arXiv subjects

Brent M. Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Brent M. Smith.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Roman eXtreme Deep Field (RXDF)

The Roman eXtreme Deep Field (RXDF) program is one of the five General Astrophysics Survey (GAS) programs approved for observing time with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in Cycles 1 and 2. It has been allocated 386.41 hours to carry out an imaging survey to AB = 30 mag (5-sigma) over ~140x larger area than the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field (HXDF) full-depth area (ACS+WFC3/IR). The RXDF will cover the full Roman wavelength range with 7 bands, reaching AB = 30 mag in RZYJH, 29 mag in F, and 28 mag in K, over a full-depth area of 678.75 arcmin^2 embedded in a total area of 1,243 arcmin^2, and far exceeding the depths of the Roman Core Community Surveys (CCS). The RXDF is within the Euclid Ultra Deep Field (EUDF) near the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP), a strategic long-term field for generational space facilities, with a wealth of multi-wavelength data including extensive coverage from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NEXUS Treasury program. The observations will cover 3 epochs at a 1-year cadence, each epoch divided into 3 sub-epochs ~10 days apart, enabling time-domain studies on time baselines from ~10 days to over ~2 years. The RXDF is uniquely positioned to address critical questions in reionization, large scale structure (LSS), growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), little red dots (LRDs), and high-z supernovae (SNe); the volumes probed by HST+JWST are too small at these extreme depths, and even the deepest CCS tiers are too shallow. In addition to our key objectives, a wealth of additional science will be enabled by engaging the community with our rapidly released datasets, revolutionizing a wide range of science for a lasting legacy. This short document, which is converted from the approved RXDF proposal, aims to provide the community with a summary of the program.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

PEARLS: NuSTAR and XMM-Newton Extragalactic Survey of the JWST North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field VI: Multiwavelength SED Analysis

We model spectral energy distributions of 261 X-ray sources to $z \sim 5$ in the North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field, extending prior XMM-Newton and NuSTAR analyses. Using the star-forming main sequence (SFMS) and black hole accretion rate (BHAR) frameworks, we find that SFRs generally lie below the SFMS while most BHARs exceed the population average, as expected for X-ray-selected samples. There is a strong correlation ($ρ=+0.73$) between SFR relative to the SFMS and specific AGN luminosity, $L_{AGN}/M_*$; galaxies with the highest $L_{AGN}/M_*$ exist at or above the SFMS. X-ray luminosity correlates with SFR ($ρ=+0.80$), revealing a star-forming and X-ray luminous "cold quasar" population consistent with dramatic, short-timescale accretion episodes. Low-mass galaxies show BHARs well above the population averaged value for their mass whereas high-mass galaxies' SMBHs accrete at the population averaged BHAR, suggesting "growth spurt" and "maintenance-mode" accretion, respectively. Traditional AGN classifications (obscured, unobscured, or radio-loud) do not reveal these distinctions, demonstrating the X-ray perspective's unique ability to identify rare AGN phases that are critical for the instantaneous link between galaxies and their SMBHs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

We Must Preserve Hubble given its Unique Complementarity to Webb, Roman, and Euclid

We present compelling arguments -- focusing on galaxy science -- for preserving the main imagers and operational modes of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for as long as is technically feasible, to assure maximum complementarity to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Roman, and Euclid. HST was designed to work well over the 0.1-1.6 $μ$m wavelength range, and its unique UV-optical performance has fundamentally contributed to our understanding of galaxy assembly and the Cosmic Star Formation History (CSFH). While star-formation started at redshifts $z \gtrsim 10$, when the universe was less than 500 Myr old, the CSFH did not peak until $z \simeq 1.9$ (i.e., about 10 Gyr ago), and has steadily declined since that time. Hence, at least half of all stars in the universe formed it in the last 10 Gyrs where HST provides its unique rest-frame UV view of unobscured young, massive stars tracing cosmic star-formation, as well as unobscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). HST thus uniquely probes (unobscured) young, hot, massive stars and AGN in galaxies, while JWST, Euclid and Roman reveal more advanced stages of older stellar populations, as well as relatively short-lived phases where galaxies produce and shed a lot of dust from intense star-formation, dusty AGN, and the very high redshift universe ($z \gtrsim 10$) not accessible by HST. HST is thus highly complementary to these other facilities, all of which took decades to build to ensure decades of operation. To maximize return on investment in these facilities, ways will need to be found to operate HST imaging instruments in all relevant modes for as long as possible into the JWST and Roman missions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

PEARLS: Two Distinct Populations of AGN Hosts Moving Between Star Formation and Quiescence

We present the results of AGN--host-galaxy decomposition using JWST/NIRCam, HST/ACS, and HST/WFC3 imaging of the North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field (NEP-TDF). The light-profiles of 36 NIRCam-selected AGN candidates are modeled for measurement of their point sources, and point source-subtracted host-galaxy emission is used in SED modeling for star formation rate (SFR) estimation. Offsets from the canonical star-forming main sequence (SFMS) show that the host galaxies form two distinct groups distinguished by their star formation: a ``bridge'' between the moderate SFRs of radio sources and low SFRs of X-ray sources, and a cleanly-separated ``branch'' above $Δ\rm SFMS = -1$ whose SFR trends positively with AGN fraction. Branch galaxies include late-type galaxies with X-ray and radio detections and more dominant point sources that are most certainly AGN, while bridge galaxies have predominantly early-type morphologies with weaker point sources that may be due to compact stellar bulges. Both groups show evidence of recent transition between star formation and quiescence, but neither group shows preference for higher or lower stellar mass or redshift, suggesting that star formation in NIRCam-selected AGN-hosts is more strongly determined by AGN activity than by stellar mass.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

GNHeII J1236+6215: A He II $λ$1640 emitting and potentially LyC leaking galaxy at $z$ = 2.9803 unveiled through JWST & Keck observations

He II $λ$1640 emission in galaxies indicates the presence of sources that produce extreme ionizing photons. Here, we report the discovery of a He II $λ$1640 emitting galaxy, GNHeII J1236+6215, at $z=$ 2.9803 in the GOODS-north field. We use photometry in 17 wavebands from near-UV to infrared to characterize the galaxy SED and combine Keck LRIS and JWST NIRSpec spectra to identify 15 emission lines including He II $λ$1640. We infer that the He$^+$ ionization in the galaxy could be driven by small pockets of young Population III stars or low-metallicity Very Massive Stars (VMSs) rather than AGN or metal-rich Wolf-Rayet stars. The galaxy has a highly ionized ISM ([OIII]5007/[OII]3727 = 7.28$\pm$0.11, [SIII]/[SII] = 1.97$\pm$0.48 and detected Ly$α$, H$α$, H$β$, H$γ$ lines), little reddening by dust (E(B$-$V) = 0.04$\pm$0.12), low metallicity (12 + log(O/H) = 7.85$\pm$0.22), and high star formation rate (SFR$_{\rm SED}$ = 12.2$\pm$2.0 M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$). In addition to these ISM conditions, we also notice a significant [SII] deficiency ([SII]6718,6732/H$α$ = 0.08$\pm$0.02, $Δ$[SII] = $-$0.12) which may indicate the presence of density-bounded optically thin H~II regions that combined with the low dust extinction favor leaking of ionizing Lyman continuum (LyC) photons. Our best-fit SED model also infers a high nebular ionization (log U = $-2.0$) and a low stellar mass M = 7.8$\pm3.1\times$10$^8$M$_{\odot}$. This discovery not only adds one important object to the known sample of high-redshift He~II emitters but also highlights a potential connection between He$^+$ ionization and favorable ISM conditions for the leakage of ionizing photons from galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The Lyman Continuum Escape Fraction of Star-forming Galaxies at $2.4\lesssim z\lesssim3.0$ from UVCANDELS

The UltraViolet Imaging of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey Fields (UVCANDELS) survey is a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cycle-26 Treasury Program, allocated in total 164 orbits of primary Wide-Field Camera 3 Ultraviolet and Visible light F275W imaging with coordinated parallel Advanced Camera for Surveys F435W imaging, on four of the five premier extragalactic survey fields: GOODS-N, GOODS-S, EGS, and COSMOS. We introduce this survey by presenting a comprehensive analysis of the absolute escape fraction ($f_{\rm esc}^{\rm abs}$) of Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation through stacking the UV images of a population of star-forming galaxies with secure redshifts at $2.4\leq z\leq3.0$. Our stacking benefits from the catalogs of high-quality spectroscopic redshifts compiled from archival ground-based data and HST slitless spectroscopy, carefully vetted by dedicated visual inspection efforts. We develop a robust stacking method to apply to 10 samples of in total 56 galaxies, and perform detailed Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the intergalactic medium (IGM) attenuation, to take into account the sample variance of the mean IGM transmission when measuring $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm abs}$. The full stack at $z\approx2.44$ from 28 galaxies places a stringent 1-$σ$ upper limit of $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm abs}\lesssim5\%$, whereas the full stack at $z\approx2.72$ of equal number of galaxies gives an upper limit of $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm abs}\lesssim26\%$ at 1-$σ$ confidence level. These new F275W and F435W imaging mosaics from UVCANDELS have been made publicly available on the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

UVCANDELS: Catalogs of photometric redshifts and galaxy physical properties

The UltraViolet imaging of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey Fields (UVCANDELS) program provides deep HST F275W and F435W imaging over four CANDELS fields (GOODS-N, GOODS-S, COSMOS, and EGS). We combine this newly acquired UV imaging with existing HST imaging from CANDELS as well as existing ancillary data to obtain robust photometric redshifts and reliable estimates for galaxy physical properties for over 150,000 galaxies in the $\sim$430 arcmin$^2$ UVCANDELS area. Here, we leverage the power of the new UV photometry to not only improve the photometric redshift measurements in these fields, but also constrain the full redshift probability distribution combining multiple redshift fitting tools. Furthermore, using the full UV-to-IR photometric dataset, we measure the galaxy physical properties by fitting templates from population synthesis models with two different parameterizations (flexible and fixed-form) of the star-formation histories (SFHs). Compared to the flexible SFH parametrization, we find that the fixed-form SFHs systematically underestimate the galaxy stellar masses, both at the low- ($\lesssim10^9 M_\odot$) and high- ($\gtrsim10^{10} M_\odot$) mass end, by as much as $\sim0.5$ dex. This underestimation is primarily due the limited ability of fixed-form SFH parameterization to simultaneously capture the chaotic nature of star-formation in these galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

UVCANDELS: The role of dust on the stellar mass-size relation of disk galaxies at 0.5 $\leq z \leq$ 3.0

We use the Ultraviolet Imaging of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey fields (UVCANDELS) to measure half-light radii in the rest-frame far-UV for $\sim$16,000 disk-like galaxies over $0.5\leq z \leq 3$. We compare these results to rest-frame optical sizes that we measure in a self-consistent way and find that the stellar mass-size relation of disk galaxies is steeper in the rest-frame UV than in the optical across our entire redshift range. We show that this is mainly driven by massive galaxies ($\gtrsim10^{10}$M$_\odot$), which we find to also be among the most dusty. Our results are consistent with the literature and have commonly been interpreted as evidence of inside-out growth wherein galaxies form their central structures first. However, they could also suggest that the centers of massive galaxies are more heavily attenuated than their outskirts. We distinguish between these scenarios by modeling and selecting galaxies at $z=2$ from the VELA simulation suite in a way that is consistent with UVCANDELS. We show that the effects of dust alone can account for the size differences we measure at $z=2$. This indicates that, at different wavelengths, size differences and the different slopes of the stellar mass-size relation do not constitute evidence for inside-out growth.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

TREASUREHUNT: Transients and Variability Discovered with HST in the JWST North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field

The JWST North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) Time Domain Field (TDF) is a $>$14 arcmin diameter field optimized for multi-wavelength time-domain science with JWST. It has been observed across the electromagnetic spectrum both from the ground and from space, including with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). As part of HST observations over 3 cycles (the "TREASUREHUNT" program), deep images were obtained with ACS/WFC in F435W and F606W that cover almost the entire JWST NEP TDF. Many of the individual pointings of these programs partially overlap, allowing an initial assessment of the potential of this field for time-domain science with HST and JWST. The cumulative area of overlapping pointings is ~88 arcmin$^2$, with time intervals between individual epochs that range between 1 day and 4$+$ years. To a depth of $m_{AB}$ $\simeq$ 29.5 mag (F606W), we present the discovery of 12 transients and 190 variable candidates. For the variable candidates, we demonstrate that Gaussian statistics are applicable, and estimate that ~80 are false positives. The majority of the transients will be supernovae, although at least two are likely quasars. Most variable candidates are AGN, where we find 0.42% of the general $z$ $<$ 6 field galaxy population to vary at the $~3σ$ level. Based on a 5-year timeframe, this translates into a random supernova areal density of up to ~0.07 transients per arcmin$^2$ (~245 deg$^{-2}$) per epoch, and a variable AGN areal density of ~1.25 variables per arcmin$^2$ (~4500 deg$^{-2}$) to these depths.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The UV luminosity function at 0.6 < z < 1 from UVCANDELS

UVCANDELS is a HST Cycle-26 Treasury Program awarded 164 orbits of primary ultraviolet (UV) F275W imaging and coordinated parallel optical F435W imaging in four CANDELS fields: GOODS-N, GOODS-S, EGS, and COSMOS, covering a total area of $\sim426$ arcmin$^2$. This is $\sim2.7$ times larger than the area covered by previous deep-field space UV data combined, reaching a depth of about 27 and 28 ABmag ($5σ$ in $0.2"$ apertures) for F275W and F435W, respectively. Along with the new photometric catalogs, we present an analysis of the rest-frame UV luminosity function (LF), relying on our UV-optimized aperture photometry method yielding a factor of $1.5\times$ increase than the H-isophot aperture photometry in the signal-to-noise ratios of galaxies in our F275W imaging. Using well tested photometric redshift measurements we identify 5810 galaxies at redshifts $0.6<z<1$, down to an absolute magnitude of $M_\text{UV} = -14.2$. In order to minimize the effect of uncertainties in estimating the completeness function, especially at the faint-end, we restrict our analysis to sources above $30\%$ completeness, which provides a final sample of 4726 galaxies at $-21.5<M_\text{UV}<-15.5$. We performed a maximum likelihood estimate to derive the best-fit parameters of the UV LF. We report a best-fit faint-end slope of $α= -1.359^{+0.041}_{-0.041}$ at $z \sim 0.8$. Creating sub-samples at $z\sim0.7$ and $z\sim0.9$, we observe a possible evolution of $α$ with redshift. The unobscured UV luminosity density at $M_\text{UV}<-10$ is derived as $ρ_\text{UV}=1.339^{+0.027}_{-0.030}\ (\times10^{26} \text{ergs/s/Hz/Mpc}^3)$ using our best-fit LF parameters. The new F275W and F435 photometric catalogs from UVCANDELS have been made publicly available on the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

JWST NIRCam Photometry: A Study of Globular Clusters Surrounding Bright Elliptical Galaxy VV 191a at z=0.0513

James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam images have revealed 154 reliable globular cluster (GC) candidates around the $z = 0.0513$ elliptical galaxy VV~191a after subtracting 34 likely interlopers from background galaxies inside our search area. NIRCam broadband observations are made at 0.9-4.5 $μ$m using the F090W, F150W, F356W, and F444W filters. Using PSF-matched photometry, the data are analyzed to present color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and color distributions that suggest a relatively uniform population of GCs, except for small fractions of reddest (5-8%) and bluest (2-4%) outliers. GC models in the F090W vs. (F090-F150W) diagram fit the NIRCam data well and show that the majority of GCs detected have a mass of approximately $\sim$$10^{6.5}$$M_{\odot}$, with metallicities [Fe/H] spanning the typical range expected for GCs (-2.5$\le$ [Fe/H]$\le$ 0.5). However, the models predict $\sim$0.3-0.4 mag bluer (F356W-F444W) colors than the NIRCam data for a reasonable range of GC ages, metallicities, and reddening. Although our data does not quite reach the luminosity function turnover, the measured luminosity function is consistent with previous measurements, suggesting an estimated peak at $m_{\rm AB}$$\sim$-9.4 mag, $\pm$0.2 mag in the F090W filter.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

LyC Leakers in the AstroSat UV Deep Field: Extreme UV emitters at the Cosmic Noon

We report the direct detection of Lyman Continuum (LyC) emission from 9 galaxies and 1 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) at $z$ $\sim$ 1.1-1.6 in the GOODS-North field using deep observations from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard AstroSat. The absolute escape fraction of the sources estimated from the far-ultraviolet (FUV) and H$α$ line luminosities using Monte Carlo (MC) analysis of two Inter-Galactic Medium (IGM) models span a range $\sim$ 10 - 55 $\%$. The restframe UV wavelength of the sources falls in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) regime $\sim$ 550-700 Å, the shortest LyC wavelength range probed so far. This redshift range remains devoid of direct detections of LyC emission due to the instrumental limitations of previously available facilities. With UVIT having a very low detector noise, each of these sources are detected with an individual signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) $>$ 3 while for the stack of six sources, we achieve an SNR $\sim$ 7.4. The LyC emission is seen to be offset from the optical centroids and extended beyond the UVIT PSF of 1.$^{\prime\prime}6$ in most of the sources. This sample fills an important niche between GALEX and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) at low-$z$, and HST WFC3 at high-$z$ and is crucial in understanding the evolution of LyC leakers.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Lyman Continuum Emission from AGN at 2.3$\lesssim$z$\lesssim$3.7 in the UVCANDELS Fields

We present the results of our search for Lyman continuum (LyC) emitting AGN at redshifts 2.3$\lesssim$z$\lesssim$4.9 from HST WFC3 F275W observations in the UVCANDELS fields. We also include LyC emission from AGN using HST WFC3 F225W, F275W, and F336W found in the ERS and HDUV data. We performed exhaustive queries of the Vizier database to locate AGN with high quality spectroscopic redshifts. In total, we found 51 AGN that met our criteria within the UVCANDELS and ERS footprints. Of these 51, we find 12 AGN had $\geq$4$σ$ detected LyC flux in the WFC3/UVIS images. Using space- and ground-based data from X-ray to radio, we fit the multi-wavelength photometric data of each AGN to a CIGALE SED and correlate various SED parameters to the LyC flux. KS-tests of the SED parameter distributions for the LyC-detected and non-detected AGN showed they are likely not distinct samples. However, we find that X-ray luminosity, star-formation onset age, and disk luminosity show strong correlations relative to their emitted LyC flux. We also find strong correlation of the LyC flux to several dust parameters, i.e., polar and toroidal dust emission, 6 $μm$ luminosity, and anti-correlation with metallicity and $A_{FUV}$. We simulate the LyC escape fraction ($f_{esc}$) using the CIGALE and IGM transmission models for the LyC-detected AGN and find an average $f_{esc}$$\simeq$18%, weighted by uncertainties. We stack the LyC flux of subsamples of AGN according to the wavelength continuum region in which they are detected and find no significant distinctions in their LyC emission, although our $sub-mm\ detected$ F336W sample shows the brightest stacked LyC flux. These findings indicate that LyC-production and -escape in AGN is more complicated than the simple assumption of thermal emission and a 100% escape fraction. Further testing of AGN models with larger samples than presented here is needed.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

The AstroSat UV Deep Field North: the far and near ultraviolet photometric catalog

We present deep UV imaging observations of the Great Observatories Origins Survey Northern (GOODS-N) field with AstroSat/UVIT (AstroSat UV Deep Field north - AUDFn), using one far-UV (F154W, 34.0 kilosec) and two near-UV filters (N242W, 19.2 kilosec; N245M, 15.5 kilosec). The nature of the UV sky background was explored across the UVIT field and a global mean and rms was estimated for each filter. We reach 3$σ$ detection limits of $m_{\rm AB}$ $\sim$ 27.35 mag, 27.28 mag and 27.02 mag for a point source in the F154W, N242W and N245M bands respectively. The 50\% completeness limits of the FUV and NUV images are $m_{\rm AB}=$ 26.40 mag and 27.05 mag respectively. We constructed PSFs for each band and estimated their FWHM, which were found to be almost the same: 1.18" in F154W, 1.11" in N242W, and 1.24" in N245M. We used SExtractor to separately identify sources in the FUV and NUV filters and produce the UV source catalog of the entire AUDFn field. The source count slope estimated in FUV and NUV is 0.57 dex mag$^{-1}$ (between 19 - 25 mag) and 0.44 dex mag$^{-1}$ (between 18 - 25 mag), respectively. The catalog contains 6839 and 16171 sources (brighter than the 50\% completeness limit) in the FUV and NUV, respectively. Our FUV and NUV flux measurements of the identified sources complement existing multi-band data in the GOODS-N field, and enable us to probe rest-frame FUV properties of galaxies at redshift $z < 1$ and search for candidate Lyman continuum leakers at redshift $z > 0.97$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

SED Analysis of 13 Spectroscopically Confirmed Galaxies at z$\simeq$6 to Constrain UV-Slope, Model Dust Attenuation and Escape Fractions

The reionization of the hydrogen in the Universe is thought to have completed by redshift $z\simeq5.5-6$. To probe this era, galaxy observations in the Subaru Deep Field (SDF) have identified more than 100 galaxies at $z\simeq6$, many spectroscopically confirmed through follow-up observations. We model the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 13 SDF galaxies with the CIGALE and Dense Basis codes using available optical/IR data. Modeling deep IR photometry has the potential to constrain the galaxy's Lyman continuum (LyC) escape fraction (\fesc). We use the modeled nebular emission lines and find that the implied escape fractions ranges from \textbf{0 to 0.8 with a median of $\sim$0.35 for Dense Basis and $\sim$0.55 for CIGALE.} Significant uncertainties in the data exist, so that fitting results in a large range of \fesc\ for individual objects. The implied median \fesc-values may be high enough for galaxies to finish reionization by $z\sim6$. Furthermore, we find no strong trends between the UV-slope $β$ or \EBminV with model \fesc. If true, the lack of trends suggest that other factors besides nebular emission or dust extinction could have led to LyC escaping, such as the presence of holes in the ISM with sufficiently wide opening angles from outflows of supernovae and/or weak AGN, resulting in a range of implied \fesc-values depending on the viewing angle of each galaxy. The current \textit{HST, Spitzer} and ground-based photometric and model errors for the galaxies remain large, so IR spectroscopic observations with the \textit{James Webb Space Telescope} are needed to constrain this possibility.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Limits to Rest-Frame Ultraviolet Emission From Far-Infrared-Luminous z~6 Quasar Hosts

We report on a Hubble Space Telescope search for rest-frame ultraviolet emission from the host galaxies of five far-infrared-luminous $z\simeq{}6$ quasars and the $z=5.85$ hot-dust free quasar SDSS J0005-0006. We perform 2D surface brightness modeling for each quasar using a Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo estimator, to simultaneously fit and subtract the quasar point source in order to constrain the underlying host galaxy emission. We measure upper limits for the quasar host galaxies of $m_J>22.7$ mag and $m_H>22.4$ mag, corresponding to stellar masses of $M_\ast<2\times10^{11}M_\odot$. These stellar mass limits are consistent with the local $M_{\textrm{BH}}$-$M_\ast$ relation. Our flux limits are consistent with those predicted for the UV stellar populations of $z\simeq6$ host galaxies, but likely in the presence of significant dust ($\langle A_{\mathrm{UV}}\rangle\simeq 2.6$ mag). We also detect a total of up to 9 potential $z\simeq6$ quasar companion galaxies surrounding five of the six quasars, separated from the quasars by 1.4''-3.2'', or 8.4-19.4 kpc, which may be interacting with the quasar hosts. These nearby companion galaxies have UV absolute magnitudes of -22.1 to -19.9 mag, and UV spectral slopes $β$ of -2.0 to -0.2, consistent with luminous star-forming galaxies at $z\simeq6$. These results suggest that the quasars are in dense environments typical of luminous $z\simeq6$ galaxies. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that some of these companions are foreground interlopers. Infrared observations with the James Webb Space Telescope will be needed to detect the $z\simeq6$ quasar host galaxies and better constrain their stellar mass and dust content.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The Lyman Continuum Escape Fraction of Galaxies and AGN in the GOODS Fields

We present our analysis of the LyC emission and escape fraction of 111 spectroscopically verified galaxies with and without AGN from $2.26<z<4.3$. We extended our ERS sample from Smith et al. (2018; arXiv:1602.01555) with 64 galaxies in the GOODS North and South fields using WFC3/UVIS F225W, F275W, and F336W mosaics we independently drizzled using the HDUV, CANDELS, and UVUDF data. Among the 17 AGN from the 111 galaxies, one provided a LyC detection in F275W at $m_{AB}=23.19$ mag (S/N $\simeq$ 133) and $GALEX$ NUV at $m_{AB}=23.77$ mag (S/N $\simeq$ 13). We simultaneously fit $SDSS$ and $Chandra$ spectra of this AGN to an accretion disk and Comptonization model and find $f_{esc}$ values of $f_{esc}^{F275W}\simeq 28^{+20}_{-4}$% and $f_{esc}^{NUV}\simeq 30^{+22}_{-5}$%. For the remaining 110 galaxies, we stack image cutouts that capture their LyC emission using the F225W, F275W, and F336W data of the GOODS and ERS samples, and both combined, as well as subsamples of galaxies with and without AGN, and $all$ galaxies. We find the stack of 17 AGN dominate the LyC production from $\langle z\rangle\simeq 2.3-4.3$ by a factor of $\sim$10 compared to all 94 galaxies without AGN. While the IGM of the early universe may have been reionized mostly by massive stars, there is evidence that a significant portion of the ionizing energy came from AGN.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 Observations of Escaping Lyman Continuum Radiation from Galaxies and Weak AGN at Redshifts $z$$\,\simeq\,$2.3-4.1

We present observations of escaping Lyman Continuum (LyC) radiation from 34 massive star-forming galaxies and 12 weak AGN with reliably measured spectroscopic redshifts at $z$$\simeq$2.3-4.1. We analyzed Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) mosaics of the Early Release Science field in three UVIS filters to sample the rest-frame LyC over this redshift range. With our best current assessment of the WFC3 systematics, we provide 1$σ$ upper limits for the average LyC emission of galaxies at $z$=2.35, 2.75, and 3.60 to $\sim$28.5, 28.1, and 30.7 mag in image stacks of 11-15 galaxies in the WFC3/UVIS F225W, F275W, and F336W, respectively. The LyC flux of weak AGN at $z$=2.62 and 3.32 are detected at 28.3 and 27.4 mag with SNRs of $\sim$2.7 and 2.5 in F275W and F336W for stacks of 7 and 3 AGN, respectively, while AGN at $z$=2.37 are constrained to $\gtrsim$27.9 mag at 1$σ$ in a stack of 2 AGN. The stacked AGN LyC light profiles are flatter than their corresponding non-ionizing UV continuum profiles out to radii of r$\lesssim$0."9, which may indicate a radial dependence of porosity in the ISM. With synthetic stellar SEDs fit to UV continuum measurements longwards of Ly$α$ and IGM transmission models, we constrain the absolute LyC escape fractions to $f_{\rm esc}^{\rm abs}$$\simeq$$22^{+44}_{-22}$% at $z$=2.35 and $\lesssim$55% at $z$=2.75 and 3.60, respectively. All available data for galaxies, including published work, suggests a more sudden increase of $f_{\rm esc}$ with redshift at $z$$\simeq$2. Dust accumulating in (massive) galaxies over cosmic time correlates with increased HI column density, which may lead to reducing $f_{\rm esc}$ more suddenly at $z$$\lesssim$2. This may suggest that star-forming galaxies collectively contributed to maintaining cosmic reionization at redshifts $z$$\gtrsim$2-4, while AGN likely dominated reionization at $z$$\lesssim$2.

astro-ph.GA↗