arXiv subjects

V. Gonzalez

Publications and source records attributed to V. Gonzalez.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Normal, Dust-Obscured Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization

Over the past decades, rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) observations have provided large samples of UV luminous galaxies at redshift (z) greater than 6, during the so-called epoch of reionization. While a few of these UV identified galaxies revealed significant dust reservoirs, very heavily dust-obscured sources at these early times have remained elusive. They are limited to a rare population of extreme starburst galaxies, and companions of rare quasars. These studies conclude that the contribution of dust-obscured galaxies to the cosmic star formation rate density at $z>6$ is sub-dominant. Recent ALMA and Spitzer observations have identified a more abundant, less extreme population of obscured galaxies at $z=3-6$. However, this population has not been confirmed in the reionization epoch so far. Here, we report the discovery of two dust-obscured star forming galaxies at $z=6.6813\pm0.0005$ and $z=7.3521\pm0.0005$. These objects are not detected in existing rest-frame UV data, and were only discovered through their far-infrared [CII] lines and dust continuum emission as companions to typical UV-luminous galaxies at the same redshift. The two galaxies exhibit lower infrared luminosities and star-formation rates than extreme starbursts, in line with typical star-forming galaxies at $z\sim7$. This population of heavily dust-obscured galaxies appears to contribute 10-25 per cent to the $z>6$ cosmic star formation rate density.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

40 Gbps Readout interface STARE for the AGATA Project

The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) multi detector spectrometer will provide precise information for the study of the properties of the exotic nuclear matter (very unbalanced proton (Z) and neutron (N) numbers) along proton- and neutron- drip lines and of super-heavy nuclei. This is done using the latest technology of particle accelerators. The AGATA spectrometer consists of 180 high purity Germanium detectors. Each detector is segmented into 38 segments. The very harsh project requirements are to measure gamma ray energies with very high resolution (< 1x 10 -3) at a high detector counting rate (50 Kevents / sec / crystal). This results in a very high data transfer rate per crystal (5 to 8 Gbps). The 38 segments are sampled @ 100 MHz with 14 bits of resolution. The samples are continuously transferred to the CAP module which reduces the data rate from 64 Gbps to 5 Gbps. The CAP module also adds continuous monitoring data which results in total outgoing data rate of 10 Gbps. The STARE module is designed to fit between the CAP module and the computer farm. It will package the data from the CAP module and transmit it to the server farm using a 10 Gbps UDP connection with a delivery insurance mechanism implemented to ensure that all data is transferred.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

Testing ab initio nuclear structure in neutron-rich nuclei: lifetime measurements of second 2+ states in 16C and 20O

To test the predictive power of ab initio nuclear structure theory, the lifetime of the second 2+ state in neutron-rich 20O, tau(2+_2 ) = 150(+80-30) fs, and an estimate for the lifetime of the second 2+ state in 16C have been obtained, for the first time. The results were achieved via a novel Monte Carlo technique that allowed us to measure nuclear state lifetimes in the tens-to-hundreds femtoseconds range, by analyzing the Doppler-shifted gamma-transition line shapes of products of low-energy transfer and deep-inelastic processes in the reaction 18O (7.0 MeV/u) + 181Ta. The requested sensitivity could only be reached owing to the excellent performances of the AGATA gamma-tracking array, coupled to the PARIS scintillator array and to the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer. The experimental lifetimes agree with predictions of ab initio calculations using two- and three-nucleon interactions, obtained with the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group for 20O, and with the no-core shell model for 16C. The present measurement shows the power of electromagnetic observables, determined with high-precision gamma spectroscopy, to assess the quality of first-principles nuclear structure calculations, complementing common benchmarks based on nuclear energies. The proposed experimental approach will be essential for short lifetimes measurements in unexplored regions of the nuclear chart, including r-process nuclei, when intense ISOL-type beams become available.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2019

Effects of one valence proton on seniority and angular momentum of neutrons in neutron-rich $^{122-131}$Sb$_{51}$ isotopes

The neutron-rich $^{122-131}$Sb isotopes were produced as fission fragments in the reaction $^{9}$Be($^{238}$U,~f) with 6.2 MeV/u beam energy. An unique setup, consisting of AGATA, VAMOS++ and EXOGAM detectors, was used which enabled the prompt-delayed gamma-ray ($γ$) spectroscopy of fission fragments in the time range of 100 ns - 200 $μ$s. New isomers, prompt and delayed transitions were established in the even-A $^{122-130}$Sb isotopes. In the odd-A $^{123-131}$Sb isotopes, new prompt and delayed $γ$-ray transitions were identified, in addition to the confirmation of the previously known isomers. The half-lives of the isomeric states and the $B(E2)$ transition probabilities of the observed transitions depopulating these isomers were extracted. The experimental data was compared with the theoretical results obtained in the framework of Large-Scale Shell-Model (LSSM) calculations in a restricted model space. Modifications of several components of the shell model interaction were introduced to obtain a consistent agreement with the excitation energies and the $B(E2)$ transition probabilities in neutron-rich Sn and Sb isotopes. The isomeric configurations in Sn and Sb were found to be relatively pure. Further, the calculations revealed that the presence of a single valence proton, mainly in the $g_{7/2}$ orbital in Sb isotopes, leads to significant mixing (due to the $νπ$ interaction) of: (i) the neutron seniorities ($\upsilon_ν$) and (ii) the neutron angular momentum ($I_ν$). The above features have a weak impact on the excitation energies, but have an important impact on the $B(E2)$ transition probabilities. In addition, a constancy of the relative excitation energies irrespective of neutron seniority and neutron number in Sn and Sb was observed.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2017

The evolution of the star formation rate function in the EAGLE simulations: A comparison with UV, IR and H$α$ observations from z ~ 8 to z ~ 0

We investigate the evolution of the galaxy Star Formation Rate Function (SFRF) and Cosmic Star Formation Rate Density (CSFRD) of $z\sim 0-8 $ galaxies in the Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments (EAGLE) simulations. In addition, we present a compilation of UV, IR and H$α$ SFRFs and compare these with the predictions from the EAGLE suite of cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. We find that the constraints implied by different indicators are inconsistent with each other for the highest star-forming objects at z < 2, a problem that is possibly related to selection biases and the uncertainties of dust attenuation effects. EAGLE's feedback parameters were calibrated to reproduce realistic galaxy sizes and stellar masses at z = 0.1. In this work we test if and why those choices yield realistic Star Formation Rates (SFRs) for $z \sim 0-8$ as well. We demonstrate that SNe feedback plays a major role at setting the abundance of galaxies at all star-forming regimes, especially at high redshifts. On the contrary, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) feedback becomes more prominent at lower redshifts and is a major mechanism that affects only the highest star-forming systems. Furthermore, we find that galaxies with SFR $\sim 1-10 \, {\rm M_{\odot} \, yr^{-1}}$ dominate the CSFRD at redshifts z < 5, while rare high star-forming galaxies (SFR $\sim 10-100 \,{\rm M_{\odot} \, yr^{-1}}$) contribute significantly only briefly around the peak era ($z \sim 2$) and then are quenched by AGN feedback. In the absence of this prescription objects with SFR $\sim 10-100 \,{\rm M_{\odot} \, yr^{-1}}$ would dominate the CSFRD, while the cosmic budget of star formation would be extremely high. Finally, we demonstrate that the majority of the cosmic star formation occurs in relatively rare high mass halos ($ {\rm M_{Halo}} \sim 10^{11-13} \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$) even at the earliest epochs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Z > 7 galaxies with red Spitzer/IRAC [3.6]-[4.5] colors in the full CANDELS data set: the brightest-known galaxies at Z ~ 7-9 and a probable spectroscopic confirmation at Z=7.48

We identify 4 unusually bright (H < 25.5) galaxies from HST and Spitzer CANDELS data with probable redshifts z ~ 7-9. These identifications include the brightest-known galaxies to date at z > 7.5. As Y-band observations are not available over the full CANDELS program to perform a standard Lyman-break selection of z > 7 galaxies, we employ an alternate strategy using deep Spitzer/IRAC data. We identify z ~ 7.1 - 9.1 galaxies by selecting z >~ 6 galaxies from the HST CANDELS data that show quite red IRAC [3.6]-[4.5] colors, indicating strong [OIII]+Hbeta lines in the 4.5 micron band. This selection strategy was validated using a modest sample for which we have deep Y-band coverage, and subsequently used to select the brightest z > 7 sources. Applying the IRAC criteria to all HST-selected optical-dropout galaxies over the full ~900 arcmin**2 of the CANDELS survey revealed four unusually bright z ~ 7.1, 7.6, 7.9 and 8.6 candidates. The median [3.6]-[4.5] color of our selected z ~ 7.1-9.1 sample is consistent with rest-frame [OIII]+Hbeta EWs of ~1500A, in the [4.5] band. Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy has been independently reported for two of our selected sources, showing Ly-alpha at redshifts of 7.7302+/-0.0006 and 8.683^+0.001_-0.004, respectively. We present similar Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy for a third selected galaxy with a probable 4.7sigma Ly-alpha line at z_spec=7.4770+/-0.0008. All three have H-band magnitudes of ~25 mag and are ~0.5 mag more luminous (M(UV) ~ -22.0) than any previously discovered z ~ 8 galaxy, with important implications for the UV LF. Our 3 brightest, highest redshift z > 7 galaxies all lie within the CANDELS EGS field, providing a dramatic illustration of the potential impact of field-to-field variance.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

A Remarkably Luminous Galaxy at z=11.1 Measured with Hubble Space Telescope Grism Spectroscopy

We present Hubble WFC3/IR slitless grism spectra of a remarkably bright $z\gtrsim10$ galaxy candidate, GN-z11, identified initially from CANDELS/GOODS-N imaging data. A significant spectroscopic continuum break is detected at $λ=1.47\pm0.01~μ$m. The new grism data, combined with the photometric data, rule out all plausible lower redshift solutions for this source. The only viable solution is that this continuum break is the Ly$α$ break redshifted to ${z_\mathrm{grism}=11.09^{+0.08}_{-0.12}}$, just $\sim$400 Myr after the Big Bang. This observation extends the current spectroscopic frontier by 150 Myr to well before the Planck (instantaneous) cosmic reionization peak at z~8.8, demonstrating that galaxy build-up was well underway early in the reionization epoch at z>10. GN-z11 is remarkably and unexpectedly luminous for a galaxy at such an early time: its UV luminosity is 3x larger than L* measured at z~6-8. The Spitzer IRAC detections up to 4.5 $μ$m of this galaxy are consistent with a stellar mass of ${\sim10^{9}~M_\odot}$. This spectroscopic redshift measurement suggests that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be able to similarly and easily confirm such sources at z>10 and characterize their physical properties through detailed spectroscopy. Furthermore, WFIRST, with its wide-field near-IR imaging, would find large numbers of similar galaxies and contribute greatly to JWST's spectroscopy, if it is launched early enough to overlap with JWST.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Ultradeep IRAC Imaging Over The HUDF And GOODS-South: Survey Design And Imaging Data Release

The IRAC ultradeep field (IUDF) and IRAC Legacy over GOODS (IGOODS) programs are two ultradeep imaging surveys at 3.6μm and 4.5μm with the Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC). The primary aim is to directly detect the infrared light of reionization epoch galaxies at z > 7 and to constrain their stellar populations. The observations cover the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF), including the two HUDF parallel fields, and the CANDELS/GOODS-South, and are combined with archival data from all previous deep programs into one ultradeep dataset. The resulting imaging reaches unprecedented coverage in IRAC 3.6μm and 4.5μm ranging from > 50 hour over 150 arcmin^2, > 100 hour over 60 sq arcmin2, to 200 hour over 5 - 10 arcmin$^2$. This paper presents the survey description, data reduction, and public release of reduced mosaics on the same astrometric system as the CANDELS/GOODS-South WFC3 data. To facilitate prior-based WFC3+IRAC photometry, we introduce a new method to create high signal-to-noise PSFs from the IRAC data and reconstruct the complex spatial variation due to survey geometry. The PSF maps are included in the release, as are registered maps of subsets of the data to enable reliability and variability studies. Simulations show that the noise in the ultradeep IRAC images decreases approximately as the square root of integration time over the range 20 - 200 hours, well below the classical confusion limit, reaching 1σ point source sensitivities as faint as of 15 nJy (28.5 AB) at 3.6μm and 18 nJy (28.3 AB) at 4.5μm. The value of such ultradeep IRAC data is illustrated by direct detections of z = 7 - 8 galaxies as faint as HAB = 28.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

A Spectroscopic Redshift Measurement for a Luminous Lyman Break Galaxy at z=7.730 using Keck/MOSFIRE

We present a spectroscopic redshift measurement of a very bright Lyman break galaxy at z=7.7302+-0.0006 using Keck/MOSFIRE. The source was pre-selected photometrically in the EGS field as a robust z~8 candidate with H=25.0 mag based on optical non-detections and a very red Spitzer/IRAC [3.6]-[4.5] broad-band color driven by high equivalent width [OIII]+Hbeta line emission. The Lyalpha line is reliably detected at 6.1 sigma and shows an asymmetric profile as expected for a galaxy embedded in a relatively neutral inter-galactic medium near the Planck peak of cosmic reionization. The line has a rest-frame equivalent width of EW0=21+-4 A and is extended with V_FWHM=360+90-70 km/s. The source is perhaps the brightest and most massive z~8 Lyman break galaxy in the full CANDELS and BoRG/HIPPIES surveys, having assembled already 10^(9.9+-0.2) M_sol of stars at only 650 Myr after the Big Bang. The spectroscopic redshift measurement sets a new redshift record for galaxies. This enables reliable constraints on the stellar mass, star-formation rate, formation epoch, as well as combined [OIII]+Hbeta line equivalent widths. The redshift confirms that the IRAC [4.5] photometry is very likely dominated by line emission with EW0(OIII+Hbeta)= 720-150+180 A. This detection thus adds to the evidence that extreme rest-frame optical emission lines are a ubiquitous feature of early galaxies promising very efficient spectroscopic follow-up in the future with infrared spectroscopy using JWST and, later, ELTs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

UV Luminosity Functions at redshifts z~4 to z~10: 10000 Galaxies from HST Legacy Fields

The remarkable HST datasets from the CANDELS, HUDF09, HUDF12, ERS, and BoRG/HIPPIES programs have allowed us to map out the evolution of the UV LF from z~10 to z~4. We have identified 5859, 3001, 857, 481, 217, and 6 galaxy candidates at z~4, z~5, z~6, z~7, z~8, and z~10, respectively from the ~1000 arcmin**2 area probed. The selection of z~4-8 galaxies over the five CANDELS fields allows us to assess the cosmic variance; the largest variations are apparent at z>=7. Our new LF determinations at z~4 and z~5 span a 6-mag baseline (-22.5 to -16 AB mag). These determinations agree well with previous estimates, but the larger samples and volumes probed here result in a more reliable sampling of >L* galaxies and allow us to reassess the form of the UV LFs. Our new LF results strengthen our earlier findings to 3.4 sigma significance for a steeper faint-end slope to the UV LF at z>4, with alpha evolving from alpha=-1.64+/-0.04 at z~4 to alpha=-2.06+/-0.13 at z~7 (and alpha = -2.02+/-0.23 at z~8), consistent with that expected from the evolution of the halo mass function. With our improved constraints at the bright end, we find less evolution in the characteristic luminosity M* over the redshift range z~4 to z~7; the observed evolution in the LF is now largely represented by changes in phi*. No evidence for a non-Schechter-like form to the z~4-8 LFs is found. A simple conditional LF model based on halo growth and evolution in the M/L ratio of halos ((1+z)**-1.5) provides a good representation of the observed evolution.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

UV-Continuum Slopes of >4000 z~4-8 Galaxies from the HUDF/XDF, HUDF09, ERS, CANDELS-South, and CANDELS-North Fields

We measure the UV-continuum slope beta for over 4000 high-redshift galaxies over a wide range of redshifts z~4-8 and luminosities from the HST HUDF/XDF, HUDF09-1, HUDF09-2, ERS, CANDELS-N, and CANDELS-S data sets. Our new beta results reach very faint levels at z~4 (-15.5 mag: 0.006 L*(z=3)), z~5 (-16.5 mag: 0.014L*(z=3)), and z~6 and z~7 (-17 mag: 0.025 L*(z=3)). Inconsistencies between previous studies led us to conduct a comprehensive review of systematic errors and develop a new technique for measuring beta that is robust against biases that arise from the impact of noise. We demonstrate, by object-by-object comparisons, that all previous studies, including our own and those done on the latest HUDF12 dataset, suffer from small systematic errors in beta. We find that after correcting for the systematic errors (typically d(beta) ~0.1-0.2) all beta results at z~7 from different groups are in excellent agreement. The mean beta we measure for faint (-18 mag: 0.1L*(z=3)) z~4, z~5, z~6, and z~7 galaxies is -2.03+/-0.03+/-0.06 (random and systematic errors), -2.14+/-0.06+/-0.06, -2.24+/-0.11+/-0.08, and -2.30+/-0.18+/-0.13, respectively. Our new beta values are redder than we have reported in the past, but bluer than other recent results. Our previously reported trend of bluer beta's at lower luminosities is confirmed, as is the evolution to bluer beta's at high redshifts. beta appears to show only a mild luminosity dependence faintward of M(UV,AB) ~ -19 mag, suggesting that the mean beta asymptotes to ~ -2.2 to -2.4 for faint z>~4 galaxies. At z~7, the observed beta's suggest non-zero, but low dust extinction, and they agree well with values predicted in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

The Most Luminous z~9-10 Galaxy Candidates yet Found: The Luminosity Function, Cosmic Star-Formation Rate, and the First Mass Density Estimate at 500 Myr

[abridged] We present the discovery of four surprisingly bright (H_160 ~ 26 - 27 mag AB) galaxy candidates at z~9-10 in the complete HST CANDELS WFC3/IR GOODS-N imaging data, doubling the number of z~10 galaxy candidates that are known, just ~500 Myr after the Big Bang. Two similarly bright sources are also detected in a systematic re-analysis of the GOODS-S data set. Three of the four galaxies in GOODS-N are significantly detected at 4.5-6.2sigma in the very deep Spitzer/IRAC 4.5 micron data, as is one of the GOODS-S candidates. Furthermore, the brightest of our candidates (at z=10.2+-0.4) is robustly detected also at 3.6 micron (6.9sigma), revealing a flat UV spectral energy distribution with a slope beta=-2.0+-0.2, consistent with demonstrated trends with luminosity at high redshift. The abundance of such luminous candidates suggests that the luminosity function evolves more significantly in phi_* than in L_* at z>~8 with a higher number density of bright sources than previously expected. Despite the discovery of these luminous candidates, the cosmic star formation rate density for galaxies with SFR >0.7 M_sun/yr shows an order-of-magnitude increase in only 170 Myr from z ~ 10 to z ~ 8, consistent with previous results. Based on the IRAC detections, we derive galaxy stellar masses at z~10, finding that these luminous objects are typically 10^9 M_sun. The cosmic stellar mass density at z~10 is log10 rho_* = 4.7^+0.5_-0.8 M_sun Mpc^-3 for galaxies brighter than M_UV~-18. The remarkable brightness, and hence luminosity, of these z~9-10 candidates highlights the opportunity for deep spectroscopy to determine their redshift and nature, demonstrates the value of additional search fields covering a wider area to understand star-formation in the very early universe, and highlights the opportunities for JWST to map the buildup of galaxies at redshifts much earlier than z~10.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The Spectral Energy Distributions Of z~8 Galaxies From The IRAC Ultra Deep Fields: Emission Lines, Stellar Masses, And Specific Star Formation Rates At 650 Myr

Using new ultradeep Spitzer/IRAC photometry from the IRAC Ultradeep Field program (IUDF), we investigate the stellar populations of a sample of 63 Y-dropout galaxy candidates at z~8, only 650Myr after the Big Bang. The sources are selected from HST/ACS+WFC3/IR data over the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF), two HUDF parallel fields, and wide area data over the CANDELS/GOODS-South. The new Spitzer/IRAC data increase the coverage at 3.6 micron and 4.5 micron to ~120h over the HUDF reaching depths of ~28 (AB,1 sigma). The improved depth and inclusion of brighter candidates result in direct >3 sigma IRAC detections of 20/63 sources, of which 11/63 are detected at > 5 sigma. The average [3.6]-[4.5] colors of IRAC detected galaxies at z~8 are markedly redder than those at z~7, observed only 130Myr later. The simplest explanation is that we witness strong rest-frame optical emission lines (in particular [OIII]4959,5007+Hbeta) moving through the IRAC bandpasses with redshift. Assuming that the average rest-frame spectrum is the same at both z~7 and z~8 we estimate a rest-frame equivalent width of W([OIII]4959,5007+Hbeta) = 670 (+260,-170) Angstrom contributing 0.56 (+0.16,-0.11) mag to the 4.5 micron filter at z~8. The corresponding W(Halpha) = 430 (+160,-110) Angstrom implies an average specific star formation rate of sSFR = 11 (+11,-5) Gyr^-1 and a stellar population age of 100 (+100,-50) Myr. Correcting the spectral energy distribution for the contribution of emission lines lowers the average best-fit stellar masses and mass-to-light ratios by x3, decreasing the integrated stellar mass density to rho*(z=8,MUV<-18)=0.6 (+0.4,-0.3) x 10^6 Msun Mpc^-3.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The HST eXtreme Deep Field XDF: Combining all ACS and WFC3/IR Data on the HUDF Region into the Deepest Field Ever

The eXtreme Deep Field (XDF) combines data from ten years of observations with the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the Wide-Field Camera 3 Infra-Red (WFC3/IR) into the deepest image of the sky ever in the optical/near-IR. Since the initial observations on the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) in 2003, numerous surveys and programs, including supernova followup, HUDF09, CANDELS, and HUDF12 have contributed additional imaging data across the HUDF region. Yet these have never been combined and made available as one complete ultra-deep optical and near-infrared image dataset. We do so now for the eXtreme Deep Field (XDF) program. Our new and improved processing techniques provide higher quality reductions of the total dataset. All WFC3 near-IR and optical ACS data sets have been fully combined and accurately matched, resulting in the deepest imaging ever taken at these wavelengths ranging from 29.1 to 30.3 AB mag (5sigma in a 0.35" diameter aperture) in 9 filters. The gains in the optical for the four filters done in the original ACS HUDF correspond to a typical improvement of 0.15 mag, with gains of 0.25 mag in the deepest areas. Such gains are equivalent to adding ~130 to ~240 orbits of ACS data to the HUDF. Improved processing alone results in a typical gain of ~0.1 mag. Our 5sigma (optical+near-IR) SExtractor catalogs reveal about 14140 sources in the full field and about 7121 galaxies in the deepest part of the XDF (the HUDF09 region). The XDF is the deepest image of the universe ever taken, reaching, in the combined image for a flat f_nu source, to 31.2 AB mag 5sigma (32.9 at 1sigma) in a 0.35" diameter aperture.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Evidence for Ubiquitous, High-EW Nebular Emission in z~7 Galaxies: Towards a Clean Measurement of the Specific Star Formation Rate using a Sample of Bright, Magnified Galaxies

Growing observational evidence now indicates that nebular line emission has a significant impact on the rest-frame optical fluxes of z~5-7 galaxies observed with Spitzer. This line emission makes z~5-7 galaxies appear more massive, with lower specific star formation rates. However, corrections for this line emission have been very difficult to perform reliably due to huge uncertainties on the overall strength of such emission at z>~5.5. Here, we present the most direct observational evidence yet for ubiquitous high-EW [OIII]+Hbeta line emission in Lyman-break galaxies at z~7, while also presenting a strategy for an improved measurement of the sSFR at z~7. We accomplish this through the selection of bright galaxies in the narrow redshift window z~6.6-7.0 where the IRAC 4.5 micron flux provides a clean measurement of the stellar continuum light. Observed 4.5 micron fluxes in this window contrast with the 3.6 micron fluxes which are contaminated by the prominent [OIII]+Hbeta lines. To ensure a high S/N for our IRAC flux measurements, we consider only the brightest (H_{160}<26 mag) magnified galaxies we have identified in CLASH and other programs targeting galaxy clusters. Remarkably, the mean rest-frame optical color for our bright seven-source sample is very blue, [3.6]-[4.5]=-0.9+/-0.3. Such blue colors cannot be explained by the stellar continuum light and require that the rest-frame EW of [OIII]+Hbeta be greater than 637 Angstroms for the average source. The bluest four sources from our seven-source sample require an even more extreme EW of 1582 Angstroms. Our derived lower limit for the mean [OIII]+Hbeta EW could underestimate the true EW by ~2x based on a simple modeling of the redshift distribution of our sources. We can also set a robust lower limit of >~4 Gyr^-1 on the specific star formation rates based on the mean SED for our seven-source sample. (abridged)

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Photometric Constraints on the Redshift of z~10 candidate UDFj-39546284 from deeper WFC3/IR+ACS+IRAC observations over the HUDF

Ultra-deep WFC3/IR observations on the HUDF from the HUDF09 program revealed just one plausible z~10 candidate UDFj-39546284. UDFj-39546284 had all the properties expected of a galaxy at z~10 showing (1) no detection in the deep ACS+WFC3 imaging data blueward of the F160W band, exhibiting (2) a blue spectral slope redward of the break, and showing (3) no prominent detection in deep IRAC observations. The new, similarly deep WFC3/IR HUDF12 F160W observations over the HUDF09/XDF allow us to further assess this candidate. These observations show that this candidate, previously only detected at ~5.9 sigma in a single band, clearly corresponds to a real source. It is detected at ~5.3 sigma in the new H-band data and at ~7.8 sigma in the full 85-orbit H-band stack. Interestingly, the non-detection of the source (<1 sigma) in the new F140W observations suggests a higher redshift. Formally, the best-fit redshift of the source utilizing all the WFC3+ACS (and IRAC+K-band) observations is 11.8+/-0.3. However, we consider the z~12 interpretation somewhat unlikely, since the source would either need to be ~20x more luminous than expected or show very high-EW Ly-alpha emission (which seems improbable given the extensive neutral gas prevalent early in the reionization epoch). Lower-redshift solutions fail if only continuum models are allowed. Plausible lower-redshift solutions require that the H-band flux be dominated by line emission such as Halpha or [OIII] with extreme EWs. The tentative detection of line emission at 1.6 microns in UDFj-39546284 in a companion paper suggests that such emission may have already been found.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Probing the Dawn of Galaxies at z~9-12: New Constraints from HUDF12/XDF and CANDELS Data

We present a comprehensive analysis of z>8 galaxies based on ultra-deep WFC3/IR data. We constrain the evolution of the UV luminosity function (LF) and luminosity densities from z~11 to z~8 by exploiting all the WFC3/IR data over the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field from the HUDF09 and the new HUDF12 program, in addition to the HUDF09 parallel field data, as well as wider area WFC3/IR imaging over GOODS-South. Galaxies are selected based on the Lyman Break Technique in three samples centered around z~9, z~10 and z~11, with seven z~9 galaxy candidates, and one each at z~10 and z~11. We confirm a new z~10 candidate (with z=9.8+-0.6) that was not convincingly identified in our first z~10 sample. The deeper data over the HUDF confirms all our previous z>~7.5 candidates as genuine high-redshift candidates, and extends our samples to higher redshift and fainter limits (H_160~29.8 mag). We perform one of the first estimates of the z~9 UV LF and improve our previous constraints at z~10. Extrapolating the lower redshift UV LF evolution should have revealed 17 z~9 and 9 z~10 sources, i.e., a factor ~3x and 9x larger than observed. The inferred star-formation rate density (SFRD) in galaxies above 0.7 M_sun/yr decreases by 0.6+-0.2 dex from z~8 to z~9, in good agreement with previous estimates. The low number of sources found at z>8 is consistent with a very rapid build-up of galaxies across z~10 to z~8. From a combination of all current measurements, we find a best estimate of a factor 10x decrease in the SFRD from z~8 to z~10, following (1+z)^(-11.4+-3.1). Our measurements thus confirm our previous finding of an accelerated evolution beyond z~8, and signify a rapid build-up of galaxies with M_UV<-17.7 within only ~200 Myr from z~10 to z~8, in the heart of cosmic reionization.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

A Rest-frame Optical View on z~4 Galaxies I: Color and Age Distributions from Deep IRAC Photometry of the IUDF10 and GOODS Surveys

We present a study of rest-frame UV-to-optical color distributions for z~4 galaxies based on the combination of deep HST/ACS+WFC3/IR data with Spitzer/IRAC imaging. In particular, we use new, ultra-deep data from the IRAC Ultradeep Field program (IUDF10). Our sample contains a total of ~2600 galaxies selected as B-dropout Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) in the HUDF and one of its deep parallel fields, the HUDF09-2, as well as GOODS-North and South. This sample is used to investigate the UV continuum slopes beta and Balmer break colors (J_125-[4.5]) as a function of rest-frame optical luminosity. The [4.5] filter is chosen to avoid potential contamination by strong rest-frame optical emission lines. We find that galaxies at M_z<-21.5 (roughly corresponding to L*[z~4]) are significantly redder than their lower luminosity counterparts. The UV continuum slopes and the J_125-[4.5] colors are well correlated. The most simple explanation for this correlation is that the dust reddening at these redshifts is better described by an SMC-like extinction curve, rather than the typically assumed Calzetti reddening. After correcting for dust, we find that the galaxy population shows mean stellar population ages in the range 10^8.5 to 10^9 yr, with a dispersion of ~0.5 dex, and only weak trends as a function of luminosity. In contrast to some results from the literature, we find that only a small fraction of galaxies shows Balmer break colors which are consistent with extremely young ages, younger than 100 Myr. Under the assumption of smooth star-formation histories, this fraction is only 12-19% for galaxies at M_z<-19.75. Our results are consistent with a gradual build-up of stars and dust in galaxies at z>4, with only a small fraction of stars being formed in short, intense bursts of star-formation.

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