1,569 research outputs found
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
Very blue UV-continuum slopes of low luminosity z~7 galaxies from WFC3/IR: Evidence for extremely low metallicities?
We use the ultra-deep WFC3/IR data over the HUDF and the Early Release
Science WFC3/IR data over the CDF-South GOODS field to quantify the broadband
spectral properties of candidate star-forming galaxies at z~7. We determine the
UV-continuum slope beta in these galaxies, and compare the slopes with galaxies
at later times to measure the evolution in beta. For luminous L*(z=3) galaxies,
we measure a mean UV-continuum slope beta of -2.0+/-0.2, which is comparable to
the beta~-2 derived at similar luminosities at z~5-6. However, for the lower
luminosity 0.1L*(z=3) galaxies, we measure a mean beta of -3.0+/-0.2. This is
substantially bluer than is found for similar luminosity galaxies at z~4, just
800 Myr later, and even at z~5-6. In principle, the observed beta of -3.0 can
be matched by a very young, dust-free stellar population, but when nebular
emission is included the expected beta becomes >~-2.7. To produce these very
blue beta's (i.e., beta~-3), extremely low metallicities and mechanisms to
reduce the red nebular emission are likely required. For example, a large
escape fraction (i.e., f_{esc}>~0.3) could minimize the contribution from this
red nebular emission. If this is correct and the escape fraction in faint z~7
galaxies is >~0.3, it may help to explain how galaxies reionize the universe.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal
Letter
UV Luminosity Functions from 132 z~7 and z~8 Lyman-Break Galaxies in the ultra-deep HUDF09 and wide-area ERS WFC3/IR Observations
We identify 73 z~7 and 59 z~8 candidate galaxies in the reionization epoch,
and use this large 26-29.4 AB mag sample of galaxies to derive very deep
luminosity functions to <-18 AB mag and the star formation rate density at z~7
and z~8. The galaxy sample is derived using a sophisticated Lyman-Break
technique on the full two-year WFC3/IR and ACS data available over the HUDF09
(~29.4 AB mag, 5 sigma), two nearby HUDF09 fields (~29 AB mag, 14 arcmin) and
the wider area ERS (~27.5 AB mag) ~40 arcmin**2). The application of strict
optical non-detection criteria ensures the contamination fraction is kept low
(just ~7% in the HUDF). This very low value includes a full assessment of the
contamination from lower redshift sources, photometric scatter, AGN, spurious
sources, low mass stars, and transients (e.g., SNe). From careful modelling of
the selection volumes for each of our search fields we derive luminosity
functions for galaxies at z~7 and z~8 to <-18 AB mag. The faint-end slopes
alpha at z~7 and z~8 are uncertain but very steep at alpha = -2.01+/-0.21 and
alpha=-1.91+/-0.32, respectively. Such steep slopes contrast to the local
alpha<~-1.4 and may even be steeper than that at z~4 where alpha=-1.73+/-0.05.
With such steep slopes (alpha<~-1.7) lower luminosity galaxies dominate the
galaxy luminosity density during the epoch of reionization. The star formation
rate densities derived from these new z~7 and z~8 luminosity functions are
consistent with the trends found at later times (lower redshifts). We find
reasonable consistency, with the SFR densities implied from reported stellar
mass densities, being only ~40% higher at z<7. This suggests that (1) the
stellar mass densities inferred from the Spitzer IRAC photometry are reasonably
accurate and (2) that the IMF at very high redshift may not be very different
from that at later times.Comment: 38 pages, 21 figures, 20 tables, ApJ, accepted for publicatio
Understanding the Observed Evolution of the Galaxy Luminosity Function from z=6-10 in the Context of Hierarchical Structure Formation
Recent observations of the Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) luminosity function (LF)
from z~6-10 show a steep decline in abundance with increasing redshift.
However, the LF is a convolution of the mass function of dark matter halos
(HMF)--which also declines sharply over this redshift range--and the
galaxy-formation physics that maps halo mass to galaxy luminosity. We consider
the strong observed evolution in the LF from z~6-10 in this context and
determine whether it can be explained solely by the behavior of the HMF. From
z~6-8, we find a residual change in the physics of galaxy formation
corresponding to a ~0.5 dex increase in the average luminosity of a halo of
fixed mass. On the other hand, our analysis of recent LF measurements at z~10
shows that the paucity of detected galaxies is consistent with almost no change
in the average luminosity at fixed halo mass from z~8. The LF slope also
constrains the variation about this mean such that the luminosity of galaxies
hosted by halos of the same mass are all within about an order-of-magnitude of
each other. We show that these results are well-described by a simple model of
galaxy formation in which cold-flow accretion is balanced by star formation and
momentum-driven outflows. If galaxy formation proceeds in halos with masses
down to 10^8 Msun, then such a model predicts that LBGs at z~10 should be able
to maintain an ionized intergalactic medium as long as the ratio of the
clumping factor to the ionizing escape fraction is C/f_esc < 10.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures; results unchanged; accepted by JCA
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
Evidence for a fast evolution of the UV luminosity function beyond redshift 6 from a deep HAWK-I survey of the GOODS-S field
We perform a deep search for galaxies in the redshift range 6.5<z<7.5, to
measure the evolution of the number density of luminous galaxies in this
redshift range and derive useful constraints on the evolution of their
Luminosity Function. We present here the first results of an ESO Large Program,
that exploits the unique combination of area and sensitivity provided in the
near-IR by the camera Hawk-I at the VLT. We have obtained two Hawk-I pointings
on the GOODS South field for a total of 32 observing hours, covering ~90
arcmin2. The images reach Y=26.7 mags for the two fields. We have used public
ACS images in the z band to select z-dropout galaxies with the colour criteria
Z-Y>1, Y-J<1.5 and Y-K<2. The other public data in the UBVRIJHK bands are used
to reject possible low redshift interlopers. The output has been compared with
extensive Monte Carlo simulations to quantify the observational effects of our
selection criteria as well as the effects of photometric errors. We detect 7
high quality candidates in the magnitude range Y=25.5-26.7. This interval
samples the critical range for M* at z>6 (M_1500 ~- 19.5 to -21.5). After
accounting for the expected incompleteness, we rule out at a 99% confidence
level a Luminosity Function constant from z=6 to z=7, even including the
effects of cosmic variance. For galaxies brighter than M_1500=-19.0 we derive a
luminosity density rho_UV=1.5^{+2.0}_{-0.9} 10^25 erg/s/Hz/Mpc3, implying a
decrease by a factor 3.5 from z=6 to z~6.8. On the basis of our findings, we
make predictions for the surface densities expected in future surveys surveys,
based on ULTRA-VISTA, HST-WFC3 or JWST-NIRCam, evaluating the best
observational strategy to maximise their impact.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Spitzer IRAC confirmation of z_850-dropout galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: stellar masses and ages at z~7
Using Spitzer IRAC mid-infrared imaging from the Great Observatories Origins
Deep Survey, we study z_850-dropout sources in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field.
After carefully removing contaminating flux from foreground sources, we clearly
detect two z_850-dropouts at 3.6 micron and 4.5 micron, while two others are
marginally detected. The mid-infrared fluxes strongly support their
interpretation as galaxies at z~7, seen when the Universe was only 750 Myr old.
The IRAC observations allow us for the first time to constrain the rest-frame
optical colors, stellar masses, and ages of the highest redshift galaxies.
Fitting stellar population models to the spectral energy distributions, we find
photometric redshifts in the range 6.7-7.4, rest-frame colors U-V=0.2-0.4,
V-band luminosities L_V=0.6-3 x 10^10 L_sun, stellar masses 1-10 x 10^9 M_sun,
stellar ages 50-200 Myr, star formation rates up to ~25 M_sun/yr, and low
reddening A_V<0.4. Overall, the z=7 galaxies appear substantially less massive
and evolved than Lyman break galaxies or Distant Red Galaxies at z=2-3, but
fairly similar to recently identified systems at z=5-6. The stellar mass
density inferred from our z=7 sample is rho* = 1.6^{+1.6}_{-0.8} x 10^6 M_sun
Mpc^-3 (to 0.3 L*(z=3)), in apparent agreement with recent cosmological
hydrodynamic simulations, but we note that incompleteness and sample variance
may introduce larger uncertainties. The ages of the two most massive galaxies
suggest they formed at z>8, during the era of cosmic reionization, but the star
formation rate density derived from their stellar masses and ages is not nearly
sufficient to reionize the universe. The simplest explanation for this
deficiency is that lower-mass galaxies beyond our detection limit reionized the
universe.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, emulateapj, Accepted for publication in ApJ
Letter
The Dearth of z~10 Galaxies in all HST Legacy Fields -- The Rapid Evolution of the Galaxy Population in the First 500 Myr
We present an analysis of all prime HST legacy fields spanning >800 arcmin^2
for the search of z~10 galaxy candidates and the study of their UV luminosity
function (LF). In particular, we present new z~10 candidates selected from the
full Hubble Frontier Field (HFF) dataset. Despite the addition of these new
fields, we find a low abundance of z~10 candidates with only 9 reliable sources
identified in all prime HST datasets that include the HUDF09/12, the HUDF/XDF,
all the CANDELS fields, and now the HFF survey. Based on this comprehensive
search, we find that the UV luminosity function decreases by one order of
magnitude from z~8 to z~10 at all luminosities over a four magnitude range.
This also implies a decrease of the cosmic star-formation rate density by an
order of magnitude within 170 Myr from z~8 to z~10. We show that this
accelerated evolution compared to lower redshift can entirely be explained by
the fast build-up of the dark matter halo mass function at z>8. Consequently,
the predicted UV LFs from several models of galaxy formation are in good
agreement with this observed trend, even though the measured UV LF lies at the
low end of model predictions. In particular, the number of only 9 observed
candidate galaxies is lower, by ~50%, than predicted by galaxy evolution
models. The difference is generally still consistent within the Poisson and
cosmic variance uncertainties. However, essentially all models predict larger
numbers than observed. We discuss the implications of these results in light of
the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope mission, which is poised to find much
larger samples of z~10 galaxies as well as their progenitors at less than 400
Myr after the Big Bang.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, minor updates to match accepted versio
A candidate redshift z ~ 10 galaxy and rapid changes in that population at an age of 500 Myr
Searches for very-high-redshift galaxies over the past decade have yielded a
large sample of more than 6,000 galaxies existing just 900-2,000 million years
(Myr) after the Big Bang (redshifts 6 > z > 3; ref. 1). The Hubble Ultra Deep
Field (HUDF09) data have yielded the first reliable detections of z ~ 8
galaxies that, together with reports of a gamma-ray burst at z ~ 8.2 (refs 10,
11), constitute the earliest objects reliably reported to date. Observations of
z ~ 7-8 galaxies suggest substantial star formation at z > 9-10. Here we use
the full two-year HUDF09 data to conduct an ultra-deep search for z ~ 10
galaxies in the heart of the reionization epoch, only 500 Myr after the Big
Bang. Not only do we find one possible z ~ 10 galaxy candidate, but we show
that, regardless of source detections, the star formation rate density is much
smaller (~10%) at this time than it is just ~200 Myr later at z ~ 8. This
demonstrates how rapid galaxy build-up was at z ~ 10, as galaxies increased in
both luminosity density and volume density from z ~ 8 to z ~ 10. The 100-200
Myr before z ~ 10 is clearly a crucial phase in the assembly of the earliest
galaxies.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables, Nature, in pres
The Taiwan ECDFS Near-Infrared Survey: Very Bright End of the Luminosity Function at z>7
The primary goal of the Taiwan ECDFS Near-Infrared Survey (TENIS) is to find
well screened galaxy candidates at z>7 (z' dropout) in the Extended Chandra
Deep Field-South (ECDFS). To this end, TENIS provides relatively deep J and Ks
data (~25.3 ABmag, 5-sigma) for an area of 0.5*0.5 degree. Leveraged with
existing data at mid-infrared to optical wavelengths, this allows us to screen
for the most luminous high-z objects, which are rare and thus require a survey
over a large field to be found. We introduce new color selection criteria to
select a z>7 sample with minimal contaminations from low-z galaxies and
Galactic cool stars; to reduce confusion in the relatively low angular
resolution IRAC images, we introduce a novel deconvolution method to measure
the IRAC fluxes of individual sources. Illustrating perhaps the effectiveness
at which we screen out interlopers, we find only one z>7 candidate, TENIS-ZD1.
The candidate has a weighted z_phot of 7.8, and its colors and luminosity
indicate a young (45M years old) starburst galaxy with a stellar mass of
3.2*10^10 M_sun. The result matches with the observational luminosity function
analysis and the semi-analytic simulation result based on the Millennium
Simulations, which may over predict the volume density for high-z massive
galaxies. The existence of TENIS-ZD1, if confirmed spectroscopically to be at
z>7, therefore poses a challenge to current theoretical models for how so much
mass can accumulate in a galaxy at such a high redshift.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, ApJ accepte
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