Evolution of the galaxy luminosity function in progenitors of fossil groups

Using the semi-analytic models based on the Millennium simulation, we trace back the evolution of the luminosity function of galaxies residing in progenitors of groups classified by the magnitude gap at redshift zero. We determine the luminosity function of galaxies within $0.25R_{200}, 0.5R_{200}$, and $R_{200}$ for galaxy groups/clusters. The bright end of the galaxy luminosity function of fossil groups shows a significant evolution with redshift, with changes in $M^*$ by $\sim$ 1-2 mag between $z\sim0.5$ and $z=0$ (for the central $0.5R_{200}$), suggesting that the formation of the most luminous galaxy in a fossil group has had a significant impact on the $M^{*}$ galaxies e.g. it is formed as a result of multiple mergers of the $M^{*}$ galaxies within the last $\sim5$ Gyr. In contrast, the slope of the faint end, $\alpha$, of the luminosity function shows no considerable redshift evolution and the number of dwarf galaxies in the fossil groups exhibits no evolution, unlike in non-fossil groups where it grows by $\sim25-42\%$ towards low redshifts. In agreement with previous studies, we also show that fossil groups accumulate most of their halo mass earlier than non-fossil groups. Selecting the fossils at a redshift of 1 and tracing them to a redshift 0, we show that $80\%$ of the fossil groups ($10^{13} M_{\odot} h^{-1}<M_{200}<10^{14} M_{\odot} h^{-1}$) will lose their large magnitude gaps. However, about $40\%$ of fossil clusters ($M_{200}>10^{14} M_{\odot} h^{-1}$) will retain their large gaps.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 13 pages, 15 figure

Optically selected fossil groups; X-ray observations and galaxy properties

We report on the X-ray and optical observations of galaxy groups selected from the 2dfGRS group catalog, to explore the possibility that galaxy groups hosting a giant elliptical galaxy and a large optical luminosity gap present between the two brightest group galaxies, can be associated with an extended X-ray emission, similar to that observed in fossil galaxy groups. The X-ray observations of 4 galaxy groups were carried out with Chandra telescope with 10-20 ksec exposure time. Combining the X-ray and the optical observations we find evidences for the presence of a diffuse extended X-ray emission beyond the optical size of the brightest group galaxy. Taking both the X-ray and the optical criteria, one of the groups is identified as a fossil group and one is ruled out because of the contamination in the earlier optical selection. For the two remaining systems, the X-ay luminosity threshold is close to the convention know for fossil groups. In all cases the X-ray luminosity is below the expected value from the X-ray selected fossils for a given optical luminosity of the group. A rough estimation for the comoving number density of fossil groups is obtained and found to be in broad agreement with the estimations from observations of X-ray selected fossils and predictions of cosmological simulations.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Mining the gap: evolution of the magnitude gap in X-ray galaxy groups from the 3 square degree XMM coverage of CFHTLS

We present a catalog of 129 X-ray galaxy groups, covering a redshift range 0.04<z<1.23, selected in the ~3 square degree part of the CFHTLS W1 field overlapping XMM observations performed under the XMM-LSS project. We carry out a statistical study of the redshift evolution out to redshift one of the magnitude gap between the first and the second brightest cluster galaxies of a well defined mass-selected group sample. We find that the slope of the relation between the fraction of groups and the magnitude gap steepens with redshift, indicating a larger fraction of fossil groups at lower redshifts. We find that 22.2$\pm$6% of our groups at z$\leq$0.6 are fossil groups. We compare our results with the predictions of three semi-analytic models based on the Millennium simulation. The intercept of the relation between the magnitude of the brightest galaxy and the value of magnitude gap becomes brighter with increasing redshift. This trend is steeper than the model predictions which we attribute to the younger stellar age of the observed brightest cluster galaxies. This trend argues in favor of stronger evolution of the feedback from active galactic nuclei at z<1 compared to the models. The slope of the relation between the magnitude of the brightest cluster galaxy and the value of the gap does not evolve with redshift and is well reproduced by the models, indicating that the tidal galaxy stripping, put forward as an explanation of the occurrence of the magnitude gap, is both a dominant mechanism and is sufficiently well modeled

Brightest Group Galaxies : Stellar Mass and Star Formation Rate (paper I)

We study the distribution and evolution of the stellar mass and the star formation rate (SFR) of the brightest group galaxies (BGGs) over 0.04 <z <1.3 using a large sample of 407 X-ray galaxy groups selected from the COSMOS, AEGIS, and XMM-LSS fields. We compare our results with predictions from the semi-analytic models based on the Millennium simulation. In contrast to model predictions, we find that, as the Universe evolves, the stellarmass distribution evolves towards a normal distribution. This distribution tends to skew to low-mass BGGs at all redshifts implying the presence of a star-forming population of the BGGs with M-S similar to 10(10.5) M-circle dot which results in the shape of the stellar mass distribution deviating from a normal distribution. In agreement with the models and previous studies, we find that the mean stellar mass of BGGs grows with time by a factor of similar to 2 between z = 1.3 and z = 0.1, however, the significant growth occurs above z = 0.4. The BGGs are not entirely a dormant population of galaxies, as low-mass BGGs in low-mass haloes are more active in forming stars than the BGGs in more massive haloes, over the same redshift range. We find that the average SFR of the BGGs evolves steeply with redshift and fraction of the passive BGGs increases as a function of increasing stellar mass and halo mass. Finally, we show that the specific SFR of the BGGs within haloes with M-200Peer reviewe

Brightest group galaxies-II : the relative contribution of BGGs to the total baryon content of groups at z <1.3

We performed a detailed study of the evolution of the star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass of the brightest group galaxies (BGGs) and their relative contribution to the total baryon budget within $R_{200}$ ($f^{BGG}_{b,200}$). The sample comprises 407 BGGs selected from X-ray galaxy groups ($M_{200}=10^{12.8}-10^{14} \;M_{\odot}$) out to $z\sim1.3$ identified in the COSMOS, XMM-LSS, and AEGIS fields. We find that BGGs constitute two distinct populations of quiescent and star-forming galaxies and their mean SFR is $\sim2$ dex higher than the median SFR at $z 2$ dex. The mean (median) of stellar mass of BGGs has grown by $0.3$ dex since $z=1.3$ to the present day. We show that up to $\sim45\%$ of the stellar mass growth in a star-forming BGG can be due to its star-formation activity. With respect to $f^{BGG}_{b,200}$, we find it to increase with decreasing redshift by $\sim0.35$ dex while decreasing with halo mass in a redshift dependent manner. We show that the slope of the relation between $f^{BGG}_{b,200}$ and halo mass increases negatively with decreasing redshift. This trend is driven by an insufficient star-formation in BGGs, compared to the halo growth rate. We separately show the BGGs with the 20\% highest $f^{BGG}_{b,200}$ are generally non-star-forming galaxies and grow in mass by processes not related to star formation (e.g., dry mergers and tidal striping). We present the $M_\star-M_h$ and $M_\star/M_h-M_h$ relations and compare them with semi-analytic model predictions and a number of results from the literature. We quantify the intrinsic scatter in stellar mass of BGGs at fixed halo mass ($\sigma_{log M_{\star}}$) and find that $\sigma_{log M_{\star}}$ increases from 0.3 dex at $z\sim0.2$ to 0.5 dex at $z\sim1.0$ due to the bimodal distribution of stellar mass

Satellite content and quenching of star formation in galaxy groups at z ~ 1.8

We study the properties of satellites in the environment of massive star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1.8 in the COSMOS field, using a sample of 215 galaxies on the main sequence of star formation with an average mass of ~1011M⊙. At z> 1.5, these galaxies typically trace halos of mass ≳1013M⊙. We use optical-near-infrared photometry to estimate stellar masses and star formation rates (SFR) of centrals and satellites down to ~ 6 × 109M⊙. We stack data around 215 central galaxies to statistically detect their satellite halos, finding an average of ~3 galaxies in excess of the background density. We fit the radial profiles of satellites with simple β-models, and compare their integrated properties to model predictions. We find that the total stellar mass of satellites amounts to ~68% of the central galaxy, while spectral energy distribution modeling and far-infrared photometry consistently show their total SFR to be 25-35% of the central's rate. We also see significant variation in the specific SFR of satellites within the halo with, in particular, a sharp decrease at <100 kpc. After considering different potential explanations, we conclude that this is likely an environmental signature of the hot inner halo. This effect can be explained in the first order by a simple free-fall scenario, suggesting that these low-mass environments can shut down star formation in satellites on relatively short timescales of ~0.3 Gyr

Exoplanets prediction in multiplanetary systems

We present the results of a search for additional exoplanets in allmultiplanetary systems discovered to date, employing a logarithmic spacing between planets in our Solar System known as the Titius-Bode (TB) relation. We use theMarkov Chain Monte Carlo method and separately analyse 229 multiplanetary systems that house at least three or more confirmed planets. We find that the planets in similar to 53% of these systems adhere to a logarithmic spacing relation remarkably better than the Solar System planets. Using the TB relation, we predict the presence of 426 additional exoplanets in 229 multiplanetary systems, of which 197 candidates are discovered by interpolation and 229 by extrapolation. Altogether, 47 predicted planets are located within the habitable zone of their host stars, and 5 of the 47 planets have a maximum mass limit of 0.1-2 M-circle plus and a maximum radius lower than 1.25 R-circle plus. Our results and prediction of additional planets agree with previous studies' predictions; however, we improve the uncertainties in the orbital period measurement for the predicted planets significantly.Peer reviewe

Formation of bright central galaxies in massive haloes

Galaxy formation is one of the most active and evolving fields of research in observational astronomy and cosmology. While we know today which physical processes qualitatively regulate galaxy evolution, the precise timing and the behaviour of these processes and their relations to host environments remain unclear. Many interesting questions are still debated: What regulates galaxy evolution? When do massive galaxies assemble their stellar mass and how? Where does this mass assembly occur? This thesis studies the formation and evolution of central galaxies in groups and clusters over the last 9 billion years in an attempt to answer these questions. Two important properties of galaxy clusters and groups make them ideal systems to study cosmic evolution. First, they are the largest structures in the Universe that have undergone gravitational relaxation and virial equilibrium. By comparing mass distributions among the nearby- and early-Universe clusters, we can measure the rate of the structure growth and formation. Second, the gravitational potential wells of clusters are deep enough that they retain all of the cluster material, despite outflows driven by supernovae (SNe) and active galactic nuclei (AGN). Thus, the cluster baryons can provide key information on the essential mechanisms related to galaxy formation, including star formation efficiency and the impact of AGN and SNe feedback on galaxy evolution. This thesis reports the identification of a large sample of galaxy groups including their optical and X-ray properties. It includes several refereed journal articles, of which five have been included here. In the first article (Gozaliasl et al. 2014a), we study the distribution and the development of the magnitude gap between the brightest group galaxies and their brightest satellites in our well defined mass-selected sample of 129 X-ray galaxy groups at 0.04 < z < 1.23 in XMM-LSS. We investigate the relation between magnitude gap and absolute r-band magnitude of the central group galaxy and its brightest satellite. Our observational results are compared to the predictions by three semi-analytic models (SAMs) based on the Millennium simulation. We show that the fraction of galaxy groups with large magnitude gaps (e.g. fossils) increases significantly with decreasing redshift by a factor of ∼ 2. In contrast to the model predictions, we show that the intercept of the relation between the absolute magnitude of the brightest groups galaxies (BGGs) and the magnitude gap becomes brighter as a function of increasing redshift. We attribute this evolution to the presence of a younger population of the observed BGGs. In the second article (Gozaliasl et al. 2016), we study the distribution and evolution of the star formation rate (SFR) and the stellar mass of BGGs over the last 9 billion years, using a sample of 407 BGGs selected from X-ray galaxy groups at 0.04 < z < 1.3 in the XMM-LSS, COSMOS, and AEGIS fields. We find that the mean stellar mass of BGGs grows by a factor of 2 from z = 1.3 to present day and the stellar mass distribution evolves towards a normal distribution with cosmic time. We find that the BGGs are not completely inactive systems as the SFR of a considerable number of BGG ranges from 1 to 1000 M_sun/yr. In the third article (Gozaliasl et al. 2014b), we study the evolution of halo mass, magnitude gap, and composite (stacked) luminosity function of galaxies in groups classified by the magnitude gap (as fossils, normal/non-fossils, and random groups) using the Guo et al. (2011) SAM. We find that galaxy groups with large magnitude gaps, i.e. fossils (∆M1,2 ≥ 2 mag), form earlier than the non-fossil systems. We measure the evolution of the Schechter function parameters, finding that M∗ for fossils grows by at least +1 mag in contrast to non-fossils, decreasing the number of massive galaxies with redshift. The faint-end slope (α) of both fossils and non-fossils remains constant with redshift. However, φ∗ grows significantly for both type of groups, changing the number of galaxies with cosmic time. We find that the number of dwarf galaxies in fossils shows no significant evolution in comparison to non-fossils and conclude that the changes in the number of galaxies (φ∗) of fossils are mainly due to the changes in the number of massive (M∗) galaxies. Overall, these results indicate that the giant central galaxies in fossils form by multiple mergers of the massive galaxies. In the fourth article (Khosroshahi et al. 2014), we analyse the observed X-ray, optical, and spectroscopic data of four optically selected fossil groups at z ∼ 0.06 in 2dFGRS to examine the possibility that a galaxy group, which hosts a giant luminous elliptical galaxy with a large magnitude gap, can be associated with diffuse X-ray radiation, similar to that of fossil groups. The X-ray and optical properties of these groups indicate the presence of extended X-ray emission from the hot intra-group gas. We find that one of them is a fossil group, and the X-ray luminosity of two groups is close to the defined threshold for fossil groups. One of the groups is ruled out due to the optical contamination in the input sample. In the fifth paper (Khosroshahi et al. 2015), we analyse data from the multiwavelength observations of galaxy groups to probe statistical predictions from the SAMs. We show that magnitude gap can be used as an observable parameter to study groups and to probe galaxy formation models

Revisiting mass-radius relationships for exoplanet populations: a machine learning insight

The growing number of exoplanet discoveries and advances in machine learning techniques have opened new avenues for exploring and understanding the characteristics of worlds beyond our Solar System. In this study, we employ efficient machine learning approaches to analyze a dataset comprising 762 confirmed exoplanets and eight Solar System planets, aiming to characterize their fundamental quantities. By applying different unsupervised clustering algorithms, we classify the data into two main classes: 'small' and 'giant' planets, with cut-off values at $R_{p}=8.13R_{\oplus}$ and $M_{p}=52.48M_{\oplus}$. This classification reveals an intriguing distinction: giant planets have lower densities, suggesting higher H-He mass fractions, while small planets are denser, composed mainly of heavier elements. We apply various regression models to uncover correlations between physical parameters and their predictive power for exoplanet radius. Our analysis highlights that planetary mass, orbital period, and stellar mass play crucial roles in predicting exoplanet radius. Among the models evaluated, the Support Vector Regression consistently outperforms others, demonstrating its promise for obtaining accurate planetary radius estimates. Furthermore, we derive parametric equations using the M5P and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Notably, our study reveals a noteworthy result: small planets exhibit a positive linear mass-radius relation, aligning with previous findings. Conversely, for giant planets, we observe a strong correlation between planetary radius and the mass of their host stars, which might provide intriguing insights into the relationship between giant planet formation and stellar characteristics.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 17 pages, 18 figure