scholarly journals From starburst to quiescence: post-starburst galaxies and their large-scale clustering over cosmic time

Author(s):  
Aaron Wilkinson ◽  
Omar Almaini ◽  
Vivienne Wild ◽  
David Maltby ◽  
William G Hartley ◽  
...  

Abstract We present the first study of the large-scale clustering of post-starburst (PSB) galaxies in the high redshift Universe (0.5 < z < 3.0). We select ∼4000 PSB galaxies photometrically, the largest high-redshift sample of this kind, from two deep large-scale near-infrared surveys: the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey (UDS) DR11 and the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). Using angular cross-correlation techniques, we estimate the halo masses for this large sample of PSB galaxies and compare them with quiescent and star-forming galaxies selected in the same fields. We find that low-mass, low-redshift (0.5 < z < 1.0) PSB galaxies preferentially reside in very high-mass dark matter haloes (Mhalo > 1014 M⊙), suggesting they are likely to be infalling satellite galaxies in cluster-like environments. High-mass PSB galaxies are more weakly clustered at low redshifts, but they reside in higher mass haloes with increasing look-back time, suggesting strong redshift-dependent halo downsizing. These key results are consistent with previous results suggesting that two main channels are responsible for the rapid quenching of galaxies. While high-redshift (z > 1) galaxies appear to be quenched by secular feedback mechanisms, processes associated with dense environments are likely to be the key driver of rapid quenching in the low-redshift Universe (z < 1). Finally, we show that the clustering of photometrically selected PSBs are consistent with them being direct descendants of highly dust-enshrouded sub-millimetre galaxies (SMGs), providing tantalising evidence for the oft-speculated evolutionary pathway from starburst to quiescence.

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 454-454
Author(s):  
Michael Wegner ◽  
Ralf Bender ◽  
Ray Sharples ◽  

AbstractKMOS, the “K-Band Multi-Object Spectrometer”, was built by a British-German consortium as a second generation instrument for the ESO Paranal Observatory. It is available to the user community since its successful commissioning in 2013 (Sharples et al. 2013). As a multi-object integral field spectrometer for the near infrared, KMOS offers 24 deployable IFUs of 2.8x2.8 arcsec and 14x14 spatial pixels each, which can either be placed individually within a 7.2 arcmin field of view or combined in a Mosaic mode in order to map contiguous fields on sky. The instrument covers the whole range of NIR atmospheric windows (0.8. . .2.5μm) with 5 spectral bands and a resolution of R ≈ 3000. . .4000.Although the main science driver for KMOS was to enable the study of galaxy formation and evolution through multiplexed observations of high-redshift galaxies, KMOS also already exhibited its tremendous potential for the spectroscopy of massive stars: A quantitative study of 27 RSGs in NGC 300 (Gazak et al. 2015) proves its applicability for the spectroscopy of individual stars even beyond the Local Group. A Mosaic observation of the Galactic centre (Feldmeier-Krause et al. 2015) demonstrates how spectra of early-type stars can be extracted from a contiguous field. Other applications include (but need not be limited to) velocity determinations of globular cluster stars, observations of jets/outflows of high mass protostars, or contiguous mapping of star-forming regions.We therefore aim at presenting the excellent capabilities of KMOS to a wider community and indicate potential applications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (13) ◽  
pp. 1842001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Krühler

As a result of their unprecedented luminosity, long [Formula: see text]-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows pinpoint a population of high-redshift galaxies that is distinct and complementary to galaxies selected by deep sky surveys. In this way, GRBs facilitate a unique view into the high-redshift universe. The bright optical afterglow, for example, serves as a background light for absorption-line spectroscopy, and thus helps us to accurately characterize and understand the cosmochemical evolution of the interstellar matter, the properties of star-forming galaxies through cosmic time or dust extinction at redshifts up to [Formula: see text]. Similarly, detailed studies of the GRB explosion site, and the specific stellar population and galactic environment linked to the GRB, provide important constraints on the physical properties of the GRB progenitor like stellar mass, or on the interplay between metallicity and GRB formation. In this paper, we review recent results in both areas, focusing on novel results from extensive host observations of well-selected GRB samples.


2019 ◽  
Vol 625 ◽  
pp. A96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger Kneissl ◽  
Maria del Carmen Polletta ◽  
Clement Martinache ◽  
Ryley Hill ◽  
Benjamin Clarenc ◽  
...  

Galaxy clusters at high redshift are key targets for understanding matter assembly in the early Universe, yet they are challenging to locate. A sample of more than 2000 high-z candidate structures has been found using Planck’s all-sky submillimetre maps, and a sub-set of 234 have been followed up with Herschel-SPIRE, which showed that the emission can be attributed to large overdensities of dusty star-forming galaxies. As a next step, we need to resolve and characterise the individual galaxies giving rise to the emission seen by Planck and Herschel, and to find out whether they constitute the progenitors of present-day, massive galaxy clusters. Thus, we targeted the eight brightest Herschel-SPIRE sources in the centre of the Planck peak PLCK G073.4−57.5 using ALMA at 1.3 mm, and complemented these observations with multi-wavelength data from Spitzer-IRAC, CFHT-WIRCam in the J and Ks bands, and JCMT’s SCUBA-2 instrument. We detected a total of 18 millimetre galaxies brighter than 0.3 mJy within the 2.4 arcmin2 ALMA pointings, corresponding to an ALMA source density 8–30 times higher than average background estimates and larger than seen in typical “proto-cluster” fields. We were able to match all but one of the ALMA sources to a near infrared (NIR) counterpart. The four most significant SCUBA-2 sources are not included in the ALMA pointings, but we find an 8σ stacking detection of the ALMA sources in the SCUBA-2 map at 850 μm. We derive photometric redshifts, infrared (IR) luminosities, star-formation rates (SFRs), stellar masses (ℳ), dust temperatures, and dust masses for all of the ALMA galaxies. Photometric redshifts identify two groups each of five sources, concentrated around z  ≃  1.5 and 2.4. The two groups show two “red sequences”, that is similar near-IR [3.6]  −  [4.5] colours and different J  −  Ks colours. The majority of the ALMA-detected galaxies are on the SFR versus ℳ main sequence (MS), and half of the sample is more massive than the characteristic ℳ* at the corresponding redshift. We find that the z  ≃  1.5 group has total SFR = 840−100+120 M⊙ yr−1 and ℳ = 5.8−2.4+1.7 × 1011 M⊙, and that the z  ≃  2.4 group has SFR = 1020−170+310 M⊙ yr−1 and ℳ = 4.2−2.1+1.5 × 1011 M⊙, but the latter group is more scattered in stellar mass and around the MS. Serendipitous CO line detections in two of the galaxies appear to match their photometric redshifts at z  =  1.54. We performed an analysis of star-formation efficiencies (SFEs) and CO- and mm-continuum-derived gas fractions of our ALMA sources, combined with a sample of 1 <  z <  3 cluster and proto-cluster members, and observed trends in both quantities with respect to stellar masses and in comparison to field galaxies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (1) ◽  
pp. 270-291
Author(s):  
F Navarete ◽  
A Damineli ◽  
J E Steiner ◽  
R D Blum

ABSTRACT W33A is a well-known example of a high-mass young stellar object showing evidence of a circumstellar disc. We revisited the K-band NIFS/Gemini North observations of the W33A protostar using principal components analysis tomography and additional post-processing routines. Our results indicate the presence of a compact rotating disc based on the kinematics of the CO absorption features. The position–velocity diagram shows that the disc exhibits a rotation curve with velocities that rapidly decrease for radii larger than 0.1 arcsec (∼250 au) from the central source, suggesting a structure about four times more compact than previously reported. We derived a dynamical mass of 10.0$^{+4.1}_{-2.2}$ $\rm {M}_\odot$ for the ‘disc + protostar’ system, about ∼33 per cent smaller than previously reported, but still compatible with high-mass protostar status. A relatively compact H2 wind was identified at the base of the large-scale outflow of W33A, with a mean visual extinction of ∼63 mag. By taking advantage of supplementary near-infrared maps, we identified at least two other point-like objects driving extended structures in the vicinity of W33A, suggesting that multiple active protostars are located within the cloud. The closest object (Source B) was also identified in the NIFS field of view as a faint point-like object at a projected distance of ∼7000 au from W33A, powering extended K-band continuum emission detected in the same field. Another source (Source C) is driving a bipolar $\rm {H}_2$ jet aligned perpendicular to the rotation axis of W33A.


Author(s):  
A J Rigby ◽  
N Peretto ◽  
R Adam ◽  
P Ade ◽  
M Anderson ◽  
...  

Abstract Determining the mechanism by which high-mass stars are formed is essential for our understanding of the energy budget and chemical evolution of galaxies. By using the New IRAM KIDs Array 2 (NIKA2) camera on the Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) 30-m telescope, we have conducted high-sensitivity and large-scale mapping of a fraction of the Galactic plane in order to search for signatures of the transition between the high- and low-mass star-forming modes. Here, we present the first results from the Galactic Star Formation with NIKA2 (GASTON) project, a Large Programme at the IRAM 30-m telescope which is mapping ≈2 deg2 of the inner Galactic plane (GP), centred on ℓ = 23${_{.}^{\circ}}$9, b = 0${_{.}^{\circ}}$05, as well as targets in Taurus and Ophiuchus in 1.15 and 2.00 mm continuum wavebands. In this paper we present the first of the GASTON GP data taken, and present initial science results. We conduct an extraction of structures from the 1.15 mm maps using a dendrogram analysis and, by comparison to the compact source catalogues from Herschel survey data, we identify a population of 321 previously-undetected clumps. Approximately 80 per cent of these new clumps are 70 μm-quiet, and may be considered as starless candidates. We find that this new population of clumps are less massive and cooler, on average, than clumps that have already been identified. Further, by classifying the full sample of clumps based upon their infrared-bright fraction – an indicator of evolutionary stage – we find evidence for clump mass growth, supporting models of clump-fed high-mass star formation.


Author(s):  
N. R. Tanvir ◽  
E. Le Floc’h ◽  
L. Christensen ◽  
J. Caruana ◽  
R. Salvaterra ◽  
...  

AbstractAt peak, long-duration gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous sources of electromagnetic radiation known. Since their progenitors are massive stars, they provide a tracer of star formation and star-forming galaxies over the whole of cosmic history. Their bright power-law afterglows provide ideal backlights for absorption studies of the interstellar and intergalactic medium back to the reionization era. The proposed THESEUS mission is designed to detect large samples of GRBs at z > 6 in the 2030s, at a time when supporting observations with major next generation facilities will be possible, thus enabling a range of transformative science. THESEUS will allow us to explore the faint end of the luminosity function of galaxies and the star formation rate density to high redshifts; constrain the progress of re-ionisation beyond $z\gtrsim 6$ z ≳ 6 ; study in detail early chemical enrichment from stellar explosions, including signatures of Population III stars; and potentially characterize the dark energy equation of state at the highest redshifts.


2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A60 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cañameras ◽  
N. P. H. Nesvadba ◽  
M. Limousin ◽  
H. Dole ◽  
R. Kneissl ◽  
...  

We report the discovery of a molecular wind signature from a massive intensely star-forming clump of a few 109 M⊙, in the strongly gravitationally lensed submillimeter galaxy “the Emerald” (PLCK_G165.7+49.0) at z = 2.236. The Emerald is amongst the brightest high-redshift galaxies on the submillimeter sky, and was initially discovered with the Planck satellite. The system contains two magnificient structures with projected lengths of 28.5″ and 21″ formed by multiple, near-infrared arcs, falling behind a massive galaxy cluster at z = 0.35, as well as an adjacent filament that has so far escaped discovery in other wavebands. We used HST/WFC3 and CFHT optical and near-infrared imaging together with IRAM and SMA interferometry of the CO(4–3) line and 850 μm dust emission to characterize the foreground lensing mass distribution, construct a lens model with LENSTOOL, and calculate gravitational magnification factors between 20 and 50 in most of the source. The majority of the star formation takes place within two massive star-forming clumps which are marginally gravitationally bound and embedded in a 9 × 1010 M⊙, fragmented disk with 20% gas fraction. The stellar continuum morphology is much smoother and also well resolved perpendicular to the magnification axis. One of the clumps shows a pronounced blue wing in the CO(4–3) line profile, which we interpret as a wind signature. The mass outflow rates are high enough for us to suspect that the clump might become unbound within a few tens of Myr, unless the outflowing gas can be replenished by gas accretion from the surrounding disk. The velocity offset of –200 km s−1 is above the escape velocity of the clump, but not that of the galaxy overall, suggesting that much of this material might ultimately rain back onto the galaxy and contribute to fueling subsequent star formation.


Author(s):  
Abraham Loeb ◽  
Steven R. Furlanetto

This chapter investigates a number of specific observational probes of the high-redshift Universe. It examines the Lyman-α‎ line, an extraordinarily rich and useful—albeit complex—probe of both galaxies and the intergalactic medium (IGM). As established in the previous chapter, young star-forming galaxies can produce very bright Lyman-α‎ emissions. Although the radiative transfer of these photons through their host galaxies is typically very complex, a good starting point is a simple model in which a fraction of stellar ionizing photons are absorbed within their source galaxy, forming embedded H II regions. The resulting protons and electrons then recombine, producing Lyman-α‎ photons. Assuming ionization equilibrium, the rate of these recombinations must equal the rate at which ionizing photons are produced.


2004 ◽  
Vol 217 ◽  
pp. 276-286
Author(s):  
Sylvain Veilleux

This paper provides a critical discussion of the observational evidence for winds in our own Galaxy, in nearby star-forming and active galaxies, and in the high-redshift universe. The implications of galactic winds on the formation and evolution of galaxies and the intergalactic medium are briefly discussed. A number of observational challenges are mentioned to inspire future research directions.


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