arXivDaily arXiv每日学术速递 周一至周五更新
arXiv 1312.5643astro-ph.COastro-ph.GA
收藏

星系光度函数在z ~ 7处的亮端:在质量猝灭开始之前?

The bright end of the galaxy luminosity function at z ~ 7: before the onset of mass quenching?

R. A . A. Bowler, J. S. Dunlop, R. J. McLure, A. B. Rogers, H. J. McCracken, B. Milvang-Jensen, H. Furusawa, J. P. U. Fynbo, Y. Taniguchi, J. Afonso, M. N. Bremer, O. Le Fevre

摘要:

我们提出了在UltraVISTA DR 2和UKIDSS UDS DR 10数据中对z ~ 7处的明亮恒星形成星系进行新搜索的结果,这些数据共同提供了1.65平方度的近红外成像,并具有重叠的光学和斯皮策数据。使用完整的photo-z分析来识别高z星系并排除污染物,我们选择了34个发光(-22.7 < M_UV < -21.2)星系的样本,其中6.5 < z < 7.5。至关重要的是,UltraVISTA DR 2提供的更深层次的成像证实了Bowler等人(2012)之前发现的所有稳健对象,验证了我们的选择技术。我们的样本包括已知z ~ 7的最大质量星系,M_* ~ 10^{10} M_sun,并且大多数都得到了分辨,与较小质量星系显示的更大尺寸(r_{1/2} ~ 1 - 1.5 kpc)一致。从我们的最后一个样本,我们确定的形式的休息帧UV星系光度函数(LF)在z ~ 7,提供了强有力的证据,亮端的z = 7 LF不急剧下降的预测由Schechter函数拟合较暗的数据。我们仔细考虑,并排除这种可能性,这是由于引力透镜,或我们的星系样本的活动星系核的显着污染。相反,我们的研究结果有利于一个双幂律形式的星系LF在高z,或者,更有趣的是,一个LF,它只是遵循形式的暗物质晕质量函数在明亮的幅度。这表明在大质量星系中抑制恒星形成活动的物理机制(即活动星系核反馈或其他形式的“质量淬灭”)尚未影响z ~ 7处的可观测星系LF,这一结论得到了我们最亮星系的估计质量的支持,这些星系的质量刚刚达到临界“猝灭质量"M_* = 10 ^{10.2} M_*。太阳来自于对低z恒星形成星系的质量函数的研究。

英文摘要:

We present the results of a new search for bright star-forming galaxies at z ~ 7 within the UltraVISTA DR2 and UKIDSS UDS DR10 data, which together provide 1.65 sq deg of near-infrared imaging with overlapping optical and Spitzer data. Using a full photo-z analysis to identify high-z galaxies and reject contaminants, we have selected a sample of 34 luminous (-22.7 < M_UV < -21.2) galaxies with 6.5 < z < 7.5. Crucially, the deeper imaging provided by UltraVISTA DR2 confirms all of the robust objects previously uncovered by Bowler et al. (2012), validating our selection technique. Our sample includes the most massive galaxies known at z ~ 7, with M_* ~ 10^{10} M_sun, and the majority are resolved, consistent with larger sizes (r_{1/2} ~ 1 - 1.5 kpc) than displayed by less massive galaxies. From our final sample, we determine the form of the bright end of the rest-frame UV galaxy luminosity function (LF) at z ~ 7, providing strong evidence that the bright end of the z = 7 LF does not decline as steeply as predicted by the Schechter function fitted to fainter data. We consider carefully, and exclude the possibility that this is due to either gravitational lensing, or significant contamination of our galaxy sample by AGN. Rather, our results favour a double power-law form for the galaxy LF at high z, or, more interestingly, a LF which simply follows the form of the dark-matter halo mass function at bright magnitudes. This suggests that the physical mechanism which inhibits star-formation activity in massive galaxies (i.e. AGN feedback or some other form of `mass quenching') has yet to impact on the observable galaxy LF at z ~ 7, a conclusion supported by the estimated masses of our brightest galaxies which have only just reached a mass comparable to the critical `quenching mass' of M_* = 10 ^{10.2} M_sun derived from studies of the mass function of star-forming galaxies at lower z.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

↑