Reconstructing the Assembly of Massive Galaxies. I: The Importance of the Progenitor Effect in the Observed Properties of Quiescent Galaxies at $z\approx 2$
We study the relationship between the morphology and star formation history (SFH) of 361 quiescent galaxies (QGs) at redshift $\langle z_{obs}\rangle\approx 2$, with stellar mass $\log M_*\ge10.3$, selected with the UVJ technique. Taking advantage of panchromatic photometry covering the rest-frame UV-to-NIR spectral range ($\approx40$ bands), we reconstruct the non-parametric SFH of the galaxies with the fully Bayesian SED fitting code Prospector. We find that the half-light radius $R_e$, observed at $z_{obs}$, depends on the formation redshift of the galaxies, $z_{form}$, and that this relationship depends on stellar mass. At $\log M_*<11$, the relationship is consistent with $R_e\propto(1+z_{form})^{-1}$, in line with the expectation that the galaxies' central density depends on the cosmic density at the time of their formation, i.e. the "progenitor effect". At $\log M_*>11$, the relationship between $R_e$ and $z_{form}$ flattens, suggesting that mergers become increasingly important for the size growth of more massive galaxies after they quenched. We also find that the relationship between $z_{form}$ and galaxy compactness similarly depends on stellar mass. While no clear trend is observed for QGs with $\log M_*>11$, lower-mass QGs that formed earlier, i.e. with larger $z_{form}$, have larger central stellar mass surface densities, both within the $R_e$ ($Σ_e$) and central 1 kpc ($Σ_{1kpc}$), and also larger $M_{1kpc}/M_*$, the fractional mass within the central 1 kpc. These trends between $z_{form}$ and compactness, however, essentially disappear, if the progenitor effect is removed by normalizing the stellar density with the cosmic density at $z_{form}$. Our findings highlight the importance of reconstructing the SFH of galaxies before attempting to infer their intrinsic structural evolution.
We search the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Baryon Oscillation Sky Survey to identify ~5500 massive compact quiescent galaxy candidates at 0.2<z<0.8. We robustly classify a subsample of 438 E+A galaxies based on their spectral properties and make this catalog publicly available. We examine sizes, stellar population ages and kinematics of galaxies in the sample and show that the physical properties of compact E+A galaxies suggest that they are a progenitor of massive compact quiescent galaxies. Thus, two classes of objects-compact E+A and compact quiescent galaxies-may be linked by a common …
We present a measurement of the spatial clustering of massive compact galaxies at $1.2\le z \le 3$ in CANDELS/3D-HST fields. We obtain the correlation length for compact quiescent galaxies (cQGs) at $z\sim1.6$ of $r_{0}=7.1_{-2.6}^{+2.3}\ h^{-1}Mpc$ and compact star forming galaxies (cSFGs) at $z\sim2.5$ of $r_{0}=7.7_{-2.9}^{+2.7}\ h^{-1}Mpc$ assuming a power-law slope $γ=1.8$. The characteristic dark matter halo masses $M_H$ of cQGs at $z\sim1.6$ and cSFGs at $z\sim2.5$ are $\sim7.1\times 10^{12}\ h^{-1} M_\odot$ and $\sim4.4\times10^{12}\ h^{-1} M_\odot$, respectively. Our clustering result…
We analyze the stellar populations of a sample of 62 massive (log Mstar/Msun > 10.7) galaxies in the redshift range 1 < z < 1.6, with the main goal of investigating the role of recent quenching in the size growth of quiescent galaxies. We demonstrate that our sample is not biased toward bright, compact, or young galaxies, and thus is representative of the overall quiescent population. Our high signal-to-noise ratio Keck LRIS spectra probe the rest-frame Balmer break region which contains important absorption line diagnostics of recent star formation activity. We obtain improved measures of the…
We present spatially-resolved Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) 870 $μ$m dust continuum maps of six massive, compact, dusty star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at $z\sim2.5$. These galaxies are selected for their small rest-frame optical sizes ($r_{\rm e, F160W}\sim1.6$ kpc) and high stellar-mass densities that suggest that they are direct progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies at $z\sim2$. The deep observations yield high far-infrared (FIR) luminosities of L$_{\rm IR}=10^{12.3-12.8}$ L$_{\odot}$ and star formation rates (SFRs) of SFR$=200-700$ M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$, consistent w…
We present Keck-I MOSFIRE near-infrared spectroscopy for a sample of 13 compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at redshift $2\leq z \leq2.5$ with star formation rates of SFR$\sim$100M$_{\odot}$ y$^{-1}$ and masses of log(M/M$_{\odot}$)$\sim10.8$. Their high integrated gas velocity dispersions of $σ_{\rm{int}}$=230$^{+40}_{-30}$ km s$^{-1}$, as measured from emission lines of H$_α$ and [OIII], and the resultant M$_{\star}-σ_{\rm{int}}$ relation and M$_{\star}$$-$M$_{\rm{dyn}}$ all match well to those of compact quiescent galaxies at $z\sim2$, as measured from stellar absorption lines. Since log(M…
We explore the relations between size, stellar mass and average stellar population age (indicated by D$_n4000$ indices) for a sample of $\sim11000$ intermediate-redshift galaxies from the SHELS spectroscopic survey (Geller et al. 2014) augmented by high-resolution Subaru Telescope Hyper Suprime-Cam imaging. In the redshift interval $0.1<z<0.6$, star forming galaxies are on average larger than their quiescent counterparts. The mass-complete sample of $\sim3500$ $M_*>10^{10}\, M_\odot$ quiescent galaxies shows that the average size of a $10^{11}\, M_\odot$ quiescent galaxy increases by $\lesssim…
Massive galaxies at higher redshifts ($\emph{z}$ $>$ 2) show different characteristics from their local counterparts: They are compact and most likely have a disk. In this study, we trace the evolution of local massive galaxies by performing a detailed morphological analysis, namely, fitting single Sérsic profiles and performing bulge+disk decompositions. We analyze $\sim$ 250 massive galaxies selected from all CANDELS fields (COSMOS, UDS, EGS, GOODS-South and GOODS-North). We confirm that both star-forming and quiescent galaxies increase their sizes significantly from $\emph{z}$ $\approx$ 2.5…
Using the UltraVISTA catalogs, we investigate the evolution in the 11.4~Gyr since $z=3$ of the progenitors of local ultra-massive galaxies ($\log{(M_{\rm star}/M_{\odot})}\approx11.8$; UMGs), providing a complete and consistent picture of how the most massive galaxies at $z=0$ have assembled. By selecting the progenitors with a semi-empirical approach using abundance matching, we infer a growth in stellar mass of 0.56$^{+0.35}_{-0.25}$ dex, 0.45$^{+0.16}_{-0.20}$~dex, and 0.27$^{+0.08}_{-0.12}$ dex from $z=3$, $z=2$, and $z=1$, respectively, to $z=0$. At $z<1$, the progenitors of UMGs constitu…
We report two secure ($z=3.775, 4.012$) and one tentative ($z\approx3.767$) spectroscopic confirmations of massive and quiescent galaxies through $K$-band observations with Keck/MOSFIRE and VLT/X-Shooter. The stellar continuum emission, the absence of strong nebular emission lines and the lack of significant far-infrared detections confirm the passive nature of these objects, disfavoring the alternative solution of low-redshift dusty star-forming interlopers. We derive stellar masses of $\mathrm{log}(M_{\star}/M_\odot)\sim11$ and ongoing star formation rates placing these galaxies $\gtrsim 1-2…
Three billion years after the big bang (at redshift z=2), half of the most massive galaxies were already old, quiescent systems with little to no residual star formation and extremely compact with stellar mass densities at least an order of magnitude larger than in low redshift ellipticals, their descendants. Little is known about how they formed, but their evolved, dense stellar populations suggest formation within intense, compact starbursts 1-2 Gyr earlier (at 3<z<6). Simulations show that gas-rich major mergers can give rise to such starbursts which produce dense remnants. Sub-millimeter s…
We have developed a method for estimating the properties of the progenitor dwarf galaxy from the tidal stream of stars that were ripped from it as it fell into the Milky Way. In particular, we show that the mass and radial profile of a progenitor dwarf galaxy evolved along the orbit of the Orphan Stream, including the stellar and dark matter components, can be reconstructed from the distribution of stars in the tidal stream it produced. We use MilkyWay@home, a PetaFLOPS-scale distributed supercomputer, to optimize our dwarf galaxy parameters until we arrive at best-fit parameters. The algorith…
We examine the fraction of massive ($M_{*}>10^{10} M_{\odot}$), compact star-forming galaxies (cSFGs) that host an active galactic nucleus (AGN) at $z\sim2$. These cSFGs are likely the direct progenitors of the compact quiescent galaxies observed at this epoch, which are the first population of passive galaxies to appear in large numbers in the early Universe. We identify cSFGs that host an AGN using a combination of Hubble WFC3 imaging and Chandra X-ray observations in four fields: the Chandra Deep Fields, the Extended Groth Strip, and the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey field. We find that $39.2^{+…
We present the discovery of two galaxy overdensities in the Hubble Space Telescope UDF: a proto-cluster, HUDFJ0332.4-2746.6 at $z = 1.84 \pm 0.01$, and a group, HUDFJ0332.5-2747.3 at $z =1.90 \pm 0.01$. Assuming viralization, the velocity dispersion of HUDFJ0332.4-2746.6 implies a mass of $M_{200}= (2.2 \pm 1.8) \times 10^{14} M_{\odot}$, consistent with the lack of extended X-ray emission. Neither overdensity shows evidence of a red sequence. About $50\%$ of their members show interactions and/or disturbed morphologies, which are signatures of merger remnants or disk instability. Most of thei…
We analyse the star formation rates (SFRs), colours, and dust extinctions of galaxies in massive (10^12.5-10^13.5 Msun) haloes at z~2 in high-resolution, cosmological zoom-in simulations as part of the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. The simulations do not model feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) but reproduce well the observed relations between stellar and halo mass and between stellar mass and SFR. About half (a third) of the simulated massive galaxies (massive central galaxies) at z~2 have broad-band colours classifying them as 'quiescent', and the fraction of qui…
StAGE: Stellar Archaeology-driven Galaxy Evolution II. Binary Black Hole Mergers in Quiescent Galaxies and their Star-forming Progenitors
SISSA(斯issa国际高等研究院);INFN-Trieste(意大利国家核物理研究所的里雅斯特分部);IFPU(理论物理学前沿研究所);INAF-IRA(意大利国家天体物理研究所都灵天文台);Univ. Heidelberg(海德堡大学);Univ. of Trento(特伦托大学);INAF-OAR(意大利国家天体物理研究所阿斯科利山天文台)
We discuss the evolution of the interstellar medium of quiescent galaxies, currently emerging from recent analyses, with the help of a simple model based on well-established empirical relations such as the stellar mass functions and the main sequence of star formation. This model is meant to describe observed quantities without making specific assumptions on the nature of quenching processes, but relying on their observable consequences. We find that the high gas fractions seen or suggested at high redshift in quiescent galaxies, and their apparent mild evolution at early times, can be mostly …
Forged in Quenching: Morphological Transformation across Star-forming and Quiescent Galaxies in EAGLE
Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, Durham University(达勒姆大学物理学院宇宙计算研究所);Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Department of Physics, Durham University(达勒姆大学物理学院河外天文学中心);Institute for Data Science, Durham University(达勒姆大学数据科学研究所);Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, Fudan University(复旦大学物理学院天文与天体物理中心)
We use high-resolution, multi-band imaging of ~16,500 galaxies in the CANDELS fields at 0 < z < 2.5 to study the evolution of color gradients and half-mass radii over cosmic time. We find that galaxy color gradients at fixed mass evolve rapidly between z~2.5 and z~1, but remain roughly constant below z~1. This result implies that the sizes of both star-forming and quiescent galaxies increase much more slowly than previous studies found using half-light radii. The half-mass radius evolution of quiescent galaxies is fully consistent with a model which uses observed minor merger rates to predict …
We use reconstructed star-formation histories (SFHs) of quiescent galaxies at $z=0.6-1$ in the LEGA-C survey to identify secondary star-formation episodes that, after an initial period of quiescence, moved the galaxies back to the star-forming main sequence (blue cloud). $16\pm3$\% of the $z\sim0.8$ quiescent population has experienced such rejuvenation events in the redshift range $0.7<z<1.5$ after reaching quiescence at some earlier time. On average, these galaxies first became quiescent at $z=1.2$, and those that rejuvenated, remained quiescent for $\sim1$Gyr before their secondary SF episo…
We use a 27.6 deg$^2$ survey to measure the clustering of $gzK_s$-selected quiescent galaxies at $z\sim1.6$, focusing on ultra-massive quiescent galaxies. We find that $z\sim1.6$ Ultra-Massive Passively Evolving Galaxies (UMPEGs), which have $K_s(AB)<19.75$ (stellar masses of $M_{stars}$ $>\sim 10^{11.4}M_{\odot}$ and mean $<$$M_{stars}$$>$ = $10^{11.5}M_{\odot}$), cluster more strongly than any other known galaxy population at high redshift. Comparing their correlation length, $r_0 = 29.77 \pm 2.75$ $ h^{-1}$Mpc, with the clustering of dark matter halos in the Millennium XXL N-body simulation…
We report the discovery of MAGAZ3NE J095924+022537, a spectroscopically-confirmed protocluster at $z = 3.3665^{+0.0009}_{-0.0012}$ around a spectroscopically-confirmed $UVJ$-quiescent ultra-massive galaxy (UMG; $M_{\star}=2.34^{+0.23}_{-0.34}\times10^{11} {\rm M}_\odot$) in the COSMOS UltraVISTA field. We present a total of 38 protocluster members (14 spectroscopic and 24 photometric), including the UMG. Notably, and in marked contrast to protoclusters previously reported at this epoch which have been found to contain predominantly star-forming members, we measure an elevated fraction of quies…
The HectoMAP survey provides a complete, mass-limited sample of 30,231 quiescent galaxies with $i-$band Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC SSP) imaging that spans the redshift range $0.2 <z < 0.6$. We combine half-light radii based on HSC SSP imaging with redshifts and D$_n4000$ to explore the size - mass relation, $R_{e} = A \times M_{*}^α$, and its evolution for the entire HectoMAP quiescent population and for two subsets of the data. Newcomers with $1.5 < \mathrm{D}_n4000 < 1.6$ at each redshift show a steeper increase in $A$ as the universe ages than the population that descen…
The mean size ( effective radius $R_e$) of Massive Galaxies (MGs, $M_{\rm star}>10^{11.2}M_\odot$) is observed to increase steadily with cosmic time. It is still unclear whether this trend originates from the size growth of individual galaxies (via, e.g., mergers and/or AGN feedback) or from the inclusion of larger galaxies entering the selection at later epochs (progenitor bias). We here build a data-driven, flexible theoretical framework to probe the structural evolution of MGs. We assign galaxies to dark matter haloes via stellar mass-halo mass (SMHM) relations with varying high-mass slopes…
Galaxies with stellar masses near M* contain the majority of stellar mass in the universe, and are therefore of special interest in the study of galaxy evolution. The Milky Way (MW) and Andromeda (M31) have present day stellar masses near M*, at 5x10^10 Msol (MW-mass) and 10^11 Msol (M31-mass). We study the typical progenitors of these galaxies using ZFOURGE, a deep medium-band near-IR imaging survey, which is sensitive to the progenitors of these galaxies out to z~3. We use abundance-matching techniques to identify the main progenitors of these galaxies at higher redshifts. We measure the evo…
The presence of massive quiescent galaxies at high redshifts is still a challenge for most models of galaxy formation. The aim of this work is to compare the observed number density and properties of these galaxies with the predictions of state-of-the-art models. The sample of massive quiescent galaxies has been selected from the COSMOS2015 photometric catalogue with $z_{\rm phot}\geq 2.5$, $\log (M_*/M_\odot)\geq 10.5$ and $\log(\mathrm{sSFR\,[yr^{-1}]})\le -11$. The photometric SEDs of the selected galaxies have been thoroughly analyzed based on different stellar population synthesis models.…
Where Giants Dwell: Probing the Environments of Early Massive Quiescent Galaxies
INAF - Astronomical Observatory of Trieste(意大利国家天体物理研究所的里雅斯特天文台);IFPU - Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe(宇宙基础物理研究所);Tianjin Normal University(天津师范大学);Institute for Physics, Laboratory for Galaxy Evolution, EPFL(洛桑联邦理工学院星系演化实验室)
We examine the role of environment on the in situ star formation (SF) hosted by the progenitors of the most massive galaxies in the present-day universe, the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), from $z \sim 3$ to present in the COSMOS field. Progenitors are selected from the COSMOS field using a stellar mass cut motivated by the evolving cumulative comoving number density of progenitors within the Illustris simulation, as well as the Millennium-II simulation and a constant comoving number density method for comparison. We characterize each progenitor using far-ultraviolet--far-infrared observat…
Odd Radio Circles or ORCs are recently discovered edge-brightened, low surface brightness circular radio sources. The progenitors and astrophysical processes responsible for their origins are presently debated. Some ORCs are host-less and some appear to be hosted in distant quiescent galaxies. Two plausible explanations consider ORCs as nearby supernova remnants with sizes a few hundred parsec in the intragroup medium of the local group of galaxies or alternatively shocked halos of a few hundred kpc extent around distant galaxies. The input shock energy required to create ORCs of a few hundred…
We report a massive quiescent galaxy at $z_{\rm spec}=3.0922^{+0.008}_{-0.004}$ spectroscopically confirmed at a protocluster in the SSA22 field by detecting the Balmer and Ca {\footnotesize II} absorption features with multi-object spectrometer for infrared exploration (MOSFIRE) on the Keck I telescope. This is the most distant quiescent galaxy confirmed in a protocluster to date. We fit the optical to mid-infrared photometry and spectrum simultaneously with spectral energy distribution (SED) models of parametric and nonparametric star formation histories (SFH). Both models fit the observed S…
We present a new method for tracing the evolution of BCGs from $z\sim 2$ to $z\sim 0$. We conclude on the basis of semi-analytical models that the best method to select BCG progenitors at $z\sim 2$ is a hybrid environmental density and stellar mass ranking approach. Ultimately we are able to retrieve 45\% of BCG progenitors. We apply this method on the CANDELS UDS data to construct a progenitor sample at high redshift. We furthermore populate the comparisons in local universe by using SDSS data with statistically likely contamination to ensure a fair comparison between high and low redshifts. …
The Neutral Hydrogen Gas Content of Star-forming and Quiescent S0 Galaxies
Universiti Malaya(马来亚大学);Haverford College(哈弗福德学院);Space Telescope Science Institute(太空望远镜科学研究所);Johns Hopkins University(约翰斯·霍普金斯大学);National Centre for Particle Physics, Universiti Malaya(马来亚大学国家粒子物理中心)
We aim at constraining the stellar population properties of quiescent galaxies. These properties reveal how these galaxies evolved and assembled since $z\sim1$ up to the present time. Combining the ALHAMBRA multi-filter photo-spectra with the SED-fitting code MUFFIT, we build a complete catalogue of quiescent galaxies via the dust-corrected stellar mass vs colour diagram. This catalogue includes stellar population properties, such as age, metallicity, extinction, stellar mass and photometric redshift, retrieved from the analysis of composited populations based on two independent sets of SSP mo…
Winding Back the Clock: Recent Star Formation Histories of Massive Quiescent Galaxies Are Consistent With Their Rapid Number Density Evolution Since $\mathbf{z\sim7}$
University of Pittsburgh(匹兹堡大学);Steward Observatory, University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台);NSF National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory(美国国家光学红外天文研究实验室);Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen(哥本哈根大学尼尔斯·玻尔研究所);University of Massachusetts, Amherst(马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校);Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian(哈佛-史密森天体物理中心);Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie(马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所)
Scaling relations between galaxy structures and dynamics have been studied extensively for early and late-type galaxies, both in the local universe and at high redshifts. The abundant differences between the properties of disky and elliptical, or star-forming and quiescent, galaxies seem to be characteristic of the local Universe; such clear distinctions begin to disintegrate as observations of massive galaxies probe higher redshifts. In this Paper, we investigate the existence the mass fundamental plane of all massive galaxies ($σ\gtrsim$ 100 km/s). This work includes local galaxies (0.05<z<0…
Structural evolution of quiescent galaxies at intermediate redshifts at UV and red rest-frame wavelengths
Saint Mary’s University(圣玛丽大学);Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA)(中央研究院天文及天文物理研究所);Seoul National University(首尔大学);Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory(史密森尼天体物理台)
We study the properties of 66 galaxies with kinematically misaligned gas and stars from MaNGA survey. The fraction of kinematically misaligned galaxies varies with galaxy physical parameters, i.e. M*, SFR and sSFR. According to their sSFR, we further classify these 66 galaxies into three categories, 10 star-forming, 26 "Green Valley" and 30 quiescent ones. The properties of different types of kinematically misaligned galaxies are different in that the star-forming ones have positive gradient in D4000 and higher gas-phase metallicity, while the green valley/quiescent ones have negative D4000 gr…
Optically-compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs) have been proposed as immediate progenitors of quiescent galaxies, although their origin and nature are debated. Were they formed in slow secular processes or in rapid merger-driven starbursts? Addressing this question would provide fundamental insight into how quenching occurs. We explore the location of the general population of galaxies with respect to fundamental star-forming and structural relations, identify compact SFGs based on their stellar core densities, and study three diagnostics of the burstiness of star formation: 1) Star formation …
Whilst young massive clusters (YMCs; $M$ $\gtrsim$ 10$^{4}$ M$_{\odot}$, age $\lesssim$ 100 Myr) have been identified in significant numbers, their progenitor gas clouds have eluded detection. Recently, four extreme molecular clouds residing within 200 pc of the Galactic centre have been identified as having the properties thought necessary to form YMCs. Here we utilise far-IR continuum data from the Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey (HiGAL) and millimetre spectral line data from the Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz Survey (MALT90) to determine their global physical and kinematic …
We study the dynamical properties of massive quiescent galaxies at $1.4 < z < 2.1$ using deep Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/F160W imaging and a combination of literature stellar velocity dispersion measurements and new near-infrared spectra obtained using KMOS on the ESO VLT. We use these data to show that the typical dynamical-to-stellar mass ratio has increased by $\sim$0.2 dex from $z = 2$ to the present day, and investigate this evolution in the context of possible changes in the stellar initial mass function (IMF) and/or fraction of dark matter contained within the galaxy effective radius, …
We investigate the origin of the evolution of the population-averaged central stellar mass density ($Σ_1$) of quiescent galaxies (QGs) by probing the relation between stellar age and $Σ_1$ at $z\sim0$. We use the Zurich ENvironmental Study (ZENS), which is a survey of galaxy groups with a large fraction of satellite galaxies. QGs shape a narrow locus in the $Σ_1-M_{\star}$ plane, which we refer to as $Σ_1$ ridgeline. Colors of ($B-I$) and ($I-J$) are used to divide QGs into three age categories: young ($<2~\mathrm{Gyr}$), intermediate ($2-4~\mathrm{Gyr}$), and old ($>4~\mathrm{Gyr}$). At fixed…
Young massive clusters (YMCs) have central stellar mass surface densities exceeding $10^{4} M_{\odot} pc^{-2}$. It is currently unknown whether the stars formed at such high (proto)stellar densities. We compile a sample of gas clouds in the Galaxy which have sufficient gas mass within a radius of a few parsecs to form a YMC, and compare their radial gas mass distributions to the stellar mass distribution of Galactic YMCs. We find that the gas in the progenitor clouds is distributed differently than the stars in YMCs. The mass surface density profiles of the gas clouds are generally shallower t…
Although extensively investigated, the role of the environment in galaxy formation is still not well understood. In this context, the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function (GSMF) is a powerful tool to understand how environment relates to galaxy mass assembly and the quenching of star-formation. In this work, we make use of the high-precision photometric redshifts of the UltraVISTA Survey to study the GSMF in different environments up to $z \sim 3$, on physical scales from 0.3 to 2 Mpc, down to masses of $M \sim 10^{10} M_{\odot}$. We witness the appearance of environmental signatures for both quiescen…
We report a Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope HI 21cm mapping study of the neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) in the host galaxy of the fast radio burst (FRB) FRB20180916B at $z \approx 0.03399$. We find that the FRB host has an HI mass of $\rm M_{HI} = (2.74 \pm 0.33) \times 10^9 \ M_\odot$ and a high HI-to-stellar mass ratio, $\approx 1.3$. The FRB host is thus a gas-rich but near-quiescent galaxy, that is likely to have acquired a significant mass of HI in the recent past. The HI distribution is disturbed, with extended HI 21cm emission detected in a north-eastern tail, a counter-tail towards the s…
We present ALMA observations at 107.291 GHz (band 3) and 214.532 GHz (band 6) of GMASS 0953, a star-forming galaxy at z=2.226 hosting an obscured AGN that has been proposed as a progenitor of compact quiescent galaxies (QG). We measure for the first time the size of the dust and molecular gas emission of GMASS 0953 that we find to be extremely compact ($\sim$1 kpc). This result, coupled with a very high ISM density (n$\sim$10$^{5.5}$ cm$^{-3}$), a low gas mass fraction ($\sim$0.2) and a short gas depletion timescale ($\sim$150 Myr) imply that GMASS 0953 is experiencing an episode of intense st…
We present the first study of spatially integrated higher-order stellar kinematics over cosmic time. We use deep rest-frame optical spectroscopy of quiescent galaxies at redshifts z=0.05, 0.3 and 0.8 from the SAMI, MAGPI and LEGA-C surveys to measure the excess kurtosis $h_4$ of the stellar velocity distribution, the latter parametrised as a Gauss-Hermite series. Conservatively using a redshift-independent cut in stellar mass ($M_\star = 10^{11}\,{\rm M}_\odot$), and matching the stellar-mass distributions of our samples, we find 7 $σ$ evidence of $h_4$ increasing with cosmic time, from a medi…
Old Universe, Young SNe Ia: A Statistical Analysis of Type Ia Supernova Progenitor Age from 6,983 TITAN Host Galaxies, and Implications for Cosmology
Johns Hopkins University(约翰斯·霍普金斯大学);University of Oxford(牛津大学);University of Southampton(南安普顿大学);Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey(新泽西州立罗格斯大学);Space Telescope Science Institute(太空望远镜科学研究所);Boston University(波士顿大学);University of Hawai’i(夏威夷大学)
One of the challenges in understanding the quenching processes for galaxies is connecting progenitor star-forming populations to their descendant quiescent populations over cosmic time. Here we attempt a novel approach to this challenge by assuming that the underlying stellar mass distribution of galaxies is not significantly altered during environmental quenching processes that solely affect the gas content of cluster galaxies, such as strangulation and ram-pressure stripping. Using the deep, high-resolution photometry of the Hubble Frontier Fields, we create resolved stellar mass maps for bo…
Early quiescent galaxies at z~2 are known to be remarkably compact compared to their nearby counterparts. Possible progenitors of these systems include galaxies that are structurally similar, but are still rapidly forming stars. Here, we present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the CO(1-0) line towards three such compact, star-forming galaxies at z~2.3, significantly detecting one. The VLA observations indicate baryonic gas fractions >~5 times lower and gas depletion times >~10 times shorter than normal, extended massive star-forming galaxies at these redshifts. At their c…
Observational studies of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) represent a significant challenge because of their very low surface brightnesses. A feasible approach is to identify "future" UDGs when their stars are still young. Using data mining, we found 12 such low-mass spatially extended quiescent galaxies in the Coma and Abell 2147 clusters in the SDSS legacy galaxy sample and followed them up using a new high-throughput Binospec spectrograph at the 6.5m MMT. Several of them exhibit signs of the recently finished ram pressure stripping. Here we describe our data analysis approach that uses spectro…
We use the Fundamental Plane (FP) to measure the redshift evolution of the dynamical mass-to-light ratio ($M_{\mathrm{dyn}}/L$) and the dynamical-to-stellar mass ratio ($M_{\mathrm{dyn}}/M_*$). Although conventionally used to study the properties of early-type galaxies, we here obtain stellar kinematic measurements from the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census (LEGA-C) Survey for a sample of $\sim1400$ massive ($\log( M_*/M_\odot) >10.5$) galaxies at $0.6<z<1.0$ that span a wide range in star formation activity. In line with previous studies, we find a strong evolution in $M_{\mathrm{dyn}}/L…
We investigate the stellar populations of 25 massive, galaxies ($\log[M_\ast/M_\odot] \geq 10.9$) at $1.5 < z < 2$ using data obtained with the K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS) on the ESO VLT. Targets were selected to be quiescent based on their broadband colors and redshifts using data from the 3D-HST grism survey. The mean redshift of our sample is $\bar{z} = 1.75$, where KMOS YJ-band data probe age- and metallicity-sensitive absorption features in the rest-frame optical, including the $G$ band, Fe I, and high-order Balmer lines. Fitting simple stellar population models to a stack of …