arXiv subjects

Philip Best

Publications and source records attributed to Philip Best.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The JWST Emission Line Survey (JELS): Multi-wavelength properties of Paschen line-emitters at Cosmic Noon

Context: Narrowband JWST/NIRCam selection isolates star-forming galaxies in well-defined redshift slices, while ALMA and archival far-IR/submm data reveal obscured growth. We combine these to measure Paschen-line SFRs, infer nebular extinction from EAZY Av, and probe FIR-to-submm emission via weighted-median stacking, to constrain galaxy growth at cosmic noon. Aims: We characterize stellar, nebular, and FIR properties of Paschen-selected galaxies in COSMOS, in two ensembles at z~1.50 (Pa-alpha) and z~2.65 (Pa-beta), quantifying short- vs long-timescale SF and dust attenuation, and constraining obscured SFR and gas masses. Methods: We select robust narrowband-excess samples from the JELS F466N/F470N mosaic (Pa-alpha: 77, Pa-beta: 31 sources), remove AGN via X-ray/radio matching, and assemble multiwavelength photometry (JWST, HST, Spitzer, Herschel, SCUBA-2, AzTEC, ALMA). Photo-z/stellar properties come from EAZY/STARDUST; line SFRs use recent Paschen calibrations, with nebular extinction from EAZY Av. Results: EAZY fits show stellar masses log(Mstar/Msun)~7.4-10.3 and modest SFRs (0.1-27 Msun/yr). Line SFRs are 0.1-22.0 and 0.7-47.9 Msun/yr for Pa-alpha/beta. Most sources show short-term bursts (line SFRs exceed SED SFRs), weakly decreasing with mass. Nebular attenuation correlates with mass and SFR. Stacking gives no >3sigma detections beyond MIRI. The weighted-median SED gives SFR_UV,med = 0.48+-0.11 and 3.92+-0.47 Msun/yr for Pa-alpha/beta. ALMA Band 4 gives the tightest constraints: median 3-sigma limits SFR_IR<53 (Pa-alpha) and <44 Msun/yr (Pa-beta); gas mass <10^11.2 (Pa-alpha) and <10^10.6 Msun (Pa-beta). Conclusions: Paschen-selected samples show widespread short-timescale star formation, but FIR/sub-mm data give only upper limits on obscured SFR/ISM mass. Deeper spectroscopy and ALMA continuum data are needed to constrain obscured SF and gas reservoirs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

JWST observes the assembly of a massive galaxy at z~4

We present JWST observations of the radio galaxy TGSSJ1530+1049, spectroscopically confirmed at $z=4.0$. NIRCam images and NIRSpec/IFU spectroscopy (R=2700) show that TGSSJ1530+1049 is part of one of the densest-known structures of continuum and line-emitting objects found at these redshifts. NIRCam images show a number of distinct continuum objects and evidence of interactions traced by diffuse emission, and the NIRSpec IFU cube reveals further strong line emitting regions. We identify six continuum and four additional strong H$\alpha$ emitting sources with weaker or no underlying continuum within the 3x3 arcsec IFU field. From spatial alignment with high-resolution radio data and emission line profiles, the radio AGN host galaxy is clearly identified. The bright H$\alpha$ emission (but not the optical components) is distributed remarkably linearly along the radio axis, suggestive of a biconical illumination zone by a central obscured AGN. The emission line kinematics indicate jet-gas interactions on scales of a few kpc. However, due to large relative velocities and presence of underlying continuum, the alignment with the radio structure appears to be, at least partly, caused by a particular configuration of interacting galaxies. At least four objects within a 10x10 (projected) kpc$^2$ area which includes the radio source have high stellar masses ($\log(M_\star/M_\odot)>10.3$) and star formation rates in the range $70-163\,M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. Using a stellar mass-based analysis, we predict a total dark matter halo mass of $\approx10^{13} M_\odot$. Based on the physical separations and velocity differences between the galaxies, it is expected that these galaxies will merge to form a massive galaxy within a few Gyr. The system qualitatively resembles the forming brightest cluster galaxies in cosmological simulations that form early through a rapid succession of mergers.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Mergers, Radio Jets, and Quenching Star-Formation in Massive Galaxies: Quantifying their Synchronized Cosmic Evolution & Assessing the Energetics

The existence of a population of massive quiescent galaxies with little to no star-formation poses a challenge to our understanding of galaxy evolution. The physical process that quenched the star formation in these galaxies is debated, but the most popular possibility is that feedback from supermassive black holes lifts or heats the gas that would otherwise be used to form stars. In this paper, we evaluate this idea in two ways. First, we compare the cumulative growth in the cosmic inventory of the total stellar mass in quiescent galaxies to the corresponding growth in the amount of kinetic energy carried by radio jets. We find that these two inventories are remarkably well-synchronized, with about half of the total amounts being created in the epoch from z of 1 to 2. We also show that these agree extremely well with the corresponding growth in the cumulative number of major mergers that result in massive (over 100 billion solar masses) galaxies. We therefore argue that major mergers trigger the radio jets and also transform the galaxies from disks to spheroids. Second, we evaluate the total amount of kinetic energy delivered by jets and compare it to the baryonic binding energy of the galaxies. We find the jet kinetic energy is more than sufficient to quench star-formation, and the quenching process should be more effective in more massive galaxies. We show that these results are quantitatively consistent with recent measurements of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect seen in massive galaxies at z of 1.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Identification of multi-component LOFAR sources with multi-modal deep learning

Modern high-sensitivity radio telescopes are discovering an increased number of resolved sources with intricate radio structures and fainter radio emissions. These sources often present a challenge because source detectors might identify them as separate radio sources rather than components belonging to the same physically connected radio source. Currently, there are no reliable automatic methods to determine which radio components are single radio sources or part of multi-component sources. We propose a deep learning classifier to identify those sources that are part of a multi-component system and require component association on data from the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS). We combine different types of input data using multi-modal deep learning to extract spatial and local information about the radio source components: a convolutional neural network component that processes radio images is combined with a neural network component that uses parameters measured from the radio sources and their nearest neighbours. Our model retrieves 94 per cent of the sources with multiple components on a balanced test set with 2,683 sources and achieves almost 97 per cent accuracy in the real imbalanced data (323,103 sources). The approach holds potential for integration into pipelines for automatic radio component association and cross-identification. Our work demonstrates how deep learning can be used to integrate different types of data and create an effective solution for managing modern radio surveys.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Widespread AGN feedback in a forming brightest cluster galaxy at $z=4.1$ unveiled by JWST

We present rest-frame optical spectroscopy using JWST/NIRSpec IFU for the radio galaxy TN J1338-1942 at z=4.1, one of the most luminous galaxies in the early Universe with powerful extended radio jets. Previous observations showed evidence for strong, large-scale outflows on the basis of its large (~150 kpc) halo detected in Ly-alpha, and high velocity [O II] emission features detected in ground-based IFU data. Our NIRSpec/IFU observations spatially resolve the emission line properties across the host galaxy in great detail. We find at least five concentrations of line emission, coinciding with discrete continuum features previously detected in imaging from HST and JWST, over an extent of ~2'' (~15 kpc). The spectral diagnostics enabled by NIRSpec unambiguously trace the activity of the obscured AGN plus interaction between the interstellar medium and the radio jet as the dominant mechanisms for the ionization state and kinematics of the gas in the system. A secondary region of very high ionization lies at roughly 5 kpc distance from the nucleus, and within the context of an expanding cocoon enveloping the radio lobe, this may be explained by strong shock-ionization of the entrained gas. However, it could also signal the presence of a second obscured AGN, which may also offer an explanation for an intriguing outflow feature seen perpendicular to the radio axis. The presence of a dual SMBH system in this galaxy would support that large galaxies in the early Universe quickly accumulated their mass through the merging of smaller units (each with their own SMBH), at the centers of large overdensities. The inferred black hole mass to stellar mass ratio of 0.01-0.1 for TNJ1338 points to a more rapid assembly of black holes compared to the stellar mass of galaxies at high redshifts, consistent with other recent observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Revisiting the alignment of radio galaxies in the ELAIS-N1 field

Aims. Previous studies reported an alignment of the major axes of radio galaxies on various angular scales. Here, we study the alignment of radio galaxies in the ELAIS-N1 Low Frequency ARray (LOFAR) deep field, which covers an area of 25 $\rm deg^2$. \newline Methods. The low noise level of about 20$ \rm ~ \mu Jy/beam$ of the LOFAR deep field observations at 150 MHz enabled the identification of 447 extended ($> 30 \rm ''$) radio galaxies for which we have measured the major axis position angle. We found that 95\% of these sources have either photometric or spectroscopic redshifts, which we then used for a three-dimensional analysis. \newline Results. We show the distribution of the position angles of radio galaxies in the ELAIS-N1 field and perform multiple statistical tests to check whether the radio galaxies are randomly oriented. We found that the distribution of position angles is consistent with being uniform. Two peaks around position angles of 50 and 140$\rm~ deg$ are spurious and are not caused by an alignment, as shown by a 3D analysis. In conclusion, our results do not support a 2D or 3D alignment of radio galaxies on scales smaller than $\sim 4 \rm ~ deg$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

The wide-field, multiplexed, spectroscopic facility WEAVE: Survey design, overview, and simulated implementation

WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, will see first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-degree field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly 1000-multiplex fibre positioner, 20 individually deployable 'mini' integral field units (IFUs), and a single large IFU. These fibre systems feed a dual-beam spectrograph covering the wavelength range 366$-$959\,nm at $R\sim5000$, or two shorter ranges at $R\sim20\,000$. After summarising the design and implementation of WEAVE and its data systems, we present the organisation, science drivers and design of a five- to seven-year programme of eight individual surveys to: (i) study our Galaxy's origins by completing Gaia's phase-space information, providing metallicities to its limiting magnitude for $\sim$3 million stars and detailed abundances for $\sim1.5$ million brighter field and open-cluster stars; (ii) survey $\sim0.4$ million Galactic-plane OBA stars, young stellar objects and nearby gas to understand the evolution of young stars and their environments; (iii) perform an extensive spectral survey of white dwarfs; (iv) survey $\sim400$ neutral-hydrogen-selected galaxies with the IFUs; (v) study properties and kinematics of stellar populations and ionised gas in $z<0.5$ cluster galaxies; (vi) survey stellar populations and kinematics in $\sim25\,000$ field galaxies at $0.3\lesssim z \lesssim 0.7$; (vii) study the cosmic evolution of accretion and star formation using $>1$ million spectra of LOFAR-selected radio sources; (viii) trace structures using intergalactic/circumgalactic gas at $z>2$. Finally, we describe the WEAVE Operational Rehearsals using the WEAVE Simulator.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

A machine learning classifier for LOFAR radio galaxy cross-matching techniques

New-generation radio telescopes like LOFAR are conducting extensive sky surveys, detecting millions of sources. To maximise the scientific value of these surveys, radio source components must be properly associated into physical sources before being cross-matched with their optical/infrared counterparts. In this paper, we use machine learning to identify those radio sources for which either source association is required or statistical cross-matching to optical/infrared catalogues is unreliable. We train a binary classifier using manual annotations from the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS). We find that, compared to a classification model based on just the radio source parameters, the addition of features of the nearest-neighbour radio sources, the potential optical host galaxy, and the radio source composition in terms of Gaussian components, all improve model performance. Our best model, a gradient boosting classifier, achieves an accuracy of 95 per cent on a balanced dataset and 96 per cent on the whole (unbalanced) sample after optimising the classification threshold. Unsurprisingly, the classifier performs best on small, unresolved radio sources, reaching almost 99 per cent accuracy for sources smaller than 15 arcsec, but still achieves 70 per cent accuracy on resolved sources. It flags 68 per cent more sources than required as needing visual inspection, but this is still fewer than the manually-developed decision tree used in LoTSS, while also having a lower rate of wrongly accepted sources for statistical analysis. The results have an immediate practical application for cross-matching the next LoTSS data releases and can be generalised to other radio surveys.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

A kpc-scale resolved study of unobscured and obscured star-formation activity in normal galaxies at z = 1.5 and 2.2 from ALMA and HiZELS

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) continuum observations of a sample of nine star-forming galaxies at redshifts 1.47 and 2.23 selected from the High-$z$ Emission Line Survey (HiZELS). Four galaxies in our sample are detected at high significance by ALMA at a resolution of 0.25'' at rest-frame 355 $\mu$m. Together with the previously observed H$\alpha$ emission, from adaptive optics-assisted integral-field-unit spectroscopy (0.15'' resolution), and F606W and F140W imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope (0.2'' resolution), we study the star-formation activity, stellar and dust mass in these high-redshift galaxies at $\sim$kpc-scale resolution. We find that ALMA detection rates are higher for more massive galaxies ($M_*>10^{10.5}$ M$_\odot$) and higher [N {\sc ii}]/H$\alpha$ ratios ($>0.25$, a proxy for gas-phase metallicity). The dust extends out to a radius of 8 kpc, with a smooth structure, even for those galaxies presenting clumpy H$\alpha$ morphologies. The half-light radii ($R_{\rm dust}$) derived for the detected galaxies are of the order $\sim$4.5 kpc, more than twice the size of submillimetre-selected galaxies at a similar redshift. Our global star-formation rate estimates -- from far-IR and extinction-corrected H$\alpha$ luminosities -- are in good agreement. However, the different morphologies of the different phases of the interstellar medium suggest complex extinction properties of the high-redshift normal galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

VIS3COS: III. environmental effects on the star formation histories of galaxies at z~0.8 seen in [OII], H$\delta$, and Dn4000

[ABRIDGED] We present spectroscopic observations of 466 galaxies in and around a superstructure at $z\sim0.84$ targeted by the VIMOS Spectroscopic Survey of a Supercluster in the COSMOS field (VIS$^{3}$COS). We use [OII]$\lambda$3727, H$\delta$, and $D_n4000$ to trace the recent, mid-, and long-term star formation histories and investigate how stellar mass and the local environment impacts those. By studying trends both in individual and composite galaxy spectra, we find that both stellar mass and environment play a role in the observed galactic properties. We find that the median [OII] equivalent width (|EW$_\mathrm{[OII]}|$) decreases from $27\pm2$ {\AA} to $2.0_{-0.4}^{+0.5}$ {\AA} and $D_n4000$ increases from $1.09\pm0.01$ to $1.56\pm0.03$ with increasing stellar mass (from $\sim10^{9.25}$ to $\sim10^{11.35}\ \mathrm{M_\odot}$). Concerning the dependence on the environment, we find that at fixed stellar mass |EW$_\mathrm{[OII]}|$ is tentatively lower in higher density environments. Regarding $D_n4000$, we find that the increase with stellar mass is sharper in denser environments, hinting that such environments may accelerate galaxy evolution. Moreover, we find larger $D_n4000$ values in denser environments at fixed stellar mass, suggesting that galaxies are on average older and/or more metal-rich in such dense environments. This set of tracers depicts a scenario where the most massive galaxies have, on average, the lowest sSFRs and the oldest stellar populations (age $\gtrsim1$ Gyr, showing a mass-downsizing effect). We also hypothesize that the observed increase in star formation (higher EW$_\mathrm{[OII]|}$, higher sSFR) at intermediate densities may lead to quenching since we find the quenched fraction to increase sharply from the filament to cluster-like regions at similar stellar masses.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

VIS3COS: II. Nature and nurture in galaxy structure and morphology

We study the impact of local density and stellar mass on the morphology of ~500 quiescent (Q) and SFGs from the VIS3COS survey. We perform B/D decomposition of the SBPs and find ~41% of 10^10 Msun galaxies to be best fitted with 2 components. We complement our analysis with non-parametric measurements and qualitative visual classifications. We find that galaxy morphology depends on stellar mass and environment for our sample as a whole. We only find an impact of the environment on galaxy sizes for galaxies more massive than 10^11 Msun. We find higher n and B/T in high-density regions when compared to low-density counterparts at similar stellar masses. We also find that higher stellar mass galaxies have steeper light profiles compared to the lower ones. Using visual classifications, we find a morphology-density relation at z~0.84 for galaxies more massive than 10^10 Msun, with elliptical galaxies being dominant at high-density regions and disks more common in low-density regions. However, when splitting the sample into colour-colour selected SF and Q sub-populations, there are no statistically significant differences between low- and high-density regions. We find that Q galaxies are smaller, have higher n, and higher B/T when compared to SF counterparts. We confirm these trends with non-parametric quantities, finding Q galaxies to be smoother and having most of their light over smaller areas than SFGs. Overall, we find that the dependence of morphology on stellar mass is stronger than with local density and these relations are strongly correlated with the quenching fraction. The change in average morphology corresponds to a change in the relative fractions of blue disk-like galaxies and red elliptical galaxies with stellar mass and environment. We hypothesize that the processes responsible for the quenching of SF must also affect the galaxy morphology on similar timescales.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The energetics of starburst-driven outflows at z=1 from KMOS

We present an analysis of the gas outflow energetics of 529 main-sequence star-forming galaxies at z~1 using KMOS observations of the broad, underlying H-alpha and forbidden lines of [N II] and [S II]. Based on the stacked spectra for a sample with median star-formation rates and stellar masses of SFR ~ 7 Mo/yr and M* = (1.0+/-0.1)x10^10 Mo respectively, we derive a typical mass outflow rate of dM/dt = 1-4 Mo/yr and a mass loading of dM/dt/SFR = 0.2--0.4. The mass loading of the wind does not show a strong trend with star-formation rate over the range SFR ~ 2--20 Mo/yr, although we identify a trend with stellar mass such that dM/dt/SFR ~ M*^(0.26+/-0.07). Finally, we find that the line width of the broad H-alpha increases with disk circular velocity with a sub-linear scaling relation FWHM_broad ~ v^(0.21+/-0.05). As a result of this behavior, in the lowest mass galaxies (M* < 10^10 Mo), a significant fraction of the outflowing gas should have sufficient velocity to escape the gravitational potential of the halo whilst in the highest mass galaxies (M* > 10^10 Mo) most of the gas will be retained, flowing back on to the galaxy disk at later times.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

LoTSS/HETDEX: Optical quasars I. Low-frequency radio properties of optically selected quasars

The radio-loud/radio-quiet (RL/RQ) dichotomy in quasars is still an open question. Although it is thought that accretion onto supermassive black holes in the centre the host galaxies of quasars is responsible for some radio continuum emission, there is still a debate as to whether star formation or active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity dominate the radio continuum luminosity. To date, radio emission in quasars has been investigated almost exclusively using high-frequency observations in which the Doppler boosting might have an important effect on the measured radio luminosity, whereas extended structures, best observed at low radio frequencies, are not affected by the Doppler enhancement. We used a sample of quasars selected by their optical spectra in conjunction with sensitive and high-resolution low-frequency radio data provided by the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) as part of the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) to investigate their radio properties using the radio loudness parameter ($\mathcal{R} = \frac{L_{\mathrm{144-MHz}}}{L_{\mathrm{i\,band}}}$). The examination of the radio continuum emission and RL/RQ dichotomy in quasars exhibits that quasars show a wide continuum of radio properties (i.e. no clear bimodality in the distribution of $\mathcal{R}$). Radio continuum emission at low frequencies in low-luminosity quasars is consistent with being dominated by star formation. We see a significant albeit weak dependency of $\mathcal{R}$ on the source nuclear parameters. For the first time, we are able to resolve radio morphologies of a considerable number of quasars. All these crucial results highlight the impact of the deep and high-resolution low-frequency radio surveys that foreshadow the compelling science cases for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

VIS3COS: I. survey overview and the role of environment and stellar mass on star formation

We present the VIMOS Spectroscopic Survey of a Supercluster in the COSMOS field (VIS3COS) at z~0.84. We use VIMOS high-resolution spectra (GG475 filter) to spectroscopically select 490 galaxies in and around the super-structure and an additional 481 galaxies in the line of sight. We present the redshift distribution, the catalog to be made public and the first results on the properties of individual galaxies and stacked spectra (3500{\AA}<\lambda<4200{\AA} rest-frame). We probe a wide range of densities and environments (from low-density field to clusters and rich groups). We find a decrease in the median star formation rate from low to high density environments in all bins of stellar mass and a sharp rise of the quenched fraction (from ~10% to ~40-60%) of intermediate stellar mass galaxies $(10<\log_{10}\left(M_\star/\mathrm{M_\odot}\right)<10.75)$ from filaments to clusters. The quenched fraction for massive galaxies shows little dependence on the environment being constant at ~30-40%. We find a break in the strength of the [OII] emission, with nearly constant line equivalent widths at lower densities (~-11{\AA}) and then a drop to ~-2.5{\AA} towards higher densities. The break in the [OII] line strength happens at similar densities ($\log_{10}(1+\delta)\sim0.0-0.5$) as the observed rise in the quenched fraction. Our results may provide further clues regarding the different environmental processes affecting galaxies with different stellar masses and highlight the advantages of a single dataset in the COSMOS field probing a wide range of stellar masses and environments. We hypothesize that quenching mechanisms are enhanced in high-density regions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Evolution of Dust-Obscured Star Formation and Gas to z=2.2 from HiZELS

We investigate the far-infrared properties of galaxies selected via deep, narrow-band imaging of the H$\alpha$ emission line in four redshift slices from $z=0.40$--$2.23$ over $\sim 1$deg$^2$ as part of the High-redshift Emission Line Survey (HiZELS). We use a stacking approach in the Herschel PACS/SPIRE bands, along with $850\,\mu$m imaging from SCUBA-2 to study the evolution of the dust properties of H$\alpha$-emitters selected above an evolving characteristic luminosity threshold, $0.2L^\star_{{\rm H}\alpha}(z)$. We investigate the relationship between the dust temperatures and the far-infrared luminosities of our stacked samples, finding that H$\alpha$-selection identifies cold, low-$L_{\rm IR}$ galaxies ($T_{\rm dust}\sim 14$k; $\log[L_{\rm IR}/{\rm L}_\odot]\sim 9.9$) at $z=0.40$, and more luminous, warmer systems ($T_{\rm dust}\sim 34$k; $\log[L_{\rm IR}/{\rm L}_\odot]\sim 11.5$) at $z=2.23$. Using a modified greybody model, we estimate "characteristic sizes" for the dust-emitting regions of HiZELS galaxies of $\sim 0.5$kpc, nearly an order of magnitude smaller than their stellar continuum sizes, which may provide indirect evidence of clumpy ISM structure. Lastly, we measure the dust masses from our far-IR SEDs along with metallicity-dependent gas-to-dust ratios ($\delta_{\rm GDR}$) to measure typical molecular gas masses of $\sim 10^{10}$M$_\odot$ for these bright H$\alpha$-emitters. The gas depletion timescales are shorter than the Hubble time at each redshift, suggesting probable replenishment of their gas reservoirs from the intergalactic medium. Based on the number density of H$\alpha$-selected galaxies, we find that typical star-forming galaxies brighter than $0.2L^{\star}_{{\rm H}\alpha}(z)$ host a significant fraction ($35\pm10$%) of the total gas content of the Universe, consistent with the predictions of the latest cosmological simulations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Bo\"otes-HiZELS: an optical to near-infrared survey of emission-line galaxies at $\bf z=0.4-4.7$

We present a sample of $\sim 1000$ emission line galaxies at $z=0.4-4.7$ from the $\sim0.7$deg$^2$ High-$z$ Emission Line Survey (HiZELS) in the Bo\"otes field identified with a suite of six narrow-band filters at $\approx 0.4-2.1$ $\mu$m. These galaxies have been selected on their Ly$\alpha$ (73), {\sc [Oii]} (285), H$\beta$/{\sc [Oiii]} (387) or H$\alpha$ (362) emission-line, and have been classified with optical to near-infrared colours. A subsample of 98 sources have reliable redshifts from multiple narrow-band (e.g. [O{\sc ii}]-H$\alpha$) detections and/or spectroscopy. In this survey paper, we present the observations, selection and catalogs of emitters. We measure number densities of Ly$\alpha$, [O{\sc ii}], H$\beta$/{\sc [Oiii]} and H$\alpha$ and confirm strong luminosity evolution in star-forming galaxies from $z\sim0.4$ to $\sim 5$, in agreement with previous results. To demonstrate the usefulness of dual-line emitters, we use the sample of dual [O{\sc ii}]-H$\alpha$ emitters to measure the observed [O{\sc ii}]/H$\alpha$ ratio at $z=1.47$. The observed [O{\sc ii}]/H$\alpha$ ratio increases significantly from 0.40$\pm0.01$ at $z=0.1$ to 0.52$\pm0.05$ at $z=1.47$, which we attribute to either decreasing dust attenuation with redshift, or due to a bias in the (typically) fiber-measurements in the local Universe which only measure the central kpc regions. At the bright end, we find that both the H$\alpha$ and Ly$\alpha$ number densities at $z\approx2.2$ deviate significantly from a Schechter form, following a power-law. We show that this is driven entirely by an increasing X-ray/AGN fraction with line-luminosity, which reaches $\approx 100$ \% at line-luminosities $L\gtrsim3\times10^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The CALYMHA survey: Lya luminosity function and global escape fraction of Lya photons at z=2.23

We present the CAlibrating LYMan-$\alpha$ with H$\alpha$ (CALYMHA) pilot survey and new results on Lyman-$\alpha$ (Lya) selected galaxies at z~2. We use a custom-built Lya narrow-band filter at the Isaac Newton Telescope, designed to provide a matched volume coverage to the z=2.23 Ha HiZELS survey. Here we present the first results for the COSMOS and UDS fields. Our survey currently reaches a 3$\sigma$ line flux limit of ~4x10$^{-17}$ erg/s/cm$^{2}$, and a Lya luminosity limit of ~10$^{42.3}$ erg/s. We find 188 Lya emitters over 7.3x10$^5$ Mpc$^{3}$, but also find significant numbers of other line emitting sources corresponding to HeII, CIII] and CIV emission lines. These sources are important contaminants, and we carefully remove them, unlike most previous studies. We find that the Lya luminosity function at z=2.23 is very well described by a Schechter function up to L~10$^{43}$ erg/s with L$^*=10^{42.59+-0.05}$ erg/s, $\phi^*=10^{-3.09+-0.08}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ and $\alpha$=-1.75+-0.15. Above L~10$^{43}$ erg/s the Lya luminosity function becomes power-law like, driven by X-ray AGN. We find that Lya-selected emitters have a high escape fraction of 37+-7%, anti-correlated with Lya luminosity and correlated with Lya equivalent width. Lya emitters have ubiquitous large (~40 kpc) Lya haloes, 2x larger than their Ha extents. By directly comparing our Lya and Ha luminosity functions we find that the global/overall escape fraction of Lya photons (within a 13 kpc radius) from the full population of star-forming galaxies is 5.1+-0.2% at the peak of the star formation history. An extra 3.3+-0.3% of Lya photons likely still escape, but at larger radii.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The growth of typical star-forming galaxies and their super massive black holes across cosmic time since z~2

Understanding galaxy formation and evolution requires studying the interplay between the growth of galaxies and the growth of their black holes across cosmic time. Here we explore a sample of Ha-selected star-forming galaxies from the HiZELS survey and use the wealth of multi-wavelength data in the COSMOS field (X-rays, far-infrared and radio) to study the relative growth rates between typical galaxies and their central supermassive black holes, from z=2.23 to z=0. Typical star-forming galaxies at z~1-2 have black hole accretion rates (BHARs) of 0.001-0.01 Msun/yr and star formation rates (SFRs) of ~10-40 Msun/yr, and thus grow their stellar mass much quicker than their black hole mass (~3.3 orders of magnitude faster). However, ~3% of the sample (the sources detected directly in the X-rays) show a significantly quicker growth of the black hole mass (up to 1.5 orders of magnitude quicker growth than the typical sources). BHARs fall from z=2.23 to z=0, with the decline resembling that of star formation rate density or the typical SFR. We find that the average black hole to galaxy growth (BHAR/SFR) is approximately constant for star-forming galaxies in the last 11 Gyrs. The relatively constant BHAR/SFR suggests that these two quantities evolve equivalently through cosmic time and with practically no delay between the two.

astro-ph.GA↗