Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

M. Radovich

Publications and source records attributed to M. Radovich.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

A random forest-based selection of optically variable AGN in the VST-COSMOS field

The survey of the COSMOS field by the VLT Survey Telescope is an appealing testing ground for variability studies of active galactic nuclei (AGN). With 54 r-band visits over 3.3 yr and a single-visit depth of 24.6 r-band mag, the dataset is also particularly interesting in the context of performance forecasting for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). This work is the fifth in a series dedicated to the development of an automated, robust, and efficient methodology to identify optically variable AGN, aimed at deploying it on future LSST data. We test the performance of a random forest (RF) algorithm in selecting optically variable AGN candidates, investigating how the use of different AGN labeled sets (LSs) and features sets affects this performance. We define a heterogeneous AGN LS and choose a set of variability features and optical and near-infrared colors based on what can be extracted from LSST data. We find that an AGN LS that includes only Type I sources allows for the selection of a highly pure (91%) sample of AGN candidates, obtaining a completeness with respect to spectroscopically confirmed AGN of 69% (vs. 59% in our previous work). The addition of colors to variability features mildly improves the performance of the RF classifier, while colors alone prove less effective than variability in selecting AGN as they return contaminated samples of candidates and fail to identify most host-dominated AGN. We observe that a bright (r < 21 mag) AGN LS is able to retrieve candidate samples not affected by the magnitude cut, which is of great importance as faint AGN LSs for LSST-related studies will be hard to find and likely imbalanced. We estimate a sky density of 6.2 million AGN for the LSST main survey down to our current magnitude limit.

astro-ph.GA↗

AMICO galaxy clusters in KiDS-DR3: Evolution of the luminosity function between z=0.1 and z=0.8

By means of the $r$-band luminosity function (LF) of galaxies in a sample of about 4000 clusters detected by the cluster finder AMICO in the KiDS-DR3 area of about 400 deg$^2$, we studied the evolution with richness and redshift of the passive evolving (red), star-forming (blue), and total galaxy populations. This analysis was performed for clusters in the redshift range [0.1,0.8] and in the mass range [$10^{13} M_{\odot}$,$10^{15} M_{\odot}$]. To compute LFs, we binned the luminosity distribution in magnitude and statistically subtracted the background. Then, we divided the cluster sample in bins of both redshift and richness/mass. We stacked LF counts in each 2D bin for the total, red, and blue galaxy populations; finally, we fitted the stacked LF with a Schechter function and studied the trend of its parameters with redshift and richness/mass. We found a passive evolution with $z$ for the bright part of the LF for the red and total populations and no significant trends for the faint galaxies. The mass/richness dependence is clear for the density parameter $Φ_{\star}$, increasing with richness, and for the total population faint end, which is shallower in the rich clusters.

astro-ph.CO↗

The high molecular gas content, and the efficient conversion of neutral into molecular gas, in jellyfish galaxies

In the disks of four jellyfish galaxies from the GASP sample at redshift $\sim 0.05$ we detect molecular gas masses systematically higher than in field galaxies. These galaxies are being stripped of their gas by ram pressure from the intra cluster medium and are, in general, forming stars at high rate with respect to non-stripped galaxies of similar stellar masses. We find that, unless giant molecular clouds in the disk are unbound by ram pressure leading to exceptionally high CO--to--$\rm H_2$ conversion factors, these galaxies have a molecular gas content 4-5 times higher than normal galaxies of similar masses, and molecular gas depletion times ranging from $\sim$1 to 9 Gyr, corresponding to generally very low star formation efficiencies. The molecular gas mass within the disk is a factor between 4 and $\sim$100 times higher than the neutral gas mass, as opposed to the disks of normal spirals that contain similar amounts of molecular and neutral gas. Intriguingly, the molecular plus neutral total amount of gas is similar to that in normal spiral galaxies of similar stellar mass. These results strongly suggest that ram pressure in disks of galaxies during the jellyfish phase leads to a very efficient conversion of HI into $\rm H_2$.

astro-ph.GA↗

Nature versus nurture: relic nature and environment of the most massive passive galaxies at $z < 0.5$

Relic galaxies are thought to be the progenitors of high-redshift red nuggets that for some reason missed the channels of size growth and evolved passively and undisturbed since the first star formation burst (at $z>2$). These local ultracompact old galaxies are unique laboratories for studying the star formation processes at high redshift and thus the early stage of galaxy formation scenarios. Counterintuitively, theoretical and observational studies indicate that relics are more common in denser environments, where merging events predominate. To verify this scenario, we compared the number counts of a sample of ultracompact massive galaxies (UCMGs) selected within the third data release of the Kilo Degree Survey, that is, systems with sizes $R_{\rm e} < 1.5 \, \rm kpc$ and stellar masses $M_{\rm \star} > 8 \times 10^{10}\, \rm M_{\odot}$, with the number counts of galaxies with the same masses but normal sizes in field and cluster environments. Based on their optical and near-infrared colors, these UCMGs are likely to be mainly old, and hence representative of the relic population. We find that both UCMGs and normal-size galaxies are more abundant in clusters and their relative fraction depends only mildly on the global environment, with denser environments penalizing the survival of relics. Hence, UCMGs (and likely relics overall) are not special because of the environment effect on their nurture, but rather they are just a product of the stochasticity of the merging processes regardless of the global environment in which they live.

astro-ph.GA↗

New high-quality strong lens candidates with deep learning in the Kilo Degree Survey

We report new high-quality galaxy scale strong lens candidates found in the Kilo Degree Survey data release 4 using Machine Learning. We have developed a new Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) classifier to search for gravitational arcs, following the prescription by \cite{2019MNRAS.484.3879P} and using only $r-$band images. We have applied the CNN to two "predictive samples": a Luminous red galaxy (LRG) and a "bright galaxy" (BG) sample ($r<21$). We have found 286 new high probability candidates, 133 from the LRG sample and 153 from the BG sample. We have then ranked these candidates based on a value that combines the CNN likelihood to be a lens and the human score resulting from visual inspection (P-value) and we present here the highest 82 ranked candidates with P-values $\ge 0.5$. All these high-quality candidates have obvious arc or point-like features around the central red defector. Moreover, we define the best 26 objects, all with scores P-values $\ge 0.7$ as a "golden sample" of candidates. This sample is expected to contain very few false positives and thus it is suitable for follow-up observations. The new lens candidates come partially from the the more extended footprint adopted here with respect to the previous analyses, partially from a larger predictive sample (also including the BG sample). These results show that machine learning tools are very promising to find strong lenses in large surveys and more candidates that can be found by enlarging the predictive samples beyond the standard assumption of LRGs. In the future, we plan to apply our CNN to the data from next-generation surveys such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, Euclid, and the Chinese Space Station Optical Survey.

astro-ph.GA↗

GASP XXIV. The history of abruptly quenched galaxies in clusters

The study of cluster post starburst galaxies gives useful insights on the physical processes quenching the star formation in the most massive environments. Exploiting the MUSE data of the GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies (GASP) project, we characterise the quenching history of 8 local cluster galaxies that were selected for not showing emission lines in their fiber spectra. We inspect the integrated colors, the Hb rest frame equivalent widths (EW), star formation histories (SFHs) and luminosity-weighted age (LWA) maps finding no signs of current star formation throughout the disks of these early-spiral/S0 galaxies. All of them have been passive for at least 20 Myr, but their SF declined on different timescales. In most of them the outskirts reached undetectable SFRs before the inner regions (outside-in quenching). Our sample includes three post-starforming galaxies, two passive galaxies and three galaxies with intermediate properties. The first population shows blue colors, deep Hb in absorption (EW>>2.8A), young ages (8.8<log(LW [yr])<9.2). Two of these galaxies show signs of a central SF enhancement before quenching. Passive galaxies have instead red colors, EW(Hb)<2.8A, ages in the range 9.2<log(LWA[yr])<10. Finally, the other galaxies are most likely in transition between a post starforming and passive phase, as they quenched in an intermediate epoch and have not lost all the star forming features yet. The outside-in quenching, the morphology and kinematics of the stellar component, along with the position of these galaxies within massive clusters (sigma_cl=550-950km/s) point to a scenario in which ram pressure stripping has removed the gas, leading to quenching. Only the three most massive galaxies might alternatively have entered the clusters already quenched. These galaxies are therefore at the final stage of the rapid evolution galaxies undergo when they enter the clusters.

astro-ph.GA↗

Search for the optical counterpart of the GW170814 gravitationalwave event with the VLT Survey Telescope

We report on the search for the optical counterpart of the gravitational event GW170814, which was carried out with the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) by the GRAvitational Wave Inaf TeAm (GRAWITA). Observations started 17.5 hours after the LIGO/Virgo alert and we covered an area of 99 deg$^2$ that encloses $\sim 77\%$ and $\sim 59\%$ of the initial and refined localization probability regions, respectively. A total of six epochs were secured over nearly two months. The survey reached an average limiting magnitude of 22 AB mag in the $r-$band. After assuming the model described in Perna et al. 2019 that derives as possible optical counterpart of a BBH event a transient source declining in about one day, we have computed a survey efficiency of about $5\%$. This paper describes the VST observational strategy and the results obtained by our analysis pipelines developed to search for optical transients in multi-epoch images. We report the catalogue of the candidates with possible identifications based on light-curve fitting. We have identified two dozens of SNe, nine AGNs, one QSO. Nineteen transients characterized by a single detection were not classified. We have restricted our analysis only to the candidates that fall into the refined localization map. None out of 39 left candidates could be positively associated with GW170814. This result implies that the possible emission of optical radiation from a BBH merger had to be fainter than r $\sim$ 22 ($L_{optical}$ $\sim$ $1.4 \times 10^{42}$ erg/s) on a time interval ranging from a few hours up to two months after the GW event.

astro-ph.HE↗

GASP. XXII The molecular gas content of the JW100 jellyfish galaxy at z~0.05: does ram pressure promote molecular gas formation?

Within the GASP survey, aimed at studying the effect of the ram-pressure stripping on the star formation quenching in cluster galaxies, we analyze here ALMA observations of the jellyfish galaxy JW100. We find an unexpected large amount of molecular gas ($\sim 2.5 \times 10^{10} M_{\odot}$), 30\% of which is located in the stripped gas tail out to $\sim$35 kpc from the galaxy center. The overall kinematics of molecular gas is similar to the one shown by the ionized gas, but for clear signatures of double components along the stripping direction detected only out to 2 kpc from the disk. The line ratio $r_{21}$ has a clumpy distribution and in the tail can reach large values ($\geq 1$), while its average value is low (0.58 with a 0.15 dispersion). All these evidence strongly suggest that the molecular gas in the tail is newly born from stripped HI gas or newly condensed from stripped diffuse molecular gas. The analysis of interferometric data at different scales reveals that a significant fraction ($\sim 40\%$) of the molecular gas is extended over large scales ($\geq 8$ kpc) in the disk, and this fraction becomes predominant in the tail ($\sim 70\%$). By comparing the molecular gas surface density with the star formation rate surface density derived from the \Ha emission from MUSE data, we find that the depletion time on 1 kpc scale is particularly large ($5-10$ Gyr) both within the ram-pressure disturbed region in the stellar disk, and in the complexes along the tail.

astro-ph.GA↗

KiDS+VIKING-450: Cosmic shear tomography with optical+infrared data

We present a tomographic cosmic shear analysis of the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) combined with the VISTA Kilo-Degree Infrared Galaxy Survey (VIKING). This is the first time that a full optical to near-infrared data set has been used for a wide-field cosmological weak lensing experiment. This unprecedented data, spanning $450~$deg$^2$, allows us to improve significantly the estimation of photometric redshifts, such that we are able to include robustly higher-redshift sources for the lensing measurement, and - most importantly - solidify our knowledge of the redshift distributions of the sources. Based on a flat $Λ$CDM model we find $S_8\equivσ_8\sqrt{Ω_{\rm m}/0.3}=0.737_{-0.036}^{+0.040}$ in a blind analysis from cosmic shear alone. The tension between KiDS cosmic shear and the Planck-Legacy CMB measurements remains in this systematically more robust analysis, with $S_8$ differing by $2.3σ$. This result is insensitive to changes in the priors on nuisance parameters for intrinsic alignment, baryon feedback, and neutrino mass. KiDS shear measurements are calibrated with a new, more realistic set of image simulations and no significant B-modes are detected in the survey, indicating that systematic errors are under control. When calibrating our redshift distributions by assuming the 30-band COSMOS-2015 photometric redshifts are correct (following the Dark Energy Survey and the Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey), we find the tension with Planck is alleviated. The robust determination of source redshift distributions remains one of the most challenging aspects for future cosmic shear surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

GASP XVIII: Star formation quenching due to AGN feedback in the central region of a jellyfish galaxy

We report evidence for star formation quenching in the central 8.6 kpc region of the jellyfish galaxy JO201 which hosts an active galactic nucleus, while undergoing strong ram pressure stripping. The ultraviolet imaging data of the galaxy disk reveal a region with reduced flux around the center of the galaxy and a horse shoe shaped region with enhanced flux in the outer disk. The characterization of the ionization regions based on emission line diagnostic diagrams shows that the region of reduced flux seen in the ultraviolet is within the AGN-dominated area. The CO J$_{2-1}$ map of the galaxy disk reveals a cavity in the central region. The image of the galaxy disk at redder wavelengths (9050-9250 $\overset{\lower.5em\circ}{\mathrm{A}}$) reveals the presence of a stellar bar. The star formation rate map of the galaxy disk shows that the star formation suppression in the cavity occurred in the last few 10$^8$ yr. We present several lines of evidence supporting the scenario that suppression of star formation in the central region of the disk is most likely due to the feedback from the AGN. The observations reported here make JO201 a unique case of AGN feedback and environmental effects suppressing star formation in a spiral galaxy.

astro-ph.GA↗

Euclid preparation III. Galaxy cluster detection in the wide photometric survey, performance and algorithm selection

Galaxy cluster counts in bins of mass and redshift have been shown to be a competitive probe to test cosmological models. This method requires an efficient blind detection of clusters from surveys with a well-known selection function and robust mass estimates. The Euclid wide survey will cover 15000 deg$^2$ of the sky in the optical and near-infrared bands, down to magnitude 24 in the $H$-band. The resulting data will make it possible to detect a large number of galaxy clusters spanning a wide-range of masses up to redshift $\sim 2$. This paper presents the final results of the Euclid Cluster Finder Challenge (CFC). The objective of these challenges was to select the cluster detection algorithms that best meet the requirements of the Euclid mission. The final CFC included six independent detection algorithms, based on different techniques, such as photometric redshift tomography, optimal filtering, hierarchical approach, wavelet and friend-of-friends algorithms. These algorithms were blindly applied to a mock galaxy catalog with representative Euclid-like properties. The relative performance of the algorithms was assessed by matching the resulting detections to known clusters in the simulations. Several matching procedures were tested, thus making it possible to estimate the associated systematic effects on completeness to $<3$%. All the tested algorithms are very competitive in terms of performance, with three of them reaching $>80$% completeness for a mean purity of 80% down to masses of $10^{14}$ M$_{\odot}$ and up to redshift $z=2$. Based on these results, two algorithms were selected to be implemented in the Euclid pipeline, the AMICO code, based on matched filtering, and the PZWav code, based on an adaptive wavelet approach. [abridged]

astro-ph.CO↗

Optically variable active galactic nuclei in the 3 yr VST survey of the COSMOS field

The analysis of the variability of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at different wavelengths and the study of possible correlations among different spectral windows are nowadays a major field of inquiry. Optical variability has been largely used to identify AGNs in multivisit surveys. The strength of a selection based on optical variability lies in the chance to analyze data from surveys of large sky areas by ground-based telescopes. However the effectiveness of optical variability selection, with respect to other multiwavelength techniques, has been poorly studied down to the depth expected from next generation surveys. Here we present the results of our r-band analysis of a sample of 299 optically variable AGN candidates in the VST survey of the COSMOS field, counting 54 visits spread over three observing seasons spanning > 3 yr. This dataset is > 3 times larger in size than the one presented in our previous analysis (De Cicco et al. 2015), and the observing baseline is ~8 times longer. We push towards deeper magnitudes (r(AB) ~23.5 mag) compared to past studies; we make wide use of ancillary multiwavelength catalogs in order to confirm the nature of our AGN candidates, and constrain the accuracy of the method based on spectroscopic and photometric diagnostics. We also perform tests aimed at assessing the relevance of dense sampling in view of future wide-field surveys. We demonstrate that the method allows the selection of high-purity (> 86%) samples. We take advantage of the longer observing baseline to achieve great improvement in the completeness of our sample with respect to X-ray and spectroscopically confirmed samples of AGNs (59%, vs. ~15% in our previous work), as well as in the completeness of unobscured and obscured AGNs. The effectiveness of the method confirms the importance to develop future, more refined techniques for the automated analysis of larger datasets.

astro-ph.GA↗

The fourth data release of the Kilo-Degree Survey: ugri imaging and nine-band optical-IR photometry over 1000 square degrees

The Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) is an ongoing optical wide-field imaging survey with the OmegaCAM camera at the VLT Survey Telescope, specifically designed for measuring weak gravitational lensing by galaxies and large-scale structure. When completed it will consist of 1350 square degrees imaged in four filters (ugri). Here we present the fourth public data release which more than doubles the area of sky covered by data release 3. We also include aperture-matched ZYJHKs photometry from our partner VIKING survey on the VISTA telescope in the photometry catalogue. We illustrate the data quality and describe the catalogue content. Two dedicated pipelines are used for the production of the optical data. The Astro-WISE information system is used for the production of co-added images in the four survey bands, while a separate reduction of the r-band images using the theli pipeline is used to provide a source catalogue suitable for the core weak lensing science case. All data have been re-reduced for this data release using the latest versions of the pipelines. The VIKING photometry is obtained as forced photometry on the theli sources, using a re-reduction of the VIKING data that starts from the VISTA pawprints. Modifications to the pipelines with respect to earlier releases are described in detail. The photometry is calibrated to the Gaia DR2 G band using stellar locus regression. In this data release a total of 1006 square-degree survey tiles with stacked ugri images are made available, accompanied by weight maps, masks, and single-band source lists. We also provide a multi-band catalogue based on r-band detections, including homogenized photometry and photometric redshifts, for the whole dataset. Mean limiting magnitudes (5 sigma in a 2" aperture) are 24.23, 25.12, 25.02, 23.68 in ugri, respectively, and the mean r-band seeing is 0.70".

astro-ph.GA↗

The first sample of spectroscopically confirmed ultra-compact massive galaxies in the Kilo Degree Survey

We present results from an ongoing investigation using the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) on the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) to provide a census of ultra-compact massive galaxies (UCMGs), defined as galaxies with stellar masses $M_{\rm \star} > 8 \times 10^{10} \rm M_{\odot}$ and effective radii $R_{\rm e} < 1.5\,\rm kpc$. UCMGs, which are expected to have undergone very few merger events, provide a unique view on the accretion history of the most massive galaxies in the Universe. Over an effective sky area of nearly 330 square degrees, we select UCMG candidates from KiDS multi-colour images, which provide high quality structural parameters, photometric redshifts and stellar masses. Our sample of $\sim 1000$ photometrically selected UCMGs at $z < 0.5$ represents the largest sample of UCMG candidates assembled to date over the largest sky area. In this paper we present the first effort to obtain their redshifts using different facilities, starting with first results for 28 candidates with redshifts $z < 0.5$, obtained at NTT and TNG telescopes. We confirmed, as bona fide UCMGs, 19 out of the 28 candidates with new redshifts. A further 46 UCMG candidates are confirmed with literature spectroscopic redshifts (35 at $z < 0.5$), bringing the final cumulative sample of spectroscopically-confirmed lower-z UCMGs to 54 galaxies, which is the largest sample at redshifts below $0.5$. We use these spectroscopic redshifts to quantify systematic errors in our photometric selection, and use these to correct our UCMG number counts. We finally compare the results to independent datasets and simulations.

astro-ph.GA↗

Evolution of galaxy size--stellar mass relation from the Kilo Degree Survey

We have obtained structural parameters of about 340,000 galaxies from the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) in 153 square degrees of data release 1, 2 and 3. We have performed a seeing convolved 2D single Sérsic fit to the galaxy images in the 4 photometric bands (u, g, r, i) observed by KiDS, by selecting high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N > 50) systems in every bands. We have classified galaxies as spheroids and disc-dominated by combining their spectral energy distribution properties and their Sérsic index. Using photometric redshifts derived from a machine learning technique, we have determined the evolution of the effective radius, \Re\ and stellar mass, \mst, versus redshift, for both mass complete samples of spheroids and disc-dominated galaxies up to z ~ 0.6. Our results show a significant evolution of the structural quantities at intermediate redshift for the massive spheroids ($\mbox{Log}\ M_*/M_\odot>11$, Chabrier IMF), while almost no evolution has found for less massive ones ($\mbox{Log}\ M_*/M_\odot < 11$). On the other hand, disc dominated systems show a milder evolution in the less massive systems ($\mbox{Log}\ M_*/M_\odot < 11$) and possibly no evolution of the more massive systems. These trends are generally consistent with predictions from hydrodynamical simulations and independent datasets out to redshift z ~ 0.6, although in some cases the scatter of the data is large to drive final conclusions. These results, based on 1/10 of the expected KiDS area, reinforce precedent finding based on smaller statistical samples and show the route toward more accurate results, expected with the the next survey releases.

astro-ph.GA↗

The galaxy environment in GAMA G3C groups using the Kilo Degree Survey Data Release 3

We aim to investigate the galaxy environment in GAMA Galaxy Groups Catalogue (G3C) using a volume-limited galaxy sample from the Kilo Degree Survey Data Release 3. The k-Nearest Neighbour technique is adapted to take into account the probability density functions (PDFs) of photometric redshifts in our calculations. This algorithm was tested on simulated KiDS tiles, showing its capability of recovering the relation between galaxy colour, luminosity and local environment. The characterization of the galaxy environment in G3C groups shows systematically steeper density contrasts for more massive groups. The red galaxy fraction gradients in these groups is evident for most of group mass bins. The density contrast of red galaxies is systematically higher at group centers when compared to blue galaxy ones. In addition, distinct group center definitions are used to show that our results are insensitive to center definitions. These results confirm the galaxy evolution scenario which environmental mechanisms are responsible for a slow quenching process as galaxies fall into groups and clusters, resulting in a smooth observed colour gradients in galaxy systems.

astro-ph.GA↗

The Spitzer-IRAC/MIPS Extragalactic Survey (SIMES): II enhanced nuclear accretion rate in galaxy groups at z$\sim$0.2

For a sample of star forming galaxies in the redshift interval 0.15$<$z$<$0.3, we study how both the relative strength of the AGN infra-red emission, compared to that due to the star formation (SF), and the numerical fraction of AGNs, change as a function of the total stellar mass of the hosting galaxy group (M$^{*}_{\mathrm{group}}$), between $10^{10.25}$ and $10^{11.9}$M$_{\odot}$. Using a multi-component SED fitting analysis, we separate the contribution of stars, AGN torus and star formation to the total emission at different wavelengths. This technique is applied to a new multi-wavelength data-set in the SIMES field (23 not redundant photometric bands), spanning the wavelength range from the UV (GALEX) to the far-IR (Herschel) and including crucial AKARI and WISE mid-IR observations (4.5 μm$<λ<$24 μm), where the BH thermal emission is stronger. This new photometric catalog, that includes our best photo-z estimates, is released through the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA). Groups are identified through a friends of friends algorithm ($\sim$62% purity, $\sim$51% completeness). We identified a total of 45 galaxies requiring an AGN emission component, 35 of which in groups and 10 in the field. We find BHAR$\propto ($M$^{*}_{\mathrm{group}})^{1.21\pm0.27}$ and (BHAR/SFR)$\propto ($M$^{*}_{\mathrm{group}})^{1.04\pm0.24}$ while, in the same range of M$^{*}_{\mathrm{group}}$, we do not observe any sensible change in the numerical fraction of AGNs. Our results indicate that the nuclear activity (i.e. the BHAR and the BHAR/SFR ratio) is enhanced when galaxies are located in more massive and richer groups.

astro-ph.GA↗

Supernova rates from the SUDARE VST-Omegacam search. I

We describe the observing strategy, data reduction tools and early results of a supernova (SN) search project, named SUDARE, conducted with the ESO VST telescope aimed at measuring the rate of the different types of SNe in the redshift range 0.2<z<0.8. The search was performed in two of the best-studied extragalactic fields, CDFS and COSMOS, for which a wealth of ancillary data are available in the literature or public archives. (abridged) We obtained a final sample of 117 SNe, most of which are SNIa (57%) and the remaining core collapse events of which 44% type II, 22% type IIn and 34% type Ib/c. In order to link the transients, we built a catalog of ~1.3x10^5 galaxies in the redshift range 0<z<1 with a limiting magnitude K_AB=23.5 mag. We measured the SN rate per unit volume for SN Ia and core collapse SNe in different bin of redshifts. The values are consistent with other measurements from the literature. The dispersion of the rate measurements for SNe Ia is comparable with the scatter of the theoretical tracks for single (SD) and double degenerate (DD) binary systems models, therefore the data do not allow to disentangle among the two different progenitor scenarios. However, we may notice that among the three tested models, SD and two flavours of DD, either with a steep (DDC) or a wide (DDW) delay time distribution, the SD gives a better fit across the whole redshift range whereas the DDC better matches the steep rise up to redshift ~1.2. The DDW appears instead less favoured. The core collapse SN rate is fully consistent, unlike recent claims, with the prediction based on recent estimates of the star formation history, and standard progenitor mass range.

astro-ph.CO↗