arXiv subjects

Giovanni G. Fazio

Publications and source records attributed to Giovanni G. Fazio.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Infrared Lightcurves of Near Earth Objects

We present lightcurves and derive periods and amplitudes for a subset of 38 near earth objects (NEOs) observed at 4.5 microns with the IRAC camera on the the Spitzer Space Telescope, many of them having no previously reported rotation periods. This subset was chosen from about 1800 IRAC NEO observations as having obvious periodicity and significant amplitude. For objects where the period observed did not sample the full rotational period, we derived lower limits to these parameters based on sinusoidal fits. Lightcurve durations ranged from 42 to 544 minutes, with derived periods from 16 to 400 minutes. We discuss the effects of lightcurve variations on the thermal modeling used to derive diameters and albedos from Spitzer photometry. We find that both diameters and albedos derived from the lightcurve maxima and minima agree with our previously published results, even for extreme objects, showing the conservative nature of the thermal model uncertainties. We also evaluate the NEO rotation rates, sizes, and their cohesive strengths.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2018

High-resolution SMA imaging of bright submillimetre sources from the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey

We have used the Submillimeter Array at 860$\,μ$m to observe the brightest SCUBA-2 sources in 4$\,$deg$^{2}$ of the Cosmology Legacy Survey. We have targeted 75 of the brightest single-dish SCUBA-2 850$\,μ$m sources down to $S_{850}\,{\approx}\,8\,$mJy, achieving an average synthesized beam of 2.4$^{\prime\prime}$ and an average rms of $σ_{860}\,{=}\,1.5\,$mJy in our primary beam-corrected maps. We searched our maps for $4σ$ peaks, corresponding to $S_{860}\,{\gtrsim}\,6\,$mJy sources, and detected 59 single galaxies and three pairs of galaxies. We include in our study 28 archival observations, bringing our sample size to 103 bright single-dish submillimetre sources with interferometric follow-up. We compute the cumulative and differential number counts of our sample, finding them to overlap with previous single-dish survey number counts within the uncertainties, although our cumulative number count is systematically lower than the parent SCUBA-2 cumulative number count by $24\,{\pm}\,6$ per cent between 11 and 15$\,$mJy. We estimate the probability that a ${\gtrsim}\,10\,$mJy single-dish submillimetre source resolves into two or more galaxies with similar flux densities, causing a significant change in the number counts, to be about 15 per cent. Assuming the remaining 85 per cent of the targets are ultra-luminous starburst galaxies between $z\,{=}\,2$-3, we find a likely volume density of ${\gtrsim}\,400\,$M$_{\odot}\,$yr$^{-1}$ sources to be ${\sim}\,3^{+0.7}_{-0.6}\,{\times}\,10^{-7}\,$Mpc$^{-3}$. We show that the descendants of these galaxies could be ${\gtrsim}\,4\,{\times}\,10^{11}\,$M$_{\odot}$ local quiescent galaxies, and that about 10 per cent of their total stellar mass would have formed during these short bursts of star-formation.

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arXiv2018

Observational constraints on the physical nature of submillimetre source multiplicity: chance projections are common

Interferometric observations have demonstrated that a significant fraction of single-dish submillimetre (submm) sources are blends of multiple submm galaxies (SMGs), but the nature of this multiplicity, i.e. whether the galaxies are physically associated or chance projections, has not been determined. We performed spectroscopy of 11 SMGs in six multi-component submm sources, obtaining spectroscopic redshifts for nine of them. For an additional two component SMGs, we detected continuum emission but no obvious features. We supplement our observed sources with four sources from the literature. This sample allows us to statistically constrain the physical nature of single-dish submm source multiplicity for the first time. In three [3/7, or 43 (-33/+39) per cent at 95% confidence] of the single-dish sources for which the nature of the blending is unambiguous, the components for which spectroscopic redshifts are available are physically associated, whereas 4/7 [57 (-39/+33) per cent] have at least one unassociated component. When components whose spectra exhibit continuum but no features and for which the photometric redshift is significantly different from the spectroscopic redshift of the other component are also considered, 6/9 [67 (-37/+26) per cent] of the single-dish sources are comprised of at least one unassociated component. The nature of the multiplicity of one single-dish source is ambiguous. We conclude that physically associated systems and chance projections both contribute to the multi-component single-dish submm source population. This result contradicts the conventional wisdom that bright submm sources are solely a result of merger-induced starbursts, as blending of unassociated galaxies is also important.

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arXiv2017

The Science Case for an Extended Spitzer Mission

Although the final observations of the Spitzer Warm Mission are currently scheduled for March 2019, it can continue operations through the end of the decade with no loss of photometric precision. As we will show, there is a strong science case for extending the current Warm Mission to December 2020. Spitzer has already made major impacts in the fields of exoplanets (including microlensing events), characterizing near Earth objects, enhancing our knowledge of nearby stars and brown dwarfs, understanding the properties and structure of our Milky Way galaxy, and deep wide-field extragalactic surveys to study galaxy birth and evolution. By extending Spitzer through 2020, it can continue to make ground-breaking discoveries in those fields, and provide crucial support to the NASA flagship missions JWST and WFIRST, as well as the upcoming TESS mission, and it will complement ground-based observations by LSST and the new large telescopes of the next decade. This scientific program addresses NASA's Science Mission Directive's objectives in astrophysics, which include discovering how the universe works, exploring how it began and evolved, and searching for life on planets around other stars.

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arXiv2017

CANDELS Multiwavelength Catalogs: Source Identification and Photometry in the CANDELS Extended Groth Strip

We present a 0.4-8$μ$m multi-wavelength photometric catalog in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS) field. This catalog is built on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3 and ACS data from the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS), and it incorporates the existing HST data from the All-wavelength Extended Groth strip International Survey (AEGIS) and the 3D-HST program. The catalog is based on detections in the F160W band reaching a depth of F160W=26.62 AB (90% completeness, point-sources). It includes the photometry for 41457 objects over an area of $\approx 206$ arcmin$^2$ in the following bands: HST ACS F606W and F814W; HST WFC3 F125W, F140W and F160W; CFHT/Megacam $u^*$, $g'$, $r'$, $i'$ and $z'$; CFHT/WIRCAM $J$, $H$ and $K_\mathrm{S}$; Mayall/NEWFIRM $J1$, $J2$, $J3$, $H1$, $H2$, $K$; Spitzer IRAC $3.6μ$m, $4.5μ$m, $5.8μ$m and $8.0μ$m. We are also releasing value-added catalogs that provide robust photometric redshifts and stellar mass measurements. The catalogs are publicly available through the CANDELS repository.

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arXiv2016

ALMA observations of the dense and shocked gas in the nuclear region of NGC 4038 (Antennae galaxies)

We present 1" (<100 pc) resolution maps of millimeter emission from five molecules-CN, HCN, HCO+, CH3OH, and HNCO-obtained towards NGC 4038, which is the northern galaxy of the mid-stage merger, Antennae galaxies, with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Three molecules (CN, CH3OH, and HNCO) were detected for the first time in the nuclear region of NGC 4038. High-resolution mapping reveals a systematic difference in distributions of different molecular species and continuum emission. Active star forming regions identified by the 3 mm and 850 um continuum emission are offset from the gas-rich region associated with the HCN (1-0) and CO (3-2) peaks. The CN (1-0)/HCN (1-0) line ratios are enhanced (CN/HCN = 0.8-1.2) in the star forming regions, suggesting that the regions are photon dominated. The large molecular gas mass (10^8 Msun) within a 0.6" (~60 pc) radius of the CO (3-2) peak and a high dense gas fraction (>20 %) suggested by the HCN (1-0)/CO (3-2) line ratio may signify a future burst of intense star formation there. The shocked gas traced in the CH3OH and HNCO emission indicates sub-kpc scale molecular shocks. We suggest that the molecular shocks may be driven by collisions between inflowing gas and the central massive molecular complex.

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arXiv2016

The Evolution of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function at z= 4-8: A Steepening Low-mass-end Slope with Increasing Redshift

We present galaxy stellar mass functions (GSMFs) at $z=$ 4-8 from a rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) selected sample of $\sim$4500 galaxies, found via photometric redshifts over an area of $\sim$280 arcmin$^2$ in the CANDELS/GOODS fields and the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The deepest Spitzer/IRAC data yet-to-date and the relatively large volume allow us to place a better constraint at both the low- and high-mass ends of the GSMFs compared to previous space-based studies from pre-CANDELS observations. Supplemented by a stacking analysis, we find a linear correlation between the rest-frame UV absolute magnitude at 1500 Å ($M_{\rm UV}$) and logarithmic stellar mass ($\log M_*$) that holds for galaxies with $\log(M_*/M_{\odot}) \lesssim 10$. We use simulations to validate our method of measuring the slope of the $\log M_*$-$M_{\rm UV}$ relation, finding that the bias is minimized with a hybrid technique combining photometry of individual bright galaxies with stacked photometry for faint galaxies. The resultant measured slopes do not significantly evolve over $z=$ 4-8, while the normalization of the trend exhibits a weak evolution toward lower masses at higher redshift. We combine the $\log M_*$-$M_{\rm UV}$ distribution with observed rest-frame UV luminosity functions at each redshift to derive the GSMFs, finding that the low-mass-end slope becomes steeper with increasing redshift from $α=-1.55^{+0.08}_{-0.07}$ at $z=4$ to $α=-2.25^{+0.72}_{-0.35}$ at $z=8$. The inferred stellar mass density, when integrated over $M_*=10^8$-$10^{13} M_{\odot}$, increases by a factor of $10^{+30}_{-2}$ between $z=7$ and $z=4$ and is in good agreement with the time integral of the cosmic star formation rate density.

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arXiv2015

An Increasing Stellar Baryon Fraction in Bright Galaxies at High Redshift

Recent observations have shown that the characteristic luminosity of the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function does not significantly evolve at 4 < z < 7 and is approximately M*_UV ~ -21. We investigate this apparent non-evolution by examining a sample of 178 bright, M_UV < -21 galaxies at z=4 to 7, analyzing their stellar populations and host halo masses. Including deep Spitzer/IRAC imaging to constrain the rest-frame optical light, we find that M*_UV galaxies at z=4-7 have similar stellar masses of log(M/Msol)=9.6-9.9 and are thus relatively massive for these high redshifts. However, bright galaxies at z=4-7 are less massive and have younger inferred ages than similarly bright galaxies at z=2-3, even though the two populations have similar star formation rates and levels of dust attenuation. We match the abundances of these bright z=4-7 galaxies to halo mass functions from the Bolshoi Lambda-CDM simulation to estimate the halo masses. We find that the typical halo masses in ~M*_UV galaxies decrease from log(M_h/Msol)=11.9 at z=4 to log(M_h/Msol)=11.4 at z=7. Thus, although we are studying galaxies at a similar mass across multiple redshifts, these galaxies live in lower mass halos at higher redshift. The stellar baryon fraction in units of the cosmic mean Omega_b/Omega_m rises from 5.1% at z=4 to 11.7% at z=7; this evolution is significant at the ~3-sigma level. This rise does not agree with simple expectations of how galaxies grow, and implies that some effect, perhaps a diminishing efficiency of feedback, is allowing a higher fraction of available baryons to be converted into stars at high redshifts.

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arXiv2015

The Evolution of the Galaxy Rest-Frame Ultraviolet Luminosity Function Over the First Two Billion Years

We present a robust measurement and analysis of the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function at z=4-8. We use deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging over the CANDELS/GOODS fields, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and the Year 1 Hubble Frontier Field deep parallel observations. These surveys provides an effective volume of 0.6-1.2 x 10^6 Mpc^3 over this epoch, allowing us to perform a robust search for faint (M_UV=-18) and bright (M_UV < -21) galaxies. We select candidate galaxies using a well-tested photometric redshift technique with careful screening of contaminants, finding a sample of 7446 galaxies at 3.5 1000 galaxies at z~6-8. We measure the luminosity function using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to measure robust uncertainties. At the faint end our results agree with previous studies, yet we find a higher abundance of UV-bright galaxies at z>6, with M* ~ -21 at z>5, different than that inferred based on previous trends at lower redshift. At z=8, a single power-law provides an equally good fit to the UV luminosity function, while at z=6 and 7, an exponential cutoff at the bright-end is moderately preferred. We compare to semi-analytical models, and find that the lack of evolution in M* is consistent with models where the impact of dust attenuation on the bright-end of the luminosity function decreases at higher redshift. We measure the evolution of the cosmic star-formation rate density, correcting for dust attenuation, and find that it declines as (1+z)^(-4.3 +/- 0.5) at z>4, consistent with observations at z>9. Our observations are consistent with a reionization history that starts at z>10, completes at z>6, and reaches a midpoint (x_HII = 0.5) at 6.7<z<9.4. Finally, our observations predict that the abundance of bright z=9 galaxies is likely higher than previous constraints, though consistent with recent estimates of bright z~10 galaxies. [abridged]

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

A Spitzer/IRAC Characterization of Galactic AGB and RSG Stars

We present new Spitzer/IRAC observations of 55 dusty Long Period Variables (LPVs, 48 AGB and 6 RSG stars) in the Galaxy that have different chemistry, variability type, and mass-loss rate. O-rich AGB stars (including intrinsic S-type) tend to have redder [3.6]-[8.0] colors than carbon stars for a given [3.6]-[4.5] color due to silicate features increasing the flux in the 8.0 μm IRAC band. For colors including the 5.8 μm band, carbon stars separate into two distinct sequences, likely due to a variable photospheric C$_3$ feature that is only visible in relatively unobscured, low mass-loss rate sources. Semiregular variables tend to have smaller IR excess in [3.6]-[8.0] color than Miras, consistent with the hypothesis that semiregular variables lose mass discontinuously. Miras have redder colors for longer periods while semiregular variables do not. Galactic AGB stars follow the period-luminosity sequences found for the Magellanic Clouds. Mira variables fall along the fundamental pulsation sequence, while semiregular variables are mostly on overtone sequences. We also derive a relationship between mass-loss rate and [3.6]-[8.0] color. The fits are similar in shape to those found by other authors for AGBs in the LMC, but discrepant in overall normalization, likely due to different assumptions in the models used to derive mass-loss rates. We find that IR colors are not unique discriminators of chemical type, suggesting caution when using color selection techniques to infer the chemical composition of AGB dust returned to the ISM.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

High-precision Photometric Redshifts from Spitzer/IRAC: Extreme [3.6]-[4.5] Colors Identify Galaxies in the Redshift Range z~6.6-6.9

One of the most challenging aspects of studying galaxies in the z>~7 universe is the infrequent confirmation of their redshifts through spectroscopy, a phenomenon thought to occur from the increasing opacity of the intergalactic medium to Lya photons at z>6.5. The resulting redshift uncertainties inhibit the efficient search for [C II] in z~7 galaxies with sub-mm instruments such as ALMA, given their limited scan speed for faint lines. One means by which to improve the precision of the inferred redshifts is to exploit the potential impact of strong nebular emission lines on the colors of z~4-8 galaxies as observed by Spitzer/IRAC. At z~6.8, galaxies exhibit IRAC colors as blue as [3.6]-[4.5] ~-1, likely due to the contribution of [O III]+Hb to the 3.6 mum flux combined with the absence of line contamination in the 4.5 mum band. In this paper we explore the use of extremely blue [3.6]-[4.5] colors to identify galaxies in the narrow redshift window z~6.6-6.9. When combined with an I-dropout criterion, we demonstrate that we can plausibly select a relatively clean sample of z~6.8 galaxies. Through a systematic application of this selection technique to our catalogs from all five CANDELS fields, we identify 20 probable z~6.6-6.9 galaxies. We estimate that our criteria select the ~50% strongest line emitters at z~6.8 and from the IRAC colors we estimate a typical [O III]+Hb rest-frame equivalent width of 1085A for this sample. The small redshift uncertainties on our sample make it particularly well suited for follow-up studies with facilities such as ALMA.

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arXiv2014

The HETDEX Pilot Survey V: The Physical Origin of Lyman-alpha Emitters Probed by Near-infrared Spectroscopy

We present the results from a VLT/SINFONI and Keck/NIRSPEC near-infrared spectroscopic survey of 16 Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) at $z$ = 2.1 - 2.5 in the COSMOS and GOODS-N fields discovered from the HETDEX Pilot Survey. We detect rest-frame optical nebular lines (H$α$ and/or [OIII]$λ$5007) for 10 of the LAEs and measure physical properties, including the star formation rate (SFR), gas-phase metallicity, gas-mass fraction, and Ly$α$ velocity offset. We find that LAEs may lie below the mass-metallicity relation for continuum-selected star-forming galaxies at the same redshift. The LAEs all show velocity shifts of Ly$α$ relative to the systemic redshift ranging between +85 and +296 km s$^{-1}$ with a mean of +180 km s$^{-1}$. This value is smaller than measured for continuum-selected star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts. The Ly$α$ velocity offsets show a moderate correlation with the measured star formation rate (2.5$σ$), but no significant correlations are seen with the SFR surface density, specific SFR, stellar mass, or dynamical mass ($\lesssim$ 1.5$σ$). Exploring the role of dust, kinematics of the interstellar medium (ISM), and geometry on the escape of Ly$α$ photons, we find no signature of selective quenching of resonantly scattered Ly$α$ photons. However, we also find no evidence that a clumpy ISM is enhancing the Ly$α$ equivalent width. Our results suggest that the low metallicity in LAEs may be responsible for yielding an environment with a low neutral hydrogen column density as well as less dust, easing the escape of Ly$α$ photons over that in continuum-selected star-forming galaxies.

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arXiv2014

Mid-Infrared Selected Quasars I: Virial Black Hole Mass and Eddington Ratios

We provide a catalog of 391 mid-infrared-selected (MIR, 24$μ$m) broad-emission-line (BEL, type 1) quasars in the 22 deg$^2$ SWIRE Lockman Hole field. This quasar sample is selected in the MIR from Spitzer MIPS with $S_{\rm 24} > 400μ$Jy, jointly with an optical magnitude limit of r (AB) $<$ 22.5 for broad line identification. The catalog is based on MMT and SDSS spectroscopy to select BEL quasars, extends the SDSS coverage to fainter magnitudes and lower redshifts, and recovers a more complete quasar population. The MIR-selected quasar sample peaks at $z\sim$1.4, and recovers a significant and constant (20\%) fraction of extended objects with SDSS photometry across magnitudes, which was not included in the SDSS quasar survey dominated by point sources. This sample also recovers a significant population of $z < 3$ quasars at $i > 19.1$. We then investigate the continuum luminosity and line profiles of these MIR quasars, and estimate their virial black hole masses and the Eddington ratios. The SMBH mass shows evidence of downsizing, though the Eddington ratios remain constant at $1 < z < 4$. Compared to point sources in the same redshift range, extended sources at $z < 1$ show systematically lower Eddington ratios. The catalog and spectra are publicly available online.

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arXiv2014

PdBI Cold Dust Imaging of Two Extremely Red H-[4.5]>4 Galaxies Discovered with SEDS and CANDELS

We report Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) 1.1 mm continuum imaging towards two extremely red H-[4.5]>4 (AB) galaxies at z>3, which we have previously discovered making use of Spitzer SEDS and Hubble Space Telescope CANDELS ultra-deep images of the Ultra Deep Survey field. One of our objects is detected on the PdBI map with a 4.3 sigma significance, corresponding to Snu(1.1mm)=(0.78 +/- 0.18) mJy. By combining this detection with the Spitzer 8 and 24 micron photometry for this source, and SCUBA2 flux density upper limits, we infer that this galaxy is a composite active galactic nucleus/star-forming system. The infrared (IR)-derived star formation rate is SFR~(200 +/- 100) Msun/yr, which implies that this galaxy is a higher-redshift analogue of the ordinary ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) more commonly found at z~2-3. In the field of the other target, we find a tentative 3.1 sigma detection on the PdBI 1.1 mm map, but 3.7 arcsec away of our target position, so it likely corresponds to a different object. In spite of the lower significance, the PdBI detection is supported by a close SCUBA2 3.3 sigma detection. No counterpart is found on either the deep SEDS or CANDELS maps, so, if real, the PdBI source could be similar in nature to the sub-millimetre source GN10. We conclude that the analysis of ultra-deep near- and mid-IR images offers an efficient, alternative route to discover new sites of powerful star formation activity at high redshifts.

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arXiv2014

Simulated Galaxy Interactions as Probes of Merger Spectral Energy Distributions

We present the first systematic comparison of ultraviolet-millimeter spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of observed and simulated interacting galaxies. Our sample is drawn from the Spitzer Interacting Galaxy Survey, and probes a range of galaxy interaction parameters. We use 31 galaxies in 14 systems which have been observed with Herschel, Spitzer, GALEX, and 2MASS. We create a suite of GADGET-3 hydrodynamic simulations of isolated and interacting galaxies with stellar masses comparable to those in our sample of interacting galaxies. Photometry for the simulated systems is then calculated with the SUNRISE radiative transfer code for comparison with the observed systems. For most of the observed systems, one or more of the simulated SEDs match reasonably well. The best matches recover the infrared luminosity and the star formation rate of the observed systems, and the more massive systems preferentially match SEDs from simulations of more massive galaxies. The most morphologically distorted systems in our sample are best matched to simulated SEDs close to coalescence, while less evolved systems match well with SEDs over a wide range of interaction stages, suggesting that an SED alone is insufficient to identify interaction stage except during the most active phases in strongly interacting systems. This result is supported by our finding that the SEDs calculated for simulated systems vary little over the interaction sequence.

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arXiv2014

Properties of Submillimeter Galaxies in the CANDELS GOODS-S Field

We derive physical properties of 10 submillimeter galaxies located in the CANDELS coverage of the GOODS-S field. The galaxies were first identified as submillimeter sources with the LABOCA bolometer and subsequently targeted for 870um continuum observation with ALMA. The high angular resolution of the ALMA imaging allows secure counterparts to be identified in the CANDELS multiband dataset. The CANDELS data provide deep photometric data from UV through near-infrared wavelengths. Using synthetic spectral energy distributions, we derive photometric redshifts, stellar masses, extinction, ages, and the star formation history. The redshift range is z=1.65-4.76, with two of the galaxies located at z>4. Two SMG counterparts have stellar masses 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than the rest. The remaining SMG counterparts have stellar masses around 1x10^11 Msun. The stellar population in the SMGs is typically older than the expected duration of the submillimeter phase, suggesting that the star formation history of submillimeter galaxies is more complex than a single burst. Non-parametric morphology indices suggest that the SMG counterparts are among the most asymmetric systems compared with galaxies of the same stellar mass and redshift. The HST images shows that 3 of the SMGs are associated with on-going mergers. The remaining counterparts are isolated. Estimating the dust and molecular gas mass from the submm fluxes, and comparing with our stellar masses shows that the molecular gas mass fraction of SMGs is ~28% and that the final stellar mass is likely to be (1-2)x10^11 Msun.

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arXiv2014

From Voids to Coma: the prevalence of pre-processing in the local Universe

We examine the effects of pre-processing across the Coma Supercluster, including 3505 galaxies over 500 sq deg, by quantifying the degree to which star-forming (SF) activity is quenched as a function of environment. We characterise environment using the complementary techniques of Voronoi Tessellation, to measure the density field, and the Minimal Spanning Tree, to define continuous structures, and so we measure SF activity as a function of local density and the type of environment (cluster, group, filament, and void), and quantify the degree to which environment contributes to quenching of SF activity. Our sample covers over two orders of magnitude in stellar mass (10^8.5 to 10^11 Msun), and consequently we trace the effects of environment on SF activity for dwarf and massive galaxies, distinguishing so-called "mass quenching" from "environment quenching". Environmentally-driven quenching of SF activity, measured relative to the void galaxies, occurs to progressively greater degrees in filaments, groups, and clusters, and this trend holds for dwarf and massive galaxies alike. A similar trend is found using g-r colours, but with a more significant disparity between galaxy mass bins driven by increased internal dust extinction in massive galaxies. The SFR distributions of massive SF galaxies have no significant environmental dependence, but the distributions for dwarf SF galaxies are found to be statistically distinct in most environments. Pre-processing plays a significant role at low redshift, as environmentally-driven galaxy evolution affects nearly half of the galaxies in the group environment, and a significant fraction of the galaxies in the more diffuse filaments. Our study underscores the need for sensitivity to dwarf galaxies to separate mass-driven from environmentally-driven effects, and the use of unbiased tracers of SF activity.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

A Wide-field Near- and Mid-Infrared Census of Young Stars in NGC 6334

This paper presents a study of the rate and efficiency of star formation in the NGC 6334 star forming region. We obtained observations at J, H, and Ks taken with the NOAO Extremely Wide-Field Infrared Imager (NEWFIRM) and combined them with observations taken with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) camera on the Spitzer Space Telescope at wavelengths λ = 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm. We also analyzed previous observations taken at 24 μm using the Spitzer MIPS camera as part of the MIPSGAL survey. We have produced a point source catalog with >700,000 entries. We have identified 2283 YSO candidates, 375 Class I YSOs and 1908 Class II YSOs using a combination of existing IRAC-based color classification schemes that we have extended and validated to the near-IR for use with warm Spitzer data. We have identified multiple new sites of ongoing star formation activity along filamentary structures extending tens of parsecs beyond the central molecular ridge of NGC 6334. By mapping the extinction we derived an estimate for the gas mass, 2.2 x 10^5 M_sun. The heavy concentration of protostars along the dense filamentary structures indicates that NGC 6334 may be undergoing a "mini-starburst" event with Σ{SFR}>8.2 M_sun Myr^-1 pc^-2 and SFE>0.10. We have used these estimates to place NGC 6334 in the Kennicutt-Schmidt diagram to help bridge the gap between observations of local low-mass star forming regions and star formation in other galaxies.

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