分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Tomographic three-dimensional 21 cm images from the epoch of reionization contain a wealth of information about the reionization of the intergalactic medium by astrophysical sources. Conventional power spectrum analysis cannot exploit the full information in the 21 cm data because the 21 cm signal is highly non-Gaussian due to reionization patchiness. We perform a Bayesian inference of the reionization parameters where the likelihood is implicitly defined through forward simulations using density estimation likelihood-free inference (DELFI). We adopt a trained 3D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to compress the 3D image data into informative summaries (DELFI-3D CNN). We show that this method recovers accurate posterior distributions for the reionization parameters. Our approach outperforms earlier analysis based on two-dimensional 21 cm images. In contrast, an MCMC analysis of the 3D lightcone-based 21 cm power spectrum alone and using a standard explicit likelihood approximation results in less accurate credible parameter regions than inferred by the DELFI-3D CNN, both in terms of the location and shape of the contours. Our proof-of-concept study implies that the DELFI-3D CNN can effectively exploit more information in the 3D 21 cm images than a 2D CNN or power spectrum analysis. This technique can be readily extended to include realistic effects and is therefore a promising approach for the scientific interpretation of future 21 cm observation data.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We present redshifts for 2753 low-redshift galaxies between $0.03 \lesssim z_{\rm spec}\lesssim0.5$ with 18 $\leq$ $r$ $\leq$ 22 obtained with Hectospec at the Multi-Mirror Telescope (MMT). The observations targeted the XMM-LSS, ELAIS-N1 and DEEP2-3 fields, each of which covers $\sim$ 1 deg$^2$. These fields are also part of the recently completed CFHT Large Area U-band Deep Survey (CLAUDS) and on-going Hyper Suprime-Cam deep fields surveys. The efficiency of our technique for selecting low-redshift galaxies is confirmed by the redshift distribution of our sources. In addition to redshifts, these high S/N spectra are used to measure ages, metallicities, and nuclear activity levels. In combination with the photometric catalogue in $u$, $g$, $r$, $i$, $z$, $y$ down to 27 AB mag, we are able to study the galaxy population down to stellar masses of $\sim$ 10$^8 M_\odot$ . This paper presents the observational strategy, the reduction procedure and properties of the galaxy sample.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Using the first epoch of four-band NIRCam observations obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science Program in the Spitzer IRAC Dark Field, we search for F150W and F200W dropouts. In 14.2 arcmin^2, we have found eight F150W dropouts and eight F200W dropouts, all brighter than 27.5 mag (the brightest being ~24 mag) in the band to the red side of the break. As they are detected in multiple bands, these must be real objects. Their nature, however, is unclear, and characterizing their properties is important for realizing the full potential of JWST. If the observed color decrements are due to the Lyman break, these objects should be at z >~ 11.7 and z >~ 15.4, respectively. The color diagnostics show that at least four F150W dropouts are far away from the usual contaminators encountered in dropout searches (red galaxies at much lower redshifts or brown dwarf stars). While the diagnostics of the F200W dropouts are less certain due to the limited number of passbands, at least one of them is likely not a known type of contaminant, and the rest are consistent with either high-redshift galaxies with evolved stellar populations or old galaxies at z ~ 3 to 8. If a significant fraction of our dropouts are indeed at z ~ 12, we have to face the severe problem of explaining their high luminosities and number densities. Spectroscopic identifications of such objects are urgently needed.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: The role of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) during galaxy interactions and how they influence the star formation in the system are still under debate. We use a sample of 1156 galaxies in galaxy pairs or mergers (hereafter `pairs') from the MaNGA survey. This pair sample is selected by the velocity offset, projected separation, and morphology, and is further classified into four cases along the merger sequence based on morphological signatures. We then identify a total of 61 (5.5%) AGNs in pairs based on the emission-line diagnostics. No evolution of the AGN fraction is found, either along the merger sequence or compared to isolated galaxies (5.0%). We observe a higher fraction of passive galaxies in galaxy pairs, especially in the pre-merging cases, and associate the higher fraction to their environmental dependence. The isolated AGN and AGN in pairs show similar distributions in their global stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and central [OIII] surface brightness. AGNs in pairs show radial profiles of increasing specific SFR and declining Dn4000 from center to outskirts, and no significant difference from the isolated AGNs. This is clearly different from star-forming galaxies (SFGs) in our pair sample, which show enhanced central star formation, as reported before. AGNs in pairs have lower Balmer decrements at outer regions, possibly indicating less dust attenuation. Our findings suggest that AGNs likely follow an inside-out quenching and the merger impact on the star formation in AGNs is less prominent than in SFGs.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Using the 0.9--4.4~$\mu$m imaging data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Early Release Observation in the SMACS J0723.3-7327 galaxy cluster field, we discuss the properties of three submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) detected by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. These sources are magnified by 1.4--2.1$\times$due to gravitational lensing. This is the first time that SMG host galaxies are resolved in the rest-frame near-infrared (NIR). One source was previous undetected by HST, while the remaining two are disk galaxies with S\'ersic indices of $\sim 0.9$ and star formation rates on or just below the star formation "main sequence". Their submillimeter emission originates from the inner parts of the hosts, suggesting that their dust contents are concentrated towards the center. The host half-light radii measured in the rest-frame NIR are $\sim$1.5$\times$ smaller than those measured in the rest-frame optical, consistent with a concentrated dust distribution. The more severe extinction that optical light suffers towards the center makes it seemingly less concentrated. Therefore, we expect that the optically-based determination of the stellar mass distribution within host galaxies could still be severely biased by dust. Interestingly, these two disk galaxies are dramatically different in their outer regions, with one being star forming and the other being quiescent. Upcoming JWST observations of statistically significant samples of SMGs will allow us to understand the correlation between the dusty star forming regions and their hosts.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We present the first JWST observations of the $z=4.11$ luminous radio galaxy TN J1338$-$1942, obtained as part of the "Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science" (PEARLS) project. Our NIRCam observations, designed to probe the key rest-frame optical continuum and emission line features at this redshift, enable resolved spectral energy distribution modelling that incorporates both a range of stellar population assumptions and radiative shock models. With an estimated stellar mass of $\log_{10}(M/\text{M}_{\odot}) \sim 10.9$, TN J1338$-$1942 is confirmed to be one of the most massive galaxies known at this epoch. Our observations also reveal extremely high equivalent-width nebular emission coincident with the luminous AGN jets that is consistent with radiative shocks surrounded by extensive recent star-formation. We estimate the total star-formation rate (SFR) could be as high as $\sim1800\,\text{M}_{\odot}\,\text{yr}^{-1}$, with the SFR that we attribute to the jet induced burst conservatively $\gtrsim500\,\text{M}_{\odot}\,\text{yr}^{-1}$. The mass-weighted age of the star-formation, $t_{\text{mass}} <4$ Myr, is consistent with the likely age of the jets responsible for the triggered activity and significantly younger than that measured in the core of the host galaxy. The extreme scale of the potential jet-triggered star-formation activity indicates the potential importance of positive AGN feedback in the earliest stages of massive galaxy formation, with our observations also illustrating the extraordinary prospects for detailed studies of high-redshift galaxies with JWST.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Cosmic hydrogen reionization and cosmic production of first metals are major phase transitions of the Universe occurring during the first billion years after the Big Bang, but still poorly explored observationally. Using the JWST NIRSpec prism spectroscopy, we report the discovery of a sub-$L_{\ast}$ galaxy at $z_{\rm spec}=8.1623_{-0.0008}^{+0.0007}$, dubbed RXJ2129-z8HeII, via the detection of a series of strong rest-frame UV/optical nebular emission lines and the clear Lyman break. A strong He II $\lambda$1640 emission is present, the highest redshift He II line currently known. Its high rest-frame equivalent width (EW $=19.4\pm3.2$ Angstrom) and extreme flux ratios with respect to UV metal lines and Balmer lines raise the possibility that part of RXJ2129-z8HeII's stellar populations could be Pop III-like. RXJ2129-z8HeII also shows a pronounced UV continuum with an extremely steep (i.e. blue) spectral slope of $\beta=-2.50\pm0.08$, the steepest amongst all spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at $z\gtrsim7$, in support of its very hard ionizing spectrum that could lead to a significant leakage of its ionizing flux. Therefore, RXJ2129-z8HeII is representative of the key galaxy population driving the cosmic reionization. To date, this is also the most compelling case where trace Pop III stars might coexist with more metal-enriched stars.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We give an overview and describe the rationale, methods, and first results from NIRCam images of the JWST "Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science" ("PEARLS") project. PEARLS uses up to eight NIRCam filters to survey several prime extragalactic survey areas: two fields at the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP); seven gravitationally lensing clusters; two high redshift proto-clusters; and the iconic backlit VV 191 galaxy system to map its dust attenuation. PEARLS also includes NIRISS spectra for one of the NEP fields and NIRSpec spectra of two high-redshift quasars. The main goal of PEARLS is to study the epoch of galaxy assembly, AGN growth, and First Light. Five fields, the JWST NEP Time-Domain Field (TDF), IRAC Dark Field (IDF), and three lensing clusters, will be observed in up to four epochs over a year. The cadence and sensitivity of the imaging data are ideally suited to find faint variable objects such as weak AGN, high-redshift supernovae, and cluster caustic transits. Both NEP fields have sightlines through our Galaxy, providing significant numbers of very faint brown dwarfs whose proper motions can be studied. Observations from the first spoke in the NEP TDF are public. This paper presents our first PEARLS observations, their NIRCam data reduction and analysis, our first object catalogs, the 0.9-4.5 $\mu$m galaxy counts and Integrated Galaxy Light. We assess the JWST sky brightness in 13 NIRCam filters, yielding our first constraints to diffuse light at 0.9-4.5 {\mu}m. PEARLS is designed to be of lasting benefit to the community.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We report the results of James Webb Space Telescope/NIRCam observations of 19 (sub)millimeter (submm/mm) sources detected by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). The accurate ALMA positions allowed unambiguous identifications of their NIRCam counterparts. Taking gravitational lensing into account, these represent 16 distinct galaxies in three fields and constitute the largest sample of its kind to date. The counterparts' spectral energy distributions from rest-frame ultraviolet to near infrared provide photometric redshifts ($110^{10.5}$ Msol), which are similar to sub-millimeter galaxy (SMG) hosts studied previously. However, our sample is fainter in submm/mm than the classic SMG samples are, and our sources exhibit a wider range of properties. They have dust-embedded star-formation rates as low as 10 Msol yr$^{-1}$, and the sources populate both the star-forming main sequence and the quiescent categories. The deep NIRCam data allow us to study the rest-frame near-IR morphologies. Excluding two multiply imaged systems and one quasar, the majority of the remaining sources are disk-like and show either little or no disturbance. This suggests that secular growth is a potential route for the assembly of high-mass disk galaxies. While a few hosts have large disks, the majority have small disks (median half-mass radius of 1.6 kpc). At this time, it is unclear whether this is due to the prevalence of small disks at these redshifts or some unknown selection effects of deep ALMA observations. A larger sample of ALMA sources with NIRCam observations will be able to address this question.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Cosmic hydrogen reionization and cosmic production of first metals are major phase transitions of the Universe occurring during the first billion years after the Big Bang, but still poorly explored observationally. Using the JWST NIRSpec prism spectroscopy, we report the discovery of a sub-$L_{\ast}$ galaxy at $z_{\rm spec}=8.1623_{-0.0008}^{+0.0007}$, dubbed RXJ2129-z8HeII, via the detection of a series of strong rest-frame UV/optical nebular emission lines and the clear Lyman break. A strong He II $\lambda$1640 emission is present, the highest redshift He II line currently known. Its high rest-frame equivalent width (EW $=19.4\pm3.2$ Angstrom) and extreme flux ratios with respect to UV metal lines and Balmer lines raise the possibility that part of RXJ2129-z8HeII's stellar populations could be Pop III-like. RXJ2129-z8HeII also shows a pronounced UV continuum with an extremely steep (i.e. blue) spectral slope of $\beta=-2.50\pm0.08$, the steepest amongst all spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at $z\gtrsim7$, in support of its very hard ionizing spectrum that could lead to a significant leakage of its ionizing flux. Therefore, RXJ2129-z8HeII is representative of the key galaxy population driving the cosmic reionization. To date, this is also the most compelling case where trace Pop III stars might coexist with more metal-enriched stars.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We derive the spatial and wavelength behavior of dust attenuation in the multiple-armed spiral galaxy VV191b using backlighting by the superimposed elliptical system VV191a in a pair with an exceptionally favorable geometry for this measurement. Imaging using JWST and HST spans the wavelength range 0.3-4.5 microns with high angular resolution, tracing the dust in detail from 0.6 to 1.5 microns. Distinct dust lanes continue well beyond the bright spiral arms, and trace a complex web, with a very sharp radial cutoff near 1.7 Petrosian radii. We present attenuation profiles and coverage statistics in each band at radii 14-21 kpc. We derive the attenuation law with wavelength; the data both within and between the dust lanes clearly favor a stronger reddening behavior (R ~ 2.0 between 0.6 and 0.9 microns, approaching unity by 1.5 microns) than found for starbursts and star-forming regions of galaxies. Power-law extinction behavior lambda^(-beta) gives beta=2.1 from 0.6-0.9 microns. R decreases at increasing wavelengths (R~1.1 between 0.9 and 1.5 microns), while beta steepens to 2.5. Mixing regions of different column density flattens the wavelength behavior, so these results suggest a different grain population than in our vicinity. The NIRCam images reveal a lens arc and counterimage from a background galaxy at z~1, spanning 90 degrees azimuthally at 2.8" from the foreground elliptical galaxy nucleus, and an additional weakly-lensed galaxy. The lens model and imaging data give a mass/light ratio 7.6 in solar units within the Einstein radius 2.0 kpc.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: A full understanding of how unusually large "Ultra Diffuse Galaxies" (UDGs) fit into our conventional theory of dwarf galaxy formation remains elusive, despite the large number of objects identified locally. A natural extension of UDG research is the study of similar galaxies at higher redshift to establish how their properties may evolve over time. However, this has been a challenging task given how severely cosmological surface brightness dimming inhibits our ability to detect low-surface brightness galaxies at high-$z$. Here, we present a sample of low stellar surface density galaxies (LDGs) at moderate redshift, likely the progenitors of local UDGs, identified in deep near-IR {\it JWST} observations of the El Gordo cluster at $z=0.87$. By stacking 8 NIRCAM filters, reach an apparent surface brightness sensitivity of 24.59~mag~arcsec$^{-2}$, faint enough to be complete to the bright end of the LDG population. Our analysis identifies significant differences between this population and UDGs observed locally, including differences in their color and size distributions, which suggest that the UDG progenitors at high-$z$ are bluer and more extended than UDGs at $z=0$. This suggests that multiple mechanisms are responsible for UDG formation and that prolonged transformation of cluster dwarfs is not a primary UDG formation mechanism at high-$z$. Furthermore, we find a slight overabundance of LDGs in El Gordo, and, in contrast to findings in local clusters, our analysis does not show a deficit of LDGs in the center of El Gordo, implying that tidal destruction of LDGs is significant between $z=0.87$ and $z=0$.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: We report the results of James Webb Space Telescope/NIRCam observations of 19 (sub)millimeter (submm/mm) sources detected by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). The accurate ALMA positions allowed unambiguous identifications of their NIRCam counterparts. Taking gravitational lensing into account, these represent 16 distinct galaxies in three fields and constitute the largest sample of its kind to date. The counterparts' spectral energy distributions from rest-frame ultraviolet to near infrared provide photometric redshifts ($110^{10.5}$ Msol), which are similar to sub-millimeter galaxy (SMG) hosts studied previously. However, our sample is fainter in submm/mm than the classic SMG samples are, and our sources exhibit a wider range of properties. They have dust-embedded star-formation rates as low as 10 Msol yr$^{-1}$, and the sources populate both the star-forming main sequence and the quiescent categories. The deep NIRCam data allow us to study the rest-frame near-IR morphologies. Excluding two multiply imaged systems and one quasar, the majority of the remaining sources are disk-like and show either little or no disturbance. This suggests that secular growth is a potential route for the assembly of high-mass disk galaxies. While a few hosts have large disks, the majority have small disks (median half-mass radius of 1.6 kpc). At this time, it is unclear whether this is due to the prevalence of small disks at these redshifts or some unknown selection effects of deep ALMA observations. A larger sample of ALMA sources with NIRCam observations will be able to address this question.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: The Spitzer Extended Deep Survey (SEDS) as a deep and wide mid-infrared (MIR) survey project provides a sample of 500000+ sources spreading 1.46 square degree and a depth of 26 AB mag (3$\sigma$). Combining with the previous available data, we build a PSF-matched multi-wavelength photometry catalog from u band to 8$\mu$m. We fit the SEDS galaxies spectral energy distributions by the local galaxy templates. The results show that the SEDS galaxy can be fitted well, indicating the high redshift galaxy ($z \sim 1$) shares the same templates with the local galaxies. This study would facilitate the further study of the galaxy luminosity and high redshift mass function.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: On July 13, 2022, NASA released to the whole world the data obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Early Release Observations (ERO). These are the first set of science-grade data from this long-awaited facility, marking the beginning of a new era in astronomy. In the study of the early universe, JWST will allow us to push far beyond z ~ 11, the redshift boundary previously imposed by the 1.7 um red cut-off of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). In contrast, JWST's NIRCam reaches 5 um. Among the JWST ERO targets there is a nearby galaxy cluster SMACS 0723-73, which is a massive cluster and has been long recognized as a potential "cosmic telescope" in amplifying background galaxies. The ERO six-band NIRCam observations on this target have covered an additional flanking field not boosted by gravitational lensing, which also sees far beyond HST. Here we report the result from our search of candidate objects at z > 11 using these ERO data. In total, there are 87 such objects identified by using the standard "dropout" technique. These objects are all detected in multiple bands and therefore cannot be spurious. For most of them, their multi-band colors are inconsistent with known types of contaminants. If the detected dropout signature is interpreted as the expected Lyman-break, it implies that these objects are at z ~ 11--20. The large number of such candidate objects at such high redshifts is not expected from the previously favored predictions and demands further investigations. JWST spectroscopy on such objects will be critical.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Gradients in the mass-to-light ratio of distant galaxies impede our ability to characterize their size and compactness. The long-wavelength filters of $JWST$'s NIRCam offer a significant step forward. For galaxies at Cosmic Noon ($z\sim2$), this regime corresponds to the rest-frame near-infrared, which is less biased towards young stars and captures emission from the bulk of a galaxy's stellar population. We present an initial analysis of an extraordinary lensed dusty star-forming galaxy (DSFG) at $z=2.3$ behind the $El~Gordo$ cluster ($z=0.87$), named $El~Anzuelo$ ("The Fishhook") after its partial Einstein-ring morphology. The FUV-NIR SED suggests an intrinsic star formation rate of $81^{+7}_{-2}~M_\odot~{\rm yr}^{-1}$ and dust attenuation $A_V\approx 1.6$, in line with other DSFGs on the star-forming main sequence. We develop a parametric lens model to reconstruct the source-plane structure of dust imaged by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, far-UV to optical light from $Hubble$, and near-IR imaging with 8 filters of $JWST$/NIRCam, as part of the Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science (PEARLS) program. The source-plane half-light radius is remarkably consistent from $\sim 1-4.5~\mu$m, despite a clear color gradient where the inferred galaxy center is redder than the outskirts. We interpret this to be the result of both a radially-decreasing gradient in attenuation and substantial spatial offsets between UV- and IR-emitting components. A spatial decomposition of the SED reveals modestly suppressed star formation in the inner kiloparsec, which suggests that we are witnessing the early stages of inside-out quenching.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: In this work, we propose using the mixture density network (MDN) to estimate cosmological parameters. We test the MDN method by constraining parameters of the $\Lambda$CDM and $w$CDM models using Type Ia supernovae and the power spectra of the cosmic microwave background. We find that the MDN method can achieve the same level of accuracy as the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, with a slight difference of $\mathcal{O}(10^{-2}\sigma)$. Furthermore, the MDN method can provide accurate parameter estimates with $\mathcal{O}(10^3)$ forward simulation samples, which are useful for complex and resource-consuming cosmological models. This method can process either one data set or multiple data sets to achieve joint constraints on parameters, extendable for any parameter estimation of complicated models in a wider scientific field. Thus, the MDN provides an alternative way for likelihood-free inference of parameters.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Realtime trigger and localization of bursts are the key functions of GECAM, which is an all-sky gamma-ray monitor launched in Dec 10, 2020. We developed a multifunctional trigger and localization software operating on the CPU of the GECAM electronic box (EBOX). This onboard software has the following features: high trigger efficiency for real celestial bursts with a suppression of false triggers caused by charged particle bursts and background fluctuation, dedicated localization algorithm optimized for short and long bursts respetively, short time latency of the trigger information which is downlinked throught the BeiDou satellite navigation System (BDS). This paper presents the detailed design and deveopment of this trigger and localization software system of GECAM, including the main functions, general design, workflow and algorithms, as well as the verification and demonstration of this software, including the on-ground trigger tests with simulated gamma-ray bursts made by a dedicated X-ray tube and the in-flight performance to real gamma-ray bursts and magnetar bursts.