No Arabic abstract
We investigate the effects of dense environments on galaxy evolution by examining how the properties of galaxies in the z = 1.6 protocluster Cl 0218.3-0510 depend on their location. We determine galaxy properties using spectral energy distribution fitting to 14-band photometry, including data at three wavelengths that tightly bracket the Balmer and 4000A breaks of the protocluster galaxies. We find that two-thirds of the protocluster galaxies, which lie between several compact groups, are indistinguishable from field galaxies. The other third, which reside within the groups, differ significantly from the intergroup galaxies in both colour and specific star formation rate. We find that the fraction of red galaxies within the massive protocluster groups is twice that of the intergroup region. These excess red galaxies are due to enhanced fractions of both passive galaxies (1.7 times that of the intergroup region) and dusty star-forming galaxies (3 times that of the intergroup region). We infer that some protocluster galaxies are processed in the groups before the cluster collapses. These processes act to suppress star formation and change the mode of star formation from unobscured to obscured.
We investigate the prevalence of AGN in the high-redshift protocluster $rm{Cl},0218.3$-$0510$ at $z=1.62$. Using imaging from the Chandra X-ray Telescope, we find a large overdensity of AGN in the protocluster; a factor of $23pm9$ times the field density of AGN. Only half of this AGN overdensity is due to the overdensity of massive galaxies in the protocluster (a factor of $11pm2$), as we find that $17^{+6}_{-5}%$ of massive galaxies ($M_* > 10^{10},rm{M}_{odot}$) in the protocluster host an X-ray luminous AGN, compared to $8pm1%$ in the field. This corresponds to an enhancement of AGN activity in massive protocluster galaxies by a factor of $2.1pm0.7$ at $1.6sigma$ significance. We also find that the AGN overdensity is centrally concentrated, located within 3 arcmin and most pronounced within 1 arcmin of the centre of the protocluster. Our results confirm that there is a reversal in the local anti-correlation between galaxy density and AGN activity, so there is an enhancement of AGN in high-redshift protoclusters. We compare the properties of AGN in the protocluster to the field and find no significant differences in the distributions of their stellar mass, X-ray luminosity, or hardness ratio. We therefore suggest that triggering mechanisms are similar in both environments, and that the mechanisms simply occur more frequently in denser environments.
We investigate the stellar population properties of a sample of 24 massive quenched galaxies at $1.25<z_mathrm{spec}<2.09$ identified in the COSMOS field with our Subaru/MOIRCS near-IR spectroscopic observations. Tracing the stellar population properties as close to their major formation epoch as possible, we try to put constraints on the star formation history, post-quenching evolution, and possible progenitor star-forming populations for such massive quenched galaxies. By using a set of Lick absorption line indices on a rest-frame optical composite spectrum, the average age, metallicity [Z/H], and $alpha$-to-iron element abundance ratio [$alpha$/Fe] are derived as $log(mathrm{age}/mathrm{Gyr})=0.04_{-0.08}^{+0.10}$, $mathrm{[Z/H]}=0.24_{-0.14}^{+0.20}$, and $[alpha/mathrm{Fe}]=0.31_{-0.12}^{+0.12}$, respectively. If our sample of quenched galaxies at $langle z rangle = 1.6$ is evolved passively to $z=0$, their stellar population properties will align in excellent agreement with local counterparts at similar stellar velocity dispersions, which qualifies them as progenitors of local massive early-type galaxies. Redshift evolution of stellar population ages in quenched galaxies combined with low redshift measurements from the literature suggests a formation redshift of $z_mathrm{f} sim 2.3$ around which the bulk of stars in these galaxies have been formed. The measured [$alpha$/Fe] value indicates a star formation timescale of $lesssim 1$ Gyr, which can be translated into a specific star formation rate of $simeq 1,mathrm{Gyr}^{-1}$ prior to quenching. Based on these findings, we discuss identifying possible progenitor star-forming galaxies at $z simeq 2.3$. We identify normal star-forming galaxies, i.e, those on the star-forming main sequence, followed by a rapid quenching event, as likely precursors of the quenched galaxies at $langle z rangle = 1.6$ presented here.
The protocluster core SPT2349$-$56 at $z,{=},4.3$ is one of the most actively star-forming regions known, yet constraints on the total stellar mass of this system are highly uncertain. We have therefore carried out deep optical and infrared observations of this system, probing rest-frame ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths. Using the positions of the spectroscopically-confirmed protocluster members, we identify counterparts and perform detailed source deblending, allowing us to fit spectral energy distributions in order to estimate stellar masses. We show that the galaxies in SPT2349$-$56 have stellar masses proportional to their high star-formation rates, consistent with other protocluster galaxies and field submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) around redshift 4. The galaxies in SPT2349$-$56 have on average lower molecular gas-to-stellar mass fractions and depletion timescales than field SMGs, although with considerable scatter. We construct the stellar-mass function for SPT2349$-$56 and compare it to the stellar-mass function of $z,{=},1$ galaxy clusters, finding both to be best described by a Schechter function. We measure rest-frame ultraviolet half-light radii from our {it HST/}-F160W imaging, finding that on average the galaxies in our sample are similar in size to typical star-forming galaxies around the same redshift. However, the brightest {it HST/}-detected galaxy in our sample, found near the luminosity-weighted centre of the protocluster core, remains unresolved at this wavelength. Hydrodynamical simulations predict that the core galaxies will quickly merge into a brightest cluster galaxy, thus our observations provide a direct view of the early formation mechanisms of this class of object.
The Planck satellite has identified more than 2000 protocluster candidates with extreme star formation rates (SFRs). Here, we present the spectroscopic identification of a Planck-selected protocluster located in the Cosmos field, PHz G237.01+42.50 (G237). G237 contains a galaxy overdensity of 31 spectroscopically identified galaxies at z~2.16 (significant at 5.4 sigma) in a 10x11 region. The overdensity contains two substructures or protoclusters at <z>~2.16 and 2.195 with estimated halo masses at z=0 of ~(5-6)x10^14 Msun. The overdensity total SFR, ~4000 Msun/yr, is higher than predicted by simulations but much smaller than the SFR derived from the Planck data. The analysis of the Herschel data, in combination with the available ancillary data, shows that such a difference is due to an effect of source alignment along the line of sight that produces a 5 sigma overdensity of red Herschel sources in the field. We analyze the members UV spectra and UV-far-infrared spectral energy distributions to derive their SFR, stellar mass, and metallicity. Galaxy members include blue star-forming galaxies and AGN with SFRs and stellar masses consistent with the main sequence. AGN, identified through optical spectroscopy or X-ray data, represent a significant fraction (20+/-10%) of all members of the protocluster at z=2.16, and they are powerful enough to produce radiative feedback. The core of this protocluster, besides being denser, includes members that are, on average, more massive and star-forming and contains a larger fraction of AGN and Herschel-detected galaxies than the full sample, suggesting an environmental effect on galaxy growth. A comparison between G237 and other protoclusters in the literature at similar redshifts reveals some common traits and differences that reflect both observational biases and a diversity in intrinsic properties that is not yet fully understood.
We performed a systematic spectroscopic observation of a protocluster at $z=6.01$ in the Subaru Deep Field. We took spectroscopy for all 53 $i$-dropout galaxies down to $z=27.09,mathrm{mag}$ in/around the protocluster region. From these observations, we confirmed that 28 galaxies are at $zsim6$, of which ten are clustered in a narrow redshift range of $Delta z<0.06$. To trace the evolution of this primordial structure, we applied the same $i$-dropout selection and the same overdensity measurements used in the observations to a semi-analytic model built upon the Millennium Simulation. We obtain a relation between the significance of overdensities observed at $zsim6$ and the predicted dark matter halo mass at $z=0$. This protocluster with $6sigma$ overdensity is expected to grow into a galaxy cluster with a mass of $sim5times10^{14},mathrm{M_odot}$ at $z=0$. Ten galaxies within $10,mathrm{comoving>Mpc}$ of the overdense region can, with more than an 80% probability, merge into a single dark matter halo by $z=0$. No significant differences appeared in UV and Ly$alpha$ luminosities between the protocluster and field galaxies, suggesting that this protocluster is still in the early phase of cluster formation before the onset of any obvious environmental effects. However, further observations are required to study other properties, such as stellar mass, dust, and age. We do find that galaxies tend to be in close pairs in this protocluster. These pair-like subgroups will coalesce into a single halo and grow into a more massive structure. We may witness an onset of cluster formation at $zsim6$ toward a cluster as seen in local universe.