51 research outputs found
The Magellan Evolution of Galaxies Spectroscopic and Ultraviolet Reference Atlas (MEGaSaURA) I: The Sample and the Spectra
We introduce Project MEGaSaURA: The Magellan Evolution of Galaxies
Spectroscopic and Ultraviolet Reference Atlas. MEGaSaURA comprises
medium-resolution, rest-frame ultraviolet spectroscopy of N=15 bright
gravitationally lensed galaxies at redshifts of 1.68z3.6, obtained with
the MagE spectrograph on the Magellan telescopes. The spectra cover the
observed-frame wavelength range \AA ; the average
spectral resolving power is R=3300. The median spectrum has a signal-to-noise
ratio of per resolution element at 5000 \AA . As such, the MEGaSaURA
spectra have superior signal-to-noise-ratio and wavelength coverage compared to
what COS/HST provides for starburst galaxies in the local universe. This paper
describes the sample, the observations, and the data reduction. We compare the
measured redshifts for the stars, the ionized gas as traced by nebular lines,
and the neutral gas as traced by absorption lines; we find the expected bulk
outflow of the neutral gas, and no systemic offset between the redshifts
measured from nebular lines and the redshifts measured from the stellar
continuum. We provide the MEGaSaURA spectra to the astronomical community
through a data release.Comment: Resubmitted to AAS Journals. Data release will accompany journal
publication. v2 addresses minor comments from refere
Lens Model and Time Delay Predictions for the Sextuply Lensed Quasar SDSS J2222+2745
SDSS J2222+2745 is a galaxy cluster at z=0.49, strongly lensing a quasar at
z=2.805 into six widely separated images. In recent HST imaging of the field,
we identify additional multiply lensed galaxies, and confirm the sixth quasar
image that was identified by Dahle et al. (2013). We used the Gemini North
telescope to measure a spectroscopic redshift of z=4.56 of one of the secondary
lensed galaxies. These data are used to refine the lens model of SDSS
J2222+2745, compute the time delay and magnifications of the lensed quasar
images, and reconstruct the source image of the quasar host and a second lensed
galaxy at z=2.3. This second galaxy also appears in absorption in our Gemini
spectra of the lensed quasar, at a projected distance of 34 kpc. Our model is
in agreement with the recent time delay measurements of Dahle et al. (2015),
who found tAB=47.7+/-6.0 days and tAC=-722+/-24 days. We use the observed time
delays to further constrain the model, and find that the model-predicted time
delays of the three faint images of the quasar are tAD=502+/-68 days,
tAE=611+/-75 days, and tAF=415+/-72 days. We have initiated a follow-up
campaign to measure these time delays with Gemini North. Finally, we present
initial results from an X-ray monitoring program with Swift, indicating the
presence of hard X-ray emission from the lensed quasar, as well as extended
X-ray emission from the cluster itself, which is consistent with the lensing
mass measurement and the cluster velocity dispersion.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures; submitted to Ap
Strong Lens Models for 37 Clusters of Galaxies from the SDSS Giant Arcs Survey
We present strong gravitational lensing models for 37 galaxy clusters from
the SDSS Giant Arcs Survey. We combine data from multi-band Hubble Space
Telescope WFC3imaging, with ground-based imaging and spectroscopy from
Magellan, Gemini, APO, and MMT, in order to detect and spectroscopically
confirm new multiply-lensed background sources behind the clusters. We report
spectroscopic or photometric redshifts of sources in these fields, including
cluster galaxies and background sources. Based on all available lensing
evidence, we construct and present strong lensing mass models for these galaxy
clusters.Comment: 53 pages; submitted to ApJ
Spatially Resolved Patchy Lyman- Emission Within the Central Kiloparsec of a Strongly Lensed Quasar Host Galaxy at z = 2.8
We report the detection of extended Lyman- emission from the host
galaxy of SDSS~J2222+2745, a strongly lensed quasar at . Spectroscopic
follow-up clearly reveals extended Lyman- in emission between two
images of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN). We reconstruct the lensed
quasar host galaxy in the source plane by applying a strong lens model to HST
imaging, and resolve spatial scales as small as 200 parsecs. In the
source plane we recover the host galaxy morphology to within a few hundred
parsecs of the central AGN, and map the extended Lyman- emission to its
physical origin on one side of the host galaxy at radii 0.5-2 kpc from
the central AGN. There are clear morphological differences between the
Lyman- and rest-frame ultraviolet stellar continuum emission from the
quasar host galaxy. Furthermore, the relative velocity profiles of quasar
Lyman-, host galaxy Lyman-, and metal lines in outflowing gas
reveal differences in the absorbing material affecting the AGN and host galaxy.
These data indicate the presence of patchy local intervening gas in front of
the central quasar and its host galaxy. This interpretation is consistent with
the central luminous quasar being obscured across a substantial fraction of its
surrounding solid angle, resulting in strong anisotropy in the exposure of the
host galaxy to ionizing radiation from the AGN. This work demonstrates the
power of strong lensing-assisted studies to probe spatial scales that are
currently inaccessible by other means.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letters; 7 pages, 5 figure
RELICS: spectroscopy of gravitationally lensed z â 2 reionization-era analogues and implications for CâIII] detections at z > 6
Recent observations have revealed the presence of strong CâIII] emission (EWCIII]>20 Ă
) in z > 6 galaxies, the origin of which remains unclear. In an effort to understand the nature of these line emitters, we have initiated a survey targeting CâIII] emission in gravitationally lensed reionization-era analogues identified in Hubble Space Telescope imaging of clusters from the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey. Here, we report initial results on four galaxies selected to have low stellar masses (2â8 Ă 107 Mâ) and J125-band flux excesses indicative of intense [OâIII] + HâÎČ emission (EW[OIII]+HÎČ = 500â2000 Ă
), similar to what has been observed at z > 6. We detect CâIII] emission in three of the four sources, with the CâIII] EW reaching values seen in the reionization era (EWCIII]â17â22 Ă
) in the two sources with the strongest optical line emission (EW[OIII]+HÎČâ2000 Ă
). We have obtained a Magellan/FIRE (Folded-port InfraRed Echellette) near-infrared spectrum of the strongest CâIII] emitter in our sample, revealing gas that is both metal poor and highly ionized. Using photoionization models, we are able to simultaneously reproduce the intense CâIII] and optical line emission for extremely young (2â3 Myr) and metal-poor (0.06â0.08 Zâ) stellar populations, as would be expected after a substantial upturn in the star formation rate of a low-mass galaxy. The sources in this survey are among the first for which CâIII] has been used as the primary means of redshift confirmation. We suggest that it should be possible to extend this approach to z > 6 with current facilities, using CâIII] to measure redshifts of objects with IRAC excesses indicating EW[OIII]+HÎČâ2000 Ă
, providing a method of spectroscopic confirmation independent of Lyâα
RELICS: The Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey and the Brightest High-z Galaxies
Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations. We present here the z ~ 6-8 candidate high-redshift galaxies from the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS), a Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescope survey of 41 massive galaxy clusters spanning an area of â200 arcminÂČ. These clusters were selected to be excellent lenses, and we find similar high-redshift sample sizes and magnitude distributions as the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH). We discover 257, 57, and eight candidate galaxies at z ~ 6, 7, and 8 respectively, (322 in total). The observed (lensed) magnitudes of the z ~ 6 candidates are as bright as AB mag ~23, making them among the brightest known at these redshifts, comparable with discoveries from much wider, blank-field surveys. RELICS demonstrates the efficiency of using strong gravitational lenses to produce high-redshift samples in the epoch of reionization. These brightly observed galaxies are excellent targets for follow-up study with current and future observatories, including the James Webb Space Telescope
Where the wild things are: galaxy evolution and radio source properties in the High-z COBRA survey
Galaxie
LOFAR discovery of a double radio halo system in Abell 1758 and radio/X-ray study of the cluster pair
Radio halos and radio relics are diffuse synchrotron sources that extend over Mpc-scales and are found in a number of merger galaxy clusters. They are believed to form as a consequence of the energy that is dissipated by turbulence and shocks in the intra-cluster medium (ICM). However, the precise physical processes that generate these steep synchrotron spectrum sources are still poorly constrained. We present a new LOFAR observation of the double galaxy cluster Abell 1758. This system is composed of A1758N, a massive cluster hosting a known giant radio halo, and A1758S, which is a less massive cluster whose diffuse radio emission is confirmed here for the first time. Our observations have revealed a radio halo and a candidate radio relic in A1758S, and a suggestion of emission along the bridge connecting the two systems which deserves confirmation. We combined the LOFAR data with archival VLA and GMRT observations to constrain the spectral properties of the diffuse emission. We also analyzed a deep archival Chandra observation and used this to provide evidence that A1758N and A1758S are in a pre-merger phase. The ICM temperature across the bridge that connects the two systems shows a jump which might indicate the presence of a transversal shock generated in the initial stage of the merger
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