arXiv subjects

Xianzhong Zheng

Publications and source records attributed to Xianzhong Zheng.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Deep CFHT Y-band imaging of VVDS-F22 field: I. data products and photometric redshifts

We present our deep $Y$-band imaging data of a two square degree field within the F22 region of the VIMOS VLT Deep Survey. The observations were conducted using the WIRCam instrument mounted at the Canada--France--Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). The total on-sky time was 9 hours, distributed uniformly over 18 tiles. The scientific goals of the project are to select faint quasar candidates at redshift $z>2.2$, and constrain the photometric redshifts for quasars and galaxies. In this paper, we present the observation and the image reduction, as well as the photometric redshifts that we derived by combining our $Y$-band data with the CFHTLenS $u^*g'r'i'z'$ optical data and UKIDSS DXS $JHK$ near-infrared data. With $J$-band image as reference total $\sim$80,000 galaxies are detected in the final mosaic down to $Y$-band $5σ$ point source limiting depth of 22.86 mag. Compared with the $\sim$3500 spectroscopic redshifts, our photometric redshifts for galaxies with $z<1.5$ and $i'\lesssim24.0$ mag have a small systematic offset of $|Δ{z}|\lesssim0.2$, 1$σ$ scatter $0.03<σ_{Δz} < 0.06$, and less than 4.0% of catastrophic failures. We also compare to the CFHTLenS photometric redshifts, and find that ours are more reliable at $z\gtrsim0.6$ because of the inclusion of the near-infrared bands. In particular, including the $Y$-band data can improve the accuracy at $z\sim 1.0-2.0$ because the location of the 4000Å-break is better constrained. The $Y$-band images, the multi-band photometry catalog and the photometric redshifts are released at \url{http://astro.pku.edu.cn/astro/data/DYI.html}.

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arXiv2018

A Deep Ly$α$ Survey in ECDF-S and COSMOS: I. General Properties of Lyman-alpha Emitters at $z\sim2$

Ly$α$ Emitters (LAEs) may represent an important galaxy population in the low mass regime. We present our deep narrowband imaging surveys in the COSMOS and ECDF-S fields and study the properties of LAEs at $z=2.23\pm0.03$. The narrowband surveys conducted at Magellan II telescope allow us to obtain a sample of 452 LAEs reaching a $5σ$ limiting magnitude of $\sim26$ mag. Our Ly$α$ luminosity functions extend to $10^{41.8}$ erg s$^{-1}$ with steep faint-end slope. Using multi-wavelength ancillary data, especially the deep Spitzer/IRAC 3.6$μ$m and 4.5$μ$m photometric data, we obtained reliable stellar mass estimates for 130 IRAC-detected LAEs, spanning a range of $8 < {\rm log}(M_\star/M_\odot)< 11.5$. For the remaining IRAC-undetected LAEs, the median-stacked spectral energy distribution yields a stellar mass of ${\rm log}(M_\star/M_\odot)=7.97^{+0.05}_{-0.07}$ and the rest-frame ultraviolet emission indicates a median star formation rate of ${\rm log} (SFR/M_\odot$ yr$^{-1})=-0.14\pm0.35$. There are six LAEs detected by the Spitzer/MIPS 24$μ$m or even Herschel far-infrared observations. Taking into account the six MIR/FIR detected LAEs, our LAEs cover a wide range in the star formation rate (${\rm 1 =10.8^{+0.56}_{-1.1}}$, suggesting that they are progenitors of local Large Magellanic Cloud-like galaxies.

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arXiv2018

On the Transition of the Galaxy Quenching Mode at 0.5<z<1 in CANDELS

We investigate the galaxy quenching process at intermediate redshift using a sample of $\sim4400$ galaxies with $M_{\ast} > 10^{9}M_{\odot}$ between redshift 0.5 and 1.0 in all five CANDELS fields. We divide this sample, using the integrated specific star formation rate (sSFR), into four sub-groups: star-forming galaxies (SFGs) above and below the ridge of the star-forming main sequence (SFMS), transition galaxies and quiescent galaxies. We study their $UVI$ ($U-V$ versus $V-I$) color gradients to infer their sSFR gradients out to twice effective radii. We show that on average both star-forming and transition galaxies at all masses are not fully quenched at any radii, whereas quiescent galaxies are fully quenched at all radii. We find that at low masses ($M_{\ast} = 10^{9}-10^{10}M_{\odot}$) SFGs both above and below the SFMS ridge generally have flat sSFR profiles, whereas the transition galaxies at the same masses generally have sSFRs that are more suppressed in their outskirts. In contrast, at high masses ($M_{\ast} > 10^{10.5}M_{\odot}$), SFGs above and below the SFMS ridge and transition galaxies generally have varying degrees of more centrally-suppressed sSFRs relative to their outskirts. These findings indicate that at $z\sim~0.5-1.0$ the main galaxy quenching mode depends on its already formed stellar mass, exhibiting a transition from "the outside-in" at $M_{\ast} \leq 10^{10}M_{\odot}$ to "the inside-out" at $M_{\ast} > 10^{10.5}M_{\odot}$. In other words, our findings support that internal processes dominate the quenching of massive galaxies, whereas external processes dominate the quenching of low-mass galaxies.

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arXiv2018

The Isophotal Structure of Star-forming Galaxies at $0.5< z <1.8$ in CANDELS: Implications for the Evolution of Galaxy Structure

We have measured the radial profiles of isophotal ellipticity ($\varepsilon$) and disky/boxy parameter A$_4$ out to radii of about three times the semi-major axes for $\sim4,600$ star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at intermediate redshifts $0.5 1$. Moreover, the median A$_4$ values at all radii are almost zero. In contrast, the highly-inclined, low-mass LSFGs in the same mass-redshift bins generally have monotonically increasing $\varepsilon$ with radius and are dominated by disky values at intermediate radii. These findings at intermediate redshifts imply that low-mass SSFGs are not disk-like, while low-mass LSFGs appear to harbour disk-like components flattened by significant rotation. At high masses ($M_{\ast} > 10^{10}M_{\odot}$), highly-inclined SSFGs and LSFGs both exhibit a general, distinct trend for both $\varepsilon$ and A$_4$ profiles: increasing values with radius at lower radii, reaching maxima at intermediate radii, and then decreasing values at larger radii. Such a trend is more prevalent for more massive ($M_{\ast} > 10^{10.5}M_{\odot}$) galaxies or those at lower redshifts ($z<1.4$). The distinct trend in $\varepsilon$ and A$_4$ can be simply explained if galaxies possess all three components: central bulges, disks in the intermediate regions, and halo-like stellar components in the outskirts.

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arXiv2018

Re-visiting the extended Schmidt law: the important role of existing stars in regulating star formation

We revisit the proposed extended Schmidt law (Shi et al. 2011) which points that the star formation efficiency in galaxies depends on the stellar mass surface density, by investigating spatially-resolved star formation rates (SFRs), gas masses and stellar masses of star formation regions in a vast range of galactic environments, from the outer disks of dwarf galaxies to spiral disks and to merging galaxies as well as individual molecular clouds in M33. We find that these regions are distributed in a tight power-law as Sigma_SFR ~(Sigma_star^0.5 Sigma_gas )^1.09, which is also valid for the integrated measurements of disk and merging galaxies at high-z. Interestingly, we show that star formation regions in the outer disks of dwarf galaxies with Sigma_SFR down to 10^(-5) Msun/yr/kpc^2, which are outliers of both Kennicutt-Schmidt and Silk-Elmegreen law, also follow the extended Schmidt law. Other outliers in the Kennicutt-Schmidt law, such as extremely-metal poor star-formation regions, also show significantly reduced deviations from the extended Schmidt law. These results suggest an important role for existing stars in helping to regulate star formation through the effect of their gravity on the mid-plane pressure in a wide range of galactic environments.

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arXiv2017

What drives the M*-SFR relation turning over at high masses? The role of bulges

It is unclear whether bulge growth is responsible for the flattening of the star formation main sequence (MS) at the high mass end. To investigate the role of bulges in shaping the MS, we compare the NUV$-r$ color between the central ($r 2.0 tend to be redder in the central NUV$-r$ color than those with $n$<2.0, even at fixed B/T and $M_{\ast}$. This suggests that star formation in bulges is more strongly dependent on $n$ (or central mass density) than on B/T. Finally, we find that the fraction of galaxies with $n$>2.0 rapidly increases with $M_{\ast}$ at $M_{\ast}>10^{10.2}M_{\sun}$, which is consistent with the turning over of the MS at the same transition mass. We conclude that the increasing fraction of low-sSFR dense bulges in $M_{\ast}>10^{10.2}M_{\sun}$ galaxies, rather than increasing B/T, is responsible for the flattened slope of the $M_{\ast}$$-$SFR relation at high masses.

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arXiv2017

Deep Imaging of the HCG 95 Field.I.Ultra-diffuse Galaxies

We present a detection of 89 candidates of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in a 4.9 degree$^2$ field centered on the Hickson Compact Group 95 (HCG 95) using deep $g$- and $r$-band images taken with the Chinese Near Object Survey Telescope. This field contains one rich galaxy cluster (Abell 2588 at $z$=0.199) and two poor clusters (Pegasus I at $z$=0.013 and Pegasus II at $z$=0.040). The 89 candidates are likely associated with the two poor clusters, giving about 50 $-$ 60 true UDGs with a half-light radius $r_{\rm e} > 1.5$ kpc and a central surface brightness $μ(g,0) > 24.0$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$. Deep $z$'-band images are available for 84 of the 89 galaxies from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS), confirming that these galaxies have an extremely low central surface brightness. Moreover, our UDG candidates are spread over a wide range in $g-r$ color, and $\sim$26% are as blue as normal star-forming galaxies, which is suggestive of young UDGs that are still in formation. Interestingly, we find that one UDG linked with HCG 95 is a gas-rich galaxy with H I mass $1.1 \times 10^{9} M_{\odot}$ detected by the Very Large Array, and has a stellar mass of $M_\star \sim 1.8 \times 10^{8}$ $M_{\odot}$. This indicates that UDGs at least partially overlap with the population of nearly dark galaxies found in deep H I surveys. Our results show that the high abundance of blue UDGs in the HCG 95 field is favored by the environment of poor galaxy clusters residing in H I-rich large-scale structures.

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arXiv2017

The Origins of UV-optical Color Gradients in Star-forming Galaxies at z ~ 2: Predominant Dust Gradients But Negligible sSFR Gradients

The rest-frame UV-optical (i.e., $NUV-B$) color is sensitive to both low-level recent star formation (specific star formation rate - sSFR) and dust. In this Letter, we extend our previous work on the origins of $NUV-B$ color gradients in star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at $z\sim1$ to those at $z\sim2$. We use a sample of 1335 large (semi-major axis radius $R_{\rm SMA}>0.''18$) SFGs with extended UV emission out to $2R_{\rm SMA}$ in the mass range $M_{\ast} = 10^{9}-10^{11}M_{\odot}$ at $1.5<z<2.8$ in the CANDELS/GOODS-S and UDS fields. We show that these SFGs generally have negative $NUV-B$ color gradients (redder centres), and their color gradients strongly increase with galaxy mass. We also show that the global rest-frame $FUV-NUV$ color is approximately linear with $A_{\rm V}$, which is derived by modeling the observed integrated FUV to NIR spectral energy distributions of the galaxies. Applying this integrated calibration to our spatially-resolved data, we find a negative dust gradient (more dust extinguished in the centers), which steadily becomes steeper with galaxy mass. We further find that the $NUV-B$ color gradients become nearly zero after correcting for dust gradients regardless of galaxy mass. This indicates that the sSFR gradients are negligible and dust reddening is likely the principal cause of negative UV-optical color gradients in these SFGs. Our findings support that the buildup of the stellar mass in SFGs at the Cosmic Noon is self-similar inside $2R_{\rm SMA}$.

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arXiv2017

First Results from the Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) Survey: Cosmological Reionization at z ~ 7

We present the first results from the ongoing LAGER project (Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization), which is the largest narrowband survey for $z \sim$ 7 galaxies to date. Using a specially built narrowband filter NB964 for the superb large-area Dark-Energy Camera (DECam) on the NOAO/CTIO 4m Blanco telescope, LAGER has collected 34 hours NB964 narrowband imaging data in the 3 deg$^2$ COSMOS field. We have identified 23 Lyman Alpha Emitter (LAE) candidates at $z$ = 6.9 in the central 2-deg$^2$ region, where DECam and public COSMOS multi-band images exist. The resulting luminosity function can be described as a Schechter function modified by a significant excess at the bright end (4 galaxies with $L_{Lyα} \sim $ 10$^{43.4\pm0.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$). The number density at $L_{Lyα}\sim$ 10$^{43.4\pm0.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$ is little changed from z= 6.6, while at fainter $L_{Lyα}$ it is substantially reduced. Overall, we see a fourfold reduction in Ly$α$ luminosity density from $z$ = 5.7 to 6.9. Combined with a more modest evolution of the continuum UV luminosity density, this suggests a factor of $\sim 3$ suppression of Ly$α$ by radiative transfer through the $z \sim$ 7 intergalactic medium (IGM). It indicates an IGM neutral fraction $x_{HI}$ $\sim$ 0.4--0.6 (assuming Ly$α$ velocity offsets of 100-200 km s$^{-1}$). The changing shape of the Ly$α$ luminosity function between $z\lesssim 6.6$ and $z=6.9$ supports the hypothesis of ionized bubbles in a patchy reionization at $z\sim$ 7.

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arXiv2017

Extinction Correction Significantly Influences the Estimate of Ly$α$ Escape Fraction

The Ly$α$ escape fraction is a key measure to constrain the neutral state of the intergalactic medium and then to understand how the universe was fully reionized. We combine deep narrowband imaging data from the custom-made filter NB393 and the $H_{2}S$1 filter centered at 2.14 $μ$m to examine the Ly$α$ emitters and H$α$ emitters at the same redshift $z=2.24$. The combination of these two populations allows us to determine the Ly$α$ escape fraction at $z=2.24$. Over an area of 383 arcmin$^{2}$ in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDFS), 124 Ly$α$ emitters are detected down to NB393 = 26.4 mag at the 5$σ$ level, and 56 H$α$ emitters come from An14. Of these, four have both Ly$α$ and H$α$ emissions (LAHAEs). We measure the individual/volumetric Ly$α$ escape fraction by comparing the observed Ly$α$ luminosity/luminosity density to the extinction-corrected H$α$ luminosity/luminosity density. We revisit the extinction correction for H$α$ emitters using the Galactic extinction law with the color excess for nebular emission. We also adopt the Calzetti extinction law together with an identical color excess for stellar and nebular regions to explore how the uncertainties in extinction correction affect our results. In both cases, an anti-correlation between the Ly$α$ escape fraction and dust attenuation is found among the LAHAEs, suggesting that dust absorption is responsible for the suppression of the escaping Ly$α$ photons. However, the estimated Ly$α$ escape fraction of individual LAHAEs varies up to ~3 percentage points between the two methods of extinction correction. We find the global Ly$α$ escape fraction at $z=2.24$ to be ($3.7\pm1.4$)% in the ECDFS. The variation in the color excess of the extinction causes a discrepancy of ~1 percentage point in the global Ly$α$ escape fraction.

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arXiv2016

The UV-optical Color Gradients in Star-Forming Galaxies at 0.5<z<1.5: Origins and Link to Galaxy Assembly

The rest-frame UV-optical (i.e., NUV-B) color index is sensitive to the low-level recent star formation and dust extinction, but it is insensitive to the metallicity. In this Letter, we have measured the rest-frame NUV-B color gradients in ~1400 large ($\rm r_e>0.18^{\prime\prime}$), nearly face-on (b/a>0.5) main-sequence star-forming galaxies (SFGs) between redshift 0.5 and 1.5 in the CANDELS/GOODS-S and UDS fields. With this sample, we study the origin of UV-optical color gradients in the SFGs at z~1 and discuss their link with the buildup of stellar mass. We find that the more massive, centrally compact, and more dust extinguished SFGs tend to have statistically more negative raw color gradients (redder centers) than the less massive, centrally diffuse, and less dusty SFGs. After correcting for dust reddening based on optical-SED fitting, the color gradients in the low-mass ($M_{\ast} <10^{10}M_{\odot}$) SFGs generally become quite flat, while most of the high-mass ($M_{\ast} > 10^{10.5}M_{\odot}$) SFGs still retain shallow negative color gradients. These findings imply that dust reddening is likely the principal cause of negative color gradients in the low-mass SFGs, while both increased central dust reddening and buildup of compact old bulges are likely the origins of negative color gradients in the high-mass SFGs. These findings also imply that at these redshifts the low-mass SFGs buildup their stellar masses in a self-similar way, while the high-mass SFGs grow inside out.

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arXiv2016

Spatially-resolved NUV-r color of local star-forming galaxies and clues for quenching

Using a sample of ~6,000 local face-on star-forming galaxies (SFGs), we examine the correlations between the NUV-r colors both inside and outside the half-light radius, stellar mass M* and Sérsic index n in order to understand how the quenching of star formation is linked to galaxy structure. For these less dust-attenuated galaxies, NUV-r is found to be linearly correlated with Dn4000, supporting that NUV-r is a good photometric indicator of stellar age (or specific star formation rate). We find that: (1) At M*<10^{10.2}M_{\sun}, the central NUV-r is on average only~ 0.25 mag redder than the outer NUV-r. The intrinsic value would be even smaller after accounting for dust correction. However, the central NUV-r becomes systematically much redder than the outer NUV-r for more massive galaxies at M*>10^{10.2}M_{\sun}. (2) The central NUV-r shows no dependence on Sérsic index n at M*<10^{10.2}M_{\sun}, while above this mass galaxies with a higher n tend to be redder in the central NUV-r color. These results suggest that galaxies with M*<10^{10.2}M_{\sun} exhibit similar star formation activity from the inner R R_{50} region. In contrast, a considerable fraction of the M*>10^{10.2}M_{\sun} galaxies, especially those with a high n, have harbored a relatively inactive bulge component.

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arXiv2012

AGN host galaxies at redshift z~0.7: peculiar or not?

We perform a quantitative morphological comparison between the hosts of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and quiescent galaxies at intermediate redshifts (z~0.7). The imaging data are taken from the large HST/ACS mosaics of the GEMS and STAGES surveys. Our main aim is to test whether nuclear activity at this cosmic epoch is triggered by major mergers. Using images of quiescent galaxies and stars, we create synthetic AGN images to investigate the impact of an optical nucleus on the morphological analysis of AGN hosts. Galaxy morphologies are parameterized using the asymmetry index A, concentration index C, Gini coefficient G and M20 index. A sample of ~200 synthetic AGN is matched to 21 real AGN in terms of redshift, host brightness and host-to-nucleus ratio to ensure a reliable comparison between active and quiescent galaxies. The optical nuclei strongly affect the morphological parameters of the underlying host galaxy. Taking these effects into account, we find that the morphologies of the AGN hosts are clearly distinct from galaxies undergoing violent gravitational interactions. In fact, the host galaxies' distributions in morphological descriptor space are more similar to undisturbed galaxies than major mergers. Intermediate-luminosity (Lx < 10^44 erg/s) AGN hosts at z~0.7 show morphologies similar to the general population of massive galaxies with significant bulges at the same redshifts. If major mergers are the driver of nuclear activity at this epoch, the signatures of gravitational interactions fade rapidly before the optical AGN phase starts, making them undetectable on single-orbit HST images, at least with usual morphological descriptors. This could be investigated in future synthetic observations created from numerical simulations of galaxy-galaxy interactions.

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arXiv2009

Less than 10 percent of star formation in z=0.6 massive galaxies is triggered by major interactions

Both observations and simulations show that major tidal interactions or mergers between gas-rich galaxies can lead to intense bursts of starformation. Yet, the average enhancement in star formation rate (SFR) in major mergers and the contribution of such events to the cosmic SFR are not well estimated. Here we use photometric redshifts, stellar masses and UV SFRs from COMBO-17, 24 micron SFRs from Spitzer and morphologies from two deep HST cosmological survey fields (ECDFS/GEMS and A901/STAGES) to study the enhancement in SFR as a function of projected galaxy separation. We apply two-point projected correlation function techniques, which we augment with morphologically-selected very close pairs (separation <2 arcsec) and merger remnants from the HST imaging. Our analysis confirms that the most intensely star-forming systems are indeed interacting or merging. Yet, for massive (M* > 10^10 Msun) star-forming galaxies at 0.4<z<0.8, we find that the SFRs of galaxies undergoing a major interaction (mass ratios <1:4 and separations < 40 kpc) are only 1.80 +/- 0.30 times higher than the SFRs of non-interacting galaxies when averaged over all interactions and all stages of the interaction, in good agreement with other observational works. We demonstrate that these results imply that <10% of star formation at 0.4 < z < 0.8 is triggered directly by major mergers and interactions; these events are not important factors in the build-up of stellar mass since z=1.

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arXiv2009

Optically-passive spirals: The missing link in gradual star formation suppression upon cluster infall

Galaxies migrate from the blue cloud to the red sequence when their star formation is quenched. Here, we report on galaxies quenched by environmental effects and not by mergers or strong AGN as often invoked: They form stars at a reduced rate which is optically even less conspicuous, and manifest a transition population of blue spirals evolving into S0 galaxies. These 'optically passive' or 'red spirals' are found in large numbers in the STAGES project (and by Galaxy Zoo) in the infall region of clusters and groups.

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arXiv2008

The STAGES view of red spirals and dusty red galaxies: Mass-dependent quenching of star-formation in cluster infall

We investigate the properties of optically passive spirals and dusty red galaxies in the A901/2 cluster complex at redshift ~0.17 using restframe near-UV-optical SEDs, 24 micron IR data and HST morphologies from the STAGES dataset. The cluster sample is based on COMBO-17 redshifts with an rms precision of sigma_cz~2000 km/sec. We find that 'dusty red galaxies' and 'optically passive spirals' in A901/2 are largely the same phenomenon, and that they form stars at a substantial rate, which is only 4x lower than that in blue spirals at fixed mass. This star formation is more obscured than in blue galaxies and its optical signatures are weak. They appear predominantly in the stellar mass range of log M*/Msol=[10,11] where they constitute over half of the star-forming galaxies in the cluster; they are thus a vital ingredient for understanding the overall picture of star formation quenching in clusters. We find that the mean specific SFR of star-forming galaxies in the cluster is clearly lower than in the field, in contrast to the specific SFR properties of blue galaxies alone, which appear similar in cluster and field. Such a rich red spiral population is best explained if quenching is a slow process and morphological transformation is delayed even more. At log M*/Msol<10, such galaxies are rare, suggesting that their quenching is fast and accompanied by morphological change. We note, that edge-on spirals play a minor role; despite being dust-reddened they form only a small fraction of spirals independent of environment.

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arXiv2008

STAGES: the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey

We present an overview of the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey (STAGES). STAGES is a multiwavelength project designed to probe physical drivers of galaxy evolution across a wide range of environments and luminosity. A complex multi-cluster system at z~0.165 has been the subject of an 80-orbit F606W HST/ACS mosaic covering the full 0.5x0.5 (~5x5 Mpc^2) span of the supercluster. Extensive multiwavelength observations with XMM-Newton, GALEX, Spitzer, 2dF, GMRT, and the 17-band COMBO-17 photometric redshift survey complement the HST imaging. Our survey goals include simultaneously linking galaxy morphology with other observables such as age, star-formation rate, nuclear activity, and stellar mass. In addition, with the multiwavelength dataset and new high resolution mass maps from gravitational lensing, we are able to disentangle the large-scale structure of the system. By examining all aspects of environment we will be able to evaluate the relative importance of the dark matter halos, the local galaxy density, and the hot X-ray gas in driving galaxy transformation. This paper describes the HST imaging, data reduction, and creation of a master catalogue. We perform Sersic fitting on the HST images and conduct associated simulations to quantify completeness. In addition, we present the COMBO-17 photometric redshift catalogue and estimates of stellar masses and star-formation rates for this field. We define galaxy and cluster sample selection criteria which will be the basis for forthcoming science analyses, and present a compilation of notable objects in the field. Finally, we describe the further multiwavelength observations and announce public access to the data and catalogues.

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arXiv2008

The dark matter environment of the Abell 901/902 supercluster: a weak lensing analysis of the HST STAGES survey

We present a high resolution dark matter reconstruction of the z=0.165 Abell 901/902 supercluster from a weak lensing analysis of the HST STAGES survey. We detect the four main structures of the supercluster at high significance, resolving substructure within and between the clusters. We find that the distribution of dark matter is well traced by the cluster galaxies, with the brightest cluster galaxies marking out the strongest peaks in the dark matter distribution. We also find a significant extension of the dark matter distribution of Abell 901a in the direction of an infalling X-ray group Abell 901alpha. We present mass, mass-to-light and mass-to-stellar mass ratio measurements of the structures and substructures that we detect. We find no evidence for variation of the mass-to-light and mass-to-stellar mass ratio between the different clusters. We compare our space-based lensing analysis with an earlier ground-based lensing analysis of the supercluster to demonstrate the importance of space-based imaging for future weak lensing dark matter 'observations'.

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