The galaxy major merger fraction to z ~ 1

Aims. The importance of disc-disc major mergers in galaxy evolution remains uncertain. We study the major merger fraction in a SPITZER/IRAC-selected catalogue in the GOODS-S field up to z ~ 1 for luminosity- and mass-limited samples. Methods. We select disc-disc merger remnants on the basis of morphological asymmetries/distortions, and address three main sources of systematic errors: (i) we explicitly apply morphological K-corrections; (ii) we measure asymmetries in galaxies artificially redshifted to z_d = 1.0 to deal with loss of morphological information with redshift; and (iii) we take into account the observational errors in z and A, which tend to overestimate the merger fraction, though use of maximum likelihood techniques. Results. We obtain morphological merger fractions (f_m^mph) below 0.06 up to z ~ 1. Parameterizing the merger fraction evolution with redshift as f_m^mph (z) = f_m^mph (0)(1 + z)^m, we find that m = 1.8 ± 0.5 for M(B)≤ -20 galaxies, while m = 5.4 ± 0.4 for M_* ≥ 10^10 M_⨀ galaxies. When we translate our merger fractions to merger rates (R_m^mph), their evolution, parameterized as R_m^mph (z) = R_m^mph (0)(1+ z)^n, is quite similar in both cases: n = 3.3 ± 0.8 for M(B) ≤ -20 galaxies, and n = 3.5 ± 0.4 for M_* ≥10^10 M_⨀ galaxies. Conclusions. Our results imply that only similar to 8% of today's M(star) ≥ 10^10 M_⨀ galaxies have undergone a disc-disc major merger since z ~ 1. In addition, ~ 21% of M_* ≥ 10(10) M_⨀ galaxies at z ~ 1 have undergone one of these mergers since z similar to 1.5. This suggests that disc-disc major mergers are not the dominant process in the evolution of M_* ≥ 10(10) M_⨀ galaxies since z 1, with only 0.2 disc-disc major mergers per galaxy, but may be an important process at z > 1, with ~ 1 merger per galaxy at 1 < z < 3

Star Formation Rate estimators: [O II]λ3727 vs. Hα for local star-forming galaxies

The [O ii]λ3727 emission line is frequently used as an indicator of the star formation rate (SFR) despite its complex dependence on metallicity and excitation conditions. We have analysed the properties of the [O II] and Hα emission lines for a complete sample of local Hα-selected galaxies, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) survey. We find a large scatter in the [O II]/Hα line ratios, although the scatter in the extinction-corrected [O II]^0/Hα^0 ratio is considerably smaller. We also find that the [O II]/Hα ratios are reasonably well correlated with the absolute B- and K-band magnitudes and with EW([O II]). However, the extinction-corrected [O II]^0/Hα^0 ratio is largely independent of these quantities, indicating that extinction is the main driver of the correlations. These correlations allow us to statistically predict-with varying degrees of accuracy-the observed and extinction-corrected Hα fluxes from the observed [O II] flux using the information contained in EW([O II]) and/or the absolute magnitudes, but extreme caution is needed to make sure that the sample selection effects are correctly taken into account

The CIDA-UCM-Yale Shallow Survey for Emission Line Galaxies

We present the CIDA-UCM-Yale (Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Yale University) survey for Halpha+[NII]6549,6584 emission-line galaxies using objective-prism spectra. The most important properties of a catalogue with 427 entries and significant subsets are analysed. The complete sample contains 183 statistically confirmed ELGs in a sky area of 151 sq.deg. and redshift up to 0.14. We determine the parameters of the Halpha luminosity function using the Halpha+[NII] flux directly measured on the ELGs spectra in this sample and the star formation rate density derived is in agreement with the values reported in the literature. Finally, we study the clustering properties of local star-forming galaxies relative to quiescent ones from different perspectives. We find that emission-line galaxies avoid dense regions of quiescent galaxies and we propose a power-law expression to parametrise the relation between star formation rate density and environment volume density of emission-line galaxies.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, accepted by MNRA

GOYA Ks-selected galaxy catalog 0 < z < 5

Using the UBV IJK photometry from the\ud GOYA Survey of the Groth strip, we have\ud built a catalog with photometric redshifts for\ud 2000 sources (0 < z < 5). For z < 1:5, ex-\ud cellent agreement is found with spectroscopic\ud redshifts (< dz=(1 + z) >= 0:07). Such cata-\ud log will provide a robust determination of the\ud evolution of the K-band luminosity function,\ud as well as the galaxy mass function

Spatially resolving the quasar broad emission line region

The angular resolution of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and the excellent sensitivity of GRAVITY have led to the first detection of spatially resolved kinematics of high velocity atomic gas near an accreting supermassive black hole, revealing rotation on sub-parsec scales in the quasar 3C 273 at a distance of 550 Mpc. The observations can be explained as the result of circular orbits in a thick disc configuration around a 300 million solar mass black hole. Within an ongoing Large Programme, this capability will be used to study the kinematics of atomic gas and its relation to hot dust in a sample of quasars and Seyfert galaxies. We will measure a new radius-luminosity relation from spatially resolved data and test the current methods used to measure black hole mass in large surveys

Hunting Exoplanets with Single-Mode Optical Interferometry

The GRAVITY instrument was primarily conceived for imaging and astrometry of the Galactic centre. However, its sensitivity and astrometric capabilities have also enabled interferometry to reach a new domain of astrophysics: exoplanetology. In March 2019, the GRAVITY collaboration published the first spectrum and astrometry of an exoplanet obtained by optical interferometry. In this article, we show how this observation is paving the way to even more exciting discoveries — finding new planets, and characterising their atmospheres

GRAVITY and the Galactic centre

On a clear night, our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is visible as a starry ribbon across the sky. Its core is located in the constellation of Sagittarius, approximately where the bright glow is interrupted by the darkest dust filaments. There, hidden, lies a massive black hole. To peer through the obscuring clouds and see the stars and gas near the black hole we use GRAVITY. The main GRAVITY results are the detection of gra- vitational redshift, the most precise mass- distance measurement, the test of the equivalence principle, and the detection of orbital motion near the black hole

Images at the highest angular resolution with GRAVITY: The case of η Carinae

The main goal of an interferometer is to probe the physics of astronomical objects at the highest possible angular resolution. The most intuitive way of doing this is by reconstructing images from the interferometric data. GRAVITY at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) has proven to be a fantastic instrument in this endeavour. In this article, we describe the reconstruction of the wind-wind collision cavity of the massive binary η Car with GRAVITY across two spectral lines: HeI and Brγ