Finding High-redshift Galaxies with JWST

One of the primary goals for the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope is to observe the first galaxies. Predictions for planned and proposed surveys have typically focused on average galaxy counts, assuming a random distribution of galaxies across the observed field. The first and most-massive galaxies, however, are expected to be tightly clustered, an effect known as cosmic variance. We show that cosmic variance is likely to be the dominant contribution to uncertainty for high-redshift mass and luminosity functions, and that median high-redshift and high-mass galaxy counts for planned observations lie significantly below average counts. Several different strategies are considered for improving our understanding of the first galaxies, including adding depth, area, and independent pointings. Adding independent pointings is shown to be the most efficient both for discovering the single highest-redshift galaxy and also for constraining mass and luminosity functions.

Spectral energy distribution similarity of the local galaxies and the 3.6 μm selected galaxies from the Spitzer Extended Deep Survey

The Spitzer Extended Deep Survey (SEDS) as a deep and wide mid-infrared (MIR) survey project provides a sample of 500 000+ sources spreading 1.46 square degree and a depth of 26 AB mag (3σ). Combining with the previous available data, we build a PSF-matched multi-wavelength photometry catalog from u band to 8 μm. We fit the SEDS galaxies spectral energy distributions by the local galaxy templates. The results show that the SEDS galaxy can be fitted well, indicating the high redshift galaxy (z ∼ 1) shares the same templates with the local galaxies. This study would facilitate the further study of the galaxy luminosity and high redshift mass function.

The history of metal enrichment traced by X-ray observations of high redshift galaxy clusters

We present the analysis of deep X-ray observations of 10 massive galaxy clusters at redshifts 1.05 < z < 1.71, with the primary goal of measuring the metallicity of the intracluster medium (ICM) at intermediate radii, to better constrain models of the metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium. The targets were selected from X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) effect surveys, and observed with both the XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites. For each cluster, a precise gas mass profile was extracted, from which the value of r500 could be estimated. This allows us to define consistent radial ranges over which the metallicity measurements can be compared. In general, the data are of sufficient quality to extract meaningful metallicity measurements in two radial bins, r < 0.3r500 and 0.3 < r/r500 < 1.0. For the outer bin, the combined measurement for all ten clusters, Z/Z⊙ = 0.21 ± 0.09, represents a substantial improvement in precision over previous results. This measurement is consistent with, but slightly lower than, the average metallicity of 0.315 Solar measured at intermediate-to-large radii in low-redshift clusters. Combining our new high-redshift data with the previous low-redshift results allows us to place the tightest constraints to date on models of the evolution of cluster metallicity at intermediate radii. Adopting a power law model of the form Z∝(1 + z)γ, we measure a slope $\gamma = -0.5^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$, consistent with the majority of the enrichment of the ICM having occurred at very early times and before massive clusters formed, but leaving open the possibility that some additional enrichment in these regions may have occurred since a redshift of 2.

Extended fast action minimization method: application to SDSS-DR12 combined sample

ABSTRACT We present the first application of the extended Fast Action Minimization method (eFAM) to a real data set, the SDSS-DR12 Combined Sample, to reconstruct galaxies orbits back-in-time, their two-point correlation function (2PCF) in real-space, and enhance the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) peak. For this purpose, we introduce a new implementation of eFAM that accounts for selection effects, survey footprint, and galaxy bias. We use the reconstructed BAO peak to measure the angular diameter distance, $D_\mathrm{A}(z)r^\mathrm{fid}_\mathrm{s}/r_\mathrm{s}$, and the Hubble parameter, $H(z)r_\mathrm{s}/r^\mathrm{fid}_\mathrm{s}$, normalized to the sound horizon scale for a fiducial cosmology $r^\mathrm{fid}_\mathrm{s}$, at the mean redshift of the sample z = 0.38, obtaining $D_\mathrm{A}(z=0.38)r^\mathrm{fid}_\mathrm{s}/r_\mathrm{s}=1090\pm 29$(Mpc)−1, and $H(z=0.38)r_\mathrm{s}/r^\mathrm{fid}_\mathrm{s}=83\pm 3$(km s−1 Mpc−1), in agreement with previous measurements on the same data set. The validation tests, performed using 400 publicly available SDSS-DR12 mock catalogues, reveal that eFAM performs well in reconstructing the 2PCF down to separations of ∼25h−1Mpc, i.e. well into the non-linear regime. Besides, eFAM successfully removes the anisotropies due to redshift-space distortion (RSD) at all redshifts including that of the survey, allowing us to decrease the number of free parameters in the model and fit the full-shape of the back-in-time reconstructed 2PCF well beyond the BAO peak. Recovering the real-space 2PCF, eFAM improves the precision on the estimates of the fitting parameters. When compared with the no-reconstruction case, eFAM reduces the uncertainty of the Alcock-Paczynski distortion parameters α⊥ and α∥ of about 40 per cent and that on the non-linear damping scale Σ∥ of about 70 per cent. These results show that eFAM can be successfully applied to existing redshift galaxy catalogues and should be considered as a reconstruction tool for next-generation surveys alternative to popular methods based on the Zel’dovich approximation.

Shape, Color, and Distance in Weak Gravitational Flexion

Canonically, elliptical galaxies might be expected to have a perfect rotational symmetry, making them ideal targets for flexion studies - however, this assumption hasn’t been tested. We have undertaken an analysis of low and high redshift galaxy catalogs of known morphological type with a new gravitational lensing code, Lenser. Using color measurements in the u − r bands and fit Sérsic index values, objects with characteristics consistent with early-type galaxies are found to have a lower intrinsic scatter in flexion signal than late-type galaxies. We find this measured flexion noise can be reduced by more than a factor of two at both low and high redshift.

BIRTH of the COSMOS field: primordial and evolved density reconstructions during cosmic high noon

ABSTRACT This work presents the first comprehensive study of structure formation at the peak epoch of cosmic star formation over 1.4 ≤ z ≤ 3.6 in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field, including the most massive high-redshift galaxy proto-clusters at that era. We apply the extended COSMIC BIRTH algorithm to account for a multitracer and multisurvey Bayesian analysis at Lagrangian initial cosmic times. Combining the data of five different spectroscopic redshift surveys (zCOSMOS-deep, VUDS, MOSDEF, ZFIRE, and FMOS–COSMOS), we show that the corresponding unbiased primordial density fields can be inferred, if a proper survey completeness computation from the parent photometric catalogues, and a precise treatment of the non-linear and non-local evolution on the light-cone is taken into account, including (i) gravitational matter displacements, (ii) peculiar velocities, and (iii) galaxy bias. The reconstructions reveal a holistic view on the known proto-clusters in the COSMOS field and the growth of the cosmic web towards lower redshifts. The inferred distant dark matter density fields concurrently with other probes like tomographic reconstructions of the intergalactic medium will explore the interplay of gas and dark matter and are ideally suited to study structure formation at high redshifts in the light of upcoming deep surveys.

High-redshift galaxy groups as seen by ATHENA/WFI

Context. The first massive galaxy groups in the Universe are predicted to have formed at redshifts well beyond two. Baryonic physics, like stellar and active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback in this very active epoch, are expected to have left a strong imprint on the thermo-dynamic properties of these early galaxy groups. Therefore, observations of these groups are key to constrain the relative importance of these physical processes. However, current instruments are not sensitive enough to detect them easily and characterize their hot gas content. Aims. In this work, we quantify the observing power of the Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA), the future large X-ray observatory of the European Space Agency, for discovering and characterizing early galaxy groups at high redshifts. We also investigate how well ATHENA will constrain different feedback mechanisms. Methods. We used the SImulation of X-ray TElescopes simulator to mimic ATHENA observations, and a custom-made wavelet-based algorithm to detect galaxy groups and clusters in the redshift range 0.5 ≤ z ≤ 4. We performed extensive X-ray spectral fitting in order to characterize their gas temperature and X-ray luminosity. In the simulations and their analysis, we took into account the main ATHENA instrumental features: background, vignetting, and point spread function degradation with off-axis angle, as well as all X-ray foreground and background components including a realistic AGN flux distribution. Different physically motivated thermo-dynamical states of galaxy groups were simulated and tested, including central AGN contamination, different scaling relation models (luminosity evolution), and distinct surface brightness profiles. Also, different ATHENA instrumental setups were tested, including both 15 and 19 mirror rows and the applied optical blocking filter. Results. In the deep Wide Field Imager survey expected to be carried out during part of ATHENA’s first four years (the nominal mission lifetime) more than 10 000 galaxy groups and clusters at z ≥ 0.5 will be discovered. We find that ATHENA can detect ∼20 high-redshift galaxy groups with masses of M500 ≥ 5 × 1013 M⊙ and z ≥ 2, and almost half of them will have a gas temperature determined to a precision of ΔT/T ≤ 25%. Conclusions. We demonstrate that high-redshift galaxy groups can be detected very efficiently as extended sources by ATHENA and that a key parameter determining the total number of such newly discovered sources is the area on the sky surveyed by ATHENA. We show that these observations have a very good potential to constrain the importance of different feedback processes in the early universe because of ATHENA’s ability not only to find the early groups but also to characterize their hot gas properties at the same time.

The MOSDEF-LRIS Survey: The connection between massive stars and ionized gas in individual galaxies at z ∼ 2

ABSTRACT We present constraints on the massive star and ionized gas properties for a sample of 62 star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2.3. Using BPASS stellar population models, we fit the rest-UV spectra of galaxies in our sample to estimate age and stellar metallicity which, in turn, determine the ionizing spectrum. In addition to the median properties of well-defined subsets of our sample, we derive the ages and stellar metallicities for 30 high-SNR individual galaxies – the largest sample of individual galaxies at high redshift with such measurements. Most galaxies in this high-SNR subsample have stellar metallicities of 0.001 < Z* < 0.004. We then use Cloudy + BPASS photoionization models to match observed rest-optical line ratios and infer nebular properties. Our high-SNR subsample is characterized by a median ionization parameter and oxygen abundance, respectively, of log (U)med = −2.98 ± 0.25 and 12 + log (O/H)med = 8.48 ± 0.11. Accordingly, we find that all galaxies in our sample show evidence for α-enhancement. In addition, based on inferred log (U) and 12 + log (O/H) values, we find that the local relationship between ionization parameter and metallicity applies at z ∼ 2. Finally, we find that the high-redshift galaxies most offset from the local excitation sequence in the BPT diagram are the most α-enhanced. This trend suggests that α-enhancement resulting in a harder ionizing spectrum at fixed oxygen abundance is a significant driver of the high-redshift galaxy offset on the BPT diagram relative to local systems. The ubiquity of α-enhancement among z ∼ 2.3 star-forming galaxies indicates important differences between high-redshift and local galaxies that must be accounted for in order to derive physical properties at high redshift.