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At least 109 records · Page 6

Lensing Without Borders: Measurements of galaxy-galaxy lensing and projected galaxy clustering in DESI DR1

We present Galaxy-Galaxy Lensing measurements obtained by cross-correlating spectroscopically observed galaxies from the first data release of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) with source galaxies from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Survey, the Kilo-Degree Survey, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the Dark Energy Survey. Specifically, we measure the excess surface mass density $ΔΣ$ and tangential shear $γ_\mathrm{t}$ for the Bright Galaxy Sample and Luminous Red Galaxies measured within the first year of observations with DESI. To ensure robustness, we test the measurements for systematic biases, finding no significant trends related to the properties of the \acrshort{desi} lens galaxies. We identify a significant trend with the average redshift of source galaxies, however, this trend vanishes once we apply shifts to the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Survey redshift distributions that are also favored by their fiducial cosmology analysis. Additionally, we compare the observed scatter in the measurements with the theoretical covariance and find excess scatter, driven primarily by small-scale measurements of $r\leq 1 \, \mathrm{Mpc}/h$; measurements on larger scales are consistent at the $2\,σ$ level. We further present the projected clustering measurements $w_p$ of the galaxy samples in the the first data release of DESI. These measurements, which will be made publicly available, serve as a foundation for forthcoming cosmological analyses.

Heydenreich, S. [Lick Observ.] (ORCID:000000027273↗

Joint analysis of 6dFGS and SDSS peculiar velocities for the growth rate of cosmic structure and tests of gravity

ABSTRACT Measurement of peculiar velocities by combining redshifts and distance indicators is a powerful way to measure the growth rate of a cosmic structure and test theories of gravity at low redshift. Here we constrain the growth rate of the structure by comparing observed Fundamental Plane peculiar velocities for 15 894 galaxies from the 6dF Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with predicted velocities and densities from the 2M++ redshift survey. We measure the velocity scale parameter $\beta \equiv {\Omega _{\rm m}^\gamma }/b = 0.372^{+0.034}_{-0.050}$ and $0.314^{+0.031}_{-0.047}$ for 6dFGS and SDSS, respectively, where Ωm is the mass density parameter, γ is the growth index, and b is the bias parameter normalized to the characteristic luminosity of galaxies, L*. Combining 6dFGS and SDSS, we obtain β = 0.341 ± 0.024, implying that the amplitude of the product of the growth rate and the mass fluctuation amplitude is fσ8 = 0.338 ± 0.027 at an effective redshift z = 0.035. Adopting Ωm = 0.315 ± 0.007, as favoured by Planck and using γ = 6/11 for General Relativity and γ = 11/16 for DGP gravity, we get $S_8(z=0) = \sigma _8 \sqrt{\Omega _{\rm m}/0.3} =0.637 \pm 0.054$ and 0.741 ± 0.062 for GR and DGP, respectively. This measurement agrees with other low-redshift probes of large-scale structure but deviates by more than 3σ from the latest Planck CMB measurement. Our results favour values of the growth index γ > 6/11 or a Hubble constant H0 > 70 km s−1 Mpc−1 or a fluctuation amplitude σ8 < 0.8 or some combination of these. Imminent redshift surveys such as Taipan, DESI, WALLABY, and SKA1-MID will help to resolve this tension by measuring the growth rate of cosmic structure to 1 per cent in the redshift range 0 < z < 1.

Said, Khaled↗

The completed SDSS-IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: large-scale structure catalogues and measurement of the isotropic BAO between redshift 0.6 and 1.1 for the Emission Line Galaxy Sample

ABSTRACT We present the Emission Line Galaxy (ELG) sample of the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV Data Release 16. We describe the observations and redshift measurement for the 269 243 observed ELG spectra, and then present the large-scale structure catalogues, used for the cosmological analysis, and made of 173 736 reliable spectroscopic redshifts between 0.6 and 1.1. We perform a spherically averaged baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) measurement in configuration space, with density field reconstruction: the data two-point correlation function shows a feature consistent with that of the BAO, the BAO model being only weakly preferred over a model without BAO (Δχ2 < 1). Fitting a model constrained to have a BAO feature provides a 3.2 per cent measurement of the spherically averaged BAO distance DV(zeff)/rdrag = 18.23 ± 0.58 at the effective redshift zeff = 0.845.

Raichoor, Anand↗

H i -rich but low star formation galaxies in MaNGA: physical properties and comparison to control samples

ABSTRACT Gas-rich galaxies are typically star forming. We make use of H i-MaNGA, a programme of H i follow-up for the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys, to construct a sample of unusual neutral hydrogen (H i, 21 cm)-rich galaxies that have low star formation rates (SFRs), using infrared colour from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer as a proxy for specific SFR. Out of a set of 1575 MaNGA galaxies with H i-MaNGA detections, we find that 83 (5 per cent) meet our selection criteria to be H i rich with low SFR. We construct two stellar mass-matched control samples: H i-rich galaxies with typical SFR (high SF control) and H i-poor galaxies with low SFR (low H i control). We investigate the properties of each of these samples, comparing physical parameters such as ionization state maps, stellar and ionized gas velocity and dispersion, environment measures, metallicity, and morphology to search for the reasons why these unusual H i-rich galaxies are not forming stars. We find evidence for recent external accretion of gas in some galaxies (via high counter-rotating fractions), along with some evidence for active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback (from a high central low-ionization emission-line region and/or red geyser fraction), and bar quenching (via an enhanced strong bar fraction). Some galaxies in the sample are consistent with simply having their H i in a high angular momentum, large-radius, low-density disc. We conclude that no single physical process can explain all H i-rich, low-SFR galaxies.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Examining the self-interaction of dark matter through central cluster galaxy offsets

ABSTRACT While collisionless cold dark matter models have been largely successful in explaining a wide range of observational data, some tensions still exist, and it remains possible that dark matter possesses a non-negligible level of self-interactions. In this paper, we investigate a possible observable consequence of self-interacting dark matter: offsets between the central galaxy and the centre of mass of its parent halo. We examine 23 relaxed galaxy clusters in a redshift range of 0.1–0.3 drawn from clusters in the Dark Energy Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which have archival Chandra X-ray data of sufficient depth for centre and relaxation determination. We find that most clusters in our sample show non-zero offsets between the X-ray centre, taken to be the centroid within the cluster core, and the central galaxy position. All of the measured offsets are larger, typically by an order of magnitude, than the uncertainty in the X-ray position due to Poisson noise. In all but six clusters, the measured offsets are also larger than the estimated, combined astrometric uncertainties in the X-ray and optical positions. A more conservative cut on concentration to select relaxed clusters marginally reduces but does not eliminate the observed offset. With our more conservative sample, we find an estimated median X-ray to central galaxy offset of $\mu = 6.0 ^{+ 1.4}_{- 1.5}$ kpc. Comparing to recent simulations, this distribution of offsets is consistent with some level of dark matter self-interaction, though further simulation work is needed to place constraints.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Quarknet Project: Simulating Double-Source Plane Lenses and Einstein Rings for Domain Adaptation

Double-Source Plane Lenses (DSPLs) are a form of strong gravitational lensing that can be used to uniquely constrain cosmological parameters like the dark energy equation of state. These objects are exceedingly rare: to date, only four have been discovered in astronomical surveys, like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the HyperSuprimeCam Survey. Additionally, the main features of these objects are typically co-located sets of arcs, which look like Einstein Rings of single-source galaxy-galaxy lenses. Larger astronomical surveys typically have low image resolution, which significantly exacerbates issues when trying to find DSPLs. Future surveys are likely to include many more of these objects and have higher image resolution. Traditional methods for finding strong lenses struggle to identify simple galaxy-galaxy lenses. Recently, neural networks have become the standard for lens identification, but these tools have not yet been used to search for DSPLs. In this work, we use the software deeplenstronomy to simulate varied images of DSPLs and Einstein Rings – with and without noise and artifacts of observational surveys, forming a comprehensive benchmark dataset of 40,000 images. We utilise this dataset to perform experiments with convolutional neural networks to discern between the two phenomena. Sofia Grimm and Jerry Zhou are co-first authors on this work.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey: Changing-look Quasar Candidates from Multi-epoch Spectroscopy in SDSS-IV

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) can vary significantly in their rest-frame optical/UV continuum emission, and with strong associated changes in broad line emission, on much shorter timescales than predicted by standard models of accretion disks around supermassive black holes. Most such changing-look or changing-state AGN—and at higher luminosities, changing-look quasars (CLQs)—have been found via spectroscopic follow-up of known quasars showing strong photometric variability. The Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV) includes repeat spectroscopy of large numbers of previously known quasars, many selected irrespective of photometric variability, and with spectral epochs separated by months to decades. Our visual examination of these repeat spectra for strong broad line variability yielded 61 newly discovered CLQ candidates. We quantitatively compare spectral epochs to measure changes in continuum and Hβ broad line emission, finding 19 CLQs, of which 15 are newly recognized. The parent sample includes only broad line quasars, so our study tends to find objects that have dimmed, i.e., turn-off CLQs. However, we nevertheless find four turn-on CLQs that meet our criteria, albeit with broad lines in both dim and bright states. We study the response of Hβ and Mg ii emission lines to continuum changes. The Eddington ratios of CLQs are low, and/or their Hβ broad line width is large relative to the overall quasar population. Repeat quasar spectroscopy in the upcoming SDSS-V black hole Mapper program will reveal significant numbers of CLQs, enhancing our understanding of the frequency and duty cycle of such strong variability, and the physics and dynamics of the phenomenon.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Completed SDSS-IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Large-scale structure catalogues for cosmological analysis

ABSTRACT We present large-scale structure catalogues from the completed extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS). Derived from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) IV Data Release 16 (DR16), these catalogues provide the data samples, corrected for observational systematics, and random positions sampling the survey selection function. Combined, they allow large-scale clustering measurements suitable for testing cosmological models. We describe the methods used to create these catalogues for the eBOSS DR16 Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) and Quasar samples. The quasar catalogue contains 343 708 redshifts with 0.8 < z < 2.2 over 4808 deg2. We combine 174 816 eBOSS LRG redshifts over 4242 deg2 in the redshift interval 0.6 < z < 1.0 with SDSS-III BOSS LRGs in the same redshift range to produce a combined sample of 377 458 galaxy redshifts distributed over 9493 deg2. Improved algorithms for estimating redshifts allow that 98 per cent of LRG observations result in a successful redshift, with less than one per cent catastrophic failures (Δz > 1000 km s−1). For quasars, these rates are 95 and 2 per cent (with Δz > 3000 km s−1). We apply corrections for trends between the number densities of our samples and the properties of the imaging and spectroscopic data. For example, the quasar catalogue obtains a χ2/DoF = 776/10 for a null test against imaging depth before corrections and a χ2/DoF= 6/8 after. The catalogues, combined with careful consideration of the details of their construction found here-in, allow companion papers to present cosmological results with negligible impact from observational systematic uncertainties.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Very Large Array imaging rules out precessing radio jets in three DES–SDSS-selected candidate periodic quasars

ABSTRACT Periodic quasars have been suggested as candidates for hosting binary supermassive black holes (SMBHs), although alternative scenarios remain possible to explain the optical light-curve periodicity. To test the alternative hypothesis of precessing radio jet, we present deep 6 GHz radio imaging conducted with NSF’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in its C configuration for the three candidate periodic quasars, DES J024703.24−010032.0, DES J024944.66−000036.8, and DES J025214.67−002813.7. Our targets were selected based on their optical variability using 20 yr long multicolour light curves from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The new VLA observations show that all three periodic quasars are radio-quiet with the radio loudness parameters measured to be $R\equiv f_{6\, {\rm cm}}/f_{{\rm 2500}}$ of ≲1.0–1.5 and the k-corrected luminosities νLν[6 GHz] of ≲5–21 × 1039 erg s−1. They are in stark contrast to previously known periodic quasars proposed as binary SMBH candidates such as the blazar OJ 287 and PG1302−102. Our results rule out optical emission contributed from precessing radio jets as the origin of the optical periodicity in the three DES–SDSS-selected candidate periodic quasars. Future continued optical monitoring and complementary multiwavelength observations are still needed to further test the binary SMBH hypothesis as well as other competing scenarios to explain the optical periodicity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Abundance matching analysis of the emission-line galaxy sample in the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey

We present the measurements of the small-scale clustering for the emission-line galaxy (ELG) sample from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV). We use conditional abundance matching method to interpret the clustering measurements from 0.34 to 70 h -1 Mpc. In order to account for the correlation between properties of ELGs and their environment, we add a secondary connection between star formation rate of ELGs and halo accretion rate. Three parameters are introduced to model the ELG [O II ] luminosity and to mimic the target selection of eBOSS ELGs. The parameters in our models are optimized using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. We find that by conditionally matching star formation rate of galaxies and the halo accretion rate, we are able to reproduce the eBOSS ELG small-scale clustering within 1σ error level. Our best-fitting model shows that the eBOSS ELG sample only consists of ~ 12 per cent of all star-forming galaxies, and the satellite fraction of eBOSS ELG sample is 19.3 per cent. We show that the effect of assembly bias is ~ 20 per cent on the two-point correlation function and ~ 5 per cent on the void probability function at scale of r ~ 20 h -1 Mpc.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Identification of Galaxy Shreds in Large Photometric Catalogs Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Contamination from galaxy fragments, identified as sources, is a major issue in large photometric galaxy catalogs. In this paper, we prove that this problem can be easily addressed with computer vision techniques. We use image cutouts to train a convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify cataloged sources that are in reality just star-formation regions and/or shreds of larger galaxies. The CNN reaches an accuracy ~98% on our testing data sets. We apply this CNN to galaxy catalogs from three among the largest surveys available today: the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, and the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System Survey. We find that, even when strict selection criteria are used, all catalogs still show a ~5% level of contamination from galaxy shreds. Our CNN gives a simple yet effective solution to clean galaxy catalogs from these contaminants.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Census of Star Formation in the Outer Galaxy. II. The GLIMPSE360 Field

We have conducted a study of star formation in the outer Galaxy from 65°< l < 265° in the region observed by the GLIMPSE360 program. This Spitzer warm mission program mapped the plane of the outer Milky Way with IRAC at 3.6 and 4.5 μm. We combine the IRAC, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), and Two Micron All Sky Survey catalogs and our previous results from another outer Galaxy survey and identify a total of 47,338 young stellar objects (YSOs) across the field spanning >180° in Galactic longitude. Using the DBSCAN method on the combined catalog, we identify 618 clusters or aggregations of YSOs having five or more members. We identify 10,476 class I, 29,604 class II, and 7325 anemic class II/class III YSOs. The ratio of YSOs identified as members of clusters was 25,528/47,338, or 54%. We found that 100 of the clusters identified have previously measured distances in the WISE H ii survey. We used these distances in our spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting of the YSOs in these clusters, of which 96 had YSOs with <3σ fits. We used the derived masses from the SED model fits to estimate the initial mass function (IMF) in the inner and outer Galaxy clusters; dividing the clusters by galactocentric distances, the slopes were Γ = 1.87 ± 0.31 above 3 M {sub ⊙} for R {sub Gal} < 11.5 kpc and Γ = 1.15 ± 0.24 above 3 M {sub ⊙} for R {sub Gal} > 11.5 kpc. The slope of the combined IMF was found to be Γ = 1.92 ± 0.42 above 3 M {sub ⊙}. These values are consistent with each other within the uncertainties and with literature values in the inner Galaxy high-mass star formation regions. The slopes are likely also consistent with a universal Salpeter IMF.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Template-based Approach to the Photometric Classification of SN 1991bg-like Supernovae in the SDSS-II Supernova Survey

The use of SNe Ia to measure cosmological parameters has grown significantly over the past two decades. However, there exists a significant diversity in the SN Ia population that is not well understood. Overluminous SN 1991T-like and subluminous SN 1991bg-like objects are two characteristic examples of peculiar SNe. The identification and classification of such objects is an important step in studying what makes them unique from the remaining SN population. With the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory promising on the order of a million new SNe over a 10 year survey, spectroscopic classifications will be possible for only a small subset of observed targets. As such, photometric classification has become an increasingly important concern in preparing for the next generation of astronomical surveys. Using observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS-II) SN Survey, we apply here an empirically based classification technique targeted at the identification of SN 1991bg-like SNe in photometric data sets. By performing dedicated fits to photometric data in the rest-frame redder and bluer bandpasses, we classify 16 previously unidentified 91bg-like SNe. Using SDSS-II host galaxy measurements, we find that these SNe are preferentially found in host galaxies with an older average stellar age than the hosts of normal SNe Ia. We also find that these SNe are found at a further physical distance from the center of their host galaxies. We find no statistically significant bias in host galaxy mass or specific star formation rate for these targets.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

The CatWISE Preliminary Catalog: Motions from WISE and NEOWISE Data

CatWISE is a program to catalog sources selected from combined WISE and NEOWISE all-sky survey data at 3.4 and 4.6 μm (W1 and W2). The CatWISE Preliminary Catalog consists of 900,849,014 sources measured in data collected from 2010 to 2016. This data set represents four times as many exposures and spans over 10 times as large a time baseline as that used for the AllWISE Catalog. CatWISE adapts AllWISE software to measure the sources in coadded images created from six-month subsets of these data, each representing one coverage of the inertial sky, or epoch. The catalog includes the measured motion of sources in eight epochs over the 6.5 yr span of the data. From comparison to Spitzer, signal-to-noise ratio = 5 limits in magnitudes in the Vega system are W1 = 17.67 and W2 = 16.47, compared to W1 = 16.96 and W2 = 16.02 for AllWISE. From comparison to Gaia, CatWISE positions have typical accuracies of 50 mas for stars at W1 = 10 mag and 275 mas for stars at W1 = 15.5 mag. Proper motions have typical accuracies of 10 mas yr -1 and 30 mas yr -1 for stars with these brightnesses, an order of magnitude better than from AllWISE. The catalog is available in the WISE/NEOWISE Enhanced and Contributed Products area of the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

SEGUE-2: Old Milky Way Stars Near and Far

The Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration 2 (SEGUE-2) obtained 128,288 low-resolution spectra (R ~ 1800) of 118,958 unique stars in the first year of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (2008–2009). SEGUE-2 targeted prioritized distant halo tracers (blue horizontal-branch stars, K giants, and M giants) and metal-poor or kinematically hot populations. The main goal of SEGUE-2 was to target stars in the distant halo and measure their kinematics and chemical abundances to learn about the formation and evolution of the Milky Way. We present the SEGUE-2 field placement and target selection strategies. We discuss the success rate of the targeting based on the SEGUE-2 spectra and other spectroscopic and astrometric surveys. We describe the final SEGUE-2/SDSS-III improvements to the stellar parameter determinations based on the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline. We report a (g - i) color-effective temperature relation calibrated to the IRFM. We evaluate the accuracy and uncertainties associated with these stellar parameters by comparing with fundamental parameters, a sample of high-resolution spectra of SEGUE stars analyzed homogeneously, stars in well-studied clusters, and stars observed in common by the APOGEE survey. The final SEGUE spectra, calibration data, and derived parameters described here were released in SDSS-III Data Release 9 and continue to be included in all subsequent SDSS Data Releases. Because of its faint limiting magnitude and emphasis on the distant halo, the public SEGUE-2 data remain an important resource for the spectroscopy of stars in the Milky Way.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Geometry versus growth: Internal consistency of the flat ΛCDM model with KiDS-1000

Here, we carry out a multi-probe self-consistency test of the flat Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) model with the aim of exploring potential causes of the reported tensions between high- and low-redshift cosmological observations. We divide the model into two theory regimes determined by the smooth background (geometry) and the evolution of matter density fluctuations (growth), each governed by an independent set of ΛCDM cosmological parameters. This extended model is constrained by a combination of weak gravitational lensing measurements from the Kilo-Degree Survey, galaxy clustering signatures extracted from Sloan Digital Sky Survey campaigns and the Six-Degree Field Galaxy Survey, and the angular baryon acoustic scale and the primordial scalar fluctuation power spectrum measured in Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. For both the weak lensing data set individually and the combined probes, we find strong consistency between the geometry and growth parameters, as well as with the posterior of standard ΛCDM analysis. In the non-split analysis, for which one single set of parameters was used, tension in the amplitude of matter density fluctuations as measured by the parameter S 8 persists at around 3σ, with a 1.5% constraint of S 8 = 0.776$_{–0.008}^{+0.016}$ for the combined probes. We also observe a less significant preference (at least 2σ) for higher values of the Hubble constant, H 0 = 70.5$_{–1.5}^{+0.7}$ km s –1 Mpc –1 , as well as for lower values of the total matter density parameter Ω m = 0.289$_{–0.005}^{+0.007}$ compared to the full Planck analysis. Including the subset of the CMB information in the probe combination enhances these differences rather than alleviate them, which we link to the discrepancy between low and high multipoles in Planck data. Our geometry versus growth analysis does not yet yield clear signs regarding whether the origin of the discrepancies lies in ΛCDM structure growth or expansion history but holds promise as an insightful test for forthcoming, more powerful data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The ALFALFA-SDSS Galaxy Catalog

We present a H i optical catalog of ~30,000 galaxies based on the 100% complete Arecibo Legacy Fast Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFALFA) survey combined with data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our goal is to facilitate the public use of the completed ALFALFA catalog by providing carefully determined matches to SDSS counterparts, including matches for ~10,000 galaxies that do not have SDSS spectra. These identifications can provide a basis for further crossmatching with other surveys using SDSS photometric IDs as a reference point. We derive absolute magnitudes and stellar masses for each galaxy using optical colors combined with an internal reddening correction designed for small- and intermediate-mass galaxies with active star formation. We also provide measures of stellar masses and star formation rates based on infrared and/or ultraviolet photometry for galaxies that are detected by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and/or the Galaxy Evolution Explorer. Finally, we compare the galaxy population in the ALFALFA-SDSS sample with the populations in several other publicly available galaxy catalogs and confirm that ALFALFA galaxies typically have lower masses and bluer colors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Photometric Objects Around Cosmic Webs (PAC) Delineated in a Spectroscopic Survey. III. Accurate Measurement of Galaxy Stellar Mass Function with the Aid of Cosmological Redshift Surveys

We present a novel method to accurately measure the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) based upon the Photometric objects Around Cosmic webs (PAC) method developed in our first paper (Paper I) of the series. The method allows us to measure the GSMF to a lower-mass end that is not accessible to the spectroscopic sample used in the PAC. Compared with Paper I, the current measurement of GSMF is direct and model independent. We measure the GSMFs in the redshift ranges of z$^{3}_{s}$ < 0.2, 0.2 < z s < 0.4, and 0.5 < z s < 0.7 down to stellar masses of M* = 10 8.2 , 10 10.6 , and 10 10.6 M ⊙ , using the data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Surveys and the spectroscopic samples of Slogan Digital Sky Survey (i.e., Main, LOWZ, and CMASS samples). Our results show that there is no evolution of GSMF from z s = 0.6 to z s = 0.1 for M* > 10 10.6 M ⊙ , and that there is a clear upturn at M* ≈ 10 9.5 M ⊙ toward smaller galaxies in the local GMSF at z s = 0.1. We provide an accurate double Schechter fit to the local GSMF for the entire range of M* and a table of our measurements at the three redshifts, which can be used to test theories of galaxy formation. Our method can achieve an accurate measurement of GSMF to the stellar mass limit where the spectroscopic sample is already highly incomplete (e.g., ~ 10 -3 ) for its target selection.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗