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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 × 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 ( 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.

CIZA J2242.8+5301 ('Sausage') and 1RXS J0603.3+4213 ('Toothbrush') are two lowredshift (z ~ 0.2), massive (~2 × 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-stellarmass relation z ~ 0.2 for the field. However, the 'Sausage' cluster has an Hαa 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.

The cosmic ionizing emissivity from star-forming galaxies has long been anchored to UV luminosity functions. Here, we introduce an emissivity framework based on Lyα emitters (LAEs), which naturally hones in on the subset of galaxies responsible for the ionizing background due to the intimate connection between production and escape of Lyα and LyC photons. Using constraints on the escape fractions of bright LAEs (L Lyα > 0.2 L *) at z ≈ 2 obtained from resolved Lyα profiles, and arguing for their redshift-invariance, we show that: (i) quasars and LAEs together reproduce the relatively flat emissivity at z ≈ 2–6, which is non-trivial given the strong evolution in both the star formation density and quasar number density at these epochs and (ii) LAEs produce late and rapid reionization between z ≈ 6−9 under plausible assumptions. Within this framework, the >10 × rise in the UV population-averaged f esc between z ≈ 3–7 naturally arises due to the same phenomena that drive the growing LAE fraction with redshift. Generally, a LAE dominated emissivity yields a peak in the distribution of the ionizing budget with UV luminosity as reported in latest simulations. Using our adopted parameters (⁠|$f_{\rm {esc}}=50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠ , ξ ion = 1025.9 Hz erg−1 for half the bright LAEs), a highly ionizing minority of galaxies with M UV < −17 accounts for the entire ionizing budget from star-forming galaxies. Rapid flashes of LyC from such rare galaxies produce a 'disco' ionizing background. We conclude proposing tests to further develop our suggested Lyα-anchored formalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ionizing photon escape fraction [Lyman continuum (LyC) f esc] of star-forming galaxies is the single greatest unknown in the reionization budget. Stochastic sightline effects prohibit the direct separation of LyC leakers from non-leakers at significant redshifts. Here we circumvent this uncertainty by inferring f esc using resolved (R  > 4000) Lyman α (Lyα) profiles from the X-SHOOTER Lyα survey at z = 2 (XLS- z 2). With empirically motivated criteria, we use Lyα profiles to select leakers (⁠|$f_{\mathrm{ esc}} > 20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠) and non-leakers (⁠|$f_{\mathrm{ esc}} < 5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠) from a representative sample of >0.2 L * Lyman α emitters (LAEs). We use median stacked spectra of these subsets over λrest ≈ 1000–8000 Å to investigate the conditions for LyC f esc. Our stacks show similar mass, metallicity, M UV, and βUV. We find the following differences between leakers versus non-leakers: (i) strong nebular C  iv and He  ii emission versus non-detections; (ii) [O  iii ]/[O  ii ] ≈ 8.5 versus ≈3; (iii) Hα/Hβ indicating no dust versus E (B − V) ≈ 0.3; (iv) Mg  ii emission close to the systemic velocity versus redshifted, optically thick Mg  ii ; and (v) Lyα f esc of |${\approx} 50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| versus |${\approx} 10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. The extreme equivalent widths (EWs) in leakers ([O  iii ]+ |$\mathrm{ H}\beta \approx 1100$|  Å rest frame) constrain the characteristic time-scale of LyC escape to ≈3–10 Myr bursts when short-lived stars with the hardest ionizing spectra shine. The defining traits of leakers – extremely ionizing stellar populations, low column densities, a dust-free, high-ionization state interstellar medium (ISM) – occur simultaneously in the |$f_{\rm esc} > 20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| stack, suggesting they are causally connected, and motivating why indicators like [O  iii ]/[O  ii ] may suffice to constrain f esc at z > 6 with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The leakers comprise half of our sample, have a median LyC |$f_{\rm esc} \approx 50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (conservative range: |$20\!-\!55{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠), and an ionizing production efficiency |$\log ({\xi _{\rm {ion}}/\rm {Hz\ erg^{-1}}})\approx 25.9$| (conservative range: 25.7–25.9). These results show LAEs – the type of galaxies rare at z  ≈ 2, but that become the norm at higher redshift – are highly efficient ionizers, with extreme ξion and prolific f esc occurring in sync. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CR7 is among the most luminous Ly α emitters (LAEs) known at z  = 6.6 and consists of at least three UV components that are surrounded by Ly α emission. Previous studies have suggested that it may host an extreme ionizing source. Here, we present deep integral field spectroscopy of CR7 with VLT/Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). We measure extended emission with a similar halo scale length as typical LAEs at z ≈ 5. CR7's Ly α halo is clearly elongated along the direction connecting the multiple components, likely tracing the underlying gas distribution. The Ly α emission originates almost exclusively from the brightest UV component, but we also identify a faint kinematically distinct Ly α emitting region nearby a fainter component. Combined with new near-infrared data, the MUSE data show that the rest-frame Ly α equivalent width (EW) is ≈100 Å. This is a factor 4 higher than the EW measured in low-redshift analogues with carefully matched Ly α profiles (and thus arguably H  i column density), but this EW can plausibly be explained by star formation. Alternative scenarios requiring active galactic nucleus (AGN) powering are also disfavoured by the narrower and steeper Ly α spectrum and much smaller IR to UV ratio compared to obscured AGN in other Ly α blobs. CR7's Ly α emission, while extremely luminous, resembles the emission in more common LAEs at lower redshifts very well and is likely powered by a young metal-poor starburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luminous quasars are powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes. Such luminous quasars have been discovered up to the highest redshifts, z > 7. Here we discuss recent observations of the host galaxies of luminous quasars at z ≳ 6. We do not find a correlation between ongoing black hole growth and star-formation rate in the high redshift quasars, possibly indicating that black holes and their hosts do not co-evolve. We further show that even with high spatial resolution observations of the gas kinematics, dynamical mass estimates remain highly uncertain and should be used with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent progress in understanding Ly α emitters (LAEs), relatively little is known regarding their typical black hole activity across cosmic time. Here, we study the X-ray and radio properties of ∼4000 LAEs at 2.2 < |$z$| < 6 from the SC4K survey in the COSMOS field. We detect 254 (⁠|$6.8{\rm{ per\ cent}} \pm 0.4{\rm{ per\ cent}}$|⁠) LAEs individually in the X-rays (S/N > 3) with an average luminosity of |$\rm 10^{44.31\pm 0.01}\, erg\, s^{-1}$| and average black hole accretion rate (BHAR) of |$\rm 0.72 \pm 0.01$|  M⊙ yr−1, consistent with moderate to high accreting active galactic neuclei (AGNs). We detect 120 sources in deep radio data (radio AGN fraction of |$3.2{\rm{ per\ cent}} \pm 0.3{\rm{ per\ cent}}$|⁠). The global AGN fraction (⁠|$\rm 8.6{\rm{ per\ cent}} \pm 0.4{\rm{ per\ cent}}$|⁠) rises with Ly α luminosity and declines with increasing redshift. For X-ray-detected LAEs, Ly α luminosities correlate with the BHARs, suggesting that Ly α luminosity becomes a BHAR indicator. Most LAEs (⁠|$93.1{\rm{ per\ cent}} \pm 0.6{\rm{ per\ cent}}$|⁠) at 2 < |$z$| < 6 have no detectable X-ray emission (BHARs < 0.017 M⊙ yr−1). The median star formation rate (SFR) of star-forming LAEs from Ly α and radio luminosities is |$7.6^{+6.6}_{-2.8}$|  M⊙ yr−1. The black hole to galaxy growth ratio (BHAR/SFR) for LAEs is <0.0022, consistent with typical star-forming galaxies and the local BHAR/SFR relation. We conclude that LAEs at 2 < |$z$| < 6 include two different populations: an AGN population, where Ly α luminosity traces BHAR, and another with low SFRs which remain undetected in even the deepest X-ray stacks but is detected in the radio stacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observed properties of the Lyman-α (Ly α) emission line are a powerful probe of neutral gas in and around galaxies. We present spatially resolved Ly α spectroscopy with VLT/MUSE targeting VR7, a UV-luminous galaxy at z  = 6.532 with moderate Ly α equivalent width (EW0 ≈ 38 Å). These data are combined with deep resolved [CII]158μm spectroscopy obtained with ALMA and UV imaging from HST and we also detect UV continuum with MUSE. Ly α emission is clearly detected with S/N ≈ 40 and FWHM of 374 km s−1. Ly α and [C  ii ] are similarly extended beyond the UV, with effective radius reff = 2.1 ± 0.2 kpc for a single exponential model or r |$_{\rm eff, Ly\alpha , halo} = 3.45^{+1.08}_{-0.87}$| kpc when measured jointly with the UV continuum. The Ly α profile is broader and redshifted with respect to the [C  ii ] line (by 213 km s−1), but there are spatial variations that are qualitatively similar in both lines and coincide with resolved UV components. This suggests that the emission originates from two components with plausibly different H  i column densities. We place VR7 in the context of other galaxies at similar and lower redshift. The Ly α halo scale length is similar at different redshifts and velocity shifts with respect to the systemic are typically smaller. Overall, we find little indications of a more neutral vicinity at higher redshift. This means that the local (∼10 kpc) neutral gas conditions that determine the observed Ly α properties in VR7 resemble the conditions in post-reionization galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present spectroscopic follow-up of candidate luminous Ly α emitters (LAEs) at z=5.7-6.6 in the SA22 field with VLT/X-SHOOTER. We confirm two new luminous LAEs at z = 5.676 (SR6) and z = 6.532 (VR7), and also present HST follow-up of both sources. These sources have luminosities LLyα ≈ 3 × 1043 erg s-1, very high rest-frame equivalent widths of EW0 ≳ 200 Å and narrow Ly α lines (200-340 km s-1). VR7 is the most UV-luminous LAE at z > 6.5, with M1500 = -22.5, even brighter in the UV than CR7. Besides Ly α, we do not detect any other rest-frame UV lines in the spectra of SR6 and VR7, and argue that rest-frame UV lines are easier to observe in bright galaxies with low Ly α equivalent widths. We confirm that Ly α line widths increase with Ly α luminosity at z = 5.7, while there are indications that Ly α lines of faint LAEs become broader at z = 6.6, potentially due to reionization. We find a large spread of up to 3 dex in UV luminosity for >L* LAEs, but find that the Ly α luminosity of the brightest LAEs is strongly related to UV luminosity at z = 6.6. Under basic assumptions, we find that several LAEs at z ≈ 6-7 have Ly α escape fractions ≳ 100 per cent, indicating bursty star formation histories, alternative Ly α production mechanisms, or dust attenuating Ly α emission differently than UV emission. Finally, we present a method to compute ξion, the production efficiency of ionizing photons, and find that LAEs at z ≈ 6-7 have high values of log10(ξion/Hz erg-1) ≈ 25.51 ± 0.09 that may alleviate the need for high Lyman-Continuum escape fractions required for reionization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While traditionally associated with active galactic nuclei (AGN), the properties of the C II] (λ = 2326 Å), CIII] (λ, λ = 1907, 1909 Å) and C IV (λ, λ = 1549, 1551 Å) emission lines are still uncertain as large, unbiased samples of sources are scarce. We present the first blind, statistical study of C II], CIII] and C IV emitters at z ∼ 0.68, 1.05, 1.53, respectively, uniformly selected down to a flux limit of ∼4 × 10−17 erg s−1 cm−1 through a narrow-band survey covering an area of ∼1.4 deg2 over COSMOS and UDS. We detect 16 C II], 35 C III] and 17 C IV emitters, whose nature we investigate using optical colours as well as Hubble Space Telescope (HST), X-ray, radio and far-infrared data. We find that z ∼ 0.7 C II] emitters are consistent with a mixture of blue (UV slope β = −2.0 ± 0.4) star-forming (SF) galaxies with discy HST structure and AGN with Seyfert-like morphologies. Bright C II] emitters have individual X-ray detections as well as high average black hole accretion rates (BHARs) of ∼0.1M⊚ yr−1. CIII] emitters at z ∼ 1.05 trace a general population of SF galaxies, with β =−0.8 ± 1.1, a variety of optical morphologies, including isolated and interacting galaxies and low BHAR (<0.02M⊚ yr−1). Our CIV emitters at z ∼ 1.5 are consistent with young, blue quasars (β ∼ −1.9) with point-like optical morphologies, bright X-ray counterparts and large BHAR (0.8 M⊚ yr−1). We also find some surprising C II], CIII] and C IV emitters with rest-frame equivalent widths (EWs) that could be as large as 50–100 Å. AGN or spatial offsets between the UV continuum stellar disc and the line-emitting regions may explain the large EW. These bright C II], CIII] and C IV emitters are ideal candidates for spectroscopic follow-up to fully unveil their nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the C III] and C IV emission lines have been observed in galaxies in the early Universe (z > 5), providing new ways to measure their redshift and study their stellar populations and active galactic nuclei (AGN). We explore the first blind C II], C III] and C IV survey (z ∼ 0.68, 1.05, 1.53, respectively) presented in Stroe et al. (2017). We derive luminosity functions (LF) and study properties of C II], C III] and C IV line emitters through comparisons to the LFs of Hα and Ly α emitters, UV selected star-forming (SF) galaxies and quasars at similar redshifts. The C II] LF at z ∼ 0.68 is equally well described by a Schechter or a power-law LF, characteristic of a mixture of SF and AGN activity. The C III] LF (z ∼ 1.05) is consistent to a scaled down version of the Schechter Hα and Ly α LF at their redshift, indicating a SF origin. In stark contrast, the C IV LF at z ∼ 1.53 is well fit by a power-law, quasar-like LF. We find that the brightest UV sources (MUV < -22) will universally have C III] and C IV emission. However, on average, C III] and C IV are not as abundant as Hα or Ly α emitters at the same redshift, with cosmic average ratios of ∼0.02-0.06 to Hα and ∼0.01-0.1 to intrinsic Ly α. We predict that the C III] and C IV lines can only be truly competitive in confirming high-redshift candidates when the hosts are intrinsically bright and the effective Ly α escape fraction is below 1 per cent. While C III] and C IV were proposed as good tracers of young, relatively low-metallicity galaxies typical of the early Universe, we find that, at least at z ∼ 1.5, C IV is exclusively hosted by AGN/quasars, especially at large line equivalent widths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the production rate of ionizing photons of a sample of 588 Hα emitters (HAEs) and 160 Lyman-α emitters (LAEs) at z = 2.2 in the COSMOS field in order to assess the implied emissivity from galaxies, based on their ultraviolet (UV) luminosity. By exploring the rest-frame Lyman Continuum (LyC) with GALEX/NUV data, we find fesc < 2.8 (6.4) per cent through median (mean) stacking. By combining the Hα luminosity density with intergalactic medium emissivity measurements from absorption studies, we find a globally averaged of 5.9+14.5-4.2 per cent at z = 2.2 if we assume HAEs are the only source of ionizing photons. We find similarly low values of the global at z ≈ 3-5, also ruling out a high at z < 5. These low escape fractions allow us to measure ξion, the number of produced ionizing photons per unit UV luminosity, and investigate how this depends on galaxy properties. We find a typical ξion ≈ 1024.77 ±0.04 Hz erg-1 for HAEs and ξion ≈ 1025.14 ±0.09 Hz erg-1 for LAEs. LAEs and low-mass HAEs at z = 2.2 show similar values of ξion as typically assumed in the reionization era, while the typical HAE is three times less ionizing. Due to an increasing ξion with increasing EW(Hα), ξion likely increases with redshift. This evolution alone is fully in line with the observed evolution of ξion between z ≈ 2 and 5, indicating a typical value of ξion ≈ 1025.4 Hz erg-1 in the reionization era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding galaxy formation and evolution requires studying the interplay between the growth of galaxies and the growth of their black holes across cosmic time. Here, we explore a sample of Hα-selected star-forming galaxies from the High Redshift Emission Line Survey and use the wealth of multiwavelength data in the Cosmic Evolution Survey field (X-rays, far-infrared and radio) to study the relative growth rates between typical galaxies and their central supermassive black holes, from z = 2.23 to z = 0. Typical star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1-2 have black hole accretion rates (...BH) of 0.001-0.01 M⊙ yr-1 and star formation rates (SFRs) of ~10-40 M⊙ yr-1, and thus grow their stellar mass much quicker than their black hole mass (3.3±0.2 orders of magnitude faster). However, ~3 per cent of the sample (the sources detected directly in the X-rays) show a significantly quicker growth of the black hole mass (up to 1.5 orders of magnitude quicker growth than the typical sources). ...BH falls from z = 2.23 to z = 0, with the decline resembling that of SFR density or the typical SFR (SFR*). We find that the average black hole to galaxy growth (...BH/SFR) is approximately constant for star-forming galaxies in the last 11 Gyr. The relatively constant ...BH/SFR suggests that these two quantities evolve equivalently through cosmic time and with practically no delay between the two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new results from the widest narrow-band survey search for Lyα emitters at z = 5.7, just after reionization. We survey a total of 7 deg² spread over the COSMOS, UDS and SA22 fields. We find over 11 000 line emitters, out of which 514 are robust Lyα candidates at z = 5.7 within a volume of 6.3 × 106 Mpc³. Our Lyα emitters span a wide range in Lyα luminosities, from faint to bright (LLyα ~ 1042.5-44 erg s-1) and rest-frame equivalent widths (EW0 ~ 25-1000 Å) in a single, homogeneous data set. By combining all our fields, we find that the faint end slope of the z=5.7 Lyα luminosity function is very steep, with α = -2.3+0.4 -0.3. We also present an updated z = 6.6 Lyα luminosity function, based on comparable volumes and obtained with the same methods, which we directly compare with that at z = 5.7.We find a significant decline of the number density of faint Lyα emitters from z = 5.7 to 6.6 (by 0.5 ± 0.1 dex), but no evolution at the bright end/no evolution in L*. Faint Lyα emitters at z = 6.6 show much more extended haloes than those at z = 5.7, suggesting that neutral Hydrogen plays an important role, increasing the scattering and leading to observations missing faint Lyα emission within the epoch of reionization. Altogether, our results suggest that we are observing patchy reionization which happens first around the brightest Lyα emitters, allowing the number densities of those sources to remain unaffected by the increase of neutral Hydrogen fraction from z ~ 5 to 7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use new near-infrared spectroscopic observations to investigate the nature and evolution of the most luminous Hα emitters at z ~ 0.8-2.23, which evolve strongly in number density over this period, and compare them to more typical Hα emitters. We study 59 luminous Hα emitters with LHα > L*Hα, roughly equally split per redshift slice at z ~ 0.8, 1.47 and 2.23 from the HiZELS and CF-HiZELS surveys. We find that, overall, 30 ± 8 per cent are active galactic nuclei [AGNs; 80 ± 30 per cent of these AGNs are broad-line AGNs, BL-AGNs], and we find little to no evolution in the AGN fraction with redshift, within the errors. However, the AGN fraction increases strongly with Hα luminosity and correlates best with LHα/L*Hα(z). While LHα ≤ L*Hα(z) Hα emitters are largely dominated by star-forming galaxies (>80 per cent), the most luminous Hα emitters (LHα>10L*Hα(z)) at any cosmic time are essentially all BL-AGN. Using our AGN-decontaminated sample of luminous star-forming galaxies, and integrating down to a fixed Hα luminosity, we find a factor of ~1300 evolution in the star formation rate density from z = 0 to 2.23. This is much stronger than the evolution from typical Hα star-forming galaxies and in line with the evolution seen for constant luminosity cuts used to select 'ultraluminous' infrared galaxies and/or sub-millimetre galaxies. By taking into account the evolution in the typical Hα luminosity, we show that the most strongly star-forming Hα-selected galaxies at any epoch (LHα>L*Hα(z)) contribute the same fractional amount of ≈15 per cent to the total star formation rate density, at least up to z = 2.23. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using wide-field narrow-band surveys, we provide a new measurement of the z = 6.6 Lyman 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 near-infrared 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 Ly LFα 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 x 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 Lyα 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]

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 × 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 × 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]

CIZA J2242.8+5301 ('Sausage') and 1RXS J0603.3+4213 ('Toothbrush') are two lowredshift (z ~ 0.2), massive (~2 × 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 Ha and higher redshift emitters using a combination of optical multiband (B, g, V, r, i, z) and spectroscopic data. We build Ha 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) Ha 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 nineHa galaxies. The clusterHa galaxies fall on the SFR-stellarmass relation z ~ 0.2 for the field. However, the 'Sausage' cluster has an Ha 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]

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]

The most extreme cluster mergers can lead to massive cluster-wide travelling shock waves. The CIZA J2242.8+5301 (‘sausage’) and 1RXS J0603.3+4213 (‘toothbrush’) clusters (z ∼ 0.2) host enormous radio-emitting shocks with simple geometry. We investigate the role of mergers and shocks in shaping the Hα luminosity function, using custom-made narrow-band filters matching the cluster redshifts mounted on the Isaac Newton Telescope. We surveyed ∼0.28 deg2 for each cluster and found 181 line emitters in the ‘sausage’ (volume of 3.371 × 103 Mpc3 for Hα at z = 0.1945) and 141 in the ‘toothbrush’ (4.546 × 103 Mpc3 for Hα at z = 0.225), out of which 49 (‘sausage’) and 30 (‘toothbrush’) are expected to be Hα. We build luminosity functions for the field-of-view down to an average limiting star formation rate of 0.14 M⊙ yr−1, find good agreement with field luminosity functions at z = 0.2, but significant differences between the shapes of the luminosity functions for the two clusters. We discover extended, tens-of-kpc-wide Hα haloes in galaxies neighbouring relics, which were possibly disrupted by the passage of the shock wave. By comparing the ‘sausage’ cluster with blank fields and other clusters, we also uncover an order of magnitude boost (at 9σ level) in the normalization ϕ* of the luminosity function in the relic areas. Our results suggest that cluster mergers may play an important role in the evolution of cluster galaxies through shock-induced star formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new deep and wide narrow-band surveys undertaken with United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT), Subaru and the Very Large Telescope (VLT), a unique combined effort to select large, robust samples of Hα star-forming galaxies at z = 0.40, 0.84, 1.47 and 2.23 (corresponding to look-back times of 4.2, 7.0, 9.2 and 10.6 Gyr) in a uniform manner over ∼2 deg2 in the Cosmological Evolution Survey and Ultra Deep Survey fields. The deep multi-epoch Hα surveys reach a matched 3σ flux limit of ≈3 M⊙ yr−1 out to z = 2.2 for the first time, while the wide area and the coverage over two independent fields allow us to greatly overcome cosmic variance and assemble by far the largest samples of Hα emitters. Catalogues are presented for a total of 1742, 637, 515 and 807 Hα emitters, robustly selected at z = 0.40, 0.84, 1.47 and 2.23, respectively, and used to determine the Hα luminosity function and its evolution. The faint-end slope of the Hα luminosity function is found to be α = −1.60 ± 0.08 over z = 0–2.23, showing no significant evolution. The characteristic luminosity of star-forming galaxies, L*Hα, evolves significantly as log L*Hα(z) = 0.45z + log L*z = 0. This is the first time Hα has been used to trace star formation activity with a single homogeneous survey at z = 0.4–2.23. Overall, the evolution seen with Hα is in good agreement with the evolution seen using inhomogeneous compilations of other tracers of star formation, such as far-infrared and ultraviolet, jointly pointing towards the bulk of the evolution in the last 11 Gyr being driven by a statistically similar star-forming population across cosmic time, but with a strong luminosity increase from z ∼ 0 to ∼2.2. Our uniform analysis allows us to derive the Hα star formation history (SFRH) of the Universe, showing a clear rise up to z ∼ 2.2, for which the simple parametrization log10ρSFR = −2.1(1 + z)−1 is valid over 80 per cent of the age of the Universe. The results reveal that both the shape and normalization of the Hα SFRH are consistent with the measurements of the stellar mass density growth, confirming that our Hα SFRH is tracing the bulk of the formation of stars in the Universe for z < 2.23. The star formation activity over the last ∼11 Gyr is responsible for producing ∼95 per cent of the total stellar mass density observed locally, with half of that being assembled in 2 Gyr between z = 1.2 and 2.2, and the other half in 8 Gyr (since z < 1.2). If the star formation rate density continues to decline with time in the same way as seen in the past ∼11 Gyr, then the stellar mass density of the Universe will reach a maximum which is only 5 per cent higher than the present-day value. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The clustering properties of a well-defined sample of 734 Hα emitters at , obtained as part of the Hi- z Emission Line Survey, are investigated. The spatial correlation function of these Hα emitters is very well described by the power-law , with a real-space correlation, r0, of . The correlation length r0 increases strongly with Hα luminosity , from for the most quiescent galaxies [star formation rates (SFRs) of ] up to for the brightest galaxies in Hα. The correlation length also increases with increasing rest-frame K-band luminosity, but the correlation maintains its full statistical significance at fixed . At , star-forming galaxies classified as irregulars or mergers are much more clustered than discs and non-mergers, respectively; however, once the samples are matched in and , the differences vanish, implying that the clustering is independent of morphological type at just as in the local Universe. The typical Hα emitters found at reside in dark matter haloes of , but those with the highest SFRs reside in more massive haloes of . The results are compared with those of Hα surveys at different redshifts: although the break of the Hα luminosity function evolves by a factor of ∼30 from to 2.23, if the Hα luminosities at each redshift are scaled by then the correlation lengths indicate that, independently of cosmic time, galaxies with the same are found in dark matter haloes of similar masses. This not only confirms that the star formation efficiency in high redshift haloes is higher than locally but also suggests a fundamental connection between the strong negative evolution of since and the quenching of star formation in galaxies residing within dark matter haloes significantly more massive than at any given epoch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]