First HETDEX Spectroscopic Determinations of Lyα and UV Luminosity Functions at z = 2–3: Bridging a Gap between Faint AGNs and Bright Galaxies

We present Lyα and ultraviolet (UV)-continuum luminosity functions (LFs) of galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z = 2.0–3.5 determined by the untargeted optical spectroscopic survey of the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). We combine deep Subaru imaging with HETDEX spectra resulting in 11.4 deg2 of fiber spectra sky coverage, obtaining 18,320 galaxies spectroscopically identified with Lyα emission, 2126 of which host type 1 AGNs showing broad (FWHM > 1000 km s−1) Lyα emission lines. We derive the Lyα (UV) LF over 2 orders of magnitude covering bright galaxies and AGNs in log L Ly α / [ erg s − 1 ] = 43.3 – 45.5 (−27 < M UV < −20) by the 1/V max estimator. Our results reveal that the bright-end hump of the Lyα LF is composed of type 1 AGNs. In conjunction with previous spectroscopic results at the faint end, we measure a slope of the best-fit Schechter function to be α Sch = − 1.70 − 0.14 + 0.13 , which indicates that α Sch steepens from z = 2–3 toward high redshift. Our UV LF agrees well with previous AGN UV LFs and extends to faint-AGN and bright-galaxy regimes. The number fraction of Lyα-emitting objects (X LAE) increases from M UV * ∼ − 21 to bright magnitude due to the contribution of type 1 AGNs, while previous studies claim that X Lyα decreases from faint magnitudes to M UV * , suggesting a valley in the X Lyα –magnitude relation at M UV * . Comparing our UV LF of type 1 AGNs at z = 2–3 with those at z = 0, we find that the number density of faint (M UV > −21) type 1 AGNs increases from z ∼ 2 to 0, as opposed to the evolution of bright (M UV < −21) type 1 AGNs, suggesting AGN downsizing in the rest-frame UV luminosity.

A MeerKAT 1.28 GHz Atlas of Southern Sources in the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample

The IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample (RBGS) comprises galaxies and unresolved mergers stronger than S = 5.24 Jy at λ = 60 μm with Galactic latitudes ∣b∣ > 5°. Nearly all are dusty star-forming galaxies whose radio continuum and far-infrared luminosities are proportional to their current rates of star formation. We used the MeerKAT array of 64 dishes to make 5 × 3 minutes snapshot observations at ν = 1.28 GHz covering all 298 southern (J2000 δ < 0°) RBGS sources identified with external galaxies. The resulting images have θ ≈ 7.″5 FWHM resolution and rms fluctuations σ ≈ 20 μJy beam−1 ≈ 0.26 K low enough to reveal even faint disk emission. The rms position uncertainties are σ α ≈ σ δ ≈ 1″ relative to accurate near-infrared positions, and the image dynamic ranges are DR ≳ 104: 1. Cropped MeerKAT images of all 298 southern RBGS sources are available in FITS format from 10.48479/dnt7-6q05.

Bright galaxy sample in the Kilo-Degree Survey Data Release 4

We present a bright galaxy sample with accurate and precise photometric redshifts (photo-zs), selected using ugriZYJHKs photometry from the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) Data Release 4. The highly pure and complete dataset is flux-limited at r < 20 mag, covers ∼1000 deg2, and contains about 1 million galaxies after artifact masking. We exploit the overlap with Galaxy And Mass Assembly spectroscopy as calibration to determine photo-zs with the supervised machine learning neural network algorithm implemented in the ANNz2 software. The photo-zs have a mean error of |⟨δz⟩|∼5 × 10−4 and low scatter (scaled mean absolute deviation of ∼0.018(1 + z)); they are both practically independent of the r-band magnitude and photo-z at 0.05 < zphot < 0.5. Combined with the 9-band photometry, these allow us to estimate robust absolute magnitudes and stellar masses for the full sample. As a demonstration of the usefulness of these data, we split the dataset into red and blue galaxies, used them as lenses, and measured the weak gravitational lensing signal around them for five stellar mass bins. We fit a halo model to these high-precision measurements to constrain the stellar-mass–halo-mass relations for blue and red galaxies. We find that for high stellar mass (M⋆ > 5 × 1011 M⊙), the red galaxies occupy dark matter halos that are much more massive than those occupied by blue galaxies with the same stellar mass.

Characterizing the target selection pipeline for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Bright Galaxy Survey

ABSTRACT We present the steps taken to produce a reliable and complete input galaxy catalogue for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS) using the photometric Legacy Survey DR8 DECam. We analyse some of the main issues faced in the selection of targets for the DESI BGS, such as star–galaxy separation, contamination by fragmented stars and bright galaxies. Our pipeline utilizes a new way to select BGS galaxies using Gaia photometry and we implement geometrical and photometric masks that reduce the number of spurious objects. The resulting catalogue is cross-matched with the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey to assess the completeness of the galaxy catalogue and the performance of the target selection. We also validate the clustering of the sources in our BGS catalogue by comparing with mock catalogues and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data. Finally, the robustness of the BGS selection criteria is assessed by quantifying the dependence of the target galaxy density on imaging and other properties. The largest systematic correlation we find is a 7 per cent suppression of the target density in regions of high stellar density.

Inferring the dark matter velocity anisotropy to the cluster edge

ABSTRACT Dark matter (DM) dominates the properties of large cosmological structures such as galaxy clusters, and the mass profiles of the DM have been inferred for these equilibrated structures for years by using cluster X-ray surface brightnesses and temperatures. A new method has been proposed, which should allow us to infer a dynamical property of the DM, namely the velocity anisotropy. For the gas, a similar velocity anisotropy is zero due to frequent collisions; however, the collisionless nature of DM allows it to be non-trivial. Numerical simulations have for years found non-zero and radially varying DM velocity anisotropies. Here we employ the method proposed by Hansen & Piffaretti, and developed by Høst et al. to infer the DM velocity anisotropy in the bright galaxy cluster Perseus, to near five times the radii previously obtained. We find the DM velocity anisotropy to be consistent with the results of numerical simulations, however, still with large error bars. At half the virial radius, we find the DM velocity anisotropy to be non-zero at 1.7$\, \sigma$, lending support to the collisionless nature of DM.

The Fornax Deep Survey with VST

Context. A possible pathway for understanding the events and the mechanisms involved in galaxy formation and evolution is an in-depth investigation of the galactic and inter-galactic fossil sub-structures with long dynamical timescales: stars in the field and in stellar clusters. Aims. This paper continues the Fornax Deep Survey (FDS) series. Following previous studies dedicated to extended Fornax cluster members, we present the catalogs of compact stellar systems in the Fornax cluster, as well as extended background sources and point-like sources. Methods. We derived ugri photometry of ∼1.7 million sources over the ∼21 square degree area of FDS centered on the bright central galaxy NGC 1399. For a wider area, of ∼27 square degrees extending in the direction of NGC 1316, we provided gri photometry for ∼3.1 million sources. To improve the morphological characterization of sources, we generated multi-band image stacks by coadding the best-seeing gri-band single exposures with a cut at full width at half maximum (FWHM) ≤ 0.″9. We used the multi-band stacks as master detection frames, with a FWHM improved by ∼15% and a FWHM variability from field to field reduced by a factor of ∼2.5 compared to the pass-band with the best FWHM, namely the r-band. The identification of compact sources, in particular, globular clusters (GC), was obtained from a combination of photometric (e.g., colors, magnitudes) and morphometric (e.g., concentration index, elongation, effective radius) selection criteria, also taking as reference the properties of sources with well-defined classifications from spectroscopic or high-resolution imaging data. Results. Using the FDS catalogs, we present a preliminary analysis of GC distributions in the Fornax area. The study confirms and extends further previous results that were limited to a smaller survey area. We observed the inter-galactic population of GCs, a population of mainly blue GCs centered on NGC 1399, extending over ∼0.9 Mpc, with an ellipticity ϵ ∼ 0.65 and a small tilt in the direction of NGC 1336. Several sub-structures extend over ∼0.5 Mpc along various directions. Two of these structures do not cross any bright galaxy; one of them appears to be connected to NGC 1404, a bright galaxy close to the cluster core and particularly poor in GCs. Using the gri catalogs, we analyze the GC distribution over the extended FDS area and do not find any obvious GC sub-structure bridging the two brightest cluster galaxies, namely, NGC 1316 and NGC 1399. Although NGC 1316 is more than twice as bright of NGC 1399 in optical bands, using gri data, we estimate a GC population that is richer by a factor of ∼3−4 around NGC 1399, as compared to NGC 1316, out to galactocentric distances of ∼40′ or ∼230 kpc.

Combining friend-of-friend and halo-based algorithms for the identification of galaxy groups

Context. Galaxy groups provide the means for a great diversity of studies that contribute to a better understanding of the structure of the universe on a large scale and allow the properties of galaxies to be linked to those of the host halos. However, the identification of galaxy systems is a challenging task and therefore it is necessary to improve the techniques involved as much as possible. Aims. In view of the large present and forthcoming galaxy catalogues, we propose, implement, and evaluate an algorithm that combines the two most popular techniques used to identify galaxy systems. The algorithm can be easily applied to any spectroscopic galaxy catalogue, but here we demonstrate its use on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Methods. Assuming that a galaxy group is a gravitationally bounded system that has at least one bright galaxy, we begin by identifying groups with a friends-of-friends algorithm adapted to fit this definition. In view of the shortcomings of this method, particularly the lack of ability to identify low-number groups, and consequently the inability to study the occupation of halos throughout the mass range, we improve it by adding a halo-based procedure. To assess the performance, we construct a mock catalogue from a semi-analytical model to compare the groups identified using our method with those obtained from the simulation. Results. The comparison of groups extracted using our method with those of a mock catalogue shows that the proposed algorithm provides excellent results. The modifications introduced to the friends-of-friends algorithm in the first part of the procedure to fit the adopted group definition gave reliable groups. Furthermore, incorporation of the halo-based method reduces the interlopers while more accurately reproducing the number of galaxies per group. As a specific application, we use the algorithm to extract groups from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

An ALMA view of galaxies in the Epoch of Reionisation

In the past decade hundreds of galaxies have been identified in the Epoch of Reionisation, selected from their rest-frame UV light. Only a handful of these sources, however, have spectroscopic redshift determinations and we have limited understanding of their physical properties. ALMA is currently transforming this field by providing the first view of the dust obscured star-formation, the kinematics of these sources, the cool gas traced by [CII] and highly ionised gas traced by [OIII]. In this talk I will discuss new and recent results on the UV-bright galaxy population during the first billion years of cosmic time and what they imply for their observational and physical properties.