scholarly journals LARgE survey – III. Environments of ultra-massive passive galaxies at cosmic noon: BCG progenitors growing through mergers

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (1) ◽  
pp. 1366-1374
Author(s):  
Marcin Sawicki ◽  
Liz Arcila-Osejo ◽  
Anneya Golob ◽  
Thibaud Moutard ◽  
Stéphane Arnouts ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We study the environments of a sample of 61 extremely rare $z\, \sim$1.6 Ultra-Massive Passively Evolving Galaxies (UMPEGs: stellar masses M⋆ >1011.5 M⊙) which – based on clustering analysis presented in Cheema et al. (2020) – appear to be associated with very massive (Mhalo ∼ 1014.1h−1 M⊙) dark matter haloes that are likely to be the progenitors of $z\, \sim$0 massive (Coma- and Virgo-like) galaxy clusters. We find that UMPEGs on average have fewer than one satellite galaxy with mass ratio $M_{\star }^{\text{sat}}$:$M_{\star }^{{\text{UMPEG}}}$ ≥ 1:5 (i.e. $M_{\star }^{\text{sat}}$$\gtrsim 10^{10.8}$ M⊙) within 0.5 Mpc; the large mass gap that we observe between the typical UMPEG and its most massive satellite implies that the $z\, \sim$1.6 UMPEGs assembled through major mergers. Using observed satellite counts with merger time-scales from the literature, we estimate the growth rate due to mergers with mass ratio of ≥1:4 to be ∼13 per cent Gyr−1 (with a $\sim \, 2 \times$ systematic uncertainty). This relatively low growth rate is unlikely to significantly affect the shape of the massive end of the stellar mass function, whose evolution must instead be driven by the quenching of new cohorts of ultra-massive star-forming galaxies. However, this growth rate is high enough that, if sustained to $z\, \sim$0, the typical $z\, \sim$1.6 $M_{\star }^{{\text{UMPEG}}}$ =1011.6 M⊙ UMPEG can grow into a M⋆ ≈1012 M⊙ brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) of a present-day massive galaxy cluster. Our observations favour a scenario in which our UMPEGs are main-branch progenitors of some of the present-day BCGs that have first assembled through major mergers at high redshifts and grown further through (likely minor) merging at later times.

Author(s):  
Ryley Hill Scott Chapman ◽  
Kedar A Phadke ◽  
Manuel Aravena ◽  
Melanie Archipley ◽  
Matthew L N Ashby ◽  
...  

Abstract The protocluster SPT2349−56 at z  =  4.3 contains one of the most actively star-forming cores known, yet constraints on the total stellar mass of this system are highly uncertain. We have therefore carried out deep optical and infrared observations of this system, probing rest-frame ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths. Using the positions of the spectroscopically-confirmed protocluster members, we identify counterparts and perform detailed source deblending, allowing us to fit spectral energy distributions in order to estimate stellar masses. We show that the galaxies in SPT2349−56 have stellar masses proportional to their high star-formation rates, consistent with other protocluster galaxies and field submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) around redshift 4. The galaxies in SPT2349−56 have on average lower molecular gas-to-stellar mass fractions and depletion timescales than field SMGs, although with considerable scatter. We construct the stellar-mass function for SPT2349−56 and compare it to the stellar-mass function of z  =  1 galaxy clusters, finding consistent shapes between the two. We measure rest-frame galaxy ultraviolet half-light radii from our HST-F160W imaging, finding that on average the galaxies in our sample are similar in size to typical star-forming galaxies at these redshifts. However, the brightest HST-detected galaxy in our sample, found near the luminosity-weighted centre of the protocluster core, remains unresolved at this wavelength. Hydrodynamical simulations predict that the core galaxies will quickly merge into a brightest cluster galaxy, thus our observations provide a direct view of the early formation mechanisms of this class of object.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S356) ◽  
pp. 280-284
Author(s):  
Angela Bongiorno ◽  
Andrea Travascio

AbstractXDCPJ0044.0-2033 is one of the most massive galaxy cluster at z ∼1.6, for which a wealth of multi-wavelength photometric and spectroscopic data have been collected during the last years. I have reported on the properties of the galaxy members in the very central region (∼ 70kpc × 70kpc) of the cluster, derived through deep HST photometry, SINFONI and KMOS IFU spectroscopy, together with Chandra X-ray, ALMA and JVLA radio data.In the core of the cluster, we have identified two groups of galaxies (Complex A and Complex B), seven of them confirmed to be cluster members, with signatures of ongoing merging. These galaxies show perturbed morphologies and, three of them show signs of AGN activity. In particular, two of them, located at the center of each complex, have been found to host luminous, obscured and highly accreting AGN (λ = 0.4−0.6) exhibiting broad Hα line. Moreover, a third optically obscured type-2 AGN, has been discovered through BPT diagram in Complex A. The AGN at the center of Complex B is detected in X-ray while the other two, and their companions, are spatially related to radio emission. The three AGN provide one of the closest AGN triple at z > 1 revealed so far with a minimum (maximum) projected distance of 10 kpc (40 kpc). The discovery of multiple AGN activity in a highly star-forming region associated to the crowded core of a galaxy cluster at z ∼ 1.6, suggests that these processes have a key role in shaping the nascent Brightest Cluster Galaxy, observed at the center of local clusters. According to our data, all galaxies in the core of XDCPJ0044.0-2033 could form a BCG of M* ∼ 1012Mȯ hosting a BH of 2 × 108−109Mȯ, in a time scale of the order of 2.5 Gyrs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 487 (1) ◽  
pp. 1210-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariane Trudeau ◽  
Tracy Webb ◽  
Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo ◽  
Allison Noble ◽  
Marie-Lou Gendron-Marsolais ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We present deep, multiwavelength radio observations of SpARCS104922.6 + 564032.5, a z = 1.71 galaxy cluster with a starbursting core. Observations were made with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) in three bands: 1–2 GHz, 4–8 GHz, and 8–12 GHz. We detect a radio source coincident with the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) that has a spectral index of α = 0.44 ± 0.29 and is indicative of emission from an active galactic nucleus. The radio luminosity is consistent with the average luminosity of the lower redshift BCG sample, but the flux densities are 6σ below the predicted values of the star-forming spectral energy distribution based on far infrared data. Our new fit fails to simultaneously describe the far infrared and radio fluxes. This, coupled with the fact that no other bright source is detected in the vicinity of the BCG implies that the star formation region, traced by the infrared emission, is extended or clumpy and not located directly within the BCG. Thus, we suggest that the star-forming core might not be driven by a single major wet merger, but rather by several smaller galaxies stripped of their gas or by a displaced cooling flow, although more data are needed to confirm any of those scenarios.


2018 ◽  
Vol 610 ◽  
pp. A82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maret Einasto ◽  
Boris Deshev ◽  
Heidi Lietzen ◽  
Rain Kipper ◽  
Elmo Tempel ◽  
...  

Context. Superclusters of galaxies provide dynamical environments for the study of the formation and evolution of structures in the cosmic web from galaxies, to the richest galaxy clusters, and superclusters themselves. Aims. We study galaxy populations and search for possible merging substructures in the rich galaxy cluster A2142 in the collapsing core of the supercluster SCl A2142, which may give rise to radio and X-ray structures in the cluster, and affect galaxy properties of this cluster. Methods. We used normal mixture modelling to select substructure of the cluster A2142. We compared alignments of the cluster, its brightest galaxies (hereafter BCGs), subclusters, and supercluster axes. The projected phase space (PPS) diagram and clustercentric distributions are used to analyse the dynamics of the cluster and study the distribution of various galaxy populations in the cluster and subclusters. Results. We find several infalling galaxy groups and subclusters. The cluster, supercluster, BCGs, and one infalling subcluster are all aligned. Their orientation is correlated with the alignment of the radio and X-ray haloes of the cluster. Galaxy populations in the main cluster and in the outskirts subclusters are different. Galaxies in the centre of the main cluster at the clustercentric distances 0.5 h−1 Mpc (Dc∕Rvir < 0.5, Rvir = 0.9 h−1 Mpc) have older stellar populations (with the median age of 10−11 Gyr) than galaxies at larger clustercentric distances. Star-forming and recently quenched galaxies are located mostly at the clustercentric distances Dc ≈ 1.8 h−1 Mpc, where subclusters fall into the cluster and the properties of galaxies change rapidly. In this region the median age of stellar populations of galaxies is about 2 Gyr. Galaxies in A2142 on average have higher stellar masses, lower star formation rates, and redder colours than galaxies in rich groups. The total mass in infalling groups and subclusters is M ≈ 6 × 1014 h−1 M⊙, that is approximately half of the mass of the cluster. This mass is sufficient for the mass growth of the cluster from redshift z = 0.5 (half-mass epoch) to the present. Conclusions. Our analysis suggests that the cluster A2142 has formed as a result of past and present mergers and infallen groups, predominantly along the supercluster axis. Mergers cause complex radio and X-ray structure of the cluster and affect the properties of galaxies in the cluster, especially at the boundaries of the cluster in the infall region. Explaining the differences between galaxy populations, mass, and richness of A2142, and other groups and clusters may lead to better insight about the formation and evolution of rich galaxy clusters.


2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A39 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Jeřábková ◽  
A. Hasani Zonoozi ◽  
P. Kroupa ◽  
G. Beccari ◽  
Z. Yan ◽  
...  

The stellar initial mass function (IMF) is commonly assumed to be an invariant probability density distribution function of initial stellar masses. These initial stellar masses are generally represented by the canonical IMF, which is defined as the result of one star formation event in an embedded cluster. As a consequence, the galaxy-wide IMF (gwIMF) should also be invariant and of the same form as the canonical IMF; gwIMF is defined as the sum of the IMFs of all star-forming regions in which embedded clusters form and spawn the galactic field population of the galaxy. Recent observational and theoretical results challenge the hypothesis that the gwIMF is invariant. In order to study the possible reasons for this variation, it is useful to relate the observed IMF to the gwIMF. Starting with the IMF determined in resolved star clusters, we apply the IGIMF-theory to calculate a comprehensive grid of gwIMF models for metallicities, [Fe/H] ∈ (−3, 1), and galaxy-wide star formation rates (SFRs), SFR ∈ (10−5, 105) M⊙ yr−1. For a galaxy with metallicity [Fe/H] < 0 and SFR > 1 M⊙ yr−1, which is a common condition in the early Universe, we find that the gwIMF is both bottom light (relatively fewer low-mass stars) and top heavy (more massive stars), when compared to the canonical IMF. For a SFR < 1 M⊙ yr−1 the gwIMF becomes top light regardless of the metallicity. For metallicities [Fe/H] > 0 the gwIMF can become bottom heavy regardless of the SFR. The IGIMF models predict that massive elliptical galaxies should have formed with a gwIMF that is top heavy within the first few hundred Myr of the life of the galaxy and that it evolves into a bottom heavy gwIMF in the metal-enriched galactic centre. Using the gwIMF grids, we study the SFR−Hα relation and its dependency on metallicity and the SFR. We also study the correction factors to the Kennicutt SFRK − Hα relation and provide new fitting functions. Late-type dwarf galaxies show significantly higher SFRs with respect to Kennicutt SFRs, while star-forming massive galaxies have significantly lower SFRs than hitherto thought. This has implications for gas-consumption timescales and for the main sequence of galaxies. We explicitly discuss Leo P and ultra-faint dwarf galaxies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 489 (1) ◽  
pp. 339-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ho Seong Hwang ◽  
Jihye Shin ◽  
Hyunmi Song

ABSTRACT We use the IllustrisTNG cosmological hydrodynamical simulation to study the evolution of star formation rate (SFR)–density relation over cosmic time. We construct several samples of galaxies at different redshifts from z = 2.0 to z = 0.0, which have the same comoving number density. The SFR of galaxies decreases with local density at z = 0.0, but its dependence on local density becomes weaker with redshift. At z ≳ 1.0, the SFR of galaxies increases with local density (reversal of the SFR–density relation), and its dependence becomes stronger with redshift. This change of SFR–density relation with redshift still remains even when fixing the stellar masses of galaxies. The dependence of SFR on the distance to a galaxy cluster also shows a change with redshift in a way similar to the case based on local density, but the reversal happens at a higher redshift, z ∼ 1.5, in clusters. On the other hand, the molecular gas fraction always decreases with local density regardless of redshift at z = 0.0–2.0 even though the dependence becomes weaker when we fix the stellar mass. Our study demonstrates that the observed reversal of the SFR–density relation at z ≳ 1.0 can be successfully reproduced in cosmological simulations. Our results are consistent with the idea that massive, star-forming galaxies are strongly clustered at high redshifts, forming larger structures. These galaxies then consume their gas faster than those in low-density regions through frequent interactions with other galaxies, ending up being quiescent in the local universe.


2018 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. A140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remco F. J. van der Burg ◽  
Sean McGee ◽  
Hervé Aussel ◽  
Håkon Dahle ◽  
Monique Arnaud ◽  
...  

We study the abundance of star-forming and quiescent galaxies in a sample of 21 clusters at 0.5 <  z <  0.7, detected with the Planck satellite. Thanks to the large volume probed by Planck, these systems are extremely massive, and provide an excellent laboratory to study any environmental effects on their galaxies’ properties. We measure the cluster galaxy stellar mass function (SMF), which is a fundamental observable to study and constrain the formation and evolution of galaxies. Our measurements are based on homogeneous and deep multi-band photometry spanning from the u- to the Ks-band for each cluster and are supported by spectroscopic data from different programs. The galaxy population is separated into quiescent and star-forming galaxies based on their rest-frame U−V and V−J colours. The SMF is compared to that of field galaxies at the same redshifts using data from the COSMOS/UltraVISTA survey. We find that the shape of the SMF of star-forming galaxies does not depend on environment, while the SMF of quiescent galaxies has a significantly steeper low-mass slope in the clusters compared to the field. This indicates that a different quenching mechanism is at play in clusters compared to the field, accentuated by a quenched fraction that is much higher in the clusters. We estimate the environmental quenching efficiency (fEQ), that is, the probability for a galaxy that would normally be star forming in the field to be quenched due to its environment. The fEQ shows no stellar-mass dependence in any environment, but it increases from 40% in the cluster outskirts to ∼90% in the cluster centres. The radial signature of fEQ provides constraints on where the dominant quenching mechanism operates in these clusters and on what timescale. Exploring these using a simple model based on galaxy orbits obtained from an N-body simulation, we find a clear degeneracy between both parameters. For example, the quenching process may either be triggered on a long (∼3 Gyr) timescale at large radii (r  ∼  8 R500), or happen well within 1 Gyr at r <  R500. The radius where quenching is triggered is at least rquench >  0.67 R500 (95%CL). The ICM density at this location (as probed with XMM-Newton) suggests that ram-pressure stripping of the cold gas is a likely cause of quenching. In addition to this cluster-quenching mechanism, we find that 20–32%, depending on the cluster-specific quenching process, of accreted galaxies were already pre-processed (i.e. quenched by the surrounding overdensities) before they fell into the clusters.


2003 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 91-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumiko Oasa

We briefly describe recent studies of the low-mass young stellar populations including substellar objects and of their luminosity functions and mass functions, especially at lower-ends, in different star-forming regions. The mass function is determined by the technique based on the near-infrared photometry for estimating stellar luminosities and then translating them into stellar masses. We compare the local environmental characteristics of regions in which high-mass stars form with those of regions producing only low-mass stars and intermediate stars. We find that there exist numerous very low-mass YSO candidates including young brown dwarfs and young isolated objects with planetary masses in common. Further, the luminosity functions and mass functions in the star-forming regions might not have a uniform shape below the hydrogen-burning limit.


2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (4) ◽  
pp. 5987-6000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndsay J Old ◽  
Michael L Balogh ◽  
Remco F J van der Burg ◽  
Andrea Biviano ◽  
Howard K C Yee ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We present results on the environmental dependence of the star-forming galaxy main sequence in 11 galaxy cluster fields at 1.0 &lt; z &lt; 1.5 from the Gemini Observations of Galaxies in Rich Early Environments Survey (GOGREEN) survey. We use a homogeneously selected sample of field and cluster galaxies whose membership is derived from dynamical analysis. Using [$\rm{O{\small II}}$]-derived star formation rates (SFRs), we find that cluster galaxies have suppressed SFRs at fixed stellar mass in comparison to their field counterparts by a factor of 1.4 ± 0.1 (∼3.3σ) across the stellar mass range: 9.0 &lt; log (M*/M⊙) &lt; 11.2. We also find that this modest suppression in the cluster galaxy star-forming main sequence is mass and redshift dependent: the difference between cluster and field increases towards lower stellar masses and lower redshift. When comparing the distribution of cluster and field galaxy SFRs to the star-forming main sequence, we find an overall shift towards lower SFRs in the cluster population, and note the absence of a tail of high SFR galaxies as seen in the field. Given this observed suppression in the cluster galaxy star-forming main sequence, we explore the implications for several scenarios such as formation time differences between cluster and field galaxies, and environmentally induced star formation quenching and associated time-scales.


2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (1) ◽  
pp. 814-835
Author(s):  
Marc Huertas-Company ◽  
Yicheng Guo ◽  
Omri Ginzburg ◽  
Christoph T Lee ◽  
Nir Mandelker ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A significant fraction of high redshift star-forming disc galaxies are known to host giant clumps, whose nature and role in galaxy evolution are yet to be understood. In this work, we first present a new method based on neural networks to detect clumps in galaxy images. We use this method to detect clumps in the rest-frame optical and UV images of a complete sample of ∼1500 star forming galaxies at 1 &lt; z &lt; 3 in the CANDELS survey as well as in images from the VELA zoom-in cosmological simulations. We show that observational effects have a dramatic impact on the derived clump properties leading to an overestimation of the clump mass up to a factor of 10, which highlights the importance of fair comparisons between observations and simulations and the limitations of current HST data to study the resolved structure of distant galaxies. After correcting for these effects with a mixture density network, we estimate that the clump stellar mass function follows a power law down to the completeness limit (107 solar masses) with the majority of the clumps being less massive than 109 solar masses. This is in better agreement with recent gravitational lensing based measurements. The simulations explored in this work overall reproduce the shape of the observed clump stellar mass function and clumpy fractions when confronted under the same conditions, although they tend to lie in the lower limit of the confidence intervals of the observations. This agreement suggests that most of the observed clumps are formed in situ.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document