(Z) of the interstellar medium. We used multi-object NIR spectroscopy with
Magellan/MMIRS to study nebular emission from z=2-3 star-forming galaxies
discovered in 3 MUSYC fields. We detected emission lines from four active
galactic nuclei and 13 high-z star-forming galaxies, including Halpha lines
down to a flux of 4.E-17 erg/sec/cm^2. This yielded 7 new redshifts. The most
common emission line detected is [OIII]5007, which is sensitive to Z. We were
able to measure Z for 2 galaxies and to set upper(lower) limits for another
2(2). The Z values are consistent with 0.3<Z/Zsun<1.2. Comparing the Lyalpha
central wavelength with the systemic redshift, we find
Delta_v(Lyalpha-[OIII])=70-270 km/sec. High-redshift star-forming galaxies,
Lyalpha emitting (LAE) galaxies, and Halpha emitters appear to be located in
the low mass, high star-formation rate (SFR) region of the SFR versus stellar
mass diagram, confirming that they are experiencing burst episodes of star
formation, which are building up their stellar mass. Their Zs are consistent
with the relation found for z<2.2 galaxies in the Z versus stellar mass plane.
The measured Delta_v(Lyalpha-[OIII]) values imply that outflows of material,
driven by star formation, could be present in the z=2-3 LAEs of our sample.
Comparing with the literature, we note that galaxies with lower Z than ours are
also characterized by similar Delta_v(Lyalpha-[OIII]) velocity offsets. Strong
[OIII] is detected in many Lyalpha emitters. Therefore, we propose the
Lyalpha/[OIII] flux ratio as a tool for the study of high-z galaxies; while
influenced by Z, ionization, and Lyalpha radiative transfer in the ISM, it may
be possible to calibrate this ratio to primarily trace one of these effects.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, 6 table
Recent star formation in high-redshift early-type galaxies: insights from the rest-frame UV
We combine deep UBVRIzJK photometry from the MUSYC survey with redshifts from
the COMBO-17 survey to study the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) properties of 674
high-redshift (0.5<z<1) early-type galaxies, drawn from the Extended Chandra
Deep Field South (E-CDFS). Galaxy morphologies are determined through visual
inspection of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images taken from the GEMS survey.
We harness the sensitivity of the UV to young (<1 Gyrs old) stars to quantify
the recent star formation history of the early-type population. We find
compelling evidence that early-types of all luminosities form stars over the
lifetime of the Universe, although the bulk of their star formation is already
complete at high redshift. Luminous (-23<M(V)<-20.5) early-types form 10-15
percent of their mass after z=1, while their less luminous (M(V)>-20.5)
counterparts form 30-60 percent of their mass in the same redshift range.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the IAU 245, eds. M. Bureau, E.
Athanassoula, and B. Barbu
Evolution of Lyman Alpha Galaxies: Stellar Populations at z ~ 0.3
We present the results of a stellar population analysis of 30 Lyman alpha
emitting galaxies (LAEs) at z ~ 0.3, previously discovered with the Galaxy
Evolution Explorer (GALEX). With a few exceptions, we can accurately fit model
spectral energy distributions to these objects, representing the first time
this has been done for a large sample of LAEs at z < 3, a gap of ~ 8 Gyr in the
history of the Universe. From the 26/30 LAEs which we can fit, we find an age
and stellar mass range of 200 Myr - 10 Gyr and 10^9 - 10^11 Msol, respectively.
These objects thus appear to be significantly older and more massive than LAEs
at high-redshift. We also find that these LAEs show a mild trend towards higher
metallicity than those at high redshift, as well as a tighter range of dust
attenuation and interstellar medium geometry. These results suggest that
low-redshift LAEs have evolved significantly from those at high redshift.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Replaced with
accepted version. Eight pages, four figures, in emulateapj forma
Is the Lambda CDM Model Consistent with Observations of Large-Scale Structure?
The claim that large-scale structure data independently prefers the Lambda
Cold Dark Matter model is a myth. However, an updated compilation of
large-scale structure observations cannot rule out Lambda CDM at 95%
confidence. We explore the possibility of improving the model by adding Hot
Dark Matter but the fit becomes worse; this allows us to set limits on the
neutrino mass.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of "Sources and Detection of Dark
Matter/Energy in the Universe", ed. D. B. Cline. 6 pages, including 2 color
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