The Lopsidedness of Present-Day Galaxies: Results from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Large-scale asymmetries in the stellar mass distribution in galaxies are believed to trace non-equilibrium situations in the luminous and/or dark matter component. These may arise in the aftermath of events like mergers, accretion, and tidal interactions. These events are key in the evolution of galaxies. In this paper we quantify the large-scale lopsidedness of light distributions in 25155 galaxies at z < 0.06 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 using the m = 1 azimuthal Fourier mode. We show that the lopsided distribution of light is primarily due to a corresponding lopsidedness in the stellar mass distribution. Observational effects, such as seeing, Poisson noise, and inclination, introduce only small errors in lopsidedness for the majority of this sample. We find that lopsidedness correlates strongly with other basic galaxy structural parameters: galaxies with low concentration, stellar mass, and stellar surface mass density tend to be lopsided, while galaxies with high concentration, mass, and density are not. We find that the strongest and most fundamental relationship between lopsidedness and the other structural parameters is with the surface mass density. We also find, in agreement with previous studies, that lopsidedness tends to increase with radius. Both these results may be understood as a consequence of several factors. The outer regions of galaxies and low-density galaxies are more susceptible to tidal perturbations, and they also have longer dynamical times (so lopsidedness will last longer). They are also more likely to be affected by any underlying asymmetries in the dark matter halo.Comment: 42 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables, accepted to Ap

The Lopsidedness of Present-Day Galaxies: Connections to the Formation of Stars, the Chemical Evolution of Galaxies, and the Growth of Black Holes

We have used the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to undertake an investigation of lopsidedness in a sample of ~25,000 nearby galaxies (z < 0.06). We use the m=1 azimuthal Fourier mode between the 50% and 90% light radii as our measure of lopsidedness. The SDSS spectra are used to measure the properties of the stars, gas, and black hole in the central-most few-kpc-scale region. We show that there is a strong link between lopsidedness in the outer parts of the galactic disk and the youth of the stellar population in the central region. This link is independent of the other structural properties of the galaxy. These results provide a robust statistical characterization of the connections between accretion/interactions/mergers and the resulting star formation. We also show that residuals in the galaxy mass-metallicity relation correlate with lopsidedness (at fixed mass, the more metal-poor galaxies are more lopsided). This suggests that the events causing lopsidedness and enhanced star formation deliver lower metallicity gas into the galaxy's central region. Finally, we find that there is a trend for the more powerful active galactic nuclei to be hosted by more lopsided galaxies (at fixed galaxy mass, density, or concentration). However if we compare samples matched to have both the same structures and central stellar populations, we then find no difference in lopsidedness between active and non-active galaxies. This leads to the following picture. The presence of cold gas in the central region of a galaxy (irrespective of its origin) is essential for both star-formation and black hole growth. The delivery of cold gas is aided by the processes that produce lopsidedness. Other processes on scales smaller than we can probe with our data are required to transport the gas to the black hole.Comment: 39 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables, accepted to ApJ. Updated author affiliation

Peculiar Motions in the Region of the Ursa Major Supercluster of Galaxies

We have investigated the peculiar motions of clusters of galaxies in the Ursa Major (UMa) supercluster and its neighborhood. Based on SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) data, we have compiled a sample of early-type galaxies and used their fundamental plane to determine the cluster distances and peculiar velocities. The samples of early-type galaxies in the central regions (within R_200) of 12 UMa clusters of galaxies, in three main subsystems of the supercluster -- the filamentary structures connecting the clusters, and in nine clusters from the nearest UMa neighborhood have similar parameters. The fairly high overdensity (3 by the galaxy number and 15 by the cluster number) suggests that the supercluster as a whole is gravitationally bound, while no significant peculiar motions have been found: the peculiar velocities do not exceed the measurement errors by more than a factor of 1.5-2. The mean random peculiar velocities of clusters and the systematic deviations from the overall Hubble expansion in the supercluster are consistent with theoretical estimates. For the possible approach of the three UMa subsystems to be confirmed, the measurement accuracy must be increased by a factor of 2-3.Comment: 21 pages, 4 tables, 7 figure

High star formation rates as the origin of turbulence in early and modern disk galaxies

High spatial and spectral resolution observations of star formation and kinematics in early galaxies have shown that two-thirds are massive rotating disk galaxies with the remainder being less massive non-rotating objects. The line of sight averaged velocity dispersions are typically five times higher than in today's disk galaxies. This has suggested that gravitationally-unstable, gas-rich disks in the early Universe are fuelled by cold, dense accreting gas flowing along cosmic filaments and penetrating hot galactic gas halos. However these accreting flows have not been observed, and cosmic accretion cannot power the observed level of turbulence. Here we report on a new sample of rare high-velocity-dispersion disk galaxies we have discovered in the nearby Universe where cold accretion is unlikely to drive their high star-formation rates. We find that the velocity dispersion is most fundamentally correlated with their star-formation rates, and not their mass nor gas fraction, which leads to a new picture where star formation itself is the energetic driver of galaxy disk turbulence at all cosmic epochs.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, Supplimentary Info available at: http://pulsar.swin.edu.au/~agreen/nature/sigma_mean_arXiv.pdf. Accepted for publication in Natur

A snapshot on galaxy evolution occurring in the Great Wall: the role of Nurture at z=0

With the aim of quantifying the contribution of the environment on the evolution of galaxies at z=0 we have used the DR7 catalogue of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to reconstruct the 3-D distribution of 4132 galaxies in 420 square degrees of the Coma supercluster, containing two rich clusters (Coma and A1367), several groups, and many filamentary structures belonging to the "Great Wall", at the approximate distance of 100 Mpc. At this distance the galaxy census is complete to Mi=-17.5 mag, i.e. approx 4 mag fainter than M*. The morphological classification of galaxies into early- (ellipticals) and late-types (spirals) was carried out by inspection of individual SDSS images and spectra. The density around each galaxies was determined in cylinders of 1 Mpc radius and 1000 km s^-1 half length. The color-luminosity relation was derived for galaxies in bins morphological type and in four thresholds of galaxy density-contrast, ranging from delta{1,1000} <= 0 (UL = the cosmic web); 0 < delta{1,1000} <= 4 (L = the loose groups); 4 < delta{1,1000} <= 20 (H = the large groups and the cluster's outskirts) and delta{1,1000} > 20 (UH = the cluster's cores). The fraction of early-type galaxies increases with the log of the over-density. A well defined "red sequence" composed of early-type galaxies exists in all environments at high luminosity, but it lacks of low luminosity (dwarf) galaxies in the lowest density environment. Conversely low luminosity isolated galaxies are predominantly of late-type. In other words the low luminosity end of the distribution is dominated by red dE galaxies in clusters and groups and by dwarf blue amorphous systems in the lowest density regions. At z=0 we find evidence for strong evolution induced by the environment (Nurture). Transformations take place mostly at low luminosity when star forming dwarf galaxies inhabiting low density environments migrate into amorphous passive dwarf ellipticals in their infall into denser regions. The mechanism involves suppression of the star formation due to gas stripping, without significant mass growth, as proposed by Boselli et al. (2008a). This process is more efficient and fast in ambients of increasing density. In the highest density environments (around clusters) the truncation of the star formation happens fast enough (few 100 Myr) to produce the signature of post-star-burst in galaxy spectra. PSB galaxies, that are in fact found significantly clustered around the largest dynamical units, represent the remnants of star forming isolated galaxies that had their star formation violently suppressed during their infall in clusters in the last 0.5-1.5 Gyrs, and the progenitors of future dEs.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, in pres

Star formation, starbursts and quenching across the Coma supercluster

We analyse Spitzer MIPS 24micron observations, and SDSS (DR7) optical broadband photometry and spectra, to investigate the star formation (SF) properties of galaxies residing in the Coma supercluster region. We find that SF in dwarf galaxies is quenched only in the high density environment at the centre of clusters and groups, but passively-evolving massive galaxies are found in all environments, indicating that massive galaxies can become passive via internal processes. We find AGN activity is suppressed in the cluster cores. We present evidence for a strong dependence of the mechanism(s) responsible for quenching SF in dwarf galaxies on the cluster potential. We find a significant increase in the mean EW of Halpha among star-forming dwarf galaxies in the infall regions of the Coma cluster and the core of Abell 1367 with respect to the overall supercluster population, indicative of the infalling dwarf galaxies undergoing a starburst phase. We identify these starburst galaxies as the precursors of the post-starburst k+A galaxies. We find that 11.4% of all dwarf (z mag > 15) galaxies in the Coma cluster and 4.8% in the Abell 1367 have k+A like spectra, while this fraction is just 2.1% when averaged over the entire supercluster region. We show that in the centre of the Coma cluster, the (24-z) colour of galaxies is correlated with their optical (g-r) colour and Halpha emission. By analysing the projected phase space distribution of galaxies detected at 24micron in Coma, we find that the (optically) red 24 micron detected galaxies follow the general distribution of `all' the spectroscopic members, but their (optically) blue counterparts show interesting features, indicative of recent infall.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publicaton in MNRA

The 1-1000 micron SEDs of far-infrared galaxies

Galaxies selected at 170um by the ISO FIRBACK survey represent the brightest \~10% of the Cosmic Infrared Background. Examining their nature in detail is therefore crucial for constraining models of galaxy evolution. Here we combine Spitzer archival data with previous near-IR, far-IR, and sub-mm observations of a representative sample of 22 FIRBACK galaxies spanning three orders of magnitude in infrared luminosity. We fit a flexible, multi-component, empirical SED model of star-forming galaxies designed to model the entire ~1-1000um wavelength range. The fits are performed with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach, allowing for meaningful uncertainties to be derived. This approach also highlights degeneracies such as between Td and beta, which we discuss in detail. From these fits and standard relations we derive: L_IR, L_PAH, SFR, tau_V, M_star, M_dust, Td, and beta. We look at a variety of correlations between these and combinations thereof in order to examine the physical nature of these galaxies. Our conclusions are supplemented by morphological examination of the sources, and comparison with local samples. We find the bulk of our sample to be consistent with fairly standard size and mass disk galaxies with somewhat enhanced star-formation relative to local spirals, but likely not bona fide starbursts. A few higher-z LIGs and ULIGs are also present, but contrary to expectation, they are weak mid-IR emitters and overall are consistent with star-formation over an extended cold region rather than concentrated in the nuclear regions. We discuss the implications of this study for understanding populations detected at other wavelengths, such as the bright 850um SCUBA sources or the faint Spitzer 24um sources.Comment: 19 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Rest-frame optical continua of L ~ L*, z>3 quasars: probing the faint end of the high z quasar luminosity function

Near-IR photometry for 20 radio-loud z>3 quasars, 16 of which are radio- selected, are presented. These data sample the rest-frame optical/UV continuum, which is commonly interpreted as emission from an accretion disk. In a previous study, we compared the rest-frame optical/UV continuum shapes of 15 optically bright (V3 quasars with those of 27 low redshift (z~0.1) ones that were matched to the high redshift sample in evolved luminosity (i.e. having luminosities ranging from 1-7 times the characteristic luminosity, L*, where L*~(1+z)^{~3}) to look for signs of evolution in the central engines. We found the continuum shapes at z~0.1 and z>3 similar, consistent with no significant change in the ratio mdot/M, where mdot is the accretion rate with respect to the Eddington rate and M is the black hole mass. This study expands our earlier high redshift sample to lower luminosity, away from extreme objects and towards a luminosity overlap with lower redshift samples. The distribution of rest-frame optical/UV continuum shapes for this fainter sample is broader, extending further to the red than that of the brighter z>3 one. Three quasars from this fainter sample, two radio-selected and one optically-selected, have optical continuum slopes alpha<-1 (F_{nu}~nu^{alpha}). The optically-selected one, LBQS0056+0125, appears to be reddened by dust along the line of sight or in the host galaxy, whereas the radio-selected ones, PKS2215+02 and TXS2358+189, could derive their red continua from the contribution of a relatively strong synchrotron component to the rest-frame optical. These objects may represent a bridge to a population of very red high redshift quasars to which ongoing or future near-IR, optical and deep X-ray surveys will be sensitive.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA

The colour-magnitude relation of Elliptical and Lenticular galaxies in the ESO Distant Cluster Survey

We study the colour-magnitude relation (CMR) for a sample of 172 morphologically-classified E/S0 cluster galaxies from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS) at 0.4<z<0.8. The intrinsic colour scatter about the CMR is very small (0.076) in rest-frame U-V. Only 7% of the galaxies are significantly bluer than the CMR. The scarcity of blue S0s indicates that, if they are the descendants of spirals, these were already red when they became S0s. We observe no dependence of the CMR scatter with redshift or cluster velocity dispersion. This implies that by the time cluster E/S0s achieve their morphology, the vast majority have already joined the red sequence. We estimate the galaxy formation redshift z_F for each cluster and find that it does not depend on the cluster velocity dispersion. However, z_F increases weakly with cluster redshift. This trend becomes clearer when including higher-z clusters from the literature, suggesting that, at any given z, in order to have a population of fully-formed E and S0s they needed to have formed most of their stars 2-4 Gyr prior to observation. In other words, the galaxies that already have early-type (ET) morphologies also have reasonably-old stellar populations. This is partly a manifestation of the "progenitor bias", but also a consequence of the fact that the vast majority of the ETs in clusters (in particular the massive ones) were already red by the time they achieved their morphology. E and S0 galaxies exhibit very similar colour scatter, implying similar stellar population ages. We also find that fainter ETs finished forming their stars later, consistent with the cluster red sequence being built over time and the brightest galaxies reaching the red sequence earlier than fainter ones. Finally, we find that the ET cluster galaxies must have had their star formation truncated over an extended period of at least 1 Gyr. [abridged]Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The evolution of the star formation activity in galaxies and its dependence on environment

We study how the proportion of star-forming galaxies evolves between z=0.8 and z=0 as a function of galaxy environment, using the [OII] line in emission as a signature of ongoing star formation. Our high-z dataset comprises 16 clusters, 10 groups and another 250 galaxies in poorer groups and the field at z=0.4-0.8 from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey, plus another 9 massive clusters at similar redshifts. As a local comparison, we use samples of galaxy systems selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at 0.04< z < 0.08. At high-z most systems follow a broad anticorrelation between the fraction of star-forming galaxies and the system velocity dispersion. At face value, this suggests that at z=0.4-0.8 the mass of the system largely determines the proportion of galaxies with ongoing star formation. At these redshifts the strength of star formation (as measured by the [OII] equivalent width) in star-forming galaxies is also found to vary systematically with environment. Sloan clusters have much lower fractions of star-forming galaxies than clusters at z=0.4-0.8 and, in contrast with the distant clusters, show a plateau for velocity dispersions $\ge 550 km s^-1$, where the fraction of galaxies with [OII] emission does not vary systematically with velocity dispersion. We quantify the evolution of the proportion of star-forming galaxies as a function of the system velocity dispersion and find it is strongest in intermediate-mass systems (sigma ~ 500-600 km s^-1 at z=0). To understand the origin of the observed trends, we use the Press-Schechter formalism and the Millennium Simulation and show that galaxy star formation histories may be closely related to the growth history of clusters and groups. We propose a scheme that is able to account for the observed relations between the star-forming fraction and \sigma [abridged].Comment: 28 pages, 19 figures, ApJ in pres