arXiv subjects

Duho Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Duho Kim.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Environmental dependence of galaxy properties in the DESI DR1 Bright Galaxy Survey: Star formation, morphology, and AGN activity at z < 0.55

We present the environmental dependence of galaxy properties using $\sim$1.4 million BGS_BRIGHT galaxies in groups and clusters ($\log(M_h/M_\odot) \geq 12.5$) from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Data Release 1 at $0.05 < z < 0.55$. Using the magnitude-limited BGS_BRIGHT sample ($r < 19.5$) and the extended halo-based group catalogue, we examine how specific star formation rate (sSFR), Sersic index, and active galactic nucleus (AGN) fraction depend on halo mass across stellar masses $\log(M_*/M_\odot) = 9.0$-$12.0$ and halo masses $\log(M_h/M_\odot) = 12.5$-$15.0$. The median sSFR decreases with increasing halo mass, but much of this trend is driven by the rising satellite fraction rather than stronger suppression of individual galaxies. Satellites show lower median sSFR than centrals at fixed stellar mass and halo mass, most clearly at intermediate stellar masses. The stellar mass threshold at which the environmental trend becomes apparent shifts from $\log(M_*/M_\odot) \sim 11$ at $z \sim 0.4$ to $\sim 10$ at $z \sim 0.1$, a shift that partly tracks the survey's rising stellar-mass completeness limit. The mean Sersic index increases only weakly with halo mass (median $\Delta\log(n) \approx 0.05$ from field to cluster at fixed stellar mass and redshift). Among emission-line-detected galaxies (S/N $> 3$ in all four BPT lines), the combined AGN fraction increases monotonically with stellar mass. At fixed stellar mass, the Seyfert fraction shows no significant environmental trend (consistent with flat; field-to-cluster differences $\lesssim 3\sigma$ in the only well-populated high-mass bin), and the LINER fraction likewise shows no clear environmental trend. The most robust outcome of this work is the relative environmental ordering of galaxy properties and its decomposition into intrinsic suppression and compositional (satellite fraction) effects.

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arXiv2025

Morphological Feature Distances Among the Spectral Types of SDSS Galaxies

This study investigates the morphological feature distances among various spectral types of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, including strong and weak active galactic nuclei (AGN), quasi-stellar objects (QSO), quiescent, and star-forming galaxies. We evaluated the clustering and relative distances of these spectral types in the multidimensional morphological feature space. The results indicate that AGN and QSOs are more closely associated with quiescent galaxies than with star-forming ones, indicating a potential regulation of star formation by AGN activity. Furthermore, the analysis underlines the role of AGN feedback in the dwarf regime having $\sim$10%-50% closer distances from AGN types to the quiescent type than to the star-forming type in the dwarf regime $-18 > M_r > -20$, compared to $<$15% closer in the massive regime $M_r < -21$. The continuous probability analysis of spectral types being Hubble types upholds the distance analysis results having a range of the probability distribution of AGN types similar to the quiescent type, especially in dwarf galaxies.

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arXiv2024

Distribution of merging and post-merging galaxies in nearby galaxy clusters

We study the incidence and spatial distribution of galaxies that are currently undergoing gravitational merging (M) or that have signs of a post merger (PM) in six galaxy clusters (A754, A2399, A2670, A3558, A3562, and A3716) within the redshift range, 0.05$\lesssim$$z$$\lesssim$0.08. To this aim, we obtained Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mosaics in $u^{\prime}$, $g^{\prime}$, and $r^{\prime}$-bands covering up to $3\times R_{200}$ of the clusters, reaching 28 mag/arcsec$^2$ surface brightness limits. We visually inspect $u^{\prime}$$g^{\prime}$$r^{\prime}$ color-composite images of volume-limited ($M_r < -20$) cluster-member galaxies to identify whether galaxies are of M or PM types. We find 4% M-type and 7% PM-type galaxies in the galaxy clusters studied. By adding spectroscopic data and studying the projected phase space diagram (PPSD) of the projected clustocentric radius and the line-of-sight velocity, we find that PM-type galaxies are more virialized than M-type galaxies, having 1--5% point higher fraction within the escape-velocity region, while the fraction of M-type was $\sim$10% point higher than PM-type in the intermediate environment. Similarly, on a substructure analysis, M types were found in the outskirt groups, while PM types populated groups in ubiquitous regions of the PPSD. Adopting literature-derived dynamical state indicator values, we observed a higher abundance of M types in dynamically relaxed clusters. This finding suggests that galaxies displaying post-merging features within clusters likely merged in low-velocity environments, including cluster outskirts and dynamically relaxed clusters.

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arXiv2024

Pre- and post-processing of cluster galaxies out to $5 \times R_{200}$: The extreme case of A2670

We study galaxy interactions in the large scale environment around A2670, a massive ($M_{200}$ = $8.5 \pm 1.2~\times 10^{14} \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$) and interacting galaxy cluster at z = 0.0763. We first characterize the environment of the cluster out to 5$\times R_{200}$ and find a wealth of substructures, including the main cluster core, a large infalling group, and several other substructures. To study the impact of these substructures (pre-processing) and their accretion into the main cluster (post-processing) on the member galaxies, we visually examined optical images to look for signatures indicative of gravitational or hydrodynamical interactions. We find that $\sim 21$ % of the cluster galaxies have clear signs of disturbances, with most of those ($\sim60$ %) likely being disturbed by ram pressure. The number of ram-pressure stripping candidates found (101) in A2670 is the largest to date for a single system, and while they are more common in the cluster core, they can be found even at $> 4 \times R_{200}$, confirming cluster influence out to large radii. In support of a pre-processing scenario, most of the disturbed galaxies follow the substructures found, with the richest structures having more disturbed galaxies. Post-processing also seems plausible, as many galaxy-galaxy mergers are seen near the cluster core, which is not expected in relaxed clusters. In addition, there is a comparable fraction of disturbed galaxies in and outside substructures. Overall, our results highlight the complex interplay of gas stripping and gravitational interactions in actively assembling clusters up to $5\times R_{200}$, motivating wide-area studies in larger cluster samples.

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arXiv2022

The Infrared Medium-deep Survey. IX. Discovery of Two New $z\sim6$ Quasars and Space Density down to $M_{1450}\sim-23.5$ mag

We present the result of the Infrared Medium-deep Survey (IMS) $z\sim6$ quasar survey, using the combination of the IMS near-infrared images and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) optical images. The traditional color-selection method results in 25 quasar candidates over $86$ deg$^{2}$. We introduce the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) with the high-redshift quasar and late-type star models to prioritize the candidates efficiently. Among the color-selected candidates, seven plausible candidates finally passed the AICc selection of which three are known quasars at $z\sim6$. The follow-up spectroscopic observations for the remaining four candidates were carried out, and we confirmed that two out of four are $z\sim6$ quasars. With this complete sample, we revisited the quasar space density at $z\sim6$ down to $M_{1450}\sim-23.5$ mag. Our result supports the low quasar space density at the luminosity where the quasar's ultraviolet ionizing emissivity peaks, favoring a minor contribution of quasars to the cosmic reionization.

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arXiv2020

The Infrared Medium-deep Survey. VIII. Quasar Luminosity Function at $z\sim5$

Faint $z\sim5$ quasars with $M_{1450}\sim-23$ mag are known to be the potentially important contributors to the ultraviolet ionizing background in the post-reionization era. However, their number density has not been well determined, making it difficult to assess their role in the early ionization of the intergalactic medium (IGM). In this work, we present the updated results of our $z\sim5$ quasar survey using the Infrared Medium-deep Survey (IMS), a near-infrared imaging survey covering an area of 85 deg$^{2}$. From our spectroscopic observations with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on the Gemini-South 8 m Telescope, we discovered eight new quasars at $z\sim5$ with $-26.1\leq M_{1450} \leq -23.3$. Combining our IMS faint quasars ($M_{1450}>-27$ mag) with the brighter Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars ($M_{1450}<-27$ mag), we derive the $z\sim5$ quasar luminosity function (QLF) without any fixed parameters down to the magnitude limit of $M_{1450}=-23$ mag. We find that the faint-end slope of the QLF is very flat ($α=-1.2^{+1.4}_{-0.6}$), with a characteristic luminosity of $M^{*}_{1450}=-25.8^{+1.4}_{-1.1}$ mag. The number density of $z\sim5$ quasars from the QLF gives an ionizing emissivity at 912 $\unicode{x212B}$ of $ε_{912}=(3.7$--$7.1)\times10^{23}$ erg s$^{-1}$ Hz$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ and an ionizing photon density of $\dot{n}_{\rm ion}=(3.0$--$5.7)\times10^{49}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ s$^{-1}$. These results imply that quasars are responsible for only 10-20% (up to 50% even in the extreme case) of the photons required to completely ionize the IGM at $z\sim5$, disfavoring the idea that quasars alone could have ionized the IGM at $z\sim5$.

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arXiv2020

The Infrared Medium-deep Survey. \Romannum{7}. Faint Quasars at $z \sim 5$ in the ELAIS-N1 Field

The intergalactic medium (IGM) at $z\sim$ 5 to 6 is largely ionized, and yet the main source for the IGM ionization in the early universe is uncertain. Of the possible contributors are faint quasars with $-26 \lesssim M_{\rm 1450} \lesssim -23$, but their number density is poorly constrained at $z\sim5$. In this paper, we present our survey of faint quasars at $z\sim5$ in the European Large-Area {\it ISO} Survey-North 1 (ELAIS-N1) field over a survey area of 6.51 deg$^2$ and examine if such quasars can be the dominant source of the IGM ionization. We use the deep optical/near-infrared data of the ELAIS-N1 field as well as the additional medium-band observations to find $z \sim 5$ quasars through a two-step approach using the broadband color selection, and SED fitting with the medium-band information included. Adopting Bayesian information criterion, we identify ten promising quasar candidates. Spectra of three of the candidates are obtained, confirming all of them to be quasars at $z\sim5$ and supporting the reliability of the quasar selection. Using the promising candidates, we derive the $z\sim5$ quasar luminosity function at $-26 \lesssim M_{\rm 1450} \lesssim -23$. The number density of faint $z\sim5$ quasars in the ELAIS-N1 field is consistent with several previous results that quasars are not the main contributors to the IGM-ionizing photons at $z\sim5$

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arXiv2019

Analysis of the spatially-resolved $V$-3.6$μ$m colors and dust extinction in 257 nearby NGC and IC galaxies

We present and analyze spatially-resolved maps for the observed $V$- and $g$-band to 3.6$μ$m flux ratios and the inferred dust extinction values, $A_V$, for a sample of 257 nearby NGC and IC galaxies. Flux ratio maps are constructed using PSF-matched mosaics of SDSS $g$- and $r$-band images and Spitzer/IRAC 3.6$μ$m mosaics, with all pixels contaminated by foreground stars or background objects masked out. By applying the $β_V$ method (Tamura et al. 2009, 2010), which was recently calibrated as a function of redshift and morphological type by Kim, Jansen, & Windhorst (2017), dust extinction maps were created for each galaxy. The typical 1-$σ$ scatter in $β_V$ around the average, both within a galaxy and in each morphological type bin, is $\sim$20%. Combined, these result in a $\sim$0.4 mag scatter in $A_V$. $β_V$ becomes insensitive to small-scale variations in stellar populations once resolution elements subtend an angle larger than that of a typical giant molecular cloud ($\sim$200pc). We find noticeably redder $V$$-$3.6$μ$m colors in the center of star-forming galaxies and galaxies with a weak AGN. The derived intrinsic $V$$-$3.6$μ$m colors for each Hubble type are generally consistent with the model predictions of Kim et al. (2017). Finally, we discuss the applicability of the $β_V$ dust-correction method to more distant galaxies, for which well-matched HST rest-frame visible and JWST rest-frame $\sim$3.5$μ$m images will become available in the near-future.

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arXiv2018

The Infrared Medium-deep Survey. VI. Discovery of Faint Quasars at $z\sim5$ with a Medium-band-based Approach

The faint quasars with $M_{1450}>-24$ mag are known to hold the key to the determination of the ultraviolet emissivity for the cosmic re-ionization. But only a few have been identified so far because of the limitations on the survey data. Here, we present the first results of the $z\sim5$ faint quasar survey with the Infrared Medium-deep Survey (IMS), which covers $\sim100$ deg$^{2}$ areas in $J$-band to the depths of $J_{\rm AB}\sim23$ mag. To improve selection methods, the medium-band follow-up imaging has been carried out using the SED camera for QUasars in Early uNiverse (SQUEAN) on the Otto Struve 2.1 m Telescope. The optical spectra of the candidates were obtained with 8-m class telescopes. We newly discovered 10 quasars with $-25<M_{1450}<-23$ at $z\sim5$, among which three have been missed in a previous survey using the same optical data over the same area, implying the necessity for improvements in high redshift faint quasars selection. We derived photometric redshifts from the medium-band data, and find that they have high accuracies of $\langle|Δz|/(1+z)\rangle=0.016$. The medium-band-based approach allows us to rule out many of the interlopers that contaminate $\gtrsim20~\%$ of the broad-band-selected quasar candidates. These results suggest that the medium-band-based approach is a powerful way to identify $z\sim5$ quasars and measure their redshifts at high accuracy (1-2 %). It is also a cost-effective way to understand the contribution of quasars to the cosmic re-ionization history.

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arXiv2018

The Infrared Medium-deep Survey. IV. Low Eddington Ratio of A Faint Quasar at $z\sim6$: Not Every Supermassive Black Hole is Growing Fast in the Early Universe

To date, most of the luminous quasars known at $z\sim6$ have been found to be in maximal accretion with the Eddington ratios, $λ_{\rm{Edd}}\sim1$, suggesting enhanced nuclear activities in the early universe. However, this may not be the whole picture of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth since previous studies have not reached on faint quasars that are more likely to harbor SMBHs with low $λ_{\rm{Edd}}$. To gain a better understanding on the accretion activities in quasars in the early universe, we obtained a deep near-infrared (NIR) spectrum of a quasar, IMS J220417.92+011144.8 (hereafter IMS J2204+0112), one of the faintest quasars that have been identified at $z\sim6$. From the redshifted C IV $λ1549$ emission line in the NIR spectrum, we find that IMS J2204+0112 harbors a SMBH with about a billion solar mass and $λ_{\rm{Edd}} \sim 0.1$, but with a large uncertainty in both quantities (0.41 dex). IMS J2204+0112 has one of the lowest Eddington ratios among quasars at $z\sim6$, but a common value among quasars at $z\sim2$. Its low $λ_{\rm{Edd}}$ can be explained with two scenarios; the SMBH growth from a stellar mass black hole through short-duration super-Eddington accretion events or from a massive black hole seed ($\sim10^{5}\,M_{\odot}$) with Eddington-limited accretion. NIR spectra of more faint quasars are needed to better understand the accretion activities of SMBHs at $z \sim 6$.

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arXiv2018

On the observability of individual Population III stars and their stellar-mass black hole accretion disks through cluster caustic transits

We summarize panchromatic Extragalactic Background Light data to place upper limits on the integrated near-infrared surface brightness (SB) that may come from Population III stars and possible accretion disks around their stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in the epoch of First Light, broadly taken from z$\simeq$7-17. Theoretical predictions and recent near-infrared power-spectra provide tighter constraints on their sky-signal. We outline the physical properties of zero metallicity Population III stars from MESA stellar evolution models through helium-depletion and of BH accretion disks at z$\gtrsim$7. We assume that second-generation non-zero metallicity stars can form at higher multiplicity, so that BH accretion disks may be fed by Roche-lobe overflow from lower-mass companions. We use these near-infrared SB constraints to calculate the number of caustic transits behind lensing clusters that the James Webb Space Telescope and the next generation ground-based telescopes may observe for both Population III stars and their BH accretion disks. Typical caustic magnifications can be $μ$$\simeq$10$^4$-10$^5$, with rise times of hours and decline times of $\lesssim$1 year for cluster transverse velocities of $v_{T}$$\lesssim$1000 km s$^{-1}$. Microlensing by intracluster medium objects can modify transit magnifications, but lengthen visibility times. Depending on BH masses, accretion-disk radii and feeding efficiencies, stellar-mass BH accretion-disk caustic transits could outnumber those from Population III stars. To observe Population III caustic transits directly may require to monitor 3-30 lensing clusters to AB$\lesssim$29 mag over a decade.

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arXiv2017

The Infrared Medium-deep Survey. III. Survey of Luminous Quasars at 4.7 $\leq$ z $\leq$ 5.4

We present our first results of the survey for high redshift quasars at $5 \lesssim {\rm z} \lesssim 5.7$. The search for quasars in this redshift range has been known to be challenging due to limitations of filter sets used in previous studies. We conducted a quasar survey for two specific redshift ranges, 4.60 $\leq$ z $\leq$ 5.40 and 5.50 $\leq$ z $\leq$ 6.05, using multi-wavelength data that include observations using custom-designed filters, $is$ and $iz$. Using these filters and a new selection technique, we were able to reduce the fraction of interlopers. Through optical spectroscopy, we confirmed seven quasars at 4.7 $\leq$ z $\leq$ 5.4 with $-27.4 < M_{1450} < -26.4$ which were discovered independently by another group recently. We estimated black hole masses and Eddington ratios of four of these quasars from optical and near-infrared spectra, and found that these quasars are undergoing nearly Eddington-limited accretion which is consistent with the rapid growth of supermassive black holes in luminous quasars at z $\sim$ 5.

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arXiv2017

Analysis of the Intrinsic Mid-Infrared L-band to Visible--Near-Infrared Flux Ratios in Spectral Synthesis Models of Composite Stellar Populations

We analyze the intrinsic flux ratios of various visible--near-infrared filters with respect to 3.5micron for simple and composite stellar populations, and their dependence on age, metallicity and star formation history. UV/optical light from stars is reddened and attenuated by dust, where different sightlines across a galaxy suffer varying amounts of extinction. Tamura et al. (2009) developed an approximate method to correct for dust extinction on a pixel-by-pixel basis, dubbed the "beta_V" method, by comparing the observed flux ratio to an empirical estimate of the intrinsic ratio of visible and ~3.5micron data. Through extensive modeling, we aim to validate the "beta_V" method for various filters spanning the visible through near-infrared wavelength range, for a wide variety of simple and composite stellar populations. Combining Starburst99 and BC03 models, we built spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of simple (SSP) and composite (CSP) stellar populations for various realistic star formation histories (SFHs), while taking metallicity evolution into account. We convolve various 0.44--1.65micron filter throughput curves with each model SED to obtain intrinsic flux ratios beta_{lam,0}. When unconstrained in redshift, the total allowed range of beta_{V,0} is 0.6--4.7, or almost a factor of eight. At known redshifts, and in particular at low redshifts (z<0.01), beta_{V,0} is predicted to span a narrow range of 0.6--1.9, especially for early-type galaxies (0.6--0.7), and is consistent with observed beta_V values. The beta_lam method can therefore serve as a first-order dust correction method for large galaxy surveys that combine JWST (rest-frame 3.5micron) and HST (rest-frame visible--near-IR) data.

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arXiv2016

Science Impacts of the SPHEREx All-Sky Optical to Near-Infrared Spectral Survey: Report of a Community Workshop Examining Extragalactic, Galactic, Stellar and Planetary Science

SPHEREx is a proposed SMEX mission selected for Phase A. SPHEREx will carry out the first all-sky spectral survey and provide for every 6.2" pixel a spectra between 0.75 and 4.18 $μ$m [with R$\sim$41.4] and 4.18 and 5.00 $μ$m [with R$\sim$135]. The SPHEREx team has proposed three specific science investigations to be carried out with this unique data set: cosmic inflation, interstellar and circumstellar ices, and the extra-galactic background light. It is readily apparent, however, that many other questions in astrophysics and planetary sciences could be addressed with the SPHEREx data. The SPHEREx team convened a community workshop in February 2016, with the intent of enlisting the aid of a larger group of scientists in defining these questions. This paper summarizes the rich and varied menu of investigations that was laid out. It includes studies of the composition of main belt and Trojan/Greek asteroids; mapping the zodiacal light with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution; identifying and studying very low-metallicity stars; improving stellar parameters in order to better characterize transiting exoplanets; studying aliphatic and aromatic carbon-bearing molecules in the interstellar medium; mapping star formation rates in nearby galaxies; determining the redshift of clusters of galaxies; identifying high redshift quasars over the full sky; and providing a NIR spectrum for most eROSITA X-ray sources. All of these investigations, and others not listed here, can be carried out with the nominal all-sky spectra to be produced by SPHEREx. In addition, the workshop defined enhanced data products and user tools which would facilitate some of these scientific studies. Finally, the workshop noted the high degrees of synergy between SPHEREx and a number of other current or forthcoming programs, including JWST, WFIRST, Euclid, GAIA, K2/Kepler, TESS, eROSITA and LSST.

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arXiv2015

Discovery of A Faint Quasar at z~6 and Implications for Cosmic Reionization

Recent studies suggest that faint active galactic nuclei may be responsible for the reionization of the universe. Confirmation of this scenario requires spectroscopic identification of faint quasars ($M_{1450}>-24$ mag) at $z \gtrsim6$, but only a very small number of such quasars have been spectroscopically identified so far. Here, we report the discovery of a faint quasar IMS J220417.92+011144.8 at z~6 in a 12.5 deg$^{2}$ region of the SA22 field of the Infrared Medium-deep Survey (IMS). The spectrum of the quasar shows a sharp break at $\sim8443~\rmÅ$, with emission lines redshifted to $z=5.944 \pm 0.002$ and rest-frame ultraviolet continuum magnitude $M_{1450}=-23.59\pm0.10$ AB mag. The discovery of IMS J220417.92+011144.8 is consistent with the expected number of quasars at z~6 estimated from quasar luminosity functions based on previous observations of spectroscopically identified low-luminosity quasars . This suggests that the number of $M_{1450}\sim-23$ mag quasars at z~6 may not be high enough to fully account for the reionization of the universe. In addition, our study demonstrates that faint quasars in the early universe can be identified effectively with a moderately wide and deep near-infrared survey such as the IMS.

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arXiv2014

The Infrared Medium-Deep Survey II: How to Trigger Radio-AGN? Hints from Their Environments

Activity at the centers of galaxies, during which the central supermassive black hole is accreting material, is nowadays accepted to be rather ubiquitous and most probably a phase of every galaxy's evolution. It has been suggested that galactic mergers and interactions may be the culprits behind the triggering of nuclear activity. We use near-infrared data from the new Infrared Medium-Deep Survey (IMS) and the Deep eXtragalactic Survey (DXS) of the VIMOS-SA22 field and radio data at 1.4 GHz from the FIRST survey and a deep VLA survey to study the environments of radio-AGN over an area of ~25 sq. degrees and down to a radio flux limit of 0.1 mJy and a J-band magnitude of 23 mag AB. Radio-AGN are predominantly found in environments similar to those of control galaxies at similar redshift, J-band magnitude, and U-R rest-frame absolute color. However, a sub-population of radio-AGN is found in environments up to 100 times denser than their control sources. We thus preclude merging as the dominant triggering mechanism of radio-AGN. Through the fitting of the broadband spectral energy distribution of radio-AGN in the least and most dense environments, we find that those in the least dense environments show higher radio-loudness, higher star formation efficiencies, and higher accretion rates, typical of the so-called high-excitation radio-AGN. These differences tend to disappear at z>1. We interpret our results in terms of a different triggering mechanism for these sources that is driven by mass-loss through winds of young stars created during the observed ongoing star formation.

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arXiv2013

Optical-Near Infrared Color Gradients And Merging History Of Elliptical Galaxies

It has been suggested that merging plays an important role in the formation and the evolution of elliptical galaxies(EGs). In order to understand the past merging history of EGs, we studied the optical-NIR color gradients of 204 EGs. The use of the optical and the NIR data provides large wavelength baselines, and breaks the age-metallicity(Z) degeneracy, allowing us to derive age and Z gradients. The use of the deep SDSS Stripe 82 images make it possible for us to examine how the color/age/Z gradients are related to merging features. We find that the optical-NIR color and the age/Z gradients of EGs with tidal features are consistent with those of relaxed EGs suggesting that the two populations underwent a similar merging history on average and that mixing of stars was more or less completed before the tidal features disappear. EGs with dust features have steeper color gradients than the other two types, even after masking out dust features during the analysis, which can be due to a process involving wet merging. More importantly, we find that the scatter in the color/age/Z gradients of the relaxed and merging feature types, decreases as their luminosities increase at M > 10^{11.4} M_{\odot} but stays to be large at lower luminosities. Mean Z gradients appear nearly constant over the explored mass range, but a possible flattening is observed at the massive end. According to our toy model that predicts how the distribution of Z gradients changes as a result of major dry merging, the mean Z gradient should flatten by 40% and its scatter become smaller by 80% per a mass doubling scale if EGs evolve only through major dry merger. Our result, although limited by a number statistics at the massive end, is consistent with the picture that major dry merging is an important mechanism for the evolution for EGs at M > 10^{11.4} M_{\odot}, but less important at the lower mass range.

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