We present a multi-band analysis of the six Hubble Frontier Field clusters and their parallel fields, producing catalogs with measurements of source photometry and photometric redshifts. We release these catalogs to the public along with maps of intracluster light and models for the brightest galaxies in each field. This rich data set covers a wavelength range from 0.2 to 8 $μm$, utilizing data from the Hubble Space Telescope, Keck Observatories, Very Large Telescope array, and Spitzer Space Telescope. We validate our products by injecting into our fields and recovering a population of synthetic objects with similar characteristics as in real extragalactic surveys. The photometric catalogs contain a total of over 32,000 entries with 50\% completeness at a threshold of $\mathrm{mag_{AB}}\sim 29.1$ for unblended sources, and $\mathrm{mag_{AB}}\sim 29$ for blended ones, in the IR-Weighted detection band. Photometric redshifts were obtained by means of template fitting and have an average outlier fraction of 10.3\% and scatter $σ= 0.067$ when compared to spectroscopic estimates. The software we devised, after being tested in the present work, will be applied to new data sets from ongoing and future surveys.
The catalog from the first high resolution U-band image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, taken with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 through the F300W filter, is presented. We detect 96 U-band objects and compare and combine this catalog with a Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) B-selected catalog that provides B, V, i, and z photometry, spectral types, and photometric redshifts. We have also obtained Far-Ultraviolet (FUV, 1614 Å) data with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys Solar Blind Channel (ACS/SBC) and with Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). We detected 31 sources wit…
LensExplorer is an IDL GUI code that can be used to visualize the lensing deflection field derived in the Hubble Frontier Fields clusters. The code can be used for both, research and educational purposes as it offers and intuitive and user friendly way to explore the solutions in the different clusters. LensExplorer can be used to predict the magnifications at different redshifts of background sources and for a given location. We present in this document a quick guide to get started with LensExplorer. The code and lens models for the cluster A2744 and MACSJ0416.1-2403 are publicly available fr…
In recent years, the rise in the number of Lyman Break Galaxies detected at high redshifts z >= 6 has opened up the possibility of understanding early galaxy formation physics in great detail. In particular, the faint-end slope (alpha) of the Ultra-violet luminosity function (UV LF) of these galaxies is a potential probe of feedback effects that suppress star formation in low mass haloes. In this work, we propose a proof-of-concept calculation for constraining the fluctuating UV background during reionization by constraining alpha in different volumes of the Universe. Because of patchy reioniz…
We search for high-redshift dropout galaxies behind the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+2223, a powerful cosmic lens that has revealed a number of unique objects in its field. Using the deep images from the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, we find 11 galaxies at z>7 in the MACS J1149.5+2223 cluster field, and 11 in its parallel field. The high-redshift nature of the bright z~9.6 galaxy MACS1149-JD, previously reported by Zheng et al., is further supported by non-detection in the extremely deep optical images from the HFF campaign. With the new photometry, the best …
Strong gravitational lensing provides a powerful means for studying faint galaxies in the distant universe. By magnifying the apparent brightness of background sources, massive clusters enable the detection of galaxies fainter than the usual sensitivity limit for blank fields. However, this gain in effective sensitivity comes at the cost of a reduced survey volume and, in this {\it Letter}, we demonstrate there is an associated increase in the cosmic variance uncertainty. As an example, we show that the cosmic variance uncertainty of the high redshift population viewed through the Hubble Space…
Cluster lensing has become an important tool in the search for high redshift galaxies through its ability to magnify sources. In order to determine the intrinsic properties of these galaxies, lensing mass models must be constructed to determine the magnification of the images. These models are traditionally two-dimensional, focusing on the mass within the cluster and either ignoring or approximating any contribution from line-of-sight galaxies. In this paper, we present the first full set of three-dimensional mass models of the six Hubble Frontier Fields and use them to test for systematic bia…
We derive a free-form mass distribution for the unrelaxed cluster A370 (z=0.375), using the latest Hubble Frontier Fields images and GLASS spectroscopy. Starting from a reliable set of 10 multiply lensed systems we produce a free-form lens model that identifies ~ 80 multiple-images. Good consistency is found between models using independent subsamples of these lensed systems, with detailed agreement for the well resolved arcs. The mass distribution has two very similar concentrations centred on the two prominent Brightest Cluster Galaxies (or BCGs), with mass profiles that are accurately const…
We derive a free-form mass distribution for the massive cluster AS1063 (z=0.348) using the completed optical imaging from the Hubble Frontier Fields programme. Based on a subset of 11 multiply lensed systems with spectroscopic redshift we produce a lens model that is accurate enough to unveil new multiply lensed systems, totalling over a 100 arclets, and to estimate their redshifts geometrically. Consistency is found between this precise model and that obtained using only the subset of lensed sources with spectroscopically measured redshifts. Although a relatively large elongation of the mass …
We construct a catalog of star clusters from Hubble Space Telescope images of the inner disk of the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) using image classifications collected by the Local Group Cluster Search, a citizen science project hosted on the Zooniverse platform. We identify 1214 star clusters within the Hubble Space Telescope imaging footprint of the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury: Triangulum Extended Region (PHATTER) survey. Comparing this catalog to existing compilations in the literature, 68% of the clusters are newly identified. The final catalog includes multi-band aperture photometry …
The deflection angles of lensed sources increase with their distance behind a given lens. We utilize this geometric effect to corroborate the $z_{phot}\simeq9.8$ photometric redshift estimate of a faint near-IR dropout, triply-imaged by the massive galaxy cluster Abell 2744 in deep Hubble Frontier Fields images. The multiple images of this source follow the same symmetry as other nearby sets of multiple images which bracket the critical curves and have well defined redshifts (up to $z_{spec}\simeq3.6$), but with larger deflection angles, indicating that this source must lie at a higher redshif…
We present a high-precision mass model of the galaxy cluster MACSJ0416.1-2403, based on a strong-gravitational-lensing analysis of the recently acquired Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields (HFF) imaging data. Taking advantage of the unprecedented depth provided by HST/ACS observations in three passbands, we identify 51 new multiply imaged galaxies, quadrupling the previous census and bringing the grand total to 68, comprising 194 individual lensed images. Having selected a subset of the 57 most securely identified multiply imaged galaxies, we use the Lenstool software package to constrain a…
Acting as powerful gravitational lenses, the strong lensing galaxy clusters of the deep Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) program permit access to lower-luminosity galaxies lying at higher redshifts than hitherto possible. We analyzed the HFF to measure the volume density of Lyman-break galaxies at $z > 4.75$ by identifying a complete and reliable sample up to $z \simeq 10$. A marked deficit of such galaxies was uncovered in the highly magnified regions of the clusters relative to their outskirts, implying that the magnification of the sky area dominates over additional faint galaxies magnified abo…
The Frontier Fields program is obtaining deep Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescope images of new "blank" fields and nearby fields gravitationally lensed by massive galaxy clusters. The Hubble images of the lensed fields are revealing nJy sources (AB mag > 31), the faintest galaxies yet observed. In this paper, we present high-redshift (z > 6) number count predictions for the full program and candidates in three of the first Hubble Frontier Fields images. The full program will transform our understanding of galaxy evolution in the first 600 million years (z > 9). Where previous programs yielded p…
We present a high-precision mass model of the galaxy cluster MACSJ1149.6+2223, based on a strong-gravitational-lensing analysis of Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields (HFF) imaging data and spectroscopic follow-up with Gemini/GMOS and VLT/MUSE. Our model includes 12 new multiply imaged galaxies, bringing the total to 22, comprised of 65 individual lensed images. Unlike the first two HFF clusters, Abell 2744 and MACSJ0416.1-2403, MACSJ1149 does not reveal as many multiple images in the HFF data. Using the Lenstool software package and the new sets of multiple images, we model the cluster wit…
We measure the size-mass relation and its evolution between redshifts 1$<z<$3, using galaxies lensed by six foreground Hubble Frontier Fields clusters. The power afforded by strong gravitation lensing allows us to observe galaxies with higher angular resolution beyond current facilities. We select a stellar mass limited sample and divide them into star-forming or quiescent classes based on their rest-frame UVJ colors from the ASTRODEEP catalogs. Source reconstruction is carried out with the recently-released $lenstruction$ software, which is built on the multi-purpose gravitational lensing sof…
Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) imaging of the most powerful lensing clusters provides access to the most magnified distant galaxies. The challenge is to construct lens models capable of describing these complex massive, merging clusters so that individual lensed systems can be reliably identified and their intrinsic properties accurately derived. We apply the free-form lensing method (WSLAP+) to A2744, providing a model independent map of the cluster mass, magnification, and geometric distance estimates to multiply-lensed sources. We solve simultaneously for a smooth cluster component on a pixel…
We report the discovery of 24 Lyman-break candidates at 7<z<10.5, in the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) imaging data of Abell 2744 (z=0.308), plus Spiter/IRAC data and archival ACS data. The sample includes a triple image system with a photometric redshift of z~7.4. This high redshift is geometrically confirmed by our lens model corresponding to deflection angles that are 12% larger than the lower-redshift systems used to calibrate the lens model at z=2.019. The majority of our high-redshift candidates are not expected to be multiply lensed given their locations in the image plane and the bright…
We present the comprehensive analyses of faint dropout galaxies up to $z\sim10$ with the first full-depth data set of Abell 2744 lensing cluster and parallel fields observed by the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) program. We identify $54$ dropouts at $z\sim5-10$ in the HFF fields, and enlarge the size of $z\sim9$ galaxy sample obtained to date. Although the number of highly magnified ($μ\sim10$) galaxies is small due to the tiny survey volume of strong lensing, our study reaches the galaxies' intrinsic luminosities comparable to the deepest-field HUDF studies. We derive UV luminosity functions wi…
We conduct precise strong lensing mass modeling of four ${\it Hubble}$ Frontier Fields (HFF) clusters, Abell$~$2744, MACS$~$J0416.1$-$2403, MACS$~$J0717.5$+$3745, and MACS$~$J1149.6$+$2223, for which HFF imaging observations are completed. We construct a refined sample of more than 100 multiple images for each cluster by taking advantage of the full depth HFF images, and conduct mass modeling using the ${\small \rm GLAFIC}$ software, which assumes simply parametrized mass distributions. Our mass modeling also exploits a magnification constraint from the lensed Type Ia supernova HFF14Tom for Ab…
We show that the recently measured UV luminosity functions of ultra-faint lensed galaxies at z= 6 in the Hubble Frontier Fields provide an unprecedented probe for the mass m_X of the Warm Dark Matter candidates independent of baryonic physics. Comparing the measured abundance of the faintest galaxies with the maximum number density of dark matter halos in WDM cosmologies sets a robust limit m_X> 2.9 keV for the mass of thermal relic WDM particles at a 1-sigma confidence level, m_X> 2.4 keV at 2-sigma, and m_X> 2.1 keV at 3-sigma. These constitute the tightest constraints on WDM particle mass d…
We present a high-precision mass model of galaxy cluster Abell 2744, based on a strong-gravitational-lensing analysis of the \emph{Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields} (HFF) imaging data, which now include both \emph{Advanced Camera for Surveys} and \emph{Wide-Field Camera 3} observations to the final depth. Taking advantage of the unprecedented depth of the visible and near-infrared data, we identify 34 new multiply imaged galaxies, bringing the total to 61, comprising 181 individual lensed images. In the process, we correct previous erroneous identifications and positions of multiple syst…
We present Hubble multi-wavelength photometric catalogs, including (up to) 17 filters with the Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 from the ultra-violet to near-infrared for the Hubble Frontier Fields and associated parallels. We have constructed homogeneous photometric catalogs for all six clusters and their parallels. To further expand these data catalogs, we have added ultra-deep $K_{S}$-band imaging at 2.2~\micron\ from the Very Large Telescope HAWK-I and Keck-I MOSFIRE instruments. We also add post-cryogenic \spitzer\ imaging at 3.6~\micron\ and 4.5~\micron\ with the Infra…
[abridged] We present a strong-lensing analysis of MACSJ0717.5+3745, based on the full depth of the Hubble Frontier Field (HFF) observations, which brings the number of multiply imaged systems to 61, ten of which are spectroscopically confirmed. The total number of images comprised in these systems rises to 165. Our analysis uses a parametric mass reconstruction technique, as implemented in the Lenstool software, to constrain a mass distribution composed of four large-scale mass components + galaxy-scale perturbers. We find a superposition of cored isothermal mass components to provide a good …
We describe a general purpose method to reconstruct the intrinsic properties of sources lensed by the gravitational potential of foreground clusters of galaxies. The tool Lenstruction is implemented in the publicly available multi-purpose gravitational lensing software Lenstronomy, in order to provide an easy and fast solution to this common astrophysical problem. The tool is based on forward modeling the appearance of the source in the image plane, taking into account the distortion by lensing and the instrumental point spread function (PSF). For singly-imaged sources a global lens model in t…
As a legacy of the Hubble Space Telescope, a multi-cycle public survey has recently been approved and began to scan an area of approximately 0.5 degrees x 1.5 degrees in one quadrant of M31, using two cameras and several filters. The purpose of this work is to immediately release to the community a catalog of the sources imaged by ACS/WFC. The list will be updated on an almost real-time basis, as new data arrive, and the process will continue for the next two years, until the survey is completed. Each update will contain a chunk of 1/46 of the entire ACS/WFC survey, by means of astrometrized s…
We use a joint optical/X-ray analysis to constrain the geometry and history of the ongoing merging event in the massive galaxy cluster MACSJ0416.1-2403 (z=0.397). Our investigation of cluster substructure rests primarily on a combined strong- and weak-lensing mass reconstruction based on the deep, high-resolution images obtained for the Hubble Frontier Fields initiative. To reveal the system's dynamics, we complement this lensing analysis with a study of the intra-cluster gas using shallow Chandra data, and a three-dimensional model of the distribution and motions of cluster galaxies derived f…
We present a sample of 407 z~3 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) to a limiting isophotal u-band magnitude of 27.6 mag in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF). The LBGs are selected using a combination of photometric redshifts and the u-band drop-out technique enabled by the introduction of an extremely deep u-band image obtained with the Keck I telescope and the blue channel of the LRIS spectrometer. The Keck u-band image, totaling 9 hours of integration time, has a one sigma depth of 30.7 mag arcsec^-2, making it one of the most sensitive u-band images ever obtained. The u-band image also substantiall…
The velocity dispersion function of red galaxies in four Hubble Frontier Fields galaxy clusters
Università degli Studi di Ferrara（费拉拉大学）；Università degli Studi di Milano（米兰大学）；University of Portsmouth（朴茨茅斯大学）；Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München（慕尼黑大学）；INAF – IASF Milano（意大利国家天体物理研究所米兰天文物理研究所）；INAF – OAS, Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna（意大利国家天体物理研究所博洛尼亚天文与空间科学研究所）；Università Degli Studi di Salerno（萨莱诺大学）；INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡波迪蒙特天文台）
We present the results of a new search for galaxies at redshift z ~ 9 in the first two Hubble Frontier Fields with completed HST WFC3/IR and ACS imaging. To ensure robust photometric redshift solutions, and to minimize incompleteness, we confine our search to objects with H_{160} < 28.6 (AB mag), consider only image regions with an rms noise sigma_{160} > 30 mag (within a 0.5-arcsec diameter aperture), and insist on detections in both H_{160} and J_{140}. The result is a survey covering an effective area (after accounting for magnification) of 10.9 sq. arcmin, which yields 12 galaxies at 8.4 <…
The Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) are a selection of well-studied galaxy clusters used to probe dense environments and distant gravitationally lensed galaxies. We explore the 21cm neutral hydrogen (HI) content of galaxies in three of the HFF clusters, Abell 2744 ($z = 0.308$), Abell S1063 ($z = 0.346$) and Abell 370 ($z = 0.375$), to investigate the evolution of gas in galaxies within intermediate redshift clusters. Using Early Science MeerKAT observations, we perform spectral-line stacking with HI cubes and make a 3$σ$ stacked detection for blue galaxies in Abell S1063 ($M_\mathrm{HI} = 1.22^{…
We use deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the Frontier Fields to accurately measure the galaxy rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function (UV LF) in the redshift range $z \sim 6-8$. We combine observations in three lensing clusters A2744, MACS0416, MACS0717 and their associated parallels fields to select high-redshift dropout candidates. We use the latest lensing models to estimate the flux magnification and the effective survey volume in combination with completeness simulations performed in the source plane. We report the detection of 227 galaxy candidates at $z=6-7$ and 25 candidates at…
We searched for z > 7 Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) in the optical-to-mid-infrared Hubble Frontier Field and associated parallel field observations of the strong-lensing cluster MACS J0416-2403. We discovered 22 candidates, of which six lie at z > 9 and one lies at z > 10. Based on the Hubble and Spitzer photometry, all have secure photometric redshifts and a negligible probability of being at lower redshifts, according to their peak probability ratios, R. This substantial increase in the number of known high-redshift galaxies allows a solid determination of the luminosity function at z > 8. The…
We measure the size-luminosity relation of photometrically-selected galaxies within the redshift range $z\sim6-9$, using galaxies lensed by six foreground Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) clusters. The power afforded by strong gravitational lensing allows us to observe fainter and smaller galaxies than in blank fields. We select our sample of galaxies and obtain their properties, e.g., redshift, magnitude, from the photometrically-derived ASTRODEEP catalogues. The intrinsic size is measured with the Lenstruction software, and completeness maps are created as a function of size and luminosity via t…
Thick disk evolution is studied using edge-on galaxies in two Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Field Parallels. The galaxies were separated into 72 clumpy types and 35 spiral types with bulges. Perpendicular light profiles in F435W, F606W and F814W (B, V and I) passbands were measured at 1 pixel intervals along the major axes and fitted to sech^2 functions convolved with the instrument line spread function (LSF). The LSF was determined from the average point spread function (PSF) of ~20 stars in each passband and field, convolved with a line of uniform brightness to simulate disk blurring. A sp…
As part of the Hubble Space Telescope UV Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters, 110 parallel fields were observed with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, in the outskirts of 48 globular clusters, plus the open cluster NGC 6791. Totalling about $0.3$ square degrees of observed sky, this is the largest homogeneous Hubble Space Telescope photometric survey of Galalctic globular clusters outskirts to date. In particular, two distinct pointings have been obtained for each target on average, all centred at about $6.5$ arcmin from the cluster centre, thus covering a mean…
This paper presents multiwavelength photometric catalogues of the last two Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF), the massive galaxy clusters Abell 370 and RXC J2248.7-4431. The photometry ranges from imaging performed on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to ground based Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Spitzer/IRAC, in collaboration with the ASTRODEEP team, and using the ASTRODEEP pipeline. While the main purpose of this paper is to release the catalogues, we also perform, as a proof of concept, a brief analysis of z > 6 objects selected using drop-out method, as well as spectroscopically confirmed sourc…
In this paper we present the results of our search for and study of $z \gtrsim 6$ galaxy candidates behind the third Frontier Fields (FF) cluster, MACSJ0717.5+3745, and its parallel field, combining data from Hubble and Spitzer. We select 39 candidates using the Lyman Break technique, for which the clear non-detection in optical make the extreme mid-$z$ interlopers hypothesis unlikely. We also take benefit from $z \gtrsim 6$ samples selected using previous Frontier Fields datasets of Abell 2744 and MACS0416 to improve the constraints on the properties of very high-redshift objects. We compute …
We present an investigation on escape fractions of UV photons from a unique sample of lensed low-mass emission line selected galaxies at z < 3.5 found in the SHARDS Hubble Frontier Fields medium-band survey. We have used this deep imaging survey to locate 42 relatively low-mass galaxies, down to $log(M_{*}/M_{\odot}) = 7$, between redshifts 2.4 < z < 3.5 which are candidate line emitters. Using deep multi-band Hubble UVIS imaging we investigate the flux of escaping ionizing photons from these systems, obtaining 1$σ$ upper limits of $f^{rel}_{esc}$ ~7% for individual galaxies, and < 2% for stac…
We present an analysis of MUSE observations obtained on the massive Frontier Fields cluster Abell 2744. This new dataset covers the entire multiply-imaged region around the cluster core. We measure spectroscopic redshifts for HST-selected continuum sources together with line emitters blindly detected in the datacube. The combined catalog consists of 514 spectroscopic redshifts (with 414 new identifications), including 156 cluster members and 326 magnified background sources. We use this redshift information to perform a strong-lensing analysis of all multiple images previously found in the dee…
Galaxies with stellar masses <10^7 Msun and specific star formation rates sSFR>10^{-7} yr^{-1} were examined on images of the Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Field Parallels for Abell 2744 and MACS J0416.1-02403. They appear as unresolved "Little Blue Dots" (LBDs). They are less massive and have higher sSFR than "blueberries" studied by yang et al. (2017) and higher sSFR than "Blue Nuggets" studied by Tacchella et al.(2016). We divided the LBDs into 3 redshift bins and, for each, stacked the B435, V606, and I814 images convolved to the same stellar point spread function (PSF). Their radii were…
We report the discovery of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in Abell 370 ($z=0.375$). We find 46 UDGs in Abell 370 from the images of the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF). Most UDGs are low-luminosity red sequence galaxies, while a few of them are blue UDGs. We estimate the abundance of UDGs in Abell 370, $N(\rm UDG)=644\pm104$. Combining these results with those of Abell S1063 ($z=0.348$) and Abell 2744 ($z=0.308$) \citep{Lee17}, we derive a mean radial number density profile of UDGs in the three clusters. The number density profiles of UDGs and bright galaxies show a discrepancy in the central regi…
We present the multiwavelength photometry of two Frontier Fields massive galaxy clusters MACS-J0717 and MACS-J1149 and their parallel fields, ranging from HST to ground based K and Spitzer IRAC bands, and the public release of photometric redshifts and rest frame properties of galaxies found in cluster and parallel pointings. This work was done within ASTRODEEP project and aims to provide a reference for future investigations of the extragalactic populations. To fully exploit the depth of the images and detect faint sources we used an accurate procedure which carefully removes the foreground l…
The Hubble Catalog of Variables (HCV) project aims to identify the variable sources in the Hubble Source Catalog (HSC), which includes about 92 million objects with over 300 million measurements detected by the WFPC2, ACS and WFC3 cameras on board of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), by using an automated pipeline containing a set of detection and validation algorithms. All the HSC sources with more than a predefined number of measurements in a single filter/instrument combination are pre-processed to correct systematic effect and to remove the bad measurements. The corrected data are used to …
We show that the measured abundance of ultra-faint lensed galaxies at $z\approx 6$ in the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) provides stringent constraints on the parameter space of i) Dark Matter models based on keV sterile neutrinos; ii) the "fuzzy" wavelike Dark Matter models, based on Bose-Einstein condensate of ultra-light particles. For the case of the sterile neutrinos, we consider two production mechanisms: resonant production through the mixing with active neutrinos and the decay of scalar particles. For the former model, we derive constraints for the combination of sterile neutrino mass $m…
We investigate the intra-cluster light (ICL) in the 6 Hubble Frontier Field clusters at $0.3<z<0.6$. We employ a new method, which is free from any functional form of the ICL profile, and exploit the unprecedented depth of this Hubble Space Telescope imaging to map the ICL's diffuse light out to clustrocentric radii $R\sim300$kpc ($μ_{\rm ICL}\sim27$mag arcsec$^{-2}$). From these maps, we construct radial color and stellar mass profiles via SED fitting and find clear negative color gradients in all systems with increasing distance from the Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG). While this implies old…
At cosmological distances, gravitational lensing can provide a direct measurement of supermassive black hole (SMBH) masses irrespective of their luminosities. Here, we directly estimate the mass of a SMBH in the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) of MACS J1149+2223.5 at $z=0.54$ through one of the multiply-lensed images of a background spiral galaxy at $z=1.49$ projected close to the BCG. In this particular image, an intrinsically compact region in one of the spiral arms is lensed into an arc that curves towards the BCG center. This arc has a radius of curvature of only $\sim$0."6, betraying the p…
We present a gravitational lensing model of MACS J1149.5+2223 using ultra-deep Hubble Frontier Fields imaging data and spectroscopic redshifts from HST grism and VLT/MUSE spectroscopic data. We create total mass maps using 38 multiple images (13 sources) and 608 weak lensing galaxies, as well as 100 multiple images of 31 star-forming regions in the galaxy that hosts Supernova Refsdal. We find good agreement with a range of recent models within the HST field of view. We present a map of the ratio of projected stellar mass to total mass ($f_{\star}$), and find that the stellar mass fraction for …
Exploiting the power of gravitational lensing, the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) program aims at observing six massive galaxy clusters to explore the distant Universe far beyond the depth limits of blank field surveys. Using the complete Hubble Space Telescope observations of the first HFF cluster Abell 2744, we report the detection of 50 galaxy candidates at $z \sim 7$ and eight candidates at $z \sim 8$ in a total survey area of 0.96 arcmin$^{2}$ in the source plane. Three of these galaxies are multiply-imaged by the lensing cluster. Using an updated model of the mass distribution in the clust…
We present new measurements of the UV spectral slope $β$ for galaxies at $z=6-9$ in the Frontier Fields cluster MACSJ0416.1-2403 and its parallel field, to an unprecedented level of low stellar mass. We fit synthetic stellar population models to the observed spectral energy distribution and calculate $β$ by fitting a power law to the best-fit spectrum. With this method, we report the derivation of rest-frame UV colours of galaxies for the Frontier Fields program extending out to $z=9$, probing magnitudes as faint as $M\mathrm{_{UV}=-13.5}$ at $z=6$. We find no significant correlation between $…
We present an updated strong-lensing analysis of the massive cluster Abell 370 (A370), continuing the work first presented in Lagattuta et al. (2017). In this new analysis, we take advantage of the deeper imaging data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Frontier Fields program, as well as a large spectroscopic mosaic obtained with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). Thanks to the extended coverage of this mosaic, we probe the full 3D distribution of galaxies in the field, giving us a unique picture of the extended structure of the cluster and its surroundings. Our final catalog con…
We present UV luminosity functions of dropout galaxies at $z\sim6-10$ with the complete Hubble Frontier Fields data. We obtain a catalog of $\sim450$ dropout-galaxy candidates (350, 66, and 40 at $z\sim6-7$, 8, and 9, respectively), whose UV absolute magnitudes reach $\sim-14$ mag, $\sim2$ mag deeper than the Hubble Ultra Deep Field detection limits. We carefully evaluate number densities of the dropout galaxies by Monte-Carlo simulations, including all lensing effects such as magnification, distortion, and multiplication of images as well as detection completeness and contamination effects in…
We assemble a large comprehensive sample of 2534 z~2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 galaxies lensed by the six clusters from the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) program. Making use of the availability of multiple independent magnification models for each of the HFF clusters and alternatively treating one of the models as the "truth," we show that the median magnification factors from the v4 parametric models are typically reliable to values of 30 to 50, and in one case to 100. Using the median magnification factor from the latest v4 models, we estimate the UV luminosities of the 2534 lensed z~2-9 galax…
Emission line galaxies provide a crucial tool for the study of galaxy formation and evolution, providing a means to trace a galaxy's star formation history or metal enrichment, and to identify galaxies at a range of stellar masses. In this paper we present a study of emission line galaxies in the SHARDS Frontier Fields medium-band survey. Through detailed flux calibrations we combine the first results of the SHARDS-FF survey with existing Hubble Frontier Field data to select 1,098 candidate emission line galaxies from the Hubble Frontier Filed clusters Abell 370 and MACS J1149.5+2223. Furtherm…
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is being extensively used in Astronomy but not yet exhaustively exploited for variability search. The aim of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of using the PCA as a method to search for variable stars in large photometric data sets. We apply PCA to variability indices computed for light curves of 18152 stars in three fields in M 31 extracted from the Hubble Source Catalogue. The projection of the data into the principal components is used as a stellar variability detection and classification tool, capable of distinguishing between RR Lyrae stars, …
In this paper we present the astro-photometric catalogues of 56 globular clusters and one open cluster. Astrometry and photometry are mainly based on images collected within the "HST Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters: Shedding UV Light on Their Populations and Formation" (GO-13297, PI:~Piotto), and the "ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters" (GO-10775, PI:~Sarajedini). For each source in the catalogues for which we have reliable proper motion we also publish a membership probability for separation of field and cluster stars. These new catalogues, which we make public in Mikulski A…
