540 research outputs found
A Free-Form Lensing Grid Solution for A1689 with New Mutiple Images
Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the galaxy cluster Abell 1689 has revealed
an exceptional number of strongly lensed multiply-imaged galaxies, including
high-redshift candidates. Previous studies have used this data to obtain the
most detailed dark matter reconstructions of any galaxy cluster to date,
resolving substructures ~25 kpc across. We examine Abell 1689 (hereafter,
A1689) non-parametrically, combining strongly lensed images and weak
distortions from wider field Subaru imaging, and we incorporate member galaxies
to improve the lens solution. Strongly lensed galaxies are often locally
affected by member galaxies, however, these perturbations cannot be recovered
in grid based reconstructions because the lensing information is too sparse to
resolve member galaxies. By adding luminosity-scaled member galaxy deflections
to our smooth grid we can derive meaningful solutions with sufficient accuracy
to permit the identification of our own strongly lensed images, so our model
becomes self consistent. We identify 11 new multiply lensed system candidates
and clarify previously ambiguous cases, in the deepest optical and NIR data to
date from Hubble and Subaru. Our improved spatial resolution brings up new
features not seen when the weak and strong lensing effects are used separately,
including clumps and filamentary dark matter around the main halo. Our
treatment means we can obtain an objective mass ratio between the cluster and
galaxy components, for examining the extent of tidal stripping of the luminous
member galaxies. We find a typical mass-to-light ratios of M/L_B = 21 inside
the r<1 arcminute region that drops to M/L_B = 17 inside the r<40 arcsecond
region. Our model independence means we can objectively evaluate the
competitiveness of stacking cluster lenses for defining the geometric
lensing-distance-redshift relation in a model independent way.Comment: 23 pages with 25 figures Replced with MNRAS submitted version. Some
figures have been corrected and minor text edit
The Cluster Lensing and Supernova Survey with Hubble (CLASH): Strong Lensing Analysis of Abell 383 from 16-Band HST WFC3/ACS Imaging
We examine the inner mass distribution of the relaxed galaxy cluster Abell
383 in deep 16-band HST/ACS+WFC3 imaging taken as part of the CLASH multi-cycle
treasury program. Our program is designed to study the dark matter distribution
in 25 massive clusters, and balances depth with a wide wavelength coverage to
better identify lensed systems and generate precise photometric redshifts. This
information together with the predictive strength of our strong-lensing
analysis method identifies 13 new multiply-lensed images and candidates, so
that a total of 27 multiple-images of 9 systems are used to tightly constrain
the inner mass profile, (r<160 kpc).
We find consistency with the standard distance-redshift relation for the full
range spanned by the lensed images, 1.01<z<6.03, with the higher redshift
sources deflected through larger angles as expected. The inner mass profile
derived here is consistent with the results of our independent weak-lensing
analysis of wide-field Subaru images, with good agreement in the region of
overlap. The overall mass profile is well fitted by an NFW profile with
M_{vir}=(5.37^{+0.70}_{-0.63}\pm 0.26) x 10^{14}M_{\odot}/h and a relatively
high concentration, c_{vir}=8.77^{+0.44}_{-0.42}\pm 0.23, which lies above the
standard c-M relation similar to other well-studied clusters. The critical
radius of Abell 383 is modest by the standards of other lensing clusters,
r_{E}\simeq16\pm2\arcsec (for z_s=2.55), so the relatively large number of
lensed images uncovered here with precise photometric redshifts validates our
imaging strategy for the CLASH survey. In total we aim to provide similarly
high-quality lensing data for 25 clusters, 20 of which are X-ray selected
relaxed clusters, enabling a precise determination of the representative mass
profile free from lensing bias. (ABRIDGED)Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, 2 tabels; V3 matches the submitted version
later published in Ap
CLASH: The enhanced lensing efficiency of the highly elongated merging cluster MACS J0416.1-2403
We perform a strong-lensing analysis of the merging galaxy cluster MACS
J0416.1-2403 (M0416; z=0.42) in recent CLASH/HST observations. We identify 70
new multiple images and candidates of 23 background sources in the range
0.7<z_{phot}<6.14 including two probable high-redshift dropouts, revealing a
highly elongated lens with axis ratio ~5:1, and a major axis of ~100\arcsec
(z_{s}~2). Compared to other well-studied clusters, M0416 shows an enhanced
lensing efficiency. Although the critical area is not particularly large (~0.6
\square\arcmin; z_{s}~2), the number of multiple images, per critical area, is
anomalously high. We calculate that the observed elongation boosts the number
of multiple images, \emph{per critical area}, by a factor of ~2.5\times, due to
the increased ratio of the caustic area relative to the critical area.
Additionally, we find that the observed separation between the two main mass
components enlarges the critical area by a factor of ~2. These geometrical
effects can account for the high number (density) of multiple images observed.
We find in numerical simulations, that only ~4% of the clusters (with M_{vir}>6
x 10^{14} h^{-1}M_{\odot}) exhibit as elongated critical curves as M0416.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. V2: accepted to ApJ Letters; minor
changes and updates; in Fig.3 labeling error corrected. Mass models available
online: ftp://wise-ftp.tau.ac.il/pub/adiz/M0416
Evidence for Ubiquitous, High-EW Nebular Emission in z~7 Galaxies: Towards a Clean Measurement of the Specific Star Formation Rate using a Sample of Bright, Magnified Galaxies
Growing observational evidence now indicates that nebular line emission has a
significant impact on the rest-frame optical fluxes of z~5-7 galaxies observed
with Spitzer. This line emission makes z~5-7 galaxies appear more massive, with
lower specific star formation rates. However, corrections for this line
emission have been very difficult to perform reliably due to huge uncertainties
on the overall strength of such emission at z>~5.5. Here, we present the most
direct observational evidence yet for ubiquitous high-EW [OIII]+Hbeta line
emission in Lyman-break galaxies at z~7, while also presenting a strategy for
an improved measurement of the sSFR at z~7. We accomplish this through the
selection of bright galaxies in the narrow redshift window z~6.6-7.0 where the
IRAC 4.5 micron flux provides a clean measurement of the stellar continuum
light. Observed 4.5 micron fluxes in this window contrast with the 3.6 micron
fluxes which are contaminated by the prominent [OIII]+Hbeta lines. To ensure a
high S/N for our IRAC flux measurements, we consider only the brightest
(H_{160}<26 mag) magnified galaxies we have identified in CLASH and other
programs targeting galaxy clusters. Remarkably, the mean rest-frame optical
color for our bright seven-source sample is very blue, [3.6]-[4.5]=-0.9+/-0.3.
Such blue colors cannot be explained by the stellar continuum light and require
that the rest-frame EW of [OIII]+Hbeta be greater than 637 Angstroms for the
average source. The bluest four sources from our seven-source sample require an
even more extreme EW of 1582 Angstroms. Our derived lower limit for the mean
[OIII]+Hbeta EW could underestimate the true EW by ~2x based on a simple
modeling of the redshift distribution of our sources. We can also set a robust
lower limit of >~4 Gyr^-1 on the specific star formation rates based on the
mean SED for our seven-source sample. (abridged)Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
CLASH: A Census of Magnified Star-Forming Galaxies at z ~ 6-8
We utilize 16 band Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of 18 lensing
clusters obtained as part of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with
Hubble (CLASH) Multi-Cycle Treasury program to search for galaxies.
We report the discovery of 204, 45, and 13 Lyman-break galaxy candidates at
, , and , respectively, identified from purely
photometric redshift selections. This large sample, representing nearly an
order of magnitude increase in the number of magnified star-forming galaxies at
presented to date, is unique in that we have observations in four
WFC3/UVIS UV, seven ACS/WFC optical, and all five WFC3/IR broadband filters,
which enable very accurate photometric redshift selections. We construct
detailed lensing models for 17 of the 18 clusters to estimate object
magnifications and to identify two new multiply lensed
candidates. The median magnifications over the 17 clusters are 4, 4, and 5 for
the , , and samples, respectively, over an average
area of 4.5 arcmin per cluster. We compare our observed number counts with
expectations based on convolving "blank" field UV luminosity functions through
our cluster lens models and find rough agreement down to mag, where we
begin to suffer significant incompleteness. In all three redshift bins, we find
a higher number density at brighter observed magnitudes than the field
predictions, empirically demonstrating for the first time the enhanced
efficiency of lensing clusters over field surveys. Our number counts also are
in general agreement with the lensed expectations from the cluster models,
especially at , where we have the best statistics.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 25 pages, 13
figures, 7 table
A Census of Star-Forming Galaxies in the z~9-10 Universe based on HST+Spitzer Observations Over 19 CLASH clusters: Three Candidate z~9-10 Galaxies and Improved Constraints on the Star Formation Rate Density at z~9
We utilise a two-color Lyman-Break selection criterion to search for z~9-10
galaxies over the first 19 clusters in the CLASH program. A systematic search
yields three z~9-10 candidates. While we have already reported the most robust
of these candidates, MACS1149-JD, two additional z~9 candidates are also found
and have H_{160}-band magnitudes of ~26.2-26.9. A careful assessment of various
sources of contamination suggests <~1 contaminants for our z~9-10 selection. To
determine the implications of these search results for the LF and SFR density
at z~9, we introduce a new differential approach to deriving these quantities
in lensing fields. Our procedure is to derive the evolution by comparing the
number of z~9-10 galaxy candidates found in CLASH with the number of galaxies
in a slightly lower redshift sample (after correcting for the differences in
selection volumes), here taken to be z~8. This procedure takes advantage of the
fact that the relative volumes available for the z~8 and z~9-10 selections
behind lensing clusters are not greatly dependent on the details of the lensing
models. We find that the normalization of the UV LF at z~9 is just
0.28_{-0.20}^{+0.39}\times that at z~8, ~1.4_{-0.8}^{+3.0}x lower than
extrapolating z~4-8 LF results. While consistent with the evolution in the UV
LF seen at z~4-8, these results marginally favor a more rapid evolution at z>8.
Compared to similar evolutionary findings from the HUDF, our result is less
insensitive to large-scale structure uncertainties, given our many independent
sightlines on the high-redshift universe.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journal, updated to include the much deeper Spitzer/IRAC
observations over our three z~9-10 candidate
CLASH-VLT: The stellar mass function and stellar mass density profile of the z=0.44 cluster of galaxies MACS J1206.2-0847
Context. The study of the galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) in relation to
the galaxy environment and the stellar mass density profile, rho(r), is a
powerful tool to constrain models of galaxy evolution. Aims. We determine the
SMF of the z=0.44 cluster of galaxies MACS J1206.2-0847 separately for passive
and star-forming (SF) galaxies, in different regions of the cluster, from the
center out to approximately 2 virial radii. We also determine rho(r) to compare
it to the number density and total mass density profiles. Methods. We use the
dataset from the CLASH-VLT survey. Stellar masses are obtained by SED fitting
on 5-band photometric data obtained at the Subaru telescope. We identify 1363
cluster members down to a stellar mass of 10^9.5 Msolar. Results. The whole
cluster SMF is well fitted by a double Schechter function. The SMFs of cluster
SF and passive galaxies are statistically different. The SMF of the SF cluster
galaxies does not depend on the environment. The SMF of the passive population
has a significantly smaller slope (in absolute value) in the innermost (<0.50
Mpc), highest density cluster region, than in more external, lower density
regions. The number ratio of giant/subgiant galaxies is maximum in this
innermost region and minimum in the adjacent region, but then gently increases
again toward the cluster outskirts. This is also reflected in a decreasing
radial trend of the average stellar mass per cluster galaxy. On the other hand,
the stellar mass fraction, i.e., the ratio of stellar to total cluster mass,
does not show any significant radial trend. Conclusions. Our results appear
consistent with a scenario in which SF galaxies evolve into passive galaxies
due to density-dependent environmental processes, and eventually get destroyed
very near the cluster center to become part of a diffuse intracluster medium.Comment: A&A accepted, 15 pages, 13 figure
CLASH: z ~ 6 young galaxy candidate quintuply lensed by the frontier field cluster RXC J2248.7-4431
We present a quintuply lensed z ~ 6 candidate discovered in the field of the
galaxy cluster RXC J2248.7-4431 (z ~ 0.348) targeted within the Cluster Lensing
and Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) and selected in the deep HST Frontier
Fields survey. Thanks to the CLASH 16-band HST imaging, we identify the
quintuply lensed z ~ 6 candidate as an optical dropout in the inner region of
the cluster, the brightest image having magAB=24.81+-0.02 in the f105w filter.
We perform a detailed photometric analysis to verify its high-z and lensed
nature. We get as photometric redshift z_phot ~ 5.9, and given the extended
nature and NIR colours of the lensed images, we rule out low-z early type and
galactic star contaminants. We perform a strong lensing analysis of the
cluster, using 13 families of multiple lensed images identified in the HST
images. Our final best model predicts the high-z quintuply lensed system with a
position accuracy of 0.8''. The magnifications of the five images are between
2.2 and 8.3, which leads to a delensed UV luminosity of L_1600 ~ 0.5L*_1600 at
z=6. We also estimate the UV slope from the observed NIR colours, finding a
steep beta=-2.89+-0.38. We use singular and composite stellar population SEDs
to fit the photometry of the hiz candidate, and we conclude that it is a young
(age <300 Myr) galaxy with mass of M ~ 10^8Msol, subsolar metallicity
(Z<0.2Zsol) and low dust content (AV ~ 0.2-0.4).Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables, submitted to MNRAS on 11 Aug 2013,
accepted on 23 Nov 201
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