arXiv subjects

G. Worseck

Publications and source records attributed to G. Worseck.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Low-redshift Lyman continuum leaking galaxies with high [OIII]/[OII] ratios

We present observations with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope of five star-forming galaxies at redshifts z in the range 0.2993-0.4317 and with high emission-line flux ratios O32=[OIII]5007/[OII]3727 ~ 8-27 aiming to detect the Lyman continuum (LyC) emission. We detect LyC emission in all galaxies with the escape fractions fesc(LyC) in a range of 2-72 per cent. A narrow Ly-alpha emission line with two peaks in four galaxies and with three peaks in one object is seen in medium-resolution COS spectra with a velocity separation between the peaks Vsep varying from ~153 km/s to ~345 km/s. We find a general increase of the LyC escape fraction with increasing O32 and decreasing stellar mass M*, but with a large scatter of fesc(LyC). A tight anti-correlation is found between fesc(LyC) and Vsep making Vsep a good parameter for the indirect determination of the LyC escape fraction. We argue that one possible source driving the escape of ionizing radiation is stellar winds and radiation from hot massive stars.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Discovery of a dual AGN at z~3.3 with 20kpc separation

A prediction of the current paradigm of the hierarchical assembly of galaxies is the presence of supermassive dual black holes at separations of a few kpc or less. In this context, we report the detection of a narrow-line emitter within the extended LyA nebula (~120kpc diameter) of the luminous radio-quiet quasi-stellar object (QSO) LBQS0302-0019 at z=3.286. We identify several high-ionization narrow emission lines (HeII, CIV, CIII]) associated with this point-like source, which we have named "Jil", which is only ~20kpc (2.9") away from the QSO in projection. Emission-line diagnostics confirm that the source is likely powered by photoionization of an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) three orders of magnitude fainter than the QSO. The system represents the tightest unobscured/obscured dual AGN currently known at z>3, highlighting the power of MUSE to detect these elusive systems.

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arXiv2017

J1154+2443: a low-redshift compact star-forming galaxy with a 46 per cent leakage of Lyman continuum photons

We report the detection of the Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation of the compact star-forming galaxy (SFG) J1154+2443 observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy, at a redshift of z=0.3690, is characterized by a high emission-line flux ratio O32=[OIII]5007/[OII]3727=11.5. The escape fraction of the LyC radiation fesc(LyC) in this galaxy is 46 per cent, the highest value found so far in low-redshift SFGs and one of the highest values found in galaxies at any redshift. The narrow double-peaked Lya emission line is detected in the spectrum of J1154+2443 with a separation between the peaks Vsep of 199 km/s, one of the lowest known for Lya-emitting galaxies, implying a high fesc(Lya). Comparing the extinction-corrected Lya/Hb flux ratio with the case B value we find fesc(Lya) = 98 per cent. Our observations, combined with previous detections in the literature, reveal an increase of O32 with increasing fesc(LyC). We also find a tight anticorrelation between fesc(LyC) and Vsep. The surface brightness profile derived from the COS acquisition image reveals a bright star-forming region in the centre and an exponential disc in the outskirts with a disc scale length alpha=1.09 kpc. J1154+2443, compared to other known low-redshift LyC leakers, is characterized by the lowest metallicity, 12+logO/H=7.65+/-0.01, the lowest stellar mass M*=10^8.20 Msun, a similar star formation rate SFR=18.9 Msun/yr and a high specific SFR of 1.2x10^-7 yr^-1.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Solving the conundrum of intervening strong MgII absorbers towards GRBs and quasars

Previous studies have shown that the incidence rate of intervening strong MgII absorbers towards GRBs were a factor of 2 - 4 higher than towards quasars. Exploring the similar sized and uniformly selected legacy data sets XQ-100 and XSGRB, each consisting of 100 quasar and 81 GRB afterglow spectra obtained with a single instrument (VLT/X-shooter), we demonstrate that there is no disagreement in the number density of strong MgII absorbers with rest-frame equivalent widths $W_r^{2796} >$ 1 Å towards GRBs and quasars in the redshift range 0.1 < z < 5. With large and similar sample sizes, and path length coverages of $Δ$z = 57.8 and 254.4 for GRBs and quasars, respectively, the incidences of intervening absorbers are consistent within 1 sigma uncertainty levels at all redshifts. For absorbers at z < 2.3 the incidence towards GRBs is a factor of 1.5$\pm$0.4 higher than the expected number of strong MgII absorbers in SDSS quasar spectra, while for quasar absorbers observed with X-shooter we find an excess factor of 1.4$\pm$0.2 relative to SDSS quasars. Conversely, the incidence rates agree at all redshifts with reported high spectral resolution quasar data, and no excess is found. The only remaining discrepancy in incidences is between SDSS MgII catalogues and high spectral resolution studies. The rest-frame equivalent width distribution also agrees to within 1 sigma uncertainty levels between the GRB and quasar samples. Intervening strong MgII absorbers towards GRBs are therefore neither unusually frequent, nor unusually strong.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Do galaxies that leak ionizing photons have extreme outflows?

To reionize the early universe, high-energy photons must escape the galaxies that produce them. It has been suggested that stellar feedback drives galactic outflows out of star-forming regions, creating low density channels through which ionizing photons escape into the inter-galactic medium. We compare the galactic outflow properties of confirmed Lyman continuum (LyC) leaking galaxies to a control sample of nearby star-forming galaxies to explore whether the outflows from leakers are extreme as compared to the control sample. We use data from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the equivalent widths and velocities of Si II and Si III absorption lines, tracing neutral and ionized galactic outflows. We find that the Si II and Si III equivalent widths of the LyC leakers reside on the low-end of the trend established by the control sample. The leakers' velocities are not statistically different than the control sample, but their absorption line profiles have a different asymmetry: their central velocities are closer to their maximum velocities. The outflow kinematics and equivalent widths are consistent with the scaling relations between outflow properties and host galaxy properties -- most notably metallicity -- defined by the control sample. Additionally, we use the Lyα profiles to show that the Si II equivalent width scales with the Lyα peak velocity separation. We determine that the low equivalent widths of the leakers are likely driven by low metallicities and low H I column densities, consistent with a density-bounded ionization region, although we cannot rule out significant variations in covering fraction. While we do not find that the LyC leakers have extreme outflow velocities, the low maximum-to-central velocity ratios demonstrate the importance of the acceleration and density profiles for LyC and Lyα escape. [abridged]

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

On the selection of damped Lyman alpha systems using MgII absorption at 2<z<4

The XQ-100 survey provides optical and near infrared coverage of 36 blindly selected, intervening damped Lyman alpha systems (DLAs) at 2 < z < 4, simultaneously covering the MgII doublet at 2796A, 2803A, and the Ly-alpha transition. Using the XQ-100 DLA sample, we investigate the completeness of selecting DLA absorbers based on their MgII rest-frame equivalent width (W2796) at these redshifts. Of the 29 DLAs with clean MgII profiles, we find that six (20% of DLAs) have W2796 < 0.6A. The DLA incidence rate of W2796 < 0.6A absorbers is a factor of ~5 higher than what is seen in z~1 samples, indicating a potential evolution in the MgII properties of DLAs with redshift. All of the W2796 < 0.6A DLAs have low metallicities (-2.5 < [M/H] < -1.7), small velocity widths (v90 < 50 km/s), and tend to have relatively low N(HI). We demonstrate that the exclusion of these low W2796 DLAs results in a higher mean N(HI) which in turn leads to a ~7% increase in the cosmological gas density of HI of DLAs at 2 < z < 4; and that this exclusion has a minimal effect on the HI-weighted mean metallicity.

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arXiv2016

Chemical abundances of damped Lyman alpha systems in the XQ-100 survey

The XQ-100 survey has provided high signal-noise spectra of 100 redshift 3-4.5 quasars with the X-Shooter spectrograph. The metal abundances for 13 elements in the 41 damped Lyman alpha systems (DLAs) identified in the XQ-100 sample are presented, and an investigation into abundances of a variety of DLA classes is conducted. The XQ-100 DLA sample contains five DLAs within 5000 km/s of their host quasar (proximate DLAs; PDLAs) as well as three sightlines which contain two DLAs within 10,000 km/s of each other along the same line-of-sight (multiple DLAs; MDLAs). Combined with previous observations in the literature, we demonstrate that PDLAs with logN(HI)<21.0 show lower [S/H] and [Fe/H] (relative to intervening systems with similar redshift and N(HI)), whilst higher [S/H] and [Si/H] are seen in PDLAs with logN(HI)>21.0. These abundance discrepancies are independent of their line-of-sight velocity separation from the host quasar, and the velocity width of the metal lines (v90). Contrary to previous studies, MDLAs show no difference in [alpha/Fe] relative to single DLAs matched in metallicity and redshift. In addition, we present follow-up UVES data of J0034+1639, a sightline containing three DLAs, including a metal-poor DLA with [Fe/H]=-2.82 (the third lowest [Fe/H] in DLAs identified to date) at z=4.25. Lastly we study the dust-corrected [Zn/Fe], emphasizing that near-IR coverage of X-Shooter provides unprecedented access to MgII, CaII and TiII lines (at redshifts 3-4) to provide additional evidence for subsolar [Zn/Fe] ratio in DLAs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Lyman-alpha spectral properties of five newly discovered Lyman continuum emitters

We have recently reported the discovery of five low redshift Lyman continuum (LyC) emitters (LCEs, hereafter) with absolute escape fractions fesc(LyC) ranging from 6 to 13%, higher than previously found, and which more than doubles the number of low redshift LCEs.We use these observations to test theoretical predictions about a link between the characteristics of the Lyman-alpha (Lya) line from galaxies and the escape of ionising photons. We analyse the Lya spectra of eight LCEs of the local Universe observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (our five leakers and three galaxies from the litterature), and compare their strengths and shapes to the theoretical criteria and comparison samples of local galaxies: the Lyman Alpha Reference Survey, Lyman Break Analogs, Green Peas, and the high-redshift strong LyC leaker Ion2. Our LCEs are found to be strong Lya emitters, with high equivalent widths, EW(Lya)> 70 Å, and large Lya escape fractions, fesc(Lya) > 20%. The Lya profiles are all double-peaked with a small peak separation, in agreement with our theoretical expectations. They also have no underlying absorption at the Lya position. All these characteristics are very different from the Lya properties of typical star-forming galaxies of the local Universe. A subset of the comparison samples (2-3 Green Pea galaxies) share these extreme values, indicating that they could also be leaking. We also find a strong correlation between the star formation rate surface density and the escape fraction of ionising photons, indicating that the compactness of star-forming regions plays a role in shaping low column density paths in the interstellar medium of LCEs. The Lya properties of LCEs are peculiar: Lya can be used as a reliable tracer of LyC escape from galaxies, in complement to other indirect diagnostics proposed in the literature.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

XQ-100: A legacy survey of one hundred 3.5 < z < 4.5 quasars observed with VLT/XSHOOTER

We describe the execution and data reduction of the European Southern Observatory Large Programme "Quasars and their absorption lines: a legacy survey of the high-redshift universe with VLT/XSHOOTER" (hereafter `XQ-100'). XQ-100 has produced and made publicly available an homogeneous and high-quality sample of echelle spectra of 100 QSOs at redshifts z~3.5-4.5 observed with full spectral coverage from 315 to 2500 nm at a resolving power ranging from R~4000 to 7000, depending on wavelength. The median signal-to-noise ratios are 33, 25 and 43, as measured at rest-frame wavelengths 1700, 3000 and 3600 Angstrom, respectively. This paper provides future users of XQ-100 data with the basic statistics of the survey, along with details of target selection, data acquisition and data reduction. The paper accompanies the public release of all data products, including 100 reduced spectra. XQ-100 is the largest spectroscopic survey to date of high-redshift QSOs with simultaneous rest-frame UV/optical coverage, and as such enables a wide range of extragalactic research, from cosmology and galaxy evolution to AGN astrophysics.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

He II Proximity Effect and the Lifetime of Quasars

The lifetime of quasars is fundamental for understanding the growth of supermassive black holes, and is an important ingredient in models of the reionization of the intergalactic medium. However, despite various attempts to determine quasar lifetimes, current estimates from a variety of methods are uncertain by orders of magnitude. This work combines cosmological hydrodynamical simulations and 1D radiative transfer to investigate the structure and evolution of the He II Ly$α$ proximity zones around quasars at $z \simeq 3-4$. We show that the time evolution in the proximity zone can be described by a simple analytical model for the approach of the He II fraction $x_{\rm HeII}\left( t \right)$ to ionization equilibrium, and use this picture to illustrate how the transmission profile depends on the quasar lifetime, quasar UV luminosity, and the ionization state of helium in the ambient IGM (i.e. the average He II fraction, or equivalently the metagalactic He II ionizing background). A significant degeneracy exists between the lifetime and the average He II fraction, however the latter can be determined from measurements of the He II Ly$α$ optical depth far from quasars, allowing the lifetime to be measured. We advocate stacking existing He II quasar spectra at $z\sim 3$, and show that the shape of this average proximity zone profile is sensitive to lifetimes as long as $\sim 30$ Myr. At higher redshift $z\sim 4$ where the He II fraction is poorly constrained, degeneracies will make it challenging to determine these parameters independently. Our analytical model for He II proximity zones should also provide a useful description of the properties of H I proximity zones around quasars at $z \simeq 6-7$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The ionizing photon production efficiency of compact z~0.3 Lyman continuum leakers and comparison with high redshift galaxies

We have recently discovered five Lyman continuum leaking galaxies at z~0.3, selected for their compactness, intense star-formation, and high [OIII]/[OII] ratio (Izotov et al. 2016ab). Here we derive their ionizing photon production efficiency, a fundamental quantity for inferring the number of photons available to reionize the Universe, for the first time for galaxies with confirmed strong Lyman continuum escape (fesc~6-13%). We find an ionizing photon production per unit UV luminosity, which is a factor 2-6 times higher than the canonical value when reported to their observed UV luminosity. After correction for extinction this value is close to the canonical value. The properties of our five Lyman continuum leakers are found to be very similar to those of the confirmed z=3.218 leaker Ion2 from de Barros et al. (2016) and very similar to those of typical star-forming galaxies at z>~6. Our results suggest that UV bright galaxies at high-z such as Lyman break galaxies can be Lyman continuum leakers and that their contribution to cosmic reionization may be underestimated.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Detection of high Lyman continuum leakage from four low-redshift compact star-forming galaxies

Following our first detection reported in Izotov et al. (2016), we present the detection of Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation of four other compact star-forming galaxies observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). These galaxies, at redshifts of z~0.3, are characterized by high emission-line flux ratios [OIII]5007/[OII]3727 > 5. The escape fractions of the LyC radiation fesc(LyC) in these galaxies are in the range of ~6%-13%, the highest values found so far in low-redshift star-forming galaxies. Narrow double-peaked Lyalpha emission lines are detected in the spectra of all four galaxies, compatible with predictions for Lyman continuum leakers. We find escape fractions of Lyalpha, fesc(Lyalpha) ~20%-40%, among the highest known for Lyalpha emitters (LAEs). Surface brightness profiles produced from the COS acquisition images reveal bright star-forming regions in the center and exponential discs in the outskirts with disc scale lengths alpha in the range ~0.6-1.4 kpc. Our galaxies are characterized by low metallicity, ~1/8-1/5 solar, low stellar mass ~(0.2 - 4)e9 Msun, high star formation rates SFR~14-36 Msun/yr, and high SFR densities Sigma~2-35 Msun/yr/kpc^2. These properties are comparable to those of high-redshift star-forming galaxies. Finally, our observations, combined with our first detection reported in Izotov et al. (2016), reveal that a selection for compact star-forming galaxies showing high [OIII]5007/[OII]3727 ratios appears to pick up very efficiently sources with escaping Lyman continuum radiation: all five of our selected galaxies are LyC leakers.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The UV-bright Quasar Survey (UVQS): DR1

We present the first data release (DR1) from our UV-bright Quasar Survey (UVQS) for new $z \sim 1$ active galactic nuclei (AGN) across the sky. Using simple GALEX UV and WISE near-IR color selection criteria, we generated a list of 1450 primary candidates with $FUV < 18.5$ mag. We obtained discovery spectra, primarily on 3m-class telescopes, for 1040 of these candidates and confirmed 86% as AGN with redshifts generally at $z>0.5$. Including a small set of observed secondary candidates, we report the discovery of 217 AGN with $FUV < 18$ mag that had no previously reported spectroscopic redshift. These are excellent potential targets for UV spectroscopy before the end of the {\it Hubble Space Telescope} mission. The main data products are publicly released through the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Lyman continuum leaking from the compact star-forming dwarf galaxy J0925+1403

One of the key questions in observational cosmology is the identification of the sources responsible for ionisation of the Universe after the cosmic Dark Ages, when the baryonic matter was neutral. The currently identified distant galaxies are insufficient to fully reionise the Universe by redshift z~6, but low-mass star-forming galaxies are thought to be responsible for the bulk of the ionising radiation. Since direct observations at high redshift are difficult for a variety of reasons, one solution is to identify local proxies of this galaxy population. However, starburst galaxies at low redshifts are generally opaque to their ionising radiation. This radiation with small escape fractions of 1-3% is directly detected only in three low-redshift galaxies. Here we present far-ultraviolet observations of a nearby low-mass star-forming galaxy, J0925+1403, selected for its compactness and high excitation. The galaxy is leaking ionising radiation, with an escape fraction of ~8%. The total number of photons emitted during the starburst phase is sufficient to ionize intergalactic medium material, which is about 40 times more massive than the stellar mass of the galaxy.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

The evolution of neutral gas in damped Lyman $α$ systems from the XQ-100 survey

We present a sample of 38 intervening Damped Lyman $α$ (DLA) systems identified towards 100 $z>3.5$ quasars, observed during the XQ-100 survey. The XQ-100 DLA sample is combined with major DLA surveys in the literature. The final combined sample consists of 742 DLAs over a redshift range approximately $1.6 < z_{\rm abs} < 5.0$. We develop a novel technique for computing $Ω_{\rm HI}^{\rm DLA}$ as a continuous function of redshift, and we thoroughly assess and quantify the sources of error therein, including fitting errors and incomplete sampling of the high column density end of the column density distribution function. There is a statistically significant redshift evolution in $Ω_{\rm HI}^{\rm DLA}$ ($\geq 3 σ$) from $z \sim 2$ to $z \sim$ 5. In order to make a complete assessment of the redshift evolution of $Ω_{\rm HI}$, we combine our high redshift DLA sample with absorption surveys at intermediate redshift and 21cm emission line surveys of the local universe. Although $Ω_{\rm HI}^{\rm DLA}$, and hence its redshift evolution, remains uncertain in the intermediate redshift regime ($0.1 < z_{\rm abs} < 1.6$), we find that the combination of high redshift data with 21cm surveys of the local universe all yield a statistically significant evolution in $Ω_{\rm HI}$ from $z \sim 0$ to $z \sim 5$ ($\geq 3 σ$). Despite its statistical significance, the magnitude of the evolution is small: a linear regression fit between $Ω_{\rm HI}$ and $z$ yields a typical slope of $\sim$0.17$\times 10^{-3}$, corresponding to a factor of $\sim$ 4 decrease in $Ω_{\rm HI}$ between $z=5$ and $z=0$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

The first ultraviolet quasar stacked spectrum at z=2.4 from WFC3

The ionising continuum from active galactic nuclei (AGN) is fundamental for interpreting their broad emission lines and understanding their impact on the surrounding gas. Furthermore, it provides hints on how matter accretes onto supermassive black holes. Using HST's Wide Field Camera 3 we have constructed the first stacked ultraviolet (rest-frame wavelengths 600-2500Å) spectrum of 53 luminous quasars at z=2.4, with a state-of-the-art correction for the intervening Lyman forest and Lyman continuum absorption. The continuum slope ($f_ν\propto ν^{α_ν}$) of the full sample shows a break at ~912Å with spectral index $α_ν=-0.61\pm0.01$ at $λ>912$Å and a softening at shorter wavelengths ($α_ν=-1.70 \pm 0.61$ at $λ\leq 912$Å). Our analysis proves that a proper intergalactic medium absorption correction is required to establish the intrinsic continuum emission of quasars. We interpret our average ultraviolet spectrum in the context of photoionisation, accretion disk models, and quasar contribution to the ultraviolet background. We find that observed broad line ratios are consistent with those predicted assuming an ionising slope of $α_\mathrm{ion}=$-2.0, similar to the observed ionising spectrum in the same wavelength range. The continuum break and softening are consistent with accretion disk plus X-ray corona models when black hole spin is taken into account. Our spectral energy distribution yields a 30% increase to previous estimates of the specific quasar emissivity, such that quasars may contribute significantly to the total specific Lyman limit emissivity estimated from the Ly$α$ forest at z<3.2.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

Galaxy counterparts of intervening high-z sub-DLAs/DLAs and MgII absorbers towards gamma-ray bursts

We present the first search for galaxy counterparts of intervening high-z (2<z< 3.6) sub-DLAs and DLAs towards GRBs. Our final sample comprises of five intervening sub-DLAs and DLAs in four GRB fields. To identify candidate galaxy counterparts of the absorbers we use deep optical and near-infrared imaging, and low-, mid- and high-resolution spectroscopy acquired with 6 to 10-m class telescopes, the Hubble and the Spitzer space telescopes. Furthermore, we use the spectroscopic information and spectral-energy-distribution fitting techniques to study them in detail. Our main result is the detection and spectroscopic confirmation of the galaxy counterpart of the intervening DLA at z=3.096 in the field of GRB 070721B (z_GRB=3.6298) as proposed by other authors. We also identify good candidates for the galaxy counterparts of the two strong MgII absorbers at z=0.6915 and 1.4288 towards GRB 050820A (z_GRB=2.615). The properties of the detected DLA galaxy are typical for Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) at similar redshifts; a young, highly starforming galaxy that shows evidence for a galactic outflow. This supports the hypothesis that a DLA can be the gaseous halo of an LBG. In addition, we report a redshift coincidence of different objects associated with metal lines in the same field, separated by 130-161 kpc. The high detection rate of three correlated structures on a length scale as small as ~150 kpc in two pairs of lines of sight is intriguing. The absorbers in each of these are most likely not part of the same gravitationally bound structure. They more likely represent groups of galaxies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011: Reverberation Mapping of Markarian 50

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011 observing campaign was carried out over the course of 11 weeks in Spring 2011. Here we present the first results from this program, a measurement of the broad-line reverberation lag in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 50. Combining our data with supplemental observations obtained prior to the start of the main observing campaign, our dataset covers a total duration of 4.5 months. During this time, Mrk 50 was highly variable, exhibiting a maximum variability amplitude of a factor of 4 in the U-band continuum and a factor of 2 in the H-beta line. Using standard cross-correlation techniques, we find that H-beta and H-gamma lag the V-band continuum by tau_cen = 10.64(-0.93,+0.82) and 8.43(-1.28,+1.30) days, respectively, while the lag of He II 4686 is unresolved. The H-beta line exhibits a symmetric velocity-resolved reverberation signature with shorter lags in the high-velocity wings than in the line core, consistent with an origin in a broad-line region dominated by orbital motion rather than infall or outflow. Assuming a virial normalization factor of f=5.25, the virial estimate of the black hole mass is (3.2+-0.5)*10^7 solar masses. These observations demonstrate that Mrk 50 is among the most promising nearby active galaxies for detailed investigations of broad-line region structure and dynamics.

astro-ph.CO↗