Abstract
We report the first results of a high-redshift (
z
≳ 5) quasar survey using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). As a DESI secondary target program, this survey is designed to ...carry out a systematic search and investigation of quasars at 4.8 <
z
< 6.8. The target selection is based on the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys (the Legacy Surveys) DR9 photometry, combined with the Pan-STARRS1 data and
J
-band photometry from public surveys. A first quasar sample has been constructed from the DESI Survey Validation 3 (SV3) and first-year observations until 2022 May. This sample includes more than 400 new quasars at redshift 4.7 ≤
z
< 6.6, down to 21.5 magnitude (AB) in the
z
band, discovered from 35% of the entire target sample. Remarkably, there are 220 new quasars identified at
z
≥ 5, more than one-third of existing quasars previously published at this redshift. The observations so far result in an average success rate of 23% at
z
> 4.7. The current spectral data set has already allowed analysis of interesting individual objects (e.g., quasars with damped Ly
α
absorbers and broad absorption line features), and statistical analysis will follow the survey’s completion. A set of science projects will be carried out leveraging this program, including quasar luminosity function, quasar clustering, intergalactic medium, quasar spectral properties, intervening absorbers, and properties of early supermassive black holes. Additionally, a sample of 38 new quasars at
z
∼ 3.8–5.7 discovered from a pilot survey in the DESI SV1 is also published in this paper.
Abstract
Changing-look active galactic nuclei (CL AGNs) can be generally confirmed by the emergence (turn-on) or disappearance (turn-off) of broad emission lines (BELs), associated with a transient ...timescale (about 100 ∼ 5000 days) that is much shorter than predicted by traditional accretion disk models. We carry out a systematic CL AGN search by crossmatching the spectra coming from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Following previous studies, we identify CL AGNs based on H
α
, H
β
, and Mg
ii
at
z
≤ 0.75 and Mg
ii
, C
iii
, and C
iv
at
z
> 0.75. We present 56 CL AGNs based on visual inspection and three selection criteria, including 2 H
α
, 34 H
β
, 9 Mg
ii
, 18 C
iii
, and 1 C
iv
CL AGN. Eight cases show simultaneous appearances/disappearances of two BELs. We also present 44 CL AGN candidates with significant flux variation of BELs, but remaining strong broad components. In the confirmed CL AGNs, 10 cases show additional CL candidate features for different lines. In this paper, we find: (1) a 24:32 ratio of turn-on to turn-off CL AGNs; (2) an upper-limit transition timescale ranging from 330 to 5762 days in the rest frame; and (3) the majority of CL AGNs follow the bluer-when-brighter trend. Our results greatly increase the current CL census (∼30%) and would be conducive to exploring the underlying physical mechanism.
Abstract
In the current Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey, emission line galaxies (ELGs) and luminous red galaxies (LRGs) are essential for mapping the dark matter distribution at
z
...∼ 1. We measure the auto and cross correlation functions of ELGs and LRGs at 0.8 <
z
≤ 1.0 from the DESI One-Percent survey. Following Gao et al., we construct the galaxy–halo connections for ELGs and LRGs simultaneously. With the stellar–halo mass relation for the whole galaxy population (i.e., normal galaxies), LRGs can be selected directly by stellar mass, while ELGs can also be selected randomly based on the observed number density of each stellar mass, once the probability
P
sat
of a satellite galaxy becoming an ELG is determined. We demonstrate that the observed small scale clustering prefers a halo mass-dependent
P
sat
model rather than a constant. With this model, we can well reproduce the auto correlations of LRGs and the cross correlations between LRGs and ELGs at
r
p
> 0.1 Mpc
h
−1
. We can also reproduce the auto correlations of ELGs at
r
p
> 0.3 Mpc
h
−1
(
s
> 1 Mpc
h
−1
) in real (redshift) space. Although our model has only seven parameters, we show that it can be extended to higher redshifts and reproduces the observed auto correlations of ELGs in the whole range of 0.8 <
z
≤ 1.6, which enables us to generate a lightcone ELG mock for DESI. With the above model, we further derive halo occupation distributions for ELGs, which can be used to produce ELG mocks in coarse simulations without resolving subhalos.
Abstract We present strong constraints on the spacetime variation of the fine-structure constant α using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). In this pilot work, we utilize ∼110,000 ...galaxies with strong and narrow O iii λ λ 4959, 5007 emission lines to measure the relative variation Δ α / α in space and time. The O iii doublet is arguably the best choice for this purpose owing to its wide wavelength separation between the two lines and its strong emission in many galaxies. Our galaxy sample spans a redshift range of 0 < z < 0.95, covering half of all cosmic time. We divide the sample into subsamples in 10 redshift bins (Δ z = 0.1), and calculate Δ α / α for the individual subsamples. The uncertainties of the measured Δ α / α are roughly between 2 × 10 −6 and 2 × 10 −5 . We find an apparent α variation with redshift at a level of Δ α / α = (2–3) × 10 −5 . This is highly likely to be caused by systematics associated with wavelength calibration, since such small systematics can be caused by a wavelength distortion of 0.002–0.003 Å, which is beyond the accuracy that the current DESI data can achieve. We refine the wavelength calibration using sky lines for a small fraction of the galaxies, but this does not change our main results. We further probe the spatial variation of α in small redshift ranges, and do not find obvious, large-scale structures in the spatial distribution of Δ α / α . As DESI is ongoing, we will include more galaxies, and by improving the wavelength calibration, we expect to obtain a better constraint that is comparable to the strongest current constraint.
Abstract We explore the galaxy-halo connection information that is available in low-redshift samples from the early data release of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). We model the halo ...occupation distribution (HOD) from z = 0.1 to 0.3 using Survey Validation 3 (SV3; a.k.a., the One-Percent Survey) data of the DESI Bright Galaxy Survey. In addition to more commonly used metrics, we incorporate counts-in-cylinders (CiC) measurements, which drastically tighten HOD constraints. Our analysis is aided by the Python package, galtab , which enables the rapid, precise prediction of CiC for any HOD model available in halotools . This methodology allows our Markov chains to converge with much fewer trial points, and enables even more drastic speedups due to its GPU portability. Our HOD fits constrain characteristic halo masses tightly and provide statistical evidence for assembly bias, especially at lower luminosity thresholds: the HOD of central galaxies in z ∼ 0.15 samples with limiting absolute magnitude M r < −20.0 and M r < −20.5 samples is positively correlated with halo concentration with a significance of 99.9% and 99.5%, respectively. Our models also favor positive central assembly bias for the brighter M r < −21.0 sample at z ∼ 0.25 (94.8% significance), but there is no significant evidence for assembly bias with the same luminosity threshold at z ∼ 0.15. We provide our constraints for each threshold sample’s characteristic halo masses, assembly bias, and other HOD parameters. These constraints are expected to be significantly tightened with future DESI data, which will span an area 100 times larger than that of SV3.
Abstract
We present the first result in exploring the gaseous halo and galaxy correlation using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument survey validation data in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) ...and Hyper Suprime-Cam field. We obtain multiphase gaseous halo properties in the circumgalactic medium by using 115 quasar spectra (signal-to-noise ratio > 3). We detect Mg
ii
absorption at redshift 0.6 <
z
< 2.5, C
iv
absorption at 1.6 <
z
< 3.6, and H
i
absorption associated with the Mg
ii
and C
iv
. By crossmatching the COSMOS2020 catalog, we identify the Mg
ii
and C
iv
host galaxies in 10 quasar fields at 0.9<
z
< 3.1. We find that within the impact parameter of 250 kpc, a tight correlation is seen between the strong Mg
ii
equivalent width and the host galaxy star formation rate. The covering fraction
f
c
of the strong Mg
ii
selected galaxies, which is the ratio of the absorbing galaxy in a certain galaxy population, shows significant evolution in the main-sequence galaxies and marginal evolution in all the galaxy populations within 250 kpc at 0.9 <
z
< 2.2. The
f
c
increase in the main-sequence galaxies likely suggests the coevolution of strong Mg
ii
absorbing gas and the main-sequence galaxies at the cosmic noon. Furthermore, Mg
ii
and C
iv
absorbing gas is detected out of the galaxy virial radius, tentatively indicating the feedback produced by the star formation and/or the environmental effects.
Abstract We present the probabilistic stellar mass function (pSMF) of galaxies in the DESI Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS), observed during the One-percent Survey. The One-percent Survey was one of DESI’s ...survey validation programs conducted from 2021 April to May, before the start of the main survey. It used the same target selection and similar observing strategy as the main survey and successfully observed the spectra and redshifts of 143,017 galaxies in the r < 19.5 magnitude-limited BGS Bright sample and 95,499 galaxies in the fainter surface-brightness- and color-selected BGS Faint sample over z < 0.6. We derive pSMFs from posteriors of stellar mass, M * , inferred from DESI photometry and spectroscopy using the Hahn et al. PRObabilistic Value-Added BGS (PROVABGS) Bayesian spectral energy distribution modeling framework. We use a hierarchical population inference framework that statistically and rigorously propagates the M * uncertainties. Furthermore, we include correction weights that account for the selection effects and incompleteness of the BGS observations. We present the redshift evolution of the pSMF in BGS, as well as the pSMFs of star-forming and quiescent galaxies classified using average specific star formation rates from PROVABGS. Overall, the pSMFs show good agreement with previous stellar mass function measurements in the literature. Our pSMFs showcase the potential and statistical power of BGS, which in its main survey will observe >100 × more galaxies. Moreover, we present the statistical framework for subsequent population statistics measurements using BGS, which will characterize the global galaxy population and scaling relations at low redshifts with unprecedented precision.
Abstract
Galactic conformity is the phenomenon whereby a galaxy of a certain physical property is correlated with its neighbors of the same property, implying a possible causal relationship. The ...observed auto correlations of emission-line galaxies (ELGs) from the highly complete DESI One-Percent Survey exhibit a strong clustering signal on small scales, providing clear evidence for the conformity effect of ELGs. Building upon the original subhalo abundance-matching (SHAM) method developed by Gao et al., we propose a concise conformity model to improve the ELG–halo connection. In this model, the number of satellite ELGs is boosted by a factor of ∼5 in the halos whose central galaxies are ELGs. We show that the mean ELG satellite number in such central halos is still smaller than 1 and that the model does not significantly increase the overall satellite fraction. With this model, we can well recover the ELG auto correlations to the smallest scales explored with the current data (i.e.,
r
p
> 0.03 Mpc
h
−1
in real space and at
s
> 0.3 Mpc
h
−1
in redshift space), while the cross correlations between luminous red galaxies and ELGs are nearly unchanged. Although our SHAM model has only eight parameters, we further verify that it can accurately describe the ELG clustering in the entire redshift range from
z
= 0.8 to 1.6. We therefore expect that this method can be used to generate high-quality ELG lightcone mocks for DESI.
Abstract
We present findings of the detection of Magnesium II (Mg
ii
,
λ
= 2796, 2803 Å) absorbers from the early data release of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). DESI is projected to ...obtain spectroscopy of approximately 3 million quasars (QSOs), of which over 99% are anticipated to be at redshifts greater than
z
> 0.3, such that DESI would be able to observe an associated or intervening Mg
ii
absorber illuminated by the background QSO. We have developed an autonomous supplementary spectral pipeline that detects these systems through an initial line-fitting process and then confirms the line properties using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler. Based upon a visual inspection of the resulting systems, we estimate that this sample has a purity greater than 99%. We have also investigated the completeness of our sample in regard to both the signal-to-noise properties of the input spectra and the rest-frame equivalent width (
W
0
) of the absorber systems. From a parent catalog containing 83,207 quasars, we detect a total of 23,921 Mg
ii
absorption systems following a series of quality cuts. Extrapolating from this occurrence rate of 28.8% implies a catalog at the completion of the five-year DESI survey that will contain over eight hundred thousand Mg
ii
absorbers. The cataloging of these systems will enable significant further research because they carry information regarding circumgalactic medium environments, the distribution of intervening galaxies, and the growth of metallicity across the redshift range 0.3 ≤
z
< 2.5.
Abstract
We utilize ∼17,000 bright luminous red galaxies (LRGs) from the novel Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Survey Validation spectroscopic sample, leveraging its deep (∼2.5 hr galaxy
−1
...exposure time) spectra to characterize the contribution of recently quenched galaxies to the massive galaxy population at 0.4 <
z
< 1.3. We use
Prospector
to infer nonparametric star formation histories and identify a significant population of recently quenched galaxies that have joined the quiescent population within the past ∼1 Gyr. The highest-redshift subset (277 at
z
> 1) of our sample of recently quenched galaxies represents the largest spectroscopic sample of post-starburst galaxies at that epoch. At 0.4 <
z
< 0.8, we measure the number density of quiescent LRGs, finding that recently quenched galaxies constitute a growing fraction of the massive galaxy population with increasing look-back time. Finally, we quantify the importance of this population among massive (
log
(
M
⋆
/
M
⊙
)
> 11.2) LRGs by measuring the fraction of stellar mass each galaxy formed in the gigayear before observation,
f
1 Gyr
. Although galaxies with
f
1 Gyr
> 0.1 are rare at
z
∼ 0.4 (≲0.5% of the population), by
z
∼ 0.8, they constitute ∼3% of massive galaxies. Relaxing this threshold, we find that galaxies with
f
1 Gyr
> 5% constitute ∼10% of the massive galaxy population at
z
∼ 0.8. We also identify a small but significant sample of galaxies at
z
= 1.1–1.3 that formed with
f
1 Gyr
> 50%, implying that they may be analogs to high-redshift quiescent galaxies that formed on similar timescales. Future analysis of this unprecedented sample promises to illuminate the physical mechanisms that drive the quenching of massive galaxies after cosmic noon.
