arXiv subjects

G. Fazio

Publications and source records attributed to G. Fazio.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

A Complete 16 micron-Selected Galaxy Sample at $z\sim1$: Mid-infrared Spectral Energy Distributions

We describe a complete, flux-density-limited sample of galaxies at redshift $0.8 < z < 1.3$ selected at 16 micron. At the selection wavelength near 8 micron rest, the observed emission comes both from dust heated by intense star formation and from active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the sample galaxies to local-galaxy templates reveals that more than half the galaxies have SEDs dominated by star formation. About one sixth of the galaxy SEDs are dominated by an AGN, and nearly all the rest of the SEDs are composite. Comparison with X-ray and far-infrared observations shows that combinations of luminosities at rest-frame 4.5 and 8 micron give good measures of both AGN luminosity and star-formation rate. The sample galaxies mostly follow the established star-forming main sequence for $z=1$ galaxies, but of the galaxies more than 0.5 dex above that main sequence, more than half have AGN-type SEDs. Similarly, the most luminous AGNs tend to have higher star-formation rates than the main sequence value. Galaxies with stellar masses $>$10$^{11}$\,\Msun\ are unlikely to host an AGN. About 1% of the sample galaxies show an SED with dust emission typical of neither star formation nor an AGN.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

The VANDELS ESO public spectroscopic survey: final Data Release of 2087 spectra and spectroscopic measurements

VANDELS is an ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey designed to build a sample of high signal to noise, medium resolution spectra of galaxies at redshift between 1 and 6.5. Here we present the final Public Data Release of the VANDELS Survey, comprising 2087 redshift measurements. We give a detailed description of sample selection, observations and data reduction procedures. The final catalogue reaches a target selection completeness of 40% at iAB = 25. The high Signal to Noise ratio of the spectra (above 7 in 80% of the spectra) and the dispersion of 2.5Å allowed us to measure redshifts with high precision, the redshift measurement success rate reaching almost 100%. Together with the redshift catalogue and the reduced spectra, we also provide optical mid-IR photometry and physical parameters derived through SED fitting. The observed galaxy sample comprises both passive and star forming galaxies covering a stellar mass range 8.3< Log(M*/Msolar)<11.7. All catalogues and spectra are accessible through the survey database (http://vandels.inaf.it) where all information can be queried interactively, and via the ESO Archive (https://www.eso.org/qi/).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Populations behind the source-subtracted cosmic infrared background anisotropies

While the upcoming telescopes will reveal correspondingly fainter, more distant galaxies, a question will persist: what more is there that these telescopes cannot see? One answer is the source-subtracted Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB). The CIB is comprised of the collective light from all sources remaining after known, resolved sources are accounted for. Ever-more-sensitive surveys will identify the brightest of these, allowing them to be removed, and - like peeling layers off an onion - reveal deeper layers of the CIB. In this way it is possible to measure the contributions from populations not accessible to direct telescopic observation. Measurement of fluctuations in the source-subtracted CIB, i.e., the spatial power spectrum of the CIB after subtracting resolved sources, provides a robust means of characterizing its faint, and potentially new, populations. Studies over the past 15 years have revealed source-subtracted CIB fluctuations on scales out to ~100' which cannot be explained by extrapolating from known galaxy populations. Moreover, they appear highly coherent with the unresolved Cosmic X-ray Background, hinting at a significant population of accreting black holes among the CIB sources. Characterizing the source-subtracted CIB with high accuracy, and thereby constraining the nature of the new populations, is feasible with upcoming instruments and would produce critically important cosmological information in the next decade. New coextensive deep and wide-area near-infrared, X-ray, and microwave surveys will bring decisive opportunities to examine, with high fidelity, the spatial spectrum and origin of the CIB fluctuations and their cross-correlations with cosmic microwave and X-ray backgrounds, and determine the formation epochs and the nature of the new sources (stellar nucleosynthetic or accreting black holes).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Simultaneous X-ray and Infrared Observations of Sagittarius A*'s Variability

Emission from Sgr A* is highly variable at both X-ray and infrared (IR) wavelengths. Observations over the last ~20 years have revealed X-ray flares that rise above a quiescent thermal background about once per day, while faint X-ray flares from Sgr A* are undetectable below the constant thermal emission. In contrast, the IR emission of Sgr A* is observed to be continuously variable. Recently, simultaneous observations have indicated a rise in IR flux density around the same time as every distinct X-ray flare, while the opposite is not always true (peaks in the IR emission may not be coincident with an X-ray flare). Characterizing the behaviour of these simultaneous X-ray/IR events and measuring any time lag between them can constrain models of Sgr A*'s accretion flow and the flare emission mechanism. Using 100+ hours of data from a coordinated campaign between the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we present results of the longest simultaneous IR and X-ray observations of Sgr A* taken to date. The cross-correlation between the IR and X-ray light curves in this unprecedented dataset, which includes four modest X-ray/IR flares, indicates that flaring in the X-ray may lead the IR by approximately 10-20 minutes with 68% confidence. However, the 99.7% confidence interval on the time-lag also includes zero, i.e., the flaring remains statistically consistent with simultaneity. Long duration and simultaneous multiwavelength observations of additional bright flares will improve our ability to constrain the flare timing characteristics and emission mechanisms, and must be a priority for Galactic Center observing campaigns.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Role of charged particle emission on the evaporation residue formation in the $^{82}$Se+$^{138}$Ba reaction leading to the $^{220}$Th compound nucleus

We present detailed results of a theoretical investigation on the production of evaporation residue nuclei obtained in a heavy ion reaction when charged particles (proton and $α$-particle) are also emitted with the neutron evaporation along the deexcitation cascade of the formed compound nucleus. The almost mass symmetric $^{82}$Se+$^{138}$Ba reaction has been studied since there are many experimental results on individual evaporation residue (ER) cross sections after few light particle emissions along the cascade of the $^{220}$Th compound nucleus (CN) covering the wide 12--70 MeV excitation energy range. Our specific theoretical results on the ER cross sections for the $^{82}$Se+$^{138}$Ba are in good agreement with the available experimental measurements, but our overall theoretical results concerning all possible relevant contributions of evaporation residues are several times greater than the ERs measured in experiment. The discrepancy could be due to the experimental difficulties in the identification of ER nuclei after the emission of multiple neutral and charged particles, nevertheless the analysis of ER data is very important to test the reliability of the model and to stress the importance on the investigation of ER nuclei also obtained after charged particle emissions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

Effects of entrance channels on the deexcitation properties of the same compound nucleus formed by different pairs of collision partners

The properties of deexcitation of the same $^{220}$Th compound nucleus (CN) formed by different mass (charge) asymmetric reactions are investigated. It is demonstrated that the effective fission barrier $ $ value being a function of the excitation energy $E^*_{\rm CN}$ is strongly sensitive to the various orbital angular momentum $L=\ell\hbar$ distributions of CN formed with the same excitation energy $E^*_{CN}$ by the very different entrance channels $^{16}$O+$^{204}$Pb, $^{40}$Ar+$^{180}$Hf, $^{82}$Se+$^{138}$Ba and $^{96}$Zr+$^{124}$Sn. Consequently, the competition between the fission and evaporation of light particles (neutron, proton, and $α$-particle) processes along the deexcitation cascade of CN depends on the orbital angular momentum distribution of CN. Therefore, the ratio between the evaporation residue cross sections obtained after emission of neutral and charged particles and neutrons only for the same CN with a given excitation energy $E^*_{CN}$ is sensitive to the mass (charge) asymmetry of reactants in the entrance channel.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

The VANDELS ESO public spectroscopic survey: observations and first data release

This paper describes the observations and the first data release (DR1) of the ESO public spectroscopic survey "VANDELS, a deep VIMOS survey of the CANDELS CDFS and UDS fields". VANDELS' main targets are star-forming galaxies at 2.4<z<5.5 and massive passive galaxies at 1<z<2.5. By adopting a strategy of ultra-long exposure times, from 20 to 80 hours per source, VANDELS is designed to be the deepest ever spectroscopic survey of the high-redshift Universe. Exploiting the red sensitivity of the VIMOS spectrograph, the survey has obtained ultra-deep spectra covering the wavelength 4800-10000 A with sufficient signal-to-noise to investigate the astrophysics of high-redshift galaxy evolution via detailed absorption line studies. The VANDELS-DR1 is the release of all spectra obtained during the first season of observations and includes data for galaxies for which the total (or half of the total) scheduled integration time was completed. The release contains 879 individual objects with a measured redshift and includes fully wavelength and flux-calibrated 1D spectra, the associated error spectra, sky spectra and wavelength-calibrated 2D spectra. We also provide a catalog with the essential galaxy parameters, including spectroscopic redshifts and redshift quality flags. In this paper we present the survey layout and observations, the data reduction and redshift measurement procedure and the general properties of the VANDELS-DR1 sample. We also discuss the spectroscopic redshift distribution, the accuracy of the photometric redshifts and we provide some examples of data products. All VANDELS-DR1 data are publicly available and can be retrieved from the ESO archive. Two further data releases are foreseen in the next 2 years with a final release scheduled for June 2020 which will include improved re-reduction of the entire spectroscopic data set. (abridged)

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Uncertainties and understanding of experimental and theoretical results regarding reactions forming heavy and superheavy nuclei

Experimental and theoretical results of the $P_{\mathrm{CN}}$ fusion probability of reactants in the entrance channel and the $W_{\mathrm{sur}}$ survival probability against fission at deexcitation of the compound nucleus formed in heavy-ion collisions are discussed. The theoretical results for a set of nuclear reactions leading to formation of compound nuclei (CNs) with the charge number $Z=102\text{--}122$ reveal a strong sensitivity of $P_{\mathrm{CN}}$ to the characteristics of colliding nuclei in the entrance channel, dynamics of the reaction mechanism, and excitation energy of the system. We discuss the validity of assumptions and procedures for analysis of experimental data, and also the limits of validity of theoretical results obtained by the use of phenomenological models. The comparison of results obtained in many investigated reactions reveals serious limits of validity of the data analysis and calculation procedures.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

ExploreNEOs VIII: Dormant Short-Period Comets in the Near-Earth Asteroid Population

We perform a search for dormant comets, asteroidal objects of cometary origin, in the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) population based on dynamical and physical considerations. Our study is based on albedos derived within the ExploreNEOs program and is extended by adding data from NEOWISE and the Akari asteroid catalog. We use a statistical approach to identify asteroids on orbits that resemble those of short-period near-Earth comets using the Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter, the aphelion distance, and the minimum orbital intersection distance with respect to Jupiter. From the sample of NEAs on comet-like orbits, we select those with a geometric albedo $p_V \leq 0.064$ as dormant comet candidates, and find that only $\sim$50% of NEAs on comet-like orbits also have comet-like albedos. We identify a total of 23 NEAs from our sample that are likely to be dormant short-period near-Earth comets and, based on a de-biasing procedure applied to the cryogenic NEOWISE survey, estimate both magnitude-limited and size-limited fractions of the NEA population that are dormant short-period comets. We find that 0.3-3.3% of the NEA population with $H \leq 21$, and $9^{+2}_{-5}$% of the population with diameters $d \geq 1$ km, are dormant short-period near-Earth comets.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2014

The Hawk-I UDS and GOODS Survey (HUGS): Survey design and deep K-band number counts

We present the results of a new, ultra-deep, near-infrared imaging survey executed with the Hawk-I imager at the ESO VLT, of which we make all the data public. This survey, named HUGS (Hawk-I UDS and GOODS Survey), provides deep, high-quality imaging in the K and Y bands over the CANDELS UDS and GOODS-South fields. We describe here the survey strategy, the data reduction process, and the data quality. HUGS delivers the deepest and highest quality K-band images ever collected over areas of cosmological interest, and ideally complements the CANDELS data set in terms of image quality and depth. The seeing is exceptional and homogeneous, confined to the range 0.38"-0.43". In the deepest region of the GOODS-S field, (which includes most of the HUDF) the K-band exposure time exceeds 80 hours of integration, yielding a 1-sigma magnitude limit of ~28.0 mag/sqarcsec. In the UDS field the survey matches the shallower depth of the CANDELS images reaching a 1-sigma limit per sq.arcsec of ~27.3mag in the K band and ~28.3mag in the Y-band, We show that the HUGS observations are well matched to the depth of the CANDELS WFC3/IR data, since the majority of even the faintest galaxies detected in the CANDELS H-band images are also detected in HUGS. We present the K-band galaxy number counts produced by combining the HUGS data from the two fields. We show that the slope of the number counts depends sensitively on the assumed distribution of galaxy sizes, with potential impact on the estimated extra-galactic background light (abridged).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

First measurement of the 2.4 and 2.9 MeV $^6$He three-cluster resonant states via the $^3$H($^4$He,p$α$)2n four-body reaction

Two new low-lying $^6$He levels at excitation energies of about 2.4 and 2.9 MeV were observed in the experimental investigation of the p-$α$ coincidence spectra obtained by the $^3$H($^4$He,p$α$)2n four-body reaction at $E_{\rm \,^4He}$ beam energy of 27.2 MeV. The relevant $E^*$ peak energy and $Γ$ energy width spectroscopic parameters for such $^6$He$^*$ excited states decaying into the $α$+n+n channel were obtained by analyzing the bidimensional ($E_{\rm p}$, $E_{\rm α}$) energy spectra. The present new result of two low-lying $^6$He$^*$ excited states above the $^4$He+2n threshold energy of 0.974 MeV is important for the investigation of the nuclear structure of neutron rich light nuclei and also as a basic test for theoretical models in the study of the three-cluster resonance feature of $^6$He.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2014

A multiwavelength study of embedded clusters in W5-east, NGC7538, S235, S252 and S254-S258

We present Spitzer, NIR and millimeter observations of the massive star forming regions W5-east, S235, S252, S254-S258 and NGC7538. Spitzer data is combined with near-IR observations to identify and classify the young population while 12CO and 13CO observations are used to examine the parental molecular cloud. We detect in total 3021 young stellar objects (YSOs). Of those, 539 are classified as Class I, and 1186 as Class II sources. YSOs are distributed in groups surrounded by a more scattered population. Class I sources are more hierarchically organized than Class II and associated with the most dense molecular material. We identify in total 41 embedded clusters containing between 52 and 73% of the YSOs. Clusters are in general non-virialized, turbulent and have star formation efficiencies between 5 and 50%. We compare the physical properties of embedded clusters harboring massive stars (MEC) and low-mass embedded clusters (LEC) and find that both groups follow similar correlations where the MEC are an extrapolation of the LEC. The mean separation between MEC members is smaller compared to the cluster Jeans length than for LEC members. These results are in agreement with a scenario where stars are formed in hierarchically distributed dusty filaments where fragmentation is mainly driven by turbulence for the more massive clusters. We find several young OB-type stars having IR-excess emission which may be due to the presence of an accretion disk.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

CANDELS+3D-HST: compact SFGs at z~2-3, the progenitors of the first quiescent galaxies

We analyze the star-forming and structural properties of 45 massive (log(M/Msun)>10) compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at 2<z<3 to explore whether they are progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies at z~2. The optical/NIR and far-IR Spitzer/Herschel colors indicate that most compact SFGs are heavily obscured. Nearly half (47%) host an X-ray bright AGN. In contrast, only about 10% of other massive galaxies at that time host AGNs. Compact SFGs have centrally-concentrated light profiles and spheroidal morphologies similar to quiescent galaxies, and are thus strikingly different from other SFGs. Most compact SFGs lie either within the SFR-M main sequence (65%) or below (30%), on the expected evolutionary path towards quiescent galaxies. These results show conclusively that galaxies become more compact before they lose their gas and dust, quenching star formation. Using extensive HST photometry from CANDELS and grism spectroscopy from the 3D-HST survey, we model their stellar populations with either exponentially declining (tau) star formation histories (SFHs) or physically-motivated SFHs drawn from semi-analytic models (SAMs). SAMs predict longer formation timescales and older ages ~2 Gyr, which are nearly twice as old as the estimates of the tau models. While both models yield good SED fits, SAM SFHs better match the observed slope and zero point of the SFR-M main sequence. Some low-mass compact SFGs (log(M/Msun)=10-10.6) have younger ages but lower sSFRs than that of more massive galaxies, suggesting that the low-mass galaxies reach the red sequence faster. If the progenitors of compact SFGs are extended SFGs, state-of-the-art SAMs show that mergers and disk instabilities are both able to shrink galaxies, but disk instabilities are more frequent (60% versus 40%) and form more concentrated galaxies. We confirm this result via high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

AFGL 5157 NH$_3$: A new stellar cluster in the forming

We present the analysis of Spitzer/IRAC and NIR imaging observation of AFGL 5157, an active star forming region. In the IRAC images, this region shows strong PAH emissions in channel 4 and H$_2$ emissions in channel 2. Many of the H$_2$ features are aligned to form jet-like structures. Three bipolar jets in the NH$_3$ core region and a couple of jets northwest of the core have been identified. We identify the possible driving agents of the bipolar jets and show them to be very young. An embedded cluster has been detected in the NH$_3$ core; many members in the cluster show their SEDs increasing from JHK bands toward longer wavelength, indicative of their early evolutionary stages. Millimeter and sub-millimeter continuum emissions are found to coincide spatially with these presumable Class 0/I sources, in the NH$_3$ core and the NW subregion. The existence of H$_2$ bipolar jets and very young stellar objects suggests that star formation is still going on at present epoch in these subregions. Combining the information from previous studies, we propose a sequential star formation scenario in the whole AFGL 5157 region.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

What perspectives for the synthesis of heavier superheavy nuclei? Results and comparison with models

The possibility to synthesize heavier superheavy elements in massive nuclei reactions is strongly limited by the hindrance to complete fusion of reacting nuclei: due to the onset of the quasifission process in the entrance channel, which competes with complete fusion, and by strong increase of the fission yield along the de-excitation cascade of the compound nucleus in comparison to the evaporation residue formation. We present a wide and detailed procedure allowing us to describe the experimental results (evaporation residue nuclei and fissionlike products) in the mass asymmetric and symmetric reactions. Very reliable estimations and perspectives for the synthesis of superheavy elements in many massive nuclei reactions up to Z = 120 and eventually also for Z > 120 have been obtained.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

Submillimeter Observations of Millimeter Bright Galaxies Discovered by the South Pole Telescope

We present APEX SABOCA 350micron and LABOCA 870micron observations of 11 representative examples of the rare, extremely bright (S_1.4mm > 15mJy), dust-dominated millimeter-selected galaxies recently discovered by the South Pole Telescope (SPT). All 11 sources are robustly detected with LABOCA with 40 < S_870micron < 130mJy, approximately an order of magnitude higher than the canonical submillimeter galaxy (SMG) population. Six of the sources are also detected by SABOCA at >3sigma, with the detections or upper limits providing a key constraint on the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED) near its peak. We model the SEDs of these galaxies using a simple modified blackbody and perform the same analysis on samples of SMGs of known redshift from the literature. These calibration samples inform the distribution of dust temperature for similar SMG populations, and this dust temperature prior allows us to derive photometric redshift estimates and far infrared luminosities for the sources. We find a median redshift of = 3.0, higher than the = 2.2 inferred for the normal SMG population. We also derive the apparent size of the sources from the temperature and apparent luminosity, finding them to appear larger than our unlensed calibration sample, which supports the idea that these sources are gravitationally magnified by massive structures along the line of sight.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Experimental evidence of the $^6$He level at $E^*$ = 18.3 MeV by the $^4$He+$^3$H three-body reaction

Measurements of the t-t and p-t coincidence events in the $^3$H ($α$, ttp) reaction have been obtained at $E_α$ incident energy of 67.2 MeV. Various appropriate angular configurations of detectors were chosen in order to observe the population of the $^6$He$^*$ state at around 18 MeV. Its contribution appears at the $E_{\rm tt}$ relative energy of 6.0 MeV by the analysis of bidimensional spectra. We found the formation of the $^6$He excited state at $E^* = 18.3 \pm 0.2$ MeV (with a $Γ$ width of 1.1 $\pm$ 0.3 MeV) by the decay into the t+t binary channel, since the threshold energy of the t+t channel is 12.31 MeV. In each analyzed bidimensional energy spectrum of ($E_{\rm t}$, $E_{\rm t}$) and ($E_{\rm p}$, $E_{\rm t}$) coincidence events resonance structures are present due to the formation of both $^6$He$^*$ and $^4$He$^*$ excited states. Our results on the $E^*$ and $Γ$ values regarding the $^6$He$^*$ level of about 18 MeV are compared with the results obtained by other reactions. Moreover, we also found new $Γ$ width values of 0.7 $\pm$ 0.3 and 0.8 $\pm$ 0.4 MeV for the 14.0 $\pm$ 0.4 and 16.1 $\pm$ 0.4 MeV $^6$He levels, respectively.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2011

The redshift and nature of AzTEC/COSMOS 1: A starburst galaxy at z=4.6

Based on broad/narrow-band photometry and Keck DEIMOS spectroscopy we report a redshift of z=4.64-0.08+0.06 for AzTEC/COSMOS 1, the brightest sub-mm galaxy in the AzTEC/COSMOS field. In addition to the COSMOS-survey X-ray to radio data, we report observations of the source with Herschel/PACS (100, 160 micron), CSO/SHARC II (350 micron), CARMA and PdBI (3 mm). We do not detect CO(5-4) line emission in the covered redshift ranges, 4.56-4.76 (PdBI/CARMA) and 4.94-5.02 (CARMA). If the line is within this bandwidth, this sets 3sigma upper limits on the gas mass to <~8x10^9 M_Sol and <~5x10^10 M_Sol, respectively (assuming similar conditions as observed in z~2 SMGs). This could be explained by a low CO-excitation in the source. Our analysis of the UV-IR spectral energy distribution of AzTEC 1 shows that it is an extremely young (<~50 Myr), massive (M*~10^11 M_Sol), but compact (<~2 kpc) galaxy forming stars at a rate of ~1300 M_Sol/yr. Our results imply that AzTEC 1 is forming stars in a 'gravitationally bound' regime in which gravity prohibits the formation of a superwind, leading to matter accumulation within the galaxy and further generations of star formation.

astro-ph.CO↗