Cosmological Gamma-Ray Bursts and Evolution of Galaxies

Evolution of the rate density of cosmological gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is calculated and compared to the BATSE brightness distribution in the context of binary neutron-star mergers as the source of GRBs, taking account of the realistic star formation history in the universe and evolution of compact binary systems. We tried two models of the evolution of cosmic star formation rate (SFR): one is based on recent observations of SFRs at high redshifts, while the other is based on a galaxy evolution model of stellar population synthesis that reproduces the present-day colors of galaxies. It is shown that the binary merger scenario of GRBs naturally results in the comoving rate-density evolution of \propto (1+z)^{2-2.5} up to z ~ 1, that has been suggested independently from the compatibility between the number-brightness distribution and duration-brightness correlation. If the cosmic SFR has its peak at z ~ 1--2 as suggested by recent observations, the effective power-index of GRB photon spectrum, \alpha >~ 1.5$ is favored, that is softer than the recent observational determination of \alpha = 1.1 \pm 0.3. However, high redshift starbursts (z >~ 5) in elliptical galaxies, that have not yet been detected, can alleviate this discrepancy. The redshift of GRB970508 is likely about 2, just below the upper limit that is recently determined, and the absorption system at z = 0.835 seems not to be the site of the GRB.Comment: ApJ Lett. in press, very minor change just making clear that the predicted rate-density evolution is in a comoving sense. (Received 1997 May 15; Accepted 1997 July 2

Age and Dust Degeneracy for Starburst Galaxies Solved?

A spectral evolution model of galaxies that includes both stellar and dust effects is newly built. xApplying the model to 22 nearby starburst galaxies, we have shown that far infrared luminosity of galaxies helps to break the age-dustiness degeneracy. We have derived a unique solution of age and the dustiness for each starburst galaxy. The resulting starburst ages and optical depths are in the range $10 \le t (Myr) \le 500$ and $0.5 \le \tau_{V} \le 5.0$, respectively. The result is robust and is almost independent of model assumptions such as dust distributions, extinction curves, and burst strengths. With the rapidly growing sensitivity of submillimeter detectors, it should become possible in the near future to determine the age and $\tau_{V}$ of star-forming galaxies at redshifts $z \simeq 3$ and beyond. Accurate estimates of $\tau_{V}$ for Lyman-break galaxies and high-z galaxies might require a substantial revision of the previously claimed picture of star formation history over the Hubble time.Comment: Latex (aas2pp4) 15 pages, 1 table, 6 figures. Accepted for Ap

A Robust Age Indicator for Old Stellar Populations

We derive new spectral H_gamma index definitions which are robust age indicators for old and relatively old stellar populations and thus have great potential for solving the age-metallicity degeneracy of galaxy spectra. To study H_gamma as a function of age, metallicity and resolution, we used a new spectral synthesis model which predicts SEDs of single-age, single-metallicity stellar populations at resolution FWHM=1.8A (which can be smoothed to different resolutions), allowing direct measurements of the equivalent widths of particular absorption features. We find that the H_gamma strong age disentangling power strongly depends strongly on the adopted resolution and galaxy velocity dispersion. We propose a system of indices which are completely insensitive to metallicity and stable against resolution, allowing the study of galaxies up to ~300 km/s. Observational spectra of very high S/N and relatively high dispersion, are required to gain this unprecedented age discriminating power. Once such spectra are obtained, accurate and reliable estimates for the luminosity-weighted average stellar ages of these galaxies will become possible for the first time, without assessing their metallicities. We measured this index for two globular clusters, a number of low-luminosity elliptical galaxies and a standard S0 galaxy. We find a large spread in the average stellar ages of a sample of low-luminosity ellipticals. In particular these indices yield 4 Gyr for M32, in agreement with the age provided by an extraordinary fit to the full spectrum of this galaxy that we achieve here.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures. ApJ, in press. Models and details can be found at http://www.ioa.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~vazdekis

Stellar structures in the outer regions of M33

We present Subaru/Suprime-Cam deep V and I imaging of seven fields in the outer regions of M33. Our aim is to search for stellar structures corresponding to extended HI clouds found in a recent 21-cm survey of the galaxy. Three fields probe a large HI complex to the southeastern (SE) side of the galaxy. An additional three fields cover the northwestern (NW) side of the galaxy along the HI warp. A final target field was chosen further north, at a projected distance of approximately 25 kpc, to study part of the large stellar plume recently discovered around M33. We analyse the stellar population at R > 10 kpc by means of V, I colour magnitude diagrams reaching the red clump. Evolved stellar populations are found in all fields out to 120' (~ 30 kpc), while a diffuse population of young stars (~ 200 Myr) is detected out to a galactocentric radius of 15 kpc. The mean metallicity in the southern fields remains approximately constant at [M/H] = -0.7 beyond the edge of the optical disc, from 40' out to 80'. Along the northern fields probing the outer \hi disc, we also find a metallicity of [M/H] = -0.7 between 35' and 70' from the centre, which decreases to [M/H] = -1.0 at larger angular radii out to 120'. In the northernmost field, outside the disc extent, the stellar population of the large stellar feature possibly related to a M33-M31 interaction is on average more metal-poor ([M/H] = -1.3) and older (> 6 Gyr). An exponential disc with a large scale-length (~ 7 kpc) fits well the average distribution of stars detected in both the SE and NW regions from a galactocentric distance of 11 kpc out to 30 kpc. The stellar distribution at large radii is disturbed and, although there is no clear correlation between the stellar substructures and the location of the HI clouds, this gives evidence for tidal interaction or accretion events.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publications in Astronomy and Astrophysics; minor revisions of the tex

Diffuse Extragalactic Background Light versus Deep Galaxy Counts in the Subaru Deep Field: Missing Light in the Universe?

Deep optical and near-infrared galaxy counts are utilized to estimate the extragalactic background light (EBL) coming from normal galactic light in the universe. Although the slope of number-magnitude relation of the faintest counts is flat enough for the count integration to converge, considerable fraction of EBL from galaxies could still have been missed in deep galaxy surveys because of various selection effects including the cosmological dimming of surface brightness of galaxies. Here we give an estimate of EBL from galaxy counts, in which these selection effects are quantitatively taken into account for the first time, based on reasonable models of galaxy evolution which are consistent with all available data of galaxy counts, size, and redshift distributions. We show that the EBL from galaxies is best resolved into discrete galaxies in the near-infrared bands (J, K) by using the latest data of the Subaru Deep Field; more than 80-90% of EBL from galaxies has been resolved in these bands. Our result indicates that the contribution by missing galaxies cannot account for the discrepancy between the count integration and recent tentative detections of diffuse EBL in the K-band (2.2 micron), and there may be a very diffuse component of EBL which has left no imprints in known galaxy populations.Comment: ApJ Letters in press. Two new reports on the diffuse EBL at 1.25 and 2.2 microns are added to the reference list and Table

Chemical compositions of six metal-poor stars in the ultra-faint dwarf spheroidal galaxy Bo\"otes I

Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies recently discovered around the Milky Way (MW) contain extremely metal-poor stars, and might represent the building blocks of low-metallicity components of the MW. Among them, the Bo\"otes I dwarf spheroidal galaxy is of particular interest because of its exclusively old stellar population. We determine chemical compositions of six red giant stars in Bo\"otes I, based on the high-resolution spectra obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph mounted on the Subaru Telescope. Abundances of 12 elements, including C, Na, alpha, Fe-peak, and neutron capture elements, were determined for the sample stars. The abundance results were compared to those in field MW halo stars previously obtained using an abundance analysis technique similar to the present study. We confirm the low metallicity of Boo-094 ([Fe/H]=-3.4). Except for this star, the abundance ratios ([X/Fe]) of elements lighter than zinc are generally homogeneous with small scatter around the mean values in the metallicities spanned by the other five stars (-2.7-2.7 show no significant enhancement of carbon. The [Mg/Fe] and [Ca/Fe] ratios are almost constant with a modest decreasing trend with increasing [Fe/H] and are slightly lower than the field halo stars. The [Sr/Fe] and [Sr/Ba] ratios also tend to be lower in the Bo\"otes I stars than in the halo stars. Our results of small scatter in the [X/Fe] ratios for elements lighter than zinc suggest that these abundances were homogeneous among the ejecta of prior generation(s) of stars in this galaxy.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures. Accepted to A&A, language correcte

A correlation between light profile and [Mg/Fe] abundance ratio in early-type galaxies

We explore possible correlations between light profile shapes, as parameterized by the Sersic index or the concentration index C_re(1/3), and relevant stellar population parameters in early-type galaxies. Mean luminosity weighted ages, metallicities and abundance ratios were obtained from spectra of very high signal-to-noise and stellar population models that synthesize galaxy spectra at the resolution given by their velocity dispersions, in combination with an age indicator that is virtually free of the effects of metallicity. We do not find any significant correlation between the Sersic index (or C_re(1/3)) and mean age or metallicity, but a strong positive correlation of the shape parameters with [Mg/Fe] abundance ratio. This dependence is as strong as the [Mg/Fe] vs. velocity dispersion and C_re(1/3) vs. velocity dispersion relations. We speculate that early-type galaxies settle up their structure on time-scales in agreement with those imposed by their [Mg/Fe] ratios. This suggest that the global structure of larger galaxies, with larger [Mg/Fe] ratios and shorter time-scales, was already at place at high z, without experiencing a significant time evolution.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures (to appear in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Does the Number Density of Elliptical Galaxies Change at z<1?

We have performed a detailed V/Vmax test for a sample of the Canada-France Redshift Survey (CFRS) for the purpose of examining whether the comoving number density of field galaxies changes significantly at redshifts of z<1. Taking into account the luminosity evolution of galaxies which depends on their morphological type through different history of star formation, we obtain \sim 0.5 in the range of 0.3<z<0.8, where reliable redshifts were secured by spectroscopy of either absorption or emission lines for the CFRS sample. This indicates that a picture of mild evolution of field galaxies without significant mergers is consistent with the CFRS data. Early-type galaxies, selected by their (V-I)_{AB} color, become unnaturally deficient in number at z>0.8 due to the selection bias, thereby causing a fictitious decrease of . We therefore conclude that a reasonable choice of upper bound of redshift z \sim 0.8 in the V/Vmax test saves the picture of passive evolution for field ellipticals in the CFRS sample, which was rejected by Kauffman, Charlot, & White (1996) without confining the redshift range. However, about 10% of the CFRS sample consists of galaxies having colors much bluer than predicted for irregular galaxies, and their \avmax is significantly larger than 0.5. We discuss this population of extremely blue galaxies in terms of starburst that has just turned on at their observed redshifts.Comment: 11 pages including 3 figures, to appear in ApJ Letter