765 research outputs found
The Seyfert Population in the Local Universe
The magnitude-limited catalog of the Southern Sky Redshift Survey (SSRS2), is
used to characterize the properties of galaxies hosting Active Galactic Nuclei.
Using emission-line ratios, we identify a total of 162 (3%) Seyfert galaxies
out of the parent sample with 5399 galaxies. The sample contains 121 Seyfert 2
galaxies and 41 Seyfert 1. The SSRS2 Seyfert galaxies are predominantly in
spirals of types Sb and earlier, or in galaxies with perturbed appearance as
the result of strong interactions or mergers. Seyfert galaxies in this sample
are twice as common in barred hosts than the non-Seyferts. By assigning
galaxies to groups using a percolation algorithm we find that the Seyfert
galaxies in the SSRS2 are more likely to be found in binary systems, when
compared to galaxies in the SSRS2 parent sample. However, there is no
statistically significant difference between the Seyfert and SSRS2 parent
sample when systems with more than 2 galaxies are considered. The analysis of
the present sample suggests that there is a stronger correlation between the
presence of the AGN phenomenon with internal properties of galaxies
(morphology, presence of bar, luminosity) than with environmental effects
(local galaxy density, group velocity dispersion, nearest neighbor distance).Comment: 35 pages, 13 figures, Accepted to be publised in Astronomical Journa
The DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey: Discovery of Luminous, Metal-poor, Sta r-forming Galaxies at Redshifts z~0.7
We have discovered a sample of 17 metal-poor, yet luminous, star-forming
galaxies at redshifts z~0.7. They were selected from the initial phase of the
DEEP2 survey of 3900 galaxies and the Team Keck Redshift Survey (TKRS) of 1536
galaxies as those showing the temperature-sensitive [OIII]l4363 auroral line.
These rare galaxies have blue luminosities close to L*, high star formation
rates of 5 to 12 solar masses per year, and oxygen abundances of 1/3 to 1/10
solar. They thus lie significantly off the luminosity-metallicity relation
found previously for field galaxies with strong emission lines at redshifts
z~0.7. The prior surveys relied on indirect, empirical calibrations of the R23
diagnostic and the assumption that luminous galaxies are not metal-poor. Our
discovery suggests that this assumption is sometimes invalid. As a class, these
newly-discovered galaxies are: (1) more metal-poor than common classes of
bright emission-line galaxies at z~0.7 or at the present epoch; (2) comparable
in metallicity to z~3 Lyman Break Galaxies but less luminous; and (3)
comparable in metallicity to local metal-poor eXtreme Blue Compact Galaxies
(XBCGs), but more luminous. Together, the three samples suggest that the
most-luminous, metal-poor, compact galaxies become fainter over time.Comment: This is a .tgz file. It should create the following files: texto.tex,
tab1.tex, f1.eps and f2.eps. The LaTeX style used is emulateapj.cls, version
November 26, 2004. This submission is 5 pages long, one table and two
figures. To appear in ApJ
AEGIS: The color-magnitude relation for X-ray selected AGN
We discuss the relationship between rest-frame color and optical luminosity
for X-ray sources in the range 0.6<z<1.4 selected from the Chandra survey of
the Extended Groth Strip (EGS). These objects are almost exclusively active
galactic nuclei (AGN). While there are a few luminous QSOs, most are relatively
weak or obscured AGN whose optical colors should be dominated by host galaxy
light. The vast majority of AGN hosts at z~1 are luminous and red, with very
few objects fainter than M_{B}=-20.5 or bluer than U-B=0.6. This places the AGN
in a distinct region of color-magnitude space, on the ``red sequence'' or at
the top of the ``blue cloud'', with many in between these two modes in galaxy
color. A key stage in the evolution of massive galaxies is when star formation
is quenched, resulting in a migration from the blue cloud to the red sequence.
Our results are consistent with scenarios in which AGN either cause or maintain
this quenching. The large numbers of red sequence AGN imply that strong,
ongoing star formation is not a necessary ingredient for AGN activity, as black
hole accretion appears often to persist after star formation has been
terminated.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in AEGIS ApJ Letters
special editio
Absolute physical calibration in the infrared
We determine an absolute calibration for the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer 24 ÎŒm band and recommend adjustments to the published calibrations for Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), and IRAS photometry to put them on the same scale. We show that consistent results are obtained by basing the calibration on either an average A0V star spectral energy distribution (SED), or by using the absolutely calibrated SED of the Sun in comparison with solar-type stellar photometry (the solar analog method). After the rejection of a small number of stars with anomalous SEDs (or bad measurements), upper limits of ~1.5% root mean square (rms) are placed on the intrinsic infrared (IR) SED variations in both A-dwarf and solar-type stars. These types of stars are therefore suitable as general-purpose standard stars in the IR. We provide absolutely calibrated SEDs for a standard zero magnitude A star and for the Sun to allow extending this work to any other IR photometric system. They allow the recommended calibration to be applied from 1 to 25 ÎŒm with an accuracy of ~2%, and with even higher accuracy at specific wavelengths such as 2.2, 10.6, and 24 ÎŒm, near which there are direct measurements. However, we confirm earlier indications that Vega does not behave as a typical A0V star between the visible and the IR, making it problematic as the defining star for photometric systems. The integration of measurements of the Sun with those of solar-type stars also provides an accurate estimate of the solar SED from 1 through 30 ÎŒm, which we show agrees with theoretical models
VALES: IV. Exploring the transition of star formation efficiencies between normal and starburst galaxies using APEX/SEPIA Band-5 and ALMA at low redshift
In this work we present new APEX/SEPIA Band-5 observations targeting the CO
() emission line of 24 Herschel-detected galaxies at .
Combining this sample {with} our recent new Valpara\'iso ALMA Line Emission
Survey (VALES), we investigate the star formation efficiencies (SFEs =
SFR/) of galaxies at low redshift. We find the SFE of our sample
bridges the gap between normal star-forming galaxies and Ultra-Luminous
Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs), which are thought to be triggered by different star
formation modes. Considering the as the SFR and the
ratio, our data show a continuous and smooth increment as a function of
infrared luminosity (or star formation rate) with a scatter about 0.5 dex,
instead of a steep jump with a bimodal behaviour. This result is due to the use
of a sample with a much larger range of sSFR/sSFR using LIRGs, with
luminosities covering the range between normal and ULIRGs. We conclude that the
main parameters controlling the scatter of the SFE in star-forming galaxies are
the systematic uncertainty of the conversion factor, the gas
fraction and physical size.Comment: 9pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRA
Spitzer Observations of Low Luminosity Isolated and Low Surface Brightness Galaxies
We examine the infrared properties of five low surface brightness galaxies
(LSBGs) and compare them with related but higher surface brightness galaxies,
using Spitzer Space Telescope images and spectra. All the LSBGs are detected in
the 3.6 and 4.5um bands, representing the stellar population. All but one are
detected at 5.8 and 8.0um, revealing emission from hot dust and aromatic
molecules, though many are faint or point-like at these wavelengths. Detections
of LSBGs at the far-infrared wavelengths, 24, 70, and 160um, are varied in
morphology and brightness, with only two detections at 160um, resulting in
highly varied spectral energy distributions. Consistent with previous
expectations for these galaxies, we find that detectable dust components exist
for only some LSBGs, with the strength of dust emission dependent on the
existence of bright star forming regions. However, the far-infrared emission
may be relatively weak compared with normal star-forming galaxies.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, accepted to Ap
AEGIS: Infrared Spectroscopy of An Infrared Luminous Lyman Break Galaxy at z=3.01
We report the detection of rest--frame 6.2 and 7.7 \micron emission features
arising from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) in the Spitzer/IRS spectrum
of an infrared-luminous Lyman break galaxy at z=3.01. This is currently the
highest redshift galaxy where these PAH emission features have been detected.
The total infrared luminosity inferred from the MIPS 24 \micron and radio flux
density is 2 L, which qualifies this object as a
so--called hyperluminous infrared galaxy (HyLIRG). However, unlike local
HyLIRGs which are generally associated with QSO/AGNs and have weak or absent
PAH emission features, this HyLIRG has very strong 6.2 and 7.7 \micron PAH
emission. We argue that intense star formation dominates the infrared emission
of this source, although we cannot rule out the presence of a deeply obscured
AGN. This LBG appears to be a distorted system in the HST ACS F606W and F814W
images, possibly indicating that a significant merger or interaction is driving
the large IR luminosity
Further Definition of the Mass-Metallicity Relation in Globular Cluster Systems Around Brightest Cluster Galaxies
We combine the globular cluster data for fifteen Brightest Cluster Galaxies
and use this material to trace the mass-metallicity relations (MMR) in their
globular cluster systems (GCSs). This work extends previous studies which
correlate the properties of the MMR with those of the host galaxy. Our combined
data sets show a mean trend for the metal-poor (MP) subpopulation which
corresponds to a scaling of heavy-element abundance with cluster mass Z ~
M^(0.30+/-0.05). No trend is seen for the metal-rich (MR) subpopulation which
has a scaling relation that is consistent with zero. We also find that the
scaling exponent is independent of the GCS specific frequency and host galaxy
luminosity, except perhaps for dwarf galaxies.
We present new photometry in (g',i') obtained with Gemini/GMOS for the
globular cluster populations around the southern giant ellipticals NGC 5193 and
IC 4329. Both galaxies have rich cluster populations which show up as normal,
bimodal sequences in the colour-magnitude diagram.
We test the observed MMRs and argue that they are statistically real, and not
an artifact caused by the method we used. We also argue against asymmetric
contamination causing the observed MMR as our mean results are no different
from other contamination-free studies. Finally, we compare our method to the
standard bimodal fitting method (KMM or RMIX) and find our results are
consistent.
Interpretation of these results is consistent with recent models for globular
cluster formation in which the MMR is determined by GC self-enrichment during
their brief formation period.Comment: 35 pages, 20 figures. Accepted by Astronomical Journal. Complete
preprint including high resolution figures available at
http://www.physics.mcmaster.ca/~cockcroft/MMRpape
X-Ray Groups of Galaxies in the Aegis Deep and Wide Fields
We present the results of a search for extended X-ray sources and their
corresponding galaxy groups from 800-ks Chandra coverage of the All-wavelength
Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS). This yields one of the
largest X-ray selected galaxy group catalogs from a blind survey to date. The
red-sequence technique and spectroscopic redshifts allow us to identify 100
of reliable sources, leading to a catalog of 52 galaxy groups. The groups span
the redshift range and virial mass range
. For the 49 extended
sources which lie within DEEP2 and DEEP3 Galaxy Redshift Survey coverage, we
identify spectroscopic counterparts and determine velocity dispersions. We
select member galaxies by applying different cuts along the line of sight or in
projected spatial coordinates. A constant cut along the line of sight can cause
a large scatter in scaling relations in low-mass or high-mass systems depending
on the size of cut. A velocity dispersion based virial radius can more
overestimate velocity dispersion in comparison to X-ray based virial radius for
low mass systems. There is no significant difference between these two radial
cuts for more massive systems. Independent of radial cut, overestimation of
velocity dispersion can be created in case of existence of significant
substructure and also compactness in X-ray emission which mostly occur in low
mass systems. We also present a comparison between X-ray galaxy groups and
optical galaxy groups detected using the Voronoi-Delaunay method (VDM) for
DEEP2 data in this field.Comment: Accepted for publication in AP
The Aquarius Superclusters - I. Identification of Clusters and Superclusters
We study the distribution of galaxies and galaxy clusters in a 10^deg x 6^deg
field in the Aquarius region. In addition to 63 clusters in the literature, we
have found 39 new candidate clusters using a matched-filter technique and a
counts-in-cells analysis. From redshift measurements of galaxies in the
direction of these cluster candidates, we present new mean redshifts for 31
previously unobserved clusters, while improved mean redshifts are presented for
35 other systems. About 45% of the projected density enhancements are due to
the superposition of clusters and/or groups of galaxies along the line of
sight, but we could confirm for 72% of the cases that the candidates are real
physical associations similar to the ones classified as rich galaxy clusters.
On the other hand, the contamination due to galaxies not belonging to any
concentration or located only in small groups along the line of sight is ~ 10%.
Using a percolation radius of 10 h^{-1} Mpc (spatial density contrast of about
10), we detect two superclusters of galaxies in Aquarius, at z = 0.086 and at z
= 0.112, respectively with 5 and 14 clusters. The latter supercluster may
represent a space overdensity of about 160 times the average cluster density as
measured from the Abell et al. (1989) cluster catalog, and is possibly
connected to a 40 h^{-1} Mpc filament from z ~ 0.11 to 0.14.Comment: LateX text (21 pages) and 12 (ps/eps/gif) figures; figures 5a, 5b and
6 are not included in the main LateX text; to be published in the
Astronomical Journal, March issu
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