We present differential stellar population models, which allow improved determinations of the ages, iron and alpha-element abundances of old stellar populations from spectral fitting. These new models are calibrated at solar abundances using the predictions from classical, semi-empirical stellar population models. We then use the predictive power of fully synthetic models to compute predictions for different [Fe/H] and [alpha/Fe]. We show that these new differential models provide remarkably accurate fits to the integrated optical spectra of the bulge globular clusters NGC6528 and NGC6553, and that the inferred [Fe/H] and [alpha/Fe] agree with values derived elsewhere from stellar photometry and spectroscopy. The analysis of a small sample of SDSS early-type galaxies further confirms that our alpha-enhanced models provide a better fit to the spectra of massive ellipticals than the solar-scaled ones. Our approach opens new opportunities for precision measurements of abundance ratios in galaxies.
We investigate the origin of a bottom-heavy stellar initial mass function (IMF) recently observed in elliptical galaxies by using chemical evolution models with a non-universal IMF. We adopt the Kroupa IMF with the three slopes (alpha_1, alpha_2, and alpha_3) dependent on metallicities ([Fe/H]) and densities (rho_g) of star-forming gas clouds and thereby search for the best IMF model that can reproduce (i) the observed steep IMF slope (alpha_2 ~ 3, i.e., bottom-heavy) for low stellar masses (m < 1 M_sun) and (ii) the correlation of alpha_2 with chemical properties of elliptical galaxies in a s…
We explore how the star formation and metal enrichment histories of present-day galaxies have been affected by environment combining stellar population parameter estimates and group environment characterization for SDSS DR7. We compare stellar ages, stellar metallicities and element abundance ratios [alpha/Fe] of satellite and central galaxies, as a function of their stellar and host group halo mass, controlling for the current star formation rate and for the infall epoch. We confirm that below log(Mstar/Msun)=10.5 satellites are older and metal-richer than equally-massive central galaxies. On…
In this work, we show how the stellar mass (M) of galaxies affects the 3<z<4.6 Ly-alpha equivalent width (EW) distribution. To this end, we design a sample of 629 galaxies in the M range 7.6 < logM/Msun < 10.6 from the 3D-HST/CANDELS survey. We perform spectroscopic observations of this sample using the Michigan/Magellan Fiber System, allowing us to measure Ly-alpha fluxes and use 3D-HST/CANDELS ancillary data. In order to study the Ly-alpha EW distribution dependence on M, we split the whole sample in three stellar mass bins. We find that, in all bins, the distribution is best represented by …
We have compiled a library of stellar Lyman-alpha equivalent widths in O and B stars using the model atmosphere codes CMFGEN and TLUSTY, respectively. The equivalent widths range from about 0 to 30 Åin absorption for early-O to mid-B stars. The purpose of this library is the prediction of the underlying stellar Lyman-alpha absorption in stellar populations of star-forming galaxies with nebular Lyman-alpha emission. We implemented the grid of individual equivalent widths into the Starburst99 population synthesis code to generate synthetic Lyman-alpha equivalent widths for representative star-fo…
The extensive ground-based spectroscopy campaign from the VIMOS Ultra-Deep Survey (VUDS), and the deep multi-wavelength photometry in three very well observed extragalactic fields (ECDFS, COSMOS, VVDS), allow us to investigate physical properties of a large sample (~4000 galaxies) of spectroscopically confirmed faint (i_{AB}<~25 mag) star-forming galaxies, with and without Lyman alpha in emission, at z~2-6. The fraction of Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs; equivalent width (EW)=>20A) increases from ~10% at z~2 to ~40% at z~5-6, which is consistent with previous studies that employ higher Lyman alpha…
We investigate the time evolution and spatial variation of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) in star-forming disk galaxies by using chemodynamical simulations with an IMF model depending both on local densities and metallicities ([Fe/H]) of the interstellar medium (ISM). We find that the slope (alpha) of a power-law IMF (N(m) ~ m^-alpha) for stellar masses larger than 1M_sun evolves from the canonical Salpeter IMF (alpha ~ 2.35) to be moderately top-heavy one (alpha ~ 1.9) in the simulated disk galaxies with starbursts triggered by galaxy interaction. We also find that alpha in star-form…
The relative abundances of the Fe-peak elements (Ti-Zn) at the lowest metallicities are intimately linked to the physics of core-collapse supernova explosions. With a sample of 25 very metal-poor damped Lyman-alpha systems, we investigate the trends of the Fe-peak element ratios with metallicity. For nine of the 25 DLAs, a direct measurement (or useful upper limit) of one or more of the Ti,Cr,Co,Ni,Zn/Fe abundance ratios could be determined from detected absorption lines. For the remaining systems (without detections), we devised a new form of spectral stacking to estimate the typical Fe-peak …
This paper presents optical and H-alpha imaging for a large sample of LSB galaxies selected from the PSS-II catalogs (Schombert et. al 1992). As noted in previous work, LSB galaxies span a range of luminosities (-10 > M_V > -20) and sizes (0.3 kpc < R_V25 < 10 kpc), although they are consistent in their irregular morphology. Their H-alpha luminosities (L(H-alpha) range from 10^36 to 10^41 ergs s^-1 (corresponding to a range in star formation, using canonical prescriptions, from 10^-5 to 1 M_solar yr^-1). Although their optical colors are at the extreme blue edge for galaxies, they are similar …
We study the multi-wavelength properties of a set of 171 Ly-alpha emitting candidates at redshift z = 2.25 found in the COSMOS field, with the aim of understanding the underlying stellar populations in the galaxies. We especially seek to understand what the dust contents, ages and stellar masses of the galaxies are, and how they relate to similar properties of Ly-alpha emitters at other redshifts. The candidates here are shown to have different properties from those of Ly-alpha emitters found at higher redshift, by fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) using a Monte-Carlo Markov-Cha…
We study the chemical properties of the stellar populations in eight simulations of the formation of Milky-Way mass galaxies in a LCDM Universe. Our simulations include metal-dependent cooling and an explicitly multiphase treatment of the effects on the gas of cooling, enrichment and supernova feedback. We search for correlations between formation history and chemical abundance patterns. Differing contributions to spheroids and discs from in situ star formation and from accreted populations are reflected in differing chemical properties. Discs have younger stellar populations, with most stars …
The surface brightness profile of H-alpha emission in galaxies is generally thought to be confined by a sharp truncation, sometimes speculated to coincide with a star formation threshold. Over the past years, observational evidence for both old and young stellar populations, as well as individual H II regions, has demonstrated that the outer disk is an actively evolving part of a galaxy. To provide constraints on the origin of the aforementioned H-alpha truncation and the relation of H-alpha emission in the outer disk to the underlying stellar population, we measure the shape of the outer H-al…
We present the results of an optical spectroscopic study of 12 GALEX-discovered star-forming Lyman alpha emitting galaxies (LAEs) at z ~ 0.3. We measure the emission line fluxes from these galaxies by fitting their observed spectra to stellar population models in order to correct for underlying stellar absorption. We revisit earlier stellar population model fitting results, finding that excluding now-known AGNs lowers the typical stellar population age and stellar mass of this sample to ~ 300 Myr and ~ 4 x 10^9 Msol, respectively. We calculate their dust extinction using the Balmer decrement, …
In this work we analyze the physical properties of a sample of 153 star forming galaxies at z~0.84, selected by their H-alpha flux with a NB filter. B-band luminosities of the objects are higher than those of local star forming galaxies. Most of the galaxies are located in the blue cloud, though some objects are detected in the green valley and in the red sequence. After the extinction correction is applied virtually all these red galaxies move to the blue sequence, unveiling their dusty nature. A check on the extinction law reveals that the typical extinction law for local starbursts is well …
We present the results of a study of stellar population properties at large galactocentric radii of 14 low-mass early-type galaxies in the Fornax and Virgo clusters. We derive radial profiles of Age, total metallicity [Z/H], and [alpha/Fe] abundance ratios out to 1 - 3 effective radii by using nearly all of the Lick/IDS absorption-line indices in comparison to recent single stellar population models. We extend our study to higher galaxy mass via a novel literature compilation of 37 early-type galaxies, which provides stellar population properties out to one effective radius. We find that metal…
It is well established that the [alpha/Fe] ratios in elliptical galaxies increase with galaxy mass. This relation holds also for early-type dwarf galaxies, although it seems to steepen at low masses. The [alpha/Fe] vs. mass relation can be explained assuming that smaller galaxies form over longer timescales (downsizing), allowing a larger amount of Fe (mostly produced by long-living Type Ia Supernovae) to be released and incorporated into newly forming stars. Another way to obtain the same result is by using a flatter initial mass function (IMF) in large galaxies, increasing in this way the nu…
Spectroscopic observations of metal-poor stars have indicated possible 6Li abundances that are much larger than the primordial abundance predicted in the standard big bang nucleosynthesis model. Possible mechanisms of 6Li production in metal-poor stars include pregalactic and cosmological cosmic ray (CR) nucleosynthesis and nucleosynthesis by flare-accelerated nuclides. We study 9Be production via two-step alpha-fusion reactions of CR or flare-accelerated 3,4He through 6He and 6,7Li, in pregalactic structure, intergalactic medium, and stellar surfaces. We solve transfer equations of CR or flar…
Using our Binary Population And Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) code we explore the effects on star-formation rate indicators of stochastically sampling the stellar initial mass function, adding a cluster mass dependent stellar upper-mass limit and including binary stars. We create synthetic spectra of young clusters and star-forming galaxies and compare these to observations of H(alpha) emission from isolated clusters and the relation between H(alpha) and FUV emission from nearby galaxies. We find that observations of clusters tend to favour a purely stochastic sampling of the initial mass functio…
We extend a previous study of Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs) based on hydrodynamical cosmological simulations, by including two physical processes important for LAEs: (a) Lyman Alpha and continuum luminosities produced by cooling of collisionally excited HI in the galaxy, (b) dust formation and evolution; we follow these processes on a galaxy-by-galaxy basis. HI cooling on average contributes 16-18% of the Lyman Alpha radiation produced by stars, but this value can be much higher in low mass LAEs and further increased if the HI is clumpy. The continuum luminosity is instead almost completely domi…
Combining cosmological SPH simulations with a previously developed Lyman Alpha production/transmission model and the Early Reionization Model (ERM, reionization ends at redshift z~7), we obtain Lyman Alpha and UV Luminosity Functions (LFs) for Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs) for redshifts between 5.7 and 7.6. Matching model results to observations at z~5.7 requires escape fractions of Lyman Alpha, f_alpha=0.3, and UV (non-ionizing) continuum photons, f_c=0.22, corresponding to a color excess, E(B-V)=0.15. We find that (i) f_c increases towards higher redshifts, due the decreasing mean dust content…
We analyse the current build-up of stellar mass within the disks and bulges of nearby galaxies through a comparison of the spatial distributions of forming and old stellar populations. H alpha and R-band imaging are used to determine the distributions of young and old stellar populations in 313 S0a - Im field galaxies out to 40 Mpc. Concentration indices and mean normalised light profiles are calculated as a function of galaxy type and bar classification. The mean profiles and concentration indices show a strong and smooth dependence on galaxy type. Apart from a central deficit due to bulge/ba…
We present the first dynamical mass measurements for Lyman alpha galaxies at high redshift, based on velocity dispersion measurements from rest-frame optical emission lines and size measurements from HST imaging, for a sample of nine galaxies drawn from four surveys. These measurements enable us to study the nature of Lyman alpha galaxies in the context of galaxy scaling relations. The resulting dynamical masses range from 1e9 to 1e10 solar masses. We also fit stellar population models to our sample, and use them to plot the Lyman alpha sample on a stellar mass vs. line width relation. Overall…
We have tested the effect of spatial gradients in stellar mass-to-light ratio (Y) on measurements of black hole masses (MBH) derived from stellar orbit superposition models. Such models construct a static gravitational potential for a galaxy and its central black hole, but typically assume spatially uniform Y. We have modeled three giant elliptical galaxies with gradients alpha = d(log Y)/d(log r) from -0.2 to +0.1. Color and line strength gradients suggest mildly negative alpha in these galaxies. Introducing a negative (positive) gradient in Y increases (decreases) the enclosed stellar mass n…
LIRGs and ULIRGs are much more numerous at higher redshifts than locally, dominating the star-formation rate density at redshifts ~1 - 2. Therefore, they are important objects in order to understand how galaxies form and evolve through cosmic time. We aim to characterize the morphologies of the stellar continuum and the ionized gas (H_alpha) emissions from local sources, and investigate how they relate with the dynamical status and IR-luminosity of the sources. We use optical (5250 -- 7450 Å) integral field spectroscopic (IFS) data for a sample of 38 sources, taken with the VIMOS instrument, o…
We investigate the stellar populations of Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs) at z=5.7 and 6.6 in a 0.65 deg^2 sky of the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS) Field, using deep images taken with Subaru/Suprime-Cam, UKIRT/WFCAM, and Spitzer/IRAC. We produce stacked multiband images at each redshift from 165 (z=5.7) and 91 (z=6.6) IRAC-undetected objects, to derive typical spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of z~6-7 LAEs for the first time. The stacked LAEs have as blue UV continua as the HST/WFC3 z-dropout galaxies of similar Muv, with a spectral slope beta ~ -3, but at the same time they have red UV…
Motivated by the possible existence of other universes, with different values for the fundamental constants, this paper considers stellar models in universes where $^8$Be is stable. Many previous authors have noted that stars in our universe would have difficulty producing carbon and other heavy elements in the absence of the well-known $^{12}$C resonance at 7.6 MeV. This resonance is necessary because $^8$Be is unstable in our universe, so that carbon must be produced via the triple alpha reaction to achieve the requisite abundance. Although a moderate change in the energy of the resonance (2…
We obtained mid-infrared 3.6 and 4.5 micron imaging of a z=6.96 Lyman alpha emitter (LAE) IOK-1 discovered in the Subaru Deep Field, using Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Array Camera observations. After removal of a nearby bright source, we find that IOK-1 is not significantly detected in any of these infrared bands to m_3.6 ~ 24.00 and m_4.5 ~ 23.54 at 3 sigma. Fitting population synthesis models to the spectral energy distribution consisting of the upper limit fluxes of the optical to infrared non-detection images and fluxes in detection images, we constrain the stellar mass M* of IOK-1. T…
We present observations of a peculiar Lyman alpha-emitting galaxy at redshift 3.344, discovered in a deep, blind spectroscopic survey for faint Lyman alpha emitters with the Magellan II telescope in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF). The galaxy exhibits complex Lyman alpha emission, including an extended, asymmetric component that is partially suppressed by damped Lyman alpha absorption, and two spatially elongated, narrow emission features. Archival HST ACS imaging shows evidence for tidal disruption of the stellar component. This V=27 galaxy appears to give us unprecedented insights into tw…
We present the first detailed analysis of the rest-frame UV spectrum of the gravitationally lensed Lyman break galaxy (LBG), the `8 o'clock arc'. The spectrum of the 8 o'clock arc is rich in stellar and interstellar medium (ISM) features, and presents several similarities to the well-known MS1512-cB58 LBG. The stellar photospheric absorption lines allowed us to constrain the systemic redshift, z_sys = 2.7350+/-0.0003, of the galaxy, and derive its stellar metallicity, Z=0.82 Z_sol. With a total stellar mass of ~4.2x10^{11} M_sol, the 8 o'clock arc agrees with the mass-metallicity relation foun…
We investigate the stellar populations of Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs) at z=3.1 and 3.7 in 0.65 deg^2 of the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field, based on rest-frame UV-to-optical photometry obtained from the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey, the UKIDSS/Ultra Deep Survey, and the Spitzer legacy survey of the UKIDSS/UDS. Among a total of 302 LAEs (224 for z=3.1 and 78 for z=3.7), only 11 are detected in the K band, i.e., brighter than K(3sigma)=24.1 mag. Eight of the 11 K-detected LAEs are spectroscopically confirmed. We find that the K-undetected objects, which should closely represent the LAE population…
We present new information on galaxies in the vicinity of luminous radio galaxies and quasars at z=4,5,6. These fields were previously found to contain overdensities of Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) or spectroscopic Lyman alpha emitters. We use HST and Spitzer data to infer stellar masses, and contrast our results with large samples of LBGs in more average environments as probed by the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS). The following results were obtained. First, LBGs in both overdense regions and in the field at z=4-5 lie on a very similar sequence in a z'-[3.6] versus [3.6] color…
We present the results of a photometric and spectroscopic survey of 321 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z ~ 3 to investigate systematically the relationship between Lya emission and stellar populations. Lya equivalent widths (EW) were calculated from rest-frame UV spectroscopy and optical/near-infrared/Spitzer photometry was used in population synthesis modeling to derive the key properties of age, dust extinction, star formation rate (SFR), and stellar mass. We directly compare the stellar populations of LBGs with and without strong Lya emission, where we designate the former group (EW > 20 AA…
We present Keck/NIRSPEC spectroscopic observations of three Lyman alpha emitting galaxies (LAEs) at z ~ 2.3 discovered with the HETDEX pilot survey. We detect Halpha, [OIII], and Hbeta emission from two galaxies at z = 2.29 and 2.49, designated HPS194 and HPS256, respectively, representing the first detection of multiple rest-frame optical emission lines in galaxies at high-redshift selected on the basis of their Lyman alpha emission. The redshifts of the Lyman alpha emission from these galaxies are offset redward of the systemic redshifts by Delta_v = 162 +/- 37 (photometric) +/- 42 (systemat…
This paper discusses the evolution of the correlation between galaxy star formation rates (SFRs) and stellar mass (M*) over the last ~10 Gyrs, particularly focusing on its environmental dependence. We first present the mid-infrared (MIR) properties of the H-alpha-selected galaxies in a rich cluster Cl0939+4713 at z=0.4. With a MIR stacking analysis, we find that the median SFR of H-alpha emitters is higher in higher-density environment at z=0.4. We also find that star-forming galaxies in high-density environment tend to have higher specific SFR (SSFR), although the trend is much less significa…
We present GalMC, a MCMC algorithm designed to fit the spectral energy distributions (SED) of galaxies to infer physical properties such as age, stellar mass, dust reddening, metallicity, redshift, and star formation rate. We describe the features of the code and the extensive tests conducted to ensure that our procedure leads to unbiased parameter estimation and accurate evaluation of uncertainties. We compare its performance to grid-based algorithms, showing that the efficiency in CPU time is ~ 100 times better for MCMC for a three dimensional parameter space and increasing with the number o…
Asymmetric, broad iron lines are a common feature in the X-ray spectra of both X-ray binaries (XRBs) and type-1 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). It was suggested that the distortion of the Fe K_alpha emission results from Doppler and relativistic effects affecting the radiative transfer close to the strong gravitational well of the central compact object: a stellar mass black hole (BH) or neutron star (NS) in the case of XRBs, or a super massive black hole (SMBH) in the case of AGN. However, alternative approaches based on reprocessing and transmission of radiation through surrounding media also …
Identifying the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave (GW) sources detected by upcoming networks of advanced ground-based interferometers will be challenging due in part to the large number of unrelated astrophysical transients within the ~10-100 square degree sky localizations. A potential way to greatly reduce the number of such false positives is to limit detailed follow-up to only those candidates near galaxies within the GW sensitivity range of ~200 Mpc for binary neutron star mergers. Such a strategy is currently hindered by the fact that galaxy catalogs are grossly incomple…
