arXiv subjects

Shuhei Koyama

Publications and source records attributed to Shuhei Koyama.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A recoiling supermassive black hole in a powerful quasar

Supermassive black holes (SMBH) are thought to grow through accretion of matter and mergers. Models of SMBH mergers have long suffered the final parsec problem, where SMBH binaries may stall before energy loss from gravitational waves (GW) becomes significant, leaving the pair unmerged. Direct evidence of coalesced SMBH remains elusive. Theory predicts that GW recoiling black holes can occur following a black hole merger. Here we present new and conclusive spectroscopic evidence that both the accretion disk and the broad line region in the spatially offset quasar 3C 186 are blue-shifted by the same velocity relative to the host galaxy, with a line of sight velocity of (-1310 +- 21) km/s. This is best explained by the GW recoil super-kick scenario. This confirmation of the ejection process implies that the final parsec problem is resolved in nature, providing evidence that even the most massive black holes can merge.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Early-type Galaxies on the Star Formation Main Sequence: Internal Star Formation Geometry Revealed with MaNGA and Their Environmental Origin

Star-forming galaxies on the main sequence (MS) are often regarded as a uniform population characterized by similar global star formation properties. However, there exists a diversity in galaxy morphologies at fixed stellar mass and SFR. In this study, using spatially-resolved properties from the MaNGA final data release, we classify MS galaxies into late-type (MS-late) and early-type (MS-early). In addition, we further divide the MS-early galaxies into two distinct subgroups based on their internal star formation and stellar mass distributions within the galaxies. The first group -- ``MS-early\_SF'' -- shows centrally concentrated star formation without prominent stellar bulges and resides preferentially in dense environments, suggesting environmentally-driven evolution. The second group -- ``MS-early\_stellar'' -- exhibits significant stellar bulges with suppressed central star formation, maintains disk-like star formation patterns, and inhabits environments similar to those of late-type galaxies, indicating evolution through internal secular processes. Our findings demonstrate that spatially-resolved observations play critical roles in revealing the diverse evolutionary pathways hidden within galaxies that share similar global properties.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

EMPRESS. X. Spatially resolved mass-metallicity relation in extremely metal-poor galaxies: evidence of episodic star-formation fueled by a metal-poor gas infall

Using the Subaru/FOCAS IFU capability, we examine the spatially resolved relationships between gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass, and star-formation rate surface densities (Sigma_* and Sigma_SFR, respectively) in extremely metal-poor galaxies (EMPGs) in the local universe. Our analysis includes 24 EMPGs, comprising 9,177 spaxels, which span a unique parameter space of local metallicity (12+log(O/H) = 6.9 to 7.9) and stellar mass surface density (Sigma_* ~ 10^5 to 10^7 Msun/kpc^2), extending beyond the range of existing large integral-field spectroscopic surveys. Through spatially resolved emission line diagnostics based on the [NII] BPT-diagram, we verify the absence of evolved active galactic nuclei in these EMPGs. Our findings reveal that, while the resolved mass-metallicity relation exhibits significant scatter in the low-mass regime, this scatter is closely correlated with local star-formation surface density. Specifically, metallicity decreases as Sigma_SFR increases for a given Sigma_*. Notably, half of the EMPGs show a distinct metal-poor horizontal branch on the resolved mass-metallicity relation. This feature typically appears at the peak clump with the highest Sigma_* and Sigma_SFR and is surrounded by a relatively metal-enriched ambient region. These findings support a scenario in which metal-poor gas infall fuels episodic star formation in EMPGs, consistent with the kinematic properties observed in these systems. In addition, we identify four EMPGs with exceptionally low central metallicities (12+log(O/H) <~ 7.2), which display only a metal-poor clump without a surrounding metal-rich region. This suggests that such ultra-low metallicity EMPGs, at less than a few percent of the solar metallicity, may serve as valuable analogs for galaxies in the early stages of galaxy evolution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Development of a near-infrared wide-field integral field unit by ultra-precision diamond cutting

Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS) is an observational method to obtain spatially resolved spectra over a specific field of view (FoV) in a single exposure. In recent years, near-infrared IFS has gained importance in observing objects with strong dust attenuation or at high redshift. One limitation of existing near-infrared IFS instruments is their relatively small FoV, less than 100 arcsec$^2$, compared to optical instruments. Therefore, we have developed a near-infrared (0.9-2.5 $\mathrmμ$m) image-slicer type integral field unit (IFU) with a larger FoV of 13.5 $\times$ 10.4 arcsec$^2$ by matching a slice width to a typical seeing size of 0.4 arcsec. The IFU has a compact optical design utilizing off-axis ellipsoidal mirrors to reduce aberrations. Complex optical elements were fabricated using an ultra-precision cutting machine to achieve RMS surface roughness of less than 10 nm and a P-V shape error of less than 300 nm. The ultra-precision machining can also simplify alignment procedures. The on-sky performance evaluation confirmed that the image quality and the throughput of the IFU were as designed. In conclusion, we have successfully developed a compact IFU utilizing an ultra-precision cutting technique, almost fulfilling the requirements.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

AGN properties of ~1 million member galaxies of galaxy groups and clusters at z < 1.4 based on the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam survey

Herein, we present the statistical properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) for approximately 1 million member galaxies of galaxy groups and clusters, with 0.1 $<$ cluster redshift ($z_{\rm cl}$) $<$ 1.4, selected using Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam, the so-called CAMIRA clusters. In this research, we focused on the AGN power fraction ($f_{\rm AGN}$), which is defined as the proportion of the contribution of AGNs to the total infrared (IR) luminosity, $L_{\rm IR}$ (AGN)/$L_{\rm IR}$, and examined how $f_{\rm AGN}$ depends on (i) $z_{\rm cl}$ and (ii) the distance from the cluster center. We compiled multiwavelength data using the ultraviolet--mid-IR range. Moreover, we performed spectral energy distribution fits to determine $f_{\rm AGN}$ using the CIGALE code with the SKIRTOR AGN model. We found that (i) the value of $f_{\rm AGN}$ in the CAMIRA clusters is positively correlated with $z_{\rm cl}$, with the correlation slope being steeper than that for field galaxies, and (ii) $f_{\rm AGN}$ exhibits a high value at the cluster outskirts. These results indicate that the emergence of AGN population depends on the redshift and environment and that galaxy groups and clusters at high redshifts are important in AGN evolution. Additionally, we demonstrated that cluster--cluster mergers may enhance AGN activity at the outskirts of particularly massive galaxy clusters. Our findings are consistent with a related study on the CAMIRA clusters that was based on the AGN number fraction.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

EMPRESS. XII. Statistics on the Dynamics and Gas Mass Fraction of Extremely-Metal Poor Galaxies

We present demography of the dynamics and gas-mass fraction of 33 extremely metal-poor galaxies (EMPGs) with metallicities of $0.015-0.195~Z_\odot$ and low stellar masses of $10^4-10^8~M_\odot$ in the local universe. We conduct deep optical integral-field spectroscopy (IFS) for the low-mass EMPGs with the medium high resolution ($R=7500$) grism of the 8m-Subaru FOCAS IFU instrument by the EMPRESS 3D survey, and investigate H$α$ emission of the EMPGs. Exploiting the resolution high enough for the low-mass galaxies, we derive gas dynamics with the H$α$ lines by the fitting of 3-dimensional disk models. We obtain an average maximum rotation velocity ($v_\mathrm{rot}$) of $15\pm3~\mathrm{km~s^{-1}}$ and an average intrinsic velocity dispersion ($σ_0$) of $27\pm10~\mathrm{km~s^{-1}}$ for 15 spatially resolved EMPGs out of the 33 EMPGs, and find that all of the 15 EMPGs have $v_\mathrm{rot}/σ_0<1$ suggesting dispersion dominated systems. There is a clear decreasing trend of $v_\mathrm{rot}/σ_0$ with the decreasing stellar mass and metallicity. We derive the gas mass fraction ($f_\mathrm{gas}$) for all of the 33 EMPGs, and find no clear dependence on stellar mass and metallicity. These $v_\mathrm{rot}/σ_0$ and $f_\mathrm{gas}$ trends should be compared with young high-$z$ galaxies observed by the forthcoming JWST IFS programs to understand the physical origins of the EMPGs in the local universe.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

AGN number fraction in galaxy groups and clusters at z < 1.4 from the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam survey

One of the key questions on active galactic nuclei (AGN) in galaxy clusters is how AGN could affect the formation and evolution of member galaxies and galaxy clusters in the history of the Universe. To address this issue, we investigate the dependence of AGN number fraction ($f_{\rm AGN}$) on cluster redshift ($z_{\rm cl}$) and distance from the cluster center ($R/R_{\rm 200}$). We focus on more than 27,000 galaxy groups and clusters at $0.1 < z_{\rm cl} < 1.4$ with more than 1 million member galaxies selected from the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam. By combining various AGN selection methods based on infrared (IR), radio, and X-ray data, we identify 2,688 AGN. We find that (i) $f_{\rm AGN}$ increases with $z_{\rm cl}$ and (ii) $f_{\rm AGN}$ decreases with $R/R_{\rm 200}$. The main contributors to the rapid increase of $f_{\rm AGN}$ towards high-$z$ and cluster center are IR- and radio-selected AGN, respectively. Those results indicate that the emergence of the AGN population depends on the environment and redshift, and galaxy groups and clusters at high-$z$ play an important role in AGN evolution. We also find that cluster-cluster mergers may not drive AGN activity in at least the cluster center, while we have tentative evidence that cluster-cluster mergers would enhance AGN activity in the outskirts of (particularly massive) galaxy clusters.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

EMPRESS. IX. Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxies are Very Gas-Rich Dispersion-Dominated Systems: Will JWST Witness Gaseous Turbulent High-z Primordial Galaxies?

We present kinematics of 6 local extremely metal-poor galaxies (EMPGs) with low metallicities ($0.016-0.098\ Z_{\odot}$) and low stellar masses ($10^{4.7}-10^{7.6} M_{\odot}$). Taking deep medium-high resolution ($R\sim7500$) integral-field spectra with 8.2-m Subaru, we resolve the small inner velocity gradients and dispersions of the EMPGs with H$α$ emission. Carefully masking out sub-structures originated by inflow and/or outflow, we fit 3-dimensional disk models to the observed H$α$ flux, velocity, and velocity-dispersion maps. All the EMPGs show rotational velocities ($v_{\rm rot}$) of 5--23 km s$^{-1}$ smaller than the velocity dispersions ($σ_{0}$) of 17--31 km s$^{-1}$, indicating dispersion-dominated ($v_{\rm rot}/σ_{0}=0.29-0.80<1$) systems affected by inflow and/or outflow. Except for two EMPGs with large uncertainties, we find that the EMPGs have very large gas-mass fractions of $f_{\rm gas}\simeq 0.9-1.0$. Comparing our results with other H$α$ kinematics studies, we find that $v_{\rm rot}/σ_{0}$ decreases and $f_{\rm gas}$ increases with decreasing metallicity, decreasing stellar mass, and increasing specific star-formation rate. We also find that simulated high-$z$ ($z\sim 7$) forming galaxies have gas fractions and dynamics similar to the observed EMPGs. Our EMPG observations and the simulations suggest that primordial galaxies are gas-rich dispersion-dominated systems, which would be identified by the forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations at $z\sim 7$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

SN 2020uem: A Possible Thermonuclear Explosion within A Dense Circumstellar Medium (I) The Nature of Type IIn/Ia-CSM SNe from Photometry and Spectroscopy

We have performed intensive follow-up observations of a Type IIn/Ia-CSM SN (SN IIn/Ia-CSM), 2020uem, with photometry, spectroscopy, and polarimetry. In this paper, we report on the results of our observations focusing on optical/near-infrared (NIR) photometry and spectroscopy. The maximum V-band magnitude of SN 2020uem is over $-19.5$ mag. The light curves decline slowly with a rate of $\sim 0.75 {\rm ~mag}/100 {\rm ~days}$. In the late phase ($\gtrsim 300$ days), the light curves show accelerated decay ($\sim 1.2 {\rm ~mag}/100 {\rm ~days}$). The optical spectra show prominent hydrogen emission lines and broad features possibly associated with Fe-peak elements. In addition, the $\rm Hα$ profile exhibits a narrow P-Cygni profile with the absorption minimum of $\sim 100 {\rm ~km~s^{-1}}$. SN 2020uem shows a higher $\rm Hα/Hβ$ ratio ($\sim 7$) than those of SNe IIn, which suggests a denser CSM. The NIR spectrum shows the Paschen and Brackett series with continuum excess in the H and Ks bands. We conclude that the NIR excess emission originates from newly-formed carbon dust. The dust mass ($M_{\rm d}$) and temperature ($T_{\rm d}$) are derived to be $(M_{\rm d}, T_{\rm d}) \sim (4-7 \times 10^{-5} {\rm ~M_{\odot}}, 1500-1600 {\rm ~K})$. We discuss the differences and similarities between the observational properties of SNe IIn/Ia-CSM and those of other SNe Ia and interacting SNe. In particular, spectral features around $\sim 4650$ {\text Å} and $\sim 5900$ {\text Å} of SNe IIn/Ia-CSM are more suppressed than those of SNe Ia; these lines are possibly contributed, at least partly, by \ion{Mg}{1}] and \ion{Na}{1}, and may be suppressed by high ionization behind the reverse shock caused by the massive CSM.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

EMPRESS. VIII. A New Determination of Primordial He Abundance with Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxies: A Suggestion of the Lepton Asymmetry and Implications for the Hubble Tension

The primordial He abundance $Y_\mathrm{P}$ is a powerful probe of cosmology. Currently, $Y_\mathrm{P}$ is best determined by observations of metal-poor galaxies, while there are only a few known local extremely metal-poor ($<0.1 Z_\odot$) galaxies (EMPGs) having reliable He/H measurements with HeI$λ$10830 near-infrared (NIR) emission. Here we present deep Subaru NIR spectroscopy for 10 EMPGs. Combining the existing optical data, He/H values of 5 out of the 10 EMPGs are reliably derived by the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Adding the existing 3 EMPGs and 51 moderately metal-poor ($0.1-0.4 Z_\odot$) galaxies with reliable He/H estimates, we obtain $Y_\mathrm{P}=0.2370^{+0.0034}_{-0.0033}$ by linear regression in the $\mathrm{(He/H)}-\mathrm{(O/H)}$ plane, where we increase the number of EMPGs from 3 to 8 anchoring He/H of the most metal-poor gas in galaxies. Although our $Y_\mathrm{P}$ measurement and previous measurements are consistent, our result is slightly ($\sim 1σ$) smaller due to our EMPGs. With our $Y_\mathrm{P}$ and the existing primordial deuterium $D_\mathrm{P}$ measurement, we constrain the effective number of neutrino species $N_\mathrm{eff}$ and the baryon-to-photon ratio $η$ showing $\gtrsim 1-2σ$ tensions with the Standard Model and Planck Collaboration et al. (2020). Motivated by the tensions, we allow the degeneracy parameter of electron-neutrino $ξ_e$ to vary as well as $N_\mathrm{eff}$ and $η$. We obtain $ξ_e = 0.05^{+0.03}_{-0.02}$, $N_\mathrm{eff}=3.11^{+0.34}_{-0.31}$, and $η\times10^{10}=6.08^{+0.06}_{-0.06}$ from the $Y_\mathrm{P}$ and $D_\mathrm{P}$ measurements with a prior of $η$ taken from Planck Collaboration et al. (2020). Our constraints suggest a lepton asymmetry and allow for a high value of $N_\mathrm{eff}$ within the $1σ$ level, which could mitigate the Hubble tension.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Optical IFU Observations of GOALS Sample with KOOLS-IFU on Seimei Telescope: Initial results of 9 U/LIRGs at $z <$ 0.04

We present ionized gas properties of 9 local ultra/luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) at $z <$ 0.04 through IFU observations with KOOLS-IFU on Seimei Telescope. The observed targets are drawn from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS), covering a wide range of merger stages. We successfully detect emission lines such as H$β$, [OIII]$λ$5007, H$α$, [NII]$λλ$6549,6583, and [SII]$λλ$6717,6731 with a spectral resolution of $R$ = 1500-2000, which provides (i) spatially-resolved ($\sim$200-700 pc) moment map of ionized gas and (ii) diagnostics for active galactic nucleus (AGN) within the central $\sim$3--11 kpc in diameter for our sample. We find that [OIII] outflow that is expected to be driven by AGN tends to be stronger (i) towards the galactic center and (ii) as a sequence of merger stage. In particular, the outflow strength in the late-stage (stage D) mergers is about 1.5 times stronger than that in the early-state (stage B) mergers, which indicates that galaxy mergers could induce AGN-driven outflow and play an important role in the co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

What determines the HI gas content in galaxies?: morphological dependence of the HI gas fraction across M*-SFR plane

We perform a stacking analysis of the HI spectra from the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey for optically-selected local galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to study the average gas fraction of galaxies at fixed stellar mass ($M_*$) and star formation rate (SFR). We first confirm that the average gas fraction strongly depends on the stellar mass and SFR of host galaxies; massive galaxies tend to have a lower gas fraction, and actively star-forming galaxies show higher gas fraction, which is consistent with many previous studies. Then we investigate the morphological dependence of the HI gas mass fraction at fixed $M_*$ and SFR to minimize the effects of these parameters. We use three morphological classifications based on parametric indicator (Sérsic index), non-parametric indicator (C-index), and visual inspection (smoothness from the Galaxy Zoo 2 project) on the optical image. We find that there is no significant morphological dependence of the HI gas mass fraction at fixed $M_*$ and SFR when we use C-index. In comparison, there exists a hint of diminishment in the HI gas mass fraction for "smooth" galaxies compared with "non-smooth" galaxies. We find that the visual smoothness is sensitive to the existence of small-scale structures in a galaxy. Our result suggests that even at fixed $M_*$ and SFR, the presence of such small-scale structures (seen in the optical image) is linked to their total HI gas content.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

A phase-space view of cold-gas properties of Virgo-cluster galaxies: multiple quenching processes at work?

We investigate the cold-gas properties of massive Virgo galaxies ($>10^9$ M$_\odot$) at $<3R_{200}$ ($R_{200}$ is the radius where the mean interior density is 200 times the critical density) on the projected phase-space diagram (PSD) with the largest archival dataset to date to understand the environmental effect on galaxy evolution in the Virgo cluster. We find: lower HI and H$_2$ mass fractions and higher star-formation efficiencies (SFEs) from HI and H$_2$ in the Virgo galaxies than the field galaxies for matched stellar masses; the Virgo galaxies generally follow the field relationships between the offset from the main sequence of the star-forming galaxies [$Δ$(MS)] with gas fractions and SFEs but slightly offset to lower gas fractions or higher SFEs than field galaxies at $Δ({\rm MS})< 0$; lower gas fractions in galaxies with smaller clustocentric distance and velocity; lower gas fractions in the galaxies in the W cloud, a substructure of the Virgo cluster. Our results suggest the cold-gas properties of some Virgo galaxies are affected by their environment at least at $3 R_{200}$ maybe via strangulation and/or pre-processes and HI and H$_2$ in some galaxies are removed by ram pressure at $<1.5 R_{200}$. Our data cannot rule the possibility of the other processes such as strangulation and galaxy harassment accounting for the gas reduction in some galaxies at $<1.5 R_{200}$. Future dedicated observations of a mass-limited complete sample are required for definitive conclusions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs). IX. Identification of Two Red Quasars at z > 5.6

We present the first discovery of dust-reddened quasars (red quasars) in the high-z universe (z >5.6). This is a result from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, which is based on the sensitive multi-band optical imaging data produced by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. We identified four red quasar candidates from the spectroscopically confirmed 93 high-z quasars in the SHELLQs sample, based on detections in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data at 3.4 and 4.6 um (rest-frame ~5000-6500 A). The amount of dust reddening was estimated with spectral energy distribution (SED) fits over optical and mid-infrared wavelengths. Two of the four candidates were found to be red quasars with dust reddening of E(B-V) > 0.1. The remaining SHELLQs quasars without individual WISE detections are significantly fainter in the WISE bands and bluer than the red quasars, although we did detect them in the W1 band in a stacked image. We also conducted the same SED fits for high-z optically-luminous quasars, but no red quasar was found. This demonstrates the power of Subaru HSC to discover high-z red quasars, which are fainter than the limiting magnitudes of past surveys in the rest-frame ultraviolet, due to dust extinction.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam View of Quasar Host Galaxies at z < 1

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are key for understanding the coevolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs). AGN activity is thought to affect the properties of their host galaxies, via a process called "AGN feedback", which drives the co-evolution. From a parent sample of 1151 z < 1 type-1 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar catalog, we detected host galaxies of 862 of them in the high-quality grizy images of the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) survey. The unprecedented combination of the survey area and depth allows us to perform a statistical analysis of the quasar host galaxies, with small sample variance. We fit the radial image profile of each quasar as a linear combination of the point spread function and the Sersic function, decomposing the images into the quasar nucleus and the host galaxy components. We found that the host galaxies are massive, with stellar mass Mstar > 10^(10) Msun, and are mainly located on the green valley. This trend is consistent with a scenario in which star formation of the host galaxies is suppressed by AGN feedback, that is, AGN activity may be responsible for the transition of these galaxies from the blue cloud to the red sequence. We also investigated the SMBH mass to stellar mass relation of the z < 1 quasars, and found a consistent slope with the local relation, while the SMBHs may be slightly undermassive. However, the above results are subject to our sample selection, which biases against host galaxies with low masses and/or large quasar-to-host flux ratios.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs). X. Discovery of 35 Quasars and Luminous Galaxies at 5.7 $\le$ z $\le$ 7.0

We report the discovery of 28 quasars and 7 luminous galaxies at 5.7 $\le$ z $\le$ 7.0. This is the tenth in a series of papers from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) project, which exploits the deep multi-band imaging data produced by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. The total number of spectroscopically identified objects in SHELLQs has now grown to 93 high-z quasars, 31 high-z luminous galaxies, 16 [O III] emitters at z ~ 0.8, and 65 Galactic cool dwarfs (low-mass stars and brown dwarfs). These objects were found over 900 deg2, surveyed by HSC between 2014 March and 2018 January. The full quasar sample includes 18 objects with very strong and narrow Ly alpha emission, whose stacked spectrum is clearly different from that of other quasars or galaxies. While the stacked spectrum shows N V 1240 emission and resembles that of lower-z narrow-line quasars, the small Ly alpha width may suggest a significant contribution from the host galaxies. Thus these objects may be composites of quasars and star-forming galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Do Galaxy Morphologies Really Affect the Efficiency of Star Formation during the Phase of Galaxy Transition?

Recent simulations predict that the presence of stellar bulge suppress the efficiency of star formation in early-type galaxies, and this `morphological quenching' scenario is supported by many observations. In this study, we discuss the net effect of galaxy morphologies on the star formation efficiency (SFE) during the phase of galaxy transition, on the basis of our CO($J=1-0$) observations of 28 local `green-valley' galaxies with the Nobeyama 45m Radio Telescope. We observed 13 `disk-dominated' and 15 `bulge-dominated' green-valley galaxies at fixed stellar mass ($M_*$) and star formation rate (SFR), supplemented by 1 disk- and 6 bulge-dominated galaxies satisfying the same criteria from the xCOLD~GASS survey. By using a total of 35 green-valley galaxies, we reveal that the distributions of molecular gas mass, molecular gas fraction, and SFE of green-valley galaxies do not change with their morphologies, suggesting little impact of galaxy morphologies on their SFE, and interestingly this result is also valid for normal star-forming galaxies on the SF main-sequence selected from the xCOLD~GASS galaxies. On the other hand, we find that $\sim$20 % of bulge-dominated green-valley galaxies do not show significant CO emission line, showing high SFEs for their M$_*$ and SFR. These molecular gas deficient sources identified only in the bulge-dominated green-valley galaxies may represent an important population during the quenching phase under the influence of stellar bulge, but our results suggest that the presence of stellar bulge does not decrease the efficiency of on-going star formation, in contrast to the prediction of the morphological quenching scenario.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Discovery of the First Low-Luminosity Quasar at z > 7

We report the discovery of a quasar at z = 7.07, which was selected from the deep multi-band imaging data collected by the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program survey. This quasar, HSC J124353.93+010038.5, has an order of magnitude lower luminosity than do the other known quasars at z > 7. The rest-frame ultraviolet absolute magnitude is M1450 = -24.13 +/- 0.08 mag and the bolometric luminosity is Lbol = (1.4 +/- 0.1) x 10^{46} erg/s. Its spectrum in the optical to near-infrared shows strong emission lines, and shows evidence for a fast gas outflow, as the C IV line is blueshifted and there is indication of broad absorption lines. The Mg II-based black hole mass is Mbh = (3.3 +/- 2.0) x 10^8 Msun, thus indicating a moderate mass accretion rate with an Eddington ratio 0.34 +/- 0.20. It is the first z > 7 quasar with sub-Eddington accretion, besides being the third most distant quasar, known to date. The luminosity and black hole mass are comparable to, or even lower than, those measured for the majority of low-z quasars discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and thus this quasar likely represents a z > 7 counterpart to quasars commonly observed in the low-z universe.

astro-ph.GA↗