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The Cluster HEritage project with XMM-Newton – Mass Assembly and Thermodynamics at the Endpoint of structure formation (CHEX-MATE) is a programme to study a minimally biased sample of 118 galaxy clusters detected by Planck through the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect. Accurate and precise mass measurements are required to exploit CHEX-MATE as an astrophysical laboratory and a calibration sample for cosmological probes in the era of large surveys. We measured masses based on the galaxy dynamics, which are highly complementary to weak-lensing or X-ray estimates. We analysed the sample with a uniform pipeline that is stable both for poorly sampled or rich clusters –using spectroscopic redshifts from public (NED, SDSS, and DESI) or private archives and dedicated observational programmes. We modelled the halo mass density and the anisotropy profile. Membership is confirmed with a cleaning procedure in phase space. We derived masses from measured velocity dispersions under the assumed model. We measured dynamical masses for 101 CHEX-MATE clusters with at least ten confirmed members within the virial radius r200c. Estimated redshifts and velocity dispersions agree with literature values when available. Validation with weak-lensing masses shows agreement within 8 ± 16 (stat.) ± 5 (sys.)%, and confirms dynamical masses as an unbiased proxy. Comparison with Planck masses shows them to be biased low by 34 ± 3 (stat.) ± 5 (sys.)%. A follow-up spectroscopic campaign is underway to cover the full CHEX-MATE sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relic galaxies, the oldest ultra-compact massive galaxies (UCMGs), contain almost exclusively 'pristine' stars formed during an intense star formation (SF) burst at high redshift. As such, they allow us to study in detail the early mechanism of galaxy assembly in the Universe. Using the largest catalogue of spectroscopically confirmed UCMGs for which a degree of relicness (DoR) had been estimated, the INSPIRE catalogue, we investigate whether or not relics prefer dense environments. The objective of this study is to determine if the DoR, which measures how extreme the SF history was, and the surrounding environment are correlated. In order to achieve this goal, we employ the AMICO galaxy cluster catalogue to compute the probability for a galaxy to be a member of a cluster, and measure the local density around each UCMG using machine learning-based photometric redshifts. We find that UCMGs can reside both in clusters and in the field, but objects with very low DoR (⁠|$\lt 0.3$|⁠ , i.e. a relatively extended SF history) prefer underdense environments. We additionally report a correlation between the DoR and the distance from the cluster centre: more extreme relics, when located in clusters, tend to occupy the more central regions of them. We finally outline potential evolution scenarios for UCMGs at different DoR to reconcile their presence in both clusters and field environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Weak gravitational lensing offers a powerful method to investigate the projected matter density distribution within galaxy clusters, granting crucial insights into the broader landscape of dark matter on cluster scales. Aims. In this study, we make use of the large photometric galaxy cluster data set derived from the publicly available Third Data Release of the Kilo-Degree Survey, along with the associated shear signal. Our primary objective is to model the peculiar sharp transition in the cluster profile slope, that is what is commonly referred to as the splashback radius. The data set under scrutiny includes 6962 galaxy clusters, selected by AMICO (an optimised detection algorithm of galaxy clusters) on the KiDS-DR3 data, in the redshift range of 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.6, all observed at a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 3.5. Methods. Employing a comprehensive Bayesian analysis, we model the stacked excess surface mass density distribution of the clusters. We adopt a model from recent results on numerical simulations that capture the dynamics of both orbiting and infalling materials, separated by the region where the density profile slope undergoes a pronounced deepening. Results. We find that the adopted profile successfully characterizes the cluster masses, consistent with previous works, and models the deepening of the slope of the density profiles measured with weak-lensing data up to the outskirts. Moreover, we measure the splashback radius of galaxy clusters and show that its value is close to the radius within which the enclosed overdensity is 200 times the mean matter density of the Universe, while theoretical models predict a larger value consistent with a low accretion rate. This points to a potential bias of optically selected clusters preferentially characterized by a high density at small scales compared to a pure mass-selected cluster sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitating structures in the universe, and their mass assembly is sensitive to the underlying cosmology. Their mass function, baryon fraction, and mass distribution have been used to infer cosmological parameters despite the presence of systematics. However, the complexity of the scaling relations among galaxy cluster properties has never been fully exploited, limiting their potential as a cosmological probe. Aims. We propose the first machine learning (ML) method using galaxy cluster properties from hydrodynamical simulations in different cosmologies to predict cosmological parameters combining a series of canonical cluster observables, such as gas mass, gas bolometric luminosity, gas temperature, stellar mass, cluster radius, total mass, and velocity dispersion at different redshifts. Methods. The ML model was trained on mock "measurements" of these observable quantities from Magneticum multi-cosmology simulations to derive unbiased constraints on a set of cosmological parameters. These include the mass density parameter, Ωm, the power spectrum normalization, σ8, the baryonic density parameter, Ωb, and the reduced Hubble constant, h0. Results. We tested the ML model on catalogs of a few hundred clusters taken, in turn, from each simulation and found that the ML model can correctly predict the cosmology from where they have been picked. The cumulative accuracy depends on the cosmology, ranging from 21% to 75%. We demonstrate that this is sufficient to derive unbiased constraints on the main cosmological parameters with errors on the order of ~14% for Ωm, ~8% for σ8, ~6% for Ωb, and ~3% for h0. Conclusions. This proof-of-concept analysis, though based on a limited variety of multi-cosmology simulations, shows that ML can efficiently map the correlations in the multidimensional space of the observed quantities to the cosmological parameter space and narrow down the probability that a given sample belongs to a given cosmological parameter combination. More large-volume, mid-resolution, multi-cosmology hydro-simulations need to be produced to expand the applicability to a wider cosmological parameter range. However, this first test is exceptionally promising, as it shows that these ML tools can be applied to cluster samples from multiwavelength observations from surveys such as Rubin/LSST, CSST, Euclid, and Roman in optical and near-infrared bands, and eROSITA in X-rays, to the constrain cosmology and effect of baryonic feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ram-pressure stripping (RPS) is the mechanism most often invoked to explain the observed differences between cluster and field galaxies. In the local Universe, its effect on the star-forming properties of the galaxies has been largely elucidated and the general consensus is that this process first compresses the gas available in galaxy disks, boosting the star formation for a limited amount of time, and then removes the remaining gas, leading to quenching. Much less is known about the effect and preponderance of RPS at higher redshifts, due to the lack of statistical samples. Exploiting VLT/MUSE observations of galaxies at 0.2 < z < 0.55 and a published catalog of ram-pressure-stripped galaxies, we compare the global star formation rate–mass (SFR–M*) relation of 29 cluster galaxies undergoing RPS to that of 26 undisturbed field and cluster galaxies that constitute our control sample. Stripping galaxies occupy the upper envelope of the SFR–M* relation of the control sample, showing a systematic enhancement of SFR at any given mass. The boost is > 3σ when considering the SFR occurring in both the tail and the disk of the galaxies. The enhancement is also seen on local scales: Considering spatially resolved data, ram-pressure stripped galaxies have large ΣSFR values overall, especially for Σ* > 107.5 M⊙ kpc−2. RPS seems to leave the same imprint on the SFR–M* and ΣSFR–Σ* relations both in the local Universe and at z ∼ 0.35. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) is currently the only sky survey providing optical (ugri) plus near-infrared (NIR, ZYHJKS) seeing matched photometry over an area larger than 1000 deg2. This is obtained by incorporating the NIR data from the VISTA Kilo Degree Infrared Galaxy (VIKING) survey, covering the same KiDS footprint. As such, the KiDS multi-wavelength photometry represents a unique dataset to test the ability of stellar population models to return robust photometric stellar mass (M*) and star-formation rate (SFR) estimates. Here we use a spectroscopic sample of galaxies for which we possess ugriZY JHKs "gaussianized" magnitudes from KiDS data release 4. We fit the spectral energy distribution from the 9-band photometry using: (1) three different popular libraries of stellar population templates, (2) single burst, simple and delayed exponential star-formation history models, and (3) a wide range of priors on age and metallicity. As template fitting codes we use two popular softwares: LePhare and CIGALE. We investigate the variance of the stellar masses and the star-formation rates from the different combinations of templates, star formation recipes and codes to assess the stability of these estimates and define some "robust" median quantities to be included in the upcoming KiDS data releases. As a science validation test, we derive the mass function, the star formation rate function, and the SFR-M* relation for a low-redshift (z < 0.5) sample of galaxies, that result in excellent agreement with previous literature data. The final catalog, containing ∼ 290000 galaxies with redshift 0.01 < z < 0.9, is made publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster galaxies are subject to the ram pressure exerted by the intracluster medium, which can perturb or even strip away their gas while leaving the stars undisturbed. We model the distribution and kinematics of the stars and the molecular gas in four late-type cluster galaxies (JO201, JO204, JO206, and JW100), which show tails of atomic and ionized gas indicative of ongoing ram pressure stripping. We analyze MUSE@VLT data and CO data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array searching for signatures of radial gas flows, ram pressure stripping, and other perturbations. We find that all galaxies, with the possible exception of JW100, host stellar bars. Signatures of ram pressure are found in JO201 and JO206, which also shows clear indications of ongoing stripping in the molecular disk outskirts. The stripping affects the whole molecular gas disk of JW100. The molecular gas kinematics in JO204 is instead dominated by rotation rather than ram pressure. We also find indications of enhanced turbulence of the molecular gas compared to field galaxies. Large-scale radial flows of molecular gas are present in JO204 and JW100, but more uncertain in JO201 and JO206. We show that our sample follows the molecular gas mass–size relation, confirming that it is essentially independent of environment even for the most extreme cases of stripping. Our findings are consistent with the molecular gas being affected by the ram pressure on different timescales and less severely than the atomic and ionized gas phases, likely because the molecular gas is denser and more gravitationally bound to the galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results from MUSE spatially resolved spectroscopy of 21 post-starburst galaxies in the centers of eight clusters from z ∼ 0.3 to z ∼ 0.4. We measure spatially resolved star formation histories (SFHs), the time since quenching (t Q ), and the fraction of stellar mass assembled in the past 1.5 Gyr (μ 1.5). The SFHs display a clear enhancement of star formation prior to quenching for 16 out of 21 objects, with at least 10% (and up to >50%) of the stellar mass being assembled in the past 1.5 Gyr and t Q ranging from less than 100 to ∼800 Myr. By mapping t Q and μ 1.5, we analyze the quenching patterns of the galaxies. Most galaxies in our sample have quenched their star formation from the outside in or show a side-to-side/irregular pattern, both consistent with quenching by ram pressure stripping. Only three objects show an inside-out quenching pattern, all of which are at the high-mass end of our sample. At least two of them currently host an active galactic nucleus. In two post-starbursts, we identify tails of ionized gas indicating that these objects had their gas stripped by ram pressure very recently. Post-starburst features are also found in the stripped regions of galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping in the same clusters, confirming the link between these classes of objects. Our results point to ram pressure stripping as the main driver of fast quenching in these environments, with active galactic nuclei playing a role at high stellar masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galaxy clusters are biased tracers of the underlying matter density field. At very large radii beyond about 10 Mpc  h −1, the shear profile shows evidence of a second-halo term. This is related to the correlated matter distribution around galaxy clusters and proportional to the so-called halo bias. We present an observational analysis of the halo bias–mass relation based on the AMICO galaxy cluster catalogue, comprising around 7000 candidates detected in the third release of the KiDS survey. We split the cluster sample into 14 redshift-richness bins and derive the halo bias and the virial mass in each bin by means of a stacked weak lensing analysis. The observed halo bias–mass relation and the theoretical predictions based on the Lambda cold dark matter standard cosmological model show an agreement within 2σ. The mean measurements of bias and mass over the full catalogue give |$M_{200c} = (4.9 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{13}\, {\rm M}_{\odot }/{\it h}$| and |$b_h \sigma _8^2 = 1.2 \pm 0.1$|⁠. With the additional prior of a bias–mass relation from numerical simulations, we constrain the normalization of the power spectrum with a fixed matter density Ωm = 0.3, finding σ8 = 0.63 ± 0.10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. As modern-day precision cosmology aims for statistical uncertainties of the percent level or lower, it becomes increasingly important to reconsider estimator assumptions at each step of the process, along with their consequences on the statistical variability of the scientific results. Aims. We compare L1 regression statistics to the weighted mean, the canonical L2 method based on Gaussian assumptions, to infer the weak gravitational shear signal from a catalog of background ellipticity measurements around a sample of clusters, which has been a standard step in the processes of many recent analyses. Methods. We use the shape measurements of background sources around 6925 AMICO clusters detected in the KiDS third data release. We investigate the robustness of our results and the dependence of uncertainties on the signal-to-noise ratios of the background source detections. Using a halo model approach, we derive lensing masses from the estimated excess surface density profiles. Results. The highly significant shear signal allows us to study the scaling relation between the r-band cluster luminosity, L200, and the derived lensing mass, M200. We show the results of the scaling relations derived in 13 bins in L200, with a tightly constrained power-law slope of ∼1.24 ± 0.08. We observe a small, but significant, relative bias of a few percent in the recovered excess surface density profiles between the two regression methods, which translates to a 1σ difference in M200. The efficiency of L1 is at least that of the weighted mean and increases with higher signal-to-noise shape measurements. Concluions. Our results indicate the relevance of optimizing the estimator for inferring the gravitational shear from a distribution of background ellipticities. The interpretation of measured relative biases can be gauged by deeper observations, and the increased computation times remain feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ram pressure stripping has been proven to be effective in shaping galaxy properties in dense environments at low redshift. The availability of Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of a sample of distant (z ∼ 0.3â€"0.5) clusters has allowed one to search for galaxies subject to this phenomenon at significant lookback times. In this paper we describe how we discovered and characterized 13 ram-pressure-stripped galaxies in the central regions of two intermediate redshift (z ∼ 0.3â€"0.4) clusters, A2744 and A370, using the MUSE spectrograph. Emission-line properties as well as stellar features have been analyzed to infer the presence of this gas-only stripping mechanism, that produces spectacular ionized gas tails (H α and even more astonishing [O ii ](3727, 3729)) departing from the main galaxy body. The inner regions of these two clusters reveal the predominance of such galaxies among blue star-forming cluster members, suggesting that ram pressure stripping was even more effective at intermediate redshift than in today’s universe. Interestingly, the resolved [O ii ]/H α line ratio in the stripped tails is exceptionally high compared to that in the disks of these galaxies, (which is comparable to that in normal low- z galaxies), suggesting lower gas densities and/or an interaction with the hot surrounding intracluster medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ram pressure stripping is a crucial evolutionary driver for cluster galaxies. It is thought to be able to accelerate the evolution of their star formation, trigger the activity of their central active galactic nucleus (AGN) and the interplay between galactic and environmental gas, and eventually dissipate their gas reservoirs. We explored the outcomes of ram pressure stripping by studying the nonthermal radio emission of the jellyfish galaxy JW100 in the cluster A2626 (z = 0.055), by combining LOw Frequency Array, MeerKAT, and Very Large Array observations from 0.144 to 5.5 GHz. We studied the integrated spectra of the stellar disk, the stripped tail, and the AGN; mapped the spectral index over the galaxy; and constrained the magnetic field intensity to between 11 and 18 μG in the disk and <10 μG in the tail. The stellar disk radio emission is dominated by a radiatively old plasma, likely related to an older phase of a high star formation rate. This suggests that the star formation was quickly quenched by a factor of 4 in a few 107 yr. The radio emission in the tail is consistent with the stripping scenario, where the radio plasma that originally accelerated in the disk is subsequently displaced in the tail. The morphology of the radio and X-ray emissions supports the scenario of the accretion of magnetized environmental plasma onto the galaxy. The AGN nonthermal spectrum indicates that relativistic electron acceleration may have occurred simultaneously with a central ionized gas outflow, thus suggesting a physical connection between the two processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray studies of jellyfish galaxies play a crucial role in understanding the interactions between the interstellar medium (ISM) and the intracluster medium (ICM). In this paper, we focused on the jellyfish galaxy JO201. By combining archival Chandra observations, Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer Hα cubes, and maps of the emission fraction of the diffuse ionized gas, we investigated both its high-energy spectral properties and the spatial correlation between its X-ray and optical emissions. The X-ray emission of JO201 is provided by both the Compton-thick active galactic nucleus (L = 2.7 · 1041 erg s−1, not corrected for intrinsic absorption) and an extended component (L 1.9–4.5 · 1041 erg s−1) produced by a warm plasma (kT keV), whose luminosity is higher than expected from the observed star formation (L 3.8 · 1040erg s−1). The spectral analysis showed that the X-ray emission is consistent with the thermal cooling of hot plasma. These properties are similar to the ones found in other jellyfish galaxies showing extended X-ray emission. A point-to-point analysis revealed that this X-ray emission closely follows the ISM distribution, whereas CLOUDY simulations proved that the ionization triggered by this warm plasma would be able to reproduce the [O i ]/Hα excess observed in JO201. We conclude that the galactic X-ray emitting plasma originates on the surface of the ISM as a result of the ICM–ISM interplay. This process would entail the cooling and accretion of the ICM onto the galaxy, which could additionally fuel the star formation, and the emergence of [O i ]/Hα excess in the optical spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A catalogue of galaxy clusters was obtained in an area of 414 |$\deg ^2$| up to a redshift z ∼ 0.8 from the Data Release 3 of the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS-DR3), using the Adaptive Matched Identifier of Clustered Objects (amico) algorithm. The catalogue and the calibration of the richness–mass relation were presented in two companion papers. Here, we describe the selection of the cluster central galaxy and the classification of blue and red cluster members, and analyse the main cluster properties, such as the red/blue fraction, cluster mass, brightness, and stellar mass of the central galaxy, and their dependence on redshift and cluster richness. We use the Illustris-TNG simulation, which represents the state-of-the-art cosmological simulation of galaxy formation, as a benchmark for the interpretation of the results. A good agreement with simulations is found at low redshifts (z ≤ 0.4), while at higher redshifts the simulations indicate a lower fraction of blue galaxies than what found in the KiDS- amico catalogue: we argue that this may be due to an underestimate of star-forming galaxies in the simulations. The selection of clusters with a larger magnitude difference between the two brightest central galaxies, which may indicate a more relaxed cluster dynamical status, improves the agreement between the observed and simulated cluster mass and stellar mass of the central galaxy. We also find that at a given cluster mass the stellar mass of blue central galaxies is lower than that of the red ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unbiased and precise mass calibration of galaxy clusters is crucial to fully exploit galaxy clusters as cosmological probes. Stacking of weak lensing (WL) signal allows us to measure observable–mass relations down to less massive haloes without extrapolation. We propose a Bayesian inference method to constrain the intrinsic scatter of the mass proxy in stacked analyses. The scatter of the stacked data is rescaled with respect to the individual scatter based on the number of binned clusters. We apply this method to the galaxy clusters detected with the AMICO (Adaptive Matched Identifier of Clustered Objects) algorithm in the third data release of the Kilo-Degree Survey. The results confirm the optical richness as a low-scatter mass proxy. Based on the optical richness and the calibrated WL mass–richness relation, mass of individual objects down to |$\sim\! 10^{13}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$| can be estimated with a precision of ∼20 per cent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using MUSE observations from the GASP survey, we study 54 galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping (RPS) and spanning a wide range in galaxy mass and host cluster mass. We use this rich sample to study how the star formation rate (SFR) in the tails of stripped gas depends on the properties of the galaxy and its host cluster. We show that the interplay between all the parameters involved is complex and that there is not a single, dominant one in shaping the observed amount of SFR. Hence, we develop a simple analytical approach to describe the mass fraction of stripped gas and the SFR in the tail, as a function of the cluster velocity dispersion, galaxy stellar mass, clustercentric distance, and speed in the intracluster medium. Our model provides a good description of the observed gas truncation radius and of the fraction of SFR observed in the stripped tails, once we take into account the fact that the star formation efficiency in the tails is a factor of ∼5 lower than in the galaxy disk, in agreement with GASP ongoing H i and CO observations. Finally, we estimate the contribution of RPS to the intracluster light (ICL) and find that the average SFR in the tails of ram pressure stripped gas is per cluster. By extrapolating this result to evaluate the contribution to the ICL at different epochs, we compute an integrated average value per cluster of ∼4 × 109M☉ of stars formed in the tails of RPS galaxies since z ∼ 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) Optical Imaging of the CDFS and ES1 Fields Survey, in synergy with the SUDARE survey, is a deep optical ugri imaging of the CDFS and ES1 fields using the VST. The observations for the CDFS field comprise about 4.38 deg2 down to r ∼ 26 mag. The total on-sky time spans over 4 yr in this field, distributed over four adjacent sub-fields. In this paper, we use the multiepoch r -band imaging data to measure the variability of the detected objects and search for transients. We perform careful astrometric and photometric calibrations and point spread function modelling. A new method, referring to as differential running-average photometry, is proposed to measure the light curves of the detected objects. With the method, the difference of PSFs between different epochs can be reduced, and the background fluctuations are also suppressed. Detailed uncertainty analysis and detrending corrections on the light curves are performed. We visually inspect the light curves to select variable objects, and present some objects with interesting light curves. Further investigation of these objects in combination with multiband data will be presented in our forthcoming paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting the sample of 30 local star-forming, undisturbed late-type galaxies in different environments drawn from the GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies with MUSE (GASP), we investigate the spatially resolved star formation rate–mass (⁠|$\rm \Sigma _{SFR}$| – |$\rm \Sigma _\ast$|⁠) relation. Our analysis includes also the galaxy outskirts (up to >4 effective radii, r e), a regime poorly explored by other Integral Field Spectrograph surveys. Our observational strategy allows us to detect H α out to more than 2.7 r e for 75 per cent of the sample. Considering all galaxies together, the correlation between the |$\rm \Sigma _{SFR}$|  and |$\rm \Sigma _\ast$|  is quite broad, with a scatter of 0.3 dex. It gets steeper and shifts to higher |$\rm \Sigma _\ast$|  values when external spaxels are excluded and moving from less to more massive galaxies. The broadness of the overall relation suggests galaxy-by-galaxy variations. Indeed, each object is characterized by a distinct |$\rm \Sigma _{SFR}$|  – |$\rm \Sigma _\ast$|  relation and in some cases the correlation is very loose. The scatter of the relation mainly arises from the existence of bright off-centre star-forming knots whose |$\rm \Sigma _{SFR}$| – |$\rm \Sigma _\ast$|  relation is systematically broader than that of the diffuse component. The |$\rm \Sigma _{SFR}$| – |$\rm \Sigma _{tot \, gas}$|  (total gas surface density) relation is as broad as the |$\rm \Sigma _{SFR}$| – |$\rm \Sigma _\ast$|  relation, indicating that the surface gas density is not a primary driver of the relation. Even though a large galaxy-by-galaxy variation exists, mean |$\rm \Sigma _{SFR}$|  and |$\rm \Sigma _\ast$|  values vary of at most 0.7 dex across galaxies. We investigate the relationship between the local and global SFR– M * relation, finding that the latter is driven by the existence of the size–mass relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GASP survey, based on MUSE data, is unveiling the properties of the gas in the so-called 'jellyfish' galaxies: these are cluster galaxies with spectacular evidence of gas stripping by ram pressure. In a previous paper (Poggianti et al.), we selected the seven GASP galaxies with the most extended tentacles of ionized gas, and based on individual diagnostic diagrams concluded that at least five of them present clear evidence for an active galactic nucleus. Here we present a more detailed analysis of the emission lines properties in these galaxies. Our comparison of several emission line ratios with both AGN and shock models show that photoionization by the AGN is the dominant ionization mechanism. This conclusion is strengthened by the analysis of |$\rm H\,\beta$| luminosities, the presence of nuclear iron coronal lines, and extended (>10 kpc) emission line regions ionized by the AGN in some of these galaxies. From emission line profiles, we find the presence of outflows in four galaxies, and derive mass outflow rates, time-scales, and kinetic energy of the outflows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first catalogue of galaxy cluster candidates derived from the third data release of the Kilo-Degree Survey. The sample of clusters has been produced using the Adaptive Matched Identifier of Clustered Objects (amico) algorithm. In this analysis, amico considers the luminosity, spatial distribution, and photo- |$z$| of galaxies, without performing any selection based on their colours. In this way, we minimize the dependence of the selection function on the detectability or even absence of the red sequence in the clusters. The catalogue comprises 7988 candidate galaxy clusters in the redshift range 0.1 < |$z$| < 0.8 down to signal-to-noise ratio > 3.5 with a purity approaching 95 per cent over the entire redshift range. In addition to the catalogue of galaxy clusters, we also provide a catalogue of galaxies with their probabilistic association to the detected clusters. We quantify the sample purity, completeness, and the uncertainties of the detections properties, such as richness, redshift, and position, by means of mock galaxy catalogues. The simulations are derived directly from the data to fully reproduce their statistical properties including photo- |$z$| uncertainties, unknown absorption across the survey, missing data, spatial correlation of galaxies, and galaxy clusters. Being based on real data, such mock catalogues do not have to rely on the assumptions on which numerical simulations and semi-analytic models are based on. This paper is the first of a series of papers in which we discuss the details and physical properties of the sample presented in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the mass calibration for galaxy clusters detected with the AMICO code in KiDS DR3 data. The cluster sample comprises 7000 objects and covers the redshift range 0.1 < |$z$| < 0.6. We perform a weak lensing stacked analysis by binning the clusters according to redshift and two different mass proxies provided by AMICO, namely the amplitude A (measure of galaxy abundance through an optimal filter) and the richness λ* (sum of membership probabilities in a consistent radial and magnitude range across redshift). For each bin, we model the data as a truncated NFW profile plus a two-halo term, taking into account uncertainties related to concentration and miscentring. From the retrieved estimates of the mean halo masses, we construct the A – M 200 and the λ*– M 200 relations. The relations extend over more than 1 order of magnitude in mass, down to |$M_{200} \sim 2\, (5) \times 10^{13} \, \mathrm{M}_\odot \, h^{-1}$| at |$z$|  = 0.2 (0.5), with small evolution in redshift. The logarithmic slope is 2.0 for the A –mass relation, and 1.7 for the λ*–mass relation, consistent with previous estimations on mock catalogues and coherent with the different nature of the two observables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping in clusters are an excellent opportunity to study the effects of environment on both the AGN and the star formation activity. We report here on the most recent results from the GASP survey. We discuss the AGN-ram pressure stripping connection and some evidence for AGN feedback in stripped galaxies. We then focus on the star formation activity, both in the disks and the tails of these galaxies, and conclude drawing a picture of the relation between multi-phase gas and star formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on MUSE data from the GASP survey, we study the |$\rm H\,\alpha$| -emitting extraplanar tails of 16 cluster galaxies at z  ∼ 0.05 undergoing ram pressure stripping. We demonstrate that the dominating ionization mechanism of this gas (between 64 per cent and 94 per cent of the |$\rm H\,\alpha$| emission in the tails depending on the diagnostic diagram used) is photoionization by young massive stars due to ongoing star formation (SF) taking place in the stripped tails. This SF occurs in dynamically quite cold H   ii clumps with a median |$\rm H\,\alpha$| velocity dispersion |$\sigma = 27\rm \, km\, s^{-1}$|⁠. We study the characteristics of over 500 star-forming clumps in the tails and find median values of |$\rm H\,\alpha$| luminosity |$L_{\rm H\,\alpha } = 4\times 10^{38}\, \rm erg\, s^{-1}$|⁠, dust extinction AV  = 0.5 mag, star formation rate SFR |$=0.003\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }\, \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$|⁠, ionized gas density |$n_e =52\rm \, cm^{-3}$|⁠, ionized gas mass |$M_{\rm gas} = 4\times 10^4 \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$|⁠, and stellar mass |$M_{*} = 3\times 10^6\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$|⁠. The tail clumps follow scaling relations (M gas − M *, L H α − σ, SFR- M gas) similar to disc clumps, and their stellar masses are comparable to Ultra Compact Dwarfs and Globular Clusters. The diffuse gas component in the tails is ionized by a combination of SF and composite/LINER-like emission likely due to thermal conduction or turbulence. The stellar photoionization component of the diffuse gas can be due either to leakage of ionizing photons from the H   ii clumps with an average escape fraction of 18 per cent, or lower luminosity H   ii regions that we cannot individually identify. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The VST Optical Imaging of the CDFS and ES1 Fields (VOICE) Survey is a Guaranteed Time programme carried out with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) VLT Survey Telescope (VST) telescope to provide deep optical imaging over two 4 deg2 patches of the sky centred on the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) and ES1 as part of the ESO-Spitzer Imaging Extragalactic Survey. We present the cosmic shear measurement over the 4 deg2 covering the CDFS region in the r band using LensFit. Each of the four tiles of 1 deg2 has more than 100 exposures, of which more than 50 exposures passed a series of image quality selection criteria for weak-lensing study. The 5σ limiting magnitude in r band is 26.1 for point sources, which is ≳1 mag deeper than other weak-lensing survey in the literature [e.g. the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) at VST]. The photometric redshifts are estimated using the VOICE u, g, r, i together with near-infrared VIDEO data Y, J, H, Ks. The mean redshift of the shear catalogue is 0.87, considering the shear weight. The effective galaxy number density is 16.35 gal arcmin−2, which is nearly twice the one of KiDS. The performance of LensFit on such a deep data set was calibrated using VOICE-like mock image simulations. Furthermore, we have analysed the reliability of the shear catalogue by calculating the star–galaxy cross-correlations, the tomographic shear correlations of two redshift bins and the contaminations of the blended galaxies. As a further sanity check, we have constrained cosmological parameters by exploring the parameter space with Population Monte Carlo sampling. For a flat Λ cold dark matter model, we have obtained $$\Sigma_8=\sigma_8(\Omega_{\rm m}/0.3)^{0.5}=0.68^{+0.11}_{-0.15}$$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy accretes matter, it gives rise to a highly energetic phenomenon: an active galactic nucleus. Numerous physical processes have been proposed to account for the funnelling of gas towards the galactic centre to feed the black hole. There are also several physical processes that can remove gas from a galaxy, one of which is ram-pressure stripping by the hot gas that fills the space between galaxies in galaxy clusters. Here we report that six out of a sample of seven 'jellyfish' galaxies-galaxies with long 'tentacles' of material that extend for dozens of kiloparsecs beyond the galactic disks-host an active nucleus, and two of them also have galactic-scale ionization cones. The high incidence of nuclear activity among heavily stripped jellyfish galaxies may be due to ram pressure causing gas to flow towards the centre and triggering the activity, or to an enhancement of the stripping caused by energy injection from the active nucleus, or both. Our analysis of the galactic position and velocity relative to the cluster strongly supports the first hypothesis, and puts forward ram pressure as another possible mechanism for feeding the central supermassive black hole with gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a statistical estimator to infer the redshift probability distribution of a photometric sample of galaxies from its angular cross-correlation in redshift bins with an overlapping spectroscopic sample. This estimator is a minimum-variance weighted quadratic function of the data: a quadratic estimator. This extends and modifies the methodology presented by McQuinn & White. The derived source redshift distribution is degenerate with the source galaxy bias, which must be constrained via additional assumptions. We apply this estimator to constrain source galaxy redshift distributions in the Kilo-Degree imaging survey through cross- correlation with the spectroscopic 2-degree Field Lensing Survey, presenting results first as a binned step-wise distribution in the range z < 0.8, and then building a continuous distribution using a Gaussian process model. We demonstrate the robustness of our methodology using mock catalogues constructed from N-body simulations, and comparisons with other techniques for inferring the redshift distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]