arXiv subjects

Andrea Pallottini

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Pallottini.

70 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Outflows and extended [CII] halos in high redshift galaxies

Recent stacked ALMA observations have revealed that normal, star-forming galaxies at $z\approx 6$ are surrounded by extended ($\approx 10\,\mathrm{kpc}$) [CII] emitting halos which are not predicted by the most advanced, zoom-in simulations. We present a model in which these halos are the result of supernova-driven cooling outflows. Our model contains two free parameters, the outflow mass loading factor, $η$, and the parent galaxy dark matter halo circular velocity, $v_c$. The outflow model successfully matches the observed [CII] surface brightness profile if $η= 3.20 \pm 0.10$ and $v_c = 170 \pm 10{\,\rm km\,s^{-1}}$, corresponding to a dynamical mass of $\approx 10^{11}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$. The predicted outflow rate and velocity range are $128 \pm 5 \,\mathrm{M}_\odot {\rm yr}^{-1}$ and $300-500 {\,\rm km\,s^{-1}}$, respectively. We conclude that: (a) extended halos can be produced by cooling outflows; (b) the large $η$ value is marginally consistent with starburst-driven outflows, but it might indicate additional energy input from AGN; (c) the presence of [CII] halos requires an ionizing photon escape fraction from galaxies $f_{\rm esc} \ll 1$. The model can be readily applied also to individual high-$z$ galaxies, as those observed, e.g., by the ALMA ALPINE survey now becoming available.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Dynamical Properties of Molecular-forming Gas Clumps in Galaxies at the Epoch of Reionization

We study the properties of molecular-forming gas clumps (MGCs) at the epoch of reionization using cosmological zoom-in simulations. We identify MGCs in a z=6 prototypical galaxy ("Althaea") using an H2 density-based clump finder. We compare their mass, size, velocity dispersion, gas surface density, and virial parameter (alpha_vir) to observations. In Althaea, the typical MGC mass and size are Mgas=10^6.5 Msun and R=45-100 pc, which are comparable to those found in nearby spirals and starburst galaxies. MGCs are highly supersonic and supported by turbulence, with rms velocity dispersions of sigma_gas=20-100 km s^-1 and pressure of P/k_B=10^7.6 K cm^-3 (i.e., >1000x with respect to the Milky Way), similar to those found in nearby and z~2 gas-rich starburst galaxies. In addition, we perform stability analysis to understand the origin and dynamical properties of MGCs. We find that MGCs are globally stable in the main disk of Althaea. Densest regions where star formation is expected to take place in clouds and cores on even smaller scales instead have lower alpha_vir and Toomre-Q values. Detailed studies of the star-forming gas dynamics at the epoch of reionization thus require a spatial resolution of <40 pc (=0.01"), which is within reach with the Atacama Large (sub-)Millimeter Array and the Next Generation Very Large Array.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

First Identification of 10-kpc Scale [CII] 158um Halos around Star-Forming Galaxies at z=5-7

We report the discovery of 10-kpc scale [CII] 158um halos surrounding star-forming galaxies in the early Universe. We choose deep ALMA data of 18 galaxies each with a star-formation rate of ~ 10-70 Msun with no signature of AGN whose [CII] lines are individually detected at z=5.153-7.142, and conduct stacking of the [CII] lines and dust-continuum in the uv-visibility plane. The radial profiles of the surface brightnesses show a 10-kpc scale [CII] halo at the 9.2sigma level significantly extended more than the HST stellar continuum data by a factor of ~5 on the exponential-profile basis, as well as the dust continuum. We also compare the radial profiles of [CII] and Lya halos universally found in star-forming galaxies at this epoch, and find that the scale lengths agree within the 1sigma level. While two independent hydrodynamical zoom-in simulations match the dust and stellar continuum properties, the simulations cannot reproduce the extended [CII] line emission. The existence of the extended [CII] halo is the evidence of outflow remnants in the early galaxies and suggest that the outflows may be dominated by cold-mode outflows expelling the neutral gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Lyα emission from galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization

The intrinsic strength of the Ly$α$ line in young, star-forming systems makes it a special tool for studying high-redshift galaxies. However, interpreting observations remains challenging due to the complex radiative transfer involved. Here, we combine state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations of 'Althaea', a prototypical Lyman Break Galaxy (LBG, stellar mass $M_{\star}$$\simeq$ $10^{10}{\rm M}_{\odot})$ at $z=7.2$, with detailed radiative transfer computations of dust/continuum, [CII] 158 $μ$m, and Ly$α$ to clarify the relation between the galaxy properties and its Ly$α$ emission. Althaea exhibits low ($f_α< 1\%$) Ly$α$ escape fractions and Equivalent Widths, EW $\lesssim 6$ Angstrom for the simulated lines of sight, with a large scatter. The correlation between escape fraction and inclination is weak, as a result of the rather chaotic structure of high-redshift galaxies. Low $f_α$ values persist even if we artificially remove neutral gas around star forming regions to mimick the presence of HII regions. The high attenuation is primarily caused by dust clumps co-located with young stellar clusters. We can turn Althaea into a Lyman Alpha Emitter (LAE) only if we artificially remove dust from the clumps, yielding EWs up to $22$ Angstrom. Our study suggests that the LBG-LAE duty-cycle required by recent clustering measurements poses the challenging problem of a dynamically changing dust attenuation. Finally, we find an anti-correlation between the magnitude of Ly$α$-[CII] line velocity shift and Ly$α$ luminosity.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

The interstellar medium of dwarf galaxies: new insights from Machine Learning analysis of emission line spectra

Dwarf galaxies are ideal laboratories to study the physics of the interstellar medium (ISM). Emission lines have been widely used to this aim. Retrieving the full information encoded in the spectra is therefore essential. This can be efficiently and reliably done using Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. Here, we apply the ML code GAME to MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) and PMAS (Potsdam Multi Aperture Spectrophotometer) Integral Field Unit (IFU) observations of two nearby Blue Compact Galaxies (BCGs): Henize 2-10 and IZw18. We derive spatially resolved maps of several key ISM physical properties. We find that both galaxies show a remarkably uniform metallicity distribution. Henize 2-10 is a star forming dominated galaxy, with a Star Formation Rate (SFR) of about 1.2 M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. Henize 2-10 features dense and dusty ($A_V$ up to 5-7 mag) star forming central sites. We find IZw18 to be very metal-poor ($Z$= 1/20 $Z_{\odot}$). IZw18 has a strong interstellar radiation field, with a large ionization parameter. We also use models of PopIII stars spectral energy distribution as a possible ionizing source for the HeII $λ$4686 emission detected in the IZw18 NW component. We find that PopIII stars could provide a significant contribution to the line intensity. The upper limit to the PopIII star formation is 52% of the total IZw18 SFR.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Challenges and Techniques for Simulating Line Emission

Modeling emission lines from the millimeter to the UV and producing synthetic spectra is crucial for a good understanding of observations, yet it is an art filled with hazards. This is the proceedings of "Walking the Line", a 3-day conference held in 2018 that brought together scientists working on different aspects of emission line simulations, in order to share knowledge and discuss the methodology. Emission lines across the spectrum from the millimeter to the UV were discussed, with most of the focus on the interstellar medium, but also some topics on the circumgalactic medium. The most important quality of a useful model is a good synergy with observations and experiments. Challenges in simulating line emission are identified, some of which are already being worked upon, and others that must be addressed in the future for models to agree with observations. Recent advances in several areas aiming at achieving that synergy are summarized here, from micro-physical to galactic and circum-galactic scale.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

GAME: GAlaxy Machine learning for Emission lines

We present an updated, optimized version of GAME (GAlaxy Machine learning for Emission lines), a code designed to infer key interstellar medium physical properties from emission line intensities of UV/optical/far infrared galaxy spectra. The improvements concern: (a) an enlarged spectral library including Pop III stars; (b) the inclusion of spectral noise in the training procedure, and (c) an accurate evaluation of uncertainties. We extensively validate the optimized code and compare its performance against empirical methods and other available emission line codes (PYQZ and HII-CHI-MISTRY) on a sample of 62 SDSS stacked galaxy spectra and 75 observed HII regions. Very good agreement is found for metallicity. However, ionization parameters derived by GAME tend to be higher. We show that this is due to the use of too limited libraries in the other codes. The main advantages of GAME are the simultaneous use of all the measured spectral lines, and the extremely short computational times. We finally discuss the code potential and limitations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Molecular clumps photoevaporation in ionized regions

We study the photoevaporation of molecular clumps exposed to a UV radiation field including hydrogen-ionizing photons ($hν> 13.6$ eV) produced by massive stars or quasars. We follow the propagation and collision of shock waves inside clumps and take into account self-shielding effects, determining the evolution of clump size and density with time. The structure of the ionization-photodissociation region (iPDR) is obtained for different initial clump masses ($M=0.01 - 10^4\,{\rm M}_\odot$) and impinging fluxes ($G_0=10^2 - 10^5$ in units of the Habing flux). The cases of molecular clumps engulfed in the HII region of an OB star and clumps carried within quasar outflows are treated separately. We find that the clump undergoes in both cases an initial shock-contraction phase and a following expansion phase, which lets the radiation penetrate in until the clump is completely evaporated. Typical evaporation time-scales are $\simeq 0.01$ Myr in the stellar case and 0.1 Myr in the quasar case, where the clump mass is 0.1 ${\rm M}_\odot$ and $10^3\,{\rm M}_\odot$ respectively. We find that clump lifetimes in quasar outflows are compatible with their observed extension, suggesting that photoevaporation is the main mechanism regulating the size of molecular outflows.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Quasar outflows at $z \geq 6$: the impact on the host galaxies

We investigate quasar outflows at $z \geq 6$ by performing zoom-in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. By employing the SPH code GADGET-3, we zoom in the $2 R_{200}$ region around a $2 \times 10^{12} M_{\odot}$ halo at $z = 6$, inside a $(500 ~ {\rm Mpc})^3$ comoving volume. We compare the results of our AGN runs with a control simulation in which only stellar/SN feedback is considered. Seeding $10^5 M_{\odot}$ BHs at the centers of $10^{9} M_{\odot}$ halos, we find the following results. BHs accrete gas at the Eddington rate over $z = 9 - 6$. At $z = 6$, our most-massive BH has grown to $M_{\rm BH} = 4 \times 10^9 M_{\odot}$. Fast ($v_{r} > 1000$ km/s), powerful ($\dot{M}_{\rm out} \sim 2000 M_{\odot}$/yr) outflows of shock-heated low-density gas form at $z \sim 7$, and propagate up to hundreds kpc. Star-formation is quenched over $z = 8 - 6$, and the total SFR (SFR surface density near the galaxy center) is reduced by a factor of $5$ ($1000$). We analyse the relative contribution of multiple physical process: (i) disrupting cosmic filamentary cold gas inflows, (ii) reducing central gas density, (iii) ejecting gas outside the galaxy; and find that AGN feedback has the following effects at $z = 6$. The inflowing gas mass fraction is reduced by $\sim 12 \%$, the high-density gas fraction is lowered by $\sim 13 \%$, and $\sim 20 \%$ of the gas outflows at a speed larger than the escape velocity ($500$ km/s). We conclude that quasar-host galaxies at $z \geq 6$ are accreting non-negligible amount of cosmic gas, nevertheless AGN feedback quenches their star formation dominantly by powerful outflows ejecting gas out of the host galaxy halo.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Molecular gas on large circumgalactic scales at z=3.47

We report ALMA observations of the most massive (star forming) galaxy in the redshift range 3<z<4 within the whole GOODS-S field. We detect a large elongated structure of molecular gas around the massive primeval galaxy, traced by the CO(4-3) emission, and extended over 40 kpc. We infer a mass of the large gaseous structure of Mgas~2-6x10^11 Msun. About 60% of this mass is not directly associated with either the central galaxy or its two lower mass satellites. The CO extended structure is also detected in continuum thermal emission. The kinematics of the molecular gas shows the presence of different components, which cannot be ascribed to simple rotation. Furthermore, on even larger scales, we detect nine additional CO systems within a radius of 250 kpc from the massive galaxy and mostly distributed in the same direction as the CO elongated structure found in the central 40 kpc. The stacked images of these CO systems show detections in the thermal continuum and in the X-rays, suggesting that these systems are forming stars at a rate of 30-120 Msun/yr. We suggest that the extended gas structure, combined with its kinematic properties, and the gas rich star forming systems detected on larger scales, are tracing the inner and densest regions of large scale accreting streams, feeding the central massive galaxy. These results corroborate models of galaxy formation, in which accreting streams are clumpy and undergo some star formation (hence enriching the streams with metals) even before accreting onto the central galaxy.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

X-ray spectroscopy of the z=6.4 quasar J1148+5251

We present the 78-ks Chandra observations of the $z=6.4$ quasar SDSS J1148+5251. The source is clearly detected in the energy range 0.3-7 keV with 42 counts (with a significance $\gtrsim9σ$). The X-ray spectrum is best-fitted by a power-law with photon index $Γ=1.9$ absorbed by a gas column density of $\rm N_{\rm H}=2.0^{+2.0}_{-1.5}\times10^{23}\,\rm cm^{-2}$. We measure an intrinsic luminosity at 2-10 keV and 10-40 keV equal to $\sim 1.5\times 10^{45}~\rm erg~s^{-1}$, comparable with luminous local and intermediate-redshift quasar properties. Moreover, the X-ray to optical power-law slope value ($α_{\rm OX}=-1.76\pm 0.14$) of J1148 is consistent with the one found in quasars with similar rest-frame 2500 Å~luminosity ($L_{\rm 2500}\sim 10^{32}~\rm erg~s^{-1}$Å$^{-1}$). Then we use Chandra data to test a physically motivated model that computes the intrinsic X-ray flux emitted by a quasar starting from the properties of the powering black hole and assuming that X-ray emission is attenuated by intervening, metal-rich ($Z\geq \rm Z_{\odot}$) molecular clouds distributed on $\sim$kpc scales in the host galaxy. Our analysis favors a black hole mass $M_{\rm BH} \sim 3\times 10^9 \rm M_\odot$ and a molecular hydrogen mass $M_{\rm H_2}\sim 2\times 10^{10} \rm M_\odot$, in good agreement with estimates obtained from previous studies. We finally discuss strengths and limits of our analysis.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

The nature of the Lyman Alpha Emitter CR7: a persisting puzzle

The peculiar emission properties of the $z \sim 6.6$ Ly$α$ emitter CR7 have been initially interpreted with the presence of either a direct collapse black hole (DCBH) or a substantial mass of Pop III stars. Instead, updated photometric observations by Bowler et al. (2016) seem to suggest that CR7 is a more standard system. Here we confirm that the original DCBH hypothesis is consistent also with the new data. Using radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, we reproduce the new IR photometry with two models involving a Compton-thick DCBH of mass $\approx 7 \times 10^6 \, \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ accreting (a) metal-free ($Z=0$) gas with column density $N_H = 8 \times 10^{25} \, \mathrm{cm^{-2}}$, or (b) low-metallicity gas ($Z = 5 \times 10^{-3} \, \mathrm{Z_{\odot}}$) with $N_H = 3 \times 10^{24} \, \mathrm{cm^{-2}}$. The best fit model reproduces the photometric data to within $1 σ$. Such metals can be produced by weak star-forming activity occurring after the formation of the DCBH. The main contribution to the Spitzer/IRAC $3.6 \, \mathrm{μm}$ photometric band in both models is due to HeI/HeII $λ4714, 4687$ emission lines, while the contribution of [OIII] $λ4959, 5007$ emission lines, if present, is sub-dominant. Spectroscopic observations with JWST will be required to ultimately clarify the nature of CR7.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

High Mass X-ray Binaries and the Cosmic 21-cm Signal: Impact of Host Galaxy Absorption

By heating the intergalactic medium (IGM) before reionization, X-rays are expected to play a prominent role in the early Universe. The cosmic 21-cm signal from this "Epoch of Heating" (EoH) could serve as a clean probe of high-energy processes inside the first galaxies. Here we improve on prior estimates of this signal by using high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations to calculate the X-ray absorption due to the interstellar medium (ISM) of the host galaxy. X-rays absorbed inside the host galaxy are unable to escape into the IGM and contribute to the EoH. We find that the X-ray opacity through these galaxies can be approximated by a metal-free ISM with a typical column density of log[N / cm^-2] = 21.4 +0.40-0.65. We compute the resulting 21-cm signal by combining these ISM opacities with public spectra of high-mass X-ray binaries (thought to be important X-ray sources in the early Universe). Our results support "standard scenarios" in which the X-ray heating of the IGM is inhomogeneous, and occurs before the bulk of reionization. The large-scale (k ~ 0.1/Mpc) 21-cm power reaches a peak of ~100 mK^2 at z = 10 - 15, with the redshift depending on the cosmic star formation history. This is in contrast to some recent work, motivated by the much larger X-ray absorption towards local HMXBs inside the Milky Way. Our main results can be reproduced by approximating the X-ray emission from HMXBs with a power-law spectrum with energy index alpha = 1, truncated at energies below 0.5 keV.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Inferring physical properties of galaxies from their emission line spectra

We present a new approach based on Supervised Machine Learning (SML) algorithms to infer key physical properties of galaxies (density, metallicity, column density and ionization parameter) from their emission line spectra. We introduce a numerical code (called GAME, GAlaxy Machine learning for Emission lines) implementing this method and test it extensively. GAME delivers excellent predictive performances, especially for estimates of metallicity and column densities. We compare GAME with the most widely used diagnostics (e.g. R$_{23}$, [NII]$λ$6584 / H$α$ indicators) showing that it provides much better accuracy and wider applicability range. GAME is particularly suitable for use in combination with Integral Field Unit (IFU) spectroscopy, both for rest-frame optical/UV nebular lines and far-infrared/sub-mm lines arising from Photo-Dissociation Regions. Finally, GAME can also be applied to the analysis of synthetic galaxy maps built from numerical simulations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Intensity mapping of [CII] from early galaxies

The intensity mapping of the [CII] 157.7 $\rm μ$m fine-structure emission line represents an ideal experiment to probe star formation activity in galaxies, especially in those that are too faint to be individually detected. Here, we investigate the feasibility of such an experiment for $z > 5$ galaxies. We construct the $L_{\rm CII} - M_{\rm h}$ relation from observations and simulations, then generate mock [CII] intensity maps by applying this relation to halo catalogs built from large scale N-body simulations. Maps of the extragalactic far-infrared (FIR) continuum, referred to as "foreground", and CO rotational transition lines and [CI] fine-structure lines referred to as "contamination", are produced as well. We find that, at 316 GHz (corresponding to $z_{\rm CII} = 5$), the mean intensities of the extragalactic FIR continuum, [CII] signal, all CO lines from $J=1$ to 13 and two [CI] lines are $\sim 3\times10^5$ Jy sr$^{-1}$, $\sim 1200$ Jy sr$^{-1}$, $\sim 800$ Jy sr$^{-1}$ and $\sim 100$ Jy sr$^{-1}$, respectively. We discuss a method that allows us to subtract the FIR continuum foreground by removing a spectrally smooth component from each line of sight, and to suppress the CO/[CI] contamination by discarding pixels that are bright in contamination emission. The $z > 5$ [CII] signal comes mainly from halos in the mass range $10^{11-12} \,M_\odot$; as this mass range is narrow, intensity mapping is an ideal experiment to investigate these early galaxies. In principle such signal is accessible to a ground-based telescope with a 6 m aperture, 150 K system temperature, a $128\times128$ pixels FIR camera in 5000 hr total integration time, however it is difficult to perform such an experiment by using currently available telescopes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

The circumgalactic medium of high redshift galaxies

We study the properties of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of high-$z$ galaxies in the metal enrichment simulations presented in Pallottini et al. 2014. At $z=4$, we find that the simulated CGM gas density profiles are self-similar, once scaled with the virial radius of the parent dark matter halo. We also find a simple analytical expression relating the neutral hydrogen equivalent width (${\rm EW}_{\rm HI}$) of CGM absorbers as a function of the line of sight impact parameter ($b$). We test our predictions against mock spectra extracted from the simulations, and show that the model reproduces the ${\rm EW}_{\rm HI}(b)$ profile extracted from the synthetic spectra analysis. When compared with available data, our CGM model nicely predicts the observed ${\rm EW}_{\rm HI}(b)$ in $z\lesssim2$ galaxies, and supports the idea that the CGM profile does not evolve with redshift.

astro-ph.GA↗