arXiv subjects

David R. Law

Publications and source records attributed to David R. Law.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

The kinematics of ionized gas in Lyman-Break Analogs at z ~ 0.2

We present results for 19 "Lyman Break Analogs" (LBAs) observed with Keck/OSIRIS with an AO-assisted spatial resolution of less than 200 pc. We detect satellites/companions, diffuse emission and velocity shear, all with high signal-to-noise ratios. These galaxies present remarkably high velocity dispersion along the line of sight(- 70 km s-1), much higher than standard star-forming spirals in the low-redshift universe. We artificially redshift our data to z - 2.2 to allow for a direct comparison with observations of high-z LBGs and find striking similarities between both samples. This suggests that either similar physical processes are responsible for their observed properties, or, alternatively, that it is very difficult to distinguish between different mechanisms operating in the low versus high redshift starburst galaxies based on the available data. The comparison between morphologies in the UV/optical continuum and our kinemetry analysis often shows that neither is by itself sufficient to confirm or completely rule out the contribution from recent merger events. We find a correlation between the kinematic properties and stellar mass, in that more massive galaxies show stronger evidence for a disk-like structure. This suggests a co-evolutionary process between the stellar mass build-up and the formation of morphological and dynamical sub-structure within the galaxy.

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arXiv2010

The infrared imaging spectrograph (IRIS) for TMT: the science case

The InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is a first-light instrument being designed for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). IRIS is a combination of an imager that will cover a 16.4" field of view at the diffraction limit of TMT (4 mas sampling), and an integral field unit spectrograph that will sample objects at 4-50 mas scales. IRIS will open up new areas of observational parameter space, allowing major progress in diverse fields of astronomy. We present the science case and resulting requirements for the performance of IRIS. Ultimately, the spectrograph will enable very well-resolved and sensitive studies of the kinematics and internal chemical abundances of high-redshift galaxies, shedding light on many scenarios for the evolution of galaxies at early times. With unprecedented imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets, IRIS will allow detailed exploration of a range of planetary systems that are inaccessible with current technology. By revealing details about resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies, it will directly probe the formation of systems like our own Milky Way. Because it will be possible to directly characterize the stellar initial mass function in many environments and in galaxies outside of the the Milky Way, IRIS will enable a greater understanding of whether stars form differently in diverse conditions. IRIS will reveal detailed kinematics in the centers of low-mass galaxies, allowing a test of black hole formation scenarios. Finally, it will revolutionize the characterization of reionization and the first galaxies to form in the universe.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

Physical Conditions in a Young, Unreddened, Low Metallicity Galaxy at High Redshift

Increasingly large samples of galaxies are now being discovered at redshifts z~5-6 and higher. Many of these objects are inferred to be young, low in mass, and relatively unreddened, but detailed analysis of their high quality spectra will not be possible until the advent of future facilities. In this paper we shed light on the physical conditions in a plausibly similar low mass galaxy by presenting the analysis of the rest-frame optical and UV spectra of Q2343-BX418, an L* galaxy at z=2.3 with a very low mass-to-light ratio and unusual properties: BX418 is young (<100 Myr), low mass (M_star ~ 10^9 Msun), low in metallicity (Z ~ 1/6 Zsun), and unreddened (E(B-V)~0.02, UV continuum slope beta=-2.1). We infer a metallicity 12+log(O/H)=7.9 +/- 0.2 from the rest-frame optical emission lines. We also determine the metallicity via the direct, electron temperature method, using the ratio O III] 1661, 1666/[O III] 5007 to determine the electron temperature and finding 12+ log(O/H)=7.8 +/- 0.1. These measurements place BX418 among the most metal-poor galaxies observed in emission at high redshift. The rest-frame UV spectrum contains strong emission from Lya (with rest-frame equivalent width 54 A), He II 1640 (both stellar and nebular), C III] 1907, 1909 and O III] 1661, 1666. The C IV/C III] ratio indicates that the source of ionization is unlikely to be an AGN. Analysis of the He II, O III] and C III] line strengths indicates a very high ionization parameter log U ~ -1, while Lya and the interstellar absorption lines indicate that outflowing gas is highly ionized over a wide range of velocities. It remains to be determined how many of BX418's unique spectral features are due to its global properties, such as low metallicity and dust extinction, and how many are indicative of a short-lived phase in the early evolution of an otherwise normal star-forming galaxy.

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arXiv2010

Assessing the Milky Way Satellites Associated with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

Numerical models of the tidal disruption of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy have recently been developed that for the first time simultaneously satisfy most observational constraints on the angular position, distance, and radial velocity trends of both leading and trailing tidal streams emanating from the dwarf. We use these dynamical models in combination with extant 3-D position and velocity data for Galactic globular clusters and dSph galaxies to identify those Milky Way satellites that are likely to have originally formed in Sgr and been stripped from it during its extended interaction with the Milky Way. We conclude that the globular clusters Arp 2, M 54, NGC 5634, Terzan 8, and Whiting 1 are likely associated with the Sgr dwarf, and that Berkeley 29, NGC 5053, Pal 12, and Terzan 7 may be as well. The initial Sgr system therefore may have contained 5-9 globular clusters, corresponding to a specific frequency S_N = 5 - 9 for an initial Sgr luminosity M_V = -15.0. Our result is consistent with the 8\pm2 Sgr globular clusters expected from statistical modeling of the Galactic globular cluster distribution and the corresponding false-association rate due to chance alignments with the Sgr streams. These clusters are consistent with previous reconstructions of the Sgr age-metallicity relation, and show no evidence for a second-parameter effect shaping their horizontal branch morphologies. We find no statistically significant evidence to suggest that any of the recently discovered population of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies are conclusively associated with the Sgr tidal streams. (Abridged).

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arXiv2010

The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy: a Model for Evolution in a Triaxial Milky Way Halo

We present a new N-body model for the tidal disruption of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf that is capable of simultaneously satisfying the majority of angular position, distance, and radial velocity constraints imposed by current wide-field surveys of its dynamically young (< 3 Gyr) tidal debris streams. In particular, this model resolves the conflicting angular position and radial velocity constraints on the Sgr leading tidal stream that have been highlighted in recent years. While the model does not reproduce the apparent bifurcation observed in the leading debris stream, recent observational data suggest that this bifurcation may represent a constraint on the internal properties of the Sgr dwarf rather than the details of its orbit. The key element in the success of this model is the introduction of a non-axisymmetric component to the Galactic gravitational potential which can be described in terms of a triaxial dark matter halo whose minor/major axis ratio (c/a)_Phi = 0.72 and intermediate/major axis ratio (b/a)_Phi = 0.99 at radii 20 < r < 60 kpc. The minor/intermediate/major axes of this halo lie along the directions (l, b) = (7, 0), (0, 90), and (97, 0) respectively, corresponding to a nearly-oblate ellipsoid whose minor axis is contained within the Galactic disk plane. We demonstrate that with simple assumptions about the star formation history of Sgr, tidal stripping models naturally give rise to gradients in the metallicity distribution function (MDF) along the stellar debris streams similar to those observed in recent studies. (Abridged).

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arXiv2009

Evidence for a Triaxial Milky Way Dark Matter Halo from the Sagittarius Stellar Tidal Stream

Observations of the lengthy tidal streams produced by the destruction of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal (Sgr dSph) are capable of providing strong constraints on the shape of the Galactic gravitational potential. However, previous work, based on modeling different stream properties in axisymmetric Galactic models has yielded conflicting results: while the angular precession of the Sgr leading arm is most consistent with a spherical or slightly oblate halo, the radial velocities of stars in this arm are only reproduced by prolate halo models. We demonstrate that this apparent paradox can be resolved by instead adopting a triaxial potential. Our new Galactic halo model, which simultaneously fits all well-established phase space constraints from the Sgr stream, provides the first conclusive evidence for, and tentative measurement of, triaxiality in an individual dark matter halo. The Milky Way halo within ~ 60 kpc is best characterized by a minor/major axis ratio of the isovelocity contours c/a ~ 0.67, intermediate/major axis ratio b/a ~ 0.83, and triaxiality parameter T ~ 0.56. In this model, the minor axis of the dark halo is coincident with the Galactic X axis connecting the Sun and the Galactic Center to within ~ 15 degrees, while the major axis also lies in the Galactic plane, approximately along the Galactic Y axis.

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arXiv2009

An OSIRIS study of the gas kinematics in a sample of UV-selected galaxies: Evidence of "Hot and Bothered" starbursts in the local Universe

We present data from Integral Field Spectroscopy for 3 supercompact UV-Luminous Galaxies (ScUVLGs). As nearby (z~0.2), compact (R_50~1-2 kpc), bright Paschen-alpha sources, with unusually high star formation rates (SFR=3-100 M_sun/yr), ScUVLGs are an ideal population for studying detailed kinematics and dynamics in actively star-forming galaxies. In addition, ScUVLGs appear to be excellent analogs to high redshift Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) and our results may offer additional insight into the dynamics of LBGs. Previous work by our team has shown that the morphologies of these galaxies exhibit tidal features and companions, and in this study we find that the dynamics of ScUVLGs are dominated by disturbed kinematics of the emission line gas-- suggestive that these galaxies have undergone recent feedback, interactions or mergers. While 2 of the 3 galaxies do display rotation, v/sigma < 1 -- suggesting dispersion dominated kinematics rather than smooth rotation. We also simulate how these observations would appear at z~2. Lower resolution and loss of low surface brightness features causes some apparent discrepancies between the low-z (observed) and high-z (simulated) interpretations and quantitatively gives different values for v/sigma, yet simulations of these low-z analogs manage to detect the brightest regions well and resemble actual high-z observations of LBGs.

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arXiv2009

The Kiloparsec-Scale Kinematics of High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies

We present the results of a spectroscopic survey of the kinematic structure of star-forming galaxies at redshift z ~ 2 - 3 using Keck/OSIRIS integral field spectroscopy. Our sample is comprised of 12 galaxies between redshifts z ~ 2.0 and 2.5 and one galaxy at z ~ 3.3 which are well detected in either HAlpha or [O III] emission. These observations were obtained in conjunction with the Keck laser guide star adaptive optics system, with a typical angular resolution after spatial smoothing ~ 0.15" (approximately 1 kpc at the redshift of the target sample). At most five of these 13 galaxies have spatially resolved velocity gradients consistent with rotation while the remaining galaxies have relatively featureless or irregular velocity fields. All of our galaxies show local velocity dispersions ~ 60 - 100 km/s, suggesting that (particularly for those galaxies with featureless velocity fields) rotation about a preferred axis may not be the dominant mechanism of physical support. While some galaxies show evidence for major mergers such evidence is unrelated to the kinematics of individual components (one of our strongest merger candidates also exhibits unambiguous rotational structure), refuting a simple bimodal disk/merger classification scheme. We discuss these data in light of complementary surveys and extant UV-IR spectroscopy and photometry, concluding that the dynamical importance of cold gas may be the primary factor governing the observed kinematics of z ~ 2 galaxies. We conclude by speculating on the importance of mechanisms for accreting low angular-momentum gas and the early formation of quasi-spheroidal systems in the young universe.(abridged)

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arXiv2009

Kinematics and Formation Mechanisms of High-Redshift Galaxies

Recent years have witnessed a substantial increase in our ability to trace the spatially resolved properties of rapidly star-forming galaxies in the high-redshift universe and numerous studies have suggested the importance of turbulent gas-phase kinematics. In this submission to the Astro 2010 Decadal survey we outline some of the major outstanding questions regarding the kinematics and formation history of these galaxies, such as the prevalence of various kinematic models, the relation to lower surface-brightness populations and faint AGN, and the implications for the evolution of gas accretion and cooling mechanisms with redshift. We comment on the capability of future large optical/IR and millimeter wavelength facilities to address these questions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2008

Dynamics of Galactic Disks and Mergers at z~1.6: Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy with Keck Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics

We present 0.2" resolution near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of H-alpha emission from six star forming galaxies at z~1.6 (look-back time of ~9.6 Gyr). These observations were obtained with OSIRIS using the Keck Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics system. All sources have a compact spatial extent of ~1", with an average half light radius of r=2.9 kpc and average dereddened star formation rate of 22 Msolar per year. Based on H-alpha kinematics we find that these six galaxies are dynamically distinguishable, and we classify them as either merger or disk candidate systems. We find three merger systems (HDF-BX1287, HDF-BX1315, and Q1623-BX491) with varying geometries and dynamical properties. Three galaxies (HDF-BMZ1299, Q2343-BX344, and Q2343-BM145) are well-fit by an inclined-disk model with low velocity residuals (20 to 46 km/sec). An average plateau velocity of v_p=185 km/sec is achieved within 1.0 kpc. The majority of observed velocity dispersions (~88 km/sec) can be explained by the residual seeing halo, and are not intrinsic to our sources. However, one merger and one disk candidate have high velocity dispersions (> 200 km/sec) that cannot be solely explained by beam smearing. For two disk candidates, we detect [NII] emission and are able to map the [NII]/H-alpha ratio on kiloparsec scales. In both cases, [NII] emission is more concentrated than H-alpha emission (< 0.2"), and peak ratios are best explained by the presence of an AGN. These are among the weakest known AGN at high redshift, however their emission is strong enough to impact high redshift metallicity studies that use nebular ratios. All disk candidates have likely completed only a few orbital periods, and if left unperturbed are excellent candidates to become present-day spiral galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

The Least Luminous Galaxy: Spectroscopy of the Milky Way Satellite Segue 1

We present Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy of Segue 1, an ultra-low luminosity (M_V = -1.5) Milky Way satellite companion. While the combined size and luminosity of Segue 1 are consistent with either a globular cluster or a dwarf galaxy, we present spectroscopic evidence that this object is a dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxy. We identify 24 stars as members of Segue 1 with a mean heliocentric recession velocity of 206 +/- 1.3 kms. We measure an internal velocity dispersion of 4.3+/-1.2 kms. Under the assumption that these stars are in dynamical equilibrium, we infer a total mass of 4.5^{+4.7}_{-2.5} x 10^5 Msun in the case where mass-follow-light; using a two-component maximum likelihood model, we determine a similar mass within the stellar radius of 50 pc. This implies a mass-to-light ratio of ln(M/L_V) = 7.2^{+1.1}_{-1.2} or M/L_V = 1320^{+2680}_{-940}. The error distribution of the mass-to-light ratio is nearly log-normal, thus Segue 1 is dark matter-dominated at a high significance. Using spectral synthesis modeling, we derive a metallicity for the single red giant branch star in our sample of [Fe/H]=-3.3 +/- 0.2 dex. Finally, we discuss the prospects for detecting gamma-rays from annihilation of dark matter particles and show that Segue 1 is the most promising satellite for indirect dark matter detection. We conclude that Segue 1 is the least luminous of the ultra-faint galaxies recently discovered around the Milky Way, and is thus the least luminous known galaxy.

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arXiv2007

A 2MASS All-Sky View of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy: Variation of the Metallicity Distribution Function Along the Sagittarius Stream

We present reliable measurements of the metallicity distribution function (MDF) at different points along the tidal stream of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy, based on high resolution, echelle spectroscopy of candidate M giant members of the Sgr system. The Sgr MDF is found to evolve significantly from a median [Fe/H] ~-0.4 in the core to ~-1.1 dex over a Sgr leading arm length representing ~2.5-3.0 Gyr of dynamical (i.e. tidal stripping) age. This is direct evidence that there can be significant chemical differences between current dSph satellites and the bulk of the stars they have contributed to the halo. Our results suggest that Sgr experienced a significant change in binding energy over the past several Gyr, which has substantially decreased its tidal boundary across a radial range over which there must have been a significant metallicity gradient in the progenitor galaxy. By accounting for MDF variation along the debris arms, we approximate the MDF Sgr would have had several Gyr ago. We also analyze the MDF of a moving group of M giants we previously discovered towards the North Galactic Cap having opposite radial velocities to the infalling Sgr leading arm stars there and propose that most of these represent Sgr trailing arm stars overlapping the Sgr leading arm in this part of the sky. If so, these trailing arm stars further demonstrate the strong MDF evolution within the Sgr stream.

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arXiv2007

Integral Field Spectroscopy of High-Redshift Star Forming Galaxies with Laser Guided Adaptive Optics: Evidence for Dispersion-Dominated Kinematics

We present early results from an ongoing study of the kinematic structure of star-forming galaxies at redshift z ~ 2 - 3 using integral-field spectroscopy of rest-frame optical nebular emission lines in combination with Keck laser guide star adaptive optics (LGSAO). We show kinematic maps of 3 target galaxies Q1623-BX453, Q0449-BX93, and DSF2237a-C2 located at redshifts z = 2.1820, 2.0067, and 3.3172 respectively, each of which is well-resolved with a PSF measuring approximately 0.11 - 0.15 arcsec (~ 900 - 1200 pc at z ~ 2-3) after cosmetic smoothing. Neither galaxy at z ~ 2 exhibits substantial kinematic structure on scales >~ 30 km/s; both are instead consistent with largely dispersion-dominated velocity fields with sigma ~ 80 km/s along any given line of sight into the galaxy. In contrast, DSF2237a-C2 presents a well-resolved gradient in velocity over a distance of ~ 4 kpc with peak-to-peak amplitude of 140 km/s. It is unlikely that DSF2237a-C2 represents a dynamically cold rotating disk of ionized gas as the local velocity dispersion of the galaxy (sigma = 79 km/s) is comparable to the observed shear. Using extant multi-wavelength spectroscopy and photometry we relate these kinematic data to physical properties such as stellar mass, gas fraction, star formation rate, and outflow kinematics and consider the applicability of current galaxy formation models.[Abridged]

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arXiv2007

Morphologies of Galaxies in and around a Protocluster at z=2.300

We present results from the first robust investigation of galaxy morphology as a function of environment at z>1.5. Our study is motivated by the fact that star-forming galaxies contained within a protocluster at z=2.3 in the HS1700+64 field have significantly older ages and larger stellar masses on average than those at similar redshifts but more typical environmental densities. In the analysis of HST/ACS images, we apply non-parametric statistics to characterize the rest-frame UV morphologies of a sample of 85 UV-selected star-forming galaxies at z=1.7-2.9, 22 of which are contained in the protocluster. The remaining 63 control-sample galaxies are not in the protocluster but have a similar mean redshift of ~2.3. We find no environmental dependence for the distributions of morphological properties. Combining the measured morphologies with the results of population synthesis modeling, we find only weak correlations, if any, between morphological and stellar population properties such as stellar mass, age, extinction and star-formation rate. Given the incomplete census of the protocluster galaxy population, and the lack of correlation between rest-frame UV morphology and star-formation history at z~2 within our sample, the absence of environmental trends in the distribution of morphological properties is not surprising. Additionally, using a larger sample of photometric candidates, we compare morphological distributions for 282 UV-selected and 43 near-IR-selected galaxies. While the difference in the degree of nebulosity between the two samples appears to be a byproduct of the fainter average rest-frame UV surface brightness of the near-IR-selected galaxies, we find that, among the lowest surface brightness galaxies, the near-IR-selected objects have significantly smaller angular sizes (abridged).

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arXiv2006

The Physical Nature of Rest-UV Galaxy Morphology During the Peak Epoch of Galaxy Formation

Motivated by the irregular and little-understood morphologies of z ~ 2 - 3 galaxies, we use non-parametric coefficents to quantify the morphologies of 216 galaxies which have been spectroscopically confirmed to lie at redshifts z = 1.8 - 3.4 in the GOODS-N field. Using measurements of ultraviolet (UV) and optical spectral lines, multi-band photometric data, and stellar population models we statistically assess possible correlations between galaxy morphology and physical observables such as stellar mass, star formation rate, and the strength of galaxy-scale outflows. We find evidence that dustier galaxies have more nebulous UV morphologies and that larger, more luminous galaxies may drive stronger outflows, but otherwise conclude that UV morphology is either statistically decoupled from the majority of physical observables or determined by too complex a combination of physical processes to provide characterizations with predictive power. Given the absence of strong correlations between UV morphology and physical parameters such as star formation rates, we are therefore unable to support the hypothesis that morphologically irregular galaxies predominantly represent major galaxy mergers. Comparing galaxy samples, we find that IR-selected BzK galaxies and radio-selected submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) have UV morphologies similar to the optically selected sample, while distant red galaxies (DRGs) are more nebulous.

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arXiv2006

A Deep Proper-Motion Survey in Kapteyn Selected Areas: I. Survey Description and First Results for Stars in the Tidal Tail of Sagittarius and in the Monoceros Ring

We describe a high-precision, deep (to V ~ 19-21) absolute proper-motion survey that samples ~50 lines of sight in the Kapteyn Selected Areas along declination zones -15, 0 and 15 degrees. In many fields the astrometric baseline reaches nearly a century. We demonstrate that these data provide typical per star precisions between ~ 1 and 3 mas/yr to the above magnitude limits, with the absolute reference frame established by numerous extragalactic sources in each survey field. Combined with existing and ongoing photometric and radial velocity surveys in these fields, these astrometric data will enable, among other things, accurate, detailed dynamical modeling of satellite interactions with our Galaxy. In this contribution we describe the astrometric part of our survey and show preliminary results along the trailing tail of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, and in the Monoceros ring region.

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arXiv2005

Measuring Fundamental Galactic Parameters with Stellar Tidal Streams and SIM PlanetQuest

Extended halo tidal streams from disrupting Milky Way satellites offer new opportunities for gauging fundamental Galactic parameters without challenging observations of the Galactic center. In the roughly spherical Galactic potential tidal debris from a satellite system is largely confined to a single plane containing the Galactic center, so accurate distances to stars in the tidal stream can be used to gauge the Galactic center distance, R_0, given reasonable projection of the stream orbital pole on the X_GC axis. Alternatively, a tidal stream with orbital pole near the Y_GC axis, like the Sagittarius stream, can be used to derive the speed of the Local Standard of Rest (Θ_LSR). Modest improvements in current astrometric catalogues might allow this measurement to be made, but NASA's Space Interferometry Mission (SIM PlanetQuest) can definitively obtain both R_0 and Θ_LSR using tidal streams.

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arXiv2005

Predictions and Strategies for Integral-Field Spectroscopy of High-Redshift Galaxies

We investigate the ability of infrared integral-field spectrographs to map the velocity fields of high redshift galaxies, presenting a formalism which may be applied to any telescope and imaging spectrograph system. We discuss the 5-sigma limiting line fluxes which current integral-field spectrographs will reach, and extend this discussion to consider future large aperture telescopes with cryogenically cooled adaptive reimaging optics. In particular, we simulate observations of spectral line emission from star-forming regions at redshifts z = 0.5 to 2.5 using a variety of spatial sampling scales and give predictions for the signal-to-noise ratio expected as a function of redshift. Using values characteristic of the W.M. Keck II telescope and the new OH-Suppressing InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (OSIRIS) we calculate integral-field signal-to-noise ratio maps for a sample of U_nGR color-selected star-forming galaxies at redshift z ~ 2 - 2.6 and demonstrate that OSIRIS will be able to reconstruct the two-dimensional projected velocity fields of these galaxies on scales of 100 mas (~ 1 kpc at redshift z ~ 2). With signal-to-noise ratios per spatial sample up to ~ 20, OSIRIS will in some cases be able to distinguish between merger activity and ordered disk rotation. Structures on scales smaller than 1 kpc may be detected by OSIRIS for particularly bright sources, and will be easy targets for future 30m class telescopes.

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