Aims. We analyse the properties of the host galaxies of a NeV-selected sample to investigate whether and how they are affected by the AGN. Methods. We have selected a sample of galaxies at 0.62 < z ...< 1.2 from the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS) and divided it in blue cloud galaxies, red passive galaxies and green valley galaxies using the NUVrK diagram. Within each category, galaxies with AGN activity were identified based on the detection of the high-ionisation NeVλ3426 emission line. For each galaxy we derived several properties (stellar age and mass, the (r−K) colour, the OII luminosity) and compared them between active and inactive galaxies matched in stellar mass and redshift. Results. We find statistically significant differences in the properties between active and inactive galaxies. These differences imply that the AGN is more often found in galaxies with younger stellar populations and more recent star-forming activity than their parent samples. Interestingly, the AGN identified through the NeVλ3426 emission line is not commonly found by traditional AGN-selection techniques based on shallow X-ray data, mid-IR colours, and classical line diagnostic diagrams, and might thus reveal a specific evolutionary phase. The spectral analysis reveals a sub-set of AGN within the blue cloud that has spectral signatures implying a sudden suppression of star formation activity similar to post-starburst galaxies. Conclusion. Using the rich dataset of the large VIPERS sample we identify a novel class of active post-starburst galaxies that would be missed by traditional selection techniques. These galaxies belong to the blue cloud, but their star-formation activity has been recently suppressed, possibly by the AGN identified through the presence of the NeVλ3426 emission line in their spectra. Our results support the idea that AGN feedback may be responsible for halting star-formation in active blue galaxies and for their transition into the red sequence, at least in the 0.6–1.2 redshift range and for stellar masses greater than 5 × 1010 ℳ⊙. Our results are based on a complete spectroscopic sample and limited by the NeV observability, and the AGN can be variable and with a relatively short duty cycle. Considering this, AGN feedback that makes blue galaxies quickly transition to the red sequence may be even more common than previously believed.
The VIPERS galaxy survey has measured the clustering of 0.5 < z < 1.2 galaxies, enabling a number of measurements of galaxy properties and cosmological redshift-space distortions (RSD). Because the ...measurements were made using one-pass of the VIMOS instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the galaxies observed only represent approximately 47% of the parent target sample, with a distribution imprinted with the pattern of the VIMOS slitmask. Correcting for the effect on clustering has previously been achieved using an approximate approach developed using mock catalogues. Pairwise inverse probability (PIP) weighting has recently been proposed to correct for missing galaxies, and we apply it to mock VIPERS catalogues to show that it accurately corrects the clustering for the VIMOS effects, matching the clustering measured from the observed sample to that of the parent. We then apply PIP-weighting to the VIPERS data, and fit the resulting monopole and quadrupole moments of the galaxy two-point correlation function with respect to the line-of-sight, making measurements of RSD. The results are close to previous measurements, showing that the previous approximate methods used by the VIPERS team are sufficient given the errors obtained on the RSD parameter.
Context. Identifying spurious reduction artefacts in galaxy spectra is a challenge for large surveys. Aims. We present an algorithm for identifying and repairing spurious residual features in ...sky-subtracted galaxy spectra by using data from the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS) as a test case. Methods. The algorithm uses principal component analysis (PCA) applied to the galaxy spectra in the observed frame to identify sky line residuals imprinted at characteristic wavelengths. We further model the galaxy spectra in the rest-frame using PCA to estimate the most probable continuum in the corrupted spectral regions, which are then repaired. Results. We apply the method to ~90000 spectra from the VIPERS survey and compare the results with a subset for which careful editing was performed by hand. We find that the automatic technique reproduces the time-consuming manual cleaning in a uniform and objective manner across a large data sample. The mask data products produced in this work are released together with the VIPERS second public data release (PDR-2).
Aims. Various galaxy classification schemes have been developed so far to constrain the main physical processes regulating evolution of different galaxy types. In the era of a deluge of astrophysical ...information and recent progress in machine learning, a new approach to galaxy classification has become imperative. Methods. In this paper, we employ a Fisher Expectation-Maximization (FEM) unsupervised algorithm working in a parameter space of 12 rest-frame magnitudes and spectroscopic redshift. The model (DBk) and the number of classes (12) were established based on the joint analysis of standard statistical criteria and confirmed by the analysis of the galaxy distribution with respect to a number of classes and their properties. This new approach allows us to classify galaxies based on only their redshifts and ultraviolet to near-infrared (UV–NIR) spectral energy distributions. Results. The FEM unsupervised algorithm has automatically distinguished 12 classes: 11 classes of VIPERS galaxies and an additional class of broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs). After a first broad division into blue, green, and red categories, we obtained a further sub-division into: three red, three green, and five blue galaxy classes. The FEM classes follow the galaxy sequence from the earliest to the latest types, which is reflected in their colours (which are constructed from rest-frame magnitudes used in the classification procedure) but also their morphological, physical, and spectroscopic properties (not included in the classification scheme). We demonstrate that the members of each class share similar physical and spectral properties. In particular, we are able to find three different classes of red passive galaxy populations. Thus, we demonstrate the potential of an unsupervised approach to galaxy classification and we retrieve the complexity of galaxy populations at z ∼ 0.7, a task that usual, simpler, colour-based approaches cannot fulfil.
Aims. The three-point correlation function (3PCF) is a powerful probe to investigate the clustering of matter in the Universe in a complementary way with respect to lower-order statistics, providing ...additional information with respect to the two-point correlation function and allowing us to shed light on biasing, non-linear processes, and deviations from Gaussian statistics. In this paper, we analyse the first data release of the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS), determining the dependence of the three-point correlation function on luminosity and stellar mass at z = 0.5,1.1 . Methods. We exploit the VIPERS Public Data Release 1, consisting of more than 50 000 galaxies with B-band magnitudes in the range − 21.6 ≲ MB − 5log (h) ≲ − 19.9 and stellar masses in the range 9.8 ≲ log (M⋆ h-2M⊙ ) ≲ 10.7. We measure both the connected 3PCF and the reduced 3PCF in redshift space, probing different configurations and scales, in the range 2.5 <rh-1 Mpc < 20. Results. We find a significant dependence of the reduced 3PCF on scales and triangle shapes, with stronger anisotropy at larger scales (r ~ 10h-1 Mpc ) and an almost flat trend at smaller scales, r ~ 2.5h-1 Mpc . Massive and luminous galaxies present a larger connected 3PCF, while the reduced 3PCF is remarkably insensitive to magnitude and stellar masses in the range we explored. These trends, already observed at low redshifts, are confirmed for the first time to be still valid up to z = 1.1, providing support to the hierarchical scenario for which massive and bright systems are expected to be more clustered. The possibility of using the measured 3PCF to provide independent constraints on the linear galaxy bias b has also been explored, showing promising results in agreement with other probes.
Aims. We present a catalog of 213 type-2 AGN selected from the zCOSMOS survey. The selected sample covers a wide redshift range (0.15 < z < 0.92) and is deeper than any other previous study, ...encompassing the luminosity range $10^{5.5}$ $L_{\odot}$ < $L_{\rm OIII}$ < $10^{9.1}$ $L_{\odot}$. We explore the intrinsic properties of these AGN and the relation to their X-ray emission (derived from the XMM-COSMOS observations). We study their evolution by computing the O iiiλ5007$~\AA$ line luminosity function (LF) and we constrain the fraction of obscured AGN as a function of luminosity and redshift. Methods. The sample was selected on the basis of the optical emission line ratios, after applying a cut to the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the relevant lines. We used the standard diagnostic diagrams (O iii/H${\beta}$ versus N ii/H${\alpha}$ and O iii/H${\beta}$ versus S ii/H${\alpha}$) to isolate AGN in the redshift range 0.15 < z < 0.45 and the diagnostic diagram O iii/H${\beta}$ versus O ii/H${\beta}$ to extend the selection to higher redshift (0.5 < z < 0.92). Results. Combining our sample with one drawn from SDSS, we found that the best description of the evolution of type-2 AGN is a luminosity-dependent density evolution model. Moreover, using the type-1 AGN LF we were able to constrain the fraction of type-2 AGN to the total (type-1 + type-2) AGN population. We found that the type-2 fraction decreases with luminosity, in agreement with the most recent results, and shows signs of a slight increase with redshift. However, the trend with luminosity is visible only after combining the SDSS+zCOSMOS samples. From the COSMOS data points alone, the type-2 fraction seems to be quite constant with luminosity.
We develop a Principal Component Analysis aimed at classifying a subset of 27 350 spectra of galaxies in the range 0.4 < z < 1.0 collected by the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS). ...We apply an iterative algorithm to simultaneously repair parts of spectra affected by noise and/or sky residuals, and reconstruct gaps due to rest-frame transformation, and obtain a set of orthogonal spectral templates that span the diversity of galaxy types. By taking the three most significant components, we find that we can describe the whole sample without contamination from noise. We produce a catalogue of eigencoefficients and template spectra that will be part of future VIPERS data releases. Our templates effectively condense the spectral information into two coefficients that can be related to the age and star formation rate of the galaxies. We examine the spectrophotometric types in this space and identify early, intermediate, late and starburst galaxies.
We have used the final data from the VIPERS redshift survey to extract an unparalleled sample of more than 2000 massive ℳ≥1011 M⊙ passive galaxies (MPGs) at redshift 0.5≤z≤1.0, based on their NUVrK ...colours. This has enabled us to investigate how the population of these objects was built up over cosmic time. We find that the evolution of the number density depends on the galaxy mean surface stellar mass density, Σ. In particular, dense (Σ≥2000 M⊙ pc-2) MPGs show a constant comoving number density over this redshift range, whilst this increases by a factor of approximately four for the least dense objects, defined as having Σ < 1000 M⊙ pc-2. We estimated stellar ages for the MPG population both fitting the spectral energy distribution (SED) and through the D4000n index, obtaining results in good agreement. Our findings are consistent with passive ageing of the stellar content of dense MPGs. We show that at any redshift the less dense MPGs are younger than dense ones and that their stellar populations evolve at a slower rate than predicted by passive evolution. This points to a scenario in which the overall population of MPGs was built up over the cosmic time by continuous addition of less dense galaxies: on top of an initial population of dense objects that passively evolves, new, larger, and younger MPGs continuously join the population at later epochs. Finally, we demonstrate that the observed increase in the number density of MPGs is totally accounted for by the observed decrease in the number density of correspondingly massive star forming galaxies (i.e. all the non-passive ℳ≥1011 M⊙ objects). Such systems observed at z ≃ 1 in VIPERS, therefore, represent the most plausible progenitors of the subsequent emerging class of larger MPGs.
We present a measurement of the dependence of galaxy clustering on galaxy stellar mass at redshift z˜0.9, based on the first-epoch data from the VVDS-Deep survey. Concentrating on the redshift ...interval 0.5
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