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The Orion Molecular Cloud complex, one of the nearest (D = 406 pc) and most extensively studied massive star-forming regions, is ideal for constraining the physics of stellar feedback, but its ~12 deg diameter on the sky requires a dedicated approach to mapping ionized gas structures within and around the nebula. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V) Local Volume Mapper (LVM) is a new optical integral field unit (IFU) that will map the ionized gas within the Milky Way and Local Group galaxies, covering 4300 deg^2 of the sky with the new LVM Instrument. We showcase optical emission line maps from LVM covering 12 deg^2 inside of the Orion belt region, with 195,000 individual spectra combined to produce images at 0.07 pc (35.3") resolution. This is the largest IFU map made (to date) of the Milky Way, and contains well-known nebulae (the Horsehead Nebula, Flame Nebula, IC 434, and IC 432), as well as ionized interfaces with the neighboring dense Orion B molecular cloud. We resolve the ionization structure of each nebula, and map the increase in both the [SII]/Ha and [NII]/Ha line ratios at the outskirts of nebulae and along the ionization front with Orion B. [OIII] line emission is only spatially resolved within the center of the Flame Nebula and IC 434, and our ~0.1 pc scale line ratio diagrams show how variations in these diagnostics are lost as we move from the resolved to the integrated view of each nebula. We detect ionized gas emission associated with the dusty bow wave driven ahead of the star sigma Orionis, where the stellar wind interacts with the ambient interstellar medium. The Horsehead Nebula is seen as a dark occlusion of the bright surrounding photo-disassociation region. This small glimpse into Orion only hints at the rich science that will be enabled by the LVM., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Using the largest sample of galaxies observed with an optical integral field unit (IFU, the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey, $\sim$10000 targets), we derive the radial distribution of the physical properties obtained from the stellar continuum and the ionized-gas emission lines. Given the large sample, we are able to explore the impact of the total stellar mass and morphology by averaging those radial distributions for different bins of both global properties. We use a piece-wise analysis to characterize the slopes of the gradients from those properties at different galactocentric distances. In general we find that most of the properties -- derived from both the stellar continuum and the ionized gas emission lines -- exhibit a negative gradient with a secondary impact by global properties such as the total stellar mass or morphology. Our results confirm the intimate interplay between the properties of the stellar component and those of the ionized gas at local (kpc) scales in order to set the observed gradients. Furthermore, the resemblance of the gradients for similar global properties (in particular for the stellar parameters) indicates statistical similar histories of star formation and chemical enrichment with an initial radial gas distribution following the potential of the galaxy., Comment: 58 pages. 59 Figures. Submitted to the RMxAA

To determine the importance of merging galaxies to galaxy evolution, it is necessary to design classification tools that can identify different types and stages of merging galaxies. Previously, using GADGET-3/SUNRISE simulations of merging galaxies and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), we created an accurate merging galaxy classifier from imaging predictors. Here, we develop a complementary tool based on stellar kinematic predictors derived from the same simulation suite. We design mock stellar velocity and velocity dispersion maps to mimic the specifications of the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point (MaNGA) integral field spectroscopy (IFS) survey and utilize an LDA to create a classification based on a linear combination of 11 kinematic predictors. The classification varies significantly with mass ratio; the major (minor) merger classifications have a mean statistical accuracy of 80% (70%), a precision of 90% (85%), and a recall of 75% (60%). The major mergers are best identified by predictors that trace global kinematic features, while the minor mergers rely on local features that trace a secondary stellar component. While the kinematic classification is less accurate than the imaging classification, the kinematic predictors are better at identifying post-coalescence mergers. A combined imaging + kinematic classification has the potential to reveal more complete merger samples from imaging and IFS surveys like MaNGA. We note that since the suite of simulations used to train the classifier covers a limited range of galaxy properties (i.e., the galaxies are intermediate mass and disk-dominated), the results may not be applicable to all MaNGA galaxies., Comment: 41 pages, 21 figures, ApJ Accepted

Over half of disk galaxies are barred, yet the mechanisms for bar formation and the life-time of bar buckling remain poorly understood. In simulations, a thin bar undergoes a rapid (<1 Gyr) event called "buckling," during which the inner part of the bar is asymmetrically bent out of the galaxy plane and eventually thickens, developing a peanut/X-shaped profile when viewed side-on. Through analyzing stellar kinematics of N-body model snapshots of a galaxy before, during, and after the buckling phase, we confirm a distinct quadrupolar pattern of out-of-plane stellar velocities in nearly face-on galaxies. This kinematic signature of buckling allows us to identify five candidates of currently buckling bars among 434 barred galaxies in the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) Survey, an integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopic survey that measures the composition and kinematic structure of nearby galaxies. The frequency of buckling events detected is consistent with the 0.5-1 Gyr timescale predicted by simulations. The five candidates we present more than double the total number of candidate buckling bars, and are the only ones found using the kinematic signature., Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Star formation rate density, $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$, has shown a remarkable correlation with both components of the baryonic mass at kpc scales (i.e., the stellar mass density, and the molecular gas mass density; $\Sigma_{\ast}$, and $\Sigma_{\rm mol}$, respectively) for galaxies in the nearby Universe. In this study we propose an empirical relation between $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ and the baryonic mass surface density ($\Sigma_{\rm b}$ =$\Sigma_{\rm mol,Av}$ + $\Sigma_{\ast}$; where $\Sigma_{\rm mol,Av}$ is the molecular gas density derived from the optical extinction, Av) at kpc scales using the spatially-resolved properties of the MaNGA survey - the largest sample of galaxies observed via Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS, $\sim$ 8400 objects). We find that $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ tightly correlates with $\Sigma_{\rm b}$. Furthermore, we derive an empirical relation between the $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ and a second degree polynomial of $\Sigma_{\rm b}$ yielding a one-to-one relation between these two observables. Both, $\Sigma_{\rm b}$ and its polynomial form show a stronger correlation and smaller scatter with respect to $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ than the relations derived using the individual components of $\Sigma_{\rm b}$. Our results suggest that indeed these three parameters are physically correlated, suggesting a scenario in which the two components of the baryonic mass regulate the star-formation activity at kpc scales., Comment: 10 pages, 6 Figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

We measured gas-phase metallicity, ionisation parameter and dust extinction for 1795 representative local star-forming galaxies using integral field spectroscopy from the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey. We self-consistently derive these quantities by comparing observed line fluxes with photoionisation models using a Bayesian framework. We also present the first comprehensive study of the [SIII]$\lambda\lambda$9069,9532 nebular lines, which have long been predicted to be ideal tracers of the ionisation parameter. Unfortunately, we find that current photoionisation models substantially over-predict [SIII] lines intensity, while broadly reproducing other observed optical line ratios. We discuss how to nonetheless make use of the information provided by [SIII] lines by setting a prior on the ionisation parameter. Following this approach, we derive spatially-resolved maps and radial profiles of metallicity and ionisation parameter. The metallicity radial profiles are comparable with previous works, with metallicity declining toward the outer parts and a flattening in the central regions, in agreement with infall models of galaxy formation, that predict that spiral discs build up through accretion of material, which leads to an inside-out growth. On the other hand, ionisation parameter radial profiles are flat for low-mass galaxies, while their slope becomes positive as galaxy mass increases. However, the ionisation parameter maps we obtain are clumpy, especially for low-mass galaxies. Ionisation parameter is tightly correlated with the H$\alpha$ equivalent width [EW(H$\alpha$)], following a nearly universal relation, which we attribute to the change of the spectral shape of ionising sources due to ageing of HII regions. We derive a positive correlation between ionisation parameter and metallicity at fixed EW(H$\alpha$), in disagreement with previous theoretical works expecting an anti-correlation., Comment: 27 pages, 23 figures, resubmitted to A&A

We use the first release of the SDSS/MaStar stellar library comprising ~9000, high S/N spectra, to calculate integrated spectra of stellar population models. The models extend over the wavelength range 0.36-1.03 micron and share the same spectral resolution (R~1800) and flux calibration as the SDSS-IV/MaNGA galaxy data. The parameter space covered by the stellar spectra collected thus far allows the calculation of models with ages and chemical composition in the range t>200 Myr, -2 <=[Z/H]<= + 0.35, which will be extended as MaStar proceeds. Notably, the models include spectra for dwarf Main Sequence stars close to the core H-burning limit, as well as spectra for cold, metal-rich giants. Both stellar types are crucial for modelling lambda>0.7 micron absorption spectra. Moreover, a better parameter coverage at low metallicity allows the calculation of models as young as 500 Myr and the full account of the Blue Horizontal Branch phase of old populations. We present models adopting two independent sets of stellar parameters (T_eff, logg, [Z/H]). In a novel approach, their reliability is tested 'on the fly' using the stellar population models themselves. We perform tests with Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds globular clusters, finding that the new models recover their ages and metallicities remarkably well, with systematics as low as a few per cent for homogeneous calibration sets. We also fit a MaNGA galaxy spectrum, finding residuals of the order of a few per cent comparable to the state-of-art models, but now over a wider wavelength range., Comment: 37 pages, 31 figures, MNRAS in press, models available at http://www.icg.port.ac.uk/mastar

Crucial progress in our understanding of star formation and feedback will depend on the ability to obtain spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of \ion{H}{ii} regions, from which reliable instantaneous measurements of their physical conditions can be obtained. Acquiring these datasets across full galactic systems will prove crucial for obtaining population samples that enable us to understand the time evolution of similar regions, and the variability of conditions among coeval regions. Separating the spatial and temporal dependencies in such way for different physical processes involved in star formation and the injection of feedback is crucial to overcome the inherit degeneracies associated with observing instantaneous snapshots of a dynamic ISM at any given time. Emission line diagnostics are at the core of measuring the physical condition in \ion{H}{ii} regions (e.g. dynamics, SFR, chemical abundances, dust extinction, ionization and excitation, etc.). These measurements require high spatial resolution, contiguous coverage across full galactic systems, and sensitivities significantly deeper than past efforts. The spatial scale required to resolve the \ion{H}{ii} regions of a few pc is only attainable in the Local Group where very large sky coverage is necessary., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures

We estimate ages, metallicities, $\alpha$-element abundance ratios and stellar initial mass functions of elliptical (E) and S0 galaxies from the MaNGA-DR15 survey. We stack spectra and use a variety of single stellar population synthesis models to interpret the absorption line strengths in these spectra. We quantify how these properties vary across the population, as well as with galactocentric distance. This paper is the first of a series and is based on a sample of pure elliptical galaxies at z $\le$ 0.08. We show that the properties of the inner regions of Es with the largest luminosity (L$_r$) and central velocity dispersion ($\sigma_0$) are consistent with those associated with the commonly used Salpeter IMF, whereas a Kroupa-like IMF is a better description at $\sim$ 0.8R/Re (assuming [Ti/Fe] variations are limited). For these galaxies the stellar mass-to-light ratio decreases at most by a factor of 2 from the central regions to Re. In contrast, for lower L$_r$ and $\sigma_0$ galaxies, the IMF is shallower and M$_{*}$/L$_r$ in the central regions is similar to the outskirts. Although a factor of 2 is smaller than previous reports based on a handful of galaxies, it is still large enough to matter for dynamical mass estimates. Accounting self-consistently for these gradients when estimating both M$_{*}$ and M$_{dyn}$ brings the two into good agreement: gradients reduce M$_{dyn}$ by $\sim$ 0.2 dex while only slightly increasing the M$_{*}$ inferred using a Kroupa IMF. This is a different resolution of the M$_{*}$-M$_{dyn}$ discrepancy than has been followed in the recent literature where M$_{*}$ of massive galaxies is increased by adopting a Salpeter IMF while leaving Mdyn unchanged. A companion paper discusses how stellar population differences are even more pronounced if one separates slow from fast rotators., Comment: 22 pages, 29 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present estimates of stellar population (SP) gradients from stacked spectra of slow (SR) and fast (FR) rotator elliptical galaxies from the MaNGA-DR15 survey. We find that: 1) FRs are $\sim 5$ Gyrs younger, more metal rich, less $\alpha$-enhanced and smaller than SRs of the same luminosity $L_r$ and central velocity dispersion $\sigma_0$. This explains why when one combines SRs and FRs, objects which are small for their $L_r$ and $\sigma_0$ tend to be younger. Their SP gradients are also different. 2) Ignoring the FR/SR dichotomy leads one to conclude that compact galaxies are older than their larger counterparts of the same mass, even though almost the opposite is true for FRs and SRs individually. 3) SRs with $\sigma_0\le 250$ km s$^{-1}$ are remarkably homogeneous within $\sim R_e$: they are old, $\alpha$-enhanced and only slightly super-solar in metallicity. These SRs show no gradients in age and $M_*/L_r$, negative gradients in metallicity, and slightly positive gradients in [$\alpha$/Fe] (the latter are model dependent). SRs with $\sigma_0\ge 250$ km $s^{-1}$ are slightly younger and more metal rich, contradicting previous work suggesting that age increases with $\sigma_0$. They also show larger $M_*/L_r$ gradients. 4) Self-consistently accounting for $M_*/L$ gradients yields $M_{\rm dyn}\approx M_*$ because gradients reduce $M_{\rm dyn}$ by $\sim 0.2$ dex while only slightly increasing the $M_*$ inferred using a Kroupa (not Salpeter) IMF. 5) The FR population all but disappears above $M_*\ge 3\times 10^{11}M_\odot$; this is the same scale at which the size-mass correlation and other scaling relations change. Our results support the finding that this is an important mass scale which correlates with the environment and above which mergers matter., Comment: 22 pages, 28 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Deriving a simple, analytic galaxy star formation history (SFH) using observational data is a complex task without the proper tool to hand. We therefore present SNITCH, an open source code written in Python, developed to quickly (~2 minutes) infer the parameters describing an analytic SFH model from the emission and absorption features of a galaxy spectrum dominated by star formation gas ionisation. SNITCH uses the Flexible Stellar Population Synthesis models of Conroy et al. (2009), the MaNGA Data Analysis Pipeline and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method in order to infer three parameters (time of quenching, rate of quenching and model metallicity) which best describe an exponentially declining quenching history. This code was written for use on the MaNGA spectral data cubes but is customisable by a user so that it can be used for any scenario where a galaxy spectrum has been obtained, and adapted to infer a user-defined analytic SFH model for specific science cases. Herein we outline the rigorous testing applied to SNITCH and show that it is both accurate and precise at deriving the SFH of a galaxy spectra. The tests suggest that SNITCH is sensitive to the most recent epoch of star formation but can also trace the quenching of star formation even if the true decline does not occur at an exponential rate. With the use of both an analytical SFH and only five spectral features, we advocate that this code be used as a comparative tool across a large population of spectra, either for integral field unit data cubes or across a population of galaxy spectra., Comment: Accepted 2019 January 21. Received 2019 January 17; in original form 2018 October 12

Several models have predicted that stars could form inside galactic outflows and that this would be a new major mode of galaxy evolution. Observations of galactic outflows have revealed that they host large amounts of dense and clumpy molecular gas, which provide conditions suitable for star formation. We have investigated the properties of the outflows in a large sample of galaxies by exploiting the integral field spectroscopic data of the large MaNGA-SDSS4 galaxy survey. We find that star formation occurs inside at least half of the galactic outflows in our sample. We also show that even if star formation is prominent inside many other galactic outflows, this may have not been revealed as the diagnostics are easily dominated by the presence of even faint AGN and shocks. If very massive outflows typical of distant galaxies and quasars follow the same scaling relations observed locally, then the star formation inside high-z outflows can be up to several 100 Msun/yr and could contribute substantially to the early formation of the spheroidal component of galaxies. Star formation in outflows can also potentially contribute to establishing the scaling relations between black holes and their host spheroids. Moreover, supernovae exploding on large orbits can chemically enrich in-situ and heat the circumgalactic and intergalactic medium. Finally, young stars ejected on large orbits may also contribute to the reionization of the Universe., Comment: 23 pages, 16 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Replaced with accepted version

We determine the local metallicity of the ionized gas for more than $9.2\times 10^5$ star forming regions (spaxels) located in 1023 nearby galaxies included in the SDSS-IV MaNGA IFU survey. We use the dust extinction derived from the Balmer decrement and stellar template fitting in each spaxel to estimate the local gas and stellar mass densities, respectively. We also use the measured rotation curves to determine the local escape velocity ($\mathrm{V_{esc}}$). We have then analyze the relationships between the local metallicity and both the local gas fraction ($\mu$) and $\mathrm{V_{esc}}$. We find that metallicity decreases with both increasing $\mu$ and decreasing $\mathrm{V_{esc}}$. By examining the residuals in these relations we show that the gas fraction plays a more primary role in the local chemical enrichment than $\mathrm{V_{esc}}$. We show that the gas-regulator model of chemical evolution provides a reasonable explanation of the metallicity on local scales. The best-fit parameters for this model are consistent with metal loss caused by momentum-driven galactic outflows. We also argue that both the gas fraction and local escape velocity are connected to the local stellar surface density, which in turn is a tracer of the epoch at which the dominant local stellar population formed, Comment: 19 Pages, 13 Figures, ApJ accepted

The "kinematic" morphology-density relation for early-type galaxies posits that those galaxies with low angular momentum are preferentially found in the highest-density regions of the universe. We use a large sample of galaxy groups with halo masses 10^12.5 < M_halo < 10^14.5 M_sun/h observed with the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey to examine whether there is a correlation between local environment and rotational support that is independent of stellar mass. We find no compelling evidence for a relationship between the angular momentum content of early-type galaxies and either local overdensity or radial position within the group at fixed stellar mass., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

We have conducted a study of extra-planar diffuse ionized gas using the first year data from the MaNGA IFU survey. We have stacked spectra from 49 edge-on, late-type galaxies as a function of distance from the midplane of the galaxy. With this technique we can detect the bright emission lines Halpha, Hbeta, [OII]3726, 3729, [OIII]5007, [NII]6549, 6584, and [SII]6717, 6731 out to about 4 kpc above the midplane. With 16 galaxies we can extend this analysis out to about 9 kpc, i.e. a distance of ~2R_e, vertically from the midplane. In the halo, the surface brightnesses of the [OII] and Halpha emission lines are comparable, unlike in the disk where Halpha dominates. When we split the sample by specific star formation rate, concentration index, and stellar mass, each subsample's emission line surface brightness profiles and ratios differ, indicating that extra-planar gas properties can vary. The emission line surface brightnesses of the gas around high specific star formation rate galaxies are higher at all distances, and the line ratios are closer to ratios characteristic of HII regions compared with low specific star formation rate galaxies. The less concentrated and lower stellar mass samples exhibit line ratios that are more like HII regions at larger distances than their more concentrated and higher stellar mass counterparts. The largest difference between different subsamples occurs when the galaxies are split by stellar mass. We additionally infer that gas far from the midplane in more massive galaxies has the highest temperatures and steepest radial temperature gradients based on their [NII]/Halpha and [OII]/Halpha ratios between the disk and the halo., Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, 2 appendices. Accepted in A&A (see https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_MhxrO1dvVNUUUtb0FXdllqb0E for full version)

We present post-cryogenic Spitzer imaging at 3.6 and 4.5 micron with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) of the Spitzer/HETDEX Exploratory Large-Area (SHELA) survey. SHELA covers $\sim$deg$^2$ of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey "Stripe 82" region, and falls within the footprints of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) and the Dark Energy Survey. The HETDEX blind R $\sim$ 800 spectroscopy will produce $\sim$ 200,000 redshifts from the Lyman-$\alpha$ emission for galaxies in the range 1.9 < z < 3.5, and an additional $\sim$200,000 redshifts from the [OII] emission for galaxies at z < 0.5. When combined with deep ugriz images from the Dark Energy Camera, K-band images from NEWFIRM, and other ancillary data, the IRAC photometry from Spitzer will enable a broad range of scientific studies of the relationship between structure formation, galaxy stellar mass, halo mass, AGN, and environment over a co-moving volume of $\sim$0.5 Gpc$^3$ at 1.9 < z < 3.5. Here, we discuss the properties of the SHELA IRAC dataset, including the data acquisition, reduction, validation, and source catalogs. Our tests show the images and catalogs are 80% (50%) complete to limiting magnitudes of 22.0 (22.6) AB mag in the detection image, which is constructed from the weighted sum of the IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 micron images. The catalogs reach limiting sensitivities of 1.1 $\mu$Jy at both 3.6 and 4.5 micron (1$\sigma$, for R=2 arcsec circular apertures). As a demonstration of science, we present IRAC number counts, examples of highly temporally variable sources, and galaxy surface density profiles of rich galaxy clusters. In the spirit of Spitzer Exploratory programs we provide all images and catalogs as part of the publication., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJS. 30 pages, emulateapj format. Many figures. All data products, including images and catalogs available http://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/data/SPITZER/SHELA

We construct a set of model spectra specifically designed to match the colours of the BOSS CMASS galaxies and to be used with photometric redshift template fitting techniques. As a basis we use a set of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of single and composite stellar population models. These models cannot describe well the whole colour range populated by the CMASS galaxies at all redshifts, wherefore we modify them by multiplying the SEDs with $\lambda^{-\beta}$ for $\lambda>\lambda_i$ for different values of $\lambda_i$ and $\beta$. When fitting these SEDs to the colours of the CMASS sample, with a burst and dust components in superposition, we can recreate the location in colour spaces inhabited by the CMASS galaxies. From the best fitting models we select a small subset in a two-dimensional plane, whereto the galaxies were mapped by a self-organizing map. These models are used for the estimation of photometric redshifts with a Bayesian template fitting code. The photometric redshifts with the novel templates have a very small outlier rate of $0.22\,\%$, a low bias $\langle\Delta z/(1+z)\rangle=2.0\cdot10^{-3}$, and scatter of $\sigma_{68}=0.026$ in the restframe. Using our models, the galaxy colours are reproduced to a better extent with the photometric redshifts of this work than with photometric redshifts of SDSS., Comment: 24 pages, 29 figures, accepted for publication in the MNRAS

We describe the design, manufacture, and performance of bare-fiber integral field units (IFUs) for the SDSS-IV survey MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO) on the the Sloan 2.5 m telescope at Apache Point Observatory (APO). MaNGA is a luminosity-selected integral-field spectroscopic survey of 10,000 local galaxies covering 360-1030 nm at R ~ 2200. The IFUs have hexagonal dense packing of fibers with packing regularity of 3 um (RMS), and throughput of 96+/-0.5% from 350 nm to 1 um in the lab. Their sizes range from 19 to 127 fibers (3-7 hexagonal layers) using Polymicro FBP 120:132:150 um core:clad:buffer fibers to reach a fill fraction of 56%. High throughput (and low focal-ratio degradation) is achieved by maintaining the fiber cladding and buffer intact, ensuring excellent surface polish, and applying a multi-layer AR coating of the input and output surfaces. In operations on-sky, the IFUs show only an additional 2.3% FRD-related variability in throughput despite repeated mechanical stressing during plate plugging (however other losses are present). The IFUs achieve on-sky throughput 5% above the single-fiber feeds used in SDSS-III/BOSS, attributable to equivalent performance compared to single fibers and additional gains from the AR coating. The manufacturing process is geared toward mass-production of high-multiplex systems. The low-stress process involves a precision ferrule with hexagonal inner shape designed to lead inserted fibers to settle in a dense hexagonal pattern. The ferrule inner diameter is tapered at progressively shallower angles toward its tip and the final 2 mm are straight and only a few um larger than necessary to hold the desired number of fibers. This process scales to accommodate other fiber sizes and to IFUs with substantially larger fiber count. (Abridged), Comment: 23 pages, 30 figures, AJ accepted

MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory) is a SDSS-IV survey that will obtain spatially resolved spectroscopy from 3600 \AA\ to 10300 \AA\ for a representative sample of over 10000 nearby galaxies. In this paper we present the analysis of nebular emission line properties in 14 galaxies obtained with P-MaNGA, a prototype of the MaNGA instrument. Using spatially resolved diagnostic diagrams we find extended star formation in galaxies that are centrally dominated by Seyfert/LINER-like emission, which illustrates that galaxy characterisations based on single fibre spectra are necessarily incomplete. We observe extended LINER-like emission (up to $\rm 1 R_{e}$) in three galaxies. We make use of the $\rm EW(H \alpha)$ to argue that the observed emission is consistent with ionisation from hot evolved stars. We derive stellar population indices and demonstrate a clear correlation between $\rm D_n(4000)$ and $\rm EW(H \delta_A)$ and the position in the ionisation diagnostic diagram: resolved galactic regions which are ionised by a Seyfert/LINER-like radiation field are also devoid of recent star formation and host older and/or more metal rich stellar populations. We also detect extraplanar LINER-like emission in two highly inclined galaxies, and identify it with diffuse ionised gas. We investigate spatially resolved metallicities and find a positive correlation between metallicity and star formation rate (SFR) surface density. We study the relation between N/O vs O/H on resolved scales. We find that, at given N/O, regions within individual galaxies are spread towards lower metallicities, deviating from the sequence defined by galactic central regions as traced by Sloan $3''$ fibre spectra. We suggest that the observed dispersion can be a tracer for gas flows in galaxies: infalls of pristine gas and/or the effect of a galactic fountain., Comment: 37 pages, 28 figures, accepted to MNRAS after minor revision, update references

We derive the stellar-to-halo mass relations, SHMR, of local blue and red central galaxies separately, as well as the fraction of halos hosting blue/red central galaxies. We find that: 1) the SHMR of central galaxies is segregated by color, with blue centrals having a SHMR above the one of red centrals; at logMh~12, the Ms/Mh ratio of the blue centrals is ~0.05, which is ~1.7 times larger than the value of red centrals. 2) The intrinsic scatters of the SHMRs of red and blue centrals are ~0.14 and ~0.11dex, respectively. The intrinsic scatter of the average SHMR of all central galaxies changes from ~0.20dex to ~0.14dex in the 11.3

We present a quintuply lensed z ~ 6 candidate discovered in the field of the galaxy cluster RXC J2248.7-4431 (z ~ 0.348) targeted within the Cluster Lensing and Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) and selected in the deep HST Frontier Fields survey. Thanks to the CLASH 16-band HST imaging, we identify the quintuply lensed z ~ 6 candidate as an optical dropout in the inner region of the cluster, the brightest image having magAB=24.81+-0.02 in the f105w filter. We perform a detailed photometric analysis to verify its high-z and lensed nature. We get as photometric redshift z_phot ~ 5.9, and given the extended nature and NIR colours of the lensed images, we rule out low-z early type and galactic star contaminants. We perform a strong lensing analysis of the cluster, using 13 families of multiple lensed images identified in the HST images. Our final best model predicts the high-z quintuply lensed system with a position accuracy of 0.8''. The magnifications of the five images are between 2.2 and 8.3, which leads to a delensed UV luminosity of L_1600 ~ 0.5L*_1600 at z=6. We also estimate the UV slope from the observed NIR colours, finding a steep beta=-2.89+-0.38. We use singular and composite stellar population SEDs to fit the photometry of the hiz candidate, and we conclude that it is a young (age <300 Myr) galaxy with mass of M ~ 10^8Msol, subsolar metallicity (Z<0.2Zsol) and low dust content (AV ~ 0.2-0.4)., Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables, submitted to MNRAS on 11 Aug 2013, accepted on 23 Nov 2013

Several occupational distributions for satellite galaxies more massive than ms~4E7 Msun around MW-sized hosts are presented and used to predict their internal dynamics. For this, a galaxy group mock catalog is constructed on the basis of (sub)halo-to-stellar mass relations constrained with the observed Galaxy Stellar Mass Function decomposed into centrals and satellites, and the 2-point correlation functions. For the MW-sized hosts we find that: 6.6% have 2 satellites in the SMC-LMC mass range; their probabilities to have 1, 2 or 3 satellites equal or larger than the LMC, the SMC or Sgr, respectively, are 0. 26, 0. 14, and 0. 14; those hosts with 3 satellites >= Sgr (as the MW) are among the most common cases, though the most and 2nd most massive satellites in these systems are SMALLER than the LMC and SMC by 0.7 and 0.8 dex, respectively. The cumulative satellite mass function is quite broad, the particular configuration of the MW being of low frequency but NOT an outlier (it is within the upper 1sig yet). For the MW satellite configuration, we constrain the halo mass to be Mh>1.4E12 Msun (1sig level). We find that the abundance of massive subhalos should agree with the abundance of massive satellites in all MW-sized hosts (there is not a massive satellite missing problem for LCDM). However, the vmax of the subhalos of satellites with ms<1E8 Msun is systematically larger than the vmax inferred from current observational studies of the MW bright dwarfs; at difference of previous works, this conclusion is based on an analysis of the overall population of MW-sized galaxies. Some pieces of evidence suggest that the issue could refer only to satellite dwarfs but not to central dwarfs; then, environmental processes associated to dwarfs inside host halos combined with SN-driven core expansion could be at the basis of the lowering of vmax.[Abridged], Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. arXiv abstract improved

We infer the local stellar-to-halo/subhalo mass relations (MRs) for central and satellite galaxies separately. We constraint this relations by using several combinations of observational data, consisting of the total galaxy stellar mass function, its decomposition into centrals and satellites, and the projected two-point correlation functions measured in different stellar mass bins. The differences among the resulting MRs are within the model-fit uncertainties (which are very small, smaller than the intrinsic scatter between galaxy and halo mass), no matter what combination of data are used. We also constrain the values of the intrinsic scatter around the central-halo (CH) and satellite-subhalo (SS) MRs assuming them to be constant: sigma_c= 0.168+-0.051 dex and sigma_s = 0.172+-0.057 dex, respectively. The CH and SS MRs are actually different, in particular when we take the subhalo mass at the present-day epoch instead of at their accretion time. We calculate several population statistics. We find that the central galaxy is not on average within the mass distribution of the most-massive satellite, even for cluster-sized halos, i.e., centrals are not a mere realization of the high-end of the satellite mass function; however for > 3x10^13 msun halos, ~15% of centrals could be. We also find that the probabilities of MW-sized halos of having N Magellanic-Clouds (MCs)-sized satellites agree well with observational measures; for a halo mass of 2x10^12 msun, the probability to have 2 MCs is 5.4%, but if we exclude those systems with satellites larger than the MCs, then the probability decreases to <2.2%., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Some references were added

We extend the abundance matching technique (AMT) to infer the satellite-subhalo and central-halo mass relations (MRs) of galaxies, as well as the corresponding satellite conditional mass functions (CMFs). We use the observed galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) decomposed into centrals and satellites and the LCDM halo/subhalo mass functions as inputs. We explore the effects of defining the subhalo mass at the time of accretion (m_acc) vs. at the time of observation (m_obs). We test the standard assumption that centrals and satellites follow the same MRs, showing that this assumption leads to predictions in disagreement with observations, specially for m_obs. Instead, when the satellite-subhalo MRs are constrained following our AMT, they are always different from the central-halo MR: the smaller the stellar mass (Ms), the less massive is the subhalo of satellites as compared to the halo of centrals of the same Ms. On average, for Ms<2x10^11Msol, the dark mass of satellites decreased by 60-65% with respect to their masses at accretion time. The resulting MRs for both definitions of subhalo mass yield satellite CMFs in agreement with observations. Also, when these MRs are used in a HOD model, the predicted correlation functions agree with observations. We show that the use of m_obs leads to less uncertain MRs than m_acc, and discuss implications of the obtained satellite-subhalo MR. For example, we show that the tension between abundance and dynamics of MW satellites in LCDM gives if the slope of the GSMF faint-end slope upturns to -1.6., Comment: 13, pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Minor changes to previous version

We present results of a statistical study of the cosmic evolution of the mass dependent major-merger rate since z=1. A stellar mass limited sample of close major-merger pairs (the CPAIR sample) was selected from the archive of the COSMOS survey. Pair fractions at different redshifts derived using the CPAIR sample and a local K-band selected pair sample show no significant variations with stellar mass. The pair fraction exhibits moderately strong cosmic evolution, with the best-fitting evolutionary index m=2.2+-0.2. The best-fitting function for the merger rate implies that galaxies with stellar mass between 1E+10 -- 3E+11 M_sun have undergone 0.5 -- 1.5 major-mergers since z=1. Our results show that, for massive galaxies at z<1, major mergers involving star forming galaxies (i.e. wet and mixed mergers) can account for the formation of both ellipticals and red quiescent galaxies (RQGs). On the other hand, major mergers cannot be responsible for the formation of most low mass ellipticals and RQGs. Our quantitative estimates indicate that major mergers have significant impact on the stellar mass assembly of the most massive galaxies, but for less massive galaxies the stellar mass assembly is dominated by the star formation. Comparison with the mass dependent (U)LIRG rates suggests that the frequency of major-merger events is comparable to or higher than that of (U)LIRGs., Comment: 18 pages, accepted by ApJ

The baryon content of high-density regions in the universe is relevant to two critical unanswered questions: the workings of nurture effects on galaxies and the whereabouts of the missing baryons. In this paper, we analyze the distribution of dark matter and semianalytical galaxies in the Millennium Simulation to investigate these problems. Applying the same density field reconstruction schemes as used for the overall matter distribution to the matter locked in halos we study the mass contribution of halos to the total mass budget at various background field densities, i.e., the conditional halo mass function. In this context, we present a simple fitting formula for the cumulative mass function accurate to ~ 5% for halo masses between 10^{10} and 10^{15}Msol/h. We find that in dense environments the halo mass function becomes top heavy and present corresponding fitting formulae for different redshifts. We demonstrate that the major fraction of matter in high-density fields is associated with galaxy groups. Since current X-ray surveys are able to nearly recover the universal baryon fraction within groups, our results indicate that the major part of the so-far undetected warm-hot intergalactic medium resides in low-density regions at low temperatures. Similarly, we show that the differences in galaxy mass functions with environment seen in observed and simulated data stem predominantly from differences in the mass distribution of halos. In particular, the hump in the galaxy mass function is associated with the central group galaxies, and the bimodality observed in the galaxy mass function is therefore interpreted as that of central galaxies versus satellites., Comment: aligned with version published in ApJ

The increasing abundance of passive "red-sequence" galaxies since z=1-2 is mirrored by a coincident rise in the number of galaxies with spheroidal morphologies. In this paper, however, we show that in detail the correspondence between galaxy morphology and color is not perfect, providing insight into the physical origin of this evolution. Using the COSMOS survey, we study a significant population of red sequence galaxies with disk-like morphologies. These passive disks typically have Sa-Sb morphological types with large bulges, but they are not confined to dense environments. They represent nearly one-half of all red-sequence galaxies and dominate at lower masses (log Mstar < 10) where they are increasingly disk-dominated. As a function of time, the abundance of passive disks with log Mstar < 11 increases, but not as fast as red-sequence spheroidals in the same mass range. At higher mass, the passive disk population has declined since z~1, likely because they transform into spheroidals. We estimate that as much as 60% of galaxies transitioning onto the red sequence evolve through a passive disk phase. The origin of passive disks therefore has broad implications for understanding how star formation shuts down. Because passive disks tend to be more bulge-dominated than their star-forming counterparts, a simple fading of blue disks does not fully explain their origin. We explore several more sophisticated explanations, including environmental effects, internal stabilization, and disk regrowth during gas-rich mergers. While previous work has sought to explain color and morphological transformations with a single process, these observations open the way to new insight by highlighting the fact that galaxy evolution may actually proceed through several separate stages., Comment: 16 pages, Accepted version to appear in ApJ

We present a new analysis of stellar mass functions (MF) in the COSMOS field to fainter limits than has been previously probed to z~1. Neither the total nor the passive or star-forming MF can be well fit with a single Schechter function once one probes below 3e9 Msun. We observe a dip or plateau at masses ~1e10 Msun, and an upturn towards a steep faint-end slope of -1.7 at lower mass at any z<1. This bimodal nature of the MF is not solely a result of the blue/red dichotomy. The blue MF is by itself bimodal at z~1. This suggests a new dichotomy in galaxy formation that predates the appearance of the red sequence. We propose two interpretations for this bimodality. If the gas fraction increases towards lower mass, galaxies with M_baryon~1e10 Msun would shift to lower stellar masses, creating the observed dip. This would indicate a change in star formation efficiency, perhaps linked to supernovae feedback becoming much more efficient. Therefore, we investigate whether the dip is present in the baryonic (stars+gas) MF. Alternatively, the dip could be created by an enhancement of the galaxy assembly rate at ~1e11 Msun, a phenomenon that naturally arises if the baryon fraction peaks at M_halo ~1e12 Msun. In this scenario, galaxies occupying the bump around M* would be identified with central galaxies and the second fainter component having a steep faint-end slope with satellites. While the dip is apparent in the total MF at any z, it appears to shift from the blue to red population, likely as a result of transforming high-mass blue galaxies into red ones. At the same time, we detect a drastic upturn in the number of low-mass red galaxies. Their increase with time reflects a decrease in the number of blue systems and so we tentatively associate them with satellite dwarf galaxies that have undergone quenching., Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) will outfit the 10 m HET with a new wide field and an array of 150 integral-field spectrographs to survey a 420 sq. deg. area in the north Galactic cap. Each fiber-coupled unit spectrograph will cover 350-550 nm, simultaneously. This instrument, called VIRUS, will produce ~34,000 spectra per exposure, and will open up the emission-line universe to large surveys for the first time. The survey will detect 0.8 million Lyman-alpha emitting (LAE) galaxies with 1.9

We present the morphological analysis based on HST-NIC2 (0.075 arcsec/pixel) images in the F160W filter of a sample of 9 massive field (> 10^{11} M_\odot) galaxies spectroscopically classified as early-types at 1.2 within R_e of our galaxies and we compared them with those of early-types at lower redshifts. We find that the surface brightness of our galaxies should get fainter by 2.5 mag from z~1.5 to z~0 to match the surface brightness of the local ellipticals with comparable R_e, i.e. the local Kormendy relation. Luminosity evolution without morphological changes can only explain half of this effect, as the maximum dimming expected for an elliptical galaxy is ~1.6 mag in this redshift range. Thus, other parameters, possibly structural, may undergo evolution and play an important role in reconciling models and observations. Hypothesizing an evolution of the effective radius of galaxies we find that R_e should increase by a factor 1.5 from z~1.5 to z~0., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 15 pages, 8 figures

The optical rest-frame sizes of 10 of the most massive (~5x10^{11}h_{70}^{-2}M_sun) galaxies found in the near-infrared MUNICS survey at 1.2

We study the evolution of the stellar mass density for the separate families of bulge-dominated and disk-dominated galaxies over the redshift range 0.25 < z < 1.15. We derive quantitative morphology for a statistically significant galaxy sample of 1645 objects selected from the FORS Deep and the GOODS-S Fields. We find that the morphological mix evolves monotonically with time: the higher the redshift, the more disk systems dominate the total mass content. At redshift about 1, massive objects (M_stellar > 7E10 M_solar) host about half of the mass contained in objects of similar mass in the local universe. The contribution from early and late type galaxies to the mass budget at z about 1 is nearly equal. We show that in situ star formation is not sufficient to explain the changing mass budget. Moreover we find that the star formation rate per unit stellar mass of massive galaxies increases with redshift only for the intermediate and early morphological types, while it stays nearly constant for late-type objects. This suggests that merging and/or frequent accretion of small mass objects has a key role in the shaping of the Hubble sequence as we observe it now, and also in decreasing the star formation activity of the bulge-dominated descendants of massive disk galaxies., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL; 4 pages, 3 color figures, uses emulateapj.cls

We present the redshift evolution of the restframe galaxy luminosity function (LF) in the red r', i', and z' bands as derived from the FORS Deep Field (FDF). Using the deep and homogeneous I-band selected dataset of the FDF we are able to follow the red LFs over the redshift range 0.5 < z < 3.5. The results are based on photometric redshifts for 5558 galaxies derived from the photometry in 9 filters achieving an accuracy of Delta z / (z_spec+1) ~ 0.03 with only ~ 1 % outliers. Because of the depth of the FDF we can give relatively tight constraints on the faint-end slope alpha of the LF: The faint-end of the red LFs does not show a large redshift evolution and is compatible within 1 sigma to 2 sigma with a constant slope over the redshift range 0.5 < z < 2.0. Moreover, the slopes in r', i', and z' are very similar with a best fitting value of alpha= -1.33 +- 0.03 for the combined bands. There is a clear trend of alpha to steepen with increasing wavelength: alpha_(UV & u')=-1.07 +- 0.04 -> alpha_(g' & B)=-1.25 +- 0.03 -> alpha_(r' & i' & z')=-1.33 +- 0.03. We show that the wavelength dependence of the LF slope can be explained by the relative contribution of different SED-type LFs to the overall LF, as different SED types dominate the LF in the blue and red bands. Furthermore we also derive and analyze the luminosity density evolution of the different SED types up to z ~ 2. Based on the FDF data, we find only a mild brightening of M_star and decrease of phi_star with increasing redshift. Therefore, from ~ 0.5 to \~ 3 the characteristic luminosity increases by ~0.8, ~0.4 and ~0.4 magnitudes in the r', i', and z' bands, respectively. Simultaneously the characteristic density decreases by about 40 % in all analyzed wavebands. [abridged], Comment: accepted for publication in A&A, 24 pages, 22 figures

We present the analysis of 10 massive early-type galaxies at $z\sim1.5$. They have been identified by means of a near-IR low resolution spectroscopic follow-up of a complete sample of 36 bright (K' $<$ 18.5) Extremely Red Objects (EROs, R-K'$>$ 5) selected from the Munich Near-IR ClusterSurvey (MUNICS; Drory et al. 2001). The low resolution near-IR spectra constrain their redshift at $1.2 2$ for all the galaxies and $z_{f} \geq 4$ for the oldest ones. The comparison of the 4000\AA break and of the overall spectral shape of the average spectrum of the 10 galaxies at $z\sim1.5$ with those of their local counterpartsconfirms that field massive early-type galaxies formed the bulk of their stellar mass at $2

We present a study to determine how star formation contributes to galaxy growth since z=1.5 over five decades in galaxy stellar mass. We investigate the specific star formation rate (SSFR; star formation rate [SFR] per unit galaxy stellar mass) as a function of galaxy stellar mass and redshift. A sample of 175 K-band selected galaxies from the MUnich Near-Infrared Cluster Survey spectroscopic dataset provide intermediate to high mass galaxies (mostly M* > 10^10 Msun) to z=1. The FORS Deep Field provides 168 low mass galaxies (mostly M* < 10^10 Msun) to z=1.5. We use a Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxy sample to test the compatibility of our results with data drawn from a larger volume. We find that at all redshifts, the SSFR decreases with increasing galaxy stellar mass suggesting that star formation contributes more to the growth of low mass galaxies than to the growth of high mass galaxies, and that high mass galaxies formed the bulk of their stellar content before z=1. At each epoch we find a ridge in SSFR versus stellar mass that is parallel to lines of constant SFR and evolves independently of galaxy stellar mass to a particular turnover mass. Galaxies above this turnover mass show a sharp decrease in the SFR compared to the average at each epoch and the turnover mass increases with redshift. The SFR along the SSFR ridge decreases by roughly a factor of 10, from 10 Msun/yr at z=1.5 to 1 Msun/yr at z=0. High mass galaxies could sustain the observed rates of star formation over the 10 Gyr observed, but low mass galaxies likely undergo episodic starbursts., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, matches ApJL accepted version

We present a measurement of the evolution of the stellar mass function (MF) of galaxies and the evolution of the total stellar mass density at 010^10 Msun which are the likely progenitors of todays L* galaxies are found in much smaller numbers above z=2. However, we note that massive galaxies with M>10^11 Msun are present even to the largest redshift we probe. Beyond z=2 the evolution of the mass function becomes more rapid. We find that the total stellar mass density at z=1 is 50% of the local value. At z=2, 25% of the local mass density is assembled, and at z=3 and z=5 we find that at least 15% and 5% of the mass in stars is in place, respectively. The number density of galaxies with M>10^11 Msun evolves very similarly to the evolution at lower masses. It decreases by 0.4 dex to z=1, by 0.6 dex to z=2, and by 1 dex to z=4., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL

We spectroscopically identified 7 massive evolved galaxies with magnitudes 17.8~1.5, a factor 1.5 lower than the density (8.4(+-1) x 10^{-5} Mpc^{-3}) of early-types with comparable masses at z=0. The incompleteness (30%) of our spectroscopic observations accounts for this discrepancy. Thus, our data do not support a decrease of the comoving density of early-type galaxies with masses comparable to the most massive ones in the local Universe up to z~1.7. This suggests that massive evolved galaxies do not play an important role in the evolution of the mass density outlined by recent surveys in this redshift range, evolution which instead has to be ascribed to the accretion of the stellar mass in late-type galaxies. Finally, the presence of such massive evolved galaxies at these redshifts suggests that the assembly of massive spheroids has taken place at z>2 supporting a high efficiency in the accretion of the stellar mass in massive halos in the early Universe., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters, 5 pages, 3 figures

We present XMM-Newton data centered on one of the MUNICS Near Infrared Cluster Survey fields (S2F1) and we discuss the X-ray properties of the 6 X-ray emitting EROs found. For one of them we have already obtained the redshift using near-infrared spectroscopic data, while for the remaining 5 EROs the analysis is based on photometric redshifts. We find evidence for the presence of an X-ray obscured QSO in at least 5 out of the 6 X-ray emitting EROs. For these 5 objects we derive intrinsic (2-10 keV) luminosities in excess of 10^44 erg/s and intrinsic column densities higher than 10^22 cm^-2. These values have been obtained through a basic X-ray spectral analysis for the three brightest sources and through the analysis of the hardness ratios for the remaining two. All of these 5 X-ray emitting EROs appear extended in the optical/near-infrared bands indicating that the host galaxy emission dominates at these wavelengths. This suggests that the hosted AGNs are likely to be absorbed also in the optical/near-infrared bands: i.e. they are likely X-ray obscured possible type 2 QSOs. For the remaining ERO the presence of an AGN is suggested both by its high 0.5-2 keV luminosity (L(0.5-2 keV)~10^43 erg/s) and by its X-ray-to-optical flux ratio. In this case the quality of the present data prevents us from placing firm constraints on the AGN type hosted. Finally, the near-IR spectrum obtained for one of the 6 EROs classifies the host galaxy as an elliptical at z~1.7 with a stellar mass well in excess of 10^11 M_\odot. This result corroborates the possible link between the QSO activity and the formation of massive spheroids., Comment: Accepted for publication on A&A; 10 pages, 5 figures

The purpose of this letter is to compare the quality of different methods for estimating stellar masses of galaxies. We compare the results of (a) fitting stellar population synthesis models to broad band colors from SDSS and 2MASS, (b) the analysis of spectroscopic features of SDSS galaxies (Kauffmann et al. 2003), and, (c) a simple dynamical mass estimate based on SDSS velocity dispersions and effective radii. Knowing that all three methods can have significant biases, a comparison can help to establish their (relative) reliability. In this way, one can also probe the quality of the observationally cheap broadband color mass estimators for galaxies at higher redshift. Generally, masses based on broad-band colors and spectroscopic features agree reasonably well, with a rms scatter of only ~ 0.25 dex over almost 4 decades in mass. However, as may be expected, systematic differences do exist and have an amplitude of ~ 0.15 dex, corrleting with Halpha emission strength. Interestingly, masses from broad-band color fitting are in better agreement with dynamical masses than masses based on the analysis of spectroscopic features. In addition, the differences between the latter and the dynamical masses correlate with Halpha equivalent width, while this much less the case for the broad-band masses. We conclude that broad band color mass estimators, provided they are based on a large enough wavelength coverage and use an appropriate range of ages, metallicities and dust extinctions, can yield fairly reliable stellar masses for galaxies. This is a very encouraging result as such mass estimates are very likely the only ones available at significant redshifts for some time to come., Comment: accepted for publication in ApJL