Low-ionization galaxies and evolution in a pilot survey up to z=1

We present galactic spectroscopic data from a pencil beam of 10.75×7.5 centered on the X-ray cluster RXJ0054.0–2823 at z=0.29.We study the spectral evolution of galaxies from z=1 down to the cluster redshift in a magnitude-limited sample at R≤23,for which the statistical properties of the sample are well understood.We divide emission-line galaxies into star-forming galaxies,Low Ionization Nuclear Emission line Regions（LINERs） ,and Seyferts by using emission-line ratios of[OII],Hβ,and[OIII],and derive stellar fractions from population synthesis models. We focus our analysis on absorption and low-ionization galaxies.For absorption-line galaxies,we recover the well-known result that these galaxies have had no detectable evolution since z～0.6-0.7,but we also find that in the range z=0.65-1,at least 50% of the stars in bright absorption systems are younger than 2.5 Gyr.Faint absorption-line galaxies in the cluster at z=0.29 also had significant star formation during the previous 2-3 Gyr,but their brighter counterparts seem to be only composed of old stars.At z～0.8,our dynamically young cluster had a truncated red-sequence.This result seems to be consistent with a scenario where the final assembly of E/S0 took place at z1.In the volume-limited range 0.35≤z≤0.65,we find that 23% of the early-type galaxies have LINER-like spectra with Hβin absorption and have a significant component of A stars.The vast majority of LINERs in our sample have significant populations of young and intermediate-aged stars and are thus not related to AGNs,but to the population of‘retired galaxies’recently identified by Cid Fernandes et al.in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey（SDSS） .Early-type LINERs with various fractions of A stars and E＋A galaxies appear to play an important role in the formation of the red sequence.

Four new observational H(z) data from luminous red galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release seven

By adopting the differential age method, we select 17 832 luminous red galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Seven covering redshift 0 〈 z 〈 0.4 to measure the Hubble parameter. Using the full spectrum fitting package UZySS, these spectra are reduced with single stellar population models and optimal age information from our selected sample is derived. With the decreasing age-redshift relation, four new observational H（z） data （OHD） points are obtained, which are H（z） = 69.0 ± 19.6 km s^-1 Mpc^-1 at z = 0.07, H（z） = 68.6± 26.2 km s^-1 Mpc^-1 at z = 0.12, H（z）=72.9 ± 29.6 km s^-1 Mpc^-1 at z = 0.2 and H（z）=88.8 ± 36.6 km s^-1 Mpc^-1 at z = 0.28, respectively. Combined with 21 other available OHD data points, the performance of the constraint on both flat and non-flat ACDM models is presented.

Galaxy formation in the reionization epoch as hinted by WideField Camera 3 observations of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

We present a large sample of candidate galaxies at z ≈ 7 - 10, selected in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field using the new observations of the Wide Field Camera 3 that was recently installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. Our sample is composed of 20 z850-dropouts （four new discoveries）, 15 Y105-dropouts （nine new discoveries） and 20 J125-dropouts （all new discoveries）. The surface densities of the Z850-dropouts are close to what was predicted by earlier studies, however, those of the Y105- and J125-dropouts are quite unexpected. While no Y105- or J125-dropouts have been found at AB ≤ 28.0 mag, their surface densities seem to increase sharply at fainter levels. While some of these candidates seem to be close to foreground galaxies and thus could possibly be gravitationally lensed, the overall surface densities after excluding such cases are still much higher than what would be expected if the luminosity function does not evolve from z ～ 7 to 10. Motivated by such steep increases, we tentatively propose a set of Schechter function parameters to describe the luminosity functions at z ≈8 and 10. As compared to their counterpart at z ≈ 7, here L^＊ decreases by a factor of ～ 6.5 and Ф^＊ increases by a factor of 17-90. Although such parameters are not yet demanded by the existing observations, they are allowed and seem to agree with the data better than other alternatives. If these luminosity functions are still valid beyond our current detection limit, this would imply a sudden emergence of a large number of low-luminosity galaxies when looking back in time to z ≈ 10, which, while seemingly exotic, would naturally fit in the picture of the cosmic hydrogen reionization. These early galaxies could easily account for the ionizing photon budget required by the reionization, and they would imply that the global star formation rate density might start from a very high value at z ≈ 10, rapidly reach the minimum at z≈ 7, and start to rise again towards z ≈ 6. In this scenario, the majority of the stellar mass that the universe assembled through the reionization epoch seems still undetected by current observations at z ≈ 6.

Star-Forming Galaxies at z～2 in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

Using a simple color selection based on B-, z- and K-band photometry, BzK =（z - K）AB - （B - Z）AB 〉 -0.2, we picked out 52 star-forming galaxies at 1.4 ≤z ≤ 2.5 （sBzKs） from a K-band selected sample （Kvega 〈 22.0） in an area of - 5.5 arcmin^2 of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field （UDF）. We develop a new photometric redshift method, and the error in our photometric redshifts is less than 0.02（1 ＋ z）. From the photometric redshift distribution, we find the BzK color criterion can be used to select star-forming galaxies at 1.4≤ z ≤ 2.5 with Kvega 〈 22.0. Down to Kvega 〈 22.0, the number counts of sBzKs increase linearly with the K magnitude; the sBzKs are strongly clustered, and most of them have irregular morphologies on the ACS images. They have a median reddening of E（B - V） - 0.28, an average star formation rate of - 36 M⊙ yr^-1 and a typical stellar mass of - 10^10 M⊙. The UV criterion for the galaxies at z - 2 can select most of the faint sBzKs in the UDF, but it does not work well for bright, massive, highly-reddened, actively star-forming galaxies.

Spectral energy distribution similarity of the local galaxies and the 3.6μm selected galaxies from the Spitzer Extended Deep Survey

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(3σ).Combining with the previous available data,we build a PSF-matched multi-wavelength photometry catalog from u band to 8μm.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~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.

The star formation history of redshift z^2 galaxies:the role of the infrared prior

We build a sample of 298 spectroscopically-confirmed galaxies at redshift z - 2, selected in the z850-band from the GOODS-MUSIC catalog. By utilizing the rest frame 8 p.m luminosity as a proxy of the star formation rate （SFR）, we check the accuracy of the standard SED-fitting technique, finding it is not accurate enough to provide reliable estimates of the physical parameters of galaxies. We then develop a new SED-fitting method that includes the IR luminosity as a prior and a generalized Calzetti law with a variable Rv. Then we exploit the new method to re-analyze our galaxy sample, and to robustly determine SFRs, stellar masses and ages. We find that there is a general trend of increasing attenuation with the SFR. Moreover, we find that the SFRs range between a few to 103 M~ yr-1, the masses from 109 to 4 ~ 1011 Mo, and the ages from a few tens of Myr to more than 1 Gyr. We discuss how individual age measurements of highly attenuated objects indicate that dust must have formed within a few tens of Myr and already been copious at 〈 100 Myr. In addition, we find that low luminosity galaxies harbor, on average, significantly older stellar populations and are also less massive than brighter ones; we discuss how these findings and the well known ＇downsizing＇ scenario are consistent in a framework where less massive galaxies form first, but their star formation lasts longer. Finally, we find that the near-IR attenuation is not scarce for luminous objects, contrary to what is customarily assumed; we discuss how this affects the interpretation of the observed M,/L ratios.

Observations of the first light and the epoch of reionization

Studying the first generation of stars, galaxies and supermassive black holes as well as the epoch of reionization is one of the fundamental questions of modern as- trophysics. The last few years have witnessed the first confirmation of the discoveries of galaxies, quasars and Gamma-Ray Bursts at z 〉 7, with possible detections at z - 10. There is also mounting evidence that cosmic reionization is a prolonged pro- cess that peaks around z - 10 and ends at z- 6 - 7. Observations of the highest redshift intergalactic medium and the most metal-poor stars in the Galaxy begin to constrain the earliest chemical enrichment processes in the Universe. These observa- tions provide a glimpse of cosmic history over the first billion years after the Big Bang. In this review, we will present recent results on the observations of the high-redshift Universe over the past decade, highlight key challenges and uncertainties in these observations, and preview what is possible with the next generation facilities in studying the first light and mapping the history of reionization.

Super-large-scale structures in the distribution of infrared galaxies

Typical scales in the distribution of IRAS galaxies with the unnormalized pair count method. Samples are those provided by QDOT redshift survey and sorted out from the IRAS faint sources catalog. Analysis is concentrated on the structures at super-large scales. The results show that statistically significant typical scales do exist in the distribution of all these samples from both 2-dimensiortal and 3-dimensional analyses. These scales are consistent with those found from the analyses of galaxies and clusters of galaxies by Mo et al. and also consistent with those found from analysis of quasars by Deng et al. The analysis provides additional evidence for the existence of typical scales in the large-scale structure of the universe. The existence of typical scales challenges all the existing models on the formation of galaxies and structures.

基于红移畸变测量宇宙结构增长率的进展

星系红移巡天的一个主要目标是依据光谱红移测距,详细刻画宇宙中星系的三维空间分布。由于星系本动速度的存在,红移空间的星系分布存在着严重畸变,在大小尺度上有着不同模式的各向同性偏离。通过对红移畸变的观测研究,人们可从中获取速度场的信息,因此,红移畸变已成为暗能量探测的重要探针之一,为检验宇宙学尺度上的引力模型提供帮助。当前星系红移巡天项目已经取得了非凡成功,为人们提供了详细的星系空间分布数据。人们据此测量了星系的相关函数和功率谱,提取了精确的红移畸变信号,并通过模型拟合限制出了一批不同红移处宇宙结构增长率的估值,为探索宇宙尺度的引力模式提供了数据支持。主要介绍红移畸变模型、星系红移巡天观测和宇宙结构增长率测量等研究进展。

Classification of extremely red objects in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

We present a quantitative study of the classification of Extremely Red Objects （EROs）. The analysis is based on the multi-band spatial- and ground-based observations （HST/ACS-BViz, HST/NICMOS-JH, VLT-JHK） in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field （UDF）. Over a total sky area of 5.50 arcmin2 in the UDF, we select 24 EROs with the color criterion （i - K）vega 〉 3.9, corresponding to （I - K）vega 〉 ～4.0, down to Kvega = 22. We develop four methods to classify EROs into Old passively evolving Galaxies （OGs） and Dusty star-forming Galaxies （DGs）, including （i - K） vs. （J - K） color diagram, spectral energy distribution fitting method, Spitzer MIPS 24 um image matching, and nonparametric measure of galaxy morphology, and found that the classification results from these methods agree well. Using these four classification methods, we classify our EROs sample into 60Gs and 8 DGs to KVega 〈 20.5, and 80Gs and 16 DGs to KVega 〈 22, respectively. The fraction of DGs increases from 8/14 at KVega 〈 20.5 to 16/24 at KVega 〈 22. TO study the morphology of galaxies with its wavelength, we measure the central concentration and the Gini coefficient for the 24 EROs in our sample in HST/ACS-i, z and HST/NICMOS-J, H bands. We find that the morphological parameters of galaxies in our sample depend on the wavelength of observation, which suggests that caution is necessary when comparing single wavelength band images of galaxies at a variety of redshifts.