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arXiv 0909.3517astro-ph.CO
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宇宙z~7处的恒星质量密度和比恒星形成率

The Stellar Mass Density and Specific Star Formation Rate of the Universe at z~7

Valentino Gonzalez, Ivo Labbe, Rychard J. Bouwens, Garth Illingworth, Marijn Franx, Mariska Kriek, Gabriel B. Brammer

摘要:

我们使用一个强大的样本11 z~7星系(z-辍学),以估计宇宙的恒星质量密度时,它只有~750万年的年龄。我们将HST ACS和NICMOS相机的极深光学到近红外测光与GOODS计划提供的中红外斯皮策IRAC成像相结合。在仔细地从污染的前景源中去除通量后,我们在3.6和4.5微米IRAC通道中获得了可靠的光度测定。这些光源的光谱形状,包括它们的静止坐标系光学颜色,强烈支持它们在z~7处,平均光度红移<z>=7.2+/-0.5。我们使用Bruzual &amp; Charlot(2003)的合成恒星星族模型来约束它们的恒星质量和恒星形成历史。我们发现恒星质量在0.1 - 12x10^9 M_sol之间,平均年龄从2000万年到4.25亿年,平均值约为3亿年,这表明在这些星系中的一些星系中,大多数恒星形成于z&gt;8(可能是在z&gt;~10)。与观测到的SED的最佳拟合与很少或没有尘埃消光一致,与z~4-8处的最近结果一致。恒星形成率(SFR)在5-20 M_sol/yr之间。从这个样本中,我们测量到恒星的质量密度为6.6_{-3.3}^{+5.4 x10 ^5 M_sol/Mpc ^3,极限值为M_{UV,AB} &lt;-20(或0.4 L*(z=3))。结合它们年龄的基准下限(8千万年),这意味着最大SFR密度为0.008 M_sol/yr/Mpc ^[3]。这远低于使用标准假设将宇宙重定位在z~8所需的临界水平。然而,这个结果是基于发光源(&gt;L*),并不包括暗星系的主要贡献。引人注目的是,我们发现,特定的SFR是恒定的,从z~7到z~2,但在最近的时间大幅下降。

英文摘要:

We use a robust sample of 11 z~7 galaxies (z-dropouts) to estimate the stellar mass density of the universe when it was only ~750 Myr old. We combine the very deep optical to near-Infrared photometry from the HST ACS and NICMOS cameras with mid-Infrared Spitzer IRAC imaging available through the GOODS program. After carefully removing the flux from contaminating foreground sources we have obtained reliable photometry in the 3.6 and 4.5 micron IRAC channels. The spectral shapes of these sources, including their rest frame optical colors, strongly support their being at z~7 with a mean photometric redshift of <z>=7.2+/-0.5. We use Bruzual & Charlot (2003) synthetic stellar population models to constrain their stellar masses and star formation histories. We find stellar masses that range over 0.1 -12x10^9 M_sol and average ages from 20 Myr to up to 425 Myr with a mean of ~300 Myr, suggesting that in some of these galaxies most of the stars were formed at z>8 (and probably at z>~10). The best fits to the observed SEDs are consistent with little or no dust extinction, in agreement with recent results at z~4-8. The star formation rates (SFR) are in the range from 5-20 M_sol/yr. From this sample we measure a stellar mass density of 6.6_{-3.3}^{+5.4}x10^5 M_sol/Mpc^3 to a limit of M_{UV,AB}<-20 (or 0.4 L*(z=3)). Combined with a fiducial lower limit for their ages (80 Myr) this implies a maximum SFR density of 0.008 M_sol/yr/Mpc^3. This is well below the critical level needed to reionize the universe at z~8 using standard assumptions. However, this result is based on luminous sources (>L*) and does not include the dominant contribution of the fainter galaxies. Strikingly, we find that the specific SFR is constant from z~7 to z~2 but drops substantially at more recent times.

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