884 research outputs found
Extragalactic Source Counts in the Spitzer 24-micron Band: What Do We Expect From ISOCAM 15-micron Data and Models?
The comparison between the new Spitzer data at 24 micron and the previous
ISOCAM data at 15 micron is a key tool to understand galaxy properties and
evolution in the infrared and to interpret the observed number counts, since
the combination of Spitzer with the ISO cosmological surveys provides for the
first time the direct view of the Universe in the Infrared up to z~2. We
present the prediction in the Spitzer 24-micron band of a phenomenological
model for galaxy evolution derived from the 15-micron data. Without any ``a
posteriori'' update, the model predictions seem to agree well with the recently
published 24-micron extragalactic source counts, suggesting that the peak in
the 24-micron counts is dominated by ``starburst'' galaxies like those detected
by ISOCAM at 15 micron, but at higher redshifts (1 < z < 2 instead of 0.5 < z <
1.5).Comment: 8 pages: 4 pages of main text + 5 postscript figures, use aastex.
Accepted for publication in ApJL. Replaced with the proof version (added
missing references and corrected a few sentences
ISOPHOT 95 micron observations in the Lockman Hole - The catalogue and an assessment of the source counts
We report results from a new analysis of a deep 95 micron imaging survey with
ISOPHOT on board the Infrared Space Observatory, over a ~1 square degree area
within the Lockman Hole, which extends the statistics of our previous study
(Rodighiero et al. 2003). Within the survey area we detect sixty-four sources
with S/N>3 (roughly corresponding to a flux limit of 16 mJy). Extensive
simulations indicate that the sample is almost complete at fluxes > 100 mJy,
while the incompleteness can be quantified down to ~30 mJy. The 95 micron
galaxy counts reveal a steep slope below 100 mJy (alpha~1.6), in excess of that
expected for a non-evolving source population. In agreement with counts data
from ISO at 15 and 175 micron, this favours a model where the IR populations
evolve both in number and luminosity densities. We finally comment on some
differences found with other ISO results in this area.Comment: 4 pages, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics Lette
Spiral and irregular galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field North - Comparison with early types and implications for the global SFR density
We analyze a morphologically-selected complete sample of 52 late-type (spiral
and irregular) galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field North with total K-magnitudes
brighter than K=20.47. This sample exploits in particular the ultimate imaging
quality achieved by HST in this field, allowing us to clearly disentangle the
galaxy morphologies, based on accurate profiles of the surface brightness
distributions. Our purpose was to investigate systematic differences between
the two classes, as for colours, redshift distributions and ages of the
dominant stellar populations. This sample appears to miss significantly
galaxies above z=1.4 (in a similar way as an early-type galaxy sample
previously studied by us), a fact which may be explained as a global decline of
the underlying mass function for galaxies at these high redshifts. Differences
between early and late-types are apparent -particularly in the colour
distributions and the evolutionary star-formation (SF) rates per unit volume-,
although the complication in spectro-photometric modelling introduced by
dust-extinction in the gas-rich systems prevents us to reach conclusive results
on the single sources. However, we find that an integrated quantity like the
comoving star-formation rate density (SFR(t)) as a function of redshift is much
less affected by these uncertainties: by combining this with the previously
studied early-type galaxy sample, we find a shallower dependence of SFR(t) on z
between z=0.2 and z=1.5 than found by Lilly et al. (1995).Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures - Version accepted for publication in A&
The star formation rate cookbook at 1 < z < 3: Extinction-corrected relations for UV & [OII]{\lambda}3727 luminosities
We use a spectroscopic sample of 286 star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at 1<z<3
from the GMASS survey to study different star formation rate (SFR) estimators.
Infrared (IR) data are used to derive empirical calibrations to correct
ultraviolet (UV) and [OII]{\lambda}3727 luminosities for dust extinction and
dust-corrected estimates of SFR. In the selection procedure we fully exploit
the available spectroscopic information. On the basis of three continuum
indices, we are able to identify and exclude from the sample galaxies in which
old stellar populations might bring a non-negligible contribution to IR
luminosity (LIR) and continuum reddening. Using Spitzer-MIPS and Herschel-PACS
data we derive LIR for two-thirds of our sample. The LIR/LUV ratio is used as a
probe of effective attenuation (AIRX) to search for correlations with continuum
and spectroscopic features. The relation between AIRX and UV continuum slope
({\beta}) was tested for our sample and found to be broadly consistent with the
literature results at the same redshift, though with a larger dispersion with
respect to UV-selected samples. We find a correlation between the rest-frame
equivalent width (EW) of the [OII]{\lambda}3727 line and {\beta}, which is the
main result of this work. We therefore propose the [OII]{\lambda}3727 line EW
as a dust attenuation probe and calibrate it through AIRX, though the
assumption of a reddening curve is still needed to derive the actual
attenuation towards the [OII]{\lambda}3727 line. We tested the issue of
differential attenuation towards stellar continuum and nebular emission: our
results are in line with the traditional prescription of extra attenuation
towards nebular lines. A set of relations is provided that allows the recovery
of the total unattenuated SFR from UV and [OII]{\lambda}3727 luminosities.
(Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A; 20 pages, 19 figures, 5 table
AGN feedback at z~2 and the mutual evolution of active and inactive galaxies
The relationships between galaxies of intermediate stellar mass and moderate
luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 1<z<3 are investigated with the
Galaxy Mass Assembly ultra-deep Spectroscopic Survey (GMASS) sample
complemented with public data in the GOODS-South field. Using X-ray data,
hidden AGNs are identified in unsuspected star-forming galaxies with no
apparent signs of non-stellar activity. In the color-mass plane, two parallel
trends emerge during the ~2 Gyr between the average redshifts z~2.2 and z~1.3:
while the red sequence becomes significantly more populated by ellipticals, the
majority of AGNs with L(2-10 keV)>10^42.3 erg s^-1 disappear from the blue
cloud/green valley where they were hosted predominantly by star-forming systems
with disk and irregular morphologies. These results are even clearer when the
rest-frame colors are corrected for dust reddening. At z~2.2, the ultraviolet
spectra of active galaxies (including two Type 1 AGNs) show possible gas
outflows with velocities up to about -500 km s^-1 that are not observed neither
in inactive systems at the same redshift, nor at lower redshifts. Such outflows
indicate the presence of gas that can move faster than the escape velocities of
active galaxies. These results suggest that feedback from moderately luminous
AGNs (logL_X~2 by contributing to
outflows capable of ejecting part of the interstellar medium and leading to a
rapid decrease in the star formation in host galaxies with stellar masses
10<logM<11 M_Sun.Comment: Astrophysical Journal Letters, in press (6 pages, 4 figures
ISOCAM observations in the Lockman Hole - II The 14.3 micron deep survey: data reduction, catalogue and source counts
We present a new analysis of the ISOCAM 14.3 micron deep survey in a 20x20
square arcmins area in the Lockman Hole. This survey is intermediate between
the ultra-deep surveys and the shallow surveys in the ELAIS fields. The data
have been analyzed with the method presented by Lari et al. (2001). We have
produced a catalogue of 283 sources detected above the 5-sigma threshold, with
fluxes in the interval 0.1-8 mJy. The catalogue is 90% complete at 1 mJy. The
positional accuracy, estimated from the cross-correlation of infrared and
optical sources, is around 1.5 arcsec. The search for the optical counterparts
of the sources in the survey is performed on a medium-deep r' band optical
image (5-sigma depth of r'=25), making use of the radio detections when
available. The photometry has been checked through simulations and by comparing
the data with those presented in a shallower and more extended ISOCAM survey in
the Lockman Hole, that we have presented in a companion paper. Only 15% of the
14.3 micron sources do not have an optical counterpart down to r'=25 mag. We
use the 6.7/14.3 micron colour as a star/galaxy separator, together with a
visual inspection of the optical image and an analysis of the observed Spectral
Energy Distribution of the ISOCAM sources. The stars in the sample turn out to
be only 6% of the sample. We discuss the 14.3 micron counts of extragalactic
sources, combining our catalogue with that obtained from the shallower ISOCAM
survey. The data in the two surveys are consistent, and our results fully
support the claims in previous works for the existence of an evolving
population of infrared galaxies, confirming the evident departure from
non-evolutionary model predictions.Comment: Version accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics. Images have been
heavily degraded to fill the archive size. A full resolution version can be
downloaded at the following link
http://dipastro.pd.astro.it/giulia/Deep/1252.ps.g
Star formation properties of sub-mJy radio sources
We investigate the star formation properties of ~800 sources detected in one
of the deepest radio surveys at 1.4 GHz. Our sample spans a wide redshift range
(~0.1 - 4) and about four orders of magnitude in star formation rate (SFR). It
includes both star forming galaxies (SFGs) and active galactic nuclei (AGNs),
further divided into radio-quiet and radio-loud objects. We compare the SFR
derived from the far infrared luminosity, as traced by Herschel, with the SFR
computed from their radio emission. We find that the radio power is a good SFR
tracer not only for pure SFGs but also in the host galaxies of RQ AGNs, with no
significant deviation with redshift or specific SFR. Moreover, we quantify the
contribution of the starburst activity in the SFGs population and the
occurrence of AGNs in sources with different level of star formation. Finally
we discuss the possibility of using deep radio survey as a tool to study the
cosmic star formation history.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, 1 table (available in its entirety as ancillary
data
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