arXiv subjects

Anna Sajina

Publications and source records attributed to Anna Sajina.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Dust-Enshrouded AGN can Dominate Host-Galaxy-Scale Cold-Dust Emission

It is widely assumed that long-wavelength infrared (IR) emission from cold dust (T~20-40K) is a reliable tracer of star formation even in the presence of a bright active galactic nucleus (AGN). Based on radiative transfer (RT) models of clumpy AGN tori, hot dust emission from the torus contributes negligibly to the galaxy spectral energy distribution (SED) at $λ\ga100$ \micron. However, these models do not include AGN heating of host-galaxy-scale diffuse dust, which may have far-IR (FIR) colors comparable to cold diffuse dust heated by stars. To quantify the contribution of AGN heating to host-galaxy-scale cold dust emission at $λ\ga100$ \micron, we perform dust RT calculations on a simulated galaxy merger both including and excluding the bright AGN that it hosts. By differencing the SEDs yielded by RT calculations with and without AGN that are otherwise identical, we quantify the FIR cold dust emission arising solely from re-processed AGN photons. In extreme cases, AGN-heated host-galaxy-scale dust can increase galaxy-integrated FIR flux densities by factors of 2-4; star formation rates calculated from the FIR luminosity assuming no AGN contribution can overestimate the true value by comparable factors. Because the FIR colors of such systems are similar to those of purely star-forming galaxies and redder than torus models, broadband SED decomposition may be insufficient for disentangling the contributions of stars and heavily dust-enshrouded AGN in the most IR-luminous galaxies. We demonstrate how kpc-scale resolved observations can be used to identify deeply dust-enshrouded AGN with cool FIR colors when spectroscopic and/or X-ray detection methods are unavailable.

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arXiv2020

Active Galactic Nuclei as seen by the Spitzer Space Telescope

The Spitzer Space Telescope revolutionized studies of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). Its combined sensitivity and mapping speed at mid-infrared wavelengths revealed a substantial population of highly-obscured AGNs. This population implies a higher radiative accretion efficiency, and thus possibly a higher spin for black holes than indicated by surveys in the optical and X-ray. The unique mid-infrared spectrographic capability of Spitzer gave important insights into the distribution and nature of the dust surrounding AGNs, enabling the separation of AGN and starburst components, the detection of silicate features in emission from hot dust, and the identification of shocked gas associated with AGN activity. The sensitivity of Spitzer allowed almost complete identification of the host galaxies of samples of AGNs selected in the X-ray and radio. As we look forward to the James Webb Space Telescope, the lessons learned from Spitzer studies will inform observational programs with new and upcoming infrared facilities.

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arXiv2019

The role of environment in galaxy evolution in the SERVS Survey I: density maps and cluster candidates

We use photometric redshifts derived from new $u$-band through 4.5$μ$m Spitzer IRAC photometry in the 4.8\,deg$^2$ of the XMM-LSS field to construct surface density maps in the redshift range 0.1-1.5. Our density maps show evidence for large-scale structure in the form of filaments spanning several tens of Mpc. Using these maps, we identify 339 overdensities that our simulated lightcone analysis suggests are likely associated with dark matter haloes with masses, $M_{\rm halo}$, log($M_{\rm halo}/M_{\odot})>$13.7. From this list of overdensities we recover 43 of 70 known X-ray detected and spectroscopically confirmed clusters. The missing X-ray clusters are largely at lower redshifts and lower masses than our target log($M_{\rm halo}/M_{\odot})>$13.7. The bulk of the overdensities are compact, but a quarter show extended morphologies which include likely projection effects, clusters embedded in apparent filaments as well as at least one potential cluster merger (at $z\sim1.28$). The strongest overdensity in our highest redshift slice (at $z\sim1.5$) shows a compact red galaxy core potentially implying a massive evolved cluster.

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arXiv2019

Stellar and Dust Properties of a Complete Sample of Massive Dusty Galaxies at $1 \le z \le 4$ from MAGPHYS Modeling of UltraVISTA DR3 and Herschel Photometry

We investigate the stellar and dust properties of massive (log$(M_*/M_\odot) \ge 10.5$) and dusty ($A_V \ge 1$) galaxies at $1 \le z \le 4$ by modeling their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) obtained from the combination of UltraVISTA DR3 photometry and \textit{Herschel} PACS-SPIRE data using MAGPHYS. Although the rest-frame U-V vs V-J (UVJ) diagram traces well the star-formation rates (SFR) and dust obscuration (A$_V$) out to $z \sim 3$, $\sim$15-20\% of the sample surprisingly resides in the quiescent region of the UVJ diagram, while $\sim50$\% at $3 20\%$) from dust heated by evolved stellar populations rather than star formation, demonstrating the need for panchromatic SED modeling. The local relation between dust mass and SFR is followed only by a sub-sample with cooler dust temperatures, while warmer objects have reduced dust masses at a given SFR. Most star-forming galaxies in our sample do not follow local IRX-$β$ relations, though IRX does strongly correlate with A$_V$. Our sample follows local relations, albeit with large scatter, between ISM diagnostics and sSFR. We show that FIR-detected sources represent the extreme of a continuous population of dusty galaxies rather than a fundamentally different population. Finally, using commonly adopted relations to derive SFRs from the combination of the rest-frame UV and the observed 24$μ$m is found to overestimate the SFR by a factor of 3-5 for the galaxies in our sample.

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arXiv2019

Simulations Find Our Accounting of Dust-Obscured Star Formation May Be Incomplete

The bulk of the star-formation rate density peak at cosmic noon was obscured by dust. How accurately we can assess the role of dust obscured star-formation is affected by inherent biases in our empirical methods -- both those that rely on direct dust emission and those that rely on the inferred dust attenuation of starlight. We use a library of hydrodynamic simulations with radiative transfer to explore these biases. We find that for IR luminous galaxies that are in rapidly quenching systems (e.g. post-coalescence) standard luminosity-to-SFR relations can strongly overestimate the true SFRs. We propose using the $L_{IR}/L_{1.6}$ color to both help identify such systems and provide more accurate SFRs. Conversely, we find that the diagnostic UVJ plot misidentifies a subset of dusty star-forming galaxies. This is due to variability in the effective attenuation curves including being much grayer in the optical-to-near-IR regime than the Calzetti starburst law. This is in agreement with recent observations of IR-selected galaxies at cosmic noon. Our results support the view that we need a panchromatic approach from the rest-frame UV through the IR and SED modeling that includes realistic SFHs and allows for variable attenuation curves if we want to fully account for dust obscured star-formation across the epochs of greatest galaxy build-up.

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arXiv2019

Simultaneous Measurements of Star Formation and Supermassive Black Hole Growth in Galaxies

Galaxies grow their supermassive black holes in concert with their stars, although the relationship between these major galactic components is poorly understood. Observations of the cosmic growth of stars and black holes in galaxies suffer from disjoint samples and the strong effects of dust attenuation. The thermal infrared holds incredible potential for simultaneously measuring both the star formation and black hole accretion rates in large samples of galaxies covering a wide range of physical conditions. Spitzer demonstrated this potential at low redshift, and by observing some of the most luminous galaxies at z~2. JWST will apply these methods to normal galaxies at these epochs, but will not be able to generate large spectroscopic samples or access the thermal infrared at high-redshift. An order of magnitude gap in our wavelength coverage will persist between JWST and ALMA. A large, cold infrared telescope can fill this gap to determine when (in cosmic time), and where (within the cosmic web), stars and black holes co-evolve, by measuring these processes simultaneously in statistically complete and unbiased samples of galaxies to z>8. A next-generation radio interferometer will have the resolution and sensitivity to measure star-formation and nuclear accretion in even the dustiest galaxies. Together, the thermal infrared and radio can uniquely determine how stars and supermassive blackholes co-evolve in galaxies over cosmic time.

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arXiv2017

The AGN-Star Formation Connection: Future Prospects with JWST

The bulk of the stellar growth over cosmic time is dominated by IR luminous galaxies at cosmic noon (z=1-2), many of which harbor a hidden active galactic nucleus (AGN). We use state of the art infrared color diagnostics, combining Spitzer and Herschel observations, to separate dust-obscured AGN from dusty star forming galaxies (SFGs) in the CANDELS and COSMOS surveys. We calculate 24 micron counts of SFGs, AGN/star forming "Composites", and AGN. AGN and Composites dominate the counts above 0.8 mJy at 24 micron, and Composites form at least 25% of an IR sample even to faint detection limits. We develop methods to use the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on JWST to identify dust-obscured AGN and Composite galaxies from z~1-2. With the sensitivity and spacing of MIRI filters, we will detect >4 times as many AGN hosts than with Spitzer/IRAC criteria. Any star formation rates based on the 7.7 micron PAH feature (likely to be applied to MIRI photometry) must be corrected for the contribution of the AGN, or the SFR will be overestimated by ~35% for cases where the AGN provides half the IR luminosity and ~50% when the AGN accounts for 90% of the luminosity. Finally, we demonstrate that our MIRI color technique can select AGN with an Eddington ratio of $λ_{\rm Edd}\sim0.01$ and will identify AGN hosts with a higher sSFR than X-ray techniques alone. JWST/MIRI will enable critical steps forward in identifying and understanding dust-obscured AGN and the link to their host galaxies.

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arXiv2017

A controlled study of cold dust content in galaxies from $z=0-2$

At $z=1-3$, the formation of new stars is dominated by dusty galaxies whose far-IR emission indicates they contain colder dust than local galaxies of a similar luminosity. We explore the reasons for the evolving IR emission of similar galaxies over cosmic time using: 1) Local galaxies from GOALS $(L_{\rm IR}=10^{11}-10^{12}\,L_\odot)$; 2) Galaxies at $z\sim0.1-0.5$ from the 5MUSES ($L_{\rm IR}=10^{10}-10^{12}\,L_\odot$); 3) IR luminous galaxies spanning $z=0.5-3$ from GOODS and Spitzer xFLS ($L_{\rm IR}>10^{11}\,L_\odot$). All samples have Spitzer mid-IR spectra, and Herschel and ground-based submillimeter imaging covering the full IR spectral energy distribution, allowing us to robustly measure $L_{\rm IR}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}$, $T_{\rm dust}$, and $M_{\rm dust}$ for every galaxy. Despite similar infrared luminosities, $z>0.5$ dusty star forming galaxies have a factor of 5 higher dust masses and 5K colder temperatures. The increase in dust mass is linked with an increase in the gas fractions with redshift, and we do not observe a similar increase in stellar mass or star formation efficiency. $L_{160}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}/L_{70}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}$, a proxy for $T_{\rm dust}$, is strongly correlated with $L_{\rm IR}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}/M_{\rm dust}$ independently of redshift. We measure merger classification and galaxy size for a subsample, and there is no obvious correlation between these parameters and $L_{\rm IR}^{\rm \scriptscriptstyle SF}/M_{\rm dust}$ or $L_{160}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}/L_{70}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}$. In dusty star forming galaxies, the change in $L_{\rm IR}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}/M_{\rm dust}$ can fully account for the observed colder dust temperatures, suggesting that any change in the spatial extent of the interstellar medium is a second order effect.

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arXiv2017

An Application of Multi-band Forced Photometry to One Square Degree of SERVS: Accurate Photometric Redshifts and Implications for Future Science

We apply The Tractor image modeling code to improve upon existing multi-band photometry for the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS). SERVS consists of post-cryogenic Spitzer observations at 3.6 and 4.5 micron over five well-studied deep fields spanning 18 square degrees. In concert with data from ground-based near-infrared (NIR) and optical surveys, SERVS aims to provide a census of the properties of massive galaxies out to z ~ 5. To accomplish this, we are using The Tractor to perform "forced photometry." This technique employs prior measurements of source positions and surface brightness profiles from a high-resolution fiducial band from the VISTA Deep Extragalactic Observations (VIDEO) survey to model and fit the fluxes at lower-resolution bands. We discuss our implementation of The Tractor over a square degree test region within the XMM-LSS field with deep imaging in 12 NIR/optical bands. Our new multi-band source catalogs offer a number of advantages over traditional position-matched catalogs, including 1) consistent source cross-identification between bands, 2) de-blending of sources that are clearly resolved in the fiducial band but blended in the lower-resolution SERVS data, 3) a higher source detection fraction in each band, 4) a larger number of candidate galaxies in the redshift range 5 < z < 6, and 5) a statistically significant improvement in the photometric redshift accuracy as evidenced by the significant decrease in the fraction of outliers compared to spectroscopic redshifts. Thus, forced photometry using The Tractor offers a means of improving the accuracy of multi-band extragalactic surveys designed for galaxy evolution studies. We will extend our application of this technique to the full SERVS footprint in the future.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Does the evolution of the radio luminosity function of star-forming galaxies match that of the star-formation rate function?

The assessment of the relationship between radio continuum luminosity and star formation rate (SFR) is of crucial importance to make reliable predictions for the forthcoming ultra-deep radio surveys and to allow a full exploitation of their results to measure the cosmic star formation history. We have addressed this issue by matching recent accurate determinations of the SFR function up to high redshifts with literature estimates of the 1.4 GHz luminosity functions of star forming galaxies (SFGs). This was done considering two options, proposed in the literature, for the relationship between the synchrotron emission ($L_{\rm synch}$), that dominates at 1.4 GHz, and the SFR: a linear relation with a decline of the $L_{\rm synch}$/SFR ratio at low luminosities or a mildly non-linear relation at all luminosities. In both cases we get good agreement with the observed radio luminosity functions but, in the non-linear case, the deviation from linearity must be small. The luminosity function data are consistent with a moderate increase of the $L_{\rm synch}$/SFR ratio with increasing redshift, indicated by other data sets, although a constant ratio cannot be ruled out. A stronger indication of such increase is provided by recent deep 1.4 GHz counts, down to $μ$Jy levels. This is in contradiction with models predicting a decrease of that ratio due to inverse Compton cooling of relativistic electrons at high redshifts. Synchrotron losses appear to dominate up to $z\simeq 5$. We have also updated the Massardi et al. (2010) evolutionary model for radio loud AGNs.

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arXiv2017

Exploring the evolution of star formation and dwarf galaxy properties with JWST/MIRI serendipitous spectroscopic surveys

The James Webb Space Telescope's Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS), will offer nearly 2 orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity and >3X improvement in spectral resolution over our previous space-based mid-IR spectrometer, the Spitzer IRS. In this paper, we make predictions for spectroscopic pointed observations and serendipitous detections with the MRS. Specifically, pointed observations of Herschel sources require only a few minutes on source integration for detections of several star-forming and active galactic nucleus lines, out to z$=$3 and beyond. But the same data will also include tens of serendipitous 0$\lesssim$z$\lesssim$4 galaxies per field with infrared luminosities ranging $\sim10^6-10^{13}$L$_{\odot}$. In particular, for the first time and for free we will be able to explore the $L_{IR}<10^{9}L_{\odot}$ regime out to $z\sim3$. We estimate that with $\sim$100 such fields, statistics of these detections will be sufficient to constrain the evolution of the low-$L$ end of the infrared luminosity function, and hence the star formation rate function. The above conclusions hold for a wide range in potential low-$L$ end of the IR luminosity function, and accounting for the PAH deficit in low-$L$, low-metallicity galaxies.

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arXiv2016

The Role of Star-Formation and AGN in Dust Heating of z=0.3-2.8 Galaxies - II. Informing IR AGN fraction estimates through simulations

A key question in extragalactic studies is the determination of the relative roles of stars and AGN in powering dusty galaxies at $z\sim$1-3 where the bulk of star-formation and AGN activity took place. In Paper I, we present a sample of $336$ 24$μ$m-selected (Ultra)Luminous Infrared Galaxies, (U)LIRGs, at $z \sim 0.3$-$2.8$, where we focus on determining the AGN contribution to the IR luminosity. Here, we use hydrodynamic simulations with dust radiative transfer of isolated and merging galaxies, to investigate how well the simulations reproduce our empirical IR AGN fraction estimates and determine how IR AGN fractions relate to the UV-mm AGN fraction. We find that: 1) IR AGN fraction estimates based on simulations are in qualitative agreement with the empirical values when host reprocessing of the AGN light is considered; 2) for star-forming galaxy-AGN composites our empirical methods may be underestimating the role of AGN, as our simulations imply $>$50% AGN fractions, $\sim$3$\times$ higher than previous estimates; 3) 6% of our empirically classified "SFG" have AGN fractions $\gtrsim$50%. While this is a small percentage of SFGs, if confirmed, would imply the true number density of AGN may be underestimated; 4) this comparison depends on the adopted AGN template -- those that neglect the contribution of warm dust lower the empirical fractions by up to 2$\times$; and 5) the IR AGN fraction is only a good proxy for the intrinsic UV-mm AGN fraction when the extinction is high ($A_V\gtrsim 1$ or up to and including coalescence in a merger).

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arXiv2015

The role of star-formation and AGN in dust heating of z = 0.3-2.8 galaxies - I. Evolution with redshift and luminosity

We characterize infrared spectral energy distributions of 343 (Ultra) Luminous Infrared Galaxies from $z=0.3-2.8$. We diagnose the presence of an AGN by decomposing individual Spitzer mid-IR spectroscopy into emission from star-formation and an AGN-powered continuum; we classify sources as star-forming galaxies (SFGs), AGN, or composites. Composites comprise 30% of our sample and are prevalent at faint and bright $S_{24}$, making them an important source of IR AGN emission. We combine spectroscopy with multiwavelength photometry, including Herschel imaging, to create three libraries of publicly available templates (2-1000 $μ$m). We fit the far-IR emission using a two temperature modified blackbody to measure cold and warm dust temperatures ($T_c$ and $T_w$). We find that $T_c$ does not depend on mid-IR classification, while $T_w$ shows a notable increase as the AGN grows more luminous. We measure a quadratic relationship between mid-IR AGN emission and total AGN contribution to $L_{\rm IR}$. AGN, composites, and SFGs separate in $S_8/S_{3.6}$ and $S_{250}/S_{24}$, providing a useful diagnostic for estimating relative amounts of these sources. We estimate that >40% of IR selected samples host an AGN, even at faint selection thresholds ($S_{24}$>100 $μ$Jy). Our decomposition technique and color diagnostics are relevant given upcoming observations with the James Webb Space Telescope.

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arXiv2015

ALMA detected overdensity of sub-mm sources around WISE/NVSS-selected z~2 dusty quasars

We study the environments of 49 WISE/NVSS-selected dusty, hyper-luminous, z~2 quasars using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) 345GHz images. We find that 17 of the 49 WISE/NVSS sources show additional sub-mm galaxies within the ALMA primary beam, probing scales within ~150 kpc. We find a total of 23 additional sub-mm sources, four of which in the field of a single WISE/NVSS source. The measured 870 um source counts are ~10 times expectations for unbiased regions, suggesting such hyper-luminous dusty quasars are excellent at probing high-density peaks.

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arXiv2015

The Spitzer mid-infrared AGN survey. II-the demographics and cosmic evolution of the AGN population

We present luminosity functions derived from a spectroscopic survey of AGN selected from Spitzer Space Telescope imaging surveys. Selection in the mid-infrared is significantly less affected by dust obscuration. We can thus compare the luminosity functions of the obscured and unobscured AGN in a more reliable fashion than by using optical or X-ray data alone. We find that the AGN luminosity function can be well described by a broken power-law model in which the break luminosity decreases with redshift. At high redshifts ($z>1.6$), we find significantly more AGN at a given bolometric luminosity than found by either optical quasar surveys or hard X-ray surveys. The fraction of obscured AGN decreases rapidly with increasing AGN luminosity, but, at least at high redshifts, appears to remain at $\approx 50$\% even at bolometric luminosities $\sim 10^{14}L_{\odot}$. The data support a picture in which the obscured and unobscured populations evolve differently, with some evidence that high luminosity obscured quasars peak in space density at a higher redshift than their unobscured counterparts. The amount of accretion energy in the Universe estimated from this work suggests that AGN contribute about 12\% to the total radiation intensity of the Universe, and a high radiative accretion efficiency $\approx 0.18^{+0.12}_{-0.07}$ is required to match current estimates of the local mass density in black holes.

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arXiv2014

Robust Constraint of Luminosity Function Evolution Through MCMC Sampling

We present a new galaxy survey simulation package, which combines the power of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling with a robust and adaptable model of galaxy evolution. The aim of this code is to aid in the characterization and study of new and existing galaxy surveys. In this paper we briefly describe the MCMC implementation and the survey simulation methodology and associated tools. A test case of this full suite was to constrain the evolution of the IR Luminosity Function (LF) based on the HerMES (Herschel SPIRE) survey of the Spitzer First Look Survey field. The initial results are consistent with previous studies, but our more general approach should be of wider benefit to the community.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

Modeling Mid-Infrared Diagnostics of Obscured Quasars and Starbursts

We analyze the link between active galactic nuclei (AGN) and mid-infrared flux using dust radiative transfer calculations of starbursts realized in hydrodynamical simulations. Focusing on the effects of galaxy dust, we evaluate diagnostics commonly used to disentangle AGN and star formation in ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). We examine these quantities as a function of time, viewing angle, dust model, AGN spectrum, and AGN strength in merger simulations representing two possible extremes of the ULIRG population: one is a typical gas-rich merger at z ~ 0, and the other is characteristic of extremely obscured starbursts at z ~ 2 to 4. This highly obscured burst begins star-formation-dominated with significant PAH emission, and ends with a ~10^9 yr period of red near-IR colors. At coalescence, when the AGN is most luminous, dust obscures the near-infrared AGN signature, reduces the relative emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and enhances the 9.7 micron absorption by silicate grains. Although generally consistent with previous interpretations, our results imply none of these indicators can unambiguously estimate the AGN luminosity fraction in all cases. Motivated by the simulations, we show that a combination of the extinction feature at 9.7 micron, the PAH strength, and a near-infrared slope can simultaneously constrain the AGN fraction and dust grain distribution for a wide range of obscuration. We find that this indicator, accessible to the James Webb Space Telescope, may estimate the AGN power as tightly as the hard X-ray flux alone, thereby providing a valuable future cross-check and constraint for large samples of distant ULIRGs.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

VLA/JVLA Monitoring of Bright Northern Radio Sources

We report multiple epoch VLA/JVLA observations of 89 northern hemisphere sources, most with 37\,GHz flux density > 1 Jy, observed at 4.8, 8.5, 33.5, and 43.3 GHz. The high frequency selection leads to a predominantly flat spectrum sample, with 85% of our sources being in the Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalog (ERCSC). These observations allow us to: 1) validate Planck's 30 and 44 GHz flux density scale, 2) extend the radio SEDs of Planck sources to lower frequencies allowing for the full 5-857GHz regime to be studied, and 3) characterize the variability of these sources. At 30 GHz and 44 GHz, the JVLA and Planck flux densities agree to within 3%. On timescales of less than two months the median variability of our sources is 2%. On timescales of about a year the median variability increases to 14%. Using the WMAP 7-year data, the 30 GHz median variability on a 1-6 years timescale is 16%.

astro-ph.CO↗