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Francine R. Marleau

Publications and source records attributed to Francine R. Marleau.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The ultra-diffuse galaxy NGC 1052-DF2 with MUSE: II. The population of DF2: stars, clusters and planetary nebulae

NGC 1052-DF2, an ultra diffuse galaxy (UDG), has been the subject of intense debate. Its alleged absence of dark matter, and the brightness and number excess of its globular clusters (GCs) at an initially assumed distance of 20Mpc, suggested a new formation channel for UDGs. We present the first systematic spectroscopic analysis of both the stellar body and the GCs (six of which were previously known, and one newly confirmed member) of this galaxy using MUSE@VLT. Even though NGC 1052-DF2 does not show any spatially extended emission lines we report the discovery of three planetary nebulae (PNe). We conduct full spectral fitting on the UDG and the stacked spectra of all GCs. The UDG's stellar population is old, 8.9$\pm$1.5 Gyr, metal-poor, with [M/H] = $-$1.07$\pm$0.12 with little or no $α$-enrichment. The stacked spectrum of all GCs indicates a similar age of 8.9$\pm$1.8 Gyr, but lower metallicity, with [M/H] = $-$1.63$\pm$0.09, and similarly low $α$-enrichment. There is no evidence for a variation of age and metallicity in the GC population with the available spectra. The significantly more metal-rich stellar body with respect to its associated GCs, the age of the population, its metallicity and alpha enrichment, are all in line with other dwarf galaxies. NGC 1052-DF2 thus falls on the same empirical mass-metallicity relation as other dwarfs, for the full distance range assumed in the literature. We find that both debated distance estimates (13 and 20 Mpc) are similarly likely, given the three discovered PNe.

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Galaxy Evolution in the Cluster Abell 85: New Insights from the Dwarf Population

We present the first results of a new spectroscopic survey of the cluster Abell 85 targeting 1466 candidate cluster members within the central $\sim$1 deg$^2$ of the cluster and having magnitudes $m_r < 20.5$ using VIMOS/VLT and HYDRA/WIYN. A total of 520 galaxies are confirmed as either relaxed cluster members or part of an infalling population. A significant fraction are low mass; the median stellar mass of the sample is $10^{9.6} M_{\odot} $, and 25% have stellar masses below $10^9 M_{\odot}$ (i.e. 133 dwarf galaxies). We also identify seven active galactic nuclei (AGN), four of which reside in dwarf host galaxies. We probe the evolution of star formation rates, based on H$α$ emission and continuum modeling, as a function of both mass and environment. We find that more star forming galaxies are observed at larger clustercentric distances, while infalling galaxies show evidence for recently enhanced star forming activity. Main sequence galaxies, defined by their continuum star formation rates, show different evolutionary behavior based on their mass. At the low mass end, the galaxies have had their star formation recently quenched, while more massive galaxies show no significant change. The timescales probed here favor fast quenching mechanisms, such as ram-pressure stripping. Galaxies within the green valley, defined similarly, do not show evidence of quenching. Instead, the low mass galaxies maintain their levels of star forming activity, while the more massive galaxies have experienced a recent burst.

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Infrared signature of active massive black holes in nearby dwarf galaxies

We investigate the possible presence of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in dwarf galaxies and other nearby galaxies to identify candidates for follow-up confirmation and dynamical mass measurements. We use the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) All-Sky Release Source Catalog and examine the infrared colours of a sample of dwarf galaxies and other nearby galaxies in order to identify both unobscured and obscured candidate AGN by applying the infrared colour diagnostic. Stellar masses of galaxies are obtained using a combination of three independent methods. Black hole masses are estimated using the bolometric luminosity of the AGN candidates and computed for three cases of the bolometric-to-Eddington luminosity ratio. We identify 303 candidate AGN, of which 276 were subsequently found to have been independently identified as AGN via other methods. The remaining 9% require follow-up observations for confirmation. The activity is detected in galaxies with stellar masses from ~ 10^6 to 10^9 solar masses; assuming the candidates are AGN, the black hole masses are estimated to be ~ 10^3 - 10^6 solar masses, adopting L_bol = 0.1 L_Edd. The black hole masses probed are several orders of magnitude smaller than previously reported for centrally located massive black holes. We examine the stellar mass versus black hole mass relationship in this low galaxy mass regime. We find that it is consistent with the existing relation extending linearly (in log-log space) into the lower mass regime. These findings suggest that CMBH are present in low-mass galaxies and in the Local Universe, and provide new impetus for follow-up dynamical studies of quiescent black holes in local dwarf galaxies.

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SCUBA-2 follow-up of Herschel-SPIRE observed Planck overdensities

We present SCUBA-2 follow-up of 61 candidate high-redshift Planck sources. Of these, 10 are confirmed strong gravitational lenses and comprise some of the brightest such submm sources on the observed sky, while 51 are candidate proto-cluster fields undergoing massive starburst events. With the accompanying Herschel-SPIRE observations and assuming an empirical dust temperature prior of $34^{+13}_{-9}$ K, we provide photometric redshift and far-IR luminosity estimates for 172 SCUBA-2-selected sources within these Planck overdensity fields. The redshift distribution of the sources peak between a redshift of 2 and 4, with one third of the sources having $S_{500}$/$S_{350} > 1$. For the majority of the sources, we find far-IR luminosities of approximately $10^{13}\,\mathrm{L}_\odot$, corresponding to star-formation rates of around $1000$ M$_\odot \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. For $S_{850}>8$ mJy sources, we show that there is up to an order of magnitude increase in star-formation rate density and an increase in uncorrected number counts of $6$ for $S_{850}>8$ mJy when compared to typical cosmological survey fields. The sources detected with SCUBA-2 account for only approximately $5$ per cent of the Planck flux at 353 GHz, and thus many more fainter sources are expected in these fields.

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The Ubiquity of Supermassive Black Holes in the Hubble Sequence

We present the results of a study of a statistically significant sample of galaxies which clearly demonstrate that supermassive black holes are generically present in all morphological types. Our analysis is based on the quantitative morphological classification of 1.12 million galaxies in the SDSS DR7 and on the detection of black hole activity via two different methods, the first one based on their X-ray/radio emission and the second one based on their mid-infrared colors. The results of the first analysis confirm the correlation between black hole and total stellar mass for 8 galaxies and includes one galaxy classified as bulgeless. The results of our second analysis, consisting of 15,991 galaxies, show that galaxies hosting a supermassive black hole follow the same morphological distribution as the general population of galaxies in the same redshift range. In particular, the fraction of bulgeless galaxies, 1,450 galaxies or 9 percent, is found to be the same as in the general population. We also present the correlation between black hole and total stellar mass for 6,247 of these galaxies. Importantly, whereas previous studies were limited to primarily bulge-dominated systems, our study confirms this relationship to all morphological types, in particular, to 530 bulgeless galaxies. Our results indicate that the true correlation that exists for supermassive black holes and their host galaxies is between the black hole mass and the total stellar mass of the galaxy and hence, we conclude that the previous assumption that the black hole mass is correlated with the bulge mass is only approximately correct.

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Spitzer observations of Abell 1763 - I: infrared and optical photometry

We present a photometric analysis of the galaxy cluster Abell 1763 at visible and infrared wavelengths. Included are fully reduced images in r', J, H, and Ks obtained using the Palomar 200in telescope, as well as the IRAC and MIPS images from Spitzer. The cluster is covered out to approximately 3 virial radii with deep 24um imaging (a 5? depth of 0.2 mJy). This same field of 40' by 40' is covered in all four IRAC bands as well as the longer wavelength MIPS bands (70 and 160um). The r' imaging covers 0.8 deg2 down to 25.5 magnitudes, and overlaps with most of the MIPS field of view. The J, H, Ks images cover the cluster core and roughly half of the filament galaxies, which extend towards the neighboring cluster, Abell 1770. This first, in a series of papers on Abell 1763, discusses the data reduction methods and source extraction techniques used for each dataset. We present catalogs of infrared (IR) sources (with 24 and/or 70um emission) and their corresponding emission in the optical (u', g', r', i', z'), and Near- to Far-IR (J, H, Ks, IRAC, and MIPS 160um). We provide the catalogs and reduced images to the community through the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA).

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Dust Properties of NGC 147 and NGC 185

We present new mid- to far-infrared images of the two dwarf compact elliptical galaxies that are satellites of M31, NGC 185 and NGC 147, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Spitzer's high sensitivity and spatial resolution enable us for the first time to look directly into the detailed spatial structure and properties of the dust in these systems. The images of NGC 185 at 8 and 24 micron display a mixed morphology characterized by a shell-like diffuse emission region surrounding a central concentration of more intense infrared emission. The lower resolution images at longer wavelengths show the same spatial distribution within the central 50" but beyond this radius, the 160 micron emission is more extended than that at 24 and 70micron. On the other hand, the dwarf galaxy NGC 147 located only a small distance away from NGC 185 shows no significant infrared emission beyond 24 micron and therefore its diffuse infrared emission is mainly stellar in origin. For NGC 185, the derived dust mass based on the best fit to the spectral energy distribution is 1.9e3 Msol, implying a gas mass of ~3.0e5 Msol. These values are in agreement with those previously estimated from infrared as well as from CO and HI observations and are consistent with the predicted mass return from dying stars based on the last burst of star formation ~1.0e9 yr ago. Based on the 70 to 160micron flux density ratio, we estimate a temperature for the dust of ~17K. For NGC 147, we obtain an upper limit for the dust mass of 4.5e2 Msol at 160 micron (assuming a temperature of ~20K), a value consistent with the previous upper limit derived using ISO observations of this galaxy. In the case of NGC 185, we also present full 5-38 micron low-resolution (R~100) spectra of the main emission regions.

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Starburst galaxies in cluster-feeding filaments unveiled by Spitzer

We report the first direct detection with Spitzer of galaxy filaments. Using Spitzer and ancillary optical data, we have discovered two filamentary structures in the outskirts of the cluster Abell 1763. Both filaments point toward Abell 1770 which lies at the same redshift as Abell 1763 (z=0.23), at a projected distance of ~13 Mpc. The X-ray cluster emission is elongated along the same direction. Most of the far-infrared emission is powered by star formation. According to the optical spectra, only one of the cluster members is classified as an active galactic nucleus. Star formation is clearly enhanced in galaxies along the filaments: the fraction of starburst galaxies in the filaments is more than twice than that in other cluster regions. We speculate that these filaments are feeding the cluster Abell 1763 by the infall of galaxies and galaxy groups. Evidence for one of these groups is provided by the analysis of galaxy kinematics in the central cluster region.

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A population of high-redshift type-2 quasars-I. Selection Criteria and Optical Spectra

We discuss the relative merits of mid-infrared and X-ray selection of type-2 quasars. We describe the mid-infrared, near-infrared and radio selection criteria used to find a population of redshift z~2 type-2 quasars which we previously argued suggests that most supermassive black hole growth in the Universe is obscured (Martinez-Sansigre et al., 2005). We present the optical spectra obtained from the William Herschel Telescope, and we compare the narrow emission line luminosity, radio luminosity and maximum size of jets to those of objects from radio-selected samples. This analysis suggests that these are genuine radio-quiet type-2 quasars, albeit the radio-bright end of this population. We also discuss the possibility of two different types of quasar obscuration, which could explain how the ~2-3:1 ratio of type-2 to type-1 quasars preferred by modelling our population can be reconciled with the ~1:1 ratio predicted by unified schemes.

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Most supermassive black hole growth is obscured by dust

We present an alternative method to X-ray surveys for hunting down the high-redshift type-2 quasar population, using Spitzer and VLA data on the Spitzer First Look Survey. By demanding objects to be bright at 24 microns but faint at 3.6 microns, and combining this with a radio criterion, we find 21 type-2 radio-quiet quasar candidates at the epoch at which the quasar activity peaked. Optical spectroscopy with the WHT confirmed 10 of these objects to be type-2s with 1.4 < z < 4.2 while the rest are blank. There is no evidence for contamination in our sample, and we postulate that our 11 blank-spectrum candidates are obscured by kpc-scale dust as opposed to dust from a torus around the accretion disk. By carefully modelling our selection criteria, we conclude that, at high redshift, 50-80 % of the supermassive black hole growth is obscured by dust.

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The obscuration by dust of most of the growth of supermassive black holes

Supermassive black holes underwent periods of exponential growth during which we seem them as quasars in the distant Universe. The summed emission from these quasars generates the cosmic X-ray background, the spectrum of which has been used to argue that most black-hole growth is obscured. There are clear examples of obscured black-hole growth in the form of `type-2' quasars, but their numbers are fewer than expected from modelling of the X-ray background. Here we report on the direct detection of a population of distant type-2 quasars which is at least comparable in size to the well-known unobscured type-1 population. We selected objects that have mid-infrared and radio emissions characteristic of quasars, but which are faint at near-infrared and optical wavelengths. This population is responsible for most of the black hole growth in the young Universe and, throughout cosmic history, black-hole growth occurs in the dusty, gas-rich centres of active galaxies.

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Point Source Extraction with MOPEX

MOPEX (MOsaicking and Point source EXtraction) is a package developed at the Spitzer Science Center for astronomical image processing. We report on the point source extraction capabilities of MOPEX. Point source extraction is implemented as a two step process: point source detection and profile fitting. Non-linear matched filtering of input images can be performed optionally to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and improve detection of faint point sources. Point Response Function (PRF) fitting of point sources produces the final point source list which includes the fluxes and improved positions of the point sources, along with other parameters characterizing the fit. Passive and active deblending allows for successful fitting of confused point sources. Aperture photometry can also be computed for every extracted point source for an unlimited number of aperture sizes. PRF is estimated directly from the input images. Implementation of efficient methods of background and noise estimation, and modified Simplex algorithm contribute to the computational efficiency of MOPEX. The package is implemented as a loosely connected set of perl scripts, where each script runs a number of modules written in C/C++. Input parameter setting is done through namelists, ASCII configuration files. We present applications of point source extraction to the mosaic images taken at 24 and 70 micron with the Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) as part of the Spitzer extragalactic First Look Survey and to a Digital Sky Survey image. Completeness and reliability of point source extraction is computed using simulated data.

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The First Measurements of Galaxy Clustering from IRAC Data of the Spitzer First Look Survey

We present the first results of the angular auto-correlation function of the galaxies detected by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) instrument in the First Look Survey (FLS) of the Spitzer Space Telescope. We detect significant signals of galaxy clustering within the survey area. The angular auto-correlation function of the galaxies detected in each of the four IRAC instrument channels is consistent with a power-law form $w(θ)=Aθ^{1-γ}$ out to $θ= 0.2\arcdeg$, with the slope ranging from $γ= 1.5$ to 1.8. We estimate the correlation amplitudes $A$ to be $2.95 \times 10^{-3}$, $2.03 \times 10^{-3}$, $4.53 \times 10^{-3}$, and $2.34 \times 10^{-3}$ at $θ=1\arcdeg$ for galaxies detected in the IRAC 3.6$μ$m, 4.5$μ$m, 5.8$μ$m, and 8.0$μ$m instrument channels, respectively. We compare our measurements at 3.6$μ$m with the previous K-band measurements, and discuss the implications of these results.

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Extragalactic Source Counts at 24 Microns in the Spitzer First Look Survey

We present the Spitzer MIPS 24 micron source counts in the Extragalactic First Look Survey main, verification and ELAIS-N1 fields. Spitzer's increased sensitivity and efficiency in large areal coverage over previous infrared telescopes, coupled with the enhanced sensitivity of the 24 micron band to sources at intermediate redshift, dramatically improve the quality and statistics of number counts in the mid-infrared. The First Look Survey observations cover areas of, respectively, 4.4, 0.26 and 0.015 sq.deg. and reach 3-sigma depths of 0.11, 0.08 and 0.03 mJy. The extragalactic counts derived for each survey agree remarkably well. The counts can be fitted by a super-Euclidean power law of index alpha=-2.9 from 0.2 to 0.9 mJy, with a flattening of the counts at fluxes fainter than 0.2 mJy. Comparison with infrared galaxy evolution models reveals a peak's displacement in the 24 micron counts. This is probably due to the detection of a new population of galaxies with redshift between 1 and 2, previously unseen in the 15 micron deep counts.

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The Nature of the Halo Population of NGC 5128 Resolved with NICMOS on the Hubble Space Telescope

We present the first infrared color-magnitude diagram (CMD) for the halo of a giant elliptical galaxy. The CMD for the stars in the halo of NGC 5128 (Centaurus A) was constructed from HST NICMOS observations of the WFPC2 CHIP-3 field of Soria et al. (1996) to a 50% completeness magnitude limit of [F160W]=23.8. This field is located at a distance of 08'50" (~9 kpc) south of the center of the galaxy. The luminosity function (LF) shows a marked discontinuity at [F160W]=20.0. This is 1-2 mag above the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) expected for an old population (~12 Gyr) at the distance modulus of NGC 5128. We propose that the majority of stars above the TRGB have intermediate ages (~2 Gyr), in agreement with the WFPC2 observations of Soria et al. (1996). Five stars with magnitudes brighter than the LF discontinuity are most probably due to Galactic contamination. The weighted average of the mean giant branch color above our 50% completeness limit is [F110W]-[F160W]=1.22+-0.08 with a dispersion of 0.19 mag. From our artificial-star experiments we determine that the observed spread in color is real, suggesting a real spread in metallicity. We estimate the lower and upper bounds of the stellar metallicity range by comparisons with observations of Galactic star clusters and theoretical isochrones. Assuming an old population, we find that, in the halo field of NGC 5128 we surveyed, stars have metallicities ranging from roughly 1% of solar at the blue end of the color spread to roughly solar at the red end, with a mean of [Fe/H]=-0.76 and a dispersion of 0.44 dex.

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The Stellar Content of the Halo of NGC 5907 from Deep HST NICMOS Imaging

We present H-band images obtained with NICMOS of a field 75'' (5kpc) above the plane of the disk of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 5907. Ground-based observations have shown that NGC 5907 has a luminous halo with a shallow radial profile between 4 and 8 kpc that roughly traces the dark matter distribution of the galaxy deduced from its rotation curve. Our NICMOS observations were designed to resolve bright giants in the halo of NGC 5907 to constrain its stellar composition with the goal of understanding its nature and origin. More than 100 stars are expected in the NICMOS images if the dwarf-to-giant ratio in the halo of NGC 5907 is consistent with that expected from standard stellar initial mass functions, and if ground-based estimates of the distance to NGC 5907 and the integrated colors of its halo are correct. Instead we observe only one candidate giant star. This apparent discrepancy can be resolved by assuming either a significantly larger distance than suggested by several studies, or a halo metallicity much lower than suggested by ground-based colors and as low as metal-poor Galactic globular clusters. If previous distance and halo color estimates for NGC 5907 are correct, our NICMOS results suggest that its extended light is composed of stars that formed with an initial mass function different than that observed locally, leading to a much higher ratio of dwarfs to giants. We describe how these three possible explanations for the absence of bright giants in our NICMOS images of the halo of NGC 5907 might be constrained by future observations.

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The Deepest Spectrum of the Universe? Constraints on the Lyman Continuum Background at High Redshift

We describe an ongoing experiment to search for the meta-galactic Lyman-continuum background at z~2-3. We are obtaining one of the deepest optical spectra ever, using LRIS/Keck-II to search for the fluorescent Ly-alpha emission from optically thick HI clouds. The null results of our pilot study (Bunker, Marleau & Graham 1998) placed a 3-sigma upper bound on the mean intensity of the ionizing background of J_{nu 0} < 2E-21 erg/s/cm^2/Hz/sr at z~3. This constraint was more than two orders of magnitude more stringent than any previously published direct limit. Our results excluded the possibility that decaying relic neutrinos are responsible for the meta-galactic radiation field. We have recently greatly extended our search, obtaining a 16-hour spectrum which is sensitive to UV background fluxes ~1E-21 erg/s/cm^2/Hz/sr (z~2.3 at 3-sigma, assuming the HI clouds are ~10arcsec in extent). We describe how the results of this study can be used to constrain the quasar luminosity function and the contribution of high-redshift star-forming galaxies to the ambient ionizing background.

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Seeking the Ultraviolet Ionizing Background at z~3 with the Keck Telescope

We describe the initial results of a deep long-slit emission line search for redshifted (2.7<z<4.1) Lyman-alpha. These observations are used to constrain the fluorescent Ly-alpha emission from the population of clouds whose absorption produces the higher-column-density component of the Ly-alpha forest in quasar spectra. We use the results to set an upper limit on the ultraviolet ionizing background. Our spectroscopic data obtained with the Keck II telescope at lambda/(Delta lambda FWHM)~2000 reveals no candidate Ly-alpha emission over the wavelength range of 4500-6200 Ang along a 3 arcmin slit in a 5400 s integration. Our 3 sigma upper bound on the mean intensity of the ionizing background at the Lyman limit is J(nu 0) < 2E-21 erg/s/cm**2/Hz/sr for 2.7<z<3.1 (where we are most sensitive), assuming Lyman limit systems have typical radii of 70 kpc (q_0=0.5, H_0=50 km/s/Mpc). This constraint is more than an order of magnitude more stringent than any previously published direct limit. However, it is still a factor of three above the ultraviolet background level expected due to the integrated light of known quasars at z~3. This pilot study confirms the conclusion of Gould \& Weinberg (1996) that integrations of several hours on a 10-m class telescope should be capable of measuring J(nu 0) at high redshift.

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