Search

We present new determinations of the rest-UV luminosity functions (LFs) at z = 2â€"9 to extremely low luminosities (>âˆ'14 mag) from a sample of >2500 lensed galaxies found behind the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) clusters. For the first time, we present faint-end slope results from lensed samples that are fully consistent with blank-field results over the redshift range z = 2â€"9, while reaching to much lower luminosities than possible from the blank-field studies. Combining the deep lensed sample with the large blank-field samples allows us to set tight constraints on the faint-end slope α of the z = 2â€"9 UV LFs and its evolution. We find a smooth flattening in α from âˆ'2.28 ± 0.10 (z = 9) to âˆ'1.53 ± 0.03 (z = 2) with cosmic time (dα / dz = âˆ'0.11 ± 0.01), fully consistent with dark matter halo buildup. We utilize these new results to present new measurements of the evolution in the UV luminosity density ρ UV brighter than âˆ'13 mag from z ∼ 9 to z ∼ 2. Accounting for the star formation rate (SFR) densities to faint luminosities implied by our LF results, we find that unobscured star formation dominates the SFR density at z ≳ 4, with obscured star formation dominant thereafter. Having shown we can quantify the faint-end slope α of the LF accurately with our lensed HFF samples, we also quantify the apparent curvature in the shape of the UV LF through a curvature parameter δ. The constraints on the curvature δ strongly rule out the presence of a turn-over brighter than âˆ'13.1 mag at z ∼ 3, âˆ'14.3 mag at z ∼ 6, and âˆ'15.5 mag at all other redshifts between z ∼ 9 and z ∼ 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assemble a large comprehensive sample of 2534 z ∼ 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 galaxies lensed by the six clusters from the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) program. Making use of the availability of multiple independent magnification models for each of the HFF clusters and alternatively treating one of the models as the “truth,” we show that the median magnification factors from the v4 parametric models are typically reliable to values of 30â€"50, and in one case to 100. Using the median magnification factor from the latest v4 models, we estimate the UV luminosities of the 2534 lensed z ∼ 2â€"9 galaxies, finding sources as faint as âˆ'12.4 mag at z ∼ 3 and âˆ'12.9 mag at z ∼ 7. We explicitly demonstrate the power of the surface densityâ€"magnification relations ÎŁ(z) versus ÎĽ in the HFF clusters to constrain both distant galaxy properties and cluster lensing properties. Based on the ÎŁ(z) versus ÎĽ relations, we show that the median magnification estimates from existing public models must be reliable predictors of the true magnification ÎĽ to ÎĽ < 15 (95% confidence). We also use the observed ÎŁ(z) versus ÎĽ relations to derive constraints on the evolution of the luminosity function faint-end slope from z ∼ 7 to z ∼ 2, showing that faint-end slope results can be consistent with blank-field studies if, and only if, the selection efficiency shows no strong dependence on the magnification factor ÎĽ. This can only be the case if very low-luminosity galaxies are very small, being unresolved in deep lensing probes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identify 73 z ~ 7 and 59 z ~ 8 candidate galaxies in the reionization epoch, and use this large 26-29.4 AB mag sample of galaxies to derive very deep luminosity functions to < - 18 AB mag and the star formation rate (SFR) density at z ~ 7 and z ~ 8 (just 800 Myr and 650 Myr after recombination, respectively). The galaxy sample is derived using a sophisticated Lyman-break technique on the full two-year Wide Field Camera 3/infrared (WFC3/IR) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) data available over the HUDF09 (~29.4 AB mag, 5σ), two nearby HUDF09 fields (~29 AB mag, 5σ, 14 arcmin²), and the wider area Early Release Science (~27.5 AB mag, 5σ, ~40 arcmin²). The application of strict optical non-detection criteria ensures the contamination fraction is kept low (just ~7% in the HUDF). This very low value includes a full assessment of the contamination from lower redshift sources, photometric scatter, active galactic nuclei, spurious sources, low-mass stars, and transients (e.g., supernovae). From careful modeling of the selection volumes for each of our search fields, we derive luminosity functions for galaxies at z ~ 7 and z ~ 8 to <-18 AB mag. The faint-end slopes α at z ~ 7 and z ~ 8 are uncertain but very steep at α = -2.01 ± 0.21 and α = -1.91 ± 0.32, respectively. Such steep slopes contrast to the local α ≳ - 1.4 and may even be steeper than that at z ~ ~ 4 where α = -1.73 ± 0.05. With such steep slopes (α ≲ - 1.7) lower luminosity galaxies dominate the galaxy luminosity density during the epoch of reionization. The SFR densities derived from these new z ~ 7 and z ~ 8 luminosity functions are consistent with the trends found at later times (lower redshifts). We find reasonable consistency with the SFR densities implied from reported stellar mass densities being only ~40% higher at z < 7. This suggests that (1) the stellar mass densities inferred from the Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) photometry are reasonably accurate and (2) that the initial mass function at very high redshift may not be very different from that at later times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searches for very-high-redshift galaxies over the past decade have yielded a large sample of more than 6,000 galaxies existing just 900-2,000 million years (Myr) after the Big Bang (redshifts 6 > z > 3; ref. 1). The Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF09) data have yielded the first reliable detections of z ≈ 8 galaxies that, together with reports of a γ-ray burst at z ≈ 8.2 (refs 10, 11), constitute the earliest objects reliably reported to date. Observations of z ≈ 7-8 galaxies suggest substantial star formation at z > 9-10 (refs 12, 13). Here we use the full two-year HUDF09 data to conduct an ultra-deep search for z ≈ 10 galaxies in the heart of the reionization epoch, only 500 Myr after the Big Bang. Not only do we find one possible z ≈ 10 galaxy candidate, but we show that, regardless of source detections, the star formation rate density is much smaller (∼10%) at this time than it is just ∼200 Myr later at z ≈ 8. This demonstrates how rapid galaxy build-up was at z ≈ 10, as galaxies increased in both luminosity density and volume density from z ≈ 10 to z ≈ 8. The 100-200 Myr before z ≈ 10 is clearly a crucial phase in the assembly of the earliest galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the census of H  |$\beta$|  + [ |${\rm O\, {\small III}}$| ] |$4960,5008\rm{\mathring{\rm\,A}}$| emitters at |$6.8\lt z\lt 9.0$| from the JWST FRESCO survey over 124 arcmin |$^2$| in the GOODS-North and GOODS-South fields. Our unbiased spectroscopic search results in 137 spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at |$6.8\lt z\lt 9.0$| with observed [ |${\rm O\, {\small III}}$| ] fluxes |$f_{\rm { [{\rm O\, {\small III}}]}}\gtrsim 1\times 10^{-18}\ \rm {ergs}\ \rm {s}^{-1} \ \rm {cm}^{-2}$|⁠. The rest-frame optical line ratios of the median stacked spectrum (median |$M_{\rm {UV}}=-19.65^{+0.59}_{-1.05}$|⁠) indicate negligible dust attenuation, low metallicity (⁠|$12+\log (\rm {O/H})= 7.2-7.7$|⁠) and a high ionization parameter |$\log _{10}U \simeq -2.5$|⁠. We find a factor |$\times 1.3$| difference in the number density of |$6.8\lt z\lt 9.0$| galaxies between GOODS-South and GOODS-North, which is caused by a single overdensity at |$7.0\lt z\lt 7.2$| in GOODS-North. The bright end of the UV luminosity function of spectroscopically confirmed [ |${\rm O\, {\small III}}$| ] emitters is in good agreement with HST dropout-selected samples. Discrepancies between the observed [ |${\rm O\, {\small III}}$| ] LF, [ |${\rm O\, {\small III}}$| ]/UV ratio, and [ |${\rm O\, {\small III}}$| ] equivalent widths, and that predicted by theoretical models, suggest burstier star-formation histories and/or more heterogeneous metallicity and ionizing conditions in |$z\gt 7$| galaxies. We report a rapid decline of the [ |${\rm O\, {\small III}}$| ] luminosity density at |$z\gtrsim 6\!-\!7$| which cannot be explained by the evolution of the cosmic star-formation rate density. Finally we find that FRESCO detects in only 2h galaxies likely accounting for |$\sim 10-20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of the ionizing budget at |$z=7\!-\!8$| (assuming an escape fraction of |$10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠), raising the prospect of directly detecting a significant fraction of the sources of reionization with JWST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report ultra-deep, medium-resolution spectroscopic observations for four quiescent galaxies with log |$_{10}(M_*/\mathrm{M_\odot })\gt 11$| at |$3 \lt z \lt 5$|⁠. These data were obtained with JWST NIRSpec as part of the Early eXtragalactic Continuum and Emission Line Science (EXCELS) survey, which we introduce in this work. The first two galaxies are newly selected from PRIMER UDS imaging, both at |$z=4.62$| and separated by 860 pkpc on the sky, within a larger structure for which we confirm several other members. Both formed at |$z\simeq 8-10$|⁠. These systems could plausibly merge by the present day to produce a local massive elliptical galaxy. The other two ultra-massive quiescent galaxies are previously known at |$z=3.99$| and 3.19, with the latter (ZF-UDS-7329) having been the subject of debate as potentially too old and too massive to be accommodated by the |$\Lambda$| -CDM halo-mass function. Both exhibit high stellar metallicities, and for ZF-UDS-7329 we are able to measure the |$\alpha -$| enhancement, obtaining [Mg/Fe] = |$0.42^{+0.19}_{-0.17}$|⁠. We finally evaluate whether these four galaxies are consistent with the |$\Lambda$| -CDM halo-mass function using an extreme value statistics approach. We find that the |$z=4.62$| objects and the |$z=3.19$| object are unlikely within our area under the assumption of standard stellar fractions (⁠|$f_*\simeq 0.1-0.2$|⁠). However, these objects roughly align with the most massive galaxies expected under the assumption of 100 per cent conversion of baryons to stars (⁠|$f_*$| =1). Our results suggest extreme galaxy formation physics during the first billion years, but no conflict with |$\Lambda$| -CDM cosmology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new determination of the evolving galaxy ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function (LF) over the redshift range |$8.5< z< 15.5$| using a combination of several major Cycle-1 JWST imaging programmes – Public Release IMaging for Extragalactic Research, JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, and Next Generation Deep Extragalactic Exploratory Public Survey. This multifield approach yields a total of |$\simeq 370$| arcmin2 of JWST /NIRCam imaging, reaching (5- |$\sigma$|⁠) depths of |$\simeq 30$| AB mag in the deepest regions. We select a sample of 2548 galaxies with a significant probability of lying at high redshift (⁠|$p(z> 8.5)> 0.05$|⁠) to undertake a statistical calculation of the UV LF. Our new measurements span |$\simeq 4$|  mag in UV luminosity at |$z=9-12.5$|⁠ , placing new constraints on both the shape and evolution of the LF at early times. Our measurements yield a new estimate of the early evolution of cosmic star-formation rate density (⁠|$\rho _{\rm {SFR}}$|⁠) confirming the gradual decline deduced from early JWST studies, at least out to |$z \simeq 12$|⁠. Finally we show that the observed early evolution of the galaxy UV LF (and |$\rho _{\rm {SFR}}$|⁠) can be reproduced in a |${\rm \Lambda }$| cold dark matter Universe, with no change in dust properties or star-formation efficiency required out to |$z \simeq 12$|⁠. Instead, a progressive trend towards younger stellar population ages can reproduce the observations, and the typical ages required at |$z \simeq$| 8, 9, 10, and 11 all converge on |$\simeq 380-330$|  Myr after the big bang, indicative of a rapid emergence of early galaxies at |$z \simeq 12 - 13$|⁠. This is consistent with the first indications of a steeper drop-off in |$\rho _{\rm {SFR}}$| we find beyond |$z \simeq 13$|⁠ , possibly reflecting the rapid evolution of the halo mass function at earlier times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of JWST , we can probe the rest-frame optical emission of galaxies at |$z\gt 3$| with high sensitivity and spatial resolution, making it possible to accurately characterize red, optically faint galaxies and thus move towards a more complete census of the galaxy population at high redshifts. To this end, we present a sample of 148 massive, dusty galaxies from the JWST /Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science survey, colour-selected using solely JWST bands. With deep JWST /NIRCam data from 1.15 to 4.44  |$\mu$| m and ancillary HST /ACS and WFC3 data, we determine the physical properties of our sample using spectral energy distribution fitting with bagpipes. We demonstrate that our selection method efficiently identifies massive (⁠|$\mathrm{\langle \log {\it M}_\star /M_\odot \rangle \sim 10}$|⁠) and dusty (⁠|$\mathrm{\langle {\it A}_V\rangle \sim 2.7\ mag}$|⁠) sources, with a majority at |$z\,\gt\, 3$| and predominantly lying on the galaxy main sequence. The main results of this work are the stellar mass functions (SMFs) of red, optically faint galaxies from redshifts between |$3\,\lt\, z\,\lt\, 8$|⁠ : these galaxies make up a significant relative fraction of the pre- JWST total SMF at |$3\,\lt\, z\,\lt\, 4$| and |$4\,\lt\, z\,\lt\, 6$|⁠ , and dominate the high-mass end of the pre- JWST SMF at |$6\,\lt\, z\,\lt \,8$|⁠ , suggesting that our census of the galaxy population needs amendment at these epochs. While larger areas need to be surveyed in the future, our results suggest already that the integrated stellar mass density at |$\mathrm{\log {\it M}_\star /M_\odot \ge 9.25}$| may have been underestimated in pre- JWST studies by up to |$\sim$| 15–20% at |$z\sim 3{\!-\!}6$|⁠ , and up to |$\sim$| 45% at |$z\sim 6{\!-\!}8$|⁠ , indicating the rapid onset of obscured stellar mass assembly in the early Universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results of dust continuum and [C  ii ] |$\, 158\, {\rm \mu m}$| emission line observations of a remarkably UV luminous (M UV = −21.6) galaxy at z = 10.603: GN-z11. Using the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA), observations have been carried out over multiple observing cycles. We achieved a high sensitivity resulting in a |$\lambda _{\rm rest}=160\, {\rm \mu m}$| continuum |$1\, \sigma$| sensitivity of |$13.0\, \rm {\mu Jy \, beam}^{ -1}$| and a [C  ii ] emission line |$1\, \sigma$| sensitivity of |$31\, \rm {mJy\, beam^{ -1}\, km \, s}^{ -1}$| using |$50\, \rm {km \, s}^{ -1}$| binning with a |$\sim 2\, {\rm arcsec}$| synthesized beam. Neither dust continuum nor [C  ii ] |$\, 158\, {\rm \mu m}$| line emission are detected at the expected frequency of ν[C ii ] |$= 163.791\, \rm {GHz}$| and the sky location of GN-z11. The upper limits show that GN-z11 is neither luminous in L IR nor L [C ii ], with a dust mass |$3\, \sigma$| limit of |${\rm log}\, (M_{\rm dust}/{\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }}) \, \lt\, 6.5-6.9$| and with a [C  ii ] based molecular gas mass |$3\, \sigma$| limit of log (M mol, [C ii ] |$/{\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }}) \, \lt \, 9.3$|⁠. Together with radiative transfer calculations, we also investigated the possible cause of the dust poor nature of the GN-z11 showed by the blue colour in the UV continuum of GN-z11 (βUV = −2.4), and found that ≳3 × deeper observations are crucial to study dust production at very high-redshift. Nevertheless, our observations show the crucial role of deep mm/submm observations of very high-redshift galaxies to constrain multiple phases in the interstellar medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure the UV-continuum slope β for over 4000 high-redshift galaxies over a wide range of redshifts z ∼ 4-8 and luminosities from the HST HUDF/XDF, HUDF09-1, HUDF09-2, ERS, CANDELS-N, and CANDELS-S data sets. Our new β results reach very faint levels at z ∼ 4 (–15.5 mag: ), z ∼ 5 (–16.5 mag: ), and z ∼ 6 and z ∼ 7 (–17 mag: ). Inconsistencies between previous studies led us to conduct a comprehensive review of systematic errors and develop a new technique for measuring β that is robust against biases that arise from the impact of noise. We demonstrate, by object-by-object comparisons, that all previous studies, including our own and those done on the latest HUDF12 data set, suffered from small systematic errors in β. We find that after correcting for the systematic errors (typically Δβ ∼ 0.1-0.2) all β results at z ∼ 7 from different groups are in excellent agreement. The mean β we measure for faint (–18 mag: ) z ∼ 4, z ∼ 5, z ∼ 6, and z ∼ 7 galaxies is –2.03 ± 0.03 ± 0.06 (random and systematic errors), –2.14 ± 0.06 ± 0.06, –2.24 ± 0.11 ± 0.08, and –2.30 ± 0.18 ± 0.13, respectively. Our new β values are redder than we have reported in the past, but bluer than other recent results. Our previously reported trend of bluer β's at lower luminosities is confirmed, as is the evolution to bluer β's at high redshifts. β appears to show only a mild luminosity dependence faintward of MUV, AB ∼ –19 mag, suggesting that the mean β asymptotes to ∼–2.2 to –2.4 for faint z ⩾ 4 galaxies. At z ∼ 7, the observed β's suggest non-zero, but low dust extinction, and they agree well with values predicted in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the JWST cycle 1 53.8 h medium program FRESCO, short for 'First Reionization Epoch Spectroscopically Complete Observations'. FRESCO covers 62 arcmin2 in each of the two GOODS/CANDELS fields for a total area of 124 arcmin2 exploiting JWST 's powerful new grism spectroscopic capabilities at near-infrared wavelengths. By obtaining ∼2 h deep NIRCam/grism observations with the F 444 W filter, FRESCO yields unprecedented spectra at R ∼ 1600 covering 3.8–5.0 µm for most galaxies in the NIRCam field of view. This setup enables emission line measurements over most of cosmic history, from strong PAH lines at z ∼ 0.2–0.5, to Pa α and Pa β at z ∼ 1–3, He  i and [S  iii ] at z ∼ 2.5–4.5, H α and [N  ii ] at z ∼ 5–6.5, up to [O  iii ] and H β for z ∼ 7–9 galaxies. FRESCO's grism observations provide total line fluxes for accurately estimating galaxy stellar masses and calibrating slit-loss corrections of NIRSpec/MSA spectra in the same field. Additionally, FRESCO results in a mosaic of F 182 M, F 210 M , and F 444 W imaging in the same fields to a depth of ∼28.2 mag (5σ in 0 |${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$| 32 diameter apertures). Here, we describe the overall survey design and the key science goals that can be addressed with FRESCO. We also highlight several, early science results, including: spectroscopic redshifts of Lyman break galaxies that were identified almost 20 yr ago, the discovery of broad-line active galactic nuclei at z > 4, and resolved Pa α maps of galaxies at z ∼ 1.4. These results demonstrate the enormous power for serendipitous discovery of NIRCam/grism observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few years, both Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and Spitzer observations have revealed a population of likely massive galaxies at z > 3 that was too faint to be detected in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) rest-frame ultraviolet imaging. However, due to the very limited photometry for individual galaxies, the true nature of these so-called HST -dark galaxies has remained elusive. Here, we present the first sample of such galaxies observed with very deep, high-resolution NIRCam imaging from the Early Release Science programme CEERS. 30 HST -dark sources are selected based on their red colours across 1.6–4.4 |$\mu$| m. Their physical properties are derived from 12-band multiwavelength photometry, including ancillary HST imaging. We find that these galaxies are generally heavily dust-obscured (AV ∼ 2 mag), massive (log (M /M⊙) ∼ 10), star-forming sources at z ∼ 2−8 with an observed surface density of ∼0.8 arcmin−2. This suggests that an important fraction of massive galaxies may have been missing from our cosmic census at z > 3 all the way into the Epoch of Reionization. The HST -dark sources lie on the main sequence of galaxies and add an obscured star formation rate density of |$\mathrm{3.2^{+1.8}_{-1.3} \times 10^{-3} \,{\rm M}_{\odot }\,yr^{-1}\,Mpc^{-3}}$| at z ∼ 7, showing likely presence of dust in the Epoch of Reionization. Our analysis shows the unique power of JWST to reveal this previously missing galaxy population and to provide a more complete census of galaxies at z  = 2−8 based on rest-frame optical imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-deep Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and WFC3/IR HUDF+HUDF09 data, along with the wide-area GOODS+ERS+CANDELS data over the CDF-S GOODS field, are used to measure UV colors, expressed as the UV-continuum slope β, of star-forming galaxies over a wide range of luminosity (0.1L*z = 3 to 2L*z = 3) at high redshift (z ∼ 7 to z ∼ 4). β is measured using all ACS and WFC3/IR passbands uncontaminated by Lyα and spectral breaks. Extensive tests show that our β measurements are only subject to minimal biases. Using a different selection procedure, Dunlop et al. recently found large biases in their β measurements. To reconcile these different results, we simulated both approaches and found that β measurements for faint sources are subject to large biases if the same passbands are used both to select the sources and to measure β. High-redshift galaxies show a well-defined rest-frame UV color-magnitude (CM) relationship that becomes systematically bluer toward fainter UV luminosities. No evolution is seen in the slope of the UV CM relationship in the first 1.5 Gyr, though there is a small evolution in the zero point to redder colors from z ∼ 7 to z ∼ 4. This suggests that galaxies are evolving along a well-defined sequence in the LUV-color (β) plane (a “star-forming sequence”?). Dust appears to be the principal factor driving changes in the UV color β with luminosity. These new larger β samples lead to improved dust extinction estimates at z ∼ 4-7 and confirm that the extinction is essentially zero at low luminosities and high redshifts. Inclusion of the new dust extinction results leads to (1) excellent agreement between the star formation rate (SFR) density at z ∼ 4-8 and that inferred from the stellar mass density; and (2) to higher specific star formation rates (SSFRs) at z ≳ 4, suggesting that the SSFR may evolve modestly (by factors of ∼2) from z ∼ 4-7 to z ∼ 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before the end of the Epoch of Reionization, the Hydrogen in the Universe was predominantly neutral. This leads to a strong attenuation of Ly α lines of z ≳ 6 galaxies in the intergalactic medium. Nevertheless, Ly α has been detected up to very high redshifts (z ∼ 9) for several especially UV luminous galaxies. Here, we test to what extent the galaxy's local environment might impact the Ly α transmission of such sources. We present an analysis of dedicated Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging in the CANDELS/EGS field to search for fainter neighbours around three of the most UV luminous and most distant spectroscopically confirmed Ly α emitters: EGS-zs8-1, EGS-zs8-2, and EGSY-z8p7 at z spec = 7.73, 7.48, and 8.68, respectively. We combine the multiwavelength HST imaging with Spitzer data to reliably select z ∼ 7–9 galaxies around the central, UV-luminous sources. In all cases, we find a clear enhancement of neighbouring galaxies compared to the expected number in a blank field (by a factor ∼3–9×). Our analysis thus reveals ubiquitous overdensities around luminous Ly α emitting sources in the heart of the cosmic reionization epoch. We show that our results are in excellent agreement with expectations from the Dragons simulation, confirming the theoretical prediction that the first ionized bubbles preferentially formed in overdense regions. While three UV luminous galaxies already have spectroscopic redshifts, the majority of the remaining fainter, surrounding sources are yet to be confirmed via spectroscopy. JWST follow-up observations of the neighbouring galaxies identified here will thus be needed to confirm their physical association and to map out the ionized regions produced by these sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery of four surprisingly bright (H160 ∼ 26-27 mag AB) galaxy candidates at z ∼ 9-10 in the complete HST CANDELS WFC3/IR GOODS-N imaging data, doubling the number of z ∼ 10 galaxy candidates that are known, just ∼500 Myr after the big bang. Two similarly bright sources are also detected in a reanalysis of the GOODS-S data set. Three of the four galaxies in GOODS-N are significantly detected at 4.5σ-6.2σ in the very deep Spitzer/IRAC 4.5 μm data, as is one of the GOODS-S candidates. Furthermore, the brightest of our candidates (at z = 10.2 ± 0.4) is robustly detected also at 3.6 μm (6.9σ), revealing a flat UV spectral energy distribution with a slope β = –2.0 ± 0.2, consistent with demonstrated trends with luminosity at high redshift. Thorough testing and use of grism data excludes known low-redshift contamination at high significance, including single emission-line sources, but as-yet unknown low redshift sources could provide an alternative solution given the surprising luminosity of these candidates. Finding such bright galaxies at z ∼ 9-10 suggests that the luminosity function for luminous galaxies might evolve in a complex way at z > 8. The cosmic star formation rate density still shows, however, an order-of-magnitude increase from z ∼ 10 to z ∼ 8 since the dominant contribution comes from low-luminosity sources. Based on the IRAC detections, we derive galaxy stellar masses at z ∼ 10, finding that these luminous objects are typically 109M☼. This allows for a first estimate of the cosmic stellar mass density at z ∼ 10 resulting in M☼ Mpc–3 for galaxies brighter than MUV ∼ –18. The remarkable brightness, and hence luminosity, of these z ∼ 9-10 candidates will enable deep spectroscopy to determine their redshift and nature, and highlights the opportunity for the James Webb Space Telescope to map the buildup of galaxies at redshifts much earlier than z ∼ 10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a comprehensive analysis of z > 8 galaxies based on ultra-deep WFC3/IR data. We exploit all the WFC3/IR imaging over the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field from the HUDF09 and the new HUDF12 program, in addition to the HUDF09 parallel field data, as well as wider area imaging over GOODS-South. Galaxies are selected based on the Lyman break technique in three samples centered around z ~ 9, z ~ 10, and z ~ 11, with seven z ~ 9 galaxy candidates, and one each at z ~ 10 and z ~ 11. We confirm a new z ~ 10 candidate (with z = 9.8 ± 0.6) that was not convincingly identified in our first z ~ 10 sample. Using these candidates, we perform one of the first estimates of the z ~ 9 UV luminosity function (LF) and improve our previous constraints at z ~ 10. Extrapolating the lower redshift UV LF evolution should have revealed 17 z ~ 9 and 9 z ~ 10 sources, i.e., a factor ~3× and 9× larger than observed. The inferred star formation rate density (SFRD) in galaxies above 0.7M☉ yr-1 decreases by 0.6 ± 0.2 dex from z ~ 8 to z ~ 9, in excellent agreement with previous estimates. From a combination of all current measurements, we find a best estimate of a factor 10× decrease in the SFRD from z ~ 8 to z ~ 10, following (1 + z)-11.4±3.1. Our measurements thus confirm our previous finding of an accelerated evolution beyond z ~ 8, and signify a very rapid build-up of galaxies with MUV < -17.7 mag within only ~200 Myr from z ~ 10 to z ~ 8, in the heart of cosmic reionization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We search for z ~ 10 galaxies over ~160 arcmin² of Wide-Field Camera 3 (WFC3)/IR data in the Chandra Deep Field South, using the public HUDF09, Early Release Science, and CANDELS surveys, that reach to 5σ depths ranging from 26.9 to 29.4 in H160 AB mag. z ≳ 9.5 galaxy candidates are identified via J125 - H160 > 1.2 colors and non-detections in any band blueward of J125. Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) photometry is key for separating the genuine high-z candidates from intermediate-redshift (z ~ 2-4) galaxies with evolved or heavily dust obscured stellar populations. After removing 16 sources of intermediate brightness (H160 ~ 24-26 mag) with strong IRAC detections, we only find one plausible z ~ 10 galaxy candidate in the whole data set, previously reported in Bouwens et al.. The newer data cover a 3x larger area and provide much stronger constraints on the evolution of the UV luminosity function (LF). If the evolution of the z ~ 4-8 LFs is extrapolated to z ~ 10, six z ~ 10 galaxies are expected in our data. The detection of only one source suggests that the UV LF evolves at an accelerated rate before z ~ 8. The luminosity density is found to increase by more than an order of magnitude in only 170 Myr from z ~ 10 to z ~ 8. This increase is ≥4x larger than expected from the lower redshift extrapolation of the UV LF. We are thus likely witnessing the first rapid buildup of galaxies in the heart of cosmic reionization. Future deep Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/IR data, reaching to well beyond 29 mag, can enable a more robust quantification of the accelerated evolution around z ~ 10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The James Webb Space Telescope will allow to spectroscopically study an unprecedented number of galaxies deep into the reionization era, notably by detecting [O  iii ]λλ4959, 5007, and H β nebular emission lines. To efficiently prepare such observations, we photometrically select a large sample of galaxies at z ∼ 8 and study their rest-frame optical emission lines. Combining data from the GOODS Re-ionization Era wide-Area Treasury from Spitzer (GREATS) survey and from HST we perform spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, using synthetic SEDs from a large grid of photoionization models. The deep Spitzer /IRAC data combined with our models exploring a large parameter space enables to constrain the [O  iii ] + H β fluxes and equivalent widths for our sample, as well as the average physical properties of z ∼ 8 galaxies, such as the ionizing photon production efficiency with |$\log (\xi _\mathrm{ion}/\mathrm{erg}^{-1}\mathrm{Hz})\ge 25.77$|⁠. We find a relatively tight correlation between the [O  iii ] + H β and UV luminosity, which we use to derive for the first time the [O  iii ]λλ4959, 5007 + H β luminosity function (LF) at z ∼ 8. The z ∼ 8 [O  iii ] + H β LF is higher at all luminosities compared to lower redshift, as opposed to the UV LF, due to an increase of the [O  iii ] + H β luminosity at a given UV luminosity from z ∼ 3 to z ∼ 8. Finally, using the [O  iii ] + H β LF, we make predictions for JWST /NIRSpec number counts of z ∼ 8 galaxies. We find that the current wide-area extragalactic legacy fields are too shallow to use JWST at maximal efficiency for z ∼ 8 spectroscopy even at 1 h depth and JWST pre-imaging to ≳30 mag will be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-resolution multi-wavelength photometry is crucial to explore the spatial distribution of star formation in galaxies and understand how these evolve. To this aim, in this paper we exploit the deep, multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data available in the central parts of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) fields and study the distribution of star formation activity and mass in galaxies located at different positions with respect to the main sequence (MS) of star-forming galaxies. Our sample consists of galaxies with stellar mass ≥109.5 M⊙ in the redshift range 0.2 ≤ z ≤ 1.2. Exploiting 10-band photometry from the UV to the near-infrared at HST resolution, we derived spatially resolved maps of galaxy properties, such as stellar mass and star formation rate and specific star formation rate, with a resolution of ∼0.16 arcsec. We find that the star formation activity is centrally enhanced in galaxies above the MS and centrally suppressed below the MS, with quiescent galaxies (1 dex below the MS) characterised by the highest suppression. The specific star formation rate in the outer region does not show systematic trends of enhancement or suppression above or below the MS. The distribution of mass in MS galaxies indicates that bulges grow when galaxies are still on the MS relation. Galaxies below the MS are more bulge-dominated with respect to MS counterparts at fixed stellar mass, while galaxies in the upper envelope are more extended and have Sérsic indices that are always smaller than or comparable to their MS counterparts. The suppression of star formation activity in the central region of galaxies below the MS hints at inside-out quenching, as star formation is still ongoing in the outer regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detections of Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) at high-redshift are affected by gravitational a lensing induced by foreground deflectors not only in galaxy clusters, but also in blank fields. " We quantify the impact of strong magnification in the samples of B435, V606, i775 and z850 & Y105 O dropouts (4 ≲ z ≲ 8) observed in the eXtreme Deep Field (XDF) and the Cosmic Assembly t Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) fields by investigating the / proximity of dropouts to foreground objects. We find that per cent of bright z ~ 7 LBGs (mH160 < 26) have been strongly lensed (μ > 2) by foreground objects. This fraction decreases O from ~3.5 per cent at z ~ 6 to ~1.5 per cent at z ~ 4. Since the observed fraction of strongly O lensed LBGs is a function of the shape of the luminosity function (LF), it can be used to derive o Schechter parameters, α and M*, independently from galaxy number counts. Our magnification g bias analysis yields Schechter-function parameters in close agreement with those determined o from galaxy counts albeit with larger uncertainties. Extrapolation of our analysis to z ≳ 8 suggests that surveys with JWST, WFIRST and Euclid should find excess LBGs at the bright " end, over an intrinsic exponential cutoff. Finally, we highlight how the magnification bias g measurement near the XDF detection limit can be used to probe the population of galaxies o beyond this limit. Preliminary results suggest that the magnification bias at MUV ~ --18 is §* weaker than expected if α ≲ --1.7 extends well below the current detection limits. This could 2 imply a flattening of the LF at MUV ≳ --16.5. However, selection effects and completeness 5 estimates are difficult to quantify precisely. Thus, we do not rule out a steep LF extending to Muv ≳ --15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of rest-frame UV-to-optical color distributions for z ~ 4 galaxies based on the combination of deep HST/ACS+WFC3/IR data with Spitzer/IRAC imaging. In particular, we use new, ultra-deep data from the IRAC Ultradeep Field program (IUDF10), together with previous, public IRAC data over the GOODS fields. Our sample contains a total of ~2600 galaxies selected as B-dropout Lyman-break Galaxies in the HUDF and its deep parallel field HUDF09-2, as well as GOODS-North/South. This sample is used to investigate the UV continuum slopes β and Balmer break colors (J125 - [4.5]) as a function of rest-frame optical luminosity (using [4.5] to avoid optical emission lines). We find that galaxies at Mz < -21.5 (roughly corresponding to Lz~4*) are significantly redder than their lower luminosity counterparts. The UV continuum slopes and the J125 - [4.5] colors are well correlated, indicating that the dust reddening at these redshifts is better described by an SMC-like extinction curve, rather than the typically assumed Calzetti reddening. After dust correction, we find that the galaxy population shows mean stellar population ages in the range 108.5 to 109 yr, with a dispersion of ~0.5 dex, and only weak trends as a function of luminosity. Only a small fraction of galaxies shows Balmer break colors consistent with extremely young ages, younger than 100 Myr. Under the assumption of smooth star-formation histories, this fraction is 12%-19% for galaxies at Mz < -19.75. Our results are consistent with a gradual build-up of stars and dust in galaxies at z > 4 with only a small fraction of stars being formed in short, intense bursts of star-formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new z ∼ 8 galaxy candidates from a search over ∼95 arcmin2 of WFC3/IR data, tripling the previous search area for bright z ∼ 8 galaxies. Our analysis uses newly acquired WFC3/IR imaging data from the CANDELS Multi-Cycle Treasury program over the GOODS-South field. These new data are combined with existing deep optical Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) imaging to search for relatively bright (MUV < –19.5 mag) z ∼ 8 galaxy candidates using the Lyman break technique. These new candidates are used to determine the bright end of the UV luminosity function (LF) of star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 7.2-8.7, i.e., a cosmic age of 600 ± 80 Myr. To minimize contamination from lower redshift galaxies, we make full use of all optical ACS data and impose strict non-detection criteria based on an optical χ2opt flux measurement. In the whole search area, we identify 16 candidate z ∼ 8 galaxies, spanning a magnitude range H160, AB = 25.7-27.9 mag. The new data show that the UV LF is a factor ∼1.7 lower at MUV < –19.5 mag than determined from the HUDF09 and Early Release Science (ERS) data alone. Combining this new sample with the previous candidates from the HUDF09 and ERS data allows us to perform the most accurate measurement of the z ∼ 8 UV LF yet. Schechter function fits to the combined data result in a best-fit characteristic magnitude of M*(z = 8) = –20.04 ± 0.46 mag. The faint-end slope is very steep, though quite uncertain, with α = –2.06 ± 0.32. A combination of wide-area data with additional ultra-deep imaging will be required to significantly reduce the uncertainties on these parameters in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of seven strongly lensed lyman-break galaxy (LBG) candidates at z ~ 7 detected in hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) imaging of A1703. The brightest candidate, called A1703-zD1, has an observed (lensed) magnitude of 24.0 AB (26σ) in the WFC3/IR F160W band, making it 0.2 mag brighter than the z850-dropout candidate recently reported behind the Bullet Cluster and 0.7 mag brighter than the previously brightest known z ~ 7.6 galaxy, A1689-zD1. with a cluster magnification of ~9, this source has an intrinsic magnitude of H160 = 26.4 AB, a strong z850-J125 break of 1.7 mag, and a photometric redshift of z ~ 6.7. Additionally, we find six other bright LBG candidates with H160-band magnitudes of 24.9-26.4, photometric redshifts z ~ 6.4 - 8.8, and magnifications μ ~ 3-40. stellar population fits to the advanced camera for surveys, WFC3/IR, and Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera data for A1703-zD1 and A1703-zD4 yield stellar masses (0.7 - 3.0) x 109 M⊙, stellar ages 5-180 Myr, and star formation rates ~7.8 M⊙ yr-1, and low reddening with AV ≤ 0.7. The source-plane reconstruction of the exceptionally bright candidate A1703-zD1 exhibits an extended structure, spanning ~4 kpc in the z ~ 6.7 source plane, and shows three resolved star-forming knots of radius r ~ 0.4 kpc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the Kormendy and mass-size relations (MSR) for early-type galaxies (ETGs) as a function of environment at z ~ 1.3. Our sample includes 76 visually classified ETGs with masses 1010 < M/M⊙ < 1011.5 selected in the Lynx supercluster and in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey/Chandra Deep Field South field; 31 ETGs in clusters, 18 in groups, and 27 in the field, all with multi-wavelength photometry and Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys observations. The Kormendy relation, in place at z ~ 1.3, does not depend on the environment. The MSR reveals that ETGs overall appear to be more compact in denser environments: cluster ETGs have sizes on average around 30%-50% smaller than those of the local universe and a distribution with a smaller scatter, whereas field ETGs show an MSR with a similar distribution to the local one. Our results imply that (1) the MSR in the field did not evolve overall from z ~ 1.3 to present; this is interesting and in contrast to the trend found at higher masses from previous works; (2) in denser environments, either ETGs have increased in size by 30%-50% on average and spread their distributions, or more ETGs have been formed within the dense environment from non-ETG progenitors, or larger galaxies have been accreted to a pristine compact population to reproduce the MSR observed in the local universe. Our results are driven by galaxies with masses M≲ 2 x 1011 M≲ and those with masses M ~ 1011 M⊙ follow the same trends as that of the entire sample. Following the Valentinuzzi et al. definition of superdense ETGs, ~35%-45% of our cluster sample is made up of superdense ETGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the high angular resolution in the near-infrared of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope to determine YHVz color-color-selection criteria to identify and characterize 1.5 < z < 3.5 galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field 2009 (HUDF09) and Early Release Science (GOODS-South) fields. The WFC3 NIR images reveal galaxies at these redshifts that were undetected in the rest-frame UV HUDF/GOODS images, as well as true centers and regular disks in galaxies classified as highly irregular in rest-frame UV light. Across the 1.5 < z < 2.15 redshift range, regular disks are unveiled in the WFC3 images of ~25% of both intermediate and high mass galaxies, i.e., above 1010 M⊙ Meanwhile, galaxies maintaining diffuse and/or irregular morphologies in the rest-frame optical light--i.e., not yet dynamically settled--at these epochs are almost entirely restricted to masses below 1011 M⊙. In contrast at 2.25 < z < 3.5 these diffuse and/or irregular structures overwhelmingly dominate the morphological mix in both the intermediate and high mass regimes, while no regular disks, and only a small fraction (~25%) of smooth spheroids, are evident above 1011 M⊙. Strikingly, by 1.5 < z < 2.25 roughly two out of every three galaxies at the highest masses are spheroids. In our small sample, the fraction of star-forming galaxies at these mass scales decreases concurrently from ~60% to ~5%. If confirmed, this indicates that z ~ 2 is the epoch of both the morphological transformation and quenching of star formation which assemble the first substantial population of massive ellipticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We present the details and early results from a deep near-infrared survey utilizing the NICMOS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope centred around massive M* > 1011 M ⊙ galaxies at 1.7 < z < 2.9 found within the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) fields North and South. The GOODS NICMOS Survey (GNS) was designed to obtain deep F160W ( H-band) imaging of 80 of these massive galaxies and other colour-selected objects such as Lyman-break dropouts, BzK objects, distant red galaxies (DRGs), extremely red objects (EROs), Spitzer-selected EROs, BX/BM galaxies, as well as flux-selected submillimetre galaxies. We present in this paper details of the observations, our sample selection, as well as a description of the properties of the massive galaxies found within our survey fields. This includes photometric redshifts, rest-frame colours and stellar masses. We furthermore provide an analysis of the selection methods for finding massive galaxies at high redshifts, including colour-selection methods and how galaxy populations selected through these colour methods overlap. We find that a single colour selection method cannot locate all of the massive galaxies, with no one method finding more than 70 per cent. We however find that the combination of these colour methods finds nearly all of the massive galaxies that would have been identified in a photometric redshift sample, with the exception of apparently rare blue massive galaxies. By investigating the rest-frame ( U− B) versus MB diagram for these galaxies, we furthermore show that there exists a bimodality in colour-magnitude space at z < 2, driven by stellar mass, such that the most massive galaxies are systematically red up to z∼ 2.5, while lower mass galaxies tend to be blue. We also discuss the number densities for galaxies with stellar masses M* > 1011 M ⊙, whereby we find an increase of a factor of 8 between z= 3 and 1.5, demonstrating that this is an epoch when massive galaxies establish most of their stellar mass. We also provide an overview of the evolutionary properties of these galaxies, such as their merger histories, and size evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed study of the spatially resolved kinematics, star formation and stellar mass in a highly amplified galaxy at behind the lensing cluster MS 1358+62. We use the observed optical, near- and mid-infrared imaging from Hubble Space Telescope ACS & NICMOS and Spitzer IRAC to derive the stellar mass and the Gemini/NIFS IFU to investigate the velocity structure of the galaxy from the nebular [O ii]λλ3726.8,3728.9 emission. Using a detailed gravitational lens model, we account for lensing amplification factor 12.5 ± 2.0 and find that this intrinsically galaxy has a stellar mass of , a dynamical mass of (within of 2 kpc) and a star formation rate of . The source-plane UV/optical morphology of this galaxy is dominated by five discrete star-forming regions. Exploiting the dynamical information we derive masses for individual star-forming regions of with sizes of ∼200 pc. We find that, at a fixed size, the star formation rate density within these H ii regions is approximately two orders of magnitude greater than those observed in local spiral/starburst galaxies, but consistent with the most massive H ii regions in the local Universe such as 30 Doradus. Finally, we compare the spatially resolved nebular emission-line velocity with the Lyα and UV interstellar medium (ISM) lines and find that this galaxy is surrounded by a galactic scale outflow in which the Lyα appears redshifted by ∼150 km s−1 and the UV-ISM lines blueshifted by from the (systemic) nebular emission. The velocity structure of the outflow mirrors that of the nebular emission suggesting the outflow is young (≲15 Myr), and has yet to burst out of the system. Taken together, these results suggest that this young galaxy is undergoing its first major epoch of mass assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents research which observed the afterglow and redshift of gamma-ray burst GRB990123 from January 23, 1999. Detection of afterglow; Distance determinations; Energy required for such bursts; Gamma rays emitted isotropically; Challenges to current models of burst sources; Possible evidence for beamed and not isotropic radiation; Plausibility of stellar-death models.

Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) samples observed during reionization (z ≳ 6) with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 are reaching sizes sufficient to characterize their clustering properties. Using a combined catalog from the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field and CANDELS surveys, containing N = 743 LBG candidates at z ⩾ 6.5 at a mean redshift of , we detect a clear clustering signal in the angular correlation function (ACF) at ≳ 4σ, corresponding to a real-space correlation length cMpc. The derived galaxy bias is that of dark matter halos of at z = 7.2, and highlights that galaxies below the current detection limit (MAB ∼ –17.7) are expected in lower-mass halos (M ∼ 108-1010.5 ). We compute the ACF of LBGs at z ∼ 3.8 – z ∼ 5.9 in the same surveys. A trend of increasing bias is found from (b ∼ 3.0) to (b ∼ 8.6), broadly consistent with galaxies at fixed luminosity being hosted in dark matter halos of similar mass at 4 ≲ z ≲ 6, followed by a slight rise in halo masses at z ≳ 7 (∼2σ confidence). Separating the data at the median luminosity of the sample (MUV = –19.4) shows higher clustering at for bright galaxies (cMpc, ) compared to faint galaxies (cMpc, ) implying a constant mass-to-light ratio . A similar trend is present in the sample with larger uncertainty. Finally, our bias measurements allow us to investigate the fraction of dark matter halos hosting UV-bright galaxies (the duty cycle, εDC). At values near unity are preferred, which may be explained by the shortened halo assembly time at high redshift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]