ABSTRACT
Prior to the launch of JWST, Spitzer/IRAC photometry offers the only means of studying the rest-frame optical properties of z >7 galaxies. Many such high-redshift galaxies display a red ...3.6−4.5 micron colour, often referred to as the ‘IRAC excess’, which has conventionally been interpreted as arising from intense O iii+H β emission within the 4.5 micron bandpass. An appealing aspect of this interpretation is similarly intense line emission seen in star-forming galaxies at lower redshift as well as the redshift-dependent behaviour of the IRAC colours beyond z ∼ 7 modelled as the various nebular lines move through the two bandpasses. In this paper, we demonstrate that, given the photometric uncertainties, established stellar populations with Balmer (4000 Å rest frame) breaks, such as those inferred at z > 9 where line emission does not contaminate the IRAC bands, can equally well explain the redshift-dependent behaviour of the IRAC colours in 7 ≲ z ≲ 9 galaxies. We discuss possible ways of distinguishing between the two hypotheses using ALMA measures of O iii λ88 micron and dust continuum fluxes. Prior to further studies with JWST, we show that the distinction is important in determining the assembly history of galaxies in the first 500 Myr.
ABSTRACT
Mass outflow rates and loading factors are typically used to infer the quenching potential of galactic-scale outflows. However, these generally rely on observations of a single gas phase ...that can severely underestimate the total ejected gas mass. To address this, we use observations of high mass (≥1010 M⊙), normal star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 0 from the MaNGA, xCOLD GASS, xGASS, and ALFALFA surveys and a stacking of Na d, Hα, CO(1–0), and H i 21 cm tracers with the aim of placing constraints on an average, total mass outflow rate, and loading factor. We find detections of outflows in both neutral and ionized gas tracers, with no detections in stacks of molecular or atomic gas emission. Modelling of the outflow components reveals velocities of |vNa d| = 131 km s−1 and |vHα| = 439 km s−1 and outflow rates of $\dot{M}_{\rm {Na\,\small{D}}}$ = 7.55 M⊙ yr−1 and $\dot{M}_{\text{H}\alpha }$ = 0.10 M⊙ yr−1 for neutral and ionized gas, respectively. Assuming a molecular/atomic outflow velocity of 200 km s−1, we derive upper limits of $\dot{M}_{\text{CO}}\lt 19.43$ M⊙ yr−1 and $\dot{M}_{\rm {H\,\small {I}}}\lt $ 26.72 M⊙ yr−1 for the molecular and atomic gas, respectively. Combining the detections and upper limits, we find average total outflow rates of $\dot{M}_{\text{tot}}\lesssim$27 M⊙ yr−1 and a loading factor of ηtot ≲ 6.39, with molecular gas likely contributing ≲72 per cent of the total mass outflow rate, and neutral and ionized gas contributing ∼28 and <1 per cent, respectively. Our results suggest that, to first order, a degree of quenching via ejective feedback could occur in normal galaxies when considering all gas phases, even in the absence of an active galactic nucleus.
We report on the detailed analysis of a gravitationally lensed Y-band dropout, A2744_YD4, selected from deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging in the Frontier Field cluster Abell 2744. Band 7 ...observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) indicate the proximate detection of a significant 1 mm continuum flux suggesting the presence of dust for a star-forming galaxy with a photometric redshift of . Deep X-SHOOTER spectra confirms the high-redshift identity of A2744_YD4 via the detection of Ly emission at a redshift z = 8.38. The association with the ALMA detection is confirmed by the presence of O iii 88 m emission at the same redshift. Although both emission features are only significant at the 4 level, we argue their joint detection and the positional coincidence with a high-redshift dropout in the Hubble Space Telescope images confirms the physical association. Analysis of the available photometric data and the modest gravitational magnification ( ) indicates A2744_YD4 has a stellar mass of ∼2 × 109 , a star formation rate of ∼20 yr−1 and a dust mass of ∼6 × 106 . We discuss the implications of the formation of such a dust mass only after the onset of cosmic reionization.
The ubiquity of Lyman alpha (Ly ) emission in a sample of four bright O iii-strong star-forming galaxies with redshifts above seven has led to the suggestion that such luminous sources represent a ...distinct population compared with their fainter, more numerous counterparts. The presence of Ly emission within the reionization era could indicate that these sources created early ionized bubbles due to their unusually strong radiation, possibly because of the presence of active galactic nuclei. To test this hypothesis, we secured long integration spectra with XSHOOTER on the VLT for three sources selected to have similar luminosities and prominent excess fluxes in the IRAC 3.6 or 4.5 m band, usually attributed to strong O iii emission. We secured additional spectroscopy for one of these galaxies at z = 7.15 using MOSFIRE at the Keck telescope. For the most well-studied source in our sample with the strongest IRAC excess, we detect significant nebular emission from He ii and N v indicative of a non-thermal source. For the other two sources at z = 6.81 and z = 6.85, for which no previous optical/near-infrared spectroscopy was available, Ly is seen in one and C iii emission in the other. Although based on a modest sample, our results further support the hypothesis that the phenomenon of intense O iii emission is associated preferentially with sources lying in early ionized bubbles. However, even though one of our sources at z = 7.15 suggests the presence of non-thermal radiation, such ionized bubbles may not uniquely arise in this manner. We discuss the unique advantages of extending such challenging diagnostic studies with JWST.
ABSTRACT
We discuss the spectral energy distributions and physical properties of six galaxies whose photometric redshifts suggest they lie beyond a redshift z ≃ 9. Each was selected on account of a ...prominent excess seen in the Spitzer/IRAC 4.5 $\mu$m band which, for a redshift above z = 9.0, likely indicates the presence of a rest-frame Balmer break and a stellar component that formed earlier than a redshift z ≃ 10. In addition to constraining the earlier star formation activity on the basis of fits using stellar population models with BAGPIPES, we have undertaken the necessary, but challenging, follow-up spectroscopy for each candidate using various combinations of Keck/MOSFIRE, VLT/X-shooter, Gemini/FLAMINGOS2, and ALMA. Based on either Lyman-α or O iii 88 $\mu$m emission, we determine a convincing redshift of z = 8.78 for GN-z-10-3 and a likely redshift of z = 9.28 for the lensed galaxy MACS0416-JD. For GN-z9-1, we conclude the case remains promising for a source beyond z ≃ 9. Together with earlier spectroscopic data for MACS1149-JD1, our analysis of this enlarged sample provides further support for a cosmic star formation history extending beyond redshifts z ≃ 10. We use our best-fitting stellar population models to reconstruct the past rest-frame UV luminosities of our sources and discuss the implications for tracing earlier progenitors of such systems with the James Webb Space Telescope.
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.
ABSTRACT We identify four unusually bright (H < 25.5) galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope (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 O iii+Hβ lines in the 4.5 m 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 arcmin2 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 O iii+Hβ EWs of ∼1500 in the 4.5 band. Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy has been independently reported for two of our selected sources, showing Ly at redshifts of 7.7302 0.0006 and , respectively. We present similar Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy for a third selected galaxy with a probable 4.7 Ly line at zspec = 7.4770 0.0008. All three have H160-band magnitudes of ∼25 mag and are ∼0.5 mag more luminous (M1600 ∼ −22.0) than any previously discovered z ∼ 8 galaxy, with important implications for the UV luminosity function (LF). Our three brightest and 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.
ABSTRACT
Early JWST spectroscopic campaigns have confirmed the presence of strong O iii line-emitting galaxies in the redshift interval 7 < z < 9. Although deduced earlier from Spitzer photometry as ...an indicative of young stellar populations, some studies suggested the relevant photometric excesses attributed to O iii emission could, in part, be due to Balmer breaks arising from older stars. We demonstrate that this is likely the case by exploiting medium-band near-infrared JWST photometry in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. We locate a sample of six galaxies with redshifts 8.2<z <8.6 for which the relevant medium-band filters enables us to separate the contributions of O iii emission and a Balmer break, thereby breaking earlier degeneracies of interpretation. The technique is particularly valuable since it provides photometric redshifts whose precision, $\Delta \, z\simeq \, \pm 0.08$, approaches that of spectroscopic campaigns now underway with JWST. Although some sources are young, a third of our sample have prominent Balmer breaks consistent with stellar ages of ≥150 Myr. Our results indicate that even intense O iii emitters experienced episodes of earlier star formation to z ∼10 and beyond, as is now being independently deduced from direct detection of the progenitors of similar systems.
ABSTRACT
Outflows form an integral component in regulating the gas cycling in and out of galaxies, although their impact on the galaxy hosts is still poorly understood. Here we present an analysis of ...405 high mass (log M*/M⊙ ≥ 10), star-forming galaxies (excluding AGN) with low inclinations at z ∼ 0, using stacking techniques of the Na D λλ5889, 5895 Å neutral gas tracer in IFU observations from the MaNGA DR15 survey. We detect outflows in the central regions of 78/405 galaxies and determine their extent and power through the construction of stacked annuli. We find outflows are most powerful in central regions and extend out to ∼1Re, with declining mass outflow rates and loading factors as a function of radius. The stacking of spaxels over key galaxy quantities reveals outflow detections in regions of high ΣSFR (≳0.01 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2) and $\Sigma _{M_{*}}$ (≳107 M⊙ kpc−2) along the resolved main sequence. Clear correlations with ΣSFR suggest it is the main regulator of outflows, with a critical threshold of ∼0.01 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2 needed to escape the weight of the disc and launch them. Furthermore, measurements of the Hδ and Dn4000 indices reveal virtually identical star formation histories between galaxies with outflows and those without. Finally, through stacking of H i 21 cm observations for a subset of our sample, we find outflow galaxies show reduced H i gas fractions at central velocities compared to their non-detection control counterparts, suggestive of some removal of H i gas, likely in the central regions of the galaxies, but not enough to completely quench the host.
PDF
