arXiv subjects

Francesca Pozzi

Publications and source records attributed to Francesca Pozzi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

The resolved scaling relations in DustPedia: Zooming in on the local Universe

We perform a homogeneous analysis of an unprecedented set of spatially resolved scaling relations (SRs) between ISM components and other properties in the range of scales 0.3-3.4 kpc. We also study some ratios: dust-to-stellar, dust-to-gas, and dust-to-metal. We use a sample of 18 large, spiral, face-on DustPedia galaxies. All the SRs are moderate/strong correlations except the dust-HI SR that does not exist or is weak for most galaxies. The SRs do not have a universal form but each galaxy is characterized by distinct correlations, affected by local processes and galaxy peculiarities. The SRs hold starting from 0.3 kpc, and if a breaking down scale exists it is < 0.3 kpc. By evaluating all galaxies at 3.4 kpc, differences due to peculiarities of individual galaxies are cancelled out and the corresponding SRs are consistent with those of whole galaxies. By comparing subgalactic and global scales, the most striking result emerges from the SRs involving ISM components: the dust-total gas SR is a good correlation at all scales, while the dust-H2 and dust-HI SRs are good correlations at subkpc/kpc and total scales, respectively. For the other explored SRs, there is a good agreement between small and global scales and this may support the picture where the main physical processes regulating the properties and evolution of galaxies occur locally. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of self-regulation of the SF process. The analysis of subgalactic ratios shows that they are consistent with those derived for whole galaxies, from low to high z, supporting the idea that also these ratios could be set by local processes. Our results highlight the heterogeneity of galaxy properties and the importance of resolved studies on local galaxies in the context of galaxy evolution. They also provide observational constraints to theoretical models and updated references for high-z studies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Compton-Thick AGN in the NuSTAR era VIII: A joint NuSTAR-XMM-Newton monitoring of the changing-look Compton-thick AGN NGC 1358

We present the multi-epoch monitoring with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton of NGC 1358, a nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy whose properties made it a promising candidate X-ray changing look AGN, i.e., a source whose column density could transition from its 2017 Compton-thick (CT-, having line-of-sight Hydrogen column density NH,los>10^24 cm^-2) state to a Compton-thin (NH,los<10^24 cm^-2) one. The multi-epoch X-ray monitoring confirmed the presence of significant NH,los variability over time-scales as short as weeks, and allowed us to confirm the "changing look" nature of NGC 1358, which has most recently been observed in a Compton-thin status. Multi-epoch monitoring with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton is demonstrated to be highly effective in simultaneously constraining three otherwise highly degenerate parameters: the torus average column density and covering factor, and the inclination angle between the torus axis and the observer. We find a tentative anti-correlation between column density and luminosity, which can be understood in the framework of Chaotic Cold Accretion clouds driving recursive AGN feedback. The monitoring campaign of NGC 1358 has proven the efficiency of our newly developed method to select candidate NH,los-variable, heavily obscured AGN, which we plan to soon extend to a larger sample to better characterize the properties of the obscuring material surrounding accreting supermassive black holes, as well as constrain AGN feeding models.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

AGN impact on the molecular gas in galactic centers as probed by CO lines

We present a detailed analysis of the X-ray, infrared, and carbon monoxide (CO) emission for a sample of 35 local ($z \leq 0.15$), active ($L_X \geq 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$) galaxies. Our goal is to infer the contribution of far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation from star formation (SF), and X-ray radiation from the active galactic nuclei (AGN), respectively producing photodissociation regions (PDRs) and X-ray dominated regions (XDRs), to the molecular gas heating. To this aim, we exploit the CO spectral line energy distribution (CO SLED) as traced by Herschel, complemented with data from single-dish telescopes for the low-J lines, and high-resolution ALMA images of the mid-J CO emitting region. By comparing our results to the Schmidt-Kennicutt relation, we find no evidence for AGN influence on the cold and low-density gas on kpc-scales. On nuclear (r = 250 pc) scales, we find weak correlations between the CO line ratios and either the FUV or X-ray fluxes: this may indicate that neither SF nor AGN radiation dominates the gas excitation, at least at r = 250 pc. From a comparison of the CO line ratios with PDR and XDR models, we find that PDRs can reproduce observations only in presence of extremely high gas densities ($n > 10^5$ cm$^{-3}$). In the XDR case, instead, the models suggest moderate densities ($n \approx 10^{2-4}$ cm$^{-3}$). We conclude that a mix of the two mechanisms (PDR for the mid-J, XDR or possibly shocks for the high-J) is necessary to explain the observed CO excitation in active galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Mid-IR cosmological spectrophotometric surveys from space: Measuring AGN and star formation at the Cosmic Noon with a SPICA-like mission

We use the SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) project as a template to demonstrate how deep spectrophotometric surveys covering large cosmological volumes over extended fields (1-15 square degrees) with a mid-IR imaging spectrometer (17-36 micron) in conjunction with deep 70 micron photometry with a far-IR camera, at wavelengths which are not affected by dust extinction can answer the most crucial questions in current galaxy evolution studies. A SPICA-like mission will be able for the first time to provide an unobscured three dimensional (3-D, i.e. x, y and redshift z) view of galaxy evolution back to an age of the Universe of less than ~2 Gyrs, in the mid-IR rest-frame. This survey strategy will produce a full census of the Star formation Rate (SFR) in the Universe, using Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) bands and fine-structure ionic lines, reaching the characteristic knee of the galaxy luminosity function, where the bulk of the population is distributed, at any redshift up to z ~3.5. Deep follow-up pointed spectroscopic observations with grating spectrometers { onboard the satellite}, across the full IR spectral range (17-210 micron), would simultaneously measure Black Hole Accretion Rate (BHAR), from high-ionization fine-structure lines, and SFR, from PAH and low- to mid-ionization lines in thousands of galaxies from solar to low metallicities, down to the knee of their luminosity functions. The analysis of the resulting atlas of IR spectra will reveal the physical processes at play in evolving galaxies across cosmic time, especially its heavily dust-embedded phase during the activity peak at the cosmic noon (z ~1-3), through IR emission lines and features that are insensitive to the dust obscuration.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The molecular gas in the central region of NGC 7213

We present a multi-wavelength study (from X-ray to millimetre) of the nearby low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (LLAGN) NGC 7213. We combine the information from the different bands to characterize the source in terms of contribution from the AGN and the host-galaxy interstellar medium (ISM). This approach allows us to provide a coherent picture of the role of the AGN and its impact, if any, on the star formation and molecular gas properties of the host galaxy. We focused our study on archival ALMA Cycle 1 observations, where the CO(2-1) emission line has been used as a tracer of the molecular gas. Using the 3DBarolo code on ALMA data, we performed the modelling of the molecular gas kinematics traced by the CO(2-1) emission, finding a rotationally dominated pattern. The host-galaxy molecular gas mass was estimated from the integrated CO(2-1) emission line obtained with APEX data, assuming an $α_{CO}$ conversion factor. By using the ALMA data, we would have underestimated the gas masses by a factor $\sim$3, given the filtering out of the large scale emission in interferometric observations. We also performed a complete X-ray spectral analysis on archival observations, revealing a relatively faint and unobscured AGN. The AGN results to be too faint to significantly affect the properties of the host-galaxy, such as star formation activity and molecular gas kinematics and distribution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The ALPINE-ALMA [C II] survey: the luminosity function of serendipitous [C II] line emitters at $z\sim 5$

We present the first [CII] 158 $μ$m luminosity function (LF) at $z\sim 5$ from a sample of serendipitous lines detected in the ALMA Large Program to INvestigate [CII] at Early times (ALPINE). A search performed over the 118 ALPINE pointings revealed several serendipitous lines. Based on their fidelity, we selected 14 lines for the final catalog. According to the redshift of their counterparts, we identified 8 out of 14 detections as [CII] lines at $z\sim 5$, and two as CO transitions at lower redshifts. The remaining 4 lines have an elusive identification in the available catalogs and we considered them as [CII] candidates. We used the 8 confirmed [CII] and the 4 [CII] candidates to build one of the first [CII] LFs at $z\sim 5$. We found that 11 out of these 12 sources have a redshift very similar to that of the ALPINE target in the same pointing, suggesting the presence of overdensities around the targets. Therefore, we split the sample in two (a "clustered" and "field" sub-sample) according to their redshift separation and built two separate LFs. Our estimates suggest that there could be an evolution of the [CII] LF between $z \sim 5$ and $z \sim 0$. By converting the [CII] luminosity to star formation rate we evaluated the cosmic star formation rate density (SFRD) at $z\sim 5$. The clustered sample results in a SFRD $\sim 10$ times higher than previous measurements from UV-selected galaxies. On the other hand, from the field sample (likely representing the average galaxy population) we derived a SFRD $\sim 1.6$ higher compared to current estimates from UV surveys but compatible within the errors. Because of the large uncertainties, observations of larger samples are necessary to better constrain the SFRD at $z\sim 5$. This study represents one of the first efforts aimed at characterizing the demography of [CII] emitters at $z\sim 5$ using a mm-selection of galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The composite nature of Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) at z~2-3 in the COSMOS field: II. The AGN fraction

We present the X-ray properties of 108 Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs; F$_{24 μm}$/F$_{R} >$ 1000) in the COSMOS field, all of which detected in at least three far-infrared bands with the Herschel Observatory. Out of the entire sample, 22 are individually detected in the hard 2-8 keV X-ray band by the Chandra COSMOS Legacy survey, allowing us to classify them as AGN. Of them, 6 (27%) are Compton Thick AGN candidates with column densities N$_{H}$$>$10$^{24}$ cm$^{-2}$ while 15 are moderately obscured AGNs with 10$^{22}$ $<$ N$_{H}$ $<$ 10$^{24}$ cm$^{-2}$. Additionally, we estimate AGN contributions to the IR luminosity (8-1000$μ$m rest-frame) greater than 20% for 19 DOGs based on SED decomposition using Spitzer/MIPS 24$μ$m and the five Herschel bands (100-500 $μ$m). Only 7 of these are detected in X-rays individually. We performed a X-ray stacking analysis for the 86 undetected DOGs. We find that the AGN fraction in DOGs increases with 24$μ$m flux and that it is higher than that of the general 24$μ$m population. However, no significant difference is found when considering only X-ray detections. This strongly motivates the combined use of X-ray and far-IR surveys to successfully probe a wider population of AGNs, particularly for the most obscured ones.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

On the existence of bright IR galaxies at z>2: tension between Herschel and SCUBA-2 results?

Recent derivations of the galaxy star formation rate density (SFRD) obtained from sub-millimetre (sub-mm) surveys (e.g., SCUBA-2) show a tension with previous works based on Herschel and multi-wavelength data. Some of these works claim that the SFRD derived by pushing the Herschel surveys beyond z~2 are incorrect. However, the current sub-mm surveys obtained from SCUBA-2 data and the methods used to construct the total infrared (IR) luminosity function (LF) and the SFRD could be affected by some limitations. Here we show how these limitations (i.e., selection bias and incompleteness effects) might affect the total IR LF, making the resulting dusty galaxy evolution of difficult interpretation. In particular, we find that the assumed spectral energy distribution (SED) plays a crucial role in the total IR LF derivation, moreover, we confirm that the long-wavelength (e.g., 850-micron) surveys can be incomplete against "warm" SED galaxies, and that the use of a wide spectral coverage of IR wavelengths is crucial to limit the uncertainties and biases.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

The PEP Survey: evidence for intense star-forming activity in the majority of radio-selected AGN at z>~1

In order to investigate the FIR properties of radio-active AGN, we have considered three different fields where both radio and FIR observations are the deepest to-date: GOODS-South, GOODS-North and the Lockman Hole. Out of a total of 92 radio-selected AGN, ~64% are found to have a counterpart in Herschel maps. The percentage is maximum in the GOODS-North (72%) and minimum (~50%) in the Lockman Hole, where FIR observations are shallower. Our study shows that in all cases FIR emission is associated to star-forming activity within the host galaxy. Such an activity can even be extremely intense, with star-forming rates as high as ~10^3-10^4 Msun/yr. AGN activity does not inhibit star formation in the host galaxy, just as on-site star-formation does not seem to affect AGN properties, at least those detected at radio wavelengths and for z>~1. Furthermore, physical properties such as the mass and age distributions of the galaxies hosting a radio-active AGN do not seem to be affected by the presence of an ongoing star-forming event. Given the very high rate of FIR detections, we stress that this refers to the majority of the sample: most radio-active AGN are associated with intense episodes of star-formation. However, the two processes proceed independently within the same galaxy, at all redshifts but in the local universe, where powerful enough radio activity reaches the necessary strength to switch off the on-site star formation. Our data also show that for z>~1 the hosts of radio-selected star-forming galaxies and AGN are indistinguishable from each other both in terms of mass and IR luminosity distributions. The two populations only differentiate in the very local universe, whereby the few AGN which are still FIR-active are found in galaxies with much higher masses and luminosities.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Black hole accretion preferentially occurs in gas rich galaxies

We have investigated the gas content of a sample of several hundred AGN host galaxies at z$<$1 and compared it with a sample of inactive galaxies, matched in bins of stellar mass and redshift. Gas masses have been inferred from the dust masses, obtained by stacked Herschel far-IR and sub-mm data in the GOODS and COSMOS fields, under reasonable assumptions and metallicity scaling relations for the dust-to-gas ratio. We find that AGNs are on average hosted in galaxies much more gas rich than inactive galaxies. In the vast majority of stellar mass bins, the average gas content of AGN hosts is higher than in inactive galaxies. The difference is up to a factor of ten higher in low stellar mass galaxies, with a significance of 6.5$σ$. In almost half of the AGN sample the gas content is three times higher than in the control sample of inactive galaxies. Our result strongly suggests that the probability of having an AGN activated is simply driven by the amount of gas in the host galaxy; this can be explained in simple terms of statistical probability of having a gas cloud falling into the gravitational potential of the black hole. The increased probability of an AGN being hosted by a star-forming galaxy, identified by previous works, may be a consequence of the relationship between gas content and AGN activity, found in this paper, combined with the Schmidt-Kennicutt law for star formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

The lack of star formation gradients in galaxy groups up to z~1.6

In the local Universe, galaxy properties show a strong dependence on environment. In cluster cores, early type galaxies dominate, whereas star-forming galaxies are more and more common in the outskirts. At higher redshifts and in somewhat less dense environments (e.g. galaxy groups), the situation is less clear. One open issue is that of whether and how the star formation rate (SFR) of galaxies in groups depends on the distance from the centre of mass. To shed light on this topic, we have built a sample of X-ray selected galaxy groups at 0 10^10.3 M_sun in order to have a high spectroscopic completeness. As we use only spectroscopic redshifts, our results are not affected by uncertainties due to projection effects. We use several SFR indicators to link the star formation (SF) activity to the galaxy environment. Taking advantage of the extremely deep mid-infrared Spitzer MIPS and far-infrared Herschel PACS observations, we have an accurate, broad-band measure of the SFR for the bulk of the star-forming galaxies. We use multi-wavelength SED fitting techniques to estimate the stellar masses of all objects and the SFR of the MIPS and PACS undetected galaxies. We analyse the dependence of the SF activity, stellar mass and specific SFR on the group-centric distance, up to z~1.6, for the first time. We do not find any correlation between the mean SFR and group-centric distance at any redshift. We do not observe any strong mass segregation either, in agreement with predictions from simulations. Our results suggest that either groups have a much smaller spread in accretion times with respect to the clusters and that the relaxation time is longer than the group crossing time.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Star formation in LINER host galaxies at z~0.3

We present the results of a Herschel-PACS study of a sample of 97 LINERs at redshift z\sim 0.3 selected from the zCOSMOS survey. Of these sources, 34 are detected in a least one PACS band, enabling reliable estimates of the far-infrared L(FIR) luminosities, and a comparison to the FIR luminosities of local LINERs. Many of our PACS-detected LINERs are also UV sources detected by Galex. Assuming that the FIR is produced in young dusty star-forming regions, the typical star-formation rates (SFRs) for the host galaxies in our sample is \sim 10 M_Sun yr-1, 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than in many local LINERs. Given stellar masses inferred from optical/NIR photometry of the (unobscured) evolved stellar populations, we find that the entire sample lies close to the star-forming "main sequence" for galaxies at redshift 0.3. For young star-forming regions, the Hα- and UV-based estimates of the SFRs are much smaller than the FIR-based estimates, by factors \sim 30, even assuming that all of the Hα emission is produced by O-star ionization rather than by the AGNs. These discrepancies may be due to large (and uncertain) extinctions towards the young stellar systems. Alternatively, the Hα and UV emissions could be tracing residual star-formation in an older less obscured population with decaying star formation. We also compare L(SF) and L(AGN) in local LINERs and in our sample and comment on the problematic use of several line diagnostic diagrams in cases similar to the sample under study.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Photometric Redshifts of Submillimeter Galaxies

We use the photometric redshift method of Chakrabarti & McKee (2008) to infer photometric redshifts of submillimeter galaxies with far-IR (FIR) $\it{Herschel}$ data obtained as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) program. For the sample with spectroscopic redshifts, we demonstrate the validity of this method over a large range of redshifts ($ 4 \ga z \ga 0.3$) and luminosities, finding an average accuracy in $(1+z_{\rm phot})/(1+z_{\rm spec})$ of 10%. Thus, this method is more accurate than other FIR photometric redshift methods. This method is different from typical FIR photometric methods in deriving redshifts from the light-to-gas mass ($L/M$) ratio of infrared-bright galaxies inferred from the FIR spectral energy distribution (SED), rather than dust temperatures. Once the redshift is derived, we can determine physical properties of infrared bright galaxies, including the temperature variation within the dust envelope, luminosity, mass, and surface density. We use data from the GOODS-S field to calculate the star formation rate density (SFRD) of sub-mm bright sources detected by AzTEC and PACS. The AzTEC-PACS sources, which have a threshold $850 \micron$ flux $\ga 5 \rm mJy$, contribute 15% of the SFRD from all ULIRGs ($L_{\rm IR} \ga 10^{12} L_{\odot}$), and 3% of the total SFRD at $z \sim 2$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Galaxy Structure and Mode of Star Formation in the SFR-Mass Plane from z ~ 2.5 to z ~ 0.1

We analyze the dependence of galaxy structure (size and Sersic index) and mode of star formation (Σ_SFR and SFR_IR/SFR_UV) on the position of galaxies in the SFR versus Mass diagram. Our sample comprises roughly 640000 galaxies at z~0.1, 130000 galaxies at z~1, and 36000 galaxies at z~2. Structural measurements for all but the z~0.1 galaxies were based on HST imaging, and SFRs are derived using a Herschel-calibrated ladder of SFR indicators. We find that a correlation between the structure and stellar population of galaxies (i.e., a 'Hubble sequence') is already in place since at least z~2.5. At all epochs, typical star-forming galaxies on the main sequence are well approximated by exponential disks, while the profiles of quiescent galaxies are better described by de Vaucouleurs profiles. In the upper envelope of the main sequence, the relation between the SFR and Sersic index reverses, suggesting a rapid build-up of the central mass concentration in these starbursting outliers. We observe quiescent, moderately and highly star-forming systems to co-exist over an order of magnitude or more in stellar mass. At each mass and redshift, galaxies on the main sequence have the largest size. The rate of size growth correlates with specific SFR, and so does Σ_SFR at each redshift. A simple model using an empirically determined SF law and metallicity scaling, in combination with an assumed geometry for dust and stars is able to relate the observed Σ_SFR and SFR_IR/SFR_UV, provided a more patchy dust geometry is assumed for high-redshift galaxies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

On Star Formation Rates and Star Formation Histories of Galaxies out to z ~ 3

We compare multi-wavelength SFR indicators out to z~3 in GOODS-South. Our analysis uniquely combines U-to-8um photometry from FIREWORKS, MIPS 24um and PACS 70, 100, and 160um photometry from the PEP survey, and Ha spectroscopy from the SINS survey. We describe a set of conversions that lead to a continuity across SFR indicators. A luminosity-independent conversion from 24um to total infrared luminosity yields estimates of LIR that are in the median consistent with the LIR derived from PACS photometry, albeit with significant scatter. Dust correction methods perform well at low to intermediate levels of star formation. They fail to recover the total amount of star formation in systems with large SFR_IR/SFR_UV ratios, typically occuring at the highest SFRs (SFR_UV+IR \gtrsim 100 Msun/yr) and redshifts (z \gtrsim 2.5) probed. Finally, we confirm that Ha-based SFRs at 1.5<z<2.6 are consistent with SFR_SED and SFR_UV+IR provided extra attenuation towards HII regions is taken into account (Av,neb = Av,continuum / 0.44). With the cross-calibrated SFR indicators in hand, we perform a consistency check on the star formation histories inferred from SED modeling. We compare the observed SFR-M relations and mass functions at a range of redshifts to equivalents that are computed by evolving lower redshift galaxies backwards in time. We find evidence for underestimated stellar ages when no stringent constraints on formation epoch are applied. We demonstrate how resolved SED modeling, or alternatively deep UV data, may help to overcome this bias. The age bias is most severe for galaxies with young stellar populations, and reduces towards older systems. Finally, our analysis suggests that SFHs typically vary on timescales that are long (at least several 100 Myr) compared to the galaxies' dynamical time.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2008

The effect of nonlinearity on adiabatic evolution of light

We investigate the effect of nonlinearity in a system described by an adiabatically evolving Hamiltonian. Experiments are conducted in a three-core waveguide structure that is adiabatically varying with distance, in analogy to the STIRAP process in atomic physics. In the linear regime, the system exhibits an adiabatic power transfer between two waveguides which are not directly coupled, with negligible power recorded in the intermediate coupling waveguide. In the presence of nonlinearity the behavior of this configuration is drastically altered and the adiabatic light passage is found to critically depend on the excitation power. We show how this effect is related to the destruction of the dark state formed in the STIRAP configuration.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Realization of quantum walks with negligible decoherence in waveguide lattices

Quantum random walks are the quantum counterpart of classical random walks, and were recently studied in the context of quantum computation. A quantum random walker is subject to self interference, leading to a remarkably different behavior than that of classical random walks such as ballistic propagation or localization due to disorder. Physical implementations of quantum walks have only been made in very small scale systems severely limited by decoherence. Here we show that the propagation of photons in waveguide lattices, which have been studied extensively in recent years, are essentially an implementation of quantum walks. Since waveguide lattices are easily constructed at large scales and display negligible decoherence, they can serve as an ideal and versatile experimental playground for the study of quantum walks and quantum algorithms. We experimentally observe quantum walks in large systems (~100 sites) and confirm quantum walks effects which were studied theoretically, including ballistic propagation, disorder and boundary related effects.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Anderson localization and nonlinearity in one dimensional disordered photonic lattices

We experimentally investigate the evolution of linear and nonlinear waves in a realization of the Anderson model using disordered one dimensional waveguide lattices. Two types of localized eigenmodes, flat-phased and staggered, are directly measured. Nonlinear perturbations enhances localization in one type, and induce delocalization in the other. In a complementary approach, we study the evolution on short time scales of $δ$-like wavepackets in the presence of disorder. A transition from ballistic wavepacket expansion to exponential (Anderson) localization is observed. We find an intermediate regime in which the ballistic and localized components coexist while diffusive dynamics is absent. Evidence is found for a faster transition into localization under nonlinear conditions.

cond-mat.other↗