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We have carried out the largest (>3.5 × 105 Mpc³, 26 deg²) Hα narrow-band survey to date at z ~ 0.2 in the SA22, W2 and XMMLSS extragalactic fields. Our survey covers a large enough volume to overcome cosmic variance and to sample bright and rare Hα emitters up to an observed luminosity of ~1042.4 erg s-1, equivalent to ~11M☉yr-1. Using our sample of 220 sources brighter than >1041.4 erg s-1 (>1M☉ yr-1), we derive Hα luminosity functions, which are well described by a Schechter function with Ø★ = 10-2.85 ± 0.03 Mpc-3 and L*Hα = 1041.71±0.02 erg s-1 (with a fixed faint end slope α = -1.35). We find that surveys probing smaller volumes (~3 × 104 Mpc³) are heavily affected by cosmic variance, which can lead to errors of over 100 per cent in the characteristic density and luminosity of the Hα luminosity function. We derive a star formation rate density of ρSFRD = 0.0094 ± 0.0008M☉ yr-1, in agreement with the redshift-dependent Hα parametrization from Sobral et al. The two-point correlation function is described by a single power law ω(θ) = (0.159 ± 0.012)θ(-0.75 ± 0.05), corresponding to a clustering length of r0 =3.3±0.8Mpc h-1.We find that the most luminous Hα emitters at z ~ 0.2 are more strongly clustered than the relatively fainter ones. The L ~Hα Hα emitters at z ~ 0.2 in our sample reside in ~1012.5-13.5M☉ dark matter haloes. This implies that the most star-forming galaxies always reside in relatively massive haloes or group-like environments and that the typical host halo mass of star-forming galaxies is independent of redshift if scaled by LHα/L*Hα(z), as proposed by Sobral et al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using wide-field narrow-band surveys, we provide a new measurement of the z = 6.6 Lymana emitter (LAE) luminosity function (LF), which constraints the bright end for the first time. We use a combination of archival narrow-band NB921 data in UDS and new NB921 measurements in SA22 and COSMOS/UltraVISTA, all observed with the Subaru telescope, with a total area of ~5 deg². We exclude lower redshift interlopers by using broad-band optical and nearinfrared photometry and also exclude three supernovae with data split over multiple epochs. Combining the UDS and COSMOS samples, we find no evolution of the bright end of the Lya LF between z = 5.7 and 6.6, which is supported by spectroscopic follow-up, and conclude that sources with Himiko-like luminosity are not as rare as previously thought, with number densities of ~1.5 × 10-5 Mpc-3. Combined with our wide-field SA22 measurements, our results indicate a non-Schechter-like bright end of the LF at z = 6.6 and a different evolution of observed faint and bright LAEs, overcoming cosmic variance. This differential evolution is also seen in the spectroscopic follow-up of UV-selected galaxies and is now also confirmed for LAEs, and we argue that it may be an effect of reionization. Using a toy model, we show that such differential evolution of the LF is expected, since brighter sources are able to ionize their surroundings earlier, such that Lya photons are able to escape. Our targets are excellent candidates for detailed follow-up studies and provide the possibility to give a unique view on the earliest stages in the formation of galaxies and reionization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CIZA J2242.8+5301 ('Sausage') and 1RXS J0603.3+4213 ('Toothbrush') are two low-redshift (z ~ 0.2), massive (~2 x 1015M⊙), post-core passage merging clusters, which host-shock waves traced by diffuse radio emission. To study their star formation properties, we uniformly survey the 'Sausage' and 'Toothbrush' clusters in broad- and narrow-band filters and select a sample of 201 and 463 line emitters, down to a rest-frame equivalent width (13 Å). We robustly separate between Hα and higher redshift emitters using a combination of optical multiband (B, g, V, r, i, z) and spectroscopic data. We build Hα luminosity functions for the entire cluster region, near the shock fronts, and away from the shock fronts and find striking differences between the two clusters. In the dynamically younger, 1 Gyr old 'Sausage' cluster we find numerous (59) Hα emitters above a star formation rate (SFR) of 0.17 M⊙ yr-1 surprisingly located in close proximity to the shock fronts, embedded in very hot intracluster medium plasma. The SFR density for the cluster population is at least at the level of typical galaxies at z ~ 2. Down to the same SFR, the possibly dynamically more evolved 'Toothbrush' cluster has only nine Hα galaxies. The cluster Hα galaxies fall on the SFR-stellar mass relation z ~ 0.2 for the field. However, the 'Sausage' cluster has an Hα emitter density >20 times that of blank fields. If the shock passes through gas-rich cluster galaxies, the compressed gas could collapse into dense clouds and excite star formation for a few 100 Myr. This process ultimately leads to a rapid consumption of the molecular gas, accelerating the transformation of gas-rich field spirals into cluster S0s or ellipticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster mergers may play a fundamental role in the formation and evolution of cluster galaxies. Stroe et al. revealed unexpected overdensities of candidate Hα emitters near the ~1-Mpc-wide shock fronts of the massive (~2 x 1015 M⊙) 'Sausage' merging cluster, CIZA J2242.8+5301. We used the Keck/Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph and the William Herschel Telescope/AutoFib2+WYFFOS to confirm 83 Hα emitters in and around the merging cluster. We find that cluster star-forming galaxies in the hottest X-ray gas and/or in the cluster subcores (away from the shock fronts) show high [S ii]6716/[S ii]6761 and high [S ii] 6716/Hα, implying very low electron densities (<30 x lower than all other star-forming galaxies outside the cluster) and/or significant contribution from supernovae, respectively. All cluster star-forming galaxies near the cluster centre show evidence of significant outflows (blueshifted Na D ~200-300 km s-1), likely driven by supernovae. Strong outflows are also found for the cluster Hα active galactic nucleus (AGN). Hα star-forming galaxies in the merging cluster follow the z ~ 0 mass-metallicity relation, showing systematically higher metallicity (~0.15-0.2 dex) than Hα emitters outside the cluster (projected R > 2.5 Mpc). This suggests that the shock front may have triggered remaining metal-rich gas which galaxies were able to retain into forming stars. Our observations show that the merger of impressively massive (~1015 M⊙) clusters can provide the conditions for significant star formation and AGN activity, but, as we witness strong feedback by star-forming galaxies and AGN (and given how massive the merging cluster is), such sources will likely quench in a few 100 Myr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]