arXiv subjects

A. L. Faisst

Publications and source records attributed to A. L. Faisst.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

COSMOS Brightest Group Galaxies -- III: Evolution of stellar ages

The unique characteristics of the brightest group galaxies (BGGs) link the evolutionary continuum between galaxies like the Milky Way and more massive BCGs in dense clusters. This study investigates the stellar properties of BGGs over cosmic time (z = 0.08-1.30), extending our previous work (Gozaliasl et al. 2016, 2018; Paper I and Paper II). We analyze data of 246 BGGs from our X-ray galaxy group catalog in the COSMOS field, examining stellar age, mass, star formation rate (SFR), specific SFR (sSFR), and halo mass. Comparisons are made with Millennium and Magneticum simulations. We explore the variation of stellar properties with the projected offset from the X-ray peak or host halo center. Using a mock galaxy catalog, we evaluated the accuracy of SED-derived stellar ages, finding a mean absolute error of about one Gyr. Observed BGG age distributions show a bias towards younger ages compared to semi-analytical models and the Magneticum simulation. Our analysis of stellar age versus mass reveals trends with a positive slope, suggesting complex evolutionary pathways across redshifts. We observe a negative correlation between stellar age and SFR across all redshift ranges. Using a cosmic-time-dependent main sequence framework, we identify star-forming BGGs, finding that about 20% of BGGs in the local universe exhibit star-forming characteristics, increasing to 50% at $z=1.0$. Our findings support an inside-out formation scenario for BGGs, where older stellar populations are near the X-ray peak and younger populations at larger offsets indicate ongoing star formation. The distribution of stellar ages for lower-mass BGGs ($10^{10-11} M_\odot$) deviates from constant ages predicted by models, highlighting current models' limitations in capturing galaxies' complex star formation histories.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Dead or Alive? How Bursty Star Formation and Patchy Dust Can Cause Temporary Quiescence in High Redshift Galaxies

The recent discovery of a galaxy at z=7.3 with undetected optical emission lines and a blue UV to optical continuum ratio in JWST spectroscopy is surprising and needs to be explained physically. Here, we explore two possibilities that could cause such a seemingly quiescent ~5e8 $\rm M_\odot$ galaxy in the early Universe: (i) stochastic variations in the star formation history (SFH) and (ii) the effect of spatially varying dust attenuation on the measured line and continuum emission properties. Both scenarios can play at the same time to amplify the effect. A stochastic star formation model (similar to realistic SFHs from hydrodynamical simulations of similar-mass galaxies) can create such observed properties if star formation is fast-varying with a correlation time of <150 Myrs given a reasonable burst amplitude of ~0.6 dex. The total time spent in this state is less than 20 Myrs and the likelihood of such a state to occur over 500 Myrs at z=7 is ~50% (consistent with current observations). On the other hand, we show that a spectrum with blue UV continuum and lack of emission lines can be reproduced by a blue+red composite spectrum. The UV continuum is emitted from dust-free density bounded HII regions (blue component), while the red component is a dust-obscured starburst with weakened emission lines due to strong differential dust attenuation between stellar and nebular emission. Future resolving far-infrared observations with ALMA will shed light on the latter scenario.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] Survey: Dust emission effective radius up to 3 kpc in the Early Universe

Measurements of the size of dust continuum emission are an important tool for constraining the spatial extent of star formation and hence the build-up of stellar mass. Compact dust emission has generally been observed at Cosmic Noon (z~2-3). However, at earlier epochs, toward the end of the Reionization (z~4-6), only the sizes of a handful of IR-bright galaxies have been measured. In this work, we derive the dust emission sizes of main-sequence galaxies at z~5 from the ALPINE survey. We measure the dust effective radius r_e,FIR in the uv-plane in Band 7 of ALMA for seven ALPINE galaxies with resolved emission and we compare it with rest-frame UV and [CII]158$μ$m measurements. We study the r_e,FIR-L_IR scaling relation by considering our dust size measurements and all the data in literature at z~4-6. Finally, we compare our size measurements with predictions from simulations. The dust emission in the selected ALPINE galaxies is rather extended (r_e,FIR~1.5-3 kpc), similar to [CII]158 um but a factor of ~2 larger than the rest-frame UV emission. Putting together all the measurements at z~5, spanning 2 decades in luminosity from L_IR ~ 10^11 L_sun to L_IR ~ 10^13 L_sun, the data highlight a steeply increasing trend of the r_e,FIR-L_IR relation at L_IR< 10^12 L_sun, followed by a downturn and a decreasing trend at brighter luminosities. Finally, simulations that extend up to the stellar masses of the ALPINE galaxies considered in the present work predict a sub-set of galaxies (~25% at 10^10 M_sun < M_star < 10^11 M_sun) with sizes as large as those measured.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

The COSMOS-Web ring: in-depth characterization of an Einstein ring lensing system at z~2

Aims. We provide an in-depth analysis of the COSMOS-Web ring, an Einstein ring at z=2 that we serendipitously discovered in the COSMOS-Web survey and possibly the most distant lens discovered to date. Methods. We extract the visible and NIR photometry from more than 25 bands and we derive the photometric redshifts and physical properties of both the lens and the source with three different SED fitting codes. Using JWST/NIRCam images, we also produce two lens models to (i) recover the total mass of the lens, (ii) derive the magnification of the system, (iii) reconstruct the morphology of the lensed source, and (iv) measure the slope of the total mass density profile of the lens. Results. The lens is a very massive and quiescent (sSFR < 10^(-13) yr-1) elliptical galaxy at z = 2.02 \pm 0.02 with a total mass Mtot(<thetaE) = (3.66 \pm 0.36) x 10^11 Msun and a stellar mass M* = (1.37 \pm 0.14) x 10^11 Msun. Compared to SHMRs from the literature, we find that the total mass is consistent with the presence of a DM halo of mass Mh = 1.09^(+1.46)_(-0.57) x 10^13 Msun. In addition, the background source is a M* = (1.26 \pm 0.17) x 10^10 Msun star-forming galaxy (SFR=(78 \pm 15) Msun/yr) at z = 5.48 \pm 0.06. Its reconstructed morphology shows two components with different colors. Dust attenuation values from SED fitting and nearby detections in the FIR also suggest it could be partially dust-obscured. Conclusions. We find the lens at z=2. Its total, stellar, and DM halo masses are consistent within the Einstein ring, so we do not need any unexpected changes in our description of the lens (e.g. change its IMF or include a non-negligible gas contribution). The most likely solution for the lensed source is at z = 5.5. Its reconstructed morphology is complex and highly wavelength dependent, possibly because it is a merger or a main sequence galaxy with a heterogeneous dust distribution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

COSMOS2020: The Galaxy Stellar Mass Function: the assembly and star formation cessation of galaxies at $0.2\lt z \leq 7.5$

How galaxies form, assemble, and cease their star-formation is a central question within the modern landscape of galaxy evolution studies. These processes are indelibly imprinted on the galaxy stellar mass function (SMF). We present constraints on the shape and evolution of the SMF, the quiescent galaxy fraction, and the cosmic stellar mass density across 90% of the history of the Universe from $z=7.5\rightarrow0.2$ via the COSMOS survey. Now with deeper and more homogeneous near-infrared coverage exploited by the COSMOS2020 catalog, we leverage the large 1.27 deg$^{2}$ effective area to improve sample statistics and understand cosmic variance particularly for rare, massive galaxies and push to higher redshifts with greater confidence and mass completeness than previous studies. We divide the total stellar mass function into star-forming and quiescent sub-samples through $NUVrJ$ color-color selection. Measurements are then fitted with Schechter functions to infer the intrinsic SMF, the evolution of its key parameters, and the cosmic stellar mass density out to $z=7.5$. We find a smooth, monotonic evolution in the galaxy SMF since $z=7.5$, in agreement with previous studies. The number density of star-forming systems seems to have undergone remarkably consistent growth spanning four decades in stellar mass from $z=7.5\rightarrow2$ whereupon high-mass systems become predominantly quiescent (i.e. downsizing). An excess of massive systems at $z\sim2.5-5.5$ with strikingly red colors, some newly identified, increase the observed number densities to the point where the SMF cannot be reconciled with a Schechter function. Systematics including cosmic variance and/or AGN contamination are unlikely to fully explain this excess, and so we speculate that there may be contributions from dust-obscured objects similar to those found in FIR surveys. (abridged)

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Annotated Coadds: Concise Metrics for Characterizing Survey Cadence and for Discovering Variable and Transient Sources

In order to study transient phenomena in the Universe, existing and forthcoming imaging surveys are covering wide areas of sky repeatedly over time, with a range of cadences, point spread functions, and depths. We describe here a framework that allows an efficient search for different types of time-varying astrophysical phenomena in current and future, large data repositories. We first present a methodology to generate and store key survey parameters that enable researchers to determine if a survey, or a combination of surveys, allows specific time-variable astrophysical phenomena to be discovered. To facilitate further exploration of sources in regions of interest, we then generate a few sample metrics that capture the essential brightness characteristics of a sky pixel at a specific wavelength. Together, we refer to these as "annotated coadds". The techniques presented here for WISE/NEOWISE-R data are sensitive to 10 percent brightness variations at around 12th Vega magnitude at 4.5 microns wavelength. Application of the technique to ZTF data also enabled the detection of 0.5 mag variability at 20 AB mag in the r-band. We demonstrate the capabilities of these metrics for different classes of sources: high proper-motion stars, periodic variable stars, and supernovae, and find that each metric has its advantages depending on the nature of variability. We also present a data structure which will ease the search for temporally varying phenomena in future surveys.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

A broad-line quasar with unexplained extreme velocity offsets: post-shock outflow?

The quasar SDSS 0956+5128 exhibits three distinct velocity components with large offsets in emission: the systemic velocity of [O II], [O III] and [Ne III] narrow lines have redshift $z=0.7142$; broad Mg II line is shifted by $-1200$ km s$^{-1}$ with respect to the narrow lines; broad H$α$, H$β$ lines are at $-4100$ km s$^{-1}$. We present new Hubble Space Telescope spectra of Ly$α$ and C IV emission lines and high-resolution images of the quasar. The offsets of these lines are consistent with the velocity component of the Balmer emission, and the photometry in optical and near-infrared wavelengths does not show any signs of recent mergers in the host galaxy or irregularities in the location of the quasar. The data do not confirm predictions of the previous most-likely hypotheses involving a special orientation and morphology of the quasar disk, such as in the recoiling black hole scenario, neither it is consistent with accretion disk winds. Instead, based on the cumulative evidence, we propose a new scenario, in which the broad line region is in the state of outflow caused by a strong shock wave, with a supernova as a possible event for producing the shock ejecta.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

The ALMA REBELS Survey: Average [CII] $158\,\rm{μm}$ sizes of Star-Forming Galaxies from $z\sim 7$ to $z\sim 4$

We present the average [CII] $158\,\rm{μm}$ emission line sizes of UV-bright star-forming galaxies at $z\sim7$. Our results are derived from a stacking analysis of [CII] $158\,\rm{μm}$ emission lines and dust continua observed by ALMA, taking advantage of the large program Reionization Era Bright Emission Line Survey (REBELS). We find that the average [CII] emission at $z\sim7$ has an effective radius $r_e$ of $2.2\pm0.2\,\rm{kpc}$. It is $\gtrsim2\times$ larger than the dust continuum and the rest-frame UV emission, in agreement with recently reported measurements for $z\lesssim6$ galaxies. Additionally, we compared the average [CII] size with $4<z<6$ galaxies observed by the ALMA Large Program to INvestigate [CII] at Early times (ALPINE). By analysing [CII] sizes of $4<z<6$ galaxies in two redshift bins, we find an average [CII] size of $r_{\rm e}=2.2\pm0.2\,\rm{kpc}$ and $r_{\rm e}=2.5\pm0.2\,\rm{kpc}$ for $z\sim5.5$ and $z\sim4.5$ galaxies, respectively. These measurements show that star-forming galaxies, on average, show no evolution in the size of the [CII] $158\,{\rm μm}$ emitting regions at redshift between $z\sim7$ and $z\sim4$. This finding suggest that the star-forming galaxies could be morphologically dominated by gas over a wide redshift range.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

ALPINE: A Large Survey to Understand Teenage Galaxies

A multiwavelength study of galaxies is important to understand their formation and evolution. Only in the recent past, thanks to the Atacama Large (Sub) Millimeter Array (ALMA), were we able to study the far-infrared (IR) properties of galaxies at high redshifts. In this article, we summarize recent research highlights and their significance to our understanding of early galaxy evolution from the ALPINE survey, a large program with ALMA to observe the dust continuum and 158um C+ emission of normal star-forming galaxies at z = 4-6. Combined with ancillary data at UV through near-IR wavelengths, ALPINE provides the currently largest multiwavelength sample of post-reionization galaxies and has advanced our understanding of (i) the demographics of C+ emission; (ii) the relation of star formation and C+ emission; (iii) the gas content; (iv) outflows and enrichment of the intergalactic medium; and (v) the kinematics, emergence of disks, and merger rates in galaxies at z > 4. ALPINE builds the basis for more detailed measurements with the next generation of telescopes, and places itself as an important post-reionization baseline sample to allow a continuous study of galaxies over 13 billion years of cosmic time.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

IR characteristic emission and dust properties of star-forming galaxies at 4.5 $<$ z $<$ 6.2

The luminosity functions at z < 4 - 5 suggest that most galaxies have a relatively low stellar mass (logM_star = 10) and a low dust attenuation (A_FUV = 1.0). The physical properties of these objects are quite homogeneous. We used an approach where we combined their rest-frame far-infrared and submillimeter emissions and utilized the universe and the redshift as a spectrograph to increase the amount of information in a collective way. From a subsample of 27 ALMA-detected galaxies at z > 4.5, we built an infrared spectral energy distribution composite template. It was used to fit, with CIGALE, the 105 galaxies (detections and upper limits) in the sample from the FUV to the FIR. The derived physical parameters provide information to decipher the nature of the dust cycle and of the stellar populations in these galaxies. The derived IR composite template is consistent with the galaxies in the studied sample. A delayed star formation history with tau_main = 500 Myrs is slightly favored by the statistical analysis as compared to a delayed with a final burst or a continuous star formation history. The position of the sample in the star formation rate (SFR)- M_star diagram is consistent with previous papers. The redshift evolution of the log M_star versus A_FUV relation is in agreement with evolution in the redshift of this relation. This evolution is necessary to explain the cosmic evolution of the average dust attenuation of galaxies. Evolution is also observed in the L_dust/ L_FUV (IRX) versus UV slope beta_FUV diagram: younger galaxies have bluer beta_FUV. We modeled the shift of galaxies in the IRX versus the beta_FUV diagram with the mass-weighted age as a free parameter, and we provide an equation to make predictions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] Survey: Investigation of 10 Galaxies at $z\sim4.5$ with [OII] and [CII] Line Emission $-$ ISM Properties and [OII]$-$SFR Relation

We present $10$ main-sequence ALPINE galaxies (log($M/M_{\odot}$) = 9.2-11.1 and ${\rm SFR}=23-190\,{\rm M_{\odot}\,yr^{-1}}$) at $z\sim4.5$ with optical [OII] measurements from Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy and Subaru/MOIRCS narrow-band imaging. This is the largest such multi-wavelength sample at these redshifts, combining various measurements in the ultra-violet, optical, and far-infrared including [CII]$_{158{\rm μm}}$ line emission and dust continuum from ALMA and H$α$ emission from Spitzer photometry. For the first time, this unique sample allows us to analyze the relation between [OII] and total star-formation rate (SFR) and the interstellar medium (ISM) properties via [OII]/[CII] and [OII]/\halpha luminosity ratios at $z\sim4.5$. The [OII]$-$SFR relation at $z\sim4.5$ cannot be described using standard local descriptions, but is consistent with a metal-dependent relation assuming metallicities around $50\%$ solar. To explain the measured dust-corrected luminosity ratios of $L[OII]/L[CII] \sim 0.98^{+0.21}_{-0.22}$ and $L[OII]/LHa \sim -0.22^{+0.13}_{-0.15}$ for our sample, ionization parameters $\log(U)< -2$ and electron densities $\log(\rm n_e / {\rm [cm^{-3}]}) \sim 2.5-3$ are required. The former is consistent with galaxies at $z\sim2-3$, however lower than at $z>6$. The latter may be slightly higher than expected given the galaxies' specific SFR. The analysis of this pilot sample suggests that typical log($ M/M_{\odot})$ > 9 galaxies at $z\sim4.5$ to have broadly similar ISM properties as their descendants at $z\sim2$ and suggest a strong evolution of ISM properties since the Epoch of Reionization at $z>6$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Euclid preparation: XVIII. Cosmic Dawn Survey. Spitzer observations of the Euclid deep fields and calibration fields

We present a new infrared survey covering the three Euclid deep fields and four other Euclid calibration fields using Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC). We have combined these new observations with all relevant IRAC archival data of these fields in order to produce the deepest possible mosaics of these regions. In total, these observations represent nearly 11% of the total Spitzer mission time. The resulting mosaics cover a total of approximately 71.5deg$^2$ in the 3.6 and 4.5um bands, and approximately 21.8deg$^2$ in the 5.8 and 8um bands. They reach at least 24 AB magnitude (measured to sigma, in a 2.5 arcsec aperture) in the 3.6um band and up to ~ 5 mag deeper in the deepest regions. The astrometry is tied to the Gaia astrometric reference system, and the typical astrometric uncertainty for sources with 16<[3.6]<19 is <0.15 arcsec. The photometric calibration is in excellent agreement with previous WISE measurements. We have extracted source number counts from the 3.6um band mosaics and they are in excellent agreement with previous measurements. Given that the Spitzer Space Telescope has now been decommissioned these mosaics are likely to be the definitive reduction of these IRAC data. This survey therefore represents an essential first step in assembling multi-wavelength data on the Euclid deep fields which are set to become some of the premier fields for extragalactic astronomy in the 2020s.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] survey: Dust mass budget in the early Universe

The dust content of normal galaxies and the dust mass density (DMD) at high-z (z>4) are unconstrained given the source confusion and the sensitivity limitations of previous observations. The ALMA Large Program to INvestigate [CII] at Early Times (ALPINE), which targeted 118 UV-selected star-forming galaxies at 4.4<z<5.9, provides a new opportunity to tackle this issue for the first time with a statistically robust dataset. We have exploited the rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) fluxes of the 23 continuum individually detected galaxies and stacks of continuum images to measure the dust content of the 118 UV-selected ALPINE galaxies. We have focused on the dust scaling relations and, by comparing them with predictions from chemical evolution models, we have probed the evolutionary stage of UV-selected galaxies at high-z. By using the observed correlation between the UV-luminosity and the dust mass, we have estimated the DMD of UV-selected galaxies at z~5, weighting the galaxies by means of the UV-luminosity function (UVLF). The derived DMD has been compared with the value we have estimated from the 10 ALPINE far-IR continuum blindly detected galaxies at the redshift of the ALPINE targets. The comparison of the observed dust scaling relations with chemical evolution models suggests that ALPINE galaxies are not likely progenitors of disc galaxies, but of intermediate and low mass proto-spheroids, resulting in present-day bulges of spiral or elliptical galaxies. Interestingly, this conclusion is in line with the independent morphological analysis, that shows that the majority (~70\%) of the dust-continuum detected galaxies have a disturbed morphology. The DMD obtained at z~5 from UV-selected sources is ~30% of the value obtained from blind far-IR selected sources, showing that the UV-selection misses the most dust-rich, UV-obscured galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] Survey: The nature, luminosity function and star formation history of dusty galaxies up to z~6

We present the detailed characterisation of a sample of 56 sources serendipitously detected in ALMA band 7, as part of the ALMA Large Program to INvestigate CII at Early Times (ALPINE) in COSMOS and ECDFS. These sources have been used to derive the total infrared luminosity function (LF) and to estimate the cosmic star formation rate density (SFRD) up to z=6. We have looked for counterparts in all the available multi-wavelength and photometric redshift catalogues, and in deeper near- and mid-IR source lists and maps, to identify optically dark sources with no matches in the public catalogues. Our ALMA blind survey allows us to push further the study of the nature and evolution of dusty galaxies at high-z, identifying luminous and massive sources to redshifts and faint luminosities never probed before by any far-infrared surveys. The ALPINE data are the first ones to sample the faint-end of the infrared LF, showing little evolution from z=2.5 to z=6, and a flat slope up to the highest redshifts. The SFRD obtained by integrating the luminosity function remains almost constant between z=2 and 6, and significantly higher than the optical/UV derivations, showing an important contribution of dusty galaxies and obscured star formation up to high-z. About 14 per cent of the ALPINE serendipitous continuum sources are optically+near-IR dark (six show a counterpart only in the mid-IR and no HST or near-IR identification, while two are detected as [CII] emitters at z=5). The six HST and near-IR dark galaxies with mid-IR counterpart contribute for about 17 per cent of the total SFRD at z=5 and dominate the high-mass end of the stellar mass function at z>3.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] Survey: Obscured Star Formation Rate Density and Main Sequence of star-forming galaxies at z>4

Star formation rate (SFR) measurements at z>4 have relied mostly on rest-frame far-ultraviolet (FUV) observations. The corrections for dust attenuation based on IRX-$β$ relation are highly uncertain and are still debated in the literature. Hence, rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) observations are necessary to constrain the dust-obscured component of the SFR. In this paper, we exploit the rest-frame FIR continuum observations collected by the ALMA Large Program to INvestigate [CII] at Early times (ALPINE) to directly constrain the obscured SFR in galaxies at 4.4<z<5.9. We use stacks of continuum images to measure average infrared (IR) luminosities taking into account both detected and undetected sources. Based on these measurements, we measure the position of the main sequence of star-forming galaxies and the specific SFR (sSFR) at $z\sim4.5$ and $z\sim5.5$. We find that the main sequence and sSFR do not evolve significantly between $z\sim4.5$ and $z\sim5.5$, as opposed to lower redshifts. We develop a method to derive the obscured SFR density (SFRD) using the stellar masses or FUV-magnitudes as a proxy of FIR fluxes measured on the stacks and combining them with the galaxy stellar mass functions and FUV luminosity functions from the literature. We obtain consistent results independent of the chosen proxy. We find that the obscured fraction of SFRD is decreasing with increasing redshift but even at $z\sim5.5$ it constitutes around 61\% of the total SFRD.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] Survey: Size of Individual Star-Forming Galaxies at z=4-6 and their Extended Halo Structure

We present the physical extent of [CII] 158um line-emitting gas from 46 star-forming galaxies at z=4-6 from the ALMA Large Program to INvestigate CII at Early Times (ALPINE). Using exponential profile fits, we measure the effective radius of the [CII] line (r_e,[CII]) for individual galaxies and compare them with the rest-frame ultra-violet (UV) continuum (r_e,UV) from Hubble Space Telescope images. The effective radius r_e,[CII] exceeds r_e,UV by factors of ~2-3 and the ratio of r_e,[CII]/r_e,UV increases as a function of M_star. We do not find strong evidence that [CII] line, the rest-frame UV, and FIR continuum are always displaced over ~ 1-kpc scale from each other. We identify 30% of isolated ALPINE sources as having an extended [CII] component over 10-kpc scales detected at 4.1$σ$-10.9$σ$ beyond the size of rest-frame UV and far-infrared (FIR) continuum. One object has tentative rotating features up to ~10-kpc, where the 3D model fit shows the rotating [CII]-gas disk spread over 4 times larger than the rest-frame UV-emitting region. Galaxies with the extended [CII] line structure have high star-formation rate (SFR), stellar mass (M_star), low Lya equivalent-width, and more blue-shifted (red-shifted) rest-frame UV metal absorption (Lya line), as compared to galaxies without such extended [CII] structures. Although we cannot rule out the possibility that a selection bias towards luminous objects may be responsible for such trends, the star-formation driven outflow also explains all these trends. Deeper observations are essential to test whether the extended [CII] line structures are ubiquitous to high-z star-forming galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] survey: Molecular gas budget in the Early Universe as traced by [CII]

The molecular gas content of normal galaxies at z>4 is poorly constrained, because the commonly used molecular gas tracers become hard to detect. We use the [CII]158um luminosity, recently proposed as a molecular gas tracer, to estimate the molecular gas content in a large sample of main-sequence star-forming galaxies at z=4.4-5.9, with a median stellar mass of 10^9.7 Msun, drawn from the ALMA Large Program to INvestigate [CII] at Early times (ALPINE) survey. The agreement between molecular gas masses derived from [CII] luminosity, dynamical mass, and rest-frame 850um luminosity, extrapolated from the rest-frame 158um continuum, supports [CII] as a reliable tracer of molecular gas in our sample. We find a continuous decline of the molecular gas depletion timescale from z=0 to z=5.9, which reaches a mean value of (4.6+/-0.8)x10^8 yr at z~5.5, only a factor of 2-3 shorter than in present-day galaxies. This suggests a mild enhancement of star formation efficiency toward high redshifts, unless the molecular gas fraction significantly increases. Our estimates show that the rise in molecular gas fraction as reported previously, flattens off above z~3.7 to achieve a mean value of 63%+/-3 over z=4.4-5.9. This redshift evolution of the gas fraction is in line with the one of the specific star formation rate. We use multi-epoch abundance matching to follow the gas fraction evolution over cosmic time of progenitors of z=0 Milky Way-like galaxies in 10^13 Msun halos and of more massive z=0 galaxies in 10^14 Msun halos. Interestingly, the former progenitors show a monotonic decrease of the gas fraction with cosmic time, while the latter show a constant gas fraction from z=5.9 to z~2 and a decrease at z<2. We discuss three possible effects, namely outflows, halt of gas supplying, and over-efficient star formation, which may jointly contribute to the gas fraction plateau of the latter massive galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Outside the Lyman-break box: detecting Lyman continuum emitters at $3.5<z<5.1$ with CLAUDS

Identifying non-contaminated sample of high-redshift galaxies with escaping Lyman continuum (LyC) flux is important for understanding the sources and evolution of cosmic reionization. We present CLAUDS $u$-band photometry of the COSMOS field to probe LyC radiation from spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at $z\geq3.5$ and outside the standard Lyman-break galaxy colour selection expectations. Complementary to the CLAUDS data, we use Subaru multi-filter photometry, \textit {Hubble Space Telescope} ($HST$) multi-filter imaging, and the spectroscopic surveys D10K, VUDS and 3D-HST. We present a sample of Lyman continuum galaxy (LCG) candidates in the redshift range $3.5\lesssim z\lesssim5.1$. Here, we introduce 5 LCG candidates, where two are flagged quality 1 and three quality 2. The estimated $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm abs}$ for quality 1 candidates are in the range $\sim5\% - 73\%$ and $\sim30\% - 93\%$. These estimates are based on our derived parameters from individual galaxies as inputs to a range of BPASS models as well as mean intergalactic medium (IGM) and maximal intergalactic and circumgalactic media (IGM+CGM) transmission. We conclude that our search for LCGs is most likely biased to lines of sight with low HI densities or free from Lyman limit systems. Our two best LCG candidates have EW (Ly$α)\leq50$Å and we find no correlation or anti-correlation between EW (Ly$α$), $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm abs}$, and $R_{\rm obs}$, the ratio of ionizing to non-ionizing observed flux in the measured passbands. Stacking candidates without solid LyC detections ($S/N<3$) results in an estimated $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm abs}$ from galaxies not greater than $1\%$.

astro-ph.GA↗