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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.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Hard X-Ray to Radio Multiwavelength SED Analysis of Local U/LIRGs in the GOALS Sample with a Self-consistent AGN Model including a Polar-dust Component

We conduct hard X-ray to radio multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) decomposition for 57 local luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies observed with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and/or Swift/Burst Alert Telescope in the GOALS sample. We modify the latest SED-fitting code X-CIGALE by implementing the infrared (IR) CLUMPY model, allowing us to conduct the multiwavelength study with the X-ray torus model XCLUMPY self-consistently. Adopting the torus parameters obtained by the X-ray fitting, we estimate the properties of the host galaxies, active galactic nucleus (AGN) tori, and polar dust. The star formation rates (SFRs) become larger with merger stage and most of them are above the main sequence. The SFRs are correlated with radio luminosity, indicating starburst emission is dominant in the radio band. Although polar-dust extinction is much smaller than torus extinction, the UV-to-IR (mainly IR) polar dust luminosities are ~2 times larger than the torus ones. The polar-dust temperature decreases while the physical size, estimated by the temperature and dust sublimation radius, increases with AGN luminosity from a few tens of parsec (early mergers) to kiloparsec scales (late mergers), where the polar dust likely comes from expanding (i.e., evolving) dusty outflows. A comparison between the SFRs and intrinsic AGN luminosities suggests that starbursts occur first and AGNs arise later, and overall their growth rates follow the simultaneous coevolution local galaxy–SMBH mass relation. We confirm the coexistence of intense starbursts, AGNs, and large-scale outflows in late mergers, supporting a standard AGN feedback scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Radial structure and formation of the Milky Way disc

The formation of the Galactic disc is an enthusiastically debated issue. Numerous studies and models seek to identify the dominant physical process(es) that shaped its observed properties; for example, satellite accretion, starburst, quenching, gas infall, and stellar radial migration. Taking advantage of the improved coverage of the inner Milky Way provided by the SDSS DR16 APOGEE catalogue and of the ages published in the APOGEE-AstroNN Value Added Catalogue (VAC), we examined the radial evolution of the chemical and age properties of the Galactic stellar disc with the aim of better constraining its formation. Using a sample of 199 307 giant stars with precise APOGEE abundances and APOGEE-AstroNN ages, selected in a ±2 kpc layer around the galactic plane, we assessed the dependency as a function of guiding radius of (i) the median metallicity, (ii) the ridge lines of the [Fe/H] – [Mg/Fe] and age–[Mg/Fe] distributions, and (iii) the age distribution function (ADF). The giant star sample allows us to probe the radial behaviour of the Galactic disc from R g = 0 to 14–16 kpc. The thick disc [Fe/H] – [Mg/Fe] ridge lines follow closely grouped parallel paths, supporting the idea that the thick disc did form from a well-mixed medium. However, the ridge lines present a small drift in [Mg/Fe], which decreases with increasing guiding radius. At sub-solar metallicity, the intermediate and outer thin disc [Fe/H] – [Mg/Fe] ridge lines follow parallel sequences shifted to lower metallicity as the guiding radius increases. We interpret this pattern as the signature of a dilution of the interstellar medium from R g ~ 6 kpc to the outskirts of the disc, which occurred before the onset of the thin disc formation. The APOGEE-AstroNN VAC provides stellar ages for statistically significant samples of thin disc stars from the Galactic centre up to R g ~ 14 kpc. An important result provided by this dataset is that the thin disc presents evidence of an inside-out formation up to R g ~ 10 – 12 kpc. Moreover, about ~7 Gyr ago, the [Mg/Fe] ratio in the outer thin disc (R g > 10 kpc) was higher by about ~0.03–0.05 dex than in the more internal regions of the thin disc. This could be the fossil record of a pollution of the outer disc gas reservoir by the thick disc during its starburst phase.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Milky Way’s bulge star formation history as constrained from its bimodal chemical abundance distribution

ABSTRACT We conduct a quantitative analysis of the star formation history (SFH) of the Milky Way’s (MW) bulge by exploiting the constraining power of its stellar [Fe/H] and [Mg/Fe] distribution functions. Using Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment survey data, we confirm the previously established bimodal [Mg/Fe]–[Fe/H] distribution within 3 kpc of the inner Galaxy. To fit the chemical bimodal distribution, we use a simple but flexible star formation framework, which assumes two distinct stages of gas accretion and star formation, and systematically evaluate a wide multidimensional parameter space. We find that the data favour a three-phase SFH that consists of an initial starburst, followed by a rapid star formation quenching episode, and a lengthy, quiescent secular evolution phase. The metal-poor, high-α bulge stars ([Fe/H] < 0.0 and [Mg/Fe] > 0.15) are formed rapidly (<2 Gyr) during the early starburst. The density gap between the high- and low-α sequences is due to the quenching process. The metal-rich, low-α population ([Fe/H] > 0.0 and [Mg/Fe] < 0.15) then accumulates gradually through inefficient star formation during the secular phase. This is qualitatively consistent with the early SFH of the inner disc. Given this scenario, a notable fraction of young stars (age <5 Gyr) is expected to persist in the bulge. Combined with extragalactic observations, these results suggest that a rapid star formation quenching process is responsible for bimodal distributions in both the MW’s stellar populations and in the general galaxy population and thus plays a critical role in galaxy evolution.

Lian, Jianhui↗
DOE OSTI2023

Probing the rapid formation of black holes and their Galaxy hosts in QSOs

Using the modelling code x-cigale, we reproduced the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 1359 SDSS quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) within the redshift range 0 < z < 4, for which we have NIR/MIR fluxes with the highest quality and spectral data characterizing their supermassive black hole (SMBHs). Consistent with a rapid formation of the host galaxies, the star formation histories (SFHs) have small e-folding, at most 750 Myr using an SFH function for spiral or 1000 Myr using one for elliptical. Above z ∼ 1.6, the two solutions are degenerate, the SEDs being dominated by the active galactic nucleus (AGN) continuum and high star formation rates (SFRs), typical of starburst galaxies, while at lower redshifts the starburst nature of the host, independent from its morphology, is better reproduced by a spiral SFH. In general, the SFR increases with the redshift, the mass of the bulge, the AGN luminosity, and Eddington ratio, suggesting there is no evidence of AGN quenching of star formation. Comparing the specific BH accretion rate (BHAR) with specific SFR, all the QSOs at any redshift trace a linear sequence below the Eddington luminosity, in parallel and above the one-to-one relation, implying that QSOs are in a special phase of evolution during which the growth in mass of their SMBH is more rapid than the growth in mass of their galaxy hosts. This particular phase is consistent with a scenario where the galaxy hosts of QSOs in the past grew in mass more rapidly than their SMBHs, suggesting that a high star formation efficiency during their formation was responsible in limiting their masses.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

CGOLS V: Disk-wide Stellar Feedback and Observational Implications of the Cholla Galactic Wind Model

Abstract We present the fifth simulation in the Cholla Galactic OutfLow Simulation (CGOLS) project—a set of isolated starburst galaxy simulations modeled over large scales (10 kpc) at uniformly high resolution (Δx≈ 5 pc). Supernova feedback in this simulation is implemented as a disk-wide distribution of clusters, and we assess the impact of this geometry on several features of the resulting outflow, including the radial profiles of various phases; mass, momentum, and energy outflow rates; covering fraction of cool gas; mock absorption-line spectra; and X-ray surface brightness. In general, we find that the outflow generated by this model is cooler, slower, and contains more mass in the cool phase than a more centrally concentrated outflow driven by a similar number of supernovae. In addition, the energy loading factors in the hot phase are an order of magnitude lower, indicating much larger losses due to radiative cooling in the outflow. However, coupling between the hot and cool phases is more efficient than in the nuclear burst case, with almost 50% of the total outflowing energy flux carried by the cool phase at a radial distance of 5 kpc. These physical differences have corresponding signatures in observable quantities: the covering fraction of cool gas is much larger, and there is greater evidence of absorption in low and intermediate ionization energy lines. Taken together, our simulations indicate that centrally concentrated starbursts are more effective at driving hot, low-density outflows that will expand far into the halo, while galaxy-wide bursts may be more effective at removing cool gas from the disk.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2022

The eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS)

The eROSITA Final Equatorial Depth Survey (eFEDS), completed in survey mode during the calibration and performance verification phase of the eROSITA instrument on Spectrum Roentgen Gamma, delivers data at and beyond the final depth of the 4-yr eROSITA all-sky survey (eRASS:8), f 0.5–2 keV = 1.1 × 10 –14 erg s –1 cm –2 , over 140 deg 2 . It provides the first view of normal galaxy X-ray emission from X-ray binaries (XRBs) and the hot interstellar medium at the full depth of eRASS:8. We used the Heraklion Extragalactic Catalogue (HECATE) of galaxies to correlate with eFEDS X-ray sources and identify X-ray detected normal galaxies. This flux-limited X-ray survey is relatively free from selection effects and enables the study of integrated normal galaxy X-ray emission and its relation to galaxy parameters such as the stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and metallicity. We cross-correlated 32 646 eFEDS X-ray sources to 1181 HECATE normal galaxies and obtained 94 matches. We classified galaxies as star-forming, early-type, composite, and active galactic nuclei (AGN) using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Six-degree Field (6dF) optical spectroscopy. The eFEDS field harbours 37 normal galaxies: 36 late-type (star-forming) galaxies and one early-type galaxy. There are 1.9 times as many normal galaxies as predicted by scaling relations via simulations, with an overabundance of late-type galaxies and a dearth of early-type galaxies. When compared with empirical relations, eFEDS dwarf galaxies with a high specific SFR have elevated L X /SFR at a fixed specific SFR and metallicity, indicating an increase in XRB emission due to low metallicity. We expect that eRASS:8 will detect 12 500 normal galaxies, the majority of which will be star-forming, with the caveat that there are unclassified sources in eFEDS and galaxy catalogue incompleteness issues that could increase the actual number of detected galaxies over these current estimates. eFEDS observations detected a rare population of galaxies – the metal-poor dwarf starbursts – that do not follow known scaling relations. eRASS is expected to discover significant numbers of these high-redshift analogues, which are important for studying the heating of the intergalactic medium at high redshift. Further investigation of the hot gas emission from normal galaxies and stochastic effects in the dwarf galaxy population are required to constrain their X-ray output.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Revisiting stellar properties of star-forming galaxies with stellar and nebular spectral modelling

Spectral synthesis is a powerful tool for interpreting the physical properties of galaxies by decomposing their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) into the main luminosity contributors (e.g. stellar populations of distinct age and metallicity or ionised gas). However, the impact nebular emission has on the inferred properties of star-forming (SF) galaxies has been largely overlooked over the years, with unknown ramifications to the current understanding of galaxy evolution. The objective of this work is to estimate the relations between stellar properties (e.g. total mass, mean age, and mean metallicity) of SF galaxies by simultaneously fitting the stellar and nebular continua and comparing them to the results derived through the more common purely stellar spectral synthesis approach. The main galaxy sample from SDSS DR7 was analysed with two distinct population synthesis codes: FADO, which estimates self-consistently both the stellar and nebular contributions to the SED, and the original version of STARLIGHT, as representative of purely stellar population synthesis codes. Differences between codes regarding average mass, mean age and mean metallicity values can go as high as ~0.06 dex for the overall population of galaxies and ~0.12 dex for SF galaxies (galaxies with EW(Hα) > 3 Å), with the most prominent difference between both codes in the two populations being in the light-weighted mean stellar age. FADO presents a broader range of mean stellar ages and metallicities for SF galaxies than STARLIGHT, with the latter code preferring metallicity solutions around the solar value (Z ⊙ = 0.02). A closer look into the average light- and mass-weighted star formation histories of intensively SF galaxies (EW(Hα) > 75 Å) reveals that the light contributions of simple stellar populations (SSPs) younger than ≤10 7 (10 9 ) years in STARLIGHT are higher by ~5.41% (9.11%) compared to FADO. Moreover, FADO presents higher light contributions from SSPs with metallicity ≤ Z ⊙ /200 (Z ⊙ /50) of around 8.05% (13.51%) when compared with STARLIGHT. This suggests that STARLIGHT is underestimating the average light-weighted age of intensively SF galaxies by up to ~0.17 dex and overestimating the light-weighted metallicity by up to ~0.13 dex compared to FADO (or vice versa). The comparison between the average stellar properties of passive, SF and intensively SF galaxy samples also reveals that differences between codes increase with increasing EW(Hα) and decreasing total stellar mass. Moreover, comparing SF results from FADO in a purely stellar mode with the previous results qualitatively suggests that differences between codes are primarily due to mathematical and statistical differences and secondarily due to the impact of the nebular continuum modelling approach (or lack thereof). However, it is challenging to adequately quantify the relative role of each factor since they are likely interconnected. This work finds indirect evidence that a purely stellar population synthesis approach negatively impacts the inferred stellar properties (e.g. mean age and mean metallicity) of galaxies with relatively high star formation rates (e.g. dwarf spirals, ‘green peas’, and starburst galaxies). In turn, this can bias interpretations of fundamental relations such as the mass-age or mass-metallicity, which are factors worth bearing in mind in light of future high-resolution spectroscopic surveys at higher redshifts (e.g. MOONS and 4MOST-4HS).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Lyman continuum leaker candidates among highly ionised, low-redshift dwarf galaxies selected from He II

Contemporary research suggests that the reionisation of the intergalactic medium (IGM) in the early Universe was predominantly realised by star-forming (proto-)galaxies (SFGs). Due to observational constraints, our knowledge on the origins of sufficient amounts of ionising Lyman continuum (LyC) photons and the mechanisms facilitating their transport into the IGM remains sparse. Recent efforts have thus focussed on the study of local analogues to these high-redshift objects. We aim to acquire a set of very low-redshift SFGs that exhibit signs of a hard radiation field being present. A subsequent analysis of their emission line properties is intended to shed light on how the conditions prevalent in these objects compare to those predicted to be present in early SFGs that are thought to be LyC emitters (LCEs). We used archival spectroscopic SDSS DR12 data to select a sample of low-redshift He II 4686 emitters and restricted it to a set of SFGs with an emission line diagnostic sensitive to the presence of an active galactic nucleus, which serves as our only selection criterion. We performed a population spectral synthesis with FADO to reconstruct these galaxies’ star-formation histories (SFHs). Utilising the spectroscopic information at hand, we constrained the predominant ionisation mechanisms in these galaxies and inferred information on interstellar medium (ISM) conditions relevant for the escape of LyC radiation. Our final sample consists of eighteen ionised, metal-poor galaxies (IMPs). These low-mass (6.2 ≤ log(M * /M ⊙ ) ≤ 8.8), low-metallicity (7.54 ≤log(O/H) + 12 ≤ 8.13) dwarf galaxies appear to be predominantly ionised by stellar sources. We find large [OIII] 5007/[OII] 3727 ratios and [SII] 6717,6731/Hα deficiencies, which provide strong indications for these galaxies to be LCEs. At least 40% of these objects are candidates for featuring cosmologically significant LyC escape fractions ≳10%. The IMPs’ SFHs exhibit strong similarities and almost all galaxies appear to contain an old (> 1 Gyr) stellar component, while also harbouring a young, two-stage (~10 Myr and < 1 Myr) starburst, which we speculate might be related to LyC escape. The properties of the compact emission line galaxies presented here align well with those observed in many local LCEs. In fact, our sample may prove as an extension to the rather small catalogue of local LCEs, as the extreme ISM conditions we find are assumed to facilitate LyC leakage. Notably, all of our eighteen candidates are significantly closer (z < 0.1) than most established LCEs. If the inferred LyC photon loss is genuine, this demonstrates that selecting SFGs from He II 4686 is a powerful selection criterion in the search for LCEs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Large binocular telescope observations of new six compact star-forming galaxies with [Ne v ] λ3426 Å emission

ABSTRACT We report the discovery of [Ne v] λ3426 emission, in addition to He ii λ4686 emission, in six compact star-forming galaxies. These observations considerably increase the sample of eight such galaxies discovered earlier by our group. For four of the new galaxies, the optical observations are supplemented by near-infrared spectra. All galaxies, but one, have H ii regions that are dense, with electron number densities of ∼ 300–700 cm−3. They are all characterized by high H β equivalent widths EW(H β) ∼ 190–520 Å and high O32 = [O iii] λ5007/[O ii] λ3727 ratios of 10–30, indicating young starburst ages and the presence of high ionization radiation. All are low-metallicity objects with 12 + logO/H = 7.46–7.88. The spectra of all galaxies show a low-intensity broad component of the H α line and five of six objects show Wolf–Rayet features. Comparison with photoionization models shows that pure stellar ionization radiation from massive stars is not hard enough to produce such strong [Ne v] and He ii emission in our galaxies. The [Ne v] λ3426/He ii λ4686 flux ratio of ∼1.2 in J1222+3602 is consistent with some contribution of active galactic nucleus ionizing radiation. However, in the remaining five galaxies, this ratio is considerably lower, $\lesssim$ 0.4. The most plausible models are likely to be non-uniform in density, where He ii and [Ne v] lines are emitted in low-density channels made by outflows and illuminated by harder ionizing radiation from radiative shocks propagating through these channels, whereas [O iii] emission originates in denser regions exposed to softer stellar ionizing sources.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

GMRT H I mapping of mid-infrared bright blue compact dwarf galaxies W1016+3754 and W2326+0608

We present the results from deep 21 cm H i mapping of two nearby Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies (BCDGs), W1016+3754 and W2326+0608, using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). These BCDGs are bright in mid-infrared data and undergoing active star formation. With the GMRT observations, we investigate the role of cold neutral gas as the fuel resource of the current intensive star formation activity. Star formation in these galaxies is likely to be due to the infall of H I gas triggered by gravitational perturbation from nearby galaxies. The BCDG W2326+0608 and nearby galaxy SDSS J232603.86+060835.8 share a common H I envelope. We find star formation takes place in the high H I column density gas (≳10 21 cm −2 ) regions for both BCDGs. The recent starburst and infall of metal-free gas have kept the metallicity low for the BCDG W1016+3754. The metallicity for W2326+0608 is higher, possibly due to tidal interaction with the nearby galaxy SDSS J232603.86+060835.8.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Contribution of Secondary Neutrinos from Line-of-sight Cosmic-Ray Interactions to the IceCube Diffuse Astrophysical Flux

In 10 years of observations, the IceCube neutrino observatory has revealed a neutrino sky in tension with previous expectations for neutrino point-source emissions. Astrophysical objects associated with hadronic processes might act as production sites for neutrinos, observed as point sources at Earth. Instead, a nearly isotropic flux of astrophysical neutrinos is observed up to PeV energies, prompting a reassessment of the assumed transport and production physics. This work applies a new physical explanation for neutrino production from populations of active galactic nuclei and starburst galaxies to three years of public IceCube point-source data. Specifically, cosmic rays produced at such sources might interact with extragalactic background light and gas along the line of sight, generating a secondary neutrino flux. Furthermore, this model is tested alongside a number of typical flux weighting schemes, in all cases the all-sky flux contribution being constrained to percent levels of the reported IceCube diffuse astrophysical flux.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

H α Dots: Direct-method Metal Abundances of Low-luminosity Star-forming Systems

Utilizing low-luminosity star-forming systems discovered in the Hα Dots survey, we present spectroscopic observations undertaken using the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4 m telescope for 26 sources. With determinations of robust, “direct”-method metal abundances, we examine the properties of these dwarf systems, exploring their utility in characterizing starburst galaxies at low luminosities and stellar masses. We find that the Hα Dots survey provides an effective new avenue for identifying star-forming galaxies in these regimes. In addition, we examine abundance characteristics and metallicity scaling relations with these sources, highlighting a flattening of both the luminosity–metallicity (L–Z) and stellar mass–metallicity (M * –Z) relation slopes in these regimes as compared with those utilizing samples covering wider respective dynamic ranges. These local, accessible analogs to the kinds of star-forming dwarfs common at high redshift will help shed light on the building blocks that assembled into the massive galaxies common today.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Recovering the Star Formation Histories of Recently Quenched Galaxies: The Impact of Model and Prior Choices

Accurate models of the star formation histories (SFHs) of recently quenched galaxies can provide constraints on when and how galaxies shut down their star formation. The recent development of nonparametric SFH models promises the flexibility required to make these measurements. However, model and prior choices significantly affect derived SFHs, particularly for post-starburst galaxies (PSBs), which have sharp changes in their recent SFH. In this paper, we create mock PSBs, then use the Prospector SED fitting software to test how well four different SFH models recover key properties. We find that a two-component parametric model performs well for our simple mock galaxies, but is sensitive to model mismatches. The fixed- and flexible-bin nonparametric models included in Prospector are able to rapidly quench a major burst of star formation, but systematically underestimate the post-burst age by up to 200 Myr. We develop a custom SFH model that allows for additional flexibility in the recent SFH. Our flexible nonparametric model is able to constrain post-burst ages with no significant offset and just ~90 Myr of scatter. Our results suggest that while standard nonparametric models are able to recover first-order quantities of the SFH (mass, SFR, average age), accurately recovering higher-order quantities (burst fraction, quenching time) requires careful consideration of model flexibility. These mock recovery tests are a critical part of future SFH studies. Finally, we show that our new, public SFH model is able to accurately recover the properties of mock star-forming and quiescent galaxies and is suitable for broader use in the SED fitting community. https://github.com/bd-j/prospector

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Catastrophic Cooling in Superwinds. III. Nonequilibrium Photoionization

Observations of some starburst-driven galactic superwinds suggest that strong radiative cooling could play a key role in the nature of feedback and the formation of stars and molecular gas in star-forming galaxies. These catastrophically cooling superwinds are not adequately described by adiabatic fluid models, but they can be reproduced by incorporating nonequilibrium radiative cooling functions into the fluid model. In this work, we have employed the atomic and cooling module maihem implemented in the framework of the flash hydrodynamics code to simulate the formation of radiatively cooling superwinds as well as their corresponding nonequilibrium ionization (NEI) states for various outflow parameters, gas metallicities, and ambient densities. We employ the photoionization program cloudy to predict radiation- and density-bounded photoionization for these radiatively cooling superwinds, and we predict UV and optical line emission. Our nonequilibrium photoionization models built with the NEI states demonstrate the enhancement of C iv, especially in metal-rich, catastrophically cooling outflows, and O vi in metal-poor ones.

Cooling flows↗
DOE OSTI2024

DESI Massive Poststarburst Galaxies at z ~ 1.2 Have Compact Structures and Dense Cores

Poststarburst galaxies (PSBs) are young quiescent galaxies that have recently experienced a rapid decrease in star formation, allowing us to probe the fast-quenching period of galaxy evolution. In this work, we obtained Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3 F110W imaging to measure the sizes of 171 massive (log(M $\ast$ /M ⊙ ) ~ 11) spectroscopically identified PSBs at 1 < z 1.3 selected from the DESI Survey Validation luminous red galaxy sample. This statistical sample constitutes an order of magnitude increase from the ~20 PSBs with space-based imaging and deep spectroscopy. We perform structural fitting of the target galaxies with pysersic and compare them to quiescent and star-forming galaxies in the 3D-HST survey. We find that these PSBs are more compact than the general population of quiescent galaxies, lying systematically ~0.1 dex below the established size–mass relation. However, their central surface mass densities are similar to those of their quiescent counterparts (log(Σ 1kpc /(M ⊙ kpc -2 ))~10.1). These findings are easily reconciled by later ex situ growth via minor mergers or a slight progenitor bias. These PSBs are round in projection (b/a median ~ 0.8), suggesting that they are primarily spheroids, not disks, in 3D. We find no correlation between the time since quenching and light-weighted PSB sizes or central densities. This disfavors apparent structural growth due to the fading of centralized starbursts in this galaxy population. Instead, we posit that the fast quenching of massive galaxies at this epoch occurs preferentially in galaxies with preexisting compact structures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

DESI Survey Validation Spectra Reveal an Increasing Fraction of Recently Quenched Galaxies at z ∼ 1

Abstract We utilize ∼17,000 bright luminous red galaxies (LRGs) from the novel Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Survey Validation spectroscopic sample, leveraging its deep (∼2.5 hr galaxy −1 exposure time) spectra to characterize the contribution of recently quenched galaxies to the massive galaxy population at 0.4 < z < 1.3. We use Prospector to infer nonparametric star formation histories and identify a significant population of recently quenched galaxies that have joined the quiescent population within the past ∼1 Gyr. The highest-redshift subset (277 at z > 1) of our sample of recently quenched galaxies represents the largest spectroscopic sample of post-starburst galaxies at that epoch. At 0.4 < z < 0.8, we measure the number density of quiescent LRGs, finding that recently quenched galaxies constitute a growing fraction of the massive galaxy population with increasing look-back time. Finally, we quantify the importance of this population among massive ( log ( M ⋆ / M ⊙ ) > 11.2) LRGs by measuring the fraction of stellar mass each galaxy formed in the gigayear before observation, f 1 Gyr . Although galaxies with f 1 Gyr > 0.1 are rare at z ∼ 0.4 (≲0.5% of the population), by z ∼ 0.8, they constitute ∼3% of massive galaxies. Relaxing this threshold, we find that galaxies with f 1 Gyr > 5% constitute ∼10% of the massive galaxy population at z ∼ 0.8. We also identify a small but significant sample of galaxies at z = 1.1–1.3 that formed with f 1 Gyr > 50%, implying that they may be analogs to high-redshift quiescent galaxies that formed on similar timescales. Future analysis of this unprecedented sample promises to illuminate the physical mechanisms that drive the quenching of massive galaxies after cosmic noon.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

SIT 45: An interacting, compact, and star-forming isolated galaxy triplet

The underlying scenario of the formation and evolution of galaxy triplets is still uncertain. Mergers of galaxies in isolated triplets give us the opportunity to study the already complex merging process, with minimal contamination of other environmental effects that potentially allow and accelerate galaxy transitions from active star-forming to passive galaxies. The merging system SIT 45 (UGC 12589) is one of 315 systems in the SDSS-based catalogue of Isolated Triplets (SIT); it is an unusual isolated galaxy triplet, consisting of three merging late-type galaxies. The main aims of this work are to study the dynamical evolution and star formation history (SFH) of SIT 45, as well as its dependence on its local and large-scale environment. Methods. To study its dynamics, parameters such as the velocity dispersion (σ v ), the harmonic radius (R H ), the crossing time (H 0 t c ), and the virial mass (M vir ), along with the compactness of the triplet (S) were considered. To investigate the possible dependence of these dynamical parameters on the environment, the tidal force Q parameters (both local and large-scale) and the projected local density (η k ) were used. To constrain the SFH, we used CIGALE to fit its observed spectral energy distribution using multiwavelength data from the ultraviolet to the infrared. SIT 45 is one of the most compact triplets in the SIT, and it is also more compact than triplets in other samples. According to its SFH, SIT 45 presents star formation, where the galaxies also present recent (~200 Myr) star formation increase, indicating that this activity may have been triggered by the interaction. Its dynamical configuration suggests that the system is highly evolved in comparison to the SIT. However, this is not expected for systems composed of star-forming late-type galaxies, based on observations in compact groups. We conclude that SIT 45 is a system of three interacting galaxies that are evolving within the same dark matter halo; its compact configuration is a consequence of the ongoing interaction rather than being due to a long-term evolution (as suggested from its H 0 t c value). We consider two scenarios for the present configuration of the triplet, one where one of the members is a tidal galaxy, and another where this galaxy arrives to the system after the interaction. Both scenarios need further exploration. The isolated triplet SIT 45 is therefore an ideal system to study short timescale mechanisms (~10 8 yr), such as starbursts triggered by interactions which are more frequent at higher redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The first high-redshift cavity power measurements of cool-core galaxy clusters with the International LOFAR Telescope

Radio-mode feedback associated with the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at the cores of galaxy clusters injects a large amount of energy into the intracluster medium (ICM), offsetting radiative losses through X-ray emission. This mechanism prevents the ICM from rapidly cooling down and fueling extreme starburst activity as it accretes onto the central galaxies, and it is therefore a key ingredient in the evolution of galaxy clusters. However, the influence and mode of feedback at high redshifts (z ∼ 1) remains largely unknown. Low-frequency sub-arcsecond-resolution radio observations taken with the International LOFAR Telescope have demonstrated their ability to assist X-ray observations with constraining the energy output from the AGNs (or “cavity power”) in galaxy clusters, thereby enabling research at higher redshifts than before. In this pilot project, we tested this hybrid method on a high-redshift (0.6 < z < 1.3) sample of 13 galaxy clusters for the first time with the aim of verifying the performance of this method at these redshifts and providing the first estimates of the cavity power associated with the central AGN for a sample of distant clusters. We were able to detect clear radio lobes in three out of 13 galaxy clusters at redshifts of 0.7 < z < 0.9, and we used these detections in combination with ICM pressures surrounding the radio lobes obtained from standard profiles to calculate the corresponding cavity powers of the AGNs. Combining our results with the literature, the current data appear to suggest that the average cavity power peaked at a redshift ofz ∼ 0.4 and slowly decreases toward higher redshifts. However, we require more and tighter constraints on the cavity volume and a better understanding of our observational systematics to confirm any deviation of the cavity power trend from a constant level.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗