arXiv subjects

Eva Wuyts

Publications and source records attributed to Eva Wuyts.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

A Comparison of Rest-frame Ultraviolet and Optical Emission-Line Diagnostics in the Lensed Galaxy SDSS J1723+3411 at Redshift z=1.3293

For the extremely bright lensed galaxy SDSS J1723+3411 at z=1.3293 , we analyze spatially integrated MMT, Keck, and Hubble Space Telescope spectra that fully cover the rest-frame wavelength range of 1400 to 7200 Angstroms. We also analyze near-IR spectra from Gemini that cover H alpha for a portion of the lensed arc. We report fluxes for 42 detected emission lines, and upper limits for an additional 22. This galaxy has extreme emission line ratios and high equivalent widths that are characteristic of extreme emission-line galaxies. We compute strong emission line diagnostics from both the rest-frame optical and rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), to constrain physical conditions and test the spectral diagnostics themselves. We tightly determine the nebular physical conditions using the most reliable diagnostics, and then compare to results from other diagnostics. We find disappointing performance from the UV--only diagnostics: they either are unable to measure the metallicity or dramatically under-estimate it; they over-estimate the pressure; and the UV diagnostic of ionization parameter has a strong metallicity dependence in this regime. Based on these results, we suggest that upcoming James Webb Space Telescope spectroscopic surveys of galaxies in the reionization epoch should invest the additional integration time to capture the optical [O II] and [O III] emission lines, and not rely solely on the rest-frame UV emission lines. We make available the spectra; they represent one of the highest-quality emission line spectral atlases of star-forming galaxy available beyond the local universe, and will aid planning observations with JWST.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Spatial Variation in Strong Line Ratios and Physical Conditions in Two Strongly-Lensed Galaxies at z~1.4

For studies of galaxy formation and evolution, one of the major benefits of the James Webb Space Telescope is that space-based IFUs like those on its NIRSpec and MIRI instruments will enable spatially resolved spectroscopy of distant galaxies, including spectroscopy at the scale of individual star-forming regions in galaxies that have been gravitationally lensed. In the meantime, there is only a very small subset of lensed sources where work like this is possible even with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 infrared channel grisms. We examine two of these sources, SDSS J1723+3411 and SDSS J2340+2947, using HST WFC3/IR grism data and supporting spatially-unresolved spectroscopy from several ground-based instruments to explore the size of spatial variations in observed strong emission line ratios like O32, R23, which are sensitive to ionization parameter and metallicity, and the Balmer decrement as an indicator of reddening. We find significant spatial variation in the reddening and the reddening-corrected O32 and R23 values which correspond to spreads of a few tenths of a dex in ionization parameter and metallicity. We also find clear evidence of a negative radial gradient in star formation in SDSS J2340+2947 and tentative evidence of one in SDSS J1723+3411, though its star formation is quite asymmetric. Finally, we find that reddening can vary enough spatially to make spatially-resolved reddening corrections necessary in order to characterize gradients in line ratios and the physical conditions inferred from them, necessitating the use of space-based IFUs for future work on larger, more statistically robust samples.

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arXiv2019

Strong Lens Models for 37 Clusters of Galaxies from the SDSS Giant Arcs Survey

We present strong gravitational lensing models for 37 galaxy clusters from the SDSS Giant Arcs Survey. We combine data from multi-band Hubble Space Telescope WFC3imaging, with ground-based imaging and spectroscopy from Magellan, Gemini, APO, and MMT, in order to detect and spectroscopically confirm new multiply-lensed background sources behind the clusters. We report spectroscopic or photometric redshifts of sources in these fields, including cluster galaxies and background sources. Based on all available lensing evidence, we construct and present strong lensing mass models for these galaxy clusters.

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arXiv2019

Lens Model and Source Reconstruction Reveal the Morphology and Star Formation Distribution in the Cool Spiral LIRG SGAS J143845.1$+$145407

We present $Hubble\ Space\ Telescope$ ($HST$) imaging and grism spectroscopy of a strongly lensed LIRG at $z=0.816$, SGAS 143845.1$+$145407, and use the magnification boost of gravitational lensing to study the distribution of star formation throughout this galaxy. Based on the $HST$ imaging data, we create a lens model for this system; we compute the mass distribution and magnification map of the $z=0.237$ foreground lens. We find that the magnification of the lensed galaxy ranges between $2$ and $10$, with a total magnification (measured over all the images of the source) of $μ=11.8^{+4.6}_{-2.4}$. We find that the total projected mass density within $\sim34$ kpc of the brightest cluster galaxy is $6.0^{+0.3}_{-0.7}\times10^{12}\,M_{\odot}$. Using the lens model we create a source reconstruction for SGAS 143845.1$+$145407, which paired with a faint detection of H$α$ in the grism spectroscopy, allows us to finally comment directly on the distribution of star formation in a $z\sim1$ LIRG. We find widespread star formation across this galaxy, in agreement with the current understanding of these objects. However, we note a deficit of H$α$ emission in the nucleus of SGAS 143845.1$+$145407, likely due to dust extinction.

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arXiv2017

ALMA resolves the molecular gas in a young low-metallicity starburst galaxy at z=1.7

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of CO lines and dust continuum emission of the source RCSGA 032727--132609, a young $z=1.7$ low-metallicity starburst galaxy. The CO(3-2) and CO(6-5) lines, and continuum at rest-frame $450\,μm$ are detected and show a resolved structure in the image plane. We use the corresponding lensing model to obtain a source plane reconstruction of the detected emissions revealing intrinsic flux density of $S_{450\,μm}=23.5_{-8.1}^{+26.8}$ $μ$Jy and intrinsic CO luminosities $L'_{\rm CO(3-2)}=2.90_{-0.23}^{+0.21}\times10^{8}$ ${\rm K\,km\,s^{-1}\,pc^{2}}$ and $L'_{\rm CO(6-5)}=8.0_{-1.3}^{+1.4}\times10^{7}$ ${\rm K\,km\,s^{-1}\,pc^{2}}$. We used the resolved properties in the source plane to obtain molecular gas and star-formation rate surface densities of $Σ_{\rm H2}=16.2_{-3.5}^{+5.8}\,{\rm M}_{\odot}\,{\rm pc}^{-2}$ and $Σ_{\rm SFR}=0.54_{-0.27}^{+0.89}\,{\rm M}_{\odot}\,{\rm yr}^{-1}\,{\rm kpc}^{-2}$ respectively. The intrinsic properties of RCSGA 032727--132609 show an enhanced star-formation activity compared to local spiral galaxies with similar molecular gas densities, supporting the ongoing merger-starburst phase scenario. RCSGA 032727--132609 also appears to be a low--density starburst galaxy similar to local blue compact dwarf galaxies, which have been suggested as local analogs to high-redshift low-metallicity starburst systems. Finally, the CO excitation level in the galaxy is consistent with having the peak at ${\rm J}\sim5$, with a higher excitation concentrated in the star-forming clumps.

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arXiv2017

Star Formation at z=2.481 in the Lensed Galaxy SDSS J1110+6459, I: Lens Modeling and Source Reconstruction

Using the combined resolving power of the Hubble Space Telescope and gravitational lensing, we resolve star-forming structures in a z~2.5 galaxy on scales much smaller than the usual kiloparsec diffraction limit of HST. SGAS J111020.0+645950.8 is a clumpy, star forming galaxy lensed by the galaxy cluster SDSS J1110+6459 at z = 0.659, with a total magnification ~30x across the entire arc. We use a hybrid parametric/non-parametric strong lensing mass model to compute the deflection and magnification of this giant arc, reconstruct the light distribution of the lensed galaxy in the source plane, and resolve the star formation into two dozen clumps. We develop a forward-modeling technique to model each clump in the source plane. We ray trace the model to the image plane, convolve with the instrumental point spread function (PSF), and compare with the GALFIT model of the clumps in the image plane, which decomposes clump structure from more extended emission. This technique has the advantage, over ray tracing, by accounting for the asymmetric lensing shear of the galaxy in the image plane and the instrument PSF. At this resolution, we can begin to study star formation on a clump-by-clump basis, toward the goal of understanding feedback mechanisms and the buildup of exponential disks at high redshift.

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arXiv2017

Star Formation at z=2.481 in the Lensed Galaxy SDSS J1110+6459: Star Formation down to 30 parsec scales

We present measurements of the surface density of star formation, the star-forming clump luminosity function, and the clump size distribution function, for the lensed galaxy SGAS J111020.0+645950.8 at a redshift of z=2.481. The physical size scales that we probe, radii r=30--50 pc, are considerably smaller scales than have yet been studied at these redshifts. The star formation surface density we find within these small clumps is consistent with surface densities measured previously for other lensed galaxies at similar redshift. Twenty-two percent of the rest-frame ultraviolet light in this lensed galaxy arises from small clumps, with r<100 pc. Within the range of overlap, the clump luminosity function measured for this lensed galaxy is remarkably similar to those of z~0 galaxies. In this galaxy, star-forming regions smaller than 100 pc---physical scales not usually resolved at these redshifts by current telescopes---are important locations of star formation in the distant universe. If this galaxy is representative, this may contradict the theoretical picture in which the critical size scale for star formation in the distant universe is of order 1 kiloparsec. Instead, our results suggest that current telescopes have not yet resolved the critical size scales of star-forming activity in galaxies over most of cosmic time.

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arXiv2016

Lens Model and Time Delay Predictions for the Sextuply Lensed Quasar SDSS J2222+2745

SDSS J2222+2745 is a galaxy cluster at z=0.49, strongly lensing a quasar at z=2.805 into six widely separated images. In recent HST imaging of the field, we identify additional multiply lensed galaxies, and confirm the sixth quasar image that was identified by Dahle et al. (2013). We used the Gemini North telescope to measure a spectroscopic redshift of z=4.56 of one of the secondary lensed galaxies. These data are used to refine the lens model of SDSS J2222+2745, compute the time delay and magnifications of the lensed quasar images, and reconstruct the source image of the quasar host and a second lensed galaxy at z=2.3. This second galaxy also appears in absorption in our Gemini spectra of the lensed quasar, at a projected distance of 34 kpc. Our model is in agreement with the recent time delay measurements of Dahle et al. (2015), who found tAB=47.7+/-6.0 days and tAC=-722+/-24 days. We use the observed time delays to further constrain the model, and find that the model-predicted time delays of the three faint images of the quasar are tAD=502+/-68 days, tAE=611+/-75 days, and tAF=415+/-72 days. We have initiated a follow-up campaign to measure these time delays with Gemini North. Finally, we present initial results from an X-ray monitoring program with Swift, indicating the presence of hard X-ray emission from the lensed quasar, as well as extended X-ray emission from the cluster itself, which is consistent with the lensing mass measurement and the cluster velocity dispersion.

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arXiv2016

The evolution of metallicity and metallicity gradients from z=2.7-0.6 with KMOS3D

We present measurements of the [NII]/Ha ratio as a probe of gas-phase oxygen abundance for a sample of 419 star-forming galaxies at z=0.6-2.7 from the KMOS3D near-IR multi-IFU survey. The mass-metallicity relation (MZR) is determined consistently with the same sample selection, metallicity tracer, and methodology over the wide redshift range probed by the survey. We find good agreement with long-slit surveys in the literature, except for the low-mass slope of the relation at z~2.3, where this sample is less biased than previous samples based on optical spectroscopic redshifts. In this regime we measure a steeper slope than some literature results. Excluding the AGN contribution from the MZR reduces sensitivity at the high mass end, but produces otherwise consistent results. There is no significant dependence of the [NII]/Ha ratio on SFR or environment at fixed redshift and stellar mass. The IFU data allow spatially resolved measurements of [NII]/Ha, from which we can infer abundance gradients for 180 galaxies, thus tripling the current sample in the literature. The observed gradients are on average flat, with only 15 gradients statistically offset from zero at >3sigma. We have modelled the effect of beam-smearing, assuming a smooth intrinsic radial gradient and known seeing, inclination and effective radius for each galaxy. Our seeing-limited observations can recover up to 70% of the intrinsic gradient for the largest, face-on disks, but only 30% for the smaller, more inclined galaxies. We do not find significant trends between observed or corrected gradients and any stellar population, dynamical or structural galaxy parameters, mostly in agreement with existing studies with much smaller sample sizes. In cosmological simulations, strong feedback is generally required to produce flat gradients at high redshift.

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arXiv2016

Spatially Resolved Galactic Wind in Lensed Galaxy RCSGA 032727-132609

We probe the spatial distribution of outflowing gas along four lines of sight separated by up to 6 kpc in a gravitationally-lensed star-forming galaxy at z=1.70. Using MgII and FeII emission and absorption as tracers, we find that the clumps of star formation are driving galactic outflows with velocities of -170 to -250 km/sec. The velocities of MgII emission are redshifted with respect to the systemic velocities of the galaxy, consistent with being back-scattered. By contrast, the FeII fluorescent emission lines are either slightly blueshifted or at the systemic velocity of the galaxy. Taken together, the velocity structure of the MgII and FeII emission is consistent with arising through scattering in galactic winds. Assuming a thin shell geometry for the out owing gas, the estimated masses carried out by these outfows are large (> 30 - 50 $\rm{M_{\odot} yr^{-1}}$), with mass loading factors several times the star-formation rate. Almost 20% to 50% of the blueshifted absorption probably escapes the gravitational potential of the galaxy. In this galaxy, the outflow is "locally sourced", that is, the properties of the outflow in each line of sight are dominated by the properties of the nearest clump of star formation; the wind is not global to the galaxy. The mass outflow rates and the momentum flux carried out by outflows in individual star forming knots of this object are comparable to that of starburst galaxies in the local Universe.

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arXiv2015

C III] Emission in Star-Forming Galaxies Near and Far

We measure C III] 1907,1909 A emission lines in eleven gravitationally--lensed star-forming galaxies at z~1.6--3, finding much lower equivalent widths than previously reported for fainter lensed galaxies (Stark et al. 2014). While it is not yet clear what causes some galaxies to be strong C III] emitters, CIII] emission is not a universal property of distant star-forming galaxies. We also examine C III] emission in 46 star-forming galaxies in the local universe, using archival spectra from GHRS, FOS, and STIS on HST, and IUE. Twenty percent of these local galaxies show strong C III] emission, with equivalent widths <-5 A. Three nearby galaxies show C III] emission equivalent widths as large as the most extreme emitters yet observed in the distant universe; all three are Wolf-Rayet galaxies. At all redshifts, strong C III] emission may pick out low-metallicity galaxies experiencing intense bursts of star formation. Such local C III] emitters may shed light on the conditions of star formation in certain extreme high-redshift galaxies.

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arXiv2014

Probing Individual Star Forming Regions Within Strongly Lensed Galaxies at z > 1

Star formation occurs on physical scales corresponding to individual star forming regions, typically of order ~100 parsecs in size, but current observational facilities cannot resolve these scales within field galaxies beyond the local universe. However, the magnification from strong gravitational lensing allows us to measure the properties of these discrete star forming regions within galaxies in the distant universe. New results from multi-wavelength spectroscopic studies of a sample of extremely bright, highly magnified lensed galaxies are revealing the complexity of star formation on sub-galaxy scales during the era of peak star formation in the universe. We find a wide range of properties in the rest-frame UV spectra of individual galaxies, as well as in spectra that originate from different star forming regions within the same galaxy. Large variations in the strengths and velocity structure of Lyman-alpha and strong P Cygni lines such as C IV, and MgII provide new insights into the astrophysical relationships between extremely massive stars, the elemental abundances and physical properties of the nebular gas those stars ionize, and the galactic-scale outflows they power.

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arXiv2014

The Mass Distribution of the Strong Lensing Cluster SDSS J1531+3414

We present the mass distribution at the core of SDSS J1531+3414, a strong-lensing cluster at z=0.335. We find that the mass distribution is well described by two cluster-scale halos with a contribution from cluster-member galaxies. New HST observations of SDSS J1531+3414 reveal a signature of ongoing star formation associated with the two central galaxies at the core of the cluster, in the form of a chain of star forming regions at the center of the cluster. Using the lens model presented here, we place upper limits on the contribution of a possible lensed image to the flux at the center region, and rule out that this emission is coming from a background source.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

A Thirty Kiloparsec Chain of "Beads on a String" Star Formation Between Two Merging Early Type Galaxies in the Core of a Strong-Lensing Galaxy Cluster

New Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet and optical imaging of the strong-lensing galaxy cluster SDSS J1531+3414 (z=0.335) reveals two centrally dominant elliptical galaxies participating in an ongoing major merger. The interaction is at least somewhat rich in cool gas, as the merger is associated with a complex network of nineteen massive superclusters of young stars (or small tidal dwarf galaxies) separated by ~1 kpc in projection from one another, combining to an estimated total star formation rate of ~5 solar masses per year. The resolved young stellar superclusters are threaded by narrow H-alpha, [O II], and blue excess filaments arranged in a network spanning ~27 kpc across the two merging galaxies. This morphology is strongly reminiscent of the well-known "beads on a string" mode of star formation observed on kpc-scales in the arms of spiral galaxies, resonance rings, and in tidal tails between interacting galaxies. Nevertheless, the arrangement of this star formation relative to the nuclei of the two galaxies is difficult to interpret in a dynamical sense, as no known "beads on a string" systems associated with kpc-scale tidal interactions exhibit such lopsided morphology relative to the merger participants. In this Letter we present the images and follow-up spectroscopy, and discuss possible physical interpretations for the unique arrangement of the young stellar clusters. While we suggest that this morphology is likely to be dynamically short-lived, a more quantitative understanding awaits necessary multiwavelength follow-up, including optical integral field spectroscopy, ALMA sub-mm interferometry, and Chandra X-ray imaging.

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arXiv2014

The Physical Conditions, Metallicity and Metal Abundance Ratios In a Highly Magnified Galaxy at z = 3.6252

We present optical and near-IR imaging and spectroscopy of SGAS J105039.6$+$001730, a strongly lensed galaxy at z $=$ 3.6252 magnified by $>$30$\times$, and derive its physical properties. We measure a stellar mass of log(M$_{*}$/M$_{\odot}$) $=$ 9.5 $\pm$ 0.35, star formation rates from [O II]$λ$$λ$3727 and H-$β$ of 55 $\pm$ 20 and 84 $\pm$ 17 M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, respectively, an electron density of n$_{e} \leq$ 10$^{3}$ cm$^{-2}$, an electron temperature of T$_{e} \leq$ 14000 K, and a metallicity of 12+log(O/H) $=$ 8.3 $\pm$ 0.1. The strong C III]$λ$$λ$1907,1909 emission and abundance ratios of C, N, O and Si are consistent with well-studied starbursts at z $\sim$ 0 with similar metallicities. Strong P Cygni lines and He II$λ$1640 emission indicate a significant population of Wolf-Rayet stars, but synthetic spectra of individual populations of young, hot stars do not reproduce the observed integrated P Cygni absorption features. The rest-frame UV spectral features are indicative of a young starburst with high ionization, implying either 1) an ionization parameter significantly higher than suggest by rest-frame optical nebular lines, or 2) differences in one or both of the initial mass function and the properties of ionizing spectra of massive stars. We argue that the observed features are likely the result of a superposition of star forming regions with different physical properties. These results demonstrate the complexity of star formation on scales smaller than individual galaxies, and highlight the importance of systematic effects that result from smearing together the signatures of individual star forming regions within galaxies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

A Consistent Study of Metallicity Evolution at 0.8 < z < 2.6

We present the correlations between stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR) and [NII]/Ha flux ratio as indicator of gas-phase metallicity for a sample of 222 galaxies at 0.8 < z < 2.6 and log(M*/Msun)=9.0-11.5 from the LUCI, SINS/zC-SINF and KMOS3D surveys. This sample provides a unique analysis of the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) over an extended redshift range using consistent data analysis techniques and strong-line metallicity indicator. We find a constant slope at the low-mass end of the relation and can fully describe its redshift evolution through the evolution of the characteristic turnover mass where the relation begins to flatten at the asymptotic metallicity. At fixed mass and redshift, our data do not show a correlation between the [NII]/Ha ratio and SFR, which disagrees with the 0.2-0.3dex offset in [NII]/Ha predicted by the "fundamental relation" between stellar mass, SFR and metallicity discussed in recent literature. However, the overall evolution towards lower [NII]/Ha at earlier times does broadly agree with these predictions.

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arXiv2014

Resolved Star Formation on Sub-galactic Scales in a Merger at z=1.7

We present a detailed analysis of Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) G141 grism spectroscopy for seven star-forming regions of the highly magnified lensed starburst galaxy RCSGA 032727-132609 at z=1.704. We measure the spatial variations of the extinction in RCS0327 through the observed H$γ$/H$β$ emission line ratios, finding a constant average extinction of $\mathrm{E(B-V)_{gas}}=0.40\pm0.07$. We infer that the star formation is enhanced as a result of an ongoing interaction, with measured star formation rates derived from demagnified, extinction-corrected H$β$ line fluxes for the individual star-forming clumps falling >1-2 dex above the star formation sequence. When combining the HST/WFC3 [OIII]$λ$5007/H$β$ emission line ratio measurements with [NII]/H$α$ line ratios from Wuyts et a. (2014), we find that the majority of the individual star-forming regions fall along the local "normal" abundance sequence. With the first detections of the He I $λ$5876 and He II $λ$4686 recombination lines in a distant galaxy, we probe the massive-star content of the star-forming regions in RCS0327. The majority of the star-forming regions have a He I $λ$5876 to H$β$ ratio consistent with the saturated maximum value, which is only possible if they still contain hot O-stars. Two regions have lower ratios, implying that their last burst of new star formation ended ~5 Myr ago. Together, the He I $λ$5876 and He II $λ$4686 to H$β$ line ratios provide indirect evidence for the order in which star formation is stopping in individual star-forming knots of this high redshift merger. We place the spatial variations of the extinction, star formation rate and ionization conditions in the context of the star formation history of RCS0327.

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arXiv2013

A Magnified View of the Kinematics and Morphology of RCSGA 032727-132609: Zooming in on a Merger at z=1.7

We present a detailed analysis of multi-wavelength HST/WFC3 imaging and Keck/OSIRIS near-IR AO-assisted integral field spectroscopy for a highly magnified lensed galaxy at z=1.70. This young starburst is representative of UV-selected star-forming galaxies (SFG) at z~2 and contains multiple individual star-forming regions. Due to the lensing magnification, we can resolve spatial scales down to 100pc in the source plane of the galaxy. The velocity field shows disturbed kinematics suggestive of an ongoing interaction, and there is a clear signature of a tidal tail. We constrain the age, reddening, SFR and stellar mass of the star-forming clumps from SED modelling of the WFC3 photometry and measure their H-alpha luminosity, metallicity and outflow properties from the OSIRIS data. With strong star formation driven outflows in four clumps, RCSGA0327 is the first high redshift SFG at stellar mass <10^10 M_sun with spatially resolved stellar winds. We compare the H-alpha luminosities, sizes and dispersions of the star-forming regions to other high-z clumps as well as local giant HII regions and find no evidence for increased clump star formation surface densities in interacting systems, unlike in the local Universe. Spatially resolved SED modelling unveils an established stellar population at the location of the largest clump and a second mass concentration near the edge of the system which is not detected in H-alpha emission. This suggests a picture of an equal-mass mixed major merger, which has not triggered a new burst of star formation or caused a tidal tail in the gas-poor component.

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