We propose a new diagram, the Kinematic-Excitation diagram (KEx diagram), which uses the [OIII]/Hβ line ratio and the [OIII]5007 emission line width (σ_{[OIII]}) to diagnose the ionization source and physical properties of the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and the star-forming galaxies (SFGs). The KEx diagram is a suitable tool to classify emission-line galaxies (ELGs) at intermediate redshift because it uses only the [OIII]5007 and Hβ emission lines. We use the SDSS DR7 main galaxy sample and the Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich (BPT) diagnostic to calibrate the diagram at low redshift. We find that the diagram can be divided into 3 regions: one occupied mainly by the pure AGNs (KEx-AGN region), one dominated by composite galaxies (KEx-composite region), and one contains mostly SFGs (KEx-SFG region). AGNs are separated from SFGs in this diagram mainly because they preferentially reside in luminous and massive galaxies and have high [OIII]/Hβ. The separation of AGN from star-forming galaxies is even cleaner thanks to the additional 0.15/0.12 dex offset in [OIII] line width at fixed luminosity/stellar mass. We apply the KEx diagram to 7,866 galaxies at 0.3 < z < 1 in the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey, and compare it to an independent X-ray classification scheme using Chandra observation. X-ray AGNs are mostly located in the KEx-AGN region while X-ray SFGs are mostly located in the KEx-SFG region. Almost all of Type1 AGNs lie in the KEx-AGN region. These confirm the reliability of this classification diagram for emission line galaxies at intermediate redshift. At z~2, the demarcation line between star-forming galaxies and AGNs should shift 0.3 dex higher in σ_{[OIII]} to account for evolution.
We analyze absorption troughs from two outflows within PKS J0352-0711 (S1 at $-$1950 km s$^{-1}$ and S2 at $-$3150 km s$^{-1}$) from spectra taken with Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origin Spectrograph, which cover the diagnostic-rich 585-900 Angstrom rest frame wavelength range. In S2, for the first time we clearly detect absorption troughs from Ca IV, Ca V, Ca V*, Ca VII*, and Ca VIII*. The column density measurement of Ca V suggests S2 has a super-solar metallicity. Both outflows require at least two ionization phases where the column density of the very high-ionization phase is roughly 15 …
We present our parameterizations of the log([NeIII]3869/[OII]3727) (Ne3O2) and log([OIII]5007/[OII]3727) ratios as comparable and effective diagnostics of ionization parameter in star-forming galaxies. Our calibrations are based on the most recent generations of the Starburst99/Mappings III photoionization models, which extend up to the extremely high values of ionization parameter found in high-redshift galaxies. While similar calibrations have been presented previously for O3O2, this is the first such calibration of Ne3O2. We illustrate the tight correlation between these two ratios for star…
We employ ionization-parameter mapping (IPM) to infer the optical depth of HII regions in the northern half of M33. We construct [OIII]$λ5007$/[OII]$λ3727$ and [OIII]$λ5007$/[SII]$λ6724$ ratio maps from narrow-band images continuum-subtracted in this way, from which we classify the HII regions by optical depth to ionizing radiation, based on their ionization structure. This method works relatively well in the low metallicity regime, $12 + \log(\rm O/H) \leq 8.4$, where [OIII]$λ\lambda4949,5007$ is strong. However, at higher metallicities, the method breaks down due to the strong dependence of …
We examine the redshift evolution of standard strong emission-line diagnostics for Hbeta-selected star-forming galaxies using the local SDSS sample and a new z = 0.2 - 2.3 sample obtained from HST WFC3 grism and Keck DEIMOS and MOSFIRE data. We use the SDSS galaxies to show that there is a systematic dependence of the strong emission-line properties on Balmer-line luminosity, which we interpret as showing that both the N/O abundance and the ionization parameter increase with increasing line luminosity. Allowing for the luminosity dependence tightens the diagnostic diagrams and the metallicity …
We review the use of emission-lines for understanding galaxy evolution, focusing on excitation source, metallicity, ionization parameter, ISM pressure and electron density. We show that the UV, optical and infrared contain complementary diagnostics that can probe the conditions within different nebular ionization zones. In anticipation of upcoming telescope facilities, we provide new self-consistent emission-line diagnostic calibrations for complete spectral coverage from the UV to the infrared. These diagnostics can be used in concert to understand how fundamental galaxy properties have chang…
Cosmic-ray impact on optical and mid-infrared emission line diagnostics in NGC 5728
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens（雅典国立卡波迪斯特里安大学）；Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA)（阿拉贡宇宙物理研究中心）；Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF–IAPS)（空间天体物理学与行星科学研究所）
There is a long history of using optical emission and absorption lines to constrain the metallicity and ionization parameters of gas in galaxies. However, comparable diagnostics are less well-developed for the UV. Here, we assess the diagnostic potential of both absorption and emission features in the UV and evaluate the diagnostics against observations of local and high redshift galaxies. We use the CloudyFSPS nebular emission model of Byler et al. 2017, extended to include emission predictions in the UV, to evaluate the metallicity sensitivity of established UV stellar absorption indices, an…
Beyond diagnostic-diagrams: A critical exploration on the classification of ionization processes
Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México（墨西哥国立自治大学天文研究所）；Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias（加那利群岛天体物理研究所）；Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna（拉帕尔马大学天体物理学系）；Instituto de Radioastronomía and Astrofísica (IRyA-UNAM)（无线电天文学与天体物理研究所）；Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)（安达卢西亚天体物理研究所）
We present a new method for inferring the metallicity (Z) and ionization parameter (q) of HII regions and star-forming galaxies using strong nebular emission lines (SEL). We use Bayesian inference to derive the joint and marginalized posterior probability density functions for Z and q given a set of observed line fluxes and an input photo-ionization model. Our approach allows the use of arbitrary sets of SELs and the inclusion of flux upper limits. The method provides a self-consistent way of determining the physical conditions of ionized nebulae that is not tied to the arbitrary choice of a p…
[Abridged] The ionization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), by ultraviolet (UV) photons from massive stars is expected to account for a large fraction of the heating of neutral gas in galaxies. Evaluation of this proposal, however, has been limited by our ability to directly compare observational diagnostics to the results of a molecular model describing PAH ionization. The objective of this article is to take advantage of the most recent values of molecular parameters derived from laboratory experiments and quantum chemical calculations on PAHs and provide a detailed comparison betw…
We present the first direct calibration of strong-line metallicity diagnostics at significant cosmological distances using a sample at z=0.8 drawn from the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey. Oxygen and neon abundances are derived from measurements of electron temperature and density. We directly compare various commonly used relations between gas-phase metallicity and strong line ratios of O, Ne, and H at z=0.8 and z=0. There is no evolution with redshift at high precision ($Δ\log{\mathrm{O/H}} = -0.01\pm0.03$, $Δ\log{\mathrm{Ne/O}} = 0.01 \pm 0.01$). O, Ne, and H line ratios follow the same locus …
We report the discovery of 14 Lyman-alpha blobs (LABs) at z~0.3, existing at least 4-7 billion years later in the Universe than all other LABs known. Their optical diameters are 20-70 kpc, and GALEX data imply Ly-alpha luminosities of (0.4-6.3)x10^43 erg/s. Contrary to high-z LABs, they live in low-density areas. They are ionized by AGN, suggesting that cold accretion streams as a power source must deplete between z=2 and z=0.3. We also show that transient AGN naturally explain the ionization deficits observed in many LABs: Their Ly-alpha and X-ray fluxes decorrelate below 10^6 years because o…
We use the statistical power of the MaNGA integral-field spectroscopic galaxy survey to improve the definition of strong line diagnostic boundaries used to classify gas ionization properties in galaxies. We detect line emission from 3.6 million spaxels distributed across 7400 individual galaxies spanning a wide range of stellar masses, star formation rates, and morphological types, and find that the gas-phase velocity dispersion sigma_HAlpha correlates strongly with traditional optical emission line ratios such as [S II]/HAlpha, [N II]/HAlpha, [O I]/HAlpha, and [O III]/HBeta. Spaxels whose lin…
Motivated by recent observations of galaxies dominated by emission lines, which show evidence of being metal poor with young stellar populations, we present calculations of multiple model grids with a range of abundances, ionization parameters, and stellar ages, finding that the predicted spectral line diagnostics are heavily dependent on all three parameters. These new model grids extend the ionization parameter to larger values than typically explored. We compare these model predictions with previous observations of such objects, including two new Lyman-$α$ emitting galaxies (LAE) that we ha…
We present a sample of local analogs for high-redshift galaxies selected in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The physical conditions of the interstellar medium (ISM) in these local analogs resemble those in high-redshift galaxies. These galaxies are selected based on their positions in the [OIII]/H$β$ versus [NII]/H$α$ nebular emission-line diagnostic diagram. We show that these local analogs share similar physical properties with high-redshift galaxies, including high specific star formation rates (sSFRs), flat UV continuums and compact galaxy sizes. In particular, the ionization paramete…
We use direct method oxygen abundances in combination with strong optical emission lines, stellar masses ($M_{\star}$), and star formation rates (SFRs) to recalibrate the N2, O3N2, and N2O2 oxygen abundance diagnostics. We stack spectra of $\sim$200,000 star-forming galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in bins of $M_{\star}$ and SFR offset from the star forming main sequence to measure the weak emission lines needed to apply the direct method. All three new calibrations are reliable to within $\pm 0.10$ dex from $\log(M_{\star}/M_{\odot}) \sim 7.5 - 10.5$ and up to at least $200~M_{\odot…
We present gas-phase metallicity and ionization parameter maps of 25 star-forming face-on spiral galaxies from the SAMI Galaxy Survey Data Release 1. Self-consistent metallicity and ionization parameter maps are calculated simultaneously through an iterative process to account for the interdependence of the strong emission line diagnostics involving ([OII]+[OIII])/H$β$ (R23) and [OIII]/[OII] (O32). The maps are created on a spaxel-by-spaxel basis because HII regions are not resolved at the SAMI spatial resolution. We combine the SAMI data with stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), effective…
The UV spectral range (1100 - 3000 A) contains the strongest resonance lines observed in active galactic nuclei (AGN). Analysis of UV line intensity ratios and profile shapes in quasar spectra provide diagnostics of physical and dynamical conditions in the broad line emitting region. This paper discusses properties of UV lines in type-1 AGN spectra, and how they lead an estimate of ionizing photon flux, chemical abundances, radius of the broad line emitting region and central black hole mass. These estimates are meaningfully contextualised through the 4D "eigenvector-1" (4DE1) formalism.
We perform a comprehensive analysis of the redshift evolution of the rest-UV spectra of star-forming galaxies out to z~5. We combine new z~5 measurements of HI Ly$α$ and low- and high-ionization interstellar metal absorption features with comparable measurements at z~2-4. We measure the equivalent widths of interstellar absorption features using stacked spectra in bins of Ly$α$ equivalent width, performing corrections to Ly$α$ strengths based on a model for the transmission of the intergalactic medium. We find a strong correlation between decreasing low-ionization absorption strength and incre…
We study winds in 12 X-ray AGN host galaxies at z ~ 1. We find, using the low-ionization Fe II 2586 absorption in the stacked spectra, that the probability distribution function (PDF) of the centroid velocity shift in AGN has a median, 16th and 84th percentiles of (-87, -251, +86) km/s respectively. The PDF of the velocity dispersion in AGN has a median, 84th and 16th percentile of (139, 253, 52) km/s respectively. The centroid velocity and the velocity dispersions are obtained from a two component (ISM+wind) absorption line model. The equivalent width PDF of the outflow in AGN has median, 84t…
We utilize medium-resolution JWST/NIRSpec observations of 164 galaxies at $z=2.0-9.3$ from the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey to investigate the evolution of the excitation and ionization properties of galaxies at high redshifts. Our results represent the first statistical constraints on the evolution of the [OIII]/H$β$ vs. [NII]/H$α$, [SII]/H$α$, and [OI]/H$α$ ``BPT'' diagrams at $z>2.7$, and the first analysis of the O32 vs. R23 diagram at $z>4$ with a large sample. We divide the sample into five redshift bins containing 30-40 galaxies each. The subsamples at $z\sim2.3…
We derive new self-consistent theoretical UV, optical, and IR diagnostics for the ISM pressure and electron density in the ionized nebulae of star-forming galaxies. Our UV diagnostics utilize the inter-combination, forbidden and resonance lines of silicon, carbon, aluminum, neon, and nitrogen. We also calibrate the optical and IR forbidden lines of oxygen, argon, nitrogen and sulfur. We show that line ratios used as ISM pressure diagnostics depend on the gas-phase metallicity with a residual dependence on the ionization parameter of the gas. In addition, the traditional electron density diagno…
We investigate the redshift evolution of the [OIII]/Hb nebular emission line ratio for a sample of galaxies spanning the redshift range 0 < z < 4. We compare the observed evolution to a set of theoretical models which account for the independent evolution of chemical abundance, ionization parameter and interstellar-medium (ISM) pressure in star-forming galaxies with redshift. Accounting for selection effects in the combined datasets, we show that the evolution to higher [OIII]/Hb ratios with redshift is a real physical effect which is best accounted for by a model in which the ionization param…
We use deep spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide-Field-Camera 3 (WFC3) IR grisms combined with broad-band photometry to study the stellar populations, gas ionization and chemical abundances in star-forming galaxies at $z\sim 1.1-2.3$. The data stem from the CANDELS Lyman-$α$ Emission At Reionization (CLEAR) survey. At these redshifts the grism spectroscopy measure the [OII] 3727, 3729, [OIII] 4959, 5008, H-$β$ strong emission features, which constrain the ionization parameter and oxygen abundance of the nebular gas. We compare the line flux measurements to predictions from u…
The identification of a virial broadening estimator in the quasar UV rest frame suitable for black hole mass computation at high redshift has become an important issue. We compare the HI Balmer H-beta line width to the ones of two intermediate ionization lines: the Aliii 1860 doublet and the Ciii] 1909 line, over a wide interval of redshift and luminosity (0 < z < 3.5; 43 < logL < 48.5 [erg a/]), for 48 sources belonging to the quasar population characterized by mid-to-high values of the Eddington ratio (Population A). The present analysis indicates that the line width of Aliii 1860 and H-beta…
For the extremely bright lensed galaxy SDSS J1723+3411 at z=1.3293 , we analyze spatially integrated MMT, Keck, and Hubble Space Telescope spectra that fully cover the rest-frame wavelength range of 1400 to 7200 Angstroms. We also analyze near-IR spectra from Gemini that cover H alpha for a portion of the lensed arc. We report fluxes for 42 detected emission lines, and upper limits for an additional 22. This galaxy has extreme emission line ratios and high equivalent widths that are characteristic of extreme emission-line galaxies. We compute strong emission line diagnostics from both the rest…
RUBIES: The Evolution of the Ionization Parameter from 0 < z < 9
The Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学）；University of Wisconsin-Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校）；Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛-史密森尼天体物理中心）；Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie（马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所）；EPFL（洛桑联邦理工学院）；University of Chicago（芝加哥大学）
This Letter presents a new, remarkably simple diagnostic specifically designed to derive chemical abundances for high redshift galaxies. It uses only the H α, [N II] and [S II] emission lines, which can usually be observed in a single gating stetting, and is almost linear up to an abundance of 12+log (O/H) = 9.05. It can be used over the full abundance range encountered in high redshift galaxies. By its use of emission lines located close together in wavelength, it is also independent of reddening. Our diagnostic depends critically on the calibration of the N/O ratio. However, by using realist…
Ratios of different ions of the same element encode ionization information independently from relative abundances in quasar absorption line systems, crucial for understanding the multiphase nature and origin of absorbing gas, particularly at $z>6$ where H I cannot be observed. Observational considerations have limited such studies to a small number of sightlines, with most surveys at $z>6$ focused upon the statistical properties of individual ions such as Mg II or C IV. Here we compare high- and low-ionization absorption within 69 intervening systems at $z>5$, including 16 systems at $z>6$, fr…
Observations at intermediate redshifts reveal the presence of numerous, compact, weak MgII absorbers with near to super-solar metallicities, often surrounded by more extended regions that produce CIV and/or OVI absorption in the circumgalactic medium at large impact parameters from luminous galaxies. Their origin and nature remains unclear. We hypothesize that undetected, satellite dwarf galaxies are responsible for producing some of these weak MgII absorbers. We test our hypothesis using gas dynamical simulations of galactic outflows from a dwarf satellite galaxy with a halo mass of $5\times1…
The ionization parameter U is potentially useful for measuring radiation pressure feedback from massive star clusters, as it reflects the radiation-to-gas-pressure ratio and is readily derived from mid-infrared line ratios. We consider several effects which determine the apparent value of U in HII regions and galaxies. An upper limit is set by the compression of gas by radiation pressure. The pressure from stellar winds and the presence of neutral clumps both reduce U for a given radiation intensity. The most intensely irradiated regions are selectively dimmed by internal dust absorption of io…
Optical Strong Line Ratios Cannot Distinguish Between Stellar Populations and Accreting Black Holes at High Ionization Parameters and Low Metallicities
We present spatially resolved emission diagnostics for eight $z\sim0.9$ galaxies that demonstrate extended low ionization emission-line regions (LIERs) over kpc scales. Eight candidates are selected based on their spatial extent and emission line fluxes from slitless spectroscopic observations with the HST/WFC3 G141 and G800L grisms in the well-studied GOODS survey fields. Five of the candidates (62.5%) are matched to X-ray counterparts in the \textit{Chandra X-Ray Observatory} Deep Fields. We modify the traditional Baldwin-Philips-Terlevich (BPT) emission line diagnostic diagram to use [SII]/…
We present a systematic study of deuterated molecular hydrogen (HD) at high redshift, detected in absorption in the spectra of quasars. We present four new identifications of HD lines associated with known $\rm H_2$-bearing Damped Lyman-$α$ systems. In addition, we measure upper limits on the $\rm HD$ column density in twelve recently identified $\rm H_2$-bearing DLAs. We find that the new $\rm HD$ detections have similar $N({\rm HD})/N(\rm H_2)$ ratios as previously found, further strengthening a marked difference with measurements through the Galaxy. This is likely due to differences in phys…
In an earlier paper we modeled the far-infrared emission from a star-forming galaxy using the photoionisation code CLOUDY and presented metallicity sensitive diagnostics based on far-infrared fine structure line ratios. Here, we focus on the applicability of the [OIII]88/[NII]122 microns line ratio as a gas phase metallicity indicator in high redshift submillimetre luminous galaxies. The [OIII]88/[NII]122 microns ratio is strongly dependent on the ionization parameter (which is related to the total number of ionizing photons) as well as the gas electron density. We demonstrate how the ratio of…
Recent studies have revealed a dynamic interplay between the galaxy ecosystem and the circumgalactic medium (CGM). We investigate the CGM at high redshifts (z $\gtrsim$ 2) by using bright afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRB) as background sources. We compiled a sample of medium-resolution ($δ$v $<$ 50 km/s) and high signal-to-noise (typical SNR $\sim$ 10) spectra from 27 GRB afterglows covering z $\sim$ 2 - 6, with six of them at z $\gtrsim$ 4. We analyzed the high- and low-ionization absorption features within $\pm$400 km/s to extract the CGM and ISM kinematics. In the stacked spectra, high-i…
Probing the \ion{He}{2} re-Ionization ERa via Absorbing \ion{C}{4} Historical Yield (HIERACHY) IV: A complex redshifted absorption system intrinsic to quasar
We present methods to (i) graphically identify robust redshifts using emission lines in the (sub)mm regime, (ii) evaluate the capabilities of different (sub)mm practices for measuring spectroscopic redshifts, and (iii) optimise future (sub)mm observations towards increasing the fraction of robust redshifts. Using this publicly-available code (https://github.com/tjlcbakx/redshift-search-graphs), we discuss scenarios where robust redshifts can be identified using both single- and multiple-line detections, as well as scenarios where the redshift remains ambiguous, even after the detection of mult…
We investigate the warm ionized gas in the blue compact galaxy (BCG) Haro 14 by means of integral field spectroscopic observations taken with the MUSE/VLT. The large FoV of MUSE and its unprecedented sensitivity enable observations of the galaxy nebular emission up to large galactocentric distances. This allowed us to trace the ionized gas morphology and ionization structure up to kiloparsec scales and, for the first time, to accurately investigate the excitation mechanism operating in the outskirts of a typical BCG. The intensity and diagnostic maps reveal at least two highly distinct compone…
We study the components of cool and warm/hot gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of simulated galaxies and address the relative production of OVI by photoionization versus collisional ionization, as a function of halo mass, redshift, and distance from the galaxy halo center. This is done utilizing two different suites of zoom-in hydro-cosmological simulations, VELA (6 halos; $z>1$) and NIHAO (18 halos; to $z=0$), which provide a broad theoretical basis because they use different codes and physical recipes for star formation and feedback. In all halos studied in this work, we find that colli…
MEGATRON: Disentangling Physical Processes and Observational Bias in the Multi-Phase ISM of High-Redshift Galaxies
University of Oxford（牛津大学）；University of Chicago（芝加哥大学）；Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学卡弗里宇宙物理学研究所）；University College London（伦敦大学学院）；University of Bath（巴斯大学）；Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, Sorbonne Universites, CNRS（巴黎天体物理研究所，索邦大学，法国国家科学研究中心）；Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CRAL UMR5574, ENS de Lyon, CNRS（里昂第一大学，CRAL，里昂高等师范学校，法国国家科学研究中心）；Yonsei University（延世大学）；University of Wisconsin-Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校）；Universiteit Gent（根特大学）
A detailed understanding of how the activity of a galactic nucleus regulates the growth of its host is still missing. To understand the activity and the types of accretion of supermassive black holes in different hosts, it is essential to study radio-optical properties of a large sample of extragalactic sources. In particular, we aim at studying the radio spectral index trends across the optical emission line diagnostic diagrams to search for potential (anti)correlations. To this goal, we combine flux densities from the radio FIRST survey at $1.4\,{\rm GHz}$ (with the flux density range $10\,{…
The Lyman continuum (LyC) cannot be observed at the epoch of reionization (z {\gtrsim} 6) due to intergalactic H I absorption. To identify Lyman continuum emitters (LCEs) and infer the fraction of escaping LyC, astronomers have developed various indirect diagnostics of LyC escape. Using measurements of the LyC from the Low-redshift Lyman Continuum Survey (LzLCS), we present the first statistical test of these diagnostics. While optical depth indicators based on Lyα, such as peak velocity separation and equivalent width, perform well, we also find that other diagnostics, such as the [O III]/[O …
Non-equilibrium ionization effects are important in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations but are computationally expensive. We study the effect of non-equilibrium ionization evolution and UV ionizing background (UVB) generated with different quasar spectral energy distribution (SED) on the derived physical conditions of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at $2\leq z \leq 6$ using our post-processing tool 'Code for Ionization and Temperature Evolution' (CITE). CITE produces results matching well with self-consistent simulations more efficiently. The HeII reionization progresses more rapidly in n…
Though the small-scale, low-ionization knots, filaments and jets (LISs) of planetary nebulae (PNe) are known for ~30yr, some of their observational properties are not well established. In consequence our ability to include them in the wider context of the formation and evolution of PNe is directly affected. Why most structures have lower densities than the PN shells hosting them? Is their intense emission in low-ionization lines the key to their main excitation mechanism? Therefore, if considered altogether, can LISs line ratios, chemical abundances and kinematics enlighten the interplay betwe…
