We present results from the KMOS LENsing Survey (KLENS), which is exploiting gravitational lensing to study the kinematics of 24 star-forming galaxies at 1.4<z<3.5 with a median mass of log(M*/M_{sun}_)=9.6 and a median star formation rate (SFR) of 7.5M_{sun}/yr. We find that 25% of these low mass/low SFR galaxies are rotation-dominated, while the majority of our sample shows no velocity gradient. When combining our data with other surveys, we find that the fraction of rotation-dominated galaxies increases with the stellar mass, and decreases for galaxies with a positive offset from the main sequence (higher specific star formation rate). We also investigate the evolution of the intrinsic velocity dispersion, sigma_0_, as a function of the redshift, z, and stellar mass, M*, assuming galaxies in quasi-equilibrium (Toomre Q parameter equal to 1). From the z-sigma_0_ relation, we find that the redshift evolution of the velocity dispersion is mostly expected for massive galaxies (log(M*/M_{sun}_)>10). We derive a M*-sigma_0_ relation, using the Tully-Fisher relation, which highlights that a different evolution of the velocity dispersion is expected depending on the stellar mass, with lower velocity dispersions for lower masses, and an increase for higher masses, stronger at higher redshift. The observed velocity dispersions from this work and from comparison samples spanning 0<z<3.5 appear to follow this relation, except at higher redshift (z>2), where we observe higher velocity dispersions for low masses (log(M*/M_{sun}_)~9.6) and lower velocity dispersions for high masses (log(M*/M_{sun}_)~10.9) than expected. This discrepancy could, for instance, suggest that galaxies at high redshift do not satisfy the stability criterion, or that the adopted parametrization of the specific star formation rate and molecular properties fail at high redshift.
The progenitors of astronomical transients are linked to a specific stellar population and galactic environment, and observing their host galaxies hence constrains the physical nature of the transient itself. Here, we use imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope, and spatially resolved, medium-resolution spectroscopy from the Very Large Telescope obtained with X-shooter and MUSE to study the host of the very luminous transient ASASSN-15lh. The dominant stellar population at the transient site is old (around 1 to 2Gyr) without signs of recent star formation. We also detect emission from ionized gas, originating from three different, time invariable, narrow components of collisionally excited metal and Balmer lines. The ratios of emission lines in the Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich diagnostic diagram indicate that the ionization source is a weak active galactic nucleus with a black hole mass of M_BH_=5_-3_^+8^x10^8^M_{sun}_, derived through the M*-{sigma} relation. The narrow line components show spatial and velocity offsets on scales of 1kpc and 500km/s, respectively; these offsets are best explained by gas kinematics in the narrow-line region. The location of the central component, which we argue is also the position of the supermassive black hole, aligns with that of the transient within an uncertainty of 170pc. Using this positional coincidence as well as other similarities with the hosts of tidal disruption events, we strengthen the argument that the transient emission observed as ASASSN-15lh is related to the disruption of a star around a supermassive black hole, most probably spinning with a Kerr parameter a_BH_>=0.5.
We carried out the first wide-area unbiased survey with the ASCA satellite in the 0.7-10keV band around a north Galactic-pole region covering a continuous area of 7deg^2^ (Large Sky Survey; LSS). To make the best use of ASCA's capabilities, we developed a new source-detection method in which the complicated detector responses are fully taken into account. Applying this method to the entire LSS data independently in the total (0.7-7keV), hard (2-10keV), and soft (0.7-2keV) bands, we detected 107 sources altogether, with sensitivity limits of 6x10^-14^ (0.7-7keV), 1x10^-13^ (2-10keV), and 2x10^-14^ergs/s/cm^2^ (0.7-2keV), respectively. A complete list of the detected sources is presented.
We report five Local Volume dwarf galaxies (two of which are presented here for the first time) uncovered during a comprehensive archival search for optical counterparts to ultra-compact high-velocity clouds (UCHVCs). The UCHVC population of HI clouds are thought to be candidate gas-rich, low-mass halos at the edge of the Local Group and beyond, but no comprehensive search for stellar counterparts to these systems has been presented. Careful visual inspection of all publicly available optical and ultraviolet imaging at the position of the UCHVCs revealed six blue, diffuse counterparts with a morphology consistent with a faint dwarf galaxy beyond the Local Group. Optical spectroscopy of all six candidate dwarf counterparts show that five have an H{alpha}-derived velocity consistent with the coincident HI cloud, confirming their association; the sixth diffuse counterpart is likely a background object. The size and luminosity of the UCHVC dwarfs is consistent with other known Local Volume dwarf irregular galaxies. The gas fraction (M_HI_/M_star_) of the five dwarfs are generally consistent with that of dwarf irregular galaxies in the Local Volume, although ALFALFA-Dw1 (associated with ALFALFA UCHVC HVC274.68+74.70-123) has a very high M_HI_/M_star_~40. Despite the heterogeneous nature of our search, we demonstrate that the current dwarf companions to UCHVCs are at the edge of detectability due to their low surface brightness, and that deeper searches are likely to find more stellar systems. If more sensitive searches do not reveal further stellar counterparts to UCHVCs, then the dearth of such systems around the Local Group may be in conflict with {Lambda}CDM simulations.
A rich spectroscopic census of members of the local massive cluster A2029 includes 1215 members of A2029 and its two infalling groups, A2033 and the Southern Infalling Group. The two infalling groups are identified in spectroscopic, X-ray, and weak-lensing maps. We identify active galactic nuclei (AGNs), star-forming galaxies, E+A galaxies, and quiescent galaxies based on the spectroscopy. The fractions of AGN and post-starburst E+A galaxies in A2029 are similar to those of other clusters. We derive the stellar mass (M_*_)-metallicity relation of A2029 based on 227 star-forming members; A2029 members within 10^9^M_{sun}_<M_*_<10^9.5^M_{sun}_ are more metal-rich than Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies within the same mass range. We utilize the spectroscopic index D_n_4000, a strong age indicator, to trace past and future evolution of the A2029 system. The median D_n_4000 of the members decreases as the projected clustercentric distance increases for all three subsystems. The D_n_4000-M_*_ relations of the members in A2029 and its two infalling groups differ significantly, indicating the importance of stochastic effects for understanding the evolution of cluster galaxy populations.
