Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “WEL”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION OF EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES TO z = 2.5 IN CANDELS

Projected axis ratio measurements of 880 early-type galaxies at redshifts 1 < z < 2.5 selected from CANDELS are used to reconstruct and model their intrinsic shapes. The sample is selected on the basis of multiple rest-frame colors to reflect low star-formation activity. We demonstrate that these galaxies as an ensemble are dust-poor and transparent and therefore likely have smooth light profiles, similar to visually classified early-type galaxies. Similar to their present-day counterparts, the z > 1 early-type galaxies show a variety of intrinsic shapes; even at a fixed mass, the projected axis ratio distributions cannot be explained by the random projection of a set of galaxies with very similar intrinsic shapes. However, a two-population model for the intrinsic shapes, consisting of a triaxial, fairly round population, combined with a flat (c/a {approx} 0.3) oblate population, adequately describes the projected axis ratio distributions of both present-day and z > 1 early-type galaxies. We find that the proportion of oblate versus triaxial galaxies depends both on the galaxies' stellar mass, and-at a given mass-on redshift. For present-day and z < 1 early-type galaxies the oblate fraction strongly depends on galaxy mass. At z > 1, this trend is much weaker over the mass range explored here (10{sup 10} < M{sub *}/M{sub Sun} < 10{sup 11}), because the oblate fraction among massive (M{sub *} {approx} 10{sup 11} M{sub Sun }) was much higher in the past: 0.59 {+-} 0.10 at z > 1, compared to 0.20 {+-} 0.02 at z {approx} 0.1. When combined with previous findings that the number density and sizes of early-type galaxies substantially increase over the same redshift range, this can be explained by the gradual emergence of merger-produced elliptical galaxies, at the expense of the destruction of pre-existing disks that were common among their high-redshift progenitors. In contrast, the oblate fraction among low-mass early-type galaxies (log (M{sub *}/M{sub Sun }) < 10.5) increased toward the present, from z = 0 to 0.38 {+-} 0.11 at z > 1 to 0.72 {+-} 0.06 at z = 0. We speculate that this lower incidence of disks at early cosmic times can be attributed to two factors: low-mass, star-forming progenitors at z > 1 were not settled into stable disks to the same degree as at later cosmic times, and the stripping of gas from star-forming disk galaxies in dense environments is an increasingly important process at lower redshifts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CAUGHT IN THE ACT: THE ASSEMBLY OF MASSIVE CLUSTER GALAXIES AT z = 1.62

We present the recent merger history of massive galaxies in a spectroscopically confirmed proto-cluster at z = 1.62. Using Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 near-infrared imaging from the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey, we select cluster and z {approx} 1.6 field galaxies with M{sub star} {>=} 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun }, to determine the frequency of double nuclei or close companions within projected separations less than 20 kpc co-moving. We find that four out of five spectroscopically confirmed massive proto-cluster galaxies have double nuclei, and 57 {sup +13}{sub -14}% of all M{sub star} {>=} 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun} cluster candidates are observed in either close pair systems or have double nuclei. In contrast, only 11% {+-} 3% of the field galaxies are observed in close pair/double nuclei systems. After correcting for the contribution from random projections, the implied merger rate per massive galaxy in the proto-cluster is {approx}3-10 times higher than the merger rate of massive field galaxies at z {approx} 1.6. Close pairs in the cluster have minor merger stellar mass ratios (M{sub primary}: M{sub satellite} {>=} 4), while the field pairs consist of both major and minor mergers. At least half of the cluster mergers are gas-poor, as indicated by their red colors and low 24 {mu}m fluxes. Two of the double-nucleated cluster members have X-ray detected active galactic nuclei with L{sub x} > 10{sup 43} erg s{sup -1}, and are strong candidates for dual or offset super-massive black holes. We conclude that the massive z = 1.62 proto-cluster galaxies are undergoing accelerated assembly via minor mergers, and discuss the implications for galaxy evolution in proto-cluster environments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CANDELS: THE CORRELATION BETWEEN GALAXY MORPHOLOGY AND STAR FORMATION ACTIVITY AT z {approx} 2

We discuss the state of the assembly of the Hubble sequence in the mix of bright galaxies at redshift 1.4 < z {<=} 2.5 with a large sample of 1671 galaxies down to H{sub AB} {approx} 26, selected from the HST/ACS and WFC3 images of the GOODS-South field obtained as part of the GOODS and CANDELS observations. We investigate the relationship between the star formation properties and morphology using various parametric diagnostics, such as the Sersic light profile, Gini (G), M{sub 20}, concentration (C), asymmetry (A), and multiplicity ({Psi}) parameters. Our sample clearly separates into massive, red, and passive galaxies versus less massive, blue, and star-forming ones, and this dichotomy correlates very well with the galaxies' morphological properties. Star-forming galaxies show a broad variety of morphological features, including clumpy structures and bulges mixed with faint low surface brightness features, generally characterized by disky-type light profiles. Passively evolving galaxies, on the other hand, very often have compact light distribution and morphology typical of today's spheroidal systems. We also find that artificially redshifted local galaxies have a similar distribution with z {approx} 2 galaxies in a G-M{sub 20} plane. Visual inspection between the rest-frame optical and UV images show that there is a generally weak morphological k-correction for galaxies at z {approx} 2, but the comparison with non-parametric measures show that galaxies in the rest-frame UV are somewhat clumpier than rest-frame optical. Similar general trends are observed in the local universe among massive galaxies, suggesting that the backbone of the Hubble sequence was already in place at z {approx} 2.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

The structural evolution of Milky-Way-like star-forming galaxies since z ∼ 1.3

We follow the structural evolution of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) like the Milky Way by selecting progenitors to z ∼ 1.3 based on the stellar mass growth inferred from the evolution of the star-forming sequence. We select our sample from the 3D-HST survey, which utilizes spectroscopy from the HST/WFC3 G141 near-IR grism and enables precise redshift measurements for our sample of SFGs. Structural properties are obtained from Sérsic profile fits to CANDELS WFC3 imaging. The progenitors of z = 0 SFGs with stellar mass M = 10{sup 10.5} M {sub ☉} are typically half as massive at z ∼ 1. This late-time stellar mass growth is consistent with recent studies that employ abundance matching techniques. The descendant SFGs at z ∼ 0 have grown in half-light radius by a factor of ∼1.4 since z ∼ 1. The half-light radius grows with stellar mass as r{sub e} ∝M {sup 0.29}. While most of the stellar mass is clearly assembling at large radii, the mass surface density profiles reveal ongoing mass growth also in the central regions where bulges and pseudobulges are common features in present day late-type galaxies. Some portion of this growth in the central regions is due to star formation as recent observations of Hα maps for SFGs at z ∼ 1 are found to be extended but centrally peaked. Connecting our lookback study with galactic archeology, we find the stellar mass surface density at R = 8 kpc to have increased by a factor of ∼2 since z ∼ 1, in good agreement with measurements derived for the solar neighborhood of the Milky Way.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

3D-HST+CANDELS: The evolution of the galaxy size-mass distribution since z = 3

Spectroscopic+photometric redshifts, stellar mass estimates, and rest-frame colors from the 3D-HST survey are combined with structural parameter measurements from CANDELS imaging to determine the galaxy size-mass distribution over the redshift range 0 < z < 3. Separating early- and late-type galaxies on the basis of star-formation activity, we confirm that early-type galaxies are on average smaller than late-type galaxies at all redshifts, and we find a significantly different rate of average size evolution at fixed galaxy mass, with fast evolution for the early-type population, R {sub eff}∝(1 + z){sup –1.48}, and moderate evolution for the late-type population, R {sub eff}∝(1 + z){sup –0.75}. The large sample size and dynamic range in both galaxy mass and redshift, in combination with the high fidelity of our measurements due to the extensive use of spectroscopic data, not only fortify previous results but also enable us to probe beyond simple average galaxy size measurements. At all redshifts the slope of the size-mass relation is shallow, R{sub eff}∝M{sub ∗}{sup 0.22}, for late-type galaxies with stellar mass >3 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}, and steep, R{sub eff}∝M{sub ∗}{sup 0.75}, for early-type galaxies with stellar mass >2 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉}. The intrinsic scatter is ≲0.2 dex for all galaxy types and redshifts. For late-type galaxies, the logarithmic size distribution is not symmetric but is skewed toward small sizes: at all redshifts and masses, a tail of small late-type galaxies exists that overlaps in size with the early-type galaxy population. The number density of massive (∼10{sup 11} M {sub ☉}), compact (R {sub eff} < 2 kpc) early-type galaxies increases from z = 3 to z = 1.5-2 and then strongly decreases at later cosmic times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The nature of extreme emission line galaxies at z = 1-2: kinematics and metallicities from near-infrared spectroscopy

We present near-infrared spectroscopy of a sample of 22 Extreme Emission Line Galaxies at redshifts 1.3 < z < 2.3, confirming that these are low-mass (M{sub *} = 10{sup 8}-10{sup 9} M{sub ☉}) galaxies undergoing intense starburst episodes (M{sub *}/SFR ∼ 10-100 Myr). The sample is selected by [O III] or Hα emission line flux and equivalent width using near-infrared grism spectroscopy from the 3D-HST survey. High-resolution NIR spectroscopy is obtained with LBT/LUCI and VLT/X-SHOOTER. The [O III]/Hβ line ratio is high (≳ 5) and [N II]/Hα is always significantly below unity, which suggests a low gas-phase metallicity. We are able to determine gas-phase metallicities for seven of our objects using various strong-line methods, with values in the range 0.05-0.30 Z{sub ☉} and with a median of 0.15 Z{sub ☉}; for three of these objects we detect [O III] λ4363, which allows for a direct constraint on the metallicity. The velocity dispersion, as measured from the nebular emission lines, is typically ∼50 km s{sup –1}. Combined with the observed star-forming activity, the Jeans and Toomre stability criteria imply that the gas fraction must be large (f{sub gas} ≳ 2/3), consistent with the difference between our dynamical and stellar mass estimates. The implied gas depletion timescale (several hundred Myr) is substantially longer than the inferred mass-weighted ages (∼50 Myr), which further supports the emerging picture that most stars in low-mass galaxies form in short, intense bursts of star formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Dense cores in galaxies out to z = 2.5 in SDSS, UltraVISTA, and the five 3D-HST/Candels fields

The dense interiors of massive galaxies are among the most intriguing environments in the universe. In this paper,we ask when these dense cores were formed and determine how galaxies gradually assembled around them. We select galaxies that have a stellar mass >3 × 10{sup 10} M{sub ☉} inside r = 1 kpc out to z = 2.5, using the 3D-HST survey and data at low redshift. Remarkably, the number density of galaxies with dense cores appears to have decreased from z = 2.5 to the present. This decrease is probably mostly due to stellar mass loss and the resulting adiabatic expansion, with some contribution from merging. We infer that dense cores were mostly formed at z > 2.5, consistent with their largely quiescent stellar populations. While the cores appear to form early, the galaxies in which they reside show strong evolution: their total masses increase by a factor of 2-3 from z = 2.5 to z = 0 and their effective radii increase by a factor of 5-6. As a result, the contribution of dense cores to the total mass of the galaxies in which they reside decreases from ∼50% at z = 2.5 to ∼15% at z = 0. Because of their early formation, the contribution of dense cores to the total stellar mass budget of the universe is a strong function of redshift. The stars in cores with M{sub 1{sub kpc}} > 3 × 10{sup 10} M{sub ☉} make up ∼0.1% of the stellar mass density of the universe today but 10%-20% at z ∼ 2, depending on their initial mass function. The formation of these cores required the conversion of ∼10{sup 11} M{sub ☉} of gas into stars within ∼1 kpc, while preventing significant star formation at larger radii.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Keck-I MOSFIRE spectroscopy of compact star-forming galaxies at z ≳ 2: high velocity dispersions in progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies

We present Keck-I MOSFIRE near-infrared spectroscopy for a sample of 13 compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at redshift 2 ≤ z ≤ 2.5 with star formation rates of SFR ∼ 100 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} and masses of log(M/M {sub ☉}) ∼10.8. Their high integrated gas velocity dispersions of σ{sub int} =230{sub −30}{sup +40} km s{sup –1}, as measured from emission lines of Hα and [O III], and the resultant M {sub *}-σ{sub int} relation and M {sub *}-M {sub dyn} all match well to those of compact quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 2, as measured from stellar absorption lines. Since log(M {sub *}/M {sub dyn}) =–0.06 ± 0.2 dex, these compact SFGs appear to be dynamically relaxed and evolved, i.e., depleted in gas and dark matter (<13{sub −13}{sup +17}%), and present larger σ{sub int} than their non-compact SFG counterparts at the same epoch. Without infusion of external gas, depletion timescales are short, less than ∼300 Myr. This discovery adds another link to our new dynamical chain of evidence that compact SFGs at z ≳ 2 are already losing gas to become the immediate progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies by z ∼ 2.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

CLASH: EXTREME EMISSION-LINE GALAXIES AND THEIR IMPLICATION ON SELECTION OF HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES

We utilize the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble observations of 25 clusters to search for extreme emission-line galaxies (EELGs). The selections are carried out in two central bands: F105W (Y {sub 105}) and F125W (J {sub 125}), as the flux of the central bands could be enhanced by the presence of [O III] λλ4959, 5007 at redshifts of ∼0.93-1.14 and 1.57-1.79, respectively. The multiband observations help to constrain the equivalent widths (EWs) of emission lines. Thanks to cluster lensing, we are able to identify 52 candidates down to an intrinsic limiting magnitude of 28.5 and to a rest-frame [O III] λλ4959, 5007 EW of ≅ 3700 Å. Our samples include a number of EELGs at lower luminosities that are missed in other surveys, and the extremely high EW can only be found in such faint galaxies. These EELGs can mimic a dropout feature similar to that of high-redshift galaxies and contaminate the color-color selection of high-redshift galaxies when the signal-to-noise ratio is limited or the band coverage is incomplete.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Not in our backyard: Spectroscopic support for the clash z = 11 candidate MACS 0647-JD

We report on our first set of spectroscopic Hubble Space Telescope observations of the z≈11 candidate galaxy, which is strongly lensed by the MACSJ 0647.7+7015 galaxy cluster. The three lensed images are faint and we show that these early slitless grism observations are of sufficient depth to investigate whether this high-redshift candidate, identified by its strong photometric break at ≈1.5 μm, could possibly be an emission line galaxy at a much lower redshift. While such an interloper would imply the existence of a rather peculiar object, we show here that such strong emission lines would clearly have been detected. Comparing realistic, two-dimensional simulations to these new observations, we would expect the necessary emission lines to be detected at >5σ, though we see no evidence for such lines in the dispersed data of any of the three lensed images. We therefore exclude that this object could be a low-redshift emission line interloper, which significantly increases the likelihood of this candidate being a bona fide z≈11 galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Forming compact massive galaxies

In this paper we study a key phase in the formation of massive galaxies: the transition of star-forming galaxies into massive (M{sub stars} ∼ 10{sup 11}M{sub ⊙}), compact (r{sub e} ∼ 1 kpc) quiescent galaxies, which takes place from z ∼ 3 to z ∼ 1.5. We use HST grism redshifts and extensive photometry in all five 3D-HST/CANDELS fields, more than doubling the area used previously for such studies, and combine these data with Keck MOSFIRE and NIRSPEC spectroscopy. We first confirm that a population of massive, compact, star-forming galaxies exists at z ≳ 2, using K-band spectroscopy of 25 of these objects at 2.0 < z < 2.5. They have a median [N ii]/Hα ratio of 0.6, are highly obscured with SFR(tot)/SFR(Hα) ∼10, and have a large range of observed line widths. We infer from the kinematics and spatial distribution of Hα that the galaxies have rotating disks of ionized gas that are a factor of ∼2 more extended than the stellar distribution. By combining measurements of individual galaxies, we find that the kinematics are consistent with a nearly Keplerian fall-off from V{sub rot} ∼ 500 km s{sup −1} at 1 kpc to V{sub rot} ∼ 250 km s{sup −1} at 7 kpc, and that the total mass out to this radius is dominated by the dense stellar component. Next, we study the size and mass evolution of the progenitors of compact massive galaxies. Even though individual galaxies may have had complex histories with periods of compaction and mergers, we show that the population of progenitors likely followed a simple inside-out growth track in the size–mass plane of Δlogr{sub e}∼0.3ΔlogM{sub stars}. This mode of growth gradually increases the stellar mass within a fixed physical radius, and galaxies quench when they reach a stellar density or velocity dispersion threshold. As shown in other studies, the mode of growth changes after quenching, as dry mergers take the galaxies on a relatively steep track in the size–mass plane.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

3D-HST WFC3-SELECTED PHOTOMETRIC CATALOGS IN THE FIVE CANDELS/3D-HST FIELDS: PHOTOMETRY, PHOTOMETRIC REDSHIFTS, AND STELLAR MASSES

The 3D-HST and CANDELS programs have provided WFC3 and ACS spectroscopy and photometry over ≈900 arcmin{sup 2} in five fields: AEGIS, COSMOS, GOODS-North, GOODS-South, and the UKIDSS UDS field. All these fields have a wealth of publicly available imaging data sets in addition to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data, which makes it possible to construct the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of objects over a wide wavelength range. In this paper we describe a photometric analysis of the CANDELS and 3D-HST HST imaging and the ancillary imaging data at wavelengths 0.3-8 μm. Objects were selected in the WFC3 near-IR bands, and their SEDs were determined by carefully taking the effects of the point-spread function in each observation into account. A total of 147 distinct imaging data sets were used in the analysis. The photometry is made available in the form of six catalogs: one for each field, as well as a master catalog containing all objects in the entire survey. We also provide derived data products: photometric redshifts, determined with the EAZY code, and stellar population parameters determined with the FAST code. We make all the imaging data that were used in the analysis available, including our reductions of the WFC3 imaging in all five fields. 3D-HST is a spectroscopic survey with the WFC3 and ACS grisms, and the photometric catalogs presented here constitute a necessary first step in the analysis of these grism data. All the data presented in this paper are available through the 3D-HST Web site (http://3dhst.research.yale.edu)

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Stellar masses and star formation rates for 1 M galaxies from SDSS+WISE

We combine Sloan Digitital Sky Survey (SDSS) and WISE photometry for the full SDSS spectroscopic galaxy sample, creating spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that cover λ = 0.4–22 μm for an unprecedentedly large and comprehensive sample of 858,365 present-epoch galaxies. Using MAGPHYS, we then simultaneously and consistently model both the attenuated stellar SED and the dust emission at 12 and 22 μm, producing robust new calibrations for monochromatic mid-IR star formation rate (SFR) proxies. These modeling results provide the first mid-IR-based view of the bimodality in star formation activity among galaxies, exhibiting the sequence of star-forming galaxies (“main sequence”) with a slope of d log SFR/dlogM{sub ∗} = 0.80 and a scatter of 0.39 dex. We find that these new SFRs along the SF main sequence are systematically lower by a factor of 1.4 than those derived from optical spectroscopy. We show that for most present-day galaxies, the 0.4–22 μm SED fits can exquisitely predict the fluxes measured by Herschel at much longer wavelengths. Our analysis also illustrates that the majority of stars in the present-day universe are formed in luminous galaxies (∼L{sup ∗}) in and around the “green valley” of the color–luminosity plane. We make publicly available the matched photometry catalog and SED modeling results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE ASSEMBLY OF MILKY-WAY-LIKE GALAXIES SINCE z {approx} 2.5

Galaxies with the mass of the Milky Way dominate the stellar mass density of the universe but it is uncertain how and when they were assembled. Here we study progenitors of these galaxies out to z = 2.5, using data from the 3D-HST and CANDELS Treasury surveys. We find that galaxies with present-day stellar masses of log (M) Almost-Equal-To 10.7 built {approx}90% of their stellar mass since z = 2.5, with most of the star formation occurring before z = 1. In marked contrast to the assembly history of massive elliptical galaxies, mass growth is not limited to large radii: the mass in the central 2 kpc of the galaxies increased by a factor of 3.2{sup +0.8}{sub -0.7} between z = 2.5 and z = 1. We therefore rule out simple models in which bulges were fully assembled at high redshift and disks gradually formed around them. Instead, bulges (and black holes) likely formed in lockstep with disks, through bar instabilities, migration, or other processes. We find that after z = 1 the growth in the central regions gradually stopped and the disk continued to be built up, consistent with recent studies of the gas distributions in z {approx} 1 galaxies and the properties of many spiral galaxies today.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

DISCOVERY OF A QUADRUPLE LENS IN CANDELS WITH A RECORD LENS REDSHIFT z = 1.53

Using spectroscopy from the Large Binocular Telescope and imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope we discovered the first strong galaxy lens at z {sub lens} > 1. The lens has a secure photometric redshift of z = 1.53 ± 0.09 and the source is spectroscopically confirmed at z = 3.417. The Einstein radius (0.''35; 3.0 kpc) encloses 7.6 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉}, with an upper limit on the dark matter fraction of 60%. The highly magnified (40×) source galaxy has a very small stellar mass (∼10{sup 8} M {sub ☉}) and shows an extremely strong [O III]{sub 5007Å} emission line (EW{sub 0} ∼ 1000 Å) bolstering the evidence that intense starbursts among very low-mass galaxies are common at high redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CONFIRMATION OF SMALL DYNAMICAL AND STELLAR MASSES FOR EXTREME EMISSION LINE GALAXIES AT z ∼ 2

Spectroscopic observations from the Large Binocular Telescope and the Very Large Telescope reveal kinematically narrow lines (∼50 km s{sup –1}) for a sample of 14 extreme emission line galaxies at redshifts 1.4 < z < 2.3. These measurements imply that the total dynamical masses of these systems are low (≲ 3 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}). Their large [O III] λ5007 equivalent widths (500-1100 Å) and faint blue continuum emission imply young ages of 10-100 Myr and stellar masses of 10{sup 8}-10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}, confirming the presence of a violent starburst. The dynamical masses represent the first such determinations for low-mass galaxies at z > 1. The stellar mass formed in this vigorous starburst phase represents a large fraction of the total (dynamical) mass, without a significantly massive underlying population of older stars. The occurrence of such intense events in shallow potentials strongly suggests that supernova-driven winds must be of critical importance in the subsequent evolution of these systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

EXPLORING THE CHEMICAL LINK BETWEEN LOCAL ELLIPTICALS AND THEIR HIGH-REDSHIFT PROGENITORS

We present Keck/MOSFIRE K-band spectroscopy of the first mass-selected sample of galaxies at z ∼ 2.3. Targets are selected from the 3D-Hubble Space Telescope Treasury survey. The six detected galaxies have a mean [N II]λ6584/Hα ratio of 0.27 ± 0.01, with a small standard deviation of 0.05. This mean value is similar to that of UV-selected galaxies of the same mass. The mean gas-phase oxygen abundance inferred from the [N II]/Hα ratios depends on the calibration method, and ranges from 12+log(O/H){sub gas} = 8.57 for the Pettini and Pagel calibration to 12+log(O/H){sub gas} = 8.87 for the Maiolino et al. calibration. Measurements of the stellar oxygen abundance in nearby quiescent galaxies with the same number density indicate 12+log(O/H){sub stars} = 8.95, similar to the gas-phase abundances of the z ∼ 2.3 galaxies if the Maiolino et al. calibration is used. This suggests that these high-redshift star forming galaxies may be progenitors of today's massive early-type galaxies. The main uncertainties are the absolute calibration of the gas-phase oxygen abundance and the incompleteness of the z ∼ 2.3 sample: the galaxies with detected Hα tend to be larger and have higher star formation rates than the galaxies without detected Hα, and we may still be missing the most dust-obscured progenitors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

EVIDENCE OF VERY LOW METALLICITY AND HIGH IONIZATION STATE IN A STRONGLY LENSED, STAR-FORMING DWARF GALAXY AT z = 3.417

We investigate the gas-phase metallicity and Lyman continuum (LyC) escape fraction of a strongly gravitationally lensed, extreme emission-line galaxy at z = 3.417, J1000+0221S, recently discovered by the CANDELS team. We derive ionization- and metallicity-sensitive emission-line ratios from H+K band Large Binocular Telescope (LBT)/LUCI medium resolution spectroscopy. J1000+0221S shows high ionization conditions, as evidenced by its enhanced [O III]/[O II] and [O III]/Hβ ratios. Strong-line methods based on the available line ratios suggest that J1000+0221S is an extremely metal-poor galaxy, with a metallicity of 12+log (O/H) < 7.44 (Z < 0.05 Z {sub ☉}), placing it among the most metal-poor star-forming galaxies at z ≳ 3 discovered so far. In combination with its low stellar mass (2 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉}) and high star formation rate (5 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}), the metallicity of J1000+0221S is consistent with the extrapolation of the mass-metallicity relation traced by Lyman-break galaxies at z ≳ 3 to low masses, but it is 0.55 dex lower than predicted by the fundamental metallicity relation at z ≲ 2.5. These observations suggest a rapidly growing galaxy, possibly fed by massive accretion of pristine gas. Additionally, deep LBT/LBC photometry in the UGR bands are used to derive a limit to the LyC escape fraction, thus allowing us to explore for the first time the regime of sub-L* galaxies at z > 3. We find a 1σ upper limit to the escape fraction of 23%, which adds a new observational constraint to recent theoretical models predicting that sub-L* galaxies at high-z have high escape fractions and thus are the responsible for the reionization of the universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗