Context. The form and evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) at high redshifts provide crucial information on star formation history and mass assembly in the young Universe, close or ...even prior to the epoch of reionization. Aims. We used the unique combination of deep optical/near-infrared/mid-infrared imaging provided by HST, Spitzer, and the VLT in the CANDELS-UDS, GOODS-South, and HUDF fields to determine the GSMF over the redshift range 3.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5. Methods. We used the HST WFC3/IR near-infrared imaging from CANDELS and HUDF09, reaching H ≃ 27 − 28.5 over a total area of 369 arcmin2, in combination with associated deep HST ACS optical data, deep Spitzer IRAC imaging from the SEDS programme, and deep Y and K-band VLT Hawk-I images from the HUGS programme, to select a galaxy sample with high-quality photometric redshifts. These have been calibrated with more than 150 spectroscopic redshifts in the range 3.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5, resulting in an overall precision of σz/ (1 + z) ~ 0.037. With this database we have determined the low-mass end of the high-redshift GSMF with unprecedented precision, reaching down to masses as low as M∗ ~ 109 M⊙ at z = 4 and ~6 × 109 M⊙ at z = 7. Results. We find that the GSMF at 3.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5 depends only slightly on the recipes adopted to measure the stellar masses, namely the photometric redshifts, the star formation histories, the nebular contribution, or the presence of AGN in the parent sample. The low-mass end of the GSMF is steeper than has been found at lower redshifts, but appears to be unchanged over the redshift range probed here. Meanwhile the high-mass end of the GSMF appears to evolve primarily in density, although there is also some evidence of evolution in characteristic mass. Our results are very different from previous mass function estimates based on converting UV galaxy luminosity functions into mass functions via tight mass-to-light relations. Integrating our evolving GSMF over mass, we find that the growth of stellar mass density is barely consistent with the time-integral of the star formation rate density over cosmic time at z> 4. Conclusions. These results confirm the unique synergy of the CANDELS+HUDF, HUGS, and SEDS surveys for the discovery and study of moderate/low-mass galaxies at high redshifts, and reaffirm the importance of space-based infrared selection for the unbiased measurement of the evolving GSMF in the young Universe.
The dust mass function from z ∼0 to z ∼2.5 Pozzi, F; Calura, F; Zamorani, G ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
02/2020, Letnik:
491, Številka:
4
Journal Article
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ABSTRACT
We derive for the first time the dust mass function (DMF) in a wide redshift range, from z ∼ 0.2 up to z ∼ 2.5. In order to trace the dust emission, we start from a far-IR (160-μm) Herschel ...selected catalogue in the COSMOS field. We estimate the dust masses by fitting the far-IR data (λrest$\,\, \buildrel\gt \over \sim \,\,$50 μm) with a modified black body function and we present a detailed analysis to take into account the incompleteness in dust masses from a far-IR perspective. By parametrizing the observed DMF with a Schechter function in the redshift range 0.1 < z ≤ 0.25, where we are able to sample faint dust masses, we measure a steep slope (α ∼1.48), as found by the majority of works in the Local Universe. We detect a strong dust mass evolution, with $M_{\rm d}^{\star }$ at z ∼ 2.5 almost 1 dex larger than in the local Universe, combined with a decrease in their number density. Integrating our DMFs, we estimate the dust mass density (DMD), finding a broad peak at z ∼ 1, with a decrease by a factor of ∼ 3 towards z ∼ 0 and z ∼ 2.5. In general, the trend found for the DMD mostly agrees with the derivation of Driver et al., another DMD determination based also on far-IR detections, and with other measures based on indirect tracers.
The estimate of stellar metallicities (
Z
*
) of high-
z
galaxies are of paramount importance in order to understand the complexity of dust effects and the reciprocal interrelations among stellar ...mass, dust attenuation, stellar age, and metallicity. Benefiting from uniquely deep far-UV spectra of > 500 star-forming galaxies at redshifts 2 <
z
< 5 extracted from the VANDELS survey and stacked in bins of stellar mass (
M
*
) and UV continuum slope (
β
), we estimate their stellar metallicities
Z
*
from stellar photospheric absorption features at 1501 and 1719 Å, which are calibrated with Starburst99 models and are largely unaffected by stellar age, dust, IMF, nebular continuum, or interstellar absorption. Comparing them to photometric-based spectral slopes in the 1250–1750 Å range, we find that the stellar metallicity increases by ∼0.5 dex from
β
∼ −2 to
β
∼ −1 (1 ≲
A
1600
≲ 3.2), and a dependence with
β
holds at fixed UV absolute luminosity
M
UV
and stellar mass up to ∼10
9.65
M
⊙
. As a result, metallicity is a fundamental ingredient for properly rescaling dust corrections based on
M
UV
and
M
*
. Using the same absorption features, we analyzed the mass-metallicity relation (MZR), and find it to be consistent with the previous VANDELS estimation based on a global fit of the FUV spectra. Similarly, we do not find a significant evolution between
z
∼ 2 and
z
∼ 3.5. Finally, the slopes of our MZR and
Z
*
−
β
relation are in agreement with the predictions of well-studied semi-analytic models (SAM) of galaxy formation, while some tensions remain concerning the absolute metallicity normalization. The relation between the UV slope and stellar metallicity is fundamental to the exploitation of large volume surveys with next-generation telescopes and for the physical characterization of galaxies in the first billion years of our Universe.
ABSTRACT
We investigate the clustering properties of 3 < z < 5 candidate passive galaxies from the Merlin et al. (2019) sample residing in the GOODS-North (35 sources) and GOODS-South (33 sources) ...fields. Within the large uncertainties due to the paucity of sources we do not detect clustering signal in GOODS-North, while this is present in GOODS-South, highlighting the importance of the effects of cosmic variance. The estimated correlation length in GOODS-South is $r_0=12^{+4}_{-5}$ Mpc, while the estimated minimum mass for a halo capable to host one of such high-redshift quenched galaxies is log10(Mmin/M⊙) = 13.0 ± 0.3, once also the constraints from their space density are taken into account. Both values are compatible with the results from GOODS-North. Putting the above findings in a cosmological context, these suggest no evolution of the dark matter content of the hosts of passive galaxies during the past 12.5 Gyr, i.e. during more than 90 per cent of the age of the Universe. We discuss possible scenarios for the observed trend.
We show that molecular nanomagnets have a potential advantage in the crucial rush toward quantum computers. Indeed, the sizable number of accessible low-energy states of these systems can be ...exploited to define qubits with embedded quantum error correction. We derive the scheme to achieve this crucial objective and the corresponding sequence of microwave/radiofrequency pulses needed for the error correction procedure. The effectiveness of our approach is shown already with a minimal S = 3/2 unit corresponding to an existing molecule, and the scaling to larger spin systems is quantitatively analyzed.
Abstract
We search for passive galaxies at z > 3 in the GOODS-South field, using different techniques based on photometric data, and paying attention to develop methods that are sensitive to objects ...that have become passive shortly before the epoch of observation. We use CANDELS HST catalogues, ultra-deep Ks data and new IRAC photometry, performing spectral energy distribution fitting using models with abruptly quenched star formation histories. We then single out galaxies which are best fitted by a passively evolving model, and having only low probability (<5 per cent) star-forming solutions. We verify the effects of including nebular lines emission, and we consider possible solutions at different redshifts. The number of selected sources dramatically depends on the models used in the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting. Without including emission lines and with photometric redshifts fixed at the CANDELS estimate, we single out 30 candidates; the inclusion of nebular lines emission reduces the sample to 10 objects; allowing for solutions at different redshifts, only two galaxies survive as robust candidates. Most of the candidates are not far-infrared emitters, corroborating their association with passive galaxies. Our results translate into an upper limit in the number density of ∼0.173 arcmin2 above the detection limit. However, we conclude that the selection of passive galaxies at z > 3 is still subject to significant uncertainties, being sensitive to assumptions in the SED modelling adopted and to the relatively low S/N of the objects. By means of dedicated simulations, we show that JWST will greatly enhance the accuracy, allowing for a much more robust classification.
Phonons are the main source of relaxation in molecular nanomagnets, and different mechanisms have been proposed in order to explain the wealth of experimental findings. However, very limited ...experimental investigations on phonons in these systems have been performed so far, yielding no information about their dispersions. Here we exploit state-of-the-art single-crystal inelastic neutron scattering to directly measure for the first time phonon dispersions in a prototypical molecular qubit. Both acoustic and optical branches are detected in crystals of VO(acac)Formula: see text along different directions in the reciprocal space. Using energies and polarisation vectors calculated with state-of-the-art Density Functional Theory, we reproduce important qualitative features of VO(acac)Formula: see text phonon modes, such as the presence of low-lying optical branches. Moreover, we evidence phonon anti-crossings involving acoustic and optical branches, yielding significant transfers of the spin-phonon coupling strength between the different modes.
Abstract
The GLASS-JWST Early Release Science (hereafter GLASS-JWST-ERS) Program will obtain and make publicly available the deepest extragalactic data of the ERS campaign. It is primarily designed ...to address two key science questions, namely, “what sources ionized the universe and when?” and “how do baryons cycle through galaxies?”, while also enabling a broad variety of first look scientific investigations. In primary mode, it will obtain NIRISS and NIRSpec spectroscopy of galaxies lensed by the foreground Hubble Frontier Field cluster, Abell 2744. In parallel, it will use NIRCam to observe two fields that are offset from the cluster center, where lensing magnification is negligible, and which can thus be effectively considered blank fields. In order to prepare the community for access to this unprecedented data, we describe the scientific rationale, the survey design (including target selection and observational setups), and present pre-commissioning estimates of the expected sensitivity. In addition, we describe the planned public releases of high-level data products, for use by the wider astronomical community.
Abstract
We present sensitive 870 μm continuum measurements from our ALMA programmes of 114 X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the Chandra Deep Field-South and Cosmic Evolution Survey ...fields. We use these observations in combination with data from Spitzer and Herschel to construct a sample of 86 X-ray selected AGN, 63 with ALMA constraints at z = 1.5–3.2 with stellar mass >2 × 1010 M⊙. We constructed broad-band spectral energy distributions in the infrared band (8–1000 μm) and constrain star-formation rates (SFRs) uncontaminated by the AGN. Using a hierarchical Bayesian method that takes into account the information from upper limits, we fit SFR and specific SFR (sSFR) distributions. We explore these distributions as a function of both X-ray luminosity and stellar mass. We compare our measurements to two versions of the Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments (EAGLE) hydrodynamical simulations: the reference model with AGN feedback and the model without AGN. We find good agreement between the observations and that predicted by the EAGLE reference model for the modes and widths of the sSFR distributions as a function of both X-ray luminosity and stellar mass; however, we found that the EAGLE model without AGN feedback predicts a significantly narrower width when compared to the data. Overall, from the combination of the observations with the model predictions, we conclude that (1) even with AGN feedback, we expect no strong relationship between the sSFR distribution parameters and instantaneous AGN luminosity and (2) a signature of AGN feedback is a broad distribution of sSFRs for all galaxies (not just those hosting an AGN) with stellar masses above ≈1010 M⊙.
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