151 research outputs found
A Lyman-alpha-only AGN from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has discovered a z=2.4917 radio-loud active
galactic nucleus (AGN) with a luminous, variable, low-polarization UV
continuum, H I two-photon emission, and a moderately broad Lyman-alpha line
(FWHM = 1430 km/s) but without obvious metal-line emission. SDSS
J113658.36+024220.1 does have associated metal-line absorption in three
distinct, narrow systems spanning a velocity range of 2710 km/s. Despite
certain spectral similarities, SDSS J1136+0242 is not a Lyman-break galaxy.
Instead, the Ly-alpha and two-photon emission can be attributed to an extended,
low-metallicity narrow-line region. The unpolarized continuum argues that we
see SDSS J1136+0242 very close to the axis of any ionization cone present. We
can conceive of two plausible explanations for why we see a strong UV continuum
but no broad-line emission in this `face-on radio galaxy' model for SDSS
J1136+0242: the continuum could be relativistically beamed synchrotron emission
which swamps the broad-line emission; or, more likely, SDSS J1136+0242 could be
similar to PG 1407+265, a quasar in which for some unknown reason the
high-ionization emission lines are very broad, very weak, and highly
blueshifted.Comment: AJ, in press, 10 pages emulateapj forma
PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a TRGB Distance of 31 Mpc
A wealth of observations have long suggested that the vast majority of
isolated classical dwarf galaxies (- M) are currently
star-forming. However, recent observations of the large abundance of
"Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies" beyond the reach of previous large spectroscopic
surveys suggest that our understanding of the dwarf galaxy population may be
incomplete. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of an isolated quiescent
dwarf galaxy in the nearby Universe, which was imaged as part of the PEARLS GTO
program. Remarkably, individual red-giant branch stars are visible in this
near-IR imaging, suggesting a distance of Mpc, and a wealth of archival
photometry point to an sSFR of yr. Spectra obtained
with the Lowell Discovery Telescope find a recessional velocity consistent with
the Hubble Flow and km/s separated from the nearest massive galaxy in
SDSS, suggesting that this galaxy was either quenched from internal mechanisms
or had a very high-velocity interaction with a nearby massive galaxy in the
past. This analysis highlights the possibility that many nearby quiescent dwarf
galaxies are waiting to be discovered and that JWST has the potential to
identify them.Comment: Submitted to ApJ Letters. Comments welcome
Insights into the complex regulation of rpoS in Borrelia burgdorferi
Co-ordinated regulation of gene expression is required for the transmission and survival of Borrelia burgdorferi in different hosts. The sigma factor RpoS (ĻS), as regulated by RpoN (Ļ54), has been shown to regulate key virulence factors (e.g. OspC) required for these processes. As important, multiple signals (e.g. temperature, pH, cell density, oxygen) have been shown to increase the expression of ĻS-dependent genes; however, little is known about the signal transduction mechanisms that modulate the expression of rpoS. In this report we show that: (i) rpoS has a Ļ54-dependent promoter that requires Rrp2 to activate transcription; (ii) Rrp2Ī123, a constitutively active form of Rrp2, activated Ļ54-dependent transcription of rpoS/P-lacZ reporter constructs in Escherichia coli; (iii) quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) experiments with reporter cat constructs in B. burgdorferi indicated that Rrp2 activated transcription of rpoS in an enhancer-independent fashion; and finally, (iv) rpoN is required for cell density- and temperature-dependent expression of rpoS in B. burgdorferi, but histidine kinase Hk2, encoded by the gene immediately upstream of rrp2, is not essential. Based on these findings, a model for regulation of rpoS has been proposed which provides mechanisms for multiple signalling pathways to modulate the expression of the ĻS regulon in B. burgdorferi
JWST NIRCam Photometry: A Study of Globular Clusters Surrounding Bright Elliptical Galaxy VV 191a at z=0.0513
James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam images have revealed 443 globular cluster
(GC) candidates around the elliptical galaxy VV 191a. NIRCam
broadband observations are made at 0.9-4.5 m using filters F090W, F150W,
F356W, and F444W. Using photometry, the data is analyzed to present
color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) that suggest a fairly uniform population of
GCs. Color histograms show a unimodal color distribution that is well fit by a
single Gaussian, using color to primarily trace the metallicity. The findings
show the sample's globular cluster luminosity function (GCLF) does not reach
the turnover value and is, therefore, more luminous than what is typically
expected, with an absolute AB magnitude, mag, reaching
within nearly one magnitude of the classical turnover value. We attribute this
to the completeness in the sample. Models show that the mass estimate of the
GCs detected tends to be more massive, reaching upward of . However, the results show that current GC models do not quite align
with the data. We find that the models appear to be bluer than the JWST data in
the reddest (F356W-F444W) filters and redder than the data in the bluest
(F090W-F150W) filters and may need to be revised to improve the modeling of
near-IR colors of old, metal-poor stellar populations.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
PEARLS: Low Stellar Density Galaxies in the El Gordo Cluster Observed with JWST
A full understanding of how unusually large "Ultra Diffuse Galaxies" (UDGs)
fit into our conventional understanding of dwarf galaxies remains elusive,
despite the large number of objects identified locally. A natural extension of
UDG research is the study of similar galaxies at higher redshift to establish
how their properties may evolve over time. However, this has been a challenging
task given how severely systematic effects and cosmological surface brightness
dimming inhibit our ability to study low-surface brightness galaxies at
high-. Here, we present an identification of low stellar surface density
galaxies (LDGs), likely the progenitors of local UDGs, at moderate redshift
with deep near-IR observations of the El Gordo cluster at with JWST.
By stacking 8 NIRCAM filters, we are able to achieve an apparent surface
brightness sensitivity of mag arcsec, faint enough to be
complete to the bright end of the LDG population. Our analysis identifies
significant differences between this population and local UDGs, such as their
color and size distributions, which suggest that UDG progenitors are bluer and
more extended at high- than at . This suggests that multiple
mechanisms are responsible for UDG formation and that prolonged transformation
of cluster dwarfs is not a primary UDG formation mechanism at high-.
Furthermore, we find a slight overabundance of LDGs in El Gordo, and, in
contrast to findings in local clusters, our analysis does not show a deficit of
LDGs in the center of El Gordo, implying that tidal destruction of LDGs is
significant between and .Comment: Resubmitted to ApJ after minor revision
Are JWST/NIRCam color gradients in the lensed z=2.3 dusty star-forming galaxy El Anzuelo due to central dust attenuation or inside-out galaxy growth?
Gradients in the mass-to-light ratio of distant galaxies impede our ability
to characterize their size and compactness. The long-wavelength filters of
's NIRCam offer a significant step forward. For galaxies at Cosmic Noon
(), this regime corresponds to the rest-frame near-infrared, which is
less biased towards young stars and captures emission from the bulk of a
galaxy's stellar population. We present an initial analysis of an extraordinary
lensed dusty star-forming galaxy (DSFG) at behind the
cluster (), named ("The Fishhook") after its partial
Einstein-ring morphology. The FUV-NIR SED suggests an intrinsic star formation
rate of and dust attenuation , in line with other DSFGs on the star-forming main sequence. We develop a
parametric lens model to reconstruct the source-plane structure of dust imaged
by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, far-UV to optical light
from , and near-IR imaging with 8 filters of /NIRCam, as part of
the Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science (PEARLS)
program. The source-plane half-light radius is remarkably consistent from m, despite a clear color gradient where the inferred galaxy center is
redder than the outskirts. We interpret this to be the result of both a
radially-decreasing gradient in attenuation and substantial spatial offsets
between UV- and IR-emitting components. A spatial decomposition of the SED
reveals modestly suppressed star formation in the inner kiloparsec, which
suggests that we are witnessing the early stages of inside-out quenching.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Magellanic System Stars Identified in the SMACS J0723.3-7327 JWST ERO Images
We identify 68 distant stars in JWST/NIRCam ERO images of the field of galaxy
cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327 (SMACS 0723). Given the relatively small
() angular separation between SMACS 0723 and the Large
Magellanic Cloud, it is likely that these stars are associated with the LMC
outskirts or Leading Arm. This is further bolstered by a spectral energy
distribution analysis, which suggests an excess of stars at a physical distance
of kpc, consistent with being associated with or located behind the
Magellanic system. In particular, we find that the overall surface density of
stars brighter than 27.0 mag in the field of SMACS 0723 is 2.3 times that
of stars in a blank field with similar galactic latitude (the North Ecliptic
Pole Time Domain Field), and that the density of stars in the SMACS 0723 field
with SED-derived distances consistent with the Magellanic system is 7.3
times larger than that of the blank field. The candidate stars at these
distances are consistent with a stellar population at the same distance modulus
with [Fe/H] and an age of Gyr. On the assumption that all
of the 68 stars are associated with the LMC, then the stellar density of the
LMC at the location of the SMACS 0723 field is stars kpc,
which helps trace the density of stars in the LMC outskirts.Comment: Submitted to ApJ, comments welcom
TREASUREHUNT: Transients and Variability Discovered with HST in the JWST North Ecliptic Pole Time-domain Field
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) Time-domain Field (TDF) is a >14ā² diameter field optimized for multiwavelength time-domain science with JWST. It has been observed across the electromagnetic spectrum both from the ground and from space, including with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). As part of HST observations over three cycles (the āTREASUREHUNTā program), deep images were obtained with the Wide Field Camera on the Advanced Camera for Surveys in F435W and F606W that cover almost the entire JWST NEP TDF. Many of the individual pointings of these programs partially overlap, allowing an initial assessment of the potential of this field for time-domain science with HST and JWST. The cumulative area of overlapping pointings is ā¼88 arcmin2, with time intervals between individual epochs that range between 1 day and 4+ yr. To a depth of m AB ā 29.5 mag (F606W), we present the discovery of 12 transients and 190 variable candidates. For the variable candidates, we demonstrate that Gaussian statistics are applicable and estimate that ā¼80 are false positives. The majority of the transients will be supernovae, although at least two are likely quasars. Most variable candidates are active galactic nuclei (AGNs), where we find 0.42% of the general z ā² 6 field galaxy population to vary at the ā¼3Ļ level. Based on a 5 yr time frame, this translates into a random supernova areal density of up to ā¼0.07 transients arcminā2 (ā¼245 degā2) per epoch and a variable AGN areal density of ā¼1.25 variables arcminā2 (ā¼4500 degā2) to these depths
- ā¦