904 research outputs found
Ultradeep Infrared Array Camera Observations of sub-L* z~7 and z~8 Galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: the Contribution of Low-Luminosity Galaxies to the Stellar Mass Density and Reionization
We study the Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) mid-infrared (rest-frame
optical) fluxes of 14 newly WFC3/IR-detected z=7 z_{850}-dropout galaxies and 5
z=8 Y_{105}-dropout galaxies. The WFC3/IR depth and spatial resolution allow
accurate removal of contaminating foreground light, enabling reliable flux
measurements at 3.6 micron and 4.5 micron. None of the galaxies are detected to
[3.6]=26.9 (AB, 2 sigma), but a stacking analysis reveals a robust detection
for the z_{850}-dropouts and an upper limit for the Y_{105}-dropouts. We
construct average broadband SEDs using the stacked ACS, WFC3, and IRAC fluxes
and fit stellar population synthesis models to derive mean redshifts, stellar
masses, and ages. For the z_{850}-dropouts, we find z=6.9^{+0.1}_{-0.1},
(U-V)_{rest}=0.4, reddening A_V=0, stellar mass M*=1.2^{+0.3}_{-0.6} x 10^9
M_sun (Salpeter IMF). The best-fit ages ~300Myr, M/L_V=0.2, and
SSFR=1.7Gyr^{-1} are similar to values reported for luminous z=7 galaxies,
indicating the galaxies are smaller but not younger. The sub-L* galaxies
observed here contribute significantly to the stellar mass density and under
favorable conditions may have provided enough photons for sustained
reionization at 7<z<11. In contrast, the z=8.3^{+0.1}_{-0.2} Y_{105}-dropouts
have stellar masses that are uncertain by 1.5 dex due to the near-complete
reliance on far-UV data. Adopting the 2 sigma upper limit on the M/L(z=8), the
stellar mass density to M_{UV,AB} < -18 declines from
rho*(z=7)=3.7^{+1.0}_{-1.8} x 10^6 M_sun Mpc^{-3} to rho*(z=8) < 8 x 10^5 M_sun
Mpc^{-3}, following (1+z)^{-6} over 3<z<8. Lower masses at z=8 would signify
more dramatic evolution, which can be established with deeper IRAC
observations, long before the arrival of the James Webb Space Telescope.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, emulateapj, accepted for publication in
ApJ
The evolution of the specific star formation rate of massive galaxies to z ~ 1.8 in the E-CDFS
We study the evolution of the star formation rate (SFR) of mid-infrared (IR)
selected galaxies in the extended Chandra Deep Field South (E-CDFS). We use a
combination of U-K GaBoDS and MUSYC data, deep IRAC observations from SIMPLE,
and deep MIPS data from FIDEL. This unique multi-wavelength data set allows us
to investigate the SFR history of massive galaxies out to redshift z ~ 1.8. We
determine star formation rates using both the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity
from young, hot stars and the total IR luminosity of obscured star formation
obtained from the MIPS 24 um flux. We find that at all redshifts the galaxies
with higher masses have substantially lower specific star formation rates than
lower mass galaxies. The average specific star formation rates increase with
redshift, and the rate of incline is similar for all galaxies (roughly
(1+z)^{n}, n = 5.0 +/- 0.4). It does not seem to be a strong function of galaxy
mass. Using a subsample of galaxies with masses M_*> 10^11 M_sun, we measured
the fraction of galaxies whose star formation is quenched. We consider a galaxy
to be in quiescent mode when its specific star formation rate does not exceed
1/(3 x t_H), where t_H is the Hubble time. The fraction of quiescent galaxies
defined as such decreases with redshift out to z ~ 1.8. We find that, at that
redshift, 19 +/-9 % of the M_* > 10^11 M_sun sources would be considered
quiescent according to our criterion.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
The Star Formation Rate Function for Redshift z~4-7 Galaxies: Evidence for a Uniform Build-Up of Star-Forming Galaxies During the First 3 Gyr of Cosmic Time
We combine recent estimates of dust extinction at z~4-7 with UV luminosity
function (LF) determinations to derive star formation rate (SFR) functions at
z~4, 5, 6 and 7. SFR functions provide a more physical description of galaxy
build-up at high redshift and allow for direct comparisons to SFRs at lower
redshifts determined by a variety of techniques. Our SFR functions are derived
from well-established z~4-7 UV LFs, UV-continuum slope trends with redshift and
luminosity, and IRX-beta relations. They are well-described by Schechter
relations. We extend the comparison baseline for SFR functions to z~2 by
considering recent determinations of the H{\alpha} and mid-IR luminosity
functions. The low-end slopes of the SFR functions are flatter than for the UV
LFs, \Delta\alpha\sim+0.13, and show no clear evolution with cosmic time
(z~0-7). In addition, we find that the characteristic value SFR* from the
Schechter fit to SFR function exhibits consistent, and substantial, linear
growth as a function of redshift from ~5 M_sun/yr at z~8, 650 Myr after the Big
Bang, to ~100 M_sun/yr at z~2, ~2.5 Gyr later. Recent results at z~10, close to
the onset of galaxy formation, are consistent with this trend. The uniformity
of this evolution is even greater than seen in the UV LF over the redshift
range z~2-8, providing validation for our dust corrections. These results
provide strong evidence that galaxies build up uniformly over the first 3 Gyr
of cosmic time.Comment: Added an appendix, 1 figure and 3 tables: 9 pages, 5 figures, 4
tables, ApJ, in pres
The GREATS H+[OIII] Luminosity Function and Galaxy Properties at : Walking the Way of JWST
The James Webb Space Telescope will allow to spectroscopically study an
unprecedented number of galaxies deep into the reionization era, notably by
detecting [OIII] and H nebular emission lines. To efficiently prepare
such observations, we photometrically select a large sample of galaxies at
and study their rest-frame optical emission lines. Combining data from
the GOODS Re-ionization Era wide-Area Treasury from Spitzer (GREATS) survey and
from HST, we perform spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, using
synthetic SEDs from a large grid of photoionization models. The deep
Spitzer/IRAC data combined with our models exploring a large parameter space
enables to constrain the [OIII]+H fluxes and equivalent widths for our
sample, as well as the average physical properties of galaxies, such
as the ionizing photon production efficiency with
. We
find a relatively tight correlation between the [OIII]+H and UV
luminosity, which we use to derive for the first time the [OIII]+H
luminosity function (LF) at . The [OIII]+H LF is higher
at all luminosities compared to lower redshift, as opposed to the UV LF, due to
an increase of the [OIII]+H luminosity at a given UV luminosity from
to . Finally, using the [OIII]+H LF, we make
predictions for JWST/NIRSpec number counts of galaxies. We find that
the current wide-area extragalactic legacy fields are too shallow to use JWST
at maximal efficiency for spectroscopy even at 1hr depth and JWST
pre-imaging to mag will be required.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Two simple algorithms for bin covering
We define two simple algorithms for the bin covering problem and give their asymptotic performance
Expanded Search for z~10 Galaxies from HUDF09, ERS, and CANDELS Data: Evidence for Accelerated Evolution at z>8?
We search for z~10 galaxies over ~160 arcmin^2 of WFC3/IR data in the Chandra
Deep Field South, using the public HUDF09, ERS, and CANDELS surveys, that reach
to 5sigma depths ranging from 26.9 to 29.4 in H_160 AB mag. z>~9.5 galaxy
candidates are identified via J_125-H_160>1.2 colors and non-detections in any
band blueward of J_125. Spitzer IRAC photometry is key for separating the
genuine high-z candidates from intermediate redshift (z~2-4) galaxies with
evolved or heavily dust obscured stellar populations. After removing 16 sources
of intermediate brightness (H_160~24-26 mag) with strong IRAC detections, we
only find one plausible z~10 galaxy candidate in the whole data set, previously
reported in Bouwens et al. (2011). The newer data cover a 3x larger area and
provide much stronger constraints on the evolution of the UV luminosity
function (LF). If the evolution of the z~4-8 LFs is extrapolated to z~10, six
z~10 galaxies are expected in our data. The detection of only one source
suggests that the UV LF evolves at an accelerated rate before z~8. The
luminosity density is found to increase by more than an order of magnitude in
only 170 Myr from z~10 to z~8. This increase is >=4x larger than expected from
the lower redshift extrapolation of the UV LF. We are thus likely witnessing
the first rapid build-up of galaxies in the heart of cosmic reionization.
Future deep HST WFC3/IR data, reaching to well beyond 29 mag, can enable a more
robust quantification of the accelerated evolution around z~10.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, ApJ resubmitted after referee repor
The Most Luminous z~9-10 Galaxy Candidates yet Found: The Luminosity Function, Cosmic Star-Formation Rate, and the First Mass Density Estimate at 500 Myr
[abridged] We present the discovery of four surprisingly bright (H_160 ~ 26 -
27 mag AB) galaxy candidates at z~9-10 in the complete HST CANDELS WFC3/IR
GOODS-N imaging data, doubling the number of z~10 galaxy candidates that are
known, just ~500 Myr after the Big Bang. Two similarly bright sources are also
detected in a systematic re-analysis of the GOODS-S data set. Three of the four
galaxies in GOODS-N are significantly detected at 4.5-6.2sigma in the very deep
Spitzer/IRAC 4.5 micron data, as is one of the GOODS-S candidates. Furthermore,
the brightest of our candidates (at z=10.2+-0.4) is robustly detected also at
3.6 micron (6.9sigma), revealing a flat UV spectral energy distribution with a
slope beta=-2.0+-0.2, consistent with demonstrated trends with luminosity at
high redshift. The abundance of such luminous candidates suggests that the
luminosity function evolves more significantly in phi_* than in L_* at z>~8
with a higher number density of bright sources than previously expected.
Despite the discovery of these luminous candidates, the cosmic star formation
rate density for galaxies with SFR >0.7 M_sun/yr shows an order-of-magnitude
increase in only 170 Myr from z ~ 10 to z ~ 8, consistent with previous
results. Based on the IRAC detections, we derive galaxy stellar masses at z~10,
finding that these luminous objects are typically 10^9 M_sun. The cosmic
stellar mass density at z~10 is log10 rho_* = 4.7^+0.5_-0.8 M_sun Mpc^-3 for
galaxies brighter than M_UV~-18. The remarkable brightness, and hence
luminosity, of these z~9-10 candidates highlights the opportunity for deep
spectroscopy to determine their redshift and nature, demonstrates the value of
additional search fields covering a wider area to understand star-formation in
the very early universe, and highlights the opportunities for JWST to map the
buildup of galaxies at redshifts much earlier than z~10.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures, changed to match resubmitted version to Ap
ZFIRE: The Evolution of the Stellar Mass Tully-Fisher Relation to Redshift 2.0 < Z < 2.5 with MOSFIRE
Using observations made with MOSFIRE on Keck I as part of the ZFIRE survey,
we present the stellar mass Tully-Fisher relation at 2.0 < z < 2.5. The sample
was drawn from a stellar mass limited, Ks-band selected catalog from ZFOURGE
over the CANDELS area in the COSMOS field. We model the shear of the Halpha
emission line to derive rotational velocities at 2.2X the scale radius of an
exponential disk (V2.2). We correct for the blurring effect of a
two-dimensional PSF and the fact that the MOSFIRE PSF is better approximated by
a Moffat than a Gaussian, which is more typically assumed for natural seeing.
We find for the Tully-Fisher relation at 2.0 < z < 2.5 that logV2.2 =(2.18 +/-
0.051)+(0.193 +/- 0.108)(logM/Msun - 10) and infer an evolution of the
zeropoint of Delta M/Msun = -0.25 +/- 0.16 dex or Delta M/Msun = -0.39 +/- 0.21
dex compared to z = 0 when adopting a fixed slope of 0.29 or 1/4.5,
respectively. We also derive the alternative kinematic estimator S0.5, with a
best-fit relation logS0.5 =(2.06 +/- 0.032)+(0.211 +/- 0.086)(logM/Msun - 10),
and infer an evolution of Delta M/Msun= -0.45 +/- 0.13 dex compared to z < 1.2
if we adopt a fixed slope. We investigate and review various systematics,
ranging from PSF effects, projection effects, systematics related to stellar
mass derivation, selection biases and slope. We find that discrepancies between
the various literature values are reduced when taking these into account. Our
observations correspond well with the gradual evolution predicted by
semi-analytic models.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures, 1 appendix. Accepted for publication by Apj,
February 28, 201
Terpene synthase genes originated from bacteria through horizontal gene transfer contribute to terpenoid diversity in fungi
Fungi are successful eukaryotes of wide distribution. They are known as rich producers of secondary metabolites, especially terpenoids, which are important for fungi-environment interactions. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important mechanism contributing to genetic innovation of fungi. However, it remains unclear whether HGT has played a role in creating the enormous chemical diversity of fungal terpenoids. Here we report that fungi have acquired terpene synthase genes (TPSs), which encode pivotal enzymes for terpenoid biosynthesis, from bacteria through HGT. Phylogenetic analysis placed the majority of fungal and bacterial TPS genes from diverse taxa into two clades, indicating ancient divergence. Nested in the bacterial TPS clade is a number of fungal TPS genes that are inferred as the outcome of HGT. These include a monophyletic clade of nine fungal TPS genes, designated as BTPSL for bacterial TPS-like genes, from eight species of related entomopathogenic fungi, including seven TPSs from six species in the genus Metarhizium. In vitro enzyme assays demonstrate that all seven BTPSL genes from the genus Metarhizium encode active enzymes with sesquiterpene synthase activities of two general product profiles. By analyzing the catalytic activity of two resurrected ancestral BTPSLs and one closely related bacterial TPS, the trajectory of functional evolution of BTPSLs after HGT from bacteria to fungi and functional divergence within Metarhizium could be traced. Using M. brunneum as a model species, both BTPSLs and typical fungal TPSs were demonstrated to be involved in the in vivo production of terpenoids, illustrating the general importance of HGT of TPS genes from bacteria as a mechanism contributing to terpenoid diversity in fungi
Finite size scaling in the 2D XY-model and generalized universality
In recent works (BHP), a generalized universality has been proposed, linking
phenomena as dissimilar as 2D magnetism and turbulence. To test these ideas, we
performed a MC study of the 2D XY-model. We found that the shape of the
probability distribution function for the magnetization M is non Gaussian and
independent of the system size --in the range of the lattice sizes studied--
below the Kosterlitz-Thoules temperature. However, the shape of these
distributions does depend on the temperature, contrarily to the BHP's claim.
This behavior is successfully explained by using an extended finite-size
scaling analysis and the existence of bounds for M.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Details of changes:
1. We emphasized in the abstract the range of validity of our results. 2. In
the last paragraph the temperature dependence of the PDF was slightly
re-formulate
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