First Results from the Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) Survey: Cosmological Reionization at z ~ 7

We present the first results from the ongoing LAGER project (Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization), which is the largest narrowband survey for $z \sim$ 7 galaxies to date. Using a specially built narrowband filter NB964 for the superb large-area Dark-Energy Camera (DECam) on the NOAO/CTIO 4m Blanco telescope, LAGER has collected 34 hours NB964 narrowband imaging data in the 3 deg$^2$ COSMOS field. We have identified 23 Lyman Alpha Emitter (LAE) candidates at $z$ = 6.9 in the central 2-deg$^2$ region, where DECam and public COSMOS multi-band images exist. The resulting luminosity function can be described as a Schechter function modified by a significant excess at the bright end (4 galaxies with $L_{Ly\alpha} \sim$ 10$^{43.4\pm0.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$). The number density at $L_{Ly\alpha}\sim$ 10$^{43.4\pm0.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$ is little changed from z= 6.6, while at fainter $L_{Ly\alpha}$ it is substantially reduced. Overall, we see a fourfold reduction in Ly$\alpha$ luminosity density from $z$ = 5.7 to 6.9. Combined with a more modest evolution of the continuum UV luminosity density, this suggests a factor of $\sim 3$ suppression of Ly$\alpha$ by radiative transfer through the $z \sim$ 7 intergalactic medium (IGM). It indicates an IGM neutral fraction $x_{HI}$ $\sim$ 0.4--0.6 (assuming Ly$\alpha$ velocity offsets of 100-200 km s$^{-1}$). The changing shape of the Ly$\alpha$ luminosity function between $z\lesssim 6.6$ and $z=6.9$ supports the hypothesis of ionized bubbles in a patchy reionization at $z\sim$ 7.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures (updated), 2 tables (updated), Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Project Overview of the Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey

The Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey (BASS) is a wide-field two-band photometric survey of the Northern Galactic Cap using the 90Prime imager on the 2.3 m Bok telescope at Kitt Peak. It is a four-year collaboration between the National Astronomical Observatory of China and Steward Observatory, the University of Arizona, serving as one of the three imaging surveys to provide photometric input catalogs for target selection of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) project. BASS will take up to 240 dark/grey nights to cover an area of about 5400 deg$^2$ in the $g$ and $r$ bands. The 5$\sigma$ limiting AB magnitudes for point sources in the two bands, corrected for the Galactic extinction, are 24.0 and 23.4 mag, respectively. BASS, together with other DESI imaging surveys, will provide unique science opportunities that cover a wide range of topics in both Galactic and extragalactic astronomy.Comment: 10 pages, submitted to PAS

First Spectroscopic Confirmations of z ~ 7.0 Lya Emitting Galaxies in the LAGER Survey

Narrowband imaging is a highly successful approach for finding large numbers of high redshift Lya emitting galaxies (LAEs) up to z~6.6. However, at z>~7 there are as yet only 3 narrowband selected LAEs with spectroscopic confirmations (two at z~6.9-7.0, one at z~7.3), which hinders extensive studies on cosmic reionization and galaxy evolution at this key epoch. We have selected 23 candidate z~6.9 LAEs in COSMOS field with the large area narrowband survey LAGER (Lyman-Alpha Galaxies at the End of Reionization). In this work we present spectroscopic followup observations of 12 candidates using IMACS on Magellan. For 9 of these, the observations are sufficiently deep to detect the expected lines. Lya emission lines are identified in six sources (yielding a success rate of 2/3), including 3 luminous LAEs with Lya luminosities of L(Lya) ~ 10^{43.5} erg/s, the highest among known spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at >~7.0. This triples the sample size of spectroscopically confirmed narrowband selected LAEs at z>~7, and confirms the bright end bump in the Lya luminosity function we previously derived based on the photometric sample, supporting a patchy reionization scenario. Two luminous LAEs appear physically linked with projected distance of 1.1 pMpc and velocity difference of ~ 170 km/s. They likely sit in a common ionized bubble produced by themselves or with close neighbors, which reduces the IGM attenuation of Lya. A tentative narrow NV${\lambda}$1240 line is seen in one source, hinting at activity of a central massive black hole with metal rich line emitting gas.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted by ApJ

The First Data Release of the Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey

The Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey (BASS) is a new wide-field legacy imaging survey in the northern Galactic cap using the 2.3m Bok telescope. The survey will cover about 5400 deg$^2$ in the $g$ and $r$ bands, and the expected 5$\sigma$ depths (corrected for the Galactic extinction) in the two bands are 24.0 and 23.4 mag, respectively. BASS started observations in January 2015, and has completed about 41% of the whole area as of July 2016. The first data release contains both calibrated images and photometric catalogs obtained in 2015 and 2016. The depths of single-epoch images in the two bands are 23.4 and 22.9 mag, and the full depths of three epochs are about 24.1 and 23.5 mag, respectively.Comment: 16 pages, published by A

An Essential Role for RIG-I in Toll-like Receptor-Stimulated Phagocytosis

SummaryRetinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I) plays an important role in antiviral response by recognizing double-stranded RNA. Here we demonstrate an unanticipated role of RIG-I in Toll-like receptor (TLR)-stimulated phagocytosis. Stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a ligand of TLR4, induced the expression of RIG-I in macrophages. Depletion of RIG-I by RNAi or gene targeting inhibited the LPS-induced phagocytosis of bacteria. Cellular processes involved in phagocytosis, such as small GTPase Cdc42/Rac1 activation, actin polymerization, and actin-regulator Arp2/3 recruitment, were also impaired in RIG-I-deficient macrophages activated by LPS. Moreover, RIG-I−/− mice were found to be more susceptible to infection with Escherichia coli as compared to wild-type mice. Thus, the regulatory functions of RIG-I are strikingly broad, including a role not only in antiviral responses but in antibacterial responses as well