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

The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey - VLT/VIMOS Spectroscopy in the GOODS-South Field: Part II

We present the full data set of the VIMOS spectroscopic campaign of the ESO/GOODS program in the CDFS, which complements the FORS2 ESO/GOODS spectroscopic campaign. The GOODS/VIMOS spectroscopic campaign is structured in two separate surveys using two different VIMOS grisms. The VIMOS Low Resolution Blue (LR-Blue) and Medium Resolution (MR) orange grisms have been used to cover different redshift ranges. The LR-Blue campaign is aimed at observing galaxies mainly at 1.8<z<3.5, while the MR campaign mainly aims at galaxies at z<1 and Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) at z>3.5. The full GOODS/VIMOS spectroscopic campaign consists of 20 VIMOS masks. This release adds 8 new masks to the previous release (12 masks, Popesso et al. 2009). In total we obtained 5052 spectra, 3634 from the 10 LR-Blue masks and 1418 from the 10 MR masks. A significant fraction of the extracted spectra comes from serendipitously observed sources: ~21% in the LR-Blue and ~16% in the MR masks. We obtained 2242 redshifts in the LR-Blue campaign and 976 in the MR campaign for a total success rate of 62% and 69% respectively, which increases to 66% and 73% if only primary targets are considered. The typical redshift uncertainty is estimated to be ~0.0012 (~255 km/s) for the LR-Blue grism and ~0.00040 (~120 km/s) for the MR grism. By complementing our VIMOS spectroscopic catalog with all existing spectroscopic redshifts publicly available in the CDFS, we compiled a redshift master catalog with 7332 entries, which we used to investigate large scale structures out to z~3.7. We produced stacked spectra of LBGs in a few bins of equivalent width (EW) of the Ly-alpha and found evidence for a lack of bright LBGs with high EW of the Ly-alpha. Finally, we obtained new redshifts for 12 X-ray sources of the CDFS and extended-CDFS.Comment: 22 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication on Astronomy and Astrophysics, catalogs and data products are available at http://archive.eso.org/cms/eso-data/data-packages/goods-vimos-spectroscopy-data-release-version-2.0/, for ESO-GOODS related material consult http://www.eso.org/sci/activities/projects/goods

The bright end of the z ~ 7 UV Luminosity Function from a wide and deep HAWK-I survey

(Abridged) We present here the second half of an ESO Large Programme, which exploits the unique combination of area and sensitivity provided in the near-IR by the camera Hawk-I at the VLT. We have obtained - 30 observing hours with Hawk-I in the Y-band of two high galactic latitude fields. We combined the Y-band data with deep J and K Hawk-I observations, and with FORS1/FORS2 U, B, V, R, I, and Z observations to select z-drop galaxies having Z - Y > 1, no optical detection and flat Y - J and Y - K colour terms. We detect 8 high-quality candidates in the magnitude range Y = 25.5 - 26.5 that we add to the z-drop candidates selected in two Hawk-I pointings over the GOODS-South field. We use this full sample of 15 objects found in -161 arcmin^2 of our survey to constrain the average physical properties and the evolution of the number density of z ~ 7 LBGs. A stacking analysis yields a best-fit SED with photometric redshift z= 6.85 +0.20 -0.15 and an E(B-V)=0.05 +0.15 -0.05. We compute a binned estimate of the z ~ 7 LF and explore the effects of photometric scatter and model uncertainties on the statistical constraints. After accounting for the expected incompleteness through MonteCarlo simulations, we strengthen our previous finding that a Schechter luminosity function constant from z=6 to z=7 is ruled out at a >99% confidence level, even including the effects of cosmic variance. For galaxies brighter than M_1500= -19.0, we derive a luminosity density rho_UV = 1.5^{+2.1}{-0.8} x 10^25 erg/s/Hz/Mpc^3, implying a decrease by a factor 3.5 from z=6 to z=6.8. We find that, under standard assumptions, the emission rate of ionizing photons coming from UV bright galaxies is lower by at least a factor of two than the value required for reionization. Finally, we exploit deep Hawk-I J and K band observations to derive an upper limit on the number density of M1500<~ -22.0 LBGs at z-8 (Y-dropouts).Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

RC J0311+0507: A Candidate for Superpowerful Radio Galaxies in the Early Universe at Redshift z=4.514

A strong emission line at 6703A has been detected in the optical spectrum for the host galaxy (R=23.1) of the radio source RC J0311+0507 (4C+04.11). This radio galaxy, with a spectral index of 1.31 in the frequency range 365-4850 MHz, is one of the ultrasteep spectrum objects from the deep survey of a sky strip conducted with RATAN-600 in 1980-1981. We present arguments in favor of the identification of this line with Ly\alpha at redshift z=4.514. In this case, the object belongs to the group of extremely distant radio galaxies of ultrahigh radio luminosity (P_{1400}=1.3 x 10^{29}W Hz^{-1}). Such power can be provided only by a fairly massive black hole (~10^9M_\sun}) that formed in a time less than the age of the Universe at the observed z(1.3 Gyr) or had a primordial origin.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Genetics, recombination and clinical features of human rhinovirus species C (HRV-C) infections; interactions of HRV-C with other respiratory viruses

To estimate the frequency, molecular epidemiological and clinical associations of infection with the newly described species C variants of human rhinoviruses (HRV), 3243 diagnostic respiratory samples referred for diagnostic testing in Edinburgh were screened using a VP4-encoding region-based selective polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HRV-C along with parallel PCR testing for 13 other respiratory viruses. HRV-C was the third most frequently detected behind respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus, with 141 infection episodes detected among 1885 subjects over 13 months (7.5%). Infections predominantly targeted the very young (median age 6–12 months; 80% of infections in those &#60;2 years), occurred throughout the year but with peak incidence in early winter months. HRV-C was detected significantly more frequently among subjects with lower (LRT) and upper respiratory tract (URT) disease than controls without respiratory symptoms; HRV-C mono-infections were the second most frequently detected virus (behind RSV) in both disease presentations (6.9% and 7.8% of all cases respectively). HRV variants were classified by VP4/VP2 sequencing into 39 genotypically defined types, increasing the current total worldwide to 60. Through sequence comparisons of the 5′untranslated region (5′UTR), the majority grouped with species A (n = 96; 68%, described as HRV-Ca), the remainder forming a phylogenetically distinct 5′UTR group (HRV-Cc). Multiple and bidirectional recombination events between HRV-Ca and HRV-Cc variants and with HRV species A represents the most parsimonious explanation for their interspersed phylogeny relationships in the VP4/VP2-encoding region. No difference in age distribution, seasonality or disease associations was identified between HRV-Ca and HRV-Cc variants. HRV-C-infected subjects showed markedly reduced detection frequencies of RSV and other respiratory viruses, providing evidence for a major interfering effect of HRV-C on susceptibility to other respiratory virus infections. HRV-C's disease associations, its prevalence and evidence for interfering effects on other respiratory viruses mandates incorporation of rhinoviruses into future diagnostic virology screening

A critical analysis of the UV Luminosity Function at redshift~7 from deep WFC3 data

The study of the Luminosity Function (LF) of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) at z=7 is important for ascertaining their role in the reionization of the Universe. We perform a detailed and critical analysis of the statistical and systematic errors in the z~7 LF determination: we have assembled a large sample of candidate LBGs at z~7 from different surveys, spanning a large variety of areas and depths. In particular, we have combined data from the deep (J<27.4) and ultradeep (J<29.2) surveys recently acquired with the new WFC3 NIR camera on HST, over the GOODS-ERS and the HUDF fields, with ground based surveys in wide and shallow areas from VLT and Subaru. We have used public ACS images in the z-band to select z-dropout galaxies, and other public data both in the blue (BVI) and in the red bands to reject possible low-redshift interlopers. We have compared our results with extensive simulations to quantify the observational effects of our selection criteria as well as the effects of photometric scatter, color selections or the morphology of the candidates. We have found that the number density of faint LBGs at z~7 is only marginally sensitive to the color selection adopted, but it is strongly dependent from the assumption made on the half light distributions of the simulated galaxies, used to correct the observed sample for incompleteness. The slope of the faint end of the LBGs LF has thus a rather large uncertainty, due to the unknown distribution of physical sizes of the z~7 LBGs. We conclude that galaxies at z~7 are unable to reionize the Universe unless there is a significant evolution in the clumpiness of the IGM or in the escape fraction of ionising photons or, alternatively, there is a large population of z~7 LBGs with large physical dimensions but still not detected by the present observations.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Hostile Takeover by Plasmodium: Reorganization of Parasite and Host Cell Membranes during Liver Stage Egress

The protozoan parasite Plasmodium is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes and undergoes obligatory development within a parasitophorous vacuole in hepatocytes before it is released into the bloodstream. The transition to the blood stage was previously shown to involve the packaging of exoerythrocytic merozoites into membrane-surrounded vesicles, called merosomes, which are delivered directly into liver sinusoids. However, it was unclear whether the membrane of these merosomes was derived from the parasite membrane, the parasitophorous vacuole membrane or the host cell membrane. This knowledge is required to determine how phagocytes will be directed against merosomes. Here, we fluorescently label the candidate membranes and use live cell imaging to show that the merosome membrane derives from the host cell membrane. We also demonstrate that proteins in the host cell membrane are lost during merozoite liberation from the parasitophorous vacuole. Immediately after the breakdown of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, the host cell mitochondria begin to degenerate and protein biosynthesis arrests. The intact host cell plasma membrane surrounding merosomes allows Plasmodium to mask itself from the host immune system and bypass the numerous Kupffer cells on its way into the bloodstream. This represents an effective strategy for evading host defenses before establishing a blood stage infection

Observing the First Stars and Black Holes

The high sensitivity of JWST will open a new window on the end of the cosmological dark ages. Small stellar clusters, with a stellar mass of several 10^6 M_sun, and low-mass black holes (BHs), with a mass of several 10^5 M_sun should be directly detectable out to redshift z=10, and individual supernovae (SNe) and gamma ray burst (GRB) afterglows are bright enough to be visible beyond this redshift. Dense primordial gas, in the process of collapsing from large scales to form protogalaxies, may also be possible to image through diffuse recombination line emission, possibly even before stars or BHs are formed. In this article, I discuss the key physical processes that are expected to have determined the sizes of the first star-clusters and black holes, and the prospect of studying these objects by direct detections with JWST and with other instruments. The direct light emitted by the very first stellar clusters and intermediate-mass black holes at z>10 will likely fall below JWST's detection threshold. However, JWST could reveal a decline at the faint-end of the high-redshift luminosity function, and thereby shed light on radiative and other feedback effects that operate at these early epochs. JWST will also have the sensitivity to detect individual SNe from beyond z=10. In a dedicated survey lasting for several weeks, thousands of SNe could be detected at z>6, with a redshift distribution extending to the formation of the very first stars at z>15. Using these SNe as tracers may be the only method to map out the earliest stages of the cosmic star-formation history. Finally, we point out that studying the earliest objects at high redshift will also offer a new window on the primordial power spectrum, on 100 times smaller scales than probed by current large-scale structure data.Comment: Invited contribution to "Astrophysics in the Next Decade: JWST and Concurrent Facilities", Astrophysics & Space Science Library, Eds. H. Thronson, A. Tielens, M. Stiavelli, Springer: Dordrecht (2008

Three Lyman-alpha Emitters at z approx 6: Early GMOS/Gemini Data from the GLARE Project

We report spectroscopic detection of three z~6 Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies, in the vicinity of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, from the early data of the Gemini Lyman-$\alpha$ at Reionisation Era (GLARE) project. Two objects, GLARE#3001 (z =5.79) and GLARE#3011 (z =5.94), are new detections and are fainter in $z'$ (z'_{AB} =26.37 and 27.15) than any Lyman break galaxy previously detected in Lyman-alpha. A third object, GLARE#1042 (z =5.83) has previously been detected in line emission from the ground; we report here a new spectroscopic continuum detection. Gemini/GMOS-S spectra of these objects, obtained using nod & shuffle, are presented together with a discussion of their photometric properties. All three objects were selected for spectroscopy via the i-drop Lyman Break technique, the two new detections from the GOODS v1.0 imaging data. The red i'-z' colors and high equivalent widths of these objects suggest a high-confidence z>5 Lyman-alpha identification of the emission lines. This brings the total number of known z>5 galaxies within 9 arcmin of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field to four, of which three are at the same redshift (z=5.8 within 2000 km/s suggesting the existence of a large-scale structure at this redshift.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Revised to match accepted versio

Tracing the cosmic growth of supermassive black holes to z~3 with Herschel

We study a sample of Herschel selected galaxies within the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-South and the Cosmic Evolution Survey fields in the framework of the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) Evolutionary Probe project. Starting from the rich multiwavelength photometric data sets available in both fields, we perform a broad-band spectral energy distribution decomposition to disentangle the possible active galactic nucleus (AGN) contribution from that related to the host galaxy. We find that 37 per cent of the Herschel-selected sample shows signatures of nuclear activity at the 99 per cent confidence level. The probability of revealing AGN activity increases for bright (L 1−1000 > 10 11 L ? ) star-forming galaxies at z > 0.3, becoming about 80 per cent for the brightest (L 1−1000 > 10 12 L ? ) Infrared (IR) galaxies at z≥1. Finally, we reconstruct the AGN bolometric luminosity function and the supermassive black hole growth rate across cosmic time up to z ∼ 3 from a far-IR perspective. This work shows general agreement with most of the panchromatic estimates from the literature, with the global black hole growth peaking at z ∼ 2 and reproducing the observed local black hole mass density with consistent values of the radiative efficiency Erad (∼0.07)