scholarly journals The Void Galaxy Survey: Galaxy Evolution and Gas Accretion in Voids

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (S308) ◽  
pp. 591-599
Author(s):  
Kathryn Kreckel ◽  
Jacqueline H. van Gorkom ◽  
Burcu Beygu ◽  
Rien van de Weygaert ◽  
J. M. van der Hulst ◽  
...  

AbstractVoids represent a unique environment for the study of galaxy evolution, as the lower density environment is expected to result in shorter merger histories and slower evolution of galaxies. This provides an ideal opportunity to test theories of galaxy formation and evolution. Imaging of the neutral hydrogen, central in both driving and regulating star formation, directly traces the gas reservoir and can reveal interactions and signs of cold gas accretion. For a new Void Galaxy Survey (VGS), we have carefully selected a sample of 59 galaxies that reside in the deepest underdensities of geometrically identified voids within the SDSS at distances of ∼100 Mpc, and pursued deep UV, optical, Hα, IR, and HI imaging to study in detail the morphology and kinematics of both the stellar and gaseous components. This sample allows us to not only examine the global statistical properties of void galaxies, but also to explore the details of the dynamical properties. We present an overview of the VGS, and highlight key results on the HI content and individually interesting systems. In general, we find that the void galaxies are gas rich, low luminosity, blue disk galaxies, with optical and HI properties that are not unusual for their luminosity and morphology. We see evidence of both ongoing assembly, through the gas dynamics between interacting systems, and significant gas accretion, seen in extended gas disks and kinematic misalignments. The VGS establishes a local reference sample to be used in future HI surveys (CHILES, DINGO, LADUMA) that will directly observe the HI evolution of void galaxies over cosmic time.

Author(s):  
Steven L. Finkelstein

AbstractAlthough the universe at redshifts greater than six represents only the first one billion years (< 10%) of cosmic time, the dense nature of the early universe led to vigorous galaxy formation and evolution activity which we are only now starting to piece together. Technological improvements have, over only the past decade, allowed large samples of galaxies at such high redshifts to be collected, providing a glimpse into the epoch of formation of the first stars and galaxies. A wide variety of observational techniques have led to the discovery of thousands of galaxy candidates at z > 6, with spectroscopically confirmed galaxies out to nearly z = 9. Using these large samples, we have begun to gain a physical insight into the processes inherent in galaxy evolution at early times. In this review, I will discuss (i) the selection techniques for finding distant galaxies, including a summary of previous and ongoing ground and space-based searches, and spectroscopic follow-up efforts, (ii) insights into galaxy evolution gleaned from measures such as the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function, the stellar mass function, and galaxy star-formation rates, and (iii) the effect of galaxies on their surrounding environment, including the chemical enrichment of the universe, and the reionisation of the intergalactic medium. Finally, I conclude with prospects for future observational study of the distant universe, using a bevy of new state-of-the-art facilities coming online over the next decade and beyond.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S319) ◽  
pp. 40-40
Author(s):  
Sandhya Rao ◽  
David Turnshek ◽  
Eric Monier ◽  
Gendith Sardane

AbstractThe damped Lyman-α absorption-line systems (DLAs) that are observed in quasar spectra arise in neutral-gas-rich regions of intervening galaxies. With the highest neutral hydrogen column densities observed (N(HI) ⩾ 2 × 1020 atoms cm−2), they are known to trace the bulk of the neutral gas content of the Universe, and are thus powerful probes of galaxy formation and evolution. However, DLAs are extremely rare, and since the Lyman-α line falls in the UV for redshifts z < 1.65, not many are known at low redshift due to the limited availability of space data. Our HST surveys for DLAs in strong MgII absorbers have been successful at showing that MgII can be used as an unbiased tracer of DLAs. We present new results on their incidence, or redshift number density, dn/dz, and cosmological neutral gas mass density, ΩDLA, at redshifts 0.11 ⩽ z ⩽ 1.65, and incorporate results from higher and lower redshift studies in the literature to derive the evolution of neutral gas in the Universe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (3) ◽  
pp. 4534-4544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Mirocha

ABSTRACT Many semi-empirical galaxy formation models have recently emerged to interpret high-z galaxy luminosity functions and make predictions for future galaxy surveys. A common approach assumes a ‘universal’ star formation efficiency, f*, independent of cosmic time but strongly dependent on the masses of dark matter haloes. Though this class of models has been very successful in matching observations over much of cosmic history, simple stellar feedback models do predict redshift evolution in f* and are commonly used in semi-analytic models. In this work, we calibrate a set of universal f* and feedback-regulated models to the same set of rest-ultraviolet z ≳ 4 observations and find that a rapid, ∼(1 + z)−3/2 decline in both the efficiency of dust production and duty cycle of star formation are needed to reconcile feedback-regulated models with current observations. By construction, these models remain nearly identical to universal f* models in rest-ultraviolet luminosity functions (UVLFs) and colours. As a result, the only way to distinguish these competing scenarios is either via (i) improved constraints on the clustering of galaxies – universal and feedback-regulated models differ in predictions for the galaxy bias by 0.1 ≲ Δ〈b〉 ≲ 0.3 over 4 ≲ z ≲ 10 – or (ii) independent constraints on the dust contents and/or duty cycle of star formation. This suggests that improved constraints on the ‘dustiness’ and ‘burstiness’ of high-z galaxies will not merely add clarity to a given model of star formation in high-z galaxies, but rather fundamentally determine our ability to identify the correct model in the first place.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S341) ◽  
pp. 119-123
Author(s):  
Dian Triani ◽  
Darren Croton ◽  
Manodeep Sinha

AbstractWe build a theoretical picture of how the light from galaxies evolves across cosmic time. In particular, we predict the evolution of the galaxy spectral energy distribution (SED) by carefully integrating the star formation and metal enrichment histories of semi-analytic model (SAM) galaxies and combining these with stellar population synthesis models which we call mentari. Our SAM combines prescriptions to model the interplay between gas accretion, star formation, feedback process, and chemical enrichment in galaxy evolution. From this, the SED of any simulated galaxy at any point in its history can be constructed and compared with telescope data to reverse engineer the various physical processes that may have led to a particular set of observations. The synthetic SEDs of millions of simulated galaxies from mentari can cover wavelengths from the far UV to infrared, and thus can tell a near complete story of the history of galaxy evolution.


2019 ◽  
Vol 492 (1) ◽  
pp. 821-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Curti ◽  
Roberto Maiolino ◽  
Michele Cirasuolo ◽  
Filippo Mannucci ◽  
Rebecca J Williams ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We present near-infrared observations of 42 gravitationally lensed galaxies obtained in the framework of the KMOS Lensed Emission Lines and VElocity Review (KLEVER) Survey, a programme aimed at investigating the spatially resolved properties of the ionized gas in 1.2 &lt; z &lt; 2.5 galaxies by means of a full coverage of the YJ, H, and K near-infrared bands. Detailed metallicity maps and gradients are derived for a subsample of 28 galaxies from reconstructed source-plane emission-line maps, exploiting the variety of different emission-line diagnostics provided by the broad wavelength coverage of the survey. About $85 {{\, per\ cent}}$ of these galaxies are characterized by metallicity gradients shallower than $0.05\ \rm dex\, kpc^{-1}$ and $89{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ are consistent with a flat slope within 3σ ($67{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ within 1σ), suggesting a mild evolution with cosmic time. In the context of cosmological simulations and chemical evolution models, the presence of efficient feedback mechanisms and/or extended star formation profiles on top of the classical ‘inside-out’ scenario of mass assembly is generally required to reproduce the observed flatness of the metallicity gradients beyond z ∼ 1. Three galaxies with significantly (&gt;3σ) ‘inverted’ gradients are also found, showing an anticorrelation between metallicity and star formation rate density on local scales, possibly suggesting recent episodes of pristine gas accretion or strong radial flows in place. Nevertheless, the individual metallicity maps are characterized by a variety of different morphologies, with flat radial gradients sometimes hiding non-axisymmetric variations on kpc scales, which are washed out by azimuthal averages, especially in interacting systems or in those undergoing local episodes of recent star formation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S277) ◽  
pp. 267-272
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Conselice

AbstractUnderstanding how galaxies obtain baryons, their stars and gas, over cosmic time is traditionally approached in two different ways - theoretically and observationally. In general, observational approaches to galaxy formation include measuring basic galaxy properties, such as luminosities, stellar masses, rotation speeds, star formation rates and how these features evolve through time. Theoretically, cosmologically based models collate the physical effects driving galaxy assembly - mergers of galaxies, accretion of gas, star formation, and feedback, amongst others, to form predictions which are matched to galaxy observables. An alternative approach is to examine directly, in an observational way, the processes driving galaxy assembly, including the effects of feedback. This is a new ‘third way’ towards understanding how galaxies are forming from gas accretion and mergers, and directly probes these effects instead of relying on simulations designed to reproduce observations. This empirical approach towards understanding galaxy formation, including the acquisition history of baryons, displays some significant differences with the latest galaxy formation models, in addition to directly demonstrating the mechanisms by which galaxies form most of their baryonic mass.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S319) ◽  
pp. 105-108
Author(s):  
Dominik A. Riechers ◽  
Peter L. Capak ◽  
Christopher L. Carilli

AbstractCold molecular and atomic gas plays a central role in our understanding of early galaxy formation and evolution. It represents the component of the interstellar medium (ISM) that stars form out of, and its mass, distribution, excitation, and dynamics provide crucial insight into the physical processes that support the ongoing star formation and stellar mass buildup. We here present results that demonstrate the capability of the Atacama Large (sub-)Millimeter Array (ALMA) to detect the cold ISM and dust in “normal” galaxies at redshifts z=5–6. We also show detailed studies of the ISM in massive, dust-obscured starburst galaxies out to z>6 with ALMA, the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA), the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI), and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). These observations place some of the most direct constraints on the dust-obscured fraction of the star formation history of the universe at z>5 to date, showing that “typical” galaxies at these epochs have low dust content, but also that highly-enriched, dusty starbursts already exist within the first billion years after the Big Bang.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S295) ◽  
pp. 137-140
Author(s):  
Diego Capozzi ◽  
Daniel Thomas ◽  
Claudia Maraston ◽  
Luke J. M. Davies

AbstractThe Dark Energy Survey (DES) will be the new state-of the-art in large-scale galaxy imaging surveys. With 5,000 deg2, it will cover an area of the sky similar to SDSS-II, but will go over two magnitudes deeper, reaching 24th magnitude in all four optical bands (griz). DES will further provide observations in the redder Y-band and will be complemented with VISTA observations in the near-infrared bands JHK. Hence DES will furnish an unprecedented combination of sky and wavelength coverage and depth, unreached by any of the existing galaxy surveys. The very nature of the DES data set – large volume at intermediate photometric depth – allows us to probe galaxy formation and evolution within a cosmic-time range of ~ 10 Gyr and in different environments. In fact there will be many galaxy clusters available for galaxy evolution studies, given that one of the main aims of DES is to use their abundance to constrain the equation of state of dark energy. The X-ray follow up of these clusters, coupled with the use of gravitational lensing, will provide very precise measures of their masses, enabling us to study in detail the influence of the environment on galaxy formation and evolution processes. DES will leverage the study of these processes by allowing us to perform a detailed investigation of the galaxy luminosity and stellar mass functions and of the relationship between dark and baryonic matter as described by the Halo Occupation Distribution.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S321) ◽  
pp. 292-292
Author(s):  
P. Ramírez-Moreta ◽  
L. Verdes-Montenegro ◽  
S. Leon ◽  
J. Blasco-Herrera ◽  
M. Fernández-Lorenzo ◽  
...  

The AMIGA project carries out a multiwavelength study of the largest catalogue of isolated galaxies from the Local Universe (CIG, Karachentseva 1973). Compared to any other sample —field galaxies included— and using highly strict isolation criteria (unperturbed for at least ~3 Gyr, Verdes-Montenegro et al. 2005), all the results show that these galaxies have the lowest values of the physical magnitudes expected to be enhanced by interactions. This strongly supports isolated galaxies as ideal laboratories for the study of galaxy formation and evolution. Despite CIG galaxies show the lowest HI integrated profile asymmetry level when compared to any other sample, some cases present up to 50% HI asymmetry (Espada et al. 2011b). We aim to shed light over the causes and sources of such asymmetries with our deep radiointerferometric and optical observations of CIG targets. Since major mergers are ruled out by the isolation criteria, in this work we are addressing whether minor mergers, internal processes or primordial gas accretion are responsible for such asymmetries.


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