arXiv subjects

J. M. Simpson

Publications and source records attributed to J. M. Simpson.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Dusty starbursts and the formation of elliptical galaxies: A SCUBA-2 survey of a z=1.46 cluster

We report the results of a deep SCUBA-2 850- and 450-$μ$m survey for dust-obscured ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) in the field of the z=1.46 cluster XCS J2215.9-1738. We detect a striking overdensity of sub-millimeter sources coincident with the core of this cluster: $\sim 3-4 \times$ higher than expected in a blank field. We use the likely radio and mid-infrared counterparts to show that the bulk of these sub-millimeter sources have spectroscopic or photometric redshifts which place them in the cluster and that their multi-wavelength properties are consistent with this association. The average far-infrared luminosities of these galaxies are $(1.0\pm0.1) \times 10^{12} L_{\odot}$, placing them on the U/LIRG boundary. Using the total star formation occurring in the obscured U/LIRG population within the cluster we show that the resulting mass-normalized star-formation rate for this system supports previous claims of a rapid increase in star-formation activity in cluster cores out to $z\sim1.5$, which must be associated with the on-going formation of the early-type galaxies which reside in massive clusters today.

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arXiv2014

An ALMA Survey of Submillimeter Galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: Near-infrared morphologies and stellar sizes

We analyse HST WFC3/$H_{160}$-band observations of a sample of 48 ALMA-detected submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South field, to study their stellar morphologies and sizes. We detect 79$\pm$17% of the SMGs in the $H_{160}$-band imaging with a median sensitivity of 27.8 mag, and most (80%) of the non-detections are SMGs with 870$μ$m fluxes of $S_{870} < $3 mJy. With a surface brightness limit of $μ_H \sim $26 mag arcsec$^{-2}$, we find that 82$\pm$9% of the $H_{160}$-band detected SMGs at $z =$ 1-3 appear to have disturbed morphologies, meaning they are visually classified as either irregulars or interacting systems, or both. By determining a Sérsic fit to the $H_{160}$ surface-brightness profiles we derive a median Sérsic index of $n = $1.2$\pm$0.3 and a median half-light radius of $r_e = $4.4$^{+1.1}_{-0.5}$ kpc for our SMGs at $z = $1-3. We also find significant displacements between the positions of the $H_{160}$-component and 870$μ$m emission in these systems, suggesting that the dusty star-burst regions and less-obscured stellar distribution are not co-located. We find significant differences in the sizes and the Sérsic index between our $z = $2-3 SMGs and $z \sim $2 quiescent galaxies, suggesting a major transformation of the stellar light profile is needed in the quenching processes if SMGs are progenitors of the red-and-dead $z\sim$2 galaxies. Given the short-lived nature of SMGs, we postulate that the majority of the $z = $2-3 SMGs with $S_{870} \gtrsim $2 mJy are early/mid-stage major mergers.

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arXiv2014

The SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey: ALMA resolves the rest-frame far-infrared emission of sub-millimeter galaxies

We present high-resolution (0.3'') ALMA 870um imaging of 52 sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs) in the Ultra Deep Survey (UDS) field and investigate the size and morphology of the sub-millimeter (sub-mm) emission on 2-10kpc scales. We derive a median intrinsic angular size of FWHM=0.30$\pm$0.04'' for the 23 SMGs in the sample detected at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) >10. Using the photometric redshifts of the SMGs we show that this corresponds to a median physical half-light diameter of 2.4$\pm$0.2kpc. A stacking analysis of the SMGs detected at an SNR <10 shows they have sizes consistent with the 870um-bright SMGs in the sample. We compare our results to the sizes of SMGs derived from other multi-wavelength studies, and show that the rest-frame ~250um sizes of SMGs are consistent with studies of resolved 12CO (J=3-2 to 7-6) emission lines, but that sizes derived from 1.4GHz imaging appear to be approximately two times larger on average, which we attribute to cosmic ray diffusion. The rest-frame optical sizes of SMGs are around four times larger than the sub-millimeter sizes, indicating that the star formation in these galaxies is compact relative to the pre-existing stellar distribution. The size of the starburst region in SMGs is consistent with the majority of the star formation occurring in a central region, a few kpc in extent, with a median star formation rate surface density of 90$\pm$30Msol/yr/kpc$^2$, which may suggest that we are witnessing an intense period of bulge growth in these galaxies.

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arXiv2014

An ALMA survey of submillimetre galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: radio properties and the far-infrared/radio correlation

We present a study of the radio properties of 870$μ$m-selected submillimetre galaxies (SMGs), observed at high resolution with ALMA in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South. From our initial sample of 76 ALMA SMGs, we detect 52 SMGs at $>3σ$ significance in VLA 1400MHz imaging, of which 35 are also detected at $>3σ$ in new 610MHz GMRT imaging. Within this sample of radio-detected SMGs, we measure a median radio spectral index $α_{610}^{1400} = -0.79 \pm 0.06$, (with inter-quartile range $α=[-1.16,-0.56]$) and investigate the far-infrared/radio correlation via the parameter $q_{\rm IR}$, the logarithmic ratio of the rest-frame 8-1000$μ$m flux and monochromatic radio flux. Our median $q_{\rm IR} = 2.56 \pm 0.05$ (inter-quartile range $q_{\rm IR}=[2.42,2.78]$) is higher than that typically seen in single-dish 870$μ$m-selected sources ($q_{\rm IR} \sim 2.4$), which may reflect the fact that our ALMA-based study is not biased to radio-bright counterparts, as previous samples were. Finally, we search for evidence that $q_{\rm IR}$ and $α$ evolve with age in a co-dependent manner, as predicted by starburst models: the data populate the predicted region of parameter space, with the stellar mass tending to increase along tracks of $q_{\rm IR}$ versus $α$ in the direction expected, providing the first observational evidence in support of these models.

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arXiv2013

The SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey: Ultraluminous star-forming galaxies in a z=1.6 cluster

We analyse new SCUBA-2 submillimeter and archival SPIRE far-infrared imaging of a z=1.62 cluster, Cl0218.3-0510, which lies in the UKIDSS/UDS field of the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey. Combining these tracers of obscured star formation activity with the extensive photometric and spectroscopic information available for this field, we identify 31 far-infrared/submillimeter-detected probable cluster members with bolometric luminosities >1e12 Lo and show that by virtue of their dust content and activity, these represent some of the reddest and brightest galaxies in this structure. We exploit Cycle-1 ALMA submillimeter continuum imaging which covers one of these sources to confirm the identification of a SCUBA-2-detected ultraluminous star-forming galaxy in this structure. Integrating the total star-formation activity in the central region of the structure, we estimate that it is an order of magnitude higher (in a mass-normalised sense) than clusters at z~0.5-1. However, we also find that the most active cluster members do not reside in the densest regions of the structure, which instead host a population of passive and massive, red galaxies. We suggest that while the passive and active populations have comparable near-infrared luminosities at z=1.6, M(H)~-23, the subsequent stronger fading of the more active galaxies means that they will evolve into passive systems at the present-day which are less luminous than the descendants of those galaxies which were already passive at z~1.6 (M(H)~-20.5 and M(H)~-21.5 respectively at z~0). We conclude that the massive galaxy population in the dense cores of present-day clusters were already in place at z=1.6 and that in Cl0218.3-0510 we are seeing continuing infall of less extreme, but still ultraluminous, star-forming galaxies onto a pre-existing structure.

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arXiv2013

An ALMA survey of sub-millimeter galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: Sub-millimeter properties of color-selected galaxies

We study the sub-mm properties of color-selected galaxies via a stacking analysis applied for the first time to interferometric data at sub-mm wavelengths. We base our study on 344 GHz ALMA continuum observations of ~20''-wide fields centered on 86 sub-mm sources detected in the LABOCA Extended Chandra Deep Field South Sub-mm Survey (LESS). We select various classes of galaxies (K-selected, star-forming sBzK galaxies, extremely red objects and distant red galaxies) according to their optical/NIR fluxes. We find clear, >10-sigma detections in the stacked images of all these galaxy classes. We include in our stacking analysis Herschel/SPIRE data to constrain the dust SED of these galaxies. We find that their dust emission is well described by a modified black body with Tdust~30 K and beta=1.6 and IR luminosities of (5-11)x10^{11} Lsun, or implied star formation rates of 75-140 Msun/yr. We compare our results with those of previous studies based on single-dish observations at 870 micron and find that our flux densities are a factor 2-3 higher than previous estimates. The discrepancy is observed also after removing sources individually detected in ALESS maps. We report a similar discrepancy by repeating our analysis on 1.4\,GHz observations of the whole ECDFS. Hence we find tentative evidence that galaxies that are associated in projected and redshift space with sub-mm bright sources are brighter than the average population. Finally, we put our findings in the context of the cosmic star formation rate density as a function of redshift.

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arXiv2013

Star formation histories, extinction, and dust properties of strongly lensed z~1.5-3 star-forming galaxies from the Herschel Lensing Survey

Multi-wavelength, optical to IR/sub-mm observations of 5 strongly lensed galaxies identified by the Herschel Lensing Survey, plus two well-studied lensed galaxies, MS1512-cB58 and the Cosmic Eye, for which we also provide updated Herschel measurements, are used to determine the physical properties of z~1.5-3 star-forming galaxies close to or below the detection limits of blank fields. We constrain their stellar and dust content, determine star formation rates and histories, dust attenuation and extinction laws, and other related properties. We perform SED-fits of the full photometry of each object as well for the optical and infrared parts separately, exploring various parameters, including nebular emission. The IR observations and emission line measurements, where available, are used a posteriori constraints on the models. Besides the various stellar population models we explore, we use the observed IR/UV ratio to estimate the extinction and create "energy conserving models", that constrain most accurately the physical properties of our sources. Our sample has a median lensing-corrected IR luminosity ~ 3e11 Lsun, stellar masses between 2e9 and 2e11 Msun, and IR/UV luminosity ratios spanning a wide range. The dust masses of our galaxies are in the range 2 to 17e7 Msun, extending previous studies at the same redshift down to lower masses. We do not find any particular trend of the dust temperature Tdust with IR luminosity, suggesting an overall warmer dust regime at our redshift regardless of luminosity. Lensing enables us to study the detailed physical properties of individual IR-detected z~1.5-3 galaxies up to a factor ~10 fainter than achieved with deep blank field observations. We demonstrate that multi-wavelength observations combining stellar and dust emission can constrain star formation histories and extinction laws of star-forming galaxies.

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arXiv2013

An ALMA Survey of Submillimeter Galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: The AGN Fraction and X-ray Properties of Submillimeter Galaxies

The large gas and dust reservoirs of submm galaxies (SMGs) could potentially provide ample fuel to trigger an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), but previous studies of the AGN fraction in SMGs have been controversial largely due to the inhomogeneity and limited angular resolution of the available submillimeter surveys. Here we set improved constraints on the AGN fraction and X-ray properties of the SMGs with ALMA and Chandra observations in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South (E-CDF-S). This study is the first among similar works to have unambiguously identified the X-ray counterparts of SMGs; this is accomplished using the fully submm-identified, statistically reliable SMG catalog with 99 SMGs from the ALMA LABOCA E-CDF-S Submillimeter Survey (ALESS). We found 10 X-ray sources associated with SMGs (median redshift z = 2.3), of which 8 were identified as AGNs using several techniques that enable cross-checking. The other 2 X-ray detected SMGs have levels of X-ray emission that can be plausibly explained by their star-formation activity. 6 of the 8 SMG-AGNs are moderately/highly absorbed, with N_H > 10e23 cm-2. An analysis of the AGN fraction, taking into account the spatial variation of X-ray sensitivity, yields an AGN fraction of 17+16-6% for AGNs with rest-frame 0.5-8 keV absorption-corrected luminosity >7.8x10e42 erg s-1; we provide estimated AGN fractions as a function of X-ray flux and luminosity. ALMA's high angular resolution also enables direct X-ray stacking at the precise positions of SMGs for the first time, and we found 4 potential SMG-AGNs in our stacking sample.

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arXiv2013

An ALMA survey of submillimeter galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: Source catalog and multiplicity

We present an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Cycle 0 survey of 126 submillimeter sources from the LABOCA ECDFS Submillimeter Survey (LESS). Our 870 micron survey with ALMA (ALESS) has produced maps ~3X deeper and with a beam area ~200X smaller than the original LESS observations, doubling the current number of interferometrically-observed submillimeter sources. The high resolution of these maps allows us to resolve sources that were previously blended and accurately identify the origin of the submillimeter emission. We discuss the creation of the ALESS submillimeter galaxy (SMG) catalog, including the main sample of 99 SMGs and a supplementary sample of 32 SMGs. We find that at least 35% (possibly up to 50%) of the detected LABOCA sources have been resolved into multiple SMGs, and that the average number of SMGs per LESS source increases with LESS flux density. Using the (now precisely known) SMG positions, we empirically test the theoretical expectation for the uncertainty in the single-dish source positions. We also compare our catalog to the previously predicted radio/mid-infrared counterparts, finding that 45% of the ALESS SMGs were missed by this method. Our ~1.6" resolution allows us to measure a size of ~9 kpc X 5 kpc for the rest-frame ~300 um emission region in one resolved SMG, implying a star formation rate surface density of 80 M_sol yr^-1 kpc^-2, and we constrain the emission regions in the remaining SMGs to be <10 kpc. As the first statistically reliable survey of SMGs, this will provide the basis for an unbiased multiwavelength study of SMG properties.

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arXiv2012

The evolutionary connection between QSOs and SMGs: molecular gas in far-infrared luminous QSOs at z ~ 2.5

We present IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer observations of the 12CO(3-2) emission from two far-infrared luminous QSOs at z ~ 2.5 selected from the Herschel-ATLAS survey. These far-infrared bright QSOs were selected to have supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with masses similar to those thought to reside in sub-millimetre galaxies (SMGs) at z ~ 2.5; making them ideal candidates as systems in transition from an ultraluminous infrared galaxy phase to a sub-mm faint, unobscured, QSO. We detect 12CO(3-2) emission from both QSOs and we compare their baryonic, dynamical and SMBH masses to those of SMGs at the same epoch. We find that these far-infrared bright QSOs have similar dynamical but lower gas masses than SMGs. In particular we find that far-infrared bright QSOs have ~50+-23% less warm/dense gas than SMGs, which combined with previous results showing the QSOs lack the extended, cool reservoir of gas seen in SMGs, suggests that they are at a different evolutionary stage. This is consistent with the hypothesis that far-infrared bright QSOs represent a short (~1Myr) but ubiquitous phase in the transformation of dust obscured, gas-rich, starburst-dominated SMGs into unobscured, gas-poor, QSOs.

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