STAR FORMATION HISTORY, DUST ATTENUATION, AND EXTRAGALACTIC BACKGROUND LIGHT

ABSTRACT We present a revised measurement of the optical extragalactic background light (EBL), based on the contribution of resolved galaxies to the integrated galaxy light (IGL). The cosmic optical background radiation (COB), encodes the light generated by star formation, and provides a wealth of information about the cosmic star formation history (CSFH). We combine wide and deep galaxy number counts from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey (GAMA) and Deep Extragalactic VIsible Legacy Survey (DEVILS), along with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive and other deep survey data sets, in nine multiwavelength filters to measure the COB in the range from 0.35 μm to 2.2 μm. We derive the luminosity density in each band independently and show good agreement with recent and complementary estimates of the optical-EBL from very high-energy (VHE) experiments. Our error analysis suggests that the IGL and γ-ray measurements are now fully consistent to within $\sim 10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, suggesting little need for any additional source of diffuse light beyond the known galaxy population. We use our revised IGL measurements to constrain the CSFH, and place amplitude constraints on a number of recent estimates. As a consistency check, we can now demonstrate convincingly, that the CSFH, stellar mass growth, and the optical-EBL provide a fully consistent picture of galaxy evolution. We conclude that the peak of star formation rate lies in the range 0.066–0.076 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3 at a lookback time of 9.1 to 10.9 Gyr.

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How recent limits on the extragalactic background light constrain the star formation history

10.1063/1.4772334 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Raue ◽

Manuel Meyer

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Extragalactic Background Light ◽

Background Light ◽

Formation History

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How robustly can we constrain the low-mass end of the z ∼ 6−7 stellar mass function? The limits of lensing models and stellar population assumptions in the Hubble Frontier Fields

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/staa3760 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 501 (2) ◽

pp. 1568-1590

Author(s):

Lukas J Furtak ◽

Hakim Atek ◽

Matthew D Lehnert ◽

Jacopo Chevallard ◽

Stéphane Charlot

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Mass Function ◽

Stellar Mass ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Space Telescope ◽

Formation History ◽

Low Mass ◽

Stellar Masses ◽

Dust Attenuation ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT We present new measurements of the very low mass end of the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) at z ∼ 6−7 computed from a rest-frame ultraviolet selected sample of dropout galaxies. These galaxies lie behind the six Hubble Frontier Field clusters and are all gravitationally magnified. Using deep Spitzer/IRAC and Hubble Space Telescope imaging, we derive stellar masses by fitting galaxy spectral energy distributions and explore the impact of different model assumptions and parameter degeneracies on the resulting GSMF. Our sample probes stellar masses down to $M_{\star }\gt 10^{6}\, \text{M}_{\odot}$ and we find the z ∼ 6−7 GSMF to be best parametrized by a modified Schechter function that allows for a turnover at very low masses. Using a Monte Carlo Markov chain analysis of the GSMF, including accurate treatment of lensing uncertainties, we obtain a relatively steep low-mass end slope $\alpha \simeq -1.96_{-0.08}^{+0.09}$ and a turnover at $\log (M_T/\text{M}_{\odot})\simeq 7.10_{-0.56}^{+0.17}$ with a curvature of $\beta \simeq 1.00_{-0.73}^{+0.87}$ for our minimum assumption model with constant star formation history (SFH) and low dust attenuation, AV ≤ 0.2. We find that the z ∼ 6−7 GSMF, in particular its very low mass end, is significantly affected by the assumed functional form of the star formation history and the degeneracy between stellar mass and dust attenuation. For example, the low-mass end slope ranges from $\alpha \simeq -1.82_{-0.07}^{+0.08}$ for an exponentially rising SFH to $\alpha \simeq -2.34_{-0.10}^{+0.11}$ when allowing AV of up to 3.25. Future observations at longer wavelengths and higher angular resolution with the James Webb Space Telescope are required to break these degeneracies and to robustly constrain the stellar mass of galaxies on the extreme low-mass end of the GSMF.

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Horizon-AGN virtual observatory – 1. SED-fitting performance and forecasts for future imaging surveys

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/stz1054 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 486 (4) ◽

pp. 5104-5123 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

C Laigle ◽

I Davidzon ◽

O Ilbert ◽

J Devriendt ◽

D Kashino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Photometric Redshifts ◽

Dark Energy Survey ◽

Hydrodynamical Simulation ◽

Formation History ◽

Stellar Masses ◽

Dust Attenuation ◽

The Impact

Abstract Using the light-cone from the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation horizon-AGN, we produced a photometric catalogue over 0 < z < 4 with apparent magnitudes in COSMOS, Dark Energy Survey, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)-like, and Euclid-like filters at depths comparable to these surveys. The virtual photometry accounts for the complex star formation history (SFH) and metal enrichment of horizon-AGN galaxies, and consistently includes magnitude errors, dust attenuation, and absorption by intergalactic medium. The COSMOS-like photometry is fitted in the same configuration as the COSMOS2015 catalogue. We then quantify random and systematic errors of photometric redshifts, stellar masses, and star formation rates (SFR). Photometric redshifts and redshift errors capture the same dependencies on magnitude and redshift as found in COSMOS2015, excluding the impact of source extraction. COSMOS-like stellar masses are well recovered with a dispersion typically lower than 0.1 dex. The simple SFHs and metallicities of the templates induce a systematic underestimation of stellar masses at z < 1.5 by at most 0.12 dex. SFR estimates exhibit a dust-induced bimodality combined with a larger scatter (typically between 0.2 and 0.6 dex). We also use our mock catalogue to predict photometric redshifts and stellar masses in future imaging surveys. We stress that adding Euclid near-infrared photometry to the LSST-like baseline improves redshift accuracy especially at the faint end and decreases the outlier fraction by a factor ∼2. It also considerably improves stellar masses, reducing the scatter up to a factor 3. It would therefore be mutually beneficial for LSST and Euclid to work in synergy.

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A gamma-ray determination of the Universe’s star formation history

Science ◽

10.1126/science.aat8123 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 362 (6418) ◽

pp. 1031-1034 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Gamma Ray ◽

Cosmic Time ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Large Area ◽

Extragalactic Background Light ◽

Galaxy Surveys ◽

Formation History ◽

History Of ◽

The Universe

The light emitted by all galaxies over the history of the Universe produces the extragalactic background light (EBL) at ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths. The EBL is a source of opacity for gamma rays via photon-photon interactions, leaving an imprint in the spectra of distant gamma-ray sources. We measured this attenuation using 739 active galaxies and one gamma-ray burst detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This allowed us to reconstruct the evolution of the EBL and determine the star formation history of the Universe over 90% of cosmic time. Our star formation history is consistent with independent measurements from galaxy surveys, peaking at redshiftz~ 2. Upper limits of the EBL at the epoch of reionization suggest a turnover in the abundance of faint galaxies atz~ 6.

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