113 research outputs found
The Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey V: Extended Radio Sources in Massive Galaxy Clusters at z~1
We present the results from a pilot study with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large
Array (JVLA) to determine the radio morphologies of extended radio sources and
the properties of their host-galaxies in 10 massive galaxy clusters at z~1, an
epoch in which clusters are assembling rapidly. These clusters are drawn from a
parent sample of WISE-selected galaxy clusters that were cross-correlated with
the VLA Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters survey (FIRST) to
identify extended radio sources within 1 of the cluster centers. Out
of the ten targeted sources, six are FR II sources, one is an FR I source, and
three sources have undetermined morphologies. Eight radio sources have
associated Spitzer data, 75% presenting infrared counterparts. A majority of
these counterparts are consistent with being massive galaxies. The angular
extent of the FR sources exhibits a strong correlation with the cluster-centric
radius, which warrants further investigation with a larger sample.Comment: accepted to Ap
The Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey: SZ effect Verification with the Atacama Compact Array -- Localization and Cluster Analysis
The Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS) provides a catalog
of high-redshift () infrared-selected galaxy
clusters. However, the verification of the ionized intracluster medium,
indicative of a collapsed and nearly virialized system, is made challenging by
the high redshifts of the sample members. The main goal of this work is to test
the capabilities of the Atacama Compact Array (ACA; also known as the Morita
Array) Band 3 observations, centered at about 97.5 GHz, to provide robust
validation of cluster detections via the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect.
Using a pilot sample that comprises ten MaDCoWS galaxy clusters, accessible to
ACA and representative of the median sample richness, we infer the masses of
the selected galaxy clusters and respective detection significance by means of
a Bayesian analysis of the interferometric data. Our test of the "Verification
with the ACA - Localization and Cluster Analysis" (VACA LoCA) program
demonstrates that the ACA can robustly confirm the presence of the virialized
intracluster medium in galaxy clusters previously identified in full-sky
surveys. In particular, we obtain a significant detection of the SZ effect for
seven out of the ten VACA LoCA clusters. We note that this result is
independent of the assumed pressure profile. However, the limited angular
dynamic range of the ACA in Band 3 alone, short observational integration
times, and possible contamination from unresolved sources limit the detailed
characterization of the cluster properties and the inference of the cluster
masses within scales appropriate for the robust calibration of mass-richness
scaling relations.Comment: 19 pages (including appendices), 14 figures, and 4 tables; accepted
for publication in A&
The Formation of Massive Cluster Galaxies
We present composite 3.6 and 4.5 micron luminosity functions for cluster
galaxies measured from the Spitzer Deep, Wide-Field Survey (SDWFS) for 0.3<z<2.
We compare the evolution of m* for these luminosity functions to models for
passively evolving stellar populations to constrain the primary epoch of star
formation in massive cluster galaxies. At low redshifts (z < 1.3) our results
agree well with models with no mass assembly and passively evolving stellar
populations with a luminosity-weighted mean formation redshift zf=2.4 assuming
a Kroupa initial mass function (IMF). We conduct a thorough investigation of
systematic biases that might influence our results, and estimate systematic
uncertainites of Delta zf=(+0.16-0.18) (model normalization), Delta
zf=(+0.40-0.05) (alpha), and Delta zf=(+0.30-0.45) (choice of stellar
population model). For a Salpeter type IMF, the typical formation epoch is thus
strongly constrained to be z ~2-3. Higher formation redshifts can only be made
consistent with the data if one permits an evolving IMF that is bottom-light at
high redshift, as suggested by van Dokkum et al 2008. At high redshift (z >
1.3) we also witness a statistically significant (>5sigma) disagreement between
the measured luminosity function and the continuation of the passive evolution
model from lower redshifts. After considering potential systematic biases that
might influence our highest redshift data points, we interpret the observed
deviation as potential evidence for ongoing mass assembly at this epoch.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
A New Population of High-z, Dusty Lyα Emitters and Blobs Discovered by WISE: Feedback Caught in the Act?
By combining data from the NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission with optical spectroscopy from the W. M. Keck telescope, we discover a mid-IR color criterion that yields a 78% success rate in identifying rare, typically radio-quiet, 1.6 ≾ z ≾ 4.6 dusty Lyα emitters (LAEs). Of these, at least 37% have emission extended on scales of 30-100 kpc and are considered Lyα "blobs" (LABs). The objects have a surface density of only ~0.1 deg^(–2), making them rare enough that they have been largely missed in deep, small area surveys. We measured spectroscopic redshifts for 92 of these galaxies, and find that the LAEs (LABs) have a median redshift of 2.3 (2.5). The WISE photometry coupled with data from Herschel (Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA) reveals that these galaxies are in the Hyper Luminous IR galaxy regime (L IR ≳ 10^(13)-10^(14) L_☉) and have warm colors. They are typically more luminous and warmer than other dusty, z ~ 2 populations such as submillimeter-selected galaxies and dust-obscured galaxies. These traits are commonly associated with the dust being illuminated by intense active galactic nucleus activity. We hypothesize that the combination of spatially extended Lyα, large amounts of warm IR-luminous dust, and rarity (implying a short-lived phase) can be explained if the galaxies are undergoing brief, intense "feedback" transforming them from an extreme dusty starburst/QSO into a mature galaxy
Discovery of a Radio-Selected z ~ 6 Quasar
We present the discovery of only the second radio-selected, z ~ 6 quasar. We
identified SDSS J222843.54+011032.2 (z=5.95) by matching the optical detections
of the deep Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 with their radio
counterparts in the Stripe82 VLA Survey. We also matched the
Canadian-France-Hawaiian Telescope Legacy Survey Wide (CFHTLS Wide) with the
Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm (FIRST) survey but have yet to find
any z ~ 6 quasars in this survey area. The discovered quasar is
optically-faint, z = 22.3 and M_{1450} ~ -24.5, but radio-bright, with a flux
density of f = 0.31mJy and a radio-loudness of R ~ 1100 (where
R = f_{5GHz}/f_{2500}). The i-z color of the discovered quasar places it
outside the color selection criteria for existing optical surveys. We conclude
by discussing the need for deeper wide-area radio surveys in the context of
high-redshift quasars.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, and ApJ accepte
The galaxy mass-size relation in CARLA clusters and proto-clusters at 1.4 < z < 2.8: larger cluster galaxy sizes
(Abridged) We study the galaxy mass-size relation in CARLA spectroscopically
confirmed clusters at , which span a total stellar mass
(halo mass ). Our main finding is that cluster
passive ETG at with are
systematically larger than field ETGs. The passive
ETG average size evolution is slower at when compared to the field.
This could be explained by differences in the formation and early evolution of
galaxies in haloes of a different mass. Strong compaction and gas dissipation
in field galaxies, followed by a sequence of mergers may have also played a
significant role in the field ETG evolution, but not in the evolution of
cluster galaxies. Our passive ETG mass-size relation shows a tendency to
flatten at , where the average size is
. This implies that galaxies in
the low end of the mass-size relation do not evolve much from to the
present, and that their sizes evolve in a similar way in clusters and in the
field. BCGs lie on the same mass-size relation as satellites, suggesting that
their size evolution is not different at redshift z 2. Half of the
active ETGs ( of the ETGs) follow the field passive galaxy mass-size
relation, and the other half follow the field active galaxy mass-size relation.
These galaxies likely went through a recent merger or neighbor galaxy
interaction, and would most probably quench at a later epoch and increase the
fraction of passive ETGs in clusters. We do not observe a large population of
compact galaxies, as is observed in the field at these redshifts, implying that
the galaxies in our clusters are not observed in an epoch close to their
compaction.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
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