We have observed a sample of typical z=1 star forming galaxies, selected from the HiZELS survey, with the new KMOS near-infrared, multi-IFU instrument on the VLT, in order to obtain their dynamics and metallicity gradients. The majority of our galaxi
es have a metallicity gradient consistent with being flat or negative (i.e. higher metallicity cores than outskirts). Intriguingly, we find a trend between metallicity gradient and specific star formation rate (sSFR), such that galaxies with a high sSFR tend to have relatively metal-poor centres, a result which is strengthened when combined with datasets from the literature. This result appears to explain the discrepancies reported between different high redshift studies and varying claims for evolution. From a galaxy evolution perspective, the trend we see would mean that a galaxys sSFR is governed by the amount of metal poor gas that can be funnelled into its core, triggered either by merging or through efficient accretion. In fact merging may play a significant role as it is the starburst galaxies at all epochs, which have the more positive metallicity gradients. Our results may help to explain the origin of the fundamental metallicity relation, in which galaxies at a fixed mass are observed to have lower metallicities at higher star formation rates, especially if the metallicity is measured in an aperture encompassing only the central regions of the galaxy. Finally, we note that this study demonstrates the power of KMOS as an efficient instrument for large scale resolved galaxy surveys.
We obtained Subaru FMOS observations of Halpha emitting galaxies selected from the HiZELS narrow-band survey, to investigate the relationship between stellar mass, metallicity and star-formation rate at z = 0.84 - 1.47, for comparison with the Fundam
ental Metallicity Relation seen at low redshift. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time with a homogeneously selected sample, that a relationship exists for typical star-forming galaxies at z = 1 - 1.5 and that it is surprisingly similar to that seen locally. Therefore, star-forming galaxies at z = 1 - 1.5 are no less metal abundant than galaxies of similar mass and star formation rate (SFR) at z = 0.1, contrary to claims from some earlier studies. We conclude that the bulk of the metal enrichment for this star-forming galaxy population takes place in the 4 Gyr before z = 1.5. We fit a new mass-metallicity-SFR plane to our data which is consistent with other high redshift studies. However, there is some evidence that the mass-metallicity component of this high redshift plane is flattened, at all SFR, compared with z = 0.1, suggesting that processes such as star-formation driven winds, thought to remove enriched gas from low mass halos, are yet to have as large an impact at this early epoch. The negative slope of the SFR-metallicity relation from this new plane is consistent with the picture that the elevation in the SFR of typical galaxies at z > 1 is fuelled by the inflow of metal-poor gas and not major merging.
We use the HiZELS narrow-band H-alpha survey in combination with CANDELS, UKIDSS and WIRDS near-infrared imaging, to investigate the morphologies, merger rates and sizes of a sample of H-alpha emitting galaxies in the redshift range z=0.40 - 2.23, an
epoch encompassing the rise to the peak of the star formation rate density. Merger rates are estimated from space- and ground-based imaging using the M20 coefficient. To account for the increase in the specific star-formation rate (sSFR) of the star forming `main-sequence with redshift, we normalise the star-formation rate of galaxies at each epoch to the typical value derived from the H-alpha luminosity function. Once this trend in sSFR is removed we see no evidence for an increase in the number density of star-forming galaxies or the merger rate with redshift. We thus conclude that neither is the main driver of the enhanced star-formation rate density at z=1-2, with secular processes such as instabilities within efficiently fuelled, gas-rich discs or multiple minor mergers the most likely alternatives. However, we find that 40-50% of starburst galaxies, those with enhanced specific star formation at their epoch, are major mergers and this fraction is redshift independent. Finally, we find the surprising result that the typical size of a star-forming galaxy of a given mass does not evolve across the redshift range considered, suggesting a universal size-mass relation. Taken in combination, these results indicate a star-forming galaxy population that is statistically similar in physical size, merger rate and mass over the 6 Gyr covered in this study, despite the increase in typical sSFR.
Using a sample of 123 X-ray clusters and groups drawn from the XMM-Cluster Survey first data release, we investigate the interplay between the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), its black hole, and the intra-cluster/group medium (ICM). It appears that f
or groups and clusters with a BCG likely to host significant AGN feedback, gas cooling dominates in those with Tx > 2 keV while AGN feedback dominates below. This may be understood through the sub-unity exponent found in the scaling relation we derive between the BCG mass and cluster mass over the halo mass range 10^13 < M500 < 10^15Msol and the lack of correlation between radio luminosity and cluster mass, such that BCG AGN in groups can have relatively more energetic influence on the ICM. The Lx - Tx relation for systems with the most massive BCGs, or those with BCGs co-located with the peak of the ICM emission, is steeper than that for those with the least massive and most offset, which instead follows self-similarity. This is evidence that a combination of central gas cooling and powerful, well fuelled AGN causes the departure of the ICM from pure gravitational heating, with the steepened relation crossing self-similarity at Tx = 2 keV. Importantly, regardless of their black hole mass, BCGs are more likely to host radio-loud AGN if they are in a massive cluster (Tx > 2 keV) and again co-located with an effective fuel supply of dense, cooling gas. This demonstrates that the most massive black holes appear to know more about their host cluster than they do about their host galaxy. The results lead us to propose a physically motivated, empirical definition of cluster and group, delineated at 2 keV.
Recent reports suggest that elliptical galaxies have increased their size dramatically over the last ~8 Gyr. This result points to a major re-think of the processes dominating the latetime evolution of galaxies. In this paper we present the first est
imates for the scale sizes of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in the redshift range 0.8 < z < 1.3 from an analysis of deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging, comparing to a well matched local sample taken from the Local Cluster Substructure Survey at z ~ 0.2. For a small sample of 5 high redshift BCGs we measure half-light radii ranging from 14 - 53 kpc using de Vaucuoleurs profile fits, with an average determined from stacking of 32.1 pm 2.5 kpc compared to a value 43.2 pm 1.0 kpc for the low redshift comparison sample. This implies that the scale sizes of BCGs at z = 1 are ~ 30% smaller than at z = 0.25. Analyses comparing either Sersic or Petrosian radii also indicate little or no evolution between the two samples. The detection of only modest evolution at most out to z = 1 argues against BCGs having undergone the large increase in size reported for massive galaxies since z = 2 and in fact the scale-size evolution of BCGs appears closer to that reported for radio galaxies over a similar epoch. We conclude that this lack of size evolution, particularly when coupled with recent results on the lack of BCG stellar mass evolution, demonstrates that major merging is not an important process in the late time evolution of these systems. The homogeneity and maturity of BCGs at z = 1 continues to challenge galaxy evolution models.
We present deep J and Ks band photometry of 20 high redshift galaxy clusters between z=0.8-1.5, 19 of which are observed with the MOIRCS instrument on the Subaru Telescope. By using near-infrared light as a proxy for stellar mass we find the surprisi
ng result that the average stellar mass of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) has remained constant at ~9e11MSol since z~1.5. We investigate the effect on this result of differing star formation histories generated by three well known and independent stellar population codes and find it to be robust for reasonable, physically motivated choices of age and metallicity. By performing Monte Carlo simulations we find that the result is unaffected by any correlation between BCG mass and cluster mass in either the observed or model clusters. The large stellar masses imply that the assemblage of these galaxies took place at the same time as the initial burst of star formation. This result leads us to conclude that dry merging has had little effect on the average stellar mass of BCGs over the last 9-10 Gyr in stark contrast to the predictions of semi-analytic models, based on the hierarchical merging of dark matter haloes, which predict a more protracted mass build up over a Hubble time. We discuss however that there is potential for reconciliation between observation and theory if there is a significant growth of material in the intracluster light over the same period.
The current consensus is that galaxies begin as small density fluctuations in the early Universe and grow by in situ star formation and hierarchical merging. Stars begin to form relatively quickly in sub-galactic sized building blocks called haloes w
hich are subsequently assembled into galaxies. However, exactly when this assembly takes place is a matter of some debate. Here we report that the stellar masses of brightest cluster galaxies, which are the most luminous objects emitting stellar light, some 9 billion years ago are not significantly different from their stellar masses today. Brightest cluster galaxies are almost fully assembled 4-5 Gyrs after the Big Bang, having grown to more than 90% of their final stellar mass by this time. Our data conflict with the most recent galaxy formation models based on the largest simulations of dark matter halo development. These models predict protracted formation of brightest cluster galaxies over a Hubble time, with only 22% of the stellar mass assembled at the epoch probed by our sample. Our findings suggest a new picture in which brightest cluster galaxies experience an early period of rapid growth rather than prolonged hierarchical assembly.
We investigate the evolution of the optical and near-infrared colour-magnitude relation in an homogeneous sample of massive clusters from z = 1 to the present epoch. By comparing deep Hubble Space Telescope ACS imaging of X-ray selected MACS survey c
lusters at z = 0.5 to the similarly selected LARCS sample at z = 0.1 we find that the rest-frame d(U -V)/dV slope of the colour-magnitude relation evolves with redshift which we attribute to the build up of the red sequence over time. This rest frame slope evolution is not adequately reproduced by that predicted from semi-analytic models based on the Millennium Simulation despite a prescription for the build up of the red sequence by in-falling galaxies, strangulation. We observe no strong correlation between this slope and the cluster environment at a given redshift demonstrating that the observed evolution is not due to a secondary correlation. Also presented are near-infrared UKIRT WFCAM observations of the LARCS clusters which confirm and improve on the the result from Stott et al. (2007) finding that there has been a two-fold increase in faint MV > -20 galaxies on the red sequence since z = 0.5 to a significance of 5sigma.
