We have developed an automatic technique to search for low-surface-brightness (LSB) galaxies in the local Universe (v<=5000km/s) using the automated plate measuring (APM) scan data of UK Schmidt photographic plates. We optimized our technique and selection criteria by surveying the known LSB galaxies in the Fornax cluster. Plate-to-plate magnitude calibrations were carried out using independent CCD sequences. The galaxies we detected are brighter than 20Bmag, have scalesizes greater than 3arcsec and a central surface brightness fainter than 22.5mag/arcsec^2^. In total 2435 LSB galaxies were detected over a total area of 2187deg^2^. The survey covers the Fornax cluster, NGC 1400, Sculptor and Dorado groups and the field between. We detect on average 32 LSB galaxies per 5.8{deg}x5.8{deg} field. We have estimated the background (v>5000km/s) contamination in three ways: by numerical modelling, using a limited redshift sample and comparing our Fornax data with those of Ferguson. The results indicate a contamination of about 19 galaxies per field.
We present a study of the HI and optical properties of nearby (z<=0.1) Low Surface Brightness galaxies (LSBGs). We started with a literature sample of ~900 LSBGs and divided them into three morphological classes: spirals, irregulars, and dwarfs. Of these, we could use ~490 LSBGs to study their HI and stellar masses, colours, and colour-magnitude diagrams, and local environment, compare them with normal, High Surface Brightness (HSB) galaxies and determine the differences between the three morphological classes. We found that LSB and HSB galaxies span a similar range in HI and stellar masses, and have a similar M_HI_/M_{star}_-M_{star}_ relationship. Among the LSBGs, as expected, the spirals have the highest average HI and stellar masses, both of about 10^9.8^M_{sun}_. The LSGBs' (g-r) integrated colour is nearly constant as function of HI mass for all classes. In the colour-magnitude diagram, the spirals are spread over the red and blue regions whereas the irregulars and dwarfs are confined to the blue region. The spirals also exhibit a steeper slope in the M_HI_/M_{star}_-M_{star}_ plane. Within their local environment, we confirmed that LSBGs are more isolated than HSB galaxies, and LSB spirals more isolated than irregulars and dwarfs. Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical tests on the HI mass, stellar mass, and number of neighbours indicate that the spirals are a statistically different population from the dwarfs and irregulars. This suggests that the spirals may have different formation and HI evolution than the dwarfs and irregulars.
In order to estimate the contribution of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies to the local (z<=0.1) galaxy number density, we performed an optical search for LSB candidates in a 15.5{deg}^2^ part of the region covered by the 65{deg}^2^ blind Arecibo HI Strip Survey (AHISS)
We have used data from the Next Generation Virgo Survey to investigate the dwarf galaxy population of the Virgo cluster. We mask and smooth the data, and then use the object detection algorithm SExtractor to make our initial dwarf galaxy selection. All candidates are then visually inspected to remove artefacts and duplicates. We derive parameters to best select low surface brightness galaxies using central surface brightness values of 22.5<={mu}^g^_0_<=26.0{mu}g and exponential scale lengths of 3.0<=h<=10.0-arcsec to identify 443 cluster dwarf galaxies - 303 of which are new detections, with a surface density that decreases with radius from the cluster centre. We also apply our selection algorithm to 'background', non-cluster, fields and find zero detections. In combination, this leads us to believe that we have isolated a cluster dwarf galaxy population. The range of objects we detect is limited because smaller scale sized galaxies are confused with the background, while larger galaxies are split into numerous smaller objects by the detection algorithm. Combining our data with that from other surveys, we find a faint-end slope to the luminosity function of -1.35+/-0.03, which is not significantly different to what has previously been found, but is a little steeper than the slope for field galaxies. There is no evidence for a faint-end slope steep enough to correspond with galaxy formation models, unless those models invoke either strong feedback processes or use warm dark matter.
The correlation between emission-line luminosity (L) and profile-width ({sigma}) for HII galaxies provides a powerful method to measure the distances to galaxies over a wide range of redshifts. In this paper, we use SDSS spectrophotometry to explore the systematics of the correlation using the [OIII]5007 lines instead of H{alpha} or H{beta} to measure luminosities and line widths. We also examine possible systematic effects involved in measuring the profile-widths and the luminosities through different apertures. We find that the green L-{sigma} relation, defined using [OIII]5007 luminosities, is significantly more sensitive than H{beta} to the effects of age and the physical conditions of the nebulae, which more than offsets the advantage of the higher strength of the [OIII]5007 lines. We then explore the possibility of mixing [OIII]5007 profile-widths with SDSS H{beta} luminosities using the Hubble constant H_0_ to quantify the possible systematic effects. We find the mixed L(H{beta})-{sigma}_[OIII]_ relation to be at least as powerful as the canonical L-{sigma} relation as a distance estimator, and we show that evolutionary corrections do not change the slope and the scatter of the correlation and, therefore, do not bias the L-{sigma} distance indicator at high redshifts. Locally, however, the luminosities of the giant HII regions that provide the zero-point calibrators are sensitive to evolutionary corrections and may bias the Hubble constant if their mean ages, as measured by the equivalent widths of H{beta}, are significantly different from the mean age of the HII galaxies. Using a small sample of 16 ad-hoc zero point calibrators we obtain a value of H_0_=66.4^+5.0^_-4.5_km/s/Mpc for the Hubble constant, which is fully consistent with the best modern determinations, and which is not biased by evolutionary corrections.
The validity of the emission-line luminosity versus ionized gas velocity dispersion (L-{sigma}) correlation for HII galaxies (HIIGx) and its potential as an accurate distance estimator are assessed. For a sample of 128 local (0.02<~z<~0.2) compact HIIGx with high equivalent widths of their Balmer emission lines, we obtained the ionized gas velocity dispersion from high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) high-dispersion spectroscopy (Subaru High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS) and European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (VLT-UVES)) and integrated H{beta} fluxes from low-dispersion wide aperture spectrophotometry. We find that the L(H{beta})-{sigma} relation is strong and stable against restrictions in the sample (mostly based on the emission-line profiles). The `Gaussianity' of the profile is important for reducing the root-mean-square (rms) uncertainty of the distance indicator, but at the expense of substantially reducing the sample. By fitting other physical parameters into the correlation, we are able to decrease the scatter significantly without reducing the sample. The size of the star-forming region is an important second parameter, while adding the emission-line equivalent width or the continuum colour and metallicity produces the solution with the smallest rms scatter={delta}logL(H{beta})=0.233. The derived coefficients in the best L(H{beta})-{sigma} relation are very close to what is expected from virialized ionizing clusters, while the derived sum of the stellar and ionized gas masses is similar to the dynamical mass estimated using the Hubble Space Telescope} (HST}) corrected Petrosian radius. These results are compatible with gravity being the main mechanism causing the broadening of the emission lines in these very young and massive clusters. The derived masses range from about 2x10^6^M_{sun}_ to 10^9^M_{sun}_ and their 'corrected' Petrosian radius ranges from a few tens to a few hundred pc.
The luminosity-size and mass-size distributions of galaxies out to z~3 are presented. We use very deep near-infrared images of the Hubble Deep Field-South in the J_s_, H, and K_s_ bands, taken as part of FIRES at the VLT, to follow the evolution of the optical rest-frame sizes of galaxies. For a total of 168 galaxies with K_s,AB_ <=23.5, we find that the rest-frame V-band sizes r_e,V_ of luminous galaxies (<L_V_>~2x10^10^h^-2^L_{sun}_) at 2<z<3 are 3 times smaller than for equally luminous galaxies today. In contrast, the mass-size relation has evolved relatively little: the size at mass <M_*_>~2x10^10^h^-2^M_{sun}_ has changed by 20% (+/-20%) since z~2.5. Both results can be reconciled by the fact that the stellar M/L ratio is lower in the luminous high-z galaxies than in nearby ones because they have young stellar populations. The lower incidence of large galaxies at z~3 seems to reflect the rarity of galaxies with high stellar mass.
Luminosity and redshift of galaxies from WISE/SDSS
Short Name:
J/ApJ/788/45
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
In this work, we investigate the dependence of the covering factor (CF) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) on the mid-infrared (MIR) luminosity and the redshift. We constructed 12 and 22 {mu}m luminosity functions (LFs) at 0.006<=z<=0.3 using Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data. Combining the WISE catalog (Cat. II/311) with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS, Cat. II/294) spectroscopic data, we selected 223982 galaxies at 12 {mu}m and 25721 galaxies at 22 {mu}m for spectroscopic classification. We then identified 16355 AGNs at 12 {mu}m and 4683 AGNs at 22 {mu}m by their optical emission lines and cataloged classifications in the SDSS. Following that, we estimated the CF as the fraction of Type 2 AGN in all AGNs whose MIR emissions are dominated by the active nucleus (not their host galaxies) based on their MIR colors. We found that the CF decreased with increasing MIR luminosity, regardless of the choice of Type 2 AGN classification criteria, and the CF did not change significantly with redshift for z<=0.2. Furthermore, we carried out various tests to determine the influence of selection bias and confirmed that similar dependences exist, even when taking these uncertainties into account. The luminosity dependence of the CF can be explained by the receding torus model, but the "modified" receding torus model gives a slightly better fit, as suggested by Simpson.
We present 4.5 {mu}m luminosity functions for galaxies identified in 178 candidate galaxy clusters at 1.3<z<3.2. The clusters were identified as Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) color-selected overdensities in the Clusters Around Radio-Loud AGN project, which imaged 420 powerful radio-loud active galactic nuclei (RLAGNs) at z>1.3. The luminosity functions are derived for different redshift and richness bins, and the IRAC imaging reaches depths of m*+2, allowing us to measure the faint end slopes of the luminosity functions. We find that {alpha}=-1 describes the luminosity function very well in all redshift bins and does not evolve significantly. This provides evidence that the rate at which the low mass galaxy population grows through star formation gets quenched and is replenished by in-falling field galaxies does not have a major net effect on the shape of the luminosity function. Our measurements for m* are consistent with passive evolution models and high formation redshifts (z_f_~3). We find a slight trend toward fainter m* for the richest clusters, implying that the most massive clusters in our sample could contain older stellar populations, yet another example of cosmic downsizing. Modeling shows that a contribution of a star-forming population of up to 40% cannot be ruled out. This value, found from our targeted survey, is significantly lower than the values found for slightly lower redshift, z~1, clusters found in wide-field surveys. The results are consistent with cosmic downsizing, as the clusters studied here were all found in the vicinity of RLAGNs - which have proven to be preferentially located in massive dark matter halos in the richest environments at high redshift - and they may therefore be older and more evolved systems than the general protocluster population.
The tidal disruption of a star by a massive black hole is expected to yield a luminous flare of thermal emission. About two dozen of these stellar tidal disruption flares (TDFs) may have been detected in optical transient surveys. However, explaining the observed properties of these events within the tidal disruption paradigm is not yet possible. This theoretical ambiguity has led some authors to suggest that optical TDFs are due to a different process, such as a nuclear supernova or accretion disk instabilities. Here we present a test of a fundamental prediction of the tidal disruption event scenario: a suppression of the flare rate due to the direct capture of stars by the black hole. Using a recently compiled sample of candidate TDFs with black hole mass measurements, plus a careful treatment of selection effects in this flux-limited sample, we confirm that the dearth of observed TDFs from high-mass black holes is statistically significant. All the TDF impostor models we consider fail to explain the observed mass function; the only scenario that fits the data is a suppression of the rate due to direct captures. We find that this suppression can explain the low volumetric rate of the luminous TDF candidate ASASSN-15lh, thus supporting the hypothesis that this flare belongs to the TDF family. Our work is the first to present the optical TDF luminosity function. A steep power law is required to explain the observed rest-frame g-band luminosity, dN/dL_g_{propto}L_g_^-2.5^. The mean event rate of the flares in our sample is ~1x10^-4^galaxy^-1^/yr, consistent with the theoretically expected tidal disruption rate.
