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We investigate structural properties of massive galaxy populations in the central regions (<0.7 r500) of five very massive (M200 > 4 × 1014 M ), high-redshift (1.4 . z . 1.7) galaxy clusters from the 2500 deg2 South Pole Telescope Sunyaev Zel’dovich effect (SPT-SZ) survey. We probe the connection between galaxy structure and broad stellar population properties at stellar masses of log(M/M ) > 10.85. We find that quiescent and star-forming cluster galaxy populations are largely dominated by bulge- and disk-dominated sources, respectively, with relative contributions being fully consistent with those of field counterparts. At the same time, the enhanced quiescent galaxy fraction observed in these clusters with respect to the coeval field is reflected in a significant morphology-density relation, with bulge-dominated galaxies already clearly dominating the massive galaxy population in these clusters at z ∼ 1.5. At face value, these observations show no significant environmental signatures in the correlation between broad structural and stellar population properties. In particular, the Sersic index and axis ratio distribution of massive, quiescent sources are consistent with field counterparts, in spite of the enhanced quiescent galaxy fraction in clusters. This consistency suggests a tight connection between quenching and structural evolution towards a bulge-dominated morphology, at least in the probed cluster regions and galaxy stellar mass range, irrespective of environment-related processes affecting star formation in cluster galaxies. We also probe the stellar mass–size relation of cluster galaxies, and find that star-forming and quiescent sources populate the mass–size plane in a manner largely similar to their field counterparts, with no evidence of a significant size difference for any probed sub-population. In particular, both quiescent and bulge-dominated cluster galaxies have average sizes at fixed stellar mass consistent with their counterparts in the field.

© 2019. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. We present a multi-wavelength analysis of the four most relaxed clusters in the South Pole Telescope 2500 deg2 survey, which lie at 0.55 < z < 0.75. This study, which utilizes new, deep data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, along with ground-based spectroscopy from Gemini and Magellan, improves significantly on previous studies in both depth and angular resolution, allowing us to directly compare to clusters at z ∼ 0. We find that the temperature, density, and entropy profiles of the intracluster medium (ICM) are very similar among the four clusters, and share similar shapes to those of clusters at z ∼ 0. Specifically, we find no evidence for deviations from self-similarity in the temperature profile over the radial range 10 kpc < r < 1 Mpc, implying that the processes responsible for preventing runaway cooling over the past ≳6 Gyr are, at least roughly, preserving self-similarity. We find typical metallicities of ∼0.3 Z o in the bulk of the ICM, rising to ∼0.5 Z o in the inner ∼100 kpc, and reaching ∼1 Z o at r < 10 kpc. This central excess is similar in magnitude to what is observed in the most relaxed clusters at z ∼ 0, suggesting that both the global metallicity and the central excess that we see in cool core clusters at z ∼ 0 were in place very early in the cluster's lifetime, and specifically that the central excess is not due to late-time enrichment by the central galaxy. Consistent with observations at z ∼ 0, we measure a diversity of stellar populations in the central brightest cluster galaxies of these four clusters, with star formation rates spanning a factor of ∼500, despite the similarities in cooling time, cooling rate, and central entropy. These data suggest that, while the details vary dramatically from system to system, runaway cooling has been broadly regulated in relaxed clusters over the past 6 Gyr.

© 2019 ESO. We present the first results from a galaxy population study in the highest redshift galaxy clusters identified in the 2500 deg 2 South Pole Telescope Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect (SPT-SZ) survey, which is sensitive to M 500 ≳ 3 × 10 14 M · clusters from z ∼ 0.2 out to the highest redshifts where such massive structures exist. The cluster selection is to first order independent of galaxy properties, making the SPT-SZ sample particularly well suited for cluster galaxy population studies. We carried out a four-band imaging campaign with the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes of the five z≳ 1.4, S/N SZE > 5 clusters, that are among the rarest most massive clusters known at this redshift. All five clusters show clear overdensities of red galaxies whose colors agree with the initial cluster redshift estimates, although one (SPT-CLJ0607-4448) shows a galaxy concentration much less prominent than the others. The highest redshift cluster in this sample, SPT-CLJ0459-4947 at z ∼ 1.72, is the most distant M 500 > 10 14 M · cluster discovered thus far through its intracluster medium, and is one of only three known clusters in this mass range at z≳ 1.7, regardless of selection. Based on UVJ-like photometric classification of quiescent and star-forming galaxies, we find that the quiescent fraction in the cluster central regions (r/r 500 < 0.7) is higher than in the field at the same redshift, with corresponding environmental quenching efficiencies typically in the range ∼0.5 - 0.8 for stellar masses log(M/M · ) > 10.85. We have explored the impact of emission from star formation on the selection of this sample, concluding that all five clusters studied here would still have been detected with S/N SZE > 5, even if they had the same quiescent fraction as measured in the field. Our results thus point towards an efficient suppression of star formation in the central regions of the most massive clusters, occurring already earlier than z ∼ 1.5.

© 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited. In the past decade, our understanding of how stars and galaxies formed during the first 5 billion years after the Big Bang has been revolutionized by observations that leverage gravitational lensing by intervening masses, which act as natural cosmic telescopes to magnify background sources. Previous studies have harnessed this effect to probe the distant Universe at ultraviolet, optical, infrared and millimetre wavelengths1–6. However, strong-lensing studies of young, star-forming galaxies have never extended into X-ray wavelengths, which uniquely trace high-energy phenomena. Here, we report an X-ray detection of star formation in a highly magnified, strongly lensed galaxy. This lensed galaxy, seen during the first third of the history of the Universe, is a low-mass, low-metallicity starburst with elevated X-ray emission, and is a likely analogue to the first generation of galaxies. Our measurements yield insight into the role that X-ray emission from stellar populations in the first generation of galaxies may play in reionizing the Universe. This observation paves the way for future strong-lensing-assisted X-ray studies of distant galaxies reaching orders of magnitude below the detection limits of current deep fields, and previews the depths that will be attainable with future X-ray observatories.

© 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited. In the past decade, our understanding of how stars and galaxies formed during the first 5 billion years after the Big Bang has been revolutionized by observations that leverage gravitational lensing by intervening masses, which act as natural cosmic telescopes to magnify background sources. Previous studies have harnessed this effect to probe the distant Universe at ultraviolet, optical, infrared and millimetre wavelengths1–6. However, strong-lensing studies of young, star-forming galaxies have never extended into X-ray wavelengths, which uniquely trace high-energy phenomena. Here, we report an X-ray detection of star formation in a highly magnified, strongly lensed galaxy. This lensed galaxy, seen during the first third of the history of the Universe, is a low-mass, low-metallicity starburst with elevated X-ray emission, and is a likely analogue to the first generation of galaxies. Our measurements yield insight into the role that X-ray emission from stellar populations in the first generation of galaxies may play in reionizing the Universe. This observation paves the way for future strong-lensing-assisted X-ray studies of distant galaxies reaching orders of magnitude below the detection limits of current deep fields, and previews the depths that will be attainable with future X-ray observatories.

© 2019 ESO. We present the first results from a galaxy population study in the highest redshift galaxy clusters identified in the 2500 deg 2 South Pole Telescope Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect (SPT-SZ) survey, which is sensitive to M 500 ≳ 3 × 10 14 M · clusters from z ∼ 0.2 out to the highest redshifts where such massive structures exist. The cluster selection is to first order independent of galaxy properties, making the SPT-SZ sample particularly well suited for cluster galaxy population studies. We carried out a four-band imaging campaign with the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes of the five z≳ 1.4, S/N SZE > 5 clusters, that are among the rarest most massive clusters known at this redshift. All five clusters show clear overdensities of red galaxies whose colors agree with the initial cluster redshift estimates, although one (SPT-CLJ0607-4448) shows a galaxy concentration much less prominent than the others. The highest redshift cluster in this sample, SPT-CLJ0459-4947 at z ∼ 1.72, is the most distant M 500 > 10 14 M · cluster discovered thus far through its intracluster medium, and is one of only three known clusters in this mass range at z≳ 1.7, regardless of selection. Based on UVJ-like photometric classification of quiescent and star-forming galaxies, we find that the quiescent fraction in the cluster central regions (r/r 500 < 0.7) is higher than in the field at the same redshift, with corresponding environmental quenching efficiencies typically in the range ∼0.5 - 0.8 for stellar masses log(M/M · ) > 10.85. We have explored the impact of emission from star formation on the selection of this sample, concluding that all five clusters studied here would still have been detected with S/N SZE > 5, even if they had the same quiescent fraction as measured in the field. Our results thus point towards an efficient suppression of star formation in the central regions of the most massive clusters, occurring already earlier than z ∼ 1.5.

© 2019. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. We present a multi-wavelength analysis of the four most relaxed clusters in the South Pole Telescope 2500 deg2 survey, which lie at 0.55 < z < 0.75. This study, which utilizes new, deep data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, along with ground-based spectroscopy from Gemini and Magellan, improves significantly on previous studies in both depth and angular resolution, allowing us to directly compare to clusters at z ∼ 0. We find that the temperature, density, and entropy profiles of the intracluster medium (ICM) are very similar among the four clusters, and share similar shapes to those of clusters at z ∼ 0. Specifically, we find no evidence for deviations from self-similarity in the temperature profile over the radial range 10 kpc < r < 1 Mpc, implying that the processes responsible for preventing runaway cooling over the past ≳6 Gyr are, at least roughly, preserving self-similarity. We find typical metallicities of ∼0.3 Z o in the bulk of the ICM, rising to ∼0.5 Z o in the inner ∼100 kpc, and reaching ∼1 Z o at r < 10 kpc. This central excess is similar in magnitude to what is observed in the most relaxed clusters at z ∼ 0, suggesting that both the global metallicity and the central excess that we see in cool core clusters at z ∼ 0 were in place very early in the cluster's lifetime, and specifically that the central excess is not due to late-time enrichment by the central galaxy. Consistent with observations at z ∼ 0, we measure a diversity of stellar populations in the central brightest cluster galaxies of these four clusters, with star formation rates spanning a factor of ∼500, despite the similarities in cooling time, cooling rate, and central entropy. These data suggest that, while the details vary dramatically from system to system, runaway cooling has been broadly regulated in relaxed clusters over the past 6 Gyr.

We present the first results from a galaxy population study in the highest redshift galaxy clusters identified in the 2500 deg 2 South Pole Telescope Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect (SPT-SZ) survey, which is sensitive to M 500 ≳ 3 × 10 14 M · clusters from z ∼ 0.2 out to the highest redshifts where such massive structures exist. The cluster selection is to first order independent of galaxy properties, making the SPT-SZ sample particularly well suited for cluster galaxy population studies. We carried out a four-band imaging campaign with the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes of the five z≳ 1.4, S/N SZE > 5 clusters, that are among the rarest most massive clusters known at this redshift. All five clusters show clear overdensities of red galaxies whose colors agree with the initial cluster redshift estimates, although one (SPT-CLJ0607-4448) shows a galaxy concentration much less prominent than the others. The highest redshift cluster in this sample, SPT-CLJ0459-4947 at z ∼ 1.72, is the most distant M 500 > 10 14 M · cluster discovered thus far through its intracluster medium, and is one of only three known clusters in this mass range at z≳ 1.7, regardless of selection. Based on UVJ-like photometric classification of quiescent and star-forming galaxies, we find that the quiescent fraction in the cluster central regions (r/r 500 < 0.7) is higher than in the field at the same redshift, with corresponding environmental quenching efficiencies typically in the range ∼0.5 - 0.8 for stellar masses log(M/M · ) > 10.85. We have explored the impact of emission from star formation on the selection of this sample, concluding that all five clusters studied here would still have been detected with S/N SZE > 5, even if they had the same quiescent fraction as measured in the field. Our results thus point towards an efficient suppression of star formation in the central regions of the most massive clusters, occurring already earlier than z ∼ 1.5.

We present new, deep observations of the Phoenix cluster from Chandra, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Karl Jansky Very Large Array. These data provide an order-of-magnitude improvement in depth and/or angular resolution over previous observations at X-ray, optical, and radio wavelengths. We find that the one-dimensional temperature and entropy profiles are consistent with expectations for pure-cooling models.

We present a multi-wavelength analysis of the four most relaxed clusters in the South Pole Telescope 2500 deg2 survey, which lie at 0.55 < z < 0.75. This study, which utilizes new, deep data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, along with ground-based spectroscopy from Gemini and Magellan, improves significantly on previous studies in both depth and angular resolution, allowing us to directly compare to clusters at z ∼ 0. We find that the temperature, density, and entropy profiles of the intracluster medium (ICM) are very similar among the four clusters, and share similar shapes to those of clusters at z ∼ 0. Specifically, we find no evidence for deviations from self-similarity in the temperature profile over the radial range 10 kpc < r < 1 Mpc, implying that the processes responsible for preventing runaway cooling over the past ≳6 Gyr are, at least roughly, preserving self-similarity. We find typical metallicities of ∼0.3 Z o in the bulk of the ICM, rising to ∼0.5 Z o in the inner ∼100 kpc, and reaching ∼1 Z o at r < 10 kpc. This central excess is similar in magnitude to what is observed in the most relaxed clusters at z ∼ 0, suggesting that both the global metallicity and the central excess that we see in cool core clusters at z ∼ 0 were in place very early in the cluster's lifetime, and specifically that the central excess is not due to late-time enrichment by the central galaxy. Consistent with observations at z ∼ 0, we measure a diversity of stellar populations in the central brightest cluster galaxies of these four clusters, with star formation rates spanning a factor of ∼500, despite the similarities in cooling time, cooling rate, and central entropy. These data suggest that, while the details vary dramatically from system to system, runaway cooling has been broadly regulated in relaxed clusters over the past 6 Gyr.

In the past decade, our understanding of how stars and galaxies formed during the first 5 billion years after the Big Bang has been revolutionized by observations that leverage gravitational lensing by intervening masses, which act as natural cosmic telescopes to magnify background sources. Previous studies have harnessed this effect to probe the distant Universe at ultraviolet, optical, infrared and millimetre wavelengths1–6. However, strong-lensing studies of young, star-forming galaxies have never extended into X-ray wavelengths, which uniquely trace high-energy phenomena. Here, we report an X-ray detection of star formation in a highly magnified, strongly lensed galaxy. This lensed galaxy, seen during the first third of the history of the Universe, is a low-mass, low-metallicity starburst with elevated X-ray emission, and is a likely analogue to the first generation of galaxies. Our measurements yield insight into the role that X-ray emission from stellar populations in the first generation of galaxies may play in reionizing the Universe. This observation paves the way for future strong-lensing-assisted X-ray studies of distant galaxies reaching orders of magnitude below the detection limits of current deep fields, and previews the depths that will be attainable with future X-ray observatories.