Abstract
We present an analysis of all prime
HST
legacy fields spanning >800 arcmin
2
in the search for
z
∼ 10 galaxy candidates and the study of their UV luminosity function (LF). In particular, we ...present new
z
∼ 10 candidates selected from the full Hubble Frontier Field (HFF) data set. Despite the addition of these new fields, we find a low abundance of
z
∼ 10 candidates with only nine reliable sources identified in all prime
HST
data sets that include the HUDF09/12, the HUDF/XDF, all of the CANDELS fields, and now the HFF survey. Based on this comprehensive search, we find that the UV luminosity function decreases by one order of magnitude from
z
∼ 8 to
z
∼ 10 over a four-magnitude range. This also implies a decrease of the cosmic star formation rate density by an order of magnitude within 170 Myr from
z
∼ 8 to
z
∼ 10. We show that this accelerated evolution compared to lower redshift can entirely be explained by the fast build up of the dark matter halo mass function at
z
> 8. Consequently, the predicted UV LFs from several models of galaxy formation are in good agreement with this observed trend, even though the measured UV LF lies at the low end of model predictions. The difference is generally still consistent within the Poisson and cosmic variance uncertainties. We discuss the implications of these results in light of the upcoming
James Webb Space Telescope
mission, which is poised to find much larger samples of
z
∼ 10 galaxies as well as their progenitors at less than 400 Myr after the big bang.
We use the largest sample of galaxies to date from the first four Hubble Frontier Fields clusters to set constraints on the shape of the luminosity functions (LFs) to fainter than mag. We quantify, ...for the first time, the impact of magnification uncertainties on LF results and thus provide more realistic constraints than other recent work. Our simulations reveal that, for the highly magnified sources, the systematic uncertainties can become extremely large fainter than −14 mag, reaching several orders of magnitude at 95% confidence at approximately −12 mag. Our new forward-modeling formalism incorporates the impact of magnification uncertainties into the LF results by exploiting the availability of many independent magnification models for the same cluster. One public magnification model is used to construct a mock high-redshift galaxy sample that is then analyzed using the other magnification models to construct an LF. Large systematic errors occur at high magnifications ( ) because of differences between the models. The volume densities we derive for faint ( −17 mag) sources are ∼3-4× lower than one recent report and give a faint-end slope , which is 3.0-3.5 shallower (including or not including the size uncertainties, respectively). We introduce a new curvature parameter δ to model the faint end of the LF and demonstrate that the observations permit (at 68% confidence) a turn-over at in the range of −15.3 to −14.2 mag, depending on the assumed lensing model. The present consideration of magnification errors and new size determinations raise doubts about previous reports regarding the form of the LF at . We discuss the implications of our turn-over constraints in the context of recent theoretical predictions.
ABSTRACT
The deep, wide-area (∼800–900 arcmin
2
) near-infrared/WFC3/IR +
Spitzer
/IRAC observations over the CANDELS fields have been a remarkable resource for constraining the bright end of ...high-redshift UV luminosity functions. However, the lack of
Hubble Space Telescope
(
HST
) 1.05
μ
m observations over the CANDELS fields has made it difficult to identify
z
∼ 9–10 sources robustly, since such data are needed to confirm the presence of an abrupt Lyman break at 1.2
μ
m. Here, we report on the successful identification of many such
z
∼ 9–10 sources from a new
HST
program (z9-CANDELS) that targets the highest-probability
z
∼ 9–10 galaxy candidates with observations at 1.05
μ
m, to search for a robust Lyman-break at 1.2
μ
m. The potential
z
∼ 9–10 candidates were preselected from the full
HST
,
Spitzer
/IRAC S-CANDELS observations, and the deepest-available ground-based optical+near-infrared observations (CFHTLS-DEEP+HUGS+UltraVISTA+ZFOURGE). We identified 15 credible
z
∼ 9–10 galaxies over the CANDELS fields. Nine of these galaxies lie at
z
∼ 9 and five are new identifications. Our targeted follow-up strategy has proven to be very efficient in making use of scarce
HST
time to secure a reliable sample of
z
∼ 9–10 galaxies. Through extensive simulations, we replicate the selection process for our sample (both the preselection and follow-up) and use it to improve current estimates for the volume density of bright
z
∼ 9 and
z
∼ 10 galaxies. The volume densities we find are 5
and
lower, respectively, than those found at
z
∼ 8. When compared with the best-fit evolution (i.e.,
) in the UV luminosity densities from
z
∼ 8 to
z
∼ 4 integrated to
(−20 mag), these luminosity densities are
and
lower, respectively, than the extrapolated trends. Our new results are broadly consistent with the “accelerated evolution” scenario at
z
> 8, consistent with that seen in many models.
Abstract
We compare the sizes and luminosities of faint
z
= 6–8 galaxies magnified by the Hubble Frontier Fields clusters with star-forming regions, as well as more evolved objects, in the nearby ...universe. Our high-redshift comparison sample includes 330
z
= 6–8 galaxies, for which size measurements were made as part of a companion study where lensing magnifications were estimated from various public models. Accurate size measurements for these sources are complicated by the lens model uncertainties, but other results and arguments suggest that faint galaxies are small, as discussed in a companion study. The measured sizes for sources in our comparison sample range from <50 pc to ∼500 pc. For many of the lowest-luminosity sources, extremely small sizes are inferred, reaching individual sizes as small as 10–30 pc, with several sources in the 10–15 pc range with our conservative magnification limits. The sizes and luminosities are similar to those of single star cluster complexes like 30 Doradus in the lower-redshift universe and—in a few cases—super star clusters. The identification of these compact, faint star-forming sources in the
z
∼ 6–8 universe also allows us to set upper limits on the proto-globular cluster luminosity function at
z
∼ 6. By comparisons of the counts and sizes with recent models, we rule out (with some caveats) proto-globular cluster formation scenarios favoring substantial (
ξ
= 10) post-formation mass loss and set useful upper limits on others. Our size results suggest we may be very close to discovering a bona fide population of forming globular clusters at high redshift.
Ultra-deep Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and WFC3/IR HUDF+HUDF09 data, along with the wide-area GOODS+ERS+CANDELS data over the CDF-S GOODS field, are used to measure UV colors, expressed as the ...UV-continuum slope beta , of star-forming galaxies over a wide range of luminosity (0.1L* sub(z)=3 to 2L* sub(z=3)) at high redshift (z ~ 7 to z ~ 4). To reconcile these different results, we simulated both approaches and found that beta measurements for faint sources are subject to large biases if the same passbands are used both to select the sources and to measure beta . Inclusion of the new dust extinction results leads to (1) excellent agreement between the star formation rate (SFR) density at z ~ 4-8 and that inferred from the stellar mass density; and (2) to higher specific star formation rates (SSFRs) at z gap 4, suggesting that the SSFR may evolve modestly (by factors of ~2) from z ~ 4-7 to z ~ 2.
The remarkable Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data sets from the CANDELS, HUDF09, HUDF12, ERS, and BoRG/HIPPIES programs have allowed us to map the evolution of the rest-frame UV luminosity function ...(LF) from z ~ 10 to z ~ 4. We develop new color criteria that more optimally utilize the full wavelength coverage from the optical, near-IR, and mid-IR observations over our search fields, while simultaneously minimizing the incompleteness and eliminating redshift gaps. We have identified 5859, 3001, 857, 481, 217, and 6 galaxy candidates at z ~ 4, z ~ 5, z ~ 6, z ~ 7, z ~ 7, and z ~ 10, respectively, from the ~1000 arcmin super(2) area covered by these data sets. This sample of >10,000 galaxy candidates at z > or =, slanted 4 is by far the largest assembled to date with HST. The selection of z ~ 4-8 candidates over the five CANDELS fields allows us to assess the cosmic variance; the largest variations are at z > or =, slanted 7. Our new LF determinations at z ~ 4 and z ~ 5 span a 6 mag baseline and reach 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 3.4sigma significance for a steeper faint-end slope of the UV LF at z > 4, with alpha evolving from alpha = -1.64 + or - 0.04 at z ~ 4 to alpha = -2.06 + or - 0.13 at z ~ 7 (and alpha = -2.02 + or - 0.23 at z ~ 8), consistent with that expected from the evolution of the halo mass function. We find less evolution in the characteristic magnitude M* from z ~ 7 to z ~ 4; 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 (is proportional to(1 + z) super(-1.5)) of halos provides a good representation of the observed evolution.
Searches for very-high-redshift galaxies over the past decade have yielded a large sample of more than 6,000 galaxies existing just 900-2,000 million years (Myr) after the Big Bang (redshifts 6 > z > ...3; ref. 1). The Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF09) data have yielded the first reliable detections of z ≈ 8 galaxies that, together with reports of a γ-ray burst at z ≈ 8.2 (refs 10, 11), constitute the earliest objects reliably reported to date. Observations of z ≈ 7-8 galaxies suggest substantial star formation at z > 9-10 (refs 12, 13). Here we use the full two-year HUDF09 data to conduct an ultra-deep search for z ≈ 10 galaxies in the heart of the reionization epoch, only 500 Myr after the Big Bang. Not only do we find one possible z ≈ 10 galaxy candidate, but we show that, regardless of source detections, the star formation rate density is much smaller (∼10%) at this time than it is just ∼200 Myr later at z ≈ 8. This demonstrates how rapid galaxy build-up was at z ≈ 10, as galaxies increased in both luminosity density and volume density from z ≈ 10 to z ≈ 8. The 100-200 Myr before z ≈ 10 is clearly a crucial phase in the assembly of the earliest galaxies.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
ABSTRACT We present Hubble WFC3/IR slitless grism spectra of a remarkably bright z 10 galaxy candidate, GN-z11, identified initially from CANDELS/GOODS-N imaging data. A significant spectroscopic ...continuum break is detected at . 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 break redshifted to , just ∼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 3× larger than measured at z ∼ 6−8. The Spitzer IRAC detections up to 4.5 m of this galaxy are consistent with a stellar mass of ∼109 M . This spectroscopic redshift measurement suggests that 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.
We report the results of an expanded search for z ∼ 9-10 candidates over the ∼883 arcmin2 CANDELS+ERS fields. This study adds 147 arcmin2 to the search area we consider over the Cosmic Assembly ...Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) COSMOS, UDS, and EGS fields, while expanding our selection to include sources with bluer J125 − H160 colors than our previous J125 − H160 > 0.5 mag selection. In searching for new z ∼ 9-10 candidates, we make full use of all available Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Spitzer/IRAC, and ground-based imaging data. As a result of our expanded search and use of broader color criteria, three new candidate z ∼ 9-10 galaxies are identified. We also find again the z = 8.683 source previously confirmed by Zitrin et al. This brings our sample of probable z ∼ 9-11 galaxy candidates over the CANDELS+ERS fields to 19 sources in total, equivalent to one candidate per 47 arcmin2 (one per 10 WFC3/IR fields). To be comprehensive, we also discuss 28 mostly lower likelihood z ∼ 9-10 candidates, including some sources that seem to be reliably at z > 8 using the HST+IRAC data alone, but which the ground-based data show are much more likely at z < 4. One case example is a bright z ∼ 9.4 candidate, COS910-8, which seems instead to be at z ∼ 2. Based on this expanded sample, we obtain a more robust luminosity function (LF) at z ∼ 9 and improved constraints on the volume density of bright z ∼ 9 and z ∼ 10 galaxies. Our improved z ∼ 9-10 results again reinforce previous findings for strong evolution in the UV LF at z > 8, with a factor of ∼10 evolution seen in the luminosity density from z ∼ 10 to z ∼ 8.
PDF
