We analyse the bulge/spheroid size-(stellar mass), $R_{\rm e,Sph}-M_{\rm *,Sph}$, relation and spheroid structural parameters for 202 local (predominantly $\lesssim 110~\rm Mpc$) galaxies spanning $ M_*\sim 3\times10^{9}-10^{12}~\rm M_{\odot}$ and $ 0.1 \lesssim R_{\rm e, Sph}\lesssim32~\rm kpc$ from multicomponent decomposition. The correlations between the spheroid Sérsic index ($n_{\rm Sph}$), central surface brightness ($μ_{\rm 0, Sph}$), effective half-light radius ($R_{\rm e, Sph}$), absolute magnitude ($\mathfrak{M}_{\rm Sph}$) and stellar mass ($M_{\rm *,Sph}$) are explored. We also investigate the consequences of using different scale radii, $R_{z,\rm Sph}$, encapsulating a different fraction ($z$, from 0 to 1) of the total luminosity. The correlation strengths for projected mass densities, $Σ_z$ and $\langle Σ\rangle_z$, vary significantly with the choice of $z$. Spheroid size ($R_{\rm z, Sph}$) and mass ($M_{\rm *,Sph}$) are strongly correlated for all light fractions $z$. We find: $\log(R_{\rm e,Sph}/\rm kpc) = 0.88\log(M_{\rm *,Sph}/\rm M_{\odot})-9.15$ with a small scatter of $Δ_{rms} = 0.24~\rm dex$. This result is discussed relative to the \textit{curved} size-mass relation for early-type galaxies due to their discs yielding larger galaxy radii at lower masses. Moreover, the slope of our spheroid size-mass relation is a factor of $\sim3$, steeper than reported bulge size-mass relations, and with bulge sizes at $M_{\rm *,sph}\sim 3\times10^9~M_\odot$ which are 2 to 3 times smaller. Finally, we show that the local spheroids align well with quiescent galaxies at $z\sim1.25$--$2.25$. In essence, local spheroids and high-$z$ quiescent galaxies appear structurally similar, likely dictated by the virial theorem.
Studying the resolved stellar populations of the different structural components which build massive galaxies directly unveils their assembly history. We aim at characterizing the stellar population properties of a representative sample of bulges and pure spheroids in massive galaxies ($M_{\star}>10^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$) in the GOODS-N field. We take advantage of the spectral and spatial information provided by SHARDS and HST data to perform the multi-image spectro-photometrical decoupling of the galaxy light. We derive the spectral energy distribution separately for bulges and disks in the redsh…
The mass scaling relation between supermassive black holes and their host spheroids has previously been described by a quadratic or steeper relation at low masses (10^5 < M_bh/M_sun < 10^7). How this extends into the realm of intermediate mass black holes (10^2 < M_bh/M_sun < 10^5) is not yet clear, although for the barred Sm galaxy LEDA 87300, Baldassare et al. have recently reported a nominal virial mass M_bh=5x10^4 M_sun residing in a `spheroid' of stellar mass equal to 6.3x10^8 M_sun. We point out, for the first time, that LEDA 87300 therefore appears to reside on the near-quadratic M_bh-M…
The relation between the stellar mass and size of a galaxy's structural subcomponents, such as discs and spheroids, is a powerful way to understand the processes involved in their formation. Using very large catalogues of photometric bulge+disc structural decompositions and stellar masses from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Seven, we carefully define two large subsamples of spheroids in a quantitative manner such that both samples share similar characteristics with one important exception: the 'bulges' are embedded in a disc and the 'pure spheroids' are galaxies with a single struct…
We investigate the assembly history of massive disk galaxies and describe how they shape their morphology through cosmic time. Using SHARDS and HST data, we modeled the surface brightness distribution of 91 massive galaxies at redshift $0.14<z\leq 1$ in the wavelength range $0.5-1.6$ $μ$m, deriving the uncontaminated spectral energy distributions of their bulges and disks separately. This spectrophotometric decomposition allows us to compare the stellar populations properties of each component in individual galaxies. We find that the majority of massive galaxies ($\sim85\%$) builds inside-out,…
Abundances in 78 metal-rich bulge spheroid stars from APOGEE
Lund University（隆德大学）；Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院尼古拉·哥白尼天文学中心）；Universidade de São Paulo（圣保罗大学）；Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam（波茨坦天体物理研究所）；Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México（墨西哥国立自治大学天文研究所）；Max Planck Institute for Astronomy（马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所）；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）；Universidad Católica del Norte（北天主教大学）
The Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) paradigm of galaxy formation predicts that dense spheroidal stellar structures invariably grow at early cosmic time. These primordial spheroids evolve toward a virialized dynamical status as they finally become today's elliptical galaxies and large bulges at the center of disk galaxies. However, observations reveal that small bulges in spiral galaxies are common in the nearby universe. The prevailing belief that all small bulges form at later times from internal processes occurring in the disk represents a challenge for the ΛCDM scenario. Notably, the coevolution …
Quenched galaxies are often observed to contain a strong bulge component. The key question is whether this reflects a causal connection - can star formation be quenched dynamically by bulges or the spheroids of early-type galaxies? We systematically investigate the impact of these morphological components on star formation, by performing a suite of hydrodynamical simulations of isolated galaxies containing a spheroid. We vary the bulge mass and scale radius, while the total initial stellar, halo and gas mass are kept constant, with a gas fraction of 5 per cent. In addition, we consider two dif…
The central part of the Galaxy host a multitude of stellar populations, including the spheroidal bulge stars, stars moved to the bulge through secular evolution of the bar, inner halo, inner thick disk, inner thin disk, as well as debris from past accretion events. We identified a sample of 58 candidate stars belonging to the stellar population of the spheroidal bulge, and analyse their abundances. The present calculations of Mg, Ca, and Si lines are in agreement with the APOGEE-ASPCAP abundances, whereas abundances of C, N, O, and Ce are re-examined. We find normal $α$-element enhancements in…
In our first paper, we performed a detailed (i.e. bulge, disks, bars, spiral arms, rings, halo, nucleus, etc.) decomposition of 66 galaxies, with directly measured black hole masses, $M_{BH}$, that had been imaged at $3.6~μm$ with Spitzer. Our sample is the largest to date and, for the first time, the decompositions were checked for consistency with the galaxy kinematics. We present correlations between $M_{ BH}$ and the host spheroid (and galaxy) luminosity, $L_{sph}$ (and $L_{gal}$), and also stellar mass, $M_{*,sph}$. While most previous studies have used galaxy samples that were overwhelmi…
Disc cloaking: Establishing a lower limit to the number density of local compact massive spheroids/bulges and the potential fate of some high-z red nuggets
We examine the spheroid growth and star formation quenching experienced by galaxies from z~3 to the present by studying the evolution with redshift of the quiescent and spheroid-dominated fractions of galaxies from the CANDELS and GAMA surveys. We compare the observed fractions with predictions from a semi-analytic model which includes prescriptions for bulge growth and AGN feedback due to mergers and disk instabilities. We facilitate direct morphological comparison by converting our model bulge-to-total stellar mass ratios to Sersic indices. We then subdivide our population into the four quad…
Appreciating mergers for understanding the non-linear $M_{\rm bh}$-$M_{\rm *,spheroid}$ and $M_{\rm bh}$-$M_{\rm *,galaxy}$ relations, updated herein, and the implications for the (reduced) role of AGN feedback
We perform automated bulge + disc decomposition on a sample of $\sim$7500 galaxies from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey in the redshift range of 0.002$<$z$<$0.06 using SIGMA, a wrapper around GALFIT3. To achieve robust profile measurements we use a novel approach of repeatedly fitting the galaxies, varying the input parameters to sample a large fraction of the input parameter space. Using this method we reduce the catastrophic failure rate significantly and verify the confidence in the fit independently of $χ^2$. Additionally, using the median of the final fitting values and the 16$…
We present a simple theoretical framework for massive galaxies at high redshift, where the main assembly and star formation occurred, and report on the first cosmological simulations that reveal clumpy disks consistent with our analysis. The evolution is governed by the interplay between smooth and clumpy cold streams, disk instability, and bulge formation. Intense, relatively smooth streams maintain an unstable dense gas-rich disk. Instability with high turbulence and giant clumps, each a few percent of the disk mass, is self-regulated by gravitational interactions within the disk. The clumps…
Most present-day galaxies with stellar masses $\geq10^{11}$ solar masses show no ongoing star formation and are dense spheroids. Ten billion years ago, similarly massive galaxies were typically forming stars at rates of hundreds solar masses per year. It is debated how star formation ceased, on which timescales, and how this "quenching" relates to the emergence of dense spheroids. We measured stellar mass and star-formation rate surface density distributions in star-forming galaxies at redshift 2.2 with $\sim1$ kiloparsec resolution. We find that, in the most massive galaxies, star formation i…
We present combined evolution of morphological and stellar properties of galaxies on the two sides of z=2 (2.0<z<4.0 and 1.5<z<2.0) in CDFS, with ground-based spectroscopic redshifts. We perform bulge-disc decomposition on their images in J and H filters, from the 3DHST Legacy Survey obtained using HST/WFC3. Combining morphological information with stellar properties, we provide a detailed account of the formation/growth of discs and spheroids around z~2. The fraction of 2-component (bulge+disc) systems increases from ~46% for z>2 to ~70% for z<2, compensating for the fall in population of pur…
We present detailed morphological, photometric, and stellar-kinematic analyses of the central regions of two massive, early-type barred galaxies with nearly identical large-scale morphologies. Both have large, strong bars with prominent inner photometric excesses that we associate with boxy/peanut-shaped (B/P) bulges; the latter constitute ~ 30% of the galaxy light. Inside its B/P bulge, NGC 4608 has a compact, almost circular structure (half-light radius R_e approx. 310 pc, Sérsic n = 2.2) we identify as a classical bulge, amounting to 12.1% of the total light, along with a nuclear star clust…
Understanding the formation and evolution of early-type, spheroid-dominated galaxies is an open question within the context of the hierarchical clustering scenario, particularly, in low-density environments. Our goal is to study the main structural, dynamical, and stellar population properties and assembly histories of field spheroid-dominated galaxies formed in a LCDM scenario to assess to what extend they are consistent with observations. We selected spheroid-dominated systems from a LCDM simulation that includes star formation, chemical evolution and Supernova feedback. A sample of 18 field…
Important but rare and subtle processes driving galaxy morphology and star-formation may be missed by traditional spiral, elliptical, irregular or Sérsic bulge/disk classifications. To overcome this limitation, we use a principal component analysis of non-parametric morphological indicators (concentration, asymmetry, Gini coefficient, $M_{20}$, multi-mode, intensity and deviation) measured at rest-frame $B$-band (corresponding to HST/WFC3 F125W at 1.4 $< z <$ 2) to trace the natural distribution of massive ($>10^{10} M_{\odot}$) galaxy morphologies. Principal component analysis (PCA) quantifie…
Recent inspections of local available data suggest that the almost linear relation between the stellar mass of spheroids ($M_{\rm sph}$) and the mass of the super massive Black Holes (BHs) residing at their centres, shows a break below $M_{\rm sph} \sim 10^{10}\ {\rm M}_\odot$, with a steeper, about quadratic relation at smaller masses. We investigate the physical mechanisms responsible for the change in slope of this relation, by comparing data with the results of the semi-analytic model of galaxy formation MORGANA, which already predicted such a break in its original formulation. We find tha…
We recently developed an automated method, auto-GMM to decompose simulated galaxies. It extracts kinematic structures in an accurate, efficient, and unsupervised way. We use auto-GMM to study the stellar kinematic structures of disk galaxies from the TNG100 run of IllustrisTNG. We identify four to five structures that are commonly present among the diverse galaxy population. Structures having strong to moderate rotation are defined as cold and warm disks, respectively. Spheroidal structures dominated by random motions are classified as bulges or stellar halos, depending on how tightly bound th…
We present near-infrared (NIR) $H+K$-band longslit spectra of eleven galaxies which are obtained with SOFI at the NTT (ESO). The galaxies are chosen from the low-luminosity type-1 quasi-stellar object (LLQSO) sample which comprises the 99 closest ($z\leq 0.06$) QSOs from the Hamburg/ESO survey for bright UV-excess QSOs. These objects are ideal targets to study the gap between local Seyfert galaxies and high-redshift quasars, since they show much stronger AGN activity compared to local objects but are still close enough for a detailed structural analysis. We fit hydrogen recombination, molecula…
The formation of galaxies can be understood in terms of the assembly patterns of each type of galactic component. To perform this kind of analysis, is necessary to define some criteria to separate those components. Decomposition methods based on dynamical properties are more physically motivated than photometry-based ones. We use the unsupervised Gaussian Mixture model of \texttt{galactic structure finder} to extract the components of a sub-sample of galaxies with Milky Way-like masses from the EAGLE simulations. A clustering in the space of first and second order dynamical moments of all iden…
We examine a sample of 1495 galaxies in the CANDELS fields to determine the evolution of two component galaxies, including bulges and discs, within massive galaxies at the epoch 1 < z < 3 when the Hubble sequence forms. We fit all of our galaxies' light profiles with a single Sérsic fit, as well as with a combination of exponential and Sérsic profiles. The latter is done in order to describe a galaxy with an inner and an outer component, or bulge and disc component. We develop and use three classification methods (visual, F-test and the RFF) to separate our sample into 1-component galaxies (di…
We measure optical colors for the bulges of 312 disk galaxies from the Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey and convert their previously available $R$-band structural parameters to stellar mass parameters. We also measure their average stellar mass surface density in the central 1 kpc ($Σ_{1}$). Comparing the mass-based Kormendy relation with the original one based on flux, we find that the majority of the classifications into classical and pseudo bulges, as well as their overall statistical properties, remain essentially unchanged. While the bulge type classifications of the Kormendy relation are ro…
We present a complete structural analysis of the ellipticals (E), diffuse bulges (dB), compact bulges (cB), and disks (D) within a redshift range $0 < z < 1$, and stellar mass $\log_{10}(\mathrm{M}_*/\mathrm{M}_\odot) \geq 9.5$ volume-limited sample drawn from the combined DEVILS and HST-COSMOS region. We use the {\sc ProFit} code to profile over $\sim35,000$ galaxies for which visual classification into single or double-component was predefined in Paper-I. Over this redshift range, we see a growth in the total stellar mass density (SMD) of a factor of 1.5. At all epochs we find that the domin…
We investigate the cosmic evolution of the black hole (BH) mass -- bulge luminosity relation using a sample of 52 active galaxies at $z \sim 0.36$ and $z \sim 0.57$ in the BH mass range of $10^{7.4-9.1} M_{\odot}$. By consistently applying multi-component spectral and structural decomposition to high-quality Keck spectra and high-resolution HST images, BH masses ($M_{\rm BH}$) are estimated using the H$β$ broad emission line combined with the 5100 Å nuclear luminosity, and bulge luminosities ($L_{\rm bul}$) are derived from surface photometry. Comparing the resulting $M_{\rm BH}-L_{\rm bul}$ r…
While spiral and lenticular galaxies have large-scale disks extending beyond their bulges, and most local early-type galaxies with 10^{10} < M_*/M_Sun < 2x10^{11} contain a disk (e.g., ATLAS^3D), the early-type galaxies do possess a range of disk sizes. The edge-on, `intermediate-scale' disk in the `disky elliptical' galaxy NGC 1271 has led to some uncertainty as to what its spheroidal component is. Walsh et al. reported a directly measured black hole mass of 3x10^9 M_Sun for this galaxy; which they remarked was an order of magnitude greater than what they expected based on their derivation of…
Several recent papers have reported on the occurrence of active galactic nuclei (AGN) containing under-massive black holes relative to a linear scaling relation between black hole mass (M_bh) and host spheroid stellar mass (M_sph,*). Dramatic revisions to the M_bh-M_sph,* and M_bh-L_sph relations, based on samples containing predominantly inactive galaxies, have however recently identified a new steeper relation at M_bh < (2-10)x10^8 M_Sun, roughly corresponding to M_sph,* < (0.3-1)x10^{11} M_Sun. We show that this steeper, quadratic-like M_bh-M_sph,* relation defined by the Sersic galaxies, i…
Flattened bulges with disk-like properties are considered to be the end product of secular evolution processes at work in the inner regions of galaxies. On the contrary, classical bulges are characterized by rounder shapes and thought to be similar to low-luminosity elliptical galaxies. We aim at testing the variety of observational diagnostics which are commonly adopted to separate classical from disk-like bulges in nearby galaxies. We select a sample of eight unbarred lenticular galaxies to be morphologically and kinematically undisturbed with no evidence of other components than bulge and d…
The Galactic bulge is the central spheroid of our Galaxy, containing about one quarter of the total stellar mass of the Milky Way (M_bulge=1.8x10^10 M_sun; Sofue, Honma & Omodaka 2009). Being older than the disk, it is the first massive component of the Galaxy to have collapsed into stars. Understanding its structure, and the properties of its stellar population, is therefore of great relevance for galaxy formation models. I will review our current knowledge of the bulge properties, with special emphasis on chemical abundances, recently measured for several hundred stars.
The Milky Way bulge offers a unique opportunity to investigate in detail the role that different processes such as dynamical instabilities, hierarchical merging, and dissipational collapse may have played in the history of the Galaxy formation and evolution based on its resolved stellar population properties. Large observation programmes and surveys of the bulge are providing for the first time a look into the global view of the Milky Way bulge that can be compared with the bulges of other galaxies, and be used as a template for detailed comparison with models. The Milky Way has been shown to …
The formation of galaxies and their various components can be stringent tests of dark matter models and of gravity theories. In the standard cold dark matter (CDM) model, spheroids are formed through mergers in a strongly hierarchical scenario, and also in the early universe through dynamical friction in clumpy galaxies. More secularly, pseudo-bulges are formed by the inner vertical resonance with bars. The high efficiency of bulge formation is in tension with observations in the local universe of a large amount of bulge-less spiral galaxies. In the present work, the formation of bulges in ver…
The properties of central stellar knots embedded in galactic bulges of CIELO simulations
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile（智利天主教 Pontificia 大学）；Instituto de Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile（智利天主教 Pontificia 大学天体物理研究所）；Centro de AstroIngeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile（智利天主教 Pontificia 大学天文工程中心）；Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio, CONICET-UBA（空间天文与物理研究所，阿根廷国家科学研究委员会-布宜诺斯艾利斯大学）
Studying bright ($M_B<-20$), intermediate-redshift ($0.4<z<1.0$), disc dominated ($n_B<2.5$) galaxies from HST/ACS and WFC3 in Chandra Deep Field South, in rest-frame B and I-band, we found a new class of bulges which is brighter and more compact than ellipticals. We refer to them as "Bright, Compact Bulges" (BCBs) - they resemble neither classical nor pseudo-bulges and constitute $\sim12$% of the total bulge population at these redshifts. Examining free-bulge $+$ disc decomposition sample and elliptical galaxy sample from Simard et al. (2011), we find that only $\sim0.2$% of the bulges can be…
Spiral galaxies have most of their stellar mass in a large rotating disk, and only a modest fraction in a central spheroidal bulge. This poses a major challenge for cosmological models of galaxy formation. Galaxies form at the centre of dark matter halos through a combination of hierarchical merging and gas accretion along cold streams, and should rapidly grow their bulge through mergers and instabilities. Cosmological simulations predict galaxies to have most of their mass in the central bulge, and therefore an angular momentum much below the observed level, except in dwarf galaxies. We propo…
Transformation of disks into spheroids via mergers is a well-accepted element of galaxy formation models. However, recent simulations have shown that bulge formation is suppressed in increasingly gas-rich mergers. We investigate the global implications of these results in a cosmological framework, using independent approaches: empirical halo-occupation models (where galaxies are populated in halos according to observations) and semi-analytic models. In both, ignoring the effects of gas in mergers leads to the over-production of spheroids: low and intermediate-mass galaxies are predicted to be …
The intrinsic shape of galactic bulges in nearby galaxies provides crucial information to separate bulge types. We intended to derive accurate constraints to the intrinsic shape of bulges to provide new clues on their formation mechanisms and set new limitations for future simulations. We retrieved the intrinsic shape of a sample of CALIFA bulges using a statistical approach. Taking advantage of GalMer numerical simulations of binary mergers we estimated the reliability of the procedure. Analyzing the $i$-band mock images of resulting lenticular remnants, we studied the intrinsic shape of thei…
We present a dynamical analysis of a quasar-host galaxy at $z\simeq 6$ (SDSS J2310+1855) using a high-resolution ALMA observation of the [CII] emission line. The observed rotation curve was fitted with mass models that considered the gravitational contribution of a thick gas disc, a thick star-forming stellar disc, and a central mass concentration, which is likely due to a combination of a spheroidal component (i.e. a stellar bulge) and a supermassive black hole (SMBH). The SMBH mass of $5\times 10^9\ \rm M_{\odot}$, previously measured using the CIV and MgII emission lines, is not sufficient …
We present a study of the effect of bulge mass on the evolution of bar pattern speed in isolated disk galaxies using N-body simulations. Earlier studies have shown that disk stars at the inner resonances can transfer a significant amount of angular momentum to the dark matter halo and this results in the slow down of the bar pattern speed. In this paper we investigate how the mass of the other spheroidal component, the bulge, affects bar pattern speeds. In our galaxy models the initial bars are all rotating fast as the R parameter, which is the ratio of the corotation radius to bar radius is l…
Several recent studies have performed galaxy decompositions to investigate correlations between the black hole mass and various properties of the host spheroid, but they have not converged on the same conclusions. This is because their models for the same galaxy were often significantly different and not consistent with each other in terms of fitted components. Using $3.6 \rm ~μm$ $Spitzer$ imagery, which is a superb tracer of the stellar mass (superior to the $K$-band), we have performed state-of-the-art multicomponent decompositions for 66 galaxies with directly measured black hole masses. O…
We study nine S0-Sb galaxies with (photometric) bulges consisting of two distinct components. The outer component is a flattened, kinematically cool, disklike structure: a "disky pseudobulge". Embedded inside is a rounder, kinematically hot spheroid: a "classical bulge". This indicates that pseudobulges and classical bulges are not mutually exclusive: some galaxies have both. The disky pseudobulges almost always have an exponential disk (scale lengths = 125-870 pc, mean $\sim 440$ pc) with disk-related subcomponents: nuclear rings, bars, and/or spiral arms. They constitute 11-59% of the galaxy…
There is a long-standing debate on the origin of the metal-poor stellar populations of the Milky Way (MW) bulge, with the two leading scenarios being that these populations are either i) part of a classical metal-poor spheroid or ii) the same population as the chemically defined thick disc seen at the Solar neighbourhood. Here we test whether the latter scenario can reproduce the observed chemical properties of the MW bulge. To do so we compare an N-body simulation of a composite (thin+thick) stellar disc -- which evolves secularly to form a bar and a boxy/peanut (b/p) bulge -- to data from AP…
About 20% of low-redshift galaxies are late-type spirals with a small or no bulge component. Although they are the simplest disk galaxies in terms of structure and dynamics, the role of the different physical processes driving their formation and evolution is not yet fully understood. We investigated whether small bulges of late-type spirals follow the same scaling relations traced by ellipticals and large bulges and if they are disk-like or classical bulges. We derived the photometric and kinematic properties of 9 nearby late-type spirals. To this aim, we analyzed the surface brightness distr…
In this work we introduce the curvature of a galaxy brightness profile to identify its structural subcomponents in a non-parametrically fashion. Bulges, bars, disks, lens, rings and spiral arms are key to understand the formation and evolution path the galaxy undertook. Identifying them is also crucial for morphological classification of galaxies. We measure and analyse in detail the curvature of $14$ galaxies with varied morphology. High (low) steepness profiles show high (low) curvature measures. Transitions between components are identified as local peaks oscillations in the values of the c…
The classification "early-type" galaxy includes both elliptically- and lenticular-shaped galaxies. Theoretically, the spheroid-to-disc flux ratio of an early-type galaxy can assume any positive value, but in practice studies often consider only spheroid/disc decompositions in which the disc neatly dominates over the spheroid at large galaxy radii, creating an inner "bulge" as observed in most spiral galaxies. Here we show that decompositions in which the disc remains embedded within the spheroid, labelled by some as "unphysical", correctly reproduce both the photometric and kinematic propertie…
We employ high-resolution zoom-in cosmological simulations to analyze the emerging morphology of galaxies in dark matter halos at redshifts z > 2. We choose DM halos of similar masses of log (Mvir/Mo) ~11.65 +- 0.05 at the target redshifts of z_f = 6, 4 and 2. The rationale for this choice, among others, allows us to analyze how the different growth rate in these halos propagates down to galaxy scales. Halos were embedded in high or low overdensity regions, and two different versions of a galactic wind feedback have been employed. Our main results are: (1) Although our galaxies evolve in diffe…
The Sérsic $R^{1/n}$ model is the best approximation known to date for describing the light distribution of stellar spheroidal and disk components, with the Sérsic index $n$ providing a direct measure of the central radial concentration of stars. The Sérsic index of a galaxy's spheroidal component, $n_{sph}$, has been shown to tightly correlate with the mass of the central supermassive black hole, $M_{BH}$. The $M_{BH}-n_{sph}$ correlation is also expected from other two well known scaling relations involving the spheroid luminosity, $L_{sph}$: the $L_{sph}-n_{sph}$ and the $M_{BH}-L_{sph}$. O…
We study the significance of mergers in the quenching of star formation in galaxies at z~1 by examining their color-mass distributions for different morphology types. We perform two-dimensional light profile fits to GOODS iz images of ~5000 galaxies and X-ray selected active galactic nucleus (AGN) hosts in the CANDELS/GOODS-north and south fields in the redshift range 0.7<z<1.3. Distinguishing between bulge-dominated and disk-dominated morphologies, we find that disks and spheroids have distinct color-mass distributions, in agreement with studies at z~0. The smooth distribution across colors f…
We study the intrinsic 3D shapes of quiescent galaxies over the last half of cosmic history based on their axial ratio distribution. To this end, we construct a sample of unprecedented size, exploiting multi-wavelength $u$-to-$K_s$ photometry from the deep wide area surveys KiDS+VIKING paired with high-quality $i$-band imaging from HSC-SSP. Dependencies of the shapes on mass, redshift, photometric bulge prominence and environment are considered. For comparison, the intrinsic shapes of quenched galaxies in the IllustrisTNG simulations are analyzed and contrasted to their formation history. We f…
Bars play a major role in driving the evolution of disk galaxies and in shaping their present properties. They cause angular momentum to be redistributed within the galaxy, emitted mainly from (near-)resonant material at the inner Lindblad resonance of the bar, and absorbed mainly by (near-)resonant material in the spheroid (i.e., the halo and, whenever relevant, the bulge) and in the outer disk. Spheroids delay and slow down the initial growth of the bar they host, but, at the later stages of the evolution, they strengthen the bar by absorbing angular momentum. Increased velocity dispersion i…
[abridged] We quantify the morphological evolution of z~0 massive galaxies ($M*/M_\odot\sim10^{11}$) from z~3 in the 5 CANDELS fields. The progenitors are selected using abundance matching techniques to account for the mass growth. The morphologies strongly evolve from z~3. At z<1, the population matches the massive end of the Hubble sequence, with 30% of spheroids, 50% of galaxies with equally dominant disk and bulge components and 20% of disks. At z~2-3 there is a majority of irregular systems (~60-70%) with still 30% of spheroids. We then analyze the SFRs, gas fractions and structural prope…
We address the formation of massive stellar spheroids between redshifts $z=4$ and 1 using a suite of AMR hydro-cosmological simulations. The spheroids form as bulges, and the spheroid mass growth is partly driven by violent disc instability (VDI) and partly by mergers. A kinematic decomposition to disc and spheroid yields that the mass fraction in the spheroid is between 50\% and 90\% and is roughly constant in time, consistent with a cosmological steady state of VDI discs that are continuously fed from the cosmic web. The density profile of the spheroid is typically "classical", with a Sersic…
A literature compilation of nuclear star cluster (NSC) masses is used to study the correlation between global and nuclear properties. A comparison of observational data to the predictions of semi-analytical galaxy formation models places constraints on the co-evolution of NSCs, massive black holes (MBHs) and host galaxies. Both data and theoretical predictions show an increased scatter in the NSC scaling correlations at high galaxy masses, and we show that this is due to the progressively more efficient ejection of stars from NSCs caused by MBH binaries in more massive stellar spheroids. Our r…
We study the observational constraints on the cosmic evolution of the relationships between the massive black hole (MBH) mass (M_bh) and the stellar mass (M^*_sph; or velocity dispersion σ) of the host galaxy/spheroid. Assuming that the M_bh-M^*_sph (or M_bh-σ) relation evolves with redshift as \propto (1+z)^Γ, the MBH mass density can be obtained from either the observationally determined galaxy stellar mass functions or velocity dispersion distribution functions over redshift z~0-1.2 for any given Γ. The MBH mass density at different redshifts can also be inferred from the luminosity functio…
We investigate the evolution of the MBH-σ relation by examining the relationship between the intrinsic scatter in the MBH-σ relation and galaxy bolometric nuclear luminosity, the latter being a probe of the accretion rate of the black hole (BH). Our sample is composed of galaxies with classical bulges when possible, of which 38 have dynamically measured BHs masses, and 17 have BHs masses measured by reverberation mapping. In order to obtain the bolometric nuclear luminosity for galaxies with low nuclear luminosity, we convert the X-ray nuclear luminosity measured by Chandra to bolometric lumin…
Recent Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations have revealed that a majority of active galactic nuclei (AGN) at z ~ 1-3 are resident in isolated disk galaxies, contrary to the usual expectation that AGN are triggered by mergers. Here we develop a new test of the cosmic evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in disk galaxies by considering the local population of SMBHs. We show that substantial SMBH growth in spiral galaxies is required as disks assemble. SMBHs exhibit a tight relation between their mass and the velocity dispersion of the spheroid within which they reside, the M_BH-sig…
