arXiv subjects

Dawn K. Erb

Publications and source records attributed to Dawn K. Erb.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

High Velocity Dispersion in A Rare Grand Design Spiral Galaxy at Redshift z=2.18

Although relatively common in the local Universe, only one grand-design spiral galaxy has been spectroscopically confirmed to lie at z>2 (HDFX 28; z=2.011), and may prove to be a major merger that simply resembles a spiral in projection. The rarity of spirals has been explained as a result of disks being dynamically 'hot' at z>2 which may instead favor the formation of commonly-observed clumpy structures. Alternatively, current instrumentation may simply not be sensitive enough to detect spiral structures comparable to those in the modern Universe. At redshifts <2, the velocity dispersion of disks decreases, and spiral galaxies are more numerous by z~1. Here we report observations of the grand design spiral galaxy Q2343-BX442 at z=2.18. Spectroscopy of ionized gas shows that the disk is dynamically hot, implying an uncertain origin for the spiral structure. The kinematics of the galaxy are consistent with a thick disk undergoing a minor merger, which can drive the formation of short-lived spiral structure. A duty cycle of < 100 Myr for such tidally-induced spiral structure in a hot massive disk is consistent with their rarity.

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arXiv2012

The Characteristic Star Formation Histories of Galaxies at Redshifts z~2-7

A large sample of spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at 1.4 2. The SFRs of z~2-3 galaxies are directly proportional to their stellar masses M*, with unity slope---a result that is confirmed with Spitzer/IRAC stacks of 1179 UV-faint (R>25.5) galaxies---for M*>5e8 Msun and SFRs >2 Msun/yr. We interpret this result in the context of several systematic biases that can affect determinations of the SFR-M* relation. The average specific SFRs at z~2-3 are similar within a factor of two to those measured at z>4, implying an average SFH where SFRs increase with time. A consequence of these rising SFHs is that (a) a substantial fraction of UV-bright z~2-3 galaxies had faint sub-L* progenitors at z>4; and (b) gas masses must increase with time from z=7 to 2, over which time the net cold gas accretion rate---as inferred from the specific SFR and the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation---is ~2-3x larger than the SFR . However, if we evolve to higher redshift the SFHs and masses of the halos that are expected to host L* galaxies at z~2, we find that <10% of the baryons accreted onto typical halos at z>4 actually contribute to star formation at those epochs. These results highlight the relative inefficiency of star formation even at early cosmic times when galaxies were first assembling. [Abridged]

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arXiv2012

The Gaseous Environment of High-z Galaxies: Precision Measurements of Neutral Hydrogen in the Circumgalactic Medium of z ~ 2-3 Galaxies in the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey

We present results from the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey (KBSS), a unique spectroscopic survey designed to explore the connection between galaxies and intergalactic baryons. The KBSS is optimized for the redshift range z ~ 2-3, combining S/N ~ 100 Keck/HIRES spectra of 15 hyperluminous QSOs with densely sampled galaxy redshift surveys surrounding each QSO sightline. We perform Voigt profile decomposition of all 6000 HI absorbers within the full Lya forest in the QSO spectra. Here we present the distribution, column density, kinematics, and absorber line widths of HI surrounding 886 star-forming galaxies with 2.0 < z < 2.8 and within 3 Mpc of a QSO sightline. We find that N_HI and the multiplicity of HI components increase rapidly near galaxies. The strongest HI absorbers within ~ 100 physical kpc of galaxies have N_HI ~ 3 dex higher than those near random locations in the IGM. The circumgalactic zone of most enhanced HI absorption (CGM) is found within 300 kpc and 300 km/s of galaxies. Nearly half of absorbers with log(N_HI) > 15.5 are found within the CGM of galaxies meeting our photometric selection, while their CGM occupy only 1.5% of the cosmic volume. The spatial covering fraction, multiplicity of absorption components, and characteristic N_HI remain elevated to transverse distances of 2 physical Mpc. Absorbers with log(N_HI) > 14.5 are tightly correlated with the positions of galaxies, while absorbers with lower N_HI are correlated only on Mpc scales. Redshift anisotropies on Mpc scales indicate coherent infall toward galaxies, while on scales of ~100 physical kpc peculiar velocities of 260 km/s are indicated. The median Doppler widths of absorbers within 1-3 virial radii of galaxies are ~50% larger than randomly chosen absorbers of the same N_HI, suggesting higher gas temperatures and/or increased turbulence likely caused by accretion shocks and/or galactic winds.

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arXiv2011

An HST/WFC3-IR Morphological Survey of Galaxies at z = 1.5-3.6: I. Survey Description and Morphological Properties of Star Forming Galaxies

We present the results of a 42-orbit HST/WFC3 survey of the rest-frame optical morphologies of star forming galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the range z=1.5-3.6. The survey consists of 42 orbits of F160W imaging covering ~65 arcmin^2 distributed widely across the sky and reaching a depth of 27.9 AB for a 5 sigma detection within a 0.2 arcsec radius aperture. Focusing on an optically selected sample of 306 star forming galaxies with stellar masses in the range M* = 10^9 - 10^11 Msun, we find that typical circularized effective half-light radii range from ~ 0.7 - 3.0 kpc and describe a stellar mass - radius relation as early as z ~ 3. While these galaxies are best described by an exponential surface brightness profile, their distribution of axis ratios is strongly inconsistent with a population of inclined exponential disks and is better reproduced by triaxial stellar systems with minor/major and intermediate/major axis ratios ~ 0.3 and 0.7 respectively. While rest-UV and rest-optical morphologies are generally similar for a subset of galaxies with HST/ACS imaging data, differences are more pronounced at higher masses M* > 3 x 10^10 Msun. Finally, we discuss galaxy morphology in the context of efforts to constrain the merger fraction, finding that morphologically-identified mergers/non-mergers generally have insignificant differences in terms of physical observables such as stellar mass and star formation rate, although merger-like galaxies selected according to some criteria have statistically smaller effective radii and correspondingly larger SFR surface density.

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arXiv2011

First Results from the 3D-HST Survey: The Striking Diversity of Massive Galaxies at z>1

We present first results from the 3D-HST program, a near-IR spectroscopic survey performed with the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope. We have used 3D-HST spectra to measure redshifts and Halpha equivalent widths for a stellar mass-limited sample of 34 galaxies at 1 10^11 M(sun) in the COSMOS, GOODS, and AEGIS fields. We find that a substantial fraction of massive galaxies at this epoch are forming stars at a high rate: the fraction of galaxies with Halpha equivalent widths >10 A is 59%, compared to 10% among SDSS galaxies of similar masses at z=0.1. Galaxies with weak Halpha emission show absorption lines typical of 2-4 Gyr old stellar populations. The structural parameters of the galaxies, derived from the associated WFC3 F140W imaging data, correlate with the presence of Halpha: quiescent galaxies are compact with high Sersic index and high inferred velocity dispersion, whereas star-forming galaxies are typically large two-armed spiral galaxies, with low Sersic index. Some of these star forming galaxies might be progenitors of the most massive S0 and Sa galaxies. Our results challenge the idea that galaxies at fixed mass form a homogeneous population with small scatter in their properties. Instead we find that massive galaxies form a highly diverse population at z>1, in marked contrast to the local Universe.

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arXiv2011

Filamentary Large Scale Structure Traced by Six Ly-alpha Blobs at z=2.3

Extended nebulae of Ly-alpha emission ("Ly-alpha blobs") are known to be associated with overdense regions at high redshift. Here we present six large Ly-alpha blobs in a previously known protocluster with galaxy overdensity delta ~ 7 at z = 2.3; this is the richest field of giant Ly-alpha blobs detected to date. The blobs have linear sizes >~100 kpc and Ly-alpha luminosities of ~10^43 erg/s. The positions of the blobs define two linear filaments with an extent of at least 12 comoving Mpc; these filaments intersect at the center of one of the blobs. Measurement of the position angles of the blobs indicates that five of the six are aligned with these filaments to within ~10 degrees, suggesting a connection between the physical processes powering extended Ly-alpha emission and those driving structure on larger scales.

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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

Dust Obscuration and Metallicity at High Redshift: New Inferences from UV, H-alpha, and 8 Micron Observations of z~2 Star-Forming Galaxies

We use a sample of 90 spectroscopically-confirmed Lyman Break Galaxies with H-alpha and 24 micron observations to constrain the relationship between rest-frame 8 micron luminosity, L(8), and star formation rate (SFR) for L* galaxies at z~2. We find a tight correlation with 0.24 dex scatter between L8 and L(Ha)/SFR for z~2 galaxies with L(IR)~10^10 - 10^12 Lsun. Employing this relationship with a larger sample of 392 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts, we find that the UV slope can be used to recover the dust attenuation of the vast majority of L* galaxies at z~2 to within 0.4 dex scatter using the local correlation. Separately, young galaxies with ages <100 Myr appear to follow an extinction curve that is steeper than the one found for local starburst galaxies. Therefore, such young galaxies may be significantly less dusty than inferred previously. Our results provide the first direct evidence, independent of the UV slope, for a correlation between UV and bolometric luminosity at high redshift, in the sense that UV-faint galaxies are also on average less infrared and less bolometrically-luminous than their UV-bright counterparts. Further, as the SFR increases, the UV luminosity reaches a maximum value corresponding to L* at z~2, implying that dust obscuration may be largely responsible for modulating the bright-end of the UV luminosity function. L* galaxies at z~2, while at least an order of magnitude more bolometrically-luminous, exhibit ratios of metals-to-dust that are similar to those of local starbursts. This result is expected if high-redshift galaxies are forming their stars in a less metal-rich environment compared to local galaxies of the same luminosity, thus naturally leading to a redshift evolution in both the luminosity-metallicity and luminosity-obscuration relations. [Abridged]

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arXiv2010

The Relationship Between Stellar Populations and Lyman Alpha Emission in Lyman Break Galaxies

We present the results of a photometric and spectroscopic survey of 321 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z ~ 3 to investigate systematically the relationship between Lya emission and stellar populations. Lya equivalent widths (EW) were calculated from rest-frame UV spectroscopy and optical/near-infrared/Spitzer photometry was used in population synthesis modeling to derive the key properties of age, dust extinction, star formation rate (SFR), and stellar mass. We directly compare the stellar populations of LBGs with and without strong Lya emission, where we designate the former group (EW > 20 AA) as Lya emitters (LAEs) and the latter group (EW < 20 AA) as non-LAEs. This controlled method of comparing objects from the same UV luminosity distribution represents an improvement over previous studies in which the stellar populations of LBGs and narrowband-selected LAEs were contrasted, where the latter were often intrinsically fainter in broadband filters by an order of magnitude simply due to different selection criteria. Using a variety of statistical tests, we find that Lya equivalent width and age, SFR, and dust extinction, respectively, are significantly correlated in the sense that objects with strong Lya emission also tend to be older, lower in star formation rate, and less dusty than objects with weak Lya emission, or the line in absorption. We accordingly conclude that, within the LBG sample, objects with strong Lya emission represent a later stage of galaxy evolution in which supernovae-induced outflows have reduced the dust covering fraction. We also examined the hypothesis that the attenuation of Lya photons is lower than that of the continuum, as proposed by some, but found no evidence to support this picture.

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arXiv2009

Chemical Abundances in Star-Forming Galaxies at High Redshift

A galaxy's metallicity provides a record of star formation, gas accretion, and gas outflow, and is therefore one of the most informative measurements that can be made at high redshift. It is also one of the most difficult. I review methods of determining chemical abundances in distant star-forming galaxies, and summarize results for galaxies at 1<z<3. I then focus on the mass-metallicity relation, its evolution with redshift, and its uses in constraining inflows and outflows of gas, and conclude with a brief discussion of future prospects for metallicity measurements at high redshift.

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arXiv2009

The SINS Survey: Broad Emission Lines in High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies

High signal-to-noise, representative spectra of star-forming galaxies at z~2, obtained via stacking, reveal a high-velocity component underneath the narrow H-alpha and [NII] emission lines. When modeled as a single Gaussian, this broad component has FWHM > 1500 km/s; when modeled as broad wings on the H-alpha and [NII] features, it has FWHM > 500 km/s. This feature is preferentially found in the more massive and more rapidly star-forming systems, which also tend to be older and larger galaxies. We interpret this emission as evidence of either powerful starburst-driven galactic winds or active supermassive black holes. If galactic winds are responsible for the broad emission, the observed luminosity and velocity of this gas imply mass outflow rates comparable to the star formation rate. On the other hand, if the broad line regions of active black holes account for the broad feature, the corresponding black holes masses are estimated to be an order of magnitude lower than those predicted by local scaling relations, suggesting a delayed assembly of supermassive black holes with respect to their host bulges.

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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.

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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.

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arXiv2007

A Model for Star Formation, Gas Flows and Chemical Evolution in Galaxies at High Redshifts

Motivated by the increasing use of the Kennicutt-Schmidt (K-S) star formation law to interpret observations of high redshift galaxies, the importance of gas accretion to galaxy formation, and the recent observations of chemical abundances in galaxies at z~2-3, I use simple analytical models to assess the consistency of these processes of galaxy evolution with observations and with each other. I derive the time dependence of star formation implied by the K-S law, and show that the sustained high star formation rates observed in galaxies at z~2-3 require the accretion of additional gas. A model in which the gas accretion rate is approximately equal to the combined star formation and outflow rates broadly reproduces the observed trends of star formation rate with galaxy age. Using an analytical description of chemical evolution, I also show that this model, further constrained to have an outflow rate roughly equal to the star formation rate, reproduces the observed mass-metallicity relation at z~2.

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arXiv2007

The Sightline to Q2343-BX415: Clues to Galaxy Formation in a Quasar Environment

(Abridged) We have discovered a strong DLA coincident in redshift with the faint QSO Q2343-BX415 (R = 20.2, z_em = 2.57393). Follow-up observations at intermediate spectral resolution reveal that the metal lines associated with this 'proximate' DLA consist of two sets of absorption components. One set is moving towards the quasar with velocities of ~ 150-600 km/s; this gas is highly ionized and does not fully cover the continuum source, suggesting that it is physically close to the active nucleus. The other, which accounts for most of the neutral gas, is blueshifted relative to the QSO, with the strongest component at ~ -160 km/s. We consider the possibility that the PDLA arises in the outflowing interstellar medium of the host galaxy of Q2343-BX415, an interpretation supported by strong C IV and N V absorption at nearby velocities, and by the intense radiation field longward of the Lyman limit implied by the high C II*/H I ratio. If Q2343-BX415 is the main source of these UV photons, then the PDLA is located at either ~ 8 or ~ 37 kpc from the active nucleus. Alternatively, the absorber may be a foreground star-forming galaxy unrelated to the quasar and coincidentally at the same redshift, but our deep imaging and follow-up spectroscopy of the field of Q2343-BX415 has not yet produced a likely candidate. We measure the abundances of 14 elements in the PDLA, finding an overall metallicity of ~ 1/5 solar and a normal pattern of relative element abundances for this metallicity. Thus, in this PDLA there is no evidence for the super-solar metallicities that have been claimed for some proximate, high ionization, systems.

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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

Multi-Wavelength Constraints on the Cosmic Star Formation History from Spectroscopy: the Rest-Frame UV, H-alpha, and Infrared Luminosity Functions at Redshifts 1.9<z<3.4

We use a sample of rest-frame UV selected and spectroscopically observed galaxies at redshifts 1.9<z<3.4, combined with ground-based spectroscopic H-alpha and Spitzer MIPS 24 micron data, to derive the most robust measurements of the rest-frame UV, H-alpha, and infrared (IR) luminosity functions (LFs) at these redshifts. Our sample is by far the largest of its kind, with over 2000 spectroscopic redshifts in the range 1.9<z<3.4 and ~15000 photometric candidates in 29 independent fields covering a total area of almost a square degree. Our method for computing the LFs takes into account a number of systematic effects, including photometric scatter, Ly-alpha perturbations to optical colors, and contaminants. Taking into account the latter, we find no evidence for an excess of UV-bright galaxies over what was inferred in early z~3 LBG studies. The UV LF appears to undergo little evolution between z~4 and z~2. Corrected for extinction, the UV luminosity density (LD) at z~2 is at least as large as the value at z~3 and a factor of ~9 larger than the value at z~6, primarily reflecting an increase in the number density of bright galaxies between z~6 and z~2. Our analysis yields the first constraints anchored by extensive spectroscopy on the IR and bolometric LFs for faint and moderately luminous (L[bol]<10^12 L_sun) galaxies. Adding the IR to the emergent UV luminosity, incorporating independent measurements of the LD from ULIRGs, and assuming realistic dust attenuation values for UV-faint galaxies, indicates that galaxies with L[bol]<10^12 L_sun account for ~80% of the bolometric LD and SFRD at z~2-3. Our multi-wavelength constraints on the global SFRD indicate that approximately one-third of the present-day stellar mass density was formed in sub-ultraluminous galaxies between redshifts z=1.9-3.4. [Abridged]

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