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Sebastian M. Pascarelle

Publications and source records attributed to Sebastian M. Pascarelle.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2001

Discovery of the Galaxy Proximity Effect and Implications for Measurements of the Ionizing Background Radiation at Low Redshifts

We present an analysis of galaxy and QSO absorption line pairs toward 24 QSOs at redshifts between z~0.2 and 1 in an effort to establish the relationship between galaxies and absorption lines in physical proximity to QSOs. We demonstrate the existence of a galaxy proximity effect, in that galaxies in the vicinities of QSOs do not show the same incidence and extent of gaseous envelopes as galaxies far from QSOs. We show that the galaxy proximity effect exists to galaxy-QSO velocity separations of ~ 3000 km/s, much larger than the size of a typical cluster (~ 1000 km/s), i.e. it is more comparable to the scale of the sphere of influence of QSO ionizing radiation rather than the scale of galaxy-QSO clustering. This indicates that the QSO ionizing radiation rather than some dynamical effect from the cluster environment is responsible for the galaxy proximity effect. We combine previous findings that (1) many or most Lya absorption lines arise in extended galaxy envelopes, and (2) galaxies cluster around QSOs to show that the magnitude of the Lya forest proximity effect is underestimated. Consequently, determinations of the UV ionizing background intensity using the proximity effect are likely overestimated. We use the galaxy-QSO cross-correlation function measured from our data to estimate the magnitude of this overestimate and find that it could be as high as a factor of 20 at z<1. This can have strong implications for models of the origin and evolution of the ionizing background, and may indicate that QSOs produce sufficient ionizing flux at all redshifts to account for the entire background radiation field.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2001

On the compared accuracy and reliability of spectroscopic and photometric redshift measurements

We present a comparison between the spectroscopic catalog of the HDF recently published by Cohen et al and the redshifts measured by our group for those objects using photometric techniques. We perform this comparison in order to characterize the errors associated to the photometric redshift technique. The spectroscopic sample includes over 140 objects in the HDF proper, representing the deepest, cleanest, most complete spectroscopic catalog ever compiled. We study each object for which our redshift and the one measured by Cohen et al disagree. In most cases the photometric evidence is strong enough to call for a careful review of the spectroscopic values, as they seem to be in error. It is possible to characterize the systematic errors associated to our technique, which when combined with the photometric errors allow us to obtain complete information on the redshift of each galaxy and its associated confidence interval, regardless of apparent magnitude. One of the main conclusions of this study is that, to date, all the redshifts from our published catalog that have been checked have been shown to be correct (within the stated confidence limits). This implies that our galaxy template set is a fair representation of the galaxy population at all redshifts (0<z<6) and magnitudes (R<24) explored to date. On the other hand, spectroscopy of faint sources is subject to unknown and uncharacterized systematic errors, that will in turn be transmitted to any photometric redshift technique which uses spectroscopic samples as calibration. Our analysis proves that photometric redshift techniques can and must be used to extend the range of applicability of the spectroscopic redshift measurements. (Abridged)

astro-ph↗
arXiv2000

Photometry and Photometric Redshifts of Faint Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field South NICMOS Field

We present a catalog of photometry and photometric redshifts of 335 faint objects in the HDF-S NICMOS field. The analysis is based on (1) infrared images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) using the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph (NICMOS) with the F110W, F160W, and F222M filters, (2) an optical image obtained with HST using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) with no filter, and (3) optical images obtained with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) with U, B, V, R, and I filters. The primary utility of the catalog of photometric redshifts is as a survey of faint galaxies detected in the NICMOS F160W and F222M images. The sensitivity of the survey varies significantly with position, reaching a limiting depth of AB(16,000) ~ 28.7 and covering 1.01 arcmin^2 to AB(16,000) = 27 and 1.05 arcmin^2 to AB(16,000) = 26.5. The catalog of photometric redshifts identifies 21 galaxies (or 6% of the total) of redshift z > 5, 8 galaxies (or 2% of the total) of redshift z > 10, and 11 galaxies (or 3% of the total) of best-fit spectral type E/S0, of which 5 galaxies (or 1% of the total) are of redshift z > 1.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1998

Photometry and Photometric Redshifts of Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field South Nicmos Field

We present an electronic catalog of infrared and optical photometry and photometric redshifts of 323 galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field South NICMOS field at http://www.ess.sunysb.edu/astro/hdfs/home.html. The analysis is based on infrared images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope using the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph together with optical images obtained with the Very Large Telescope. The infrared and optical photometry is measured by means of a new quasi-optimal photometric technique that fits model spatial profiles of the galaxies determined by Pixon image reconstruction techniques to the images. In comparison with conventional methods, the new technique provides higher signal-to-noise-ratio measurements and accounts for uncertainty correlations between nearby, overlapping neighbors. The photometric redshifts are measured by means of our redshift likelihood technique, incorporating six spectrophotometric templates which, by comparison with spectroscopic redshifts of galaxies identified in the Hubble Deep Field North, are known to provide redshift measurements accurate to within an RMS relative uncertainty of (Delta z)/(1 + z) < 0.1 at all redshifts z < 6. The analysis reaches a peak H-band sensitivity threshold of AB(16000) = 28.3 and covers 1.02 acrmin^2 to AB(16000) = 27, 1.27 arcmin^2 to AB(16000) = 26, and 1.44 arcmin^2 to AB(16000) = 25. The analysis identifies galaxies at redshifts ranging from z near 0 through z greater than 10, including 17 galaxies of redshift 5 < z < 10 and five candidate galaxies of redshift z > 10.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1998

Compact Lyman-alpha Emitting Candidates at z~2.4 in Deep Medium-band HST WFPC2 Images

Medium-band imaging with HST/WFPC2 in the F410M filter has previously revealed a population of compact Lyman-alpha emission objects around the radio galaxy 53W002 at z~2.4. We report detections of similar objects at z~2.4 in random, high-latitude HST parallel observations of three additional fields, lending support to the idea that they constitute a widespread population at these redshifts. The three new fields contain 18 Lyman-alpha candidates, in contrast to the 17 detected in the deeper exposure of the single WFPC2 field around 53W002. We find substantial differences in the number of candidates from field to field, suggesting that significant large-scale structure is already present in the galaxy distribution at this cosmic epoch. The likely existence of z~2.4 sub-galactic clumps in several random fields shows that these objects may have been common in the early universe and strengthens the argument that such objects may be responsible for the formation of a fraction of the luminous present-day galaxies through hierarchical merging.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

Deep HST/PC Images of a Young Radio Galaxy at z=2.390

We present deep 63-orbit HST/PC images at ~0.06" FWHM resolution in the filters B_450, V_606 & I_814 - as well as in redshifted Lya - of the radio source LBDS 53W002, a compact narrow-line galaxy at z=2.390. These images allow us to distinguish several morphological components: (1) an unresolved nuclear point source (<=500 pc at z=2.390 for Ho=75, qo=0), likely the central AGN which contains <=20-25% of the total light in BVI; (2) a compact continuum core (re~0.05"); (3) a more extended envelope with an r^1/4-like light-profile and re~0.25" (~2 kpc); (4) two blue ''clouds'' roughly colinear across the nucleus aligned with the radio source axis and contained well within the size of the radio source. (B-I) color maps may suggest a narrow dust lane crossing between the nucleus and the smaller blue cloud. The radio source is not smaller than the distance between the blue continuum clouds, and coincides with a bright Lya ''arc'' in the western cloud, suggesting that jet-induced star-formation could cause both blue clouds, except the outer parts of the western cloud. The shape of this larger blue cloud suggests reflected AGN continuum-light shining through a cone (plus re-radiated Lya in emission). The OVRO interferometric CO-detection (Scoville et al. 1997) on both sides of 53W002 - and in the same direction as the continuum clouds and the radio jet - also suggest a star-bursting region induced by its radio jet, at least in the inner parts. Even at radio powers ~1.5 dex fainter than the 3CR sources, we thus find many of the same aligned features and complex morphology, although at much smaller angular scales and lower optical-UV luminosities. We discuss the consequences for 53W002's formation in the context of the 16 sub-galactic objects at z~2.40 around 53W002 (Pascarelle et al. 1996).

astro-ph↗
arXiv1995

The Serendipitous Discovery of a Group or Cluster of young Galaxies at z=2.40 in Deep Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 Images

We report the serendipitous discovery of a group or cluster of young galaxies at $z\simeq$2.40 in a 24-orbit HST/WFPC2 exposure of the field around the weak radio galaxy 53W002. Potential cluster members were identified on ground-based narrow-band redshifted Ly$α$ images and confirmed via spectroscopy. In addition to the known weak radio galaxy 53W002 at z=2.390, two other objects were found to have excess narrow-band Ly$α$ emission at $z\simeq$2.40. Both have been spectroscopically confirmed, and one clearly contains a weak AGN. They are located within one arcminute of 53W002, or $\sim0.23h_{100}^{-1}$Mpc ($q_o$=0.5) at $z\simeq$2.40, which is the physical scale of a group or small cluster of galaxies. Profile fitting of the WFPC2 images shows that the objects are very compact, with scale lengths $\simeq$0\farcs 1 ($\simeq0.39h_{100}^{-1}$kpc), and are rather faint (luminosities < L*), implying that they may be sub-galactic sized objects. We discuss these results in the context of galaxy and cluster evolution and the role that weak AGN may play in the formation of young galaxies.

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