arXiv subjects

Alessandro Bianchetti

Publications and source records attributed to Alessandro Bianchetti.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

An HI+radio continuum study of local cluster galaxies: Intercepting the early stages of environmental processing with MeerKAT

The evolution of galaxies in clusters is driven by their interaction with the environment, which deeply affects and alters the properties of the multi-phase interstellar medium. Here we make use of MeerKAT observations to study the properties of the neutral and nonthermal interstellar medium, traced respectively by the HI 21 cm line and by the radio continuum emission at 1.4 GHz, out to about twice the virial radius of three local ($z\simeq0.04$) galaxy clusters, namely IIZW108, A4059 and A3558, with $M_{200}\simeq2-9\times10^{14}~M_\odot$. We assemble a sample of 61 galaxies, including the so-called jellyfish and unwinding galaxies, detected in both HI and radio continuum, and derive their optical properties from IR-to-UV photometry using ancillary data. We find that cluster galaxies in our sample are on average $\sim2.7$ times more star-forming than galaxies with the same stellar and HI mass in the field, indicating that the HI + radio-continuum selection has intercepted galaxies at the very early stages of their environmental processing when the external pressure has not yet removed the gas, but the resulting fast compression has enhanced both the star formation and the radio continuum luminosity. The study also reveals that galaxies at the initial stage can features a radio luminosity excess due to the old relativistic electrons permeating the interstellar medium. We show that unwinding galaxies are characterized by high stellar and HI masses, arguing that their peculiar morphology may results from their large baryonic mass. Finally, via the stacking analysis of 677 optically-selected cluster members we quantitatively show that cluster galaxies are more HI-poor than in the field, and the deficiency steadily grows approaching the cluster center where galaxies have, on average, a factor $\sim3\times$ less HI mass than those in the field.

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arXiv2026

EGS-z11-R0: a red, dust-rich galaxy at Cosmic Dawn

Context. Galaxies discovered by JWST at z > 10 are predominantly characterized by extremely blue rest-frame UV slopes. Conversely, the existence of dust-reddened systems at such early epochs has remained largely unconfirmed spectroscopically. Aims. We present the spectroscopic confirmation of EGS-z11-R0 at z = 11.45, the most distant red galaxy identified to date, discovered serendipitously through inspection of publicly available JWST/NIRSpec data. Methods. We analyze JWST/NIRSpec PRISM and G395M spectroscopy together with multiwavelength HST, NIRCam, and MIRI photometry. We identify significant detections of the C IV 1548,1551 and C III] 1908 transitions, yielding a redshift of zspec = 11.452 +/- 0.021. We measure rest-frame UV emission-line fluxes and equivalent widths and use these diagnostics to constrain the nature of the ionizing radiation field. Finally, we perform spectral energy distribution modeling with CIGALE, combining spectroscopy with photometry and including stellar, nebular, dust, and active galactic nuclei (AGN) components. Results. EGS-z11-R0 exhibits a red UV continuum slope (betaUV approximately -1.0), placing it well above the canonical MUV-betaUV relation at z~10-12 and making it the highest-z spectroscopically confirmed member of the emerging "red monster" population. Emission-line diagnostics reveal a hard ionizing spectrum consistent with extreme star formation and compatible with a composite stellar plus AGN scenario. The best-fit SED solution favors a stellar mass of log(M*/Msun) ~ 9.2-9.6, a SFR of 10-40 Msun yr^-1, and substantial dust attenuation (AV~1.2 mag). Conclusions. The confirmation of EGS-z11-R0 establishes that chemically evolved, dust-enriched galaxies were already in place at z approximately 11.5. [abridged]

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arXiv2025

Mysteries of Capotauro: investigating the puzzling nature of an extreme F356W-dropout

JWST has uncovered a diverse population of extreme near-infrared dropouts, including ultra high-redshift ($z>15$) galaxy candidates, dust-obscured galaxies challenging dust production theories, sources with strong Balmer breaks - possibly compact AGN in dense environments - and cold, sub-stellar Galactic objects. This work presents Capotauro, a F356W-dropout in the CEERS survey with F444W AB magnitude of $\sim27.68$ and a sharp $>3$ mag flux drop between $3.5{-}4.5\,\mu$m, undetected below $3.5\,\mu$m. We combine JWST/NIRCam, MIRI, and NIRSpec/MSA data with HST/ACS and WFC3 observations to perform a spectro-photometric analysis of Capotauro using multiple SED-fitting codes. Our setup tests $z\geq15$ as well as $z<10$ dusty, Balmer-break or strong-line galaxy solutions, and the possibility of Capotauro being a Milky Way sub-stellar object. Among extragalactic options, our analysis favors interpreting the sharp drop as a Lyman break at $z\sim32$, consistent with the epoch of formation of the first stars and black holes, with only $\sim0.5\%$ of the posterior volume at $z<25$. Lower-redshift solutions struggle to reproduce the extreme break, suggesting that if Capotauro lies at $z<10$, it must show a non-standard combination of strong dust attenuation and/or Balmer breaks, making it a peculiar interloper. Alternatively, its properties match a very cold (Y2-Y3 type) brown dwarf or a free-floating exoplanet with a record-breaking combination of low temperature and large distance ($T_{\mathrm{eff}}<300\,\mathrm{K}$, $d\gtrsim130\,\mathrm{pc}$, up to $\sim2\,\mathrm{kpc}$). While current data cannot determine its nature, Capotauro emerges as a remarkably unique object in all plausible scenarios, and a compelling target for follow-up.

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arXiv2025

MIGHTEE-HI: The direct detection of neutral hydrogen in galaxies at $z>0.25$

Atomic hydrogen constitutes the gas reservoir from which molecular gas and star formation in galaxies emerges. However, the weakness of the line means it has been difficult to directly detect in all but the very local Universe. Here we present results from the first search using the MeerKAT International Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) Survey for high-redshift ($z>0.25$) H{\sc i} emission from individual galaxies. By searching for 21-cm emission centered on the position and redshift of optically-selected emission-line galaxies we overcome difficulties that hinder untargeted searches. We detect 11 galaxies at $z>0.25$, forming the first sample of $z>0.25$ detections with an interferometer, with the highest redshift detection at $z = 0.3841$. We find they have much larger H{\sc i} masses than their low-redshift H{\sc i}-selected counterparts for a given stellar mass. This can be explained by the much larger cosmological volume probed at these high redshifts, and does not require any evolution of the H{\sc i} mass function. We make the first-ever measurement of the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation (bTFr) with H{\sc i} at $z>0.25$ and find consistency with the local bTFr, but with tentative evidence of a flattening in the relation at these redshifts for higher-mass objects. This may signify evolution, in line with predictions from hydrodynamic simulations, or that the molecular gas mass in these high-mass galaxies could be significant. This study paves the way for future studies of H{\sc i} beyond the local Universe, using both searches targeted at known objects and via pure H{\sc i} selection.

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arXiv2025

Semi-empirical constraints on the HI mass function of star-forming galaxies and $\Omega_{\rm HI}$ at $z\sim 0.37$ from interferometric surveys

The HI mass function is a crucial tool to understand the evolution of the HI content in galaxies over cosmic times. We aim to derive semi-empirical constraints at $z\sim 0.37$ by combining literature results on the $M_\star$ function from optical surveys with recent findings on the $M_{\rm HI}-M_\star$ scaling relation derived via spectral stacking analysis applied to 21-cm line interferometric data from the MIGHTEE and CHILES surveys, conducted with the MeerKAT and VLA radio telescopes, respectively. We draw synthetic $M_\star$ samples directly from the publicly-available results underlying the analysis of the COSMOS2020 galaxy photometric sample. Afterwards, we convert $M_\star$ into $M_{\rm HI}$ using analytical fitting functions to the data points from HI stacking. We then fit a Schechter function to the median HIMF from all the samples via MCMC. We finally derive the posterior distribution for $\Omega_{\rm HI}$ by integrating the models for the HIMF built from the posteriors samples of the Schechter parameters. We find a deviation of the HIMF at $z\sim 0.37$ from the results at $z\sim 0$ from the ALFALFA survey and at $z\sim 1$ from uGMRT data. Our results for $\Omega_{\rm HI}$ are in broad agreement with other literature results, and follow the overall trend on $\Omega_{\rm HI}$ as a function of redshift. The derived value $\Omega_{\rm HI}=\left(7.02^{+0.59}_{-0.52}\right)\times10^{-4}$ at $z\sim 0.37$ from the combined analysis deviates at $\sim 2.9\sigma$ from the ALFALFA result at $z\sim 0$. Our findings about the HIMF and $\Omega_{\rm HI}$ differ from previous literature results at $z\sim0$ and $z\sim1$, although we are unable to confirm at this stage whether these differences are due to cosmic evolution consistent with a smooth transition of the HI content of galaxies over the last 8 Gyr or due to selection biases and systematics.

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arXiv2025

The multi-wavelength Tully-Fisher relation in the TNG50 cosmological simulation

The Tully-Fisher relation (TFR) is one of the most important and widely used empirical correlations in extragalactic astronomy. Apart from its importance as a secondary distance indicator, the TFR relation serves as a test for galaxy evolution models, because it connects the baryonic and dark matter components of galaxies. We aim at simulating the multi-wavelength TFR relation from UV to mid-infrared wavelengths for the TNG50 cosmological simulation at $z = 0$, and at comparing the results with observational TFR studies. We want to compare the wavelength dependence of the slope and scatter with the observed values, and search for secondary parameters that reduce the scatter in the TFR. We select a large sample of simulated late-type, disc-dominated galaxies from the TNG50 simulation. For each galaxy, we use the SKIRT radiative transfer code to generate realistic synthetic global fluxes in 12 UV to mid-infrared broadbands and synthetic integrated HI line profiles. We use bivariate linear regression to determine the TFR in each band, and we search for a second TFR parameter by correlating the residuals with different physical parameters. Our TNG50 TFR reproduces the characteristic behaviour of the observed TFR in many studies: the TFR becomes steeper and tighter as we move from UV/optical to infrared wavelengths. The slope changes from $-7.46 \pm 0.14~{\text{mag}}~{\text{dex}}^{-1}$ in the NUV band to $-9.66 \pm 0.09~{\text{mag}}~{\text{dex}}^{-1}$ in the IRAC [4.5] band. Quantitatively, our slopes are well within the spread of different observational results. The ${\textit{u}} - {\textit{r}}$ colour or the sSFR can significantly reduce the scatter in the UV and optical bands. Using ${\textit{u}} - {\textit{r}}$ colour as second parameter, the modified TFR has a roughly constant intrinsic tightness of over the entire UV to MIR range. The combination of the TNG50...

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arXiv2025

New constraints on the evolution of the MHI-M* scaling relation combining CHILES and MIGHTEE-HI data

The improved sensitivity of interferometric facilities to the 21-cm line of atomic hydrogen (HI) enables studies of its properties in galaxies beyond the local Universe. In this work, we perform a 21 cm line spectral stacking analysis combining the MIGHTEE and CHILES surveys in the COSMOS field to derive a robust HI-stellar mass relation at z=0.36. In particular, by stacking thousands of star-forming galaxies subdivided into stellar mass bins, we optimize the signal-to-noise ratio of targets and derive mean HI masses in the different stellar mass intervals for the investigated galaxy population. We combine spectra from the two surveys, estimate HI masses, and derive the scaling relation log10(MHI) = (0.32 +- 0.04)log10(M*) + (6.65 +- 0.36). Our findings indicate that galaxies at z=0.36 are HI richer than those at z=0, but HI poorer than those at z=1, with a slope consistent across redshift, suggesting that stellar mass does not significantly affect HI exchange mechanisms. We also observe a slower growth rate HI relative to the molecular gas, supporting the idea that the accretion of cold gas is slower than the rate of consumption of molecular gas to form stars. This study contributes to understanding the role of atomic gas in galaxy evolution and sets the stage for future development of the field in the upcoming SKA era.

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arXiv2024

An optically-dark merging system at z~6 detected by JWST

Near- to mid-Infrared observations (from Spitzer and JWST) have revealed a hidden population of galaxies at redshift z=3-6, called optically-dark objects, which are believed to be massive and dusty star-formers. While optically-dark sources are widely recognized as a significant component of the stellar mass function, the history of their stellar mass assembly remains unexplored. However, they are thought to be the progenitors of the more massive early-type galaxies found in present-day groups and clusters. It is thus important to examine the possible connection between dark sources and merging events, in order to understand the environment in which they live. Here, we report our search for close companions in a sample of 19 optically-dark objects identified in the SMACS0723 JWST deep field. They were selected in the NIRCam F444W band and undetected below 2mu. We restrict our analysis to the reddest (i.e. F277W-F444W> 1.3) and brightest (F444W< 26 mag) objects. We have identified an optically-dark source showing a very close companion (<0.5"). The spatially resolved SED fitting procedure indicates that all components lying within 1.5" from the dark source are indeed at z~5.7. Tidal features (leading to a whale shaped morphology) corroborate the hypothesis that the dark source is the most massive (log(M/Msun)>10.3) and dusty (Av~3 at the core) system of an ongoing merger with a mass ratio of ~10. Similar merging systems are identified in the SERRA simulations, allowing us to reconstruct their stellar mass assembly history and predict their molecular gas properties The discovery of mergers within dark galaxies at the end of the Epoch of Reionization underscores the importance of conducting a statistical search for additional candidates in deep NIRCam fields. Such research will aid in understanding the role of merging processes during the obscured phase of stellar mass accumulation.

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arXiv2024

The impact of stellar bars on star-formation quenching: Insights from a spatially resolved analysis in the local Universe

Stellar bars are common morphological structures in the local Universe; according to optical and NIR surveys, they are present in about two-thirds of disc galaxies. These elongated structures are also believed to play a crucial role in secular evolutionary processes, because they are able to efficiently redistribute gas, stars, and angular momentum within their hosts, although it remains unclear as to whether they enhance or suppress star formation. A useful tool to investigate this ambiguity is the main sequence (MS) relation, which tightly links stellar mass ($M_{\star}$) and star formation rate (SFR). The main goal of this work is to explore star-formation processes in barred galaxies in order to assess the relevance of bars in star-formation quenching and whether or not they affect the typical log-linear trend of the resolved MS. To this purpose, we carried out a spatially resolved analysis on subkiloparsec (subkpc) scales for a sample of six nearby barred galaxies. We collected multi-wavelength photometric data from far-ultraviolet (FUV) to far-infrared (FIR) from the DustPedia database and applied a panchromatic spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting procedure on square apertures of fixed angular size (8" $\times$ 8") using the magphys code. For each galaxy, we obtain the distributions of stellar mass and SFR surface density and relate them in the $\log \Sigma_{\star}$ - $\log \Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ plane, deriving the spatially resolved MS relation. Although significant galaxy-to-galaxy variations are in place, we infer the presence of a common anti-correlation track in correspondence with the bar-hosting region, which shows systematically lower SFRs. This central quiescent signature can be interpreted as the result of a bar-driven depletion of gas reservoirs and a consequent halting of star formation. Our findings appear to support an inside-out quenching scenario.

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arXiv2024

Ancient stellar populations in the outskirts of nearby grand-design spirals: Investigation of their star formation histories

The main sequence (MS) of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) is the tight relation between the galaxy stellar mass and its star formation rate (SFR) and was observed up to z ~ 6. The MS relation can be used as a reference for understanding the differences among galaxies, characterised by different rates of stellar production (starbursts, SFGs, and passive galaxies), and those inside a galaxy made up of different components (bulge, disk, and halo). To investigate peculiar features found in our sample galaxies, we focus here on their star formation history (SFH). We performed a spectral energy distribution fitting procedure that accounted for the energetic balance between UV and far-IR radiation on a sample of eight nearby face-on spiral galaxies from the DustPedia sample. This approach allowed us to study the spatially resolved MS of the sample and to recover the past SFH. By exploiting the BAGPIPES code, we constrained the SFHs for each galaxy with a delayed exponentially declining model to derive their mass-weighted age (tMW). A central old region (tMW up to~7Gyr, consistent with the presence of a bulge for various systems) is followed by younger regions in which the disks are still forming stars (tMW~4Gyr). At larger distances, tMW increases mildly in general. Strikingly, in two galaxies (NGC4321 and NGC5194), we found a steep increase in tMW that reached levels similar to those of the bulge. These old stellar populations in the very galaxy outskirts are unexpected. We discuss their potential origin by considering the different gas phases of the source with the most prominent quenched ring, NGC4321, and argue for two main possibilities: 1) some environmental effect (e.g. starvation) or 2) the circumgalactic medium of sources outside of high-density clusters might have stopped to supply pristine gas to the galaxy (e.g. if its specific angular moment is too high for being accreted).

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arXiv2024

MIGHTEE-HI: HI galaxy properties in the large scale structure environment at z~0.37 from a stacking experiment

We present the first measurement of HI mass of star-forming galaxies in different large scale structure environments from a blind survey at $z\sim 0.37$. In particular, we carry out a spectral line stacking analysis considering $2875$ spectra of colour-selected star-forming galaxies undetected in HI at $0.23 < z < 0.49$ in the COSMOS field, extracted from the MIGHTEE-HI Early Science datacubes, acquired with the MeerKAT radio telescope. We stack galaxies belonging to different subsamples depending on three different definitions of large scale structure environment: local galaxy overdensity, position inside the host dark matter halo (central, satellite, or isolated), and cosmic web type (field, filament, or knot). We first stack the full star-forming galaxy sample and find a robust HI detection yielding an average galaxy HI mass of $M_{\rm HI}=(8.12\pm 0.75)\times 10^9\, {\rm M}_\odot$ at $\sim 11.8\sigma$. Next, we investigate the different subsamples finding a negligible difference in $M_{\rm HI}$ as a function of the galaxy overdensity. We report an HI excess compared to the full sample in satellite galaxies ($M_{\rm HI}=(11.31\pm1.22)\times 10^9$, at $\sim 10.2 \sigma$) and in filaments ($M_{\rm HI}=(11.62\pm 0.90)\times 10^9$. Conversely, we report non-detections for the central and knot galaxies subsamples, which appear to be HI-deficient. We find the same qualitative results also when stacking in units of HI fraction ($f_{\rm HI}$). We conclude that the HI amount in star-forming galaxies at the studied redshifts correlates with the large scale structure environment.

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arXiv2023

The discovery of a z=0.7092 OH megamaser with the MIGHTEE survey

We present the discovery of the most distant OH megamaser to be observed in the main lines, using data from the MeerKAT International Giga-Hertz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) survey. At a newly measured redshift of $z = 0.7092$, the system has strong emission in both the 1665MHz ($L \approx 2500$ L$_{\odot}$) and 1667 MHz ($L \approx 4.5\times10^4$ L$_{\odot}$) transitions, with both narrow and broad components. We interpret the broad line as a high-velocity-dispersion component of the 1667 MHz transition, with velocity $v \sim 330$km s$^{-1}$ with respect to the systemic velocity. The host galaxy has a stellar mass of $M_{\star} = 2.95 \times 10^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$ and a star-formation rate of SFR = 371 M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$, placing it $\sim 1.5$dex above the main sequence for star-forming galaxies at this redshift, and can be classified as an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy. Alongside the optical imaging data, which exhibits evidence for a tidal tail, this suggests that the OH megamaser arises from a system that is currently undergoing a merger, which is stimulating star formation and providing the necessary conditions for pumping the OH molecule to saturation. The OHM is likely to be lensed, with a magnification factor of $\sim 2.5$, and perhaps more if the maser emitting region is compact and suitably offset relative to the centroid of its host galaxy's optical light. This discovery demonstrates that spectral line mapping with the new generation of radio interferometers may provide important information on the cosmic merger history of galaxies.

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