202 research outputs found
The VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey. Luminosity and stellar mass dependence of galaxy clustering at z~3
We present the study of the dependence of galaxy clustering on luminosity and
stellar mass in the redshift range 2z3.5 using 3236 galaxies with robust
spectroscopic redshifts from the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS). We measure the
two-point real-space correlation function for four volume-limited
stellar mass and four luminosity, M absolute magnitude selected,
sub-samples. We find that the scale dependent clustering amplitude
significantly increases with increasing luminosity and stellar mass indicating
a strong galaxy clustering dependence on these properties. This corresponds to
a strong relative bias between these two sub-samples of b/b=0.43.
Fitting a 5-parameter HOD model we find that the most luminous and massive
galaxies occupy the most massive dark matter haloes with
M = 10 h M. Similar to the
trends observed at lower redshift, the minimum halo mass M depends on
the luminosity and stellar mass of galaxies and grows from M
=10 hM to M=10 hM
from the faintest to the brightest among our galaxy sample, respectively. We
find the difference between these halo masses to be much more pronounced than
is observed for local galaxies of similar properties. Moreover, at z~3, we
observe that the masses at which a halo hosts, on average, one satellite and
one central galaxy is M4M over all luminosity ranges,
significantly lower than observed at z~0 indicating that the halo satellite
occupation increases with redshift. The luminosity and stellar mass dependence
is also reflected in the measurements of the large scale galaxy bias, which we
model as b(L)=1.92+25.36(L/L). We conclude our study
with measurements of the stellar-to-halo mass ratio (SHMR).Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, A&A in press, v2. revised discussion in sec.
5.5, changed Fig. 4 and Fig. 11, added reference
A subarcsecond near-infrared view of massive galaxies at z > 1 with Gemini Multiconjugate Adaptive Optics
We present images taken using the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI)
with the Gemini Multiconjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) in three 2
arcmin fields in the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey.
These GeMS/GSAOI observations are among the first resolution
data in the near-infrared spanning extragalactic fields exceeding
in size. We use these data to estimate galaxy sizes, obtaining
results similar to those from studies with the Hubble Space Telescope, though
we find a higher fraction of compact star forming galaxies at . To
disentangle the star-forming galaxies from active galactic nuclei (AGN), we use
multiwavelength data from surveys in the optical and infrared, including
far-infrared data from Herschel, as well as new radio continuum data from the
Australia Telescope Compact Array and Very Large Array. We identify
ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at , which consist of a
combination of pure starburst galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei
(AGN)/starburst composites. The ULIRGs show signs of recent merger activity,
such as highly disturbed morphologies and include a rare candidate triple AGN.
We find that AGN tend to reside in hosts with smaller scale sizes than purely
star-forming galaxies of similar infrared luminosity. Our observations
demonstrate the potential for MCAO to complement the deeper galaxy surveys to
be made with the James Webb Space Telescope.Comment: 20 pages, AJ, in pres
A WFC3 Grism Emission Line Redshift Catalog in the GOODS-South Field
We combine HST/WFC3 imaging and G141 grism observations from the CANDELS and
3D-HST surveys to produce a catalog of grism spectroscopic redshifts for
galaxies in the CANDELS/GOODS-South field. The WFC3/G141 grism spectra cover a
wavelength range of 1.1<lambda<1.7 microns with a resolving power of R~130 for
point sources, thus providing rest-frame optical spectra for galaxies out to
z~3.5. The catalog is selected in the H-band (F160W) and includes both galaxies
with and without previously published spectroscopic redshifts. Grism spectra
are extracted for all H-band detected galaxies with H<24 and a CANDELS
photometric redshift z_phot > 0.6. The resulting spectra are visually inspected
to identify emission lines and redshifts are determined using cross-correlation
with empirical spectral templates. To establish the accuracy of our redshifts,
we compare our results against high-quality spectroscopic redshifts from the
literature. Using a sample of 411 control galaxies, this analysis yields a
precision of sigma_NMAD=0.0028 for the grism-derived redshifts, which is
consistent with the accuracy reported by the 3D-HST team. Our final catalog
covers an area of 153 square arcmin and contains 1019 redshifts for galaxies in
GOODS-S. Roughly 60% (608/1019) of these redshifts are for galaxies with no
previously published spectroscopic redshift. These new redshifts span a range
of 0.677 < z < 3.456 and have a median redshift of z=1.282. The catalog
contains a total of 234 new redshifts for galaxies at z>1.5. In addition, we
present 20 galaxy pair candidates identified for the first time using the grism
redshifts in our catalog, including four new galaxy pairs at z~2, nearly
doubling the number of such pairs previously identified.Comment: 25 Pages, 9 Figures, submitted to A
The evolution of clustering length, large-scale bias and host halo mass at 2<z<5 in the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS)
We investigate the evolution of galaxy clustering for galaxies in the
redshift range 2.0<<5.0 using the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS). We present
the projected (real-space) two-point correlation function measured
by using 3022 galaxies with robust spectroscopic redshifts in two independent
fields (COSMOS and VVDS-02h) covering in total 0.8 deg. We quantify how the
scale dependent clustering amplitude changes with redshift making use of
mock samples to evaluate and correct the survey selection function. Using a
power-law model we find that the correlation
function for the general population is best fit by a model with a clustering
length =3.95 hMpc and slope
=1.8 at ~2.5, =4.350.60 hMpc and
=1.6 at ~3.5. We use these clustering parameters
to derive the large-scale linear galaxy bias , between galaxies and
dark matter. We find = 2.680.22 at redshift ~3 (assuming
= 0.8), significantly higher than found at intermediate and low
redshifts. We fit an HOD model to the data and we obtain that the average halo
mass at redshift ~3 is =10 hM. From
this fit we confirm that the large-scale linear galaxy bias is relatively high
at = 2.820.27. Comparing these measurements with similar
measurements at lower redshifts we infer that the star-forming population of
galaxies at ~3 should evolve into the massive and bright (<-21.5)
galaxy population which typically occupy haloes of mass =
10 h at redshift =0.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, submitted to A&
The VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey: Ly Emission and Stellar Populations of Star-Forming Galaxies at 2<z<2.5
The aim of this paper is to investigate spectral and photometric properties
of 854 faint (<~25 mag) star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at 2<z<2.5 using
the VIMOS Ultra-Deep Survey (VUDS) spectroscopic data and deep multi-wavelength
photometric data in three extensively studied extragalactic fields (ECDFS,
VVDS, COSMOS). These SFGs were targeted for spectroscopy based on their
photometric redshifts. The VUDS spectra are used to measure the UV spectral
slopes () as well as Ly equivalent widths (EW). On average, the
spectroscopically measured (-1.360.02), is comparable to the
photometrically measured (-1.320.02), and has smaller measurement
uncertainties. The positive correlation of with the Spectral Energy
Distribution (SED)-based measurement of dust extinction, E(B-V),
emphasizes the importance of as an alternative dust indicator at high
redshifts. To make a proper comparison, we divide these SFGs into three
subgroups based on their rest-frame Ly EW: SFGs with no Ly
emission (SFG; EW0\AA), SFGs with Ly emission (SFG; EW0\AA), and Ly emitters (LAEs; EW20\AA). The fraction of
LAEs at these redshifts is 10%, which is consistent with previous
observations. We compared best-fit SED-estimated stellar parameters of the
SFG, SFG and LAE samples. For the luminosities probed here
(L), we find that galaxies with and without Ly in emission
have small but significant differences in their SED-based properties. We find
that LAEs have less dust, and lower star-formation rates (SFR) compared to
non-LAEs. We also find that LAEs are less massive compared to non-LAEs, though
the difference is smaller and less significant compared to the SFR and E(B-V). [abridged]Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 19 pages, 10 figures, 1 tabl
The VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey First Data Release: spectra and spectroscopic redshifts of 698 objects up to z~6 in CANDELS
This paper describes the first data release (DR1) of the VIMOS Ultra Deep
Survey (VUDS). The DR1 includes all low-resolution spectroscopic data obtained
in 276.9 arcmin2 of the CANDELS-COSMOS and CANDELS-ECFDS survey areas,
including accurate spectroscopic redshifts z_spec and individual spectra
obtained with VIMOS on the ESO-VLT. A total of 698 objects have a measured
redshift, with 677 galaxies, two type-I AGN and a small number of 19
contaminating stars. The targets of the spectroscopic survey are selected
primarily on the basis of their photometric redshifts to ensure a broad
population coverage. About 500 galaxies have z_spec>2, 48 with z_spec>4, and
the highest reliable redshifts reach beyond z_spec=6. This dataset
approximately doubles the number of galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts at
z>3 in these fields. We discuss the general properties of the sample in terms
of the spectroscopic redshift distribution, the distribution of Lyman-alpha
equivalent widths, and physical properties including stellar masses M_star and
star formation rates (SFR) derived from spectral energy distribution fitting
with the knowledge of z_spec. We highlight the properties of the most massive
star-forming galaxies, noting the large range in spectral properties, with
Lyman-alpha in emission or in absorption, and in imaging properties with
compact, multi-component or pair morphologies. We present the catalogue
database and data products. All data are publicly available and can be
retrieved from a dedicated query-based database available at
http://cesam.lam.fr/vuds.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, submitted to A&
The impact of the Star Formation Histories on the SFR-M relation at z2
In this paper we investigate the impact of different star formation histories
(SFHs) on the relation between stellar mass M and star formation rate
(SFR) using a sample of galaxies with reliable spectroscopic redshift zspec>2
drawn from the VIMOS Ultra-Deep Survey (VUDS). We produce an extensive database
of dusty model galaxies, calculated starting from the new library of single
stellar population (SSPs) models presented in Cassara' et al. 2013 and weighted
by a set of 28 different SFHs based on the Schmidt function, and characterized
by different ratios of the gas infall time scale to the star
formation efficiency . The treatment of dust extinction and re-emission
has been carried out by means of the radiative transfer calculation. The
spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting technique is performed by using
GOSSIP+, a tool able to combine both photometric and spectroscopic information
to extract the best value of the physical quantities of interest, and to
consider the Intergalactic Medium (IGM) attenuation as a free parameter. We
find that the main contribution to the scatter observed in the
plane is the possibility of choosing between different families of SFHs in the
SED fitting procedure, while the redshift range plays a minor role. The
majority of the galaxies, at all cosmic times, are best-fit by models with SFHs
characterized by a high ratio. We discuss the
reliability of the presence of a small percentage of dusty and highly star
forming galaxies, in the light of their detection in the FIR.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, accepted for pubblication in A&
The Lyman Continuum escape fraction of galaxies at z=3.3 in the VUDS-LBC/COSMOS field
The Lyman continuum (LyC) flux escaping from high-z galaxies into the IGM is
a fundamental quantity to understand the physical processes involved in the
reionization epoch. We have investigated a sample of star-forming galaxies at
z~3.3 in order to search for possible detections of LyC photons escaping from
galaxy halos. UV deep imaging in the COSMOS field obtained with the prime focus
camera LBC at the LBT telescope was used together with a catalog of
spectroscopic redshifts obtained by the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS) to build
a sample of 45 galaxies at z~3.3 with L>0.5L*. We obtained deep LBC images of
galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the interval 3.27<z<3.40 both in the R
and deep U bands. A sub-sample of 10 galaxies apparently shows escape
fractions>28% but a detailed analysis of their properties reveals that, with
the exception of two marginal detections (S/N~2) in the U band, all the other 8
galaxies are most likely contaminated by the UV flux of low-z interlopers
located close to the high-z targets. The average escape fraction derived from
the stacking of the cleaned sample was constrained to fesc_rel<2%. The implied
HI photo-ionization rate is a factor two lower than that needed to keep the IGM
ionized at z~3, as observed in the Lyman forest of high-z QSO spectra or by the
proximity effect. These results support a scenario where high redshift,
relatively bright (L>0.5L*) star-forming galaxies alone are unable to sustain
the level of ionization observed in the cosmic IGM at z~3. Star-forming
galaxies at higher redshift and at fainter luminosities (L<<L*) can be the
major contributors to the reionization of the Universe only if their physical
properties are subject to rapid changes from z~3 to z~6-10. Alternatively,
ionizing sources could be discovered looking for fainter sources among the AGN
population at high-z.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Combined analysis of Hubble and VLT photometry of the intermediate mass black hole ESO 243-49 HLX-1
In this paper, we present a combined analysis of data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Swift X-ray telescope of the intermediate-mass black hole ESO 243-49 HLX-1 that were taken two months apart between 2010 September and November. Previous separate analyses of these data found that they were consistent with an irradiated accretion disc with contribution from either a very young or very old stellar population, and also indicated that the optical flux of the HLX-1 counterpart could be variable. Such variability could only be attributed to a varying accretion disc, so simultaneous analysis of all data sets should break the degeneracies in the model fits. We thus simultaneously fit the broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) from near-infrared through to X-ray wavelengths of the two epochs of data with a model consisting of an irradiated accretion disc and a stellar population. We show that this combined analysis rules out an old stellar population, finding that the SED is dominated by emission from an accretion disc with moderate reprocessing in the outer disc around an intermediate-mass black hole imbedded in a young (˜20 Myr) stellar cluster with a mass of ˜105 M&sun;. We also place an upper limit on the mass of an additional hidden old stellar population of ˜106 M&sun;. However, optical r'-band observations of HLX-1 obtained with the Gemini-South telescope covering part of the decay from a later X-ray outburst are consistent with constant optical flux, indicating that the observed variability between the HST and VLT observations could be spurious caused by differences in the background subtraction applied to the two optical data sets. In this scenario, the contribution of the stellar population, and thus the stellar mass of the cluster, may be higher. Nonetheless, variability of <50 per cent cannot be ruled out by the Gemini data and thus they are still consistent within the errors with an exponential decay similar to that observed in X-rays.</p
NEOWISE Observations of Near-Earth Objects: Preliminary Results
With the NEOWISE portion of the \emph{Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer}
(WISE) project, we have carried out a highly uniform survey of the near-Earth
object (NEO) population at thermal infrared wavelengths ranging from 3 to 22
m, allowing us to refine estimates of their numbers, sizes, and albedos.
The NEOWISE survey detected NEOs the same way whether they were previously
known or not, subject to the availability of ground-based follow-up
observations, resulting in the discovery of more than 130 new NEOs. The
survey's uniformity in sensitivity, observing cadence, and image quality have
permitted extrapolation of the 428 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) detected by
NEOWISE during the fully cryogenic portion of the WISE mission to the larger
population. We find that there are 98119 NEAs larger than 1 km and
20,5003000 NEAs larger than 100 m. We show that the Spaceguard goal of
detecting 90% of all 1 km NEAs has been met, and that the cumulative size
distribution is best represented by a broken power law with a slope of
1.320.14 below 1.5 km. This power law slope produces 1,900
NEAs with 140 m. Although previous studies predict another break in the
cumulative size distribution below 50-100 m, resulting in an increase in
the number of NEOs in this size range and smaller, we did not detect enough
objects to comment on this increase. The overall number for the NEA population
between 100-1000 m are lower than previous estimates. The numbers of near-Earth
comets will be the subject of future work.Comment: Accepted to Ap
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