arXiv subjects

M. Viero

Publications and source records attributed to M. Viero.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2016

HerMES: A search for high-redshift dusty galaxies in the HerMES Large Mode Survey - Catalogue, number counts and early results

Selecting sources with rising flux densities towards longer wavelengths from Herschel/SPIRE maps is an efficient way to produce a catalogue rich in high-redshift (z > 4) dusty star-forming galaxies. The effectiveness of this approach has already been confirmed by spectroscopic follow-up observations, but the previously available catalogues made this way are limited by small survey areas. Here we apply a map-based search method to 274 deg$^2$ of the HerMES Large Mode Survey (HeLMS) and create a catalogue of 477 objects with SPIRE flux densities $S_{500} > S_{350} >S_{250}$ and a $5 σ$ cut-off $S_{500} > $ 52 mJy. From this catalogue we determine that the total number of these "red" sources is at least an order of magnitude higher than predicted by galaxy evolution models. These results are in agreement with previous findings in smaller HerMES fields; however, due to our significantly larger sample size we are also able to investigate the shape of the red source counts for the first time. We have obtained spectroscopic redshift measurements for two of our sources using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The redshifts z = 5.1 and z = 3.8 confirm that with our selection method we can indeed find high-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The faint end of the 250 micron luminosity function at z < 0.5

Aims. We aim to study the 250 micron luminosity function (LF) down to much fainter luminosities than achieved by previous efforts. Methods. We developed a modified stacking method to reconstruct the 250 micron LF using optically selected galaxies from the SDSS survey and Herschel maps of the GAMA equatorial fields and Stripe 82. Our stacking method not only recovers the mean 250 micron luminosities of galaxies that are too faint to be individually detected, but also their underlying distribution functions. Results. We find very good agreement with previous measurements in the overlapping luminosity range. More importantly, we are able to derive the LF down to much fainter luminosities (around 25 times fainter) than achieved by previous studies. We find strong positive luminosity evolution \propto (1 + z)^4.89\pm1.07 and moderate negative density evolution \propto (1 + z)^-1.02\pm0.54 over the redshift range z=[0.02, 0.5].

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arXiv2016

Candidate Gravitationally Lensed Dusty Star-forming Galaxies in the Herschel Wide Area Surveys

We present a list of candidate gravitationally lensed dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) from the HerMES Large Mode Survey (HeLMS) and the Herschel Stripe 82 Survey (HerS). Together, these partially overlapping surveys cover 372 deg$^{2}$ on the sky. After removing local spiral galaxies and known radio-loud blazars, our candidate list of lensed DSFGs is composed of 77 sources with 500 $μ$m flux densities ($S_{500}$) greater than 100 mJy. Such sources are dusty starburst galaxies similar to the first bright Sub Millimeter Galaxies (SMGs) discovered with SCUBA. We expect a large fraction of this list to be strongly lensed, with a small fraction made up of bright SMG-SMG mergers that appear as Hyper-Luminous Infrared Galaxies (HyLIRGs; $\rm L_{IR}>10^{13} L_{\odot}$). Thirteen of the 77 candidates have spectroscopic redshifts from CO spectroscopy with ground-based interferometers, putting them at $z>1$ and well above the redshift of the foreground lensing galaxies. The surface density of our sample is 0.21 $\pm$ 0.03 deg$^{-2}$. We present follow-up imaging of a few of the candidates confirming their lensing nature. The sample presented here is an ideal tool for higher resolution imaging and spectroscopic observations to understand detailed properties of starburst phenomena in distant galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The Spitzer-HETDEX Exploratory Large-Area Survey

We present post-cryogenic Spitzer imaging at 3.6 and 4.5 micron with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) of the Spitzer/HETDEX Exploratory Large-Area (SHELA) survey. SHELA covers $\sim$deg$^2$ of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey "Stripe 82" region, and falls within the footprints of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) and the Dark Energy Survey. The HETDEX blind R $\sim$ 800 spectroscopy will produce $\sim$ 200,000 redshifts from the Lyman-$α$ emission for galaxies in the range 1.9 < z < 3.5, and an additional $\sim$200,000 redshifts from the [OII] emission for galaxies at z < 0.5. When combined with deep ugriz images from the Dark Energy Camera, K-band images from NEWFIRM, and other ancillary data, the IRAC photometry from Spitzer will enable a broad range of scientific studies of the relationship between structure formation, galaxy stellar mass, halo mass, AGN, and environment over a co-moving volume of $\sim$0.5 Gpc$^3$ at 1.9 < z < 3.5. Here, we discuss the properties of the SHELA IRAC dataset, including the data acquisition, reduction, validation, and source catalogs. Our tests show the images and catalogs are 80% (50%) complete to limiting magnitudes of 22.0 (22.6) AB mag in the detection image, which is constructed from the weighted sum of the IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 micron images. The catalogs reach limiting sensitivities of 1.1 $μ$Jy at both 3.6 and 4.5 micron (1$σ$, for R=2 arcsec circular apertures). As a demonstration of science, we present IRAC number counts, examples of highly temporally variable sources, and galaxy surface density profiles of rich galaxy clusters. In the spirit of Spitzer Exploratory programs we provide all images and catalogs as part of the publication.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The Red Radio Ring: a gravitationally lensed hyperluminous infrared radio galaxy at z=2.553 discovered through citizen science

We report the discovery of a gravitationally lensed hyperluminous infrared galaxy (L_IR~10^13 L_sun) with strong radio emission (L_1.4GHz~10^25 W/Hz) at z=2.553. The source was identified in the citizen science project SpaceWarps through the visual inspection of tens of thousands of iJKs colour composite images of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs), groups and clusters of galaxies and quasars. Appearing as a partial Einstein ring (r_e~3") around an LRG at z=0.2, the galaxy is extremely bright in the sub-millimetre for a cosmological source, with the thermal dust emission approaching 1 Jy at peak. The redshift of the lensed galaxy is determined through the detection of the CO(3-2) molecular emission line with the Large Millimetre Telescope's Redshift Search Receiver and through [OIII] and H-alpha line detections in the near-infrared from Subaru/IRCS. We have resolved the radio emission with high resolution (300-400 mas) eMERLIN L-band and JVLA C-band imaging. These observations are used in combination with the near-infrared imaging to construct a lens model, which indicates a lensing magnification of ~10x. The source reconstruction appears to support a radio morphology comprised of a compact (<250 pc) core and more extended component, perhaps indicative of an active nucleus and jet or lobe.

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arXiv2015

The HerMES sub-millimetre local and low-redshift luminosity functions

We used wide area surveys over 39 deg$^2$ by the HerMES collaboration, performed with the Herschel Observatory SPIRE multi-wavelength camera, to estimate the low-redshift, $0.02<z<0.5$, monochromatic luminosity functions (LFs) of galaxies at 250, 350 and 500$\,μ$m. SPIRE flux densities were also combined with Spitzer photometry and multi-wavelength archival data to perform a complete SED fitting analysis of SPIRE detected sources to calculate precise k-corrections, as well as the bolometric infrared (8-1000$\,μ$m) luminosity functions and their low-$z$ evolution from a combination of statistical estimators. Integration of the latter prompted us to also compute the local luminosity density (LLD) and the comoving star formation rate density (SFRD) for our sources, and to compare them with theoretical predictions of galaxy formation models. The luminosity functions show significant and rapid luminosity evolution already at low redshifts, $0.02<z<0.2$, with L$_{IR}^* \propto (1+z)^{6.0\pm0.4}$ and $Φ_{IR}^* \propto (1+z)^{-2.1\pm0.4}$, L$_{250}^* \propto (1+z)^{5.3\pm0.2}$ and $Φ_{250}^* \propto (1+z)^{-0.6\pm0.4}$ estimated using the IR bolometric and the 250$\,μ$m LFs respectively. Converting our IR LD estimate into an SFRD assuming a standard Salpeter IMF and including the unobscured contribution based on the UV dust-uncorrected emission from local galaxies, we estimate a SFRD scaling of SFRD$_0+0.08 z$, where SFRD$_0\simeq (1.9\pm 0.03)\times 10^{-2} [\mathrm{M}_\odot\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{-3}]$ is our total SFRD estimate at $z\sim0.02$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

HerMES: The Rest-Frame UV Emission and A Lensing Model for the z=6.34 Luminous Dusty Starburst Galaxy HFLS3

We discuss the restframe UV emission from the starbursting galaxy HFLS3 at z=6.34, discovered in Herschel/SPIRE data due to its red color in the submm wavelengths from 250-500 um. The apparent inst. SFR of HFLS3 inferred from the total FIR luminosity measured with over 15 photometric data points between 100 to 1000 um is 2900 Msun/yr. Keck/NIRC2 Ks band adaptive optics imaging data showed two potential NIR counterparts near HFLS3. Previously, the northern galaxy was taken to be in the foreground at z=2.1 while the southern galaxy was assumed to HFLS3's NIR counterpart. New HST/WFC3 and ACS imaging data show both optically bright galaxies are in the foreground at z<6. A new lensing model based on HST data and mm-wave continuum emission yields a magnification of 2.2+/-0.3. The lack of multiple imaging constrains the lensing magnification to be lower than either 2.7 or 3.5 at the 95% confidence level for the two scenarios, which attribute one or two components to HFLS3 in the source plane. Correcting for gravitational lensing, the inst. SFR is 1320 Msun/yr with the 95% confidence lower limit around 830 Msun/yr. Using models for the restframe UV to FIR SED, the ave. SFR over the last 100 Myr is around 660 Msun/yr. The dust and stellar masses of HFLS3 from the same SED models are 3x10^8 Msun and ~5x10^10 Msun, respectively, with large systematic uncertainties on assumptions related to the SED model. With HST/WFC3 images we also find diffuse NIR emission about 0.5" (~3 kpc) SW of HFLS3 that remains undetected in the ACS data. The emission has a photometric redshift consistent with either z~6 or a dusty galaxy template at z~2. If at the same redshift as HFLS3 the detected diffuse emission could be part of the complex merger system that could be triggering the starburst. Alternatively, it could be part of the foreground structure at z~2.1 that is responsible for lensing of HFLS3.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Constraining the Lyman Alpha Escape Fraction with Far-Infrared Observations of Lyman Alpha Emitters

We study the far-infrared properties of 498 Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs) at z=2.8, 3.1 and 4.5 in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South, using 250, 350 and 500 micron data from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) and 870 micron data from the LABOCA ECDFS Submillimeter Survey (LESS). None of the 126, 280 or 92 LAEs at z=2.8, 3.1 and 4.5, respectively, are individually detected in the far-infrared data. We use stacking to probe the average emission to deeper flux limits, reaching $1σ$ depths of ~0.1 to 0.4 mJy. The LAEs are also undetected at $\ge3σ$ in the stacks, although a $2.5σ$ signal is observed at 870 micron for the z=2.8 sources. We consider a wide range of far-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs), including a M82 and an Sd galaxy template, to determine upper limits on the far-infrared luminosities and far-infrared-derived star-formation rates of the LAEs. These star-formation rates are then combined with those inferred from the Ly$α$ and UV emission to determine lower limits on the LAEs Ly$α$ escape fraction ($f_{\rm esc}($Ly$α$)). For the Sd SED template, the inferred LAEs $f_{\rm esc}($Ly$α$) are $\gtrsim30%$ ($1σ$) at z=2.8, 3.1 and 4.5, which are all significantly higher than the global $f_{\rm esc}($Ly$α$) at these redshifts. Thus, if the LAEs $f_{\rm esc}($Ly$α$) follows the global evolution then they have warmer far-infrared SEDs than the Sd galaxy template. The average and M82 SEDs produce lower limits on the LAE $f_{\rm esc}($Ly$α$) of ~10 to 20% ($1σ$), all of which are slightly higher than the global evolution of $f_{\rm esc}($Ly$α$) but consistent with it at the 2 to 3$σ$ level.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

HerMES: Point source catalogues from Herschel-SPIRE observations II

The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) is the largest Guaranteed Time Key Programme on the Herschel Space Observatory. With a wedding cake survey strategy, it consists of nested fields with varying depth and area totalling ~380 deg^2. In this paper, we present deep point source catalogues extracted from Herschel-SPIRE observations of all HerMES fields, except for the later addition of the 270 deg^2 HeLMS field. These catalogues constitute the second Data Release (DR2) made in October 2013. A subset of these catalogues, which consists of bright sources extracted from Herschel-SPIRE observations completed by May 1, 2010 (covering ~ 74 deg^2) were released earlier in the first extensive Data Release (DR1) in March 2012. Two different methods are used to generate the point source catalogues, the SUSSEXtractor (SXT) point source extractor used in two earlier data releases (EDR and EDR2) and a new source detection and photometry method. The latter combines an iterative source detection algorithm, StarFinder (SF), and a De-blended SPIRE Photometry (DESPHOT) algorithm. We use end-to-end Herschel-SPIRE simulations with realistic number counts and clustering properties to characterise basic properties of the point source catalogues, such as the completeness, reliability, photometric and positional accuracy. Over 500, 000 catalogue entries in HerMES fields (except HeLMS) are released to the public through the HeDAM website (http://hedam.oamp.fr/herMES).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

HerMES: Clusters of Dusty Galaxies Uncovered by Herschel and Planck

The potential for Planck to detect clusters of dusty, star-forming galaxies at z greater than 1 is tested by examining the Herschel-SPIRE images of Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalog (ERCSC) sources lying in fields observed by the HerMES survey. Of the 16 Planck sources that lie in the roughly 90 sq. deg. examined, we find that twelve are associated with single bright Herschel sources. The remaining four are associated with overdensities of Herschel sources, making them candidate clusters of dusty, starforming galaxies. We use complementary optical and NIR data for these clumps to test this idea, and find evidence for the presence of galaxy clusters in all four cases. We use photometric redshifts and red sequence galaxies to estimate the redshifts of these clusters, finding that they range from 0.8 to 2.3. These redshifts imply that the Herschel sources in these clusters, which contribute to the detected Planck flux, are forming stars very rapidly, with typical total cluster star formation rates greater than 1000Msun per yr. The high redshift clusters discovered in these observations are used to constrain the epoch of cluster galaxy formation, finding that the galaxies in our clusters are 1 to 1.5 Gy old at z about 1 to 2. Prospects for the discovery of further clusters of dusty galaxies are discussed, using not only all sky Planck surveys, but also deeper, smaller area, Herschel surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The evolution of the dust and gas content in galaxies

We use deep Herschel PACS and SPIRE observations in GOODSS, GOODSN and COSMOS to estimate the average dust mass (Mdust) of galaxies on a redshift-stellar mass (Mstar)-SFR grid. We study the scaling relations between Mdust, Mstar and SFR at z<=2.5. No clear evolution of Mdust is observed at fixed SFR and Mstar. We find a tight correlation between SFR and Mdust, likely a consequence of the Schmidt-Kennicutt (S-K) law. The Mstar-Mdust correlation observed by previous works flattens or sometimes disappears when fixing the SFR. Most of it likely derives from the combination of the Mdust-SFR and Mstar-SFR correlations. We then investigate the gas content as inferred by converting Mdust by assuming that the dust/gas ratio scales linearly with the gas metallicity. All galaxies in the sample follow, within uncertainties, the same SFR-Mgas relation (integrated S-K law), which broadly agrees with CO-based results for the bulk of the population, despite the completely different approaches. The majority of galaxies at z~2 form stars with an efficiency (SFE=SFR/Mgas) ~5 times higher than at z~0. It is not clear what fraction of such variation is an intrinsic redshift evolution and what fraction arises from selection effects. The gas fraction (fgas) decreases with Mstar and increases with SFR, and does not evolve with z at fixed Mstar and SFR. We explain these trends by introducing a universal relation between fgas, Mstar and SFR, non-evolving out to z~2.5. Galaxies move across this relation as their gas content evolves in time. We use the 3D fundamental fgas-Mstar-SFR relation and the redshift evolution of the Main Sequence to estimate the evolution of fgas in the average population of galaxies as a function of z and Mstar, and we find evidence a downsizing scenario.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

HerMES: Candidate High-Redshift Galaxies Discovered with Herschel/SPIRE

We present a method for selecting $z>4$ dusty, star forming galaxies (DSFGs) using Herschel/SPIRE 250/350/500 $μm$ flux densities to search for red sources. We apply this method to 21 deg$^2$ of data from the HerMES survey to produce a catalog of 38 high-$z$ candidates. Follow-up of the first 5 of these sources confirms that this method is efficient at selecting high-$z$ DSFGs, with 4/5 at $z=4.3$ to $6.3$ (and the remaining source at $z=3.4$), and that they are some of the most luminous dusty sources known. Comparison with previous DSFG samples, mostly selected at longer wavelengths (e.g., 850 $μm$) and in single-band surveys, shows that our method is much more efficient at selecting high-$z$ DSFGs, in the sense that a much larger fraction are at $z>3$. Correcting for the selection completeness and purity, we find that the number of bright ($S_{500\,μm} \ge 30$ mJy), red Herschel sources is $3.3 \pm 0.8$ deg$^{-2}$. This is much higher than the number predicted by current models, suggesting that the DSFG population extends to higher redshifts than previously believed. If the shape of the luminosity function for high-$z$ DSFGs is similar to that at $z\sim2$, rest-frame UV based studies may be missing a significant component of the star formation density at $z=4$ to $6$, even after correction for extinction.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The suppression of star formation by powerful active galactic nuclei

The old, red stars which constitute the bulges of galaxies, and the massive black holes at their centres, are the relics of a period in cosmic history when galaxies formed stars at remarkable rates and active galactic nuclei (AGN) shone brightly from accretion onto black holes. It is widely suspected, but unproven, that the tight correlation in mass of the black hole and stellar components results from the AGN quenching the surrounding star formation as it approaches its peak luminosity. X-rays trace emission from AGN unambiguously, while powerful star-forming galaxies are usually dust-obscured and are brightest at infrared to submillimetre wavelengths. Here we report observations in the submillimetre and X-ray which show that rapid star formation was common in the host galaxies of AGN when the Universe was 2-6 Gyrs old, but that the most vigorous star formation is not observed around black holes above an X-ray luminosity of 10^44 erg/s. This suppression of star formation in the host galaxies of powerful AGN is a key prediction of models in which the AGN drives a powerful outflow, expelling the interstellar medium of its host galaxy and transforming the galaxy's properties in a brief period of cosmic time.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

HerMES: dust attenuation and star formation activity in UV-selected samples from z~4 to z~1.5

We study the link between observed ultraviolet luminosity, stellar mass, and dust attenuation within rest-frame UV-selected samples at z~ 4, 3, and 1.5. We measure by stacking at 250, 350, and 500 um in the Herschel/SPIRE images from the HerMES program the average infrared luminosity as a function of stellar mass and UV luminosity. We find that dust attenuation is mostly correlated with stellar mass. There is also a secondary dependence with UV luminosity: at a given UV luminosity, dust attenuation increases with stellar mass, while at a given stellar mass it decreases with UV luminosity. We provide new empirical recipes to correct for dust attenuation given the observed UV luminosity and the stellar mass. Our results also enable us to put new constraints on the average relation between star formation rate and stellar mass at z~ 4, 3, and 1.5. The star formation rate-stellar mass relations are well described by power laws (SFR~ M^0.7), with the amplitudes being similar at z~4 and z~3, and decreasing by a factor of 4 at z~1.5 at a given stellar mass. We further investigate the evolution with redshift of the specific star formation rate. Our results are in the upper range of previous measurements, in particular at z~3, and are consistent with a plateau at 3<z<4. Current model predictions (either analytic, semi-analytic or hydrodynamic) are inconsistent with these values, as they yield lower predictions than the observations in the redshift range we explore. We use these results to discuss the star formation histories of galaxies in the framework of the Main Sequence of star-forming galaxies. Our results suggest that galaxies at high redshift (2.5<z<4) stay around 1 Gyr on the Main Sequence. With decreasing redshift, this time increases such that z=1 Main Sequence galaxies with 10^8<M_*/Msun<10^10 stay on the Main Sequence until z=0.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey: demographics of the 450 μm-population

We investigate the multi-wavelength properties of a sample of 450-μm selected sources from the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey (S2CLS). A total of 69 sources were identified above 4σ in deep SCUBA-2 450-μm observations overlapping the UDS and COSMOS fields and covering 210 sq. arcmin to a typical depth of σ450=1.5 mJy. Reliable cross identification are found for 58 sources (84 per cent) in Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/IR data. The photometric redshift distribution (dN/dz) of 450μm-selected sources is presented, showing a broad peak in the redshift range 1 =10^12 +/- 0.8 L_sol, =42 +/- 11 K and <β_D>=1.6 +/- 0.5, respectively. The relationship between these SED parameters and the physical properties of galaxies is investigated, revealing correlations between T_D and LIR and between β_D and both stellar mass and effective radius. The connection between star formation rate and stellar mass is explored, with 24 per cent of 450 μm sources found to be ``star-bursts'', i.e. displaying anomalously high specific SFRs. However, both the number density and observed properties of these ``star-burst'' galaxies are found consistent with the population of normal star-forming galaxies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Far-IR Emission From Dust-Obscured Galaxies

Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) are a UV-faint, IR-bright galaxy population that reside at z~2 and are believed to be in a phase of dusty star-forming and AGN activity. We present far-IR observations of a complete sample of DOGs in the 2 deg2 of COSMOS. The 3077 DOGs have =1.9+/-0.3 and are selected from 24um and r+ observations using a color cut of r+ - [24]>=7.5 (AB mag) and S24>=100uJy. Based on the near-IR SEDs, 47% are star-formation dominated and 10% are AGN-dominated. We use SPIRE far-IR photometry from HerMES to calculate the IR luminosity and characteristic dust temperature for the 1572 (51%) DOGs that are detected at 250um (>=3σ). For the remaining 1505 (49%) that are undetected, we perform a median stacking analysis to probe fainter luminosities. Detected and undetected DOGs have average IR luminosities of (2.8+/-0.4) x 1012 LSun and (0.77+-0.08)x10^12LSun, and dust temperatures of 34+/-7 K and 37+/-3 K, respectively. The IR luminosity function of DOGs with S24>=100uJy is calculated, using far-IR observations and stacking. DOGs contribute 10-30% to the total star formation rate density of the Universe at z=1.5-2.5, dominated by 250um detected and bump DOGs. For comparison, DOGs contribute 30% to the star-formation rate density of the Universe for all galaxies at z=1.5-2.5 with S24>=100uJy. DOGs have a large scatter about the star-formation main sequence and their specific star-formation rates show that the observed phase of star-formation could be responsible for their observed stellar mass at z~2.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

HerMES: A Deficit in the Surface Brightness of the Cosmic Infrared Background Due to Galaxy Cluster Gravitational Lensing

We have observed four massive galaxy clusters with the SPIRE instrument on the Herschel Space Observatory and measure a deficit of surface brightness within their central region after subtracting sources. We simulate the effects of instrumental sensitivity and resolution, the source population, and the lensing effect of the clusters to estimate the shape and amplitude of the deficit. The amplitude of the central deficit is a strong function of the surface density and flux distribution of the background sources. We find that for the current best fitting faint end number counts, and excellent lensing models, the most likely amplitude of the central deficit is the full intensity of the cosmic infrared background (CIB). Our measurement leads to a lower limit to the integrated total intensity of the CIB of I(250 microns) > 0.69_(-0.03)^(+0.03) (stat.)_(-0.06)^(+0.11) (sys.) MJy/sr, with more CIB possible from both low-redshift sources and from sources within the target clusters. It should be possible to observe this effect in existing high angular resolution data at other wavelengths where the CIB is bright, which would allow tests of models of the faint source component of the CIB.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3

Stellar archeology shows that massive elliptical galaxies today formed rapidly about ten billion years ago with star formation rates above several hundreds solar masses per year (M_sun/yr). Their progenitors are likely the sub-millimeter-bright galaxies (SMGs) at redshifts (z) greater than 2. While SMGs' mean molecular gas mass of 5x10^10 M_sun can explain the formation of typical elliptical galaxies, it is inadequate to form ellipticals that already have stellar masses above 2x10^11 M_sun at z ~ 2. Here we report multi-wavelength high-resolution observations of a rare merger of two massive SMGs at z = 2.3. The system is currently forming stars at a tremendous rate of 2,000 M_sun/yr. With a star formation efficiency an order-of-magnitude greater than that of normal galaxies, it will quench the star formation by exhausting the gas reservoir in only ~200 million years. At a projected separation of 19 kiloparsecs, the two massive starbursts are about to merge and form a passive elliptical galaxy with a stellar mass of ~4x10^11 M_sun. Our observations show that gas-rich major galaxy mergers, concurrent with intense star formation, can form the most massive elliptical galaxies by z ~ 1.5.

astro-ph.CO↗