Search

We present observations of CO(1--0) and CO(2--1) lines from the Institut de radioastronomie millim\'etrique (IRAM) 30m telescope toward 20 nearby, optically luminous type 2 quasars (QSO2s) and observations of [C II] 158$\mu$m line from the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) for 5 QSO2s in the CO sample and 5 type 1 quasars (QSO1s). In the traditional evolutionary scenario explaining different types of QSOs, obscured QSO2s emerge from gas-rich mergers observed as luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) and then turn into unobscured QSO1s as the black holes clear out the obscuring material in a blow-out phase. We test the validity of this theoretical prediction by comparing the gas fractions and star formation efficiencies among LIRGs and QSOs. We find that CO luminosity, CO-derived gas masses and gas fractions in QSO1s are consistent with those estimated for QSO2s, while LIRGs exhibit a closer resemblance to QSO2s in terms of CO-derived gas masses and gas fractions, and [C II] luminosity. However, comparisons between [C II] luminosity and star formation tracers such as the CO and infrared luminosity imply additional sources of [C II] emission in QSO1s likely tracing neutral atomic or ionized gas. All three types of galaxies have statistically indistinguishable distributions of star formation efficiency. Our results are consistent with part of the evolutionary scenario where nearby QSO2s could emerge from LIRGs, but they are unlikely to be the precursors of nearby QSO1s., Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures, 7 tables; the complete set of Figure 1 is appended to the end of document. Under review (revisions submitted) by ApJ

The wavelength dependent refraction of light in the atmosphere causes the chromatic dispersion of a target on the focal plane of an instrument. This is known as atmospheric dispersion, with one of the consequences being wavelength dependent flux losses which are difficult to minimise, requiring analysis in both instrument design and operations. We present Atmosphyre, a novel python package developed to characterise the impact of atmospheric dispersion on a spectrograph, with a focus on fibre multi-object spectrographs (MOS) which will be at the forefront of ground-based astronomy for the next few decades. We show example simulations and provide recommendations for minimising fibre MOS flux losses. We conclude that the guiding wavelength should typically be bluer than the observing band mid-wavelength, around 25-45% of the way through the band. The aperture should be centred on this wavelength's location on the focal plane. This wavelength/position remains constant for all reasonable declinations and target hour angles. We also present an application of the package to MOSAIC, the ELT's multi-object spectrograph. We find that differential losses greater than 10% are unavoidable for 1h observations that are a) after a local hour angle of 2.5h, or b) at declinations below -60 degrees and above 10 degrees. We identify that the introduction of an atmospheric dispersion corrector (ADC) would result in the significant reduction of spectral distortions, a gain in survey speed for many observations, and enable the implementation of wider visible observing bands; as a result, there has been a proposal to adopt ADCs at a positioner level for MOSAIC. Future work includes adding field differential refraction to Atmosphyre, important for future wide-field multi-object spectrograph projects such as the proposed WST., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to SPIE Astronomical Telescopes & Instrumentation, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy X (Conference 13096, Paper 219)

Extragalactic globular clusters (EGCs) are an abundant and powerful tracer of galaxy dynamics and formation, and their own formation and evolution is also a matter of extensive debate. The compact nature of globular clusters means that they are hard to spatially resolve and thus study outside the Local Group. In this work we have examined how well EGCs will be detectable in images from the Euclid telescope, using both simulated pre-launch images and the first early-release observations of the Fornax galaxy cluster. The Euclid Wide Survey will provide high-spatial resolution VIS imaging in the broad IE band as well as near-infrared photometry (YE, JE, and HE). We estimate that the galaxies within 100 Mpc in the footprint of the Euclid survey host around 830 000 EGCs of which about 350 000 are within the survey's detection limits. For about half of these EGCs, three infrared colours will be available as well. For any galaxy within 50Mpc the brighter half of its GC luminosity function will be detectable by the Euclid Wide Survey. The detectability of EGCs is mainly driven by the residual surface brightness of their host galaxy. We find that an automated machine-learning EGC-classification method based on real Euclid data of the Fornax galaxy cluster provides an efficient method to generate high purity and high completeness GC candidate catalogues. We confirm that EGCs are spatially resolved compared to pure point sources in VIS images of Fornax. Our analysis of both simulated and first on-sky data show that Euclid will increase the number of GCs accessible with high-resolution imaging substantially compared to previous surveys, and will permit the study of GCs in the outskirts of their hosts. Euclid is unique in enabling systematic studies of EGCs in a spatially unbiased and homogeneous manner and is primed to improve our understanding of many understudied aspects of GC astrophysics., Comment: Submitted to A&A

We make use of the unprecedented depth, spatial resolution, and field of view of the Euclid Early Release Observations of the Perseus galaxy cluster to detect and characterise the dwarf galaxy population in this massive system. The Euclid high resolution VIS and combined VIS+NIR colour images were visually inspected and dwarf galaxy candidates were identified. Their morphologies, the presence of nuclei, and their globular cluster (GC) richness were visually assessed, complementing an automatic detection of the GC candidates. Structural and photometric parameters, including Euclid filter colours, were extracted from 2-dimensional fitting. Based on this analysis, a total of 1100 dwarf candidates were found across the image, with 638 appearing to be new identifications. The majority (96%) are classified as dwarf ellipticals, 53% are nucleated, 26% are GC-rich, and 6% show disturbed morphologies. A relatively high fraction of galaxies, 8%, are categorised as ultra-diffuse galaxies. The majority of the dwarfs follow the expected scaling relations. Globally, the GC specific frequency, S_N, of the Perseus dwarfs is intermediate between those measured in the Virgo and Coma clusters. While the dwarfs with the largest GC counts are found throughout the Euclid field of view, those located around the east-west strip, where most of the brightest cluster members are found, exhibit larger S_N values, on average. The spatial distribution of the dwarfs, GCs, and intracluster light show a main iso-density/isophotal centre displaced to the west of the bright galaxy light distribution. The ERO imaging of the Perseus cluster demonstrates the unique capability of Euclid to concurrently detect and characterise large samples of dwarfs, their nuclei, and their GC systems, allowing us to construct a detailed picture of the formation and evolution of galaxies over a wide range of mass scales and environments., Comment: 44 pages, 24 figures, 5 tables, paper submitted to A&A as part of the A&A special issue `Euclid on Sky', which contains Euclid key reference papers and first results from the Euclid Early Release Observations

The Euclid ERO programme targeted the Perseus cluster of galaxies, gathering deep data in the central region of the cluster over 0.7 square degree, corresponding to approximately 0.25 r_200. The data set reaches a point-source depth of IE=28.0 (YE, JE, HE = 25.3) AB magnitudes at 5 sigma with a 0.16" and 0.48" FWHM, and a surface brightness limit of 30.1 (29.2) mag per square arcsec. The exceptional depth and spatial resolution of this wide-field multi-band data enable the simultaneous detection and characterisation of both bright and low surface brightness galaxies, along with their globular cluster systems, from the optical to the NIR. This study advances beyond previous analyses of the cluster and enables a range of scientific investigations summarised here. We derive the luminosity and stellar mass functions (LF and SMF) of the Perseus cluster in the Euclid IE band, thanks to supplementary u,g,r,i,z and Halpha data from the CFHT. We adopt a catalogue of 1100 dwarf galaxies, detailed in the corresponding ERO paper. We identify all other sources in the Euclid images and obtain accurate photometric measurements using AutoProf or AstroPhot for 138 bright cluster galaxies, and SourceExtractor for half a million compact sources. Cluster membership for the bright sample is determined by calculating photometric redshifts with Phosphoros. Our LF and SMF are the deepest recorded for the Perseus cluster, highlighting the groundbreaking capabilities of the Euclid telescope. Both the LF and SMF fit a Schechter plus Gaussian model. The LF features a dip at M(IE)=-19 and a faint-end slope of alpha_S = -1.2 to -1.3. The SMF displays a low-mass-end slope of alpha_S = -1.2 to -1.35. These observed slopes are flatter than those predicted for dark matter halos in cosmological simulations, offering significant insights for models of galaxy formation and evolution., Comment: Submitted to A&A, 44 pages, 35 figures, Part of the A&A special issue `Euclid on Sky', which contains Euclid key reference papers and first results from the Euclid Early Release Observations

We present an analysis of Euclid observations of a 0.5 deg$^2$ field in the central region of the Fornax galaxy cluster that were acquired during the performance verification phase. With these data, we investigate the potential of Euclid for identifying GCs at 20 Mpc, and validate the search methods using artificial GCs and known GCs within the field from the literature. Our analysis of artificial GCs injected into the data shows that Euclid's data in $I_{\rm E}$ band is 80% complete at about $I_{\rm E} \sim 26.0$ mag ($M_{V\rm } \sim -5.0$ mag), and resolves GCs as small as $r_{\rm h} = 2.5$ pc. In the $I_{\rm E}$ band, we detect more than 95% of the known GCs from previous spectroscopic surveys and GC candidates of the ACS Fornax Cluster Survey, of which more than 80% are resolved. We identify more than 5000 new GC candidates within the field of view down to $I_{\rm E}$ mag, about 1.5 mag fainter than the typical GC luminosity function turn-over magnitude, and investigate their spatial distribution within the intracluster field. We then focus on the GC candidates around dwarf galaxies and investigate their numbers, stacked luminosity distribution and stacked radial distribution. While the overall GC properties are consistent with those in the literature, an interesting over-representation of relatively bright candidates is found within a small number of relatively GC-rich dwarf galaxies. Our work confirms the capabilities of Euclid data in detecting GCs and separating them from foreground and background contaminants at a distance of 20 Mpc, particularly for low-GC count systems such as dwarf galaxies., Comment: Paper submitted as part of the A&A special issue `Euclid on Sky', which contains Euclid key reference papers and first results from the Euclid Early Release Observations

In spite of the advent of extremely large telescopes in the UV/optical/NIR range, the current generation of 8-10m facilities is likely to remain competitive at ground-UV wavelengths for the foreseeable future. The Cassegrain U-Band Efficient Spectrograph (CUBES) has been designed to provide high-efficiency (>40%) observations in the near UV (305-400 nm requirement, 300-420 nm goal) at a spectral resolving power of R>20,000, although a lower-resolution, sky-limited mode of R ~ 7,000 is also planned. CUBES will offer new possibilities in many fields of astrophysics, providing access to key lines of stellar spectra: a tremendous diversity of iron-peak and heavy elements, lighter elements (in particular Beryllium) and light-element molecules (CO, CN, OH), as well as Balmer lines and the Balmer jump (particularly important for young stellar objects). The UV range is also critical in extragalactic studies: the circumgalactic medium of distant galaxies, the contribution of different types of sources to the cosmic UV background, the measurement of H2 and primordial Deuterium in a regime of relatively transparent intergalactic medium, and follow-up of explosive transients. The CUBES project completed a Phase A conceptual design in June 2021 and has now entered the Phase B dedicated to detailed design and construction. First science operations are planned for 2028. In this paper, we briefly describe the CUBES project development and goals, the main science cases, the instrument design and the project organization and management., Comment: Proceedings for the HACK100 conference, Trieste, June 2022. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2208.01672

Nearby metal-poor starburst dwarf galaxies present a unique opportunity to probe the physics of high-density star formation with a detail and sensitivity unmatched by any observation of the high-z Universe. Here we present the first results from a chemodynamical study of the nearby, gas-rich starburst dwarf CGCG 007-025. We use VLT/MUSE integral field spectroscopy to characterise the properties of the star-forming (SF) gas, from its metal content to its kinematics. The star formation rate (SFR) surface density presents a clumpy distribution, with the brightest knot hosting a 5 Myr young, Wolf-Rayet (WR) population (revealed by the presence of the characteristic 5808\AA~WR bump). The ionised gas kinematics are dominated by disordered motions. A superposition of a narrow ($\sigma \approx$ 50 km s$^{-1}$), intermediate (150 km s$^{-1}$) and broad (1000 km s$^{-1}$) kinematic components are needed to model the emission line profiles in the brightest SF region, suggesting the presence of energetic outflows from massive stars. The gas-phase metallicity of the galaxy spans 0.6 dex and displays a strong anti-correlation with SFR surface density, dropping to 12+log(O/H) = 7.7 in the central SF knot. The spatially-resolved BPTs indicates the gas is being ionised purely by SF processes. Finally, the anti-correlation between the SFR and the gas metallicity points out to accretion of metal-poor gas as the origin of the recent off-centre starburst, in which the infalling material ignites the SF episode., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 1 table; published in MNRAS

We report on the kinetic inductance detector (KID) array focal plane assembly design for the Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM). Each of the 2 arrays consists of 4 wafer-sized dies (quadrants), and the overall assembly must satisfy thermal and mechanical requirements, while maintaining high optical efficiency and a suitable electromagnetic environment for the KIDs. In particular, our design manages to strictly maintain a 50 $\mathrm{\mu m}$ air gap between the array and the horn block. We have prototyped and are now testing a sub-scale assembly which houses a single quadrant for characterization before integration into the full array. The initial test result shows a $>$95% yield, indicating a good performance of our TIM detector packaging design., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Journal of Low Temperature Physics (2022)

The Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM) is designed to probe the star formation history in dust-obscured star-forming galaxies around the peak of cosmic star formation. This will be done via measurements of the redshifted 157.7 um line of singly ionized carbon ([CII]). TIM employs two R $\sim 250$ long-slit grating spectrometers covering 240-420 um. Each is equipped with a focal plane unit containing 4 wafer-sized subarrays of horn-coupled aluminum kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs). We present the design and performance of a prototype focal plane assembly for one of TIM's KID-based subarrays. Our design strictly maintain high optical efficiency and a suitable electromagnetic environment for the KIDs. The prototype detector housing in combination with the first flight-like quadrant are tested at 250 mK. Initial frequency scan shows that many resonances are affected by collisions and/or very shallow transmission dips as a result of a degraded internal quality factor (Q factor). This is attributed to the presence of an external magnetic field during cooldown. We report on a study of magnetic field dependence of the Q factor of our quadrant array. We implement a Helmholtz coil to vary the magnetic field at the detectors by (partially) nulling earth's. Our investigation shows that the earth magnetic field can significantly affect our KIDs' performance by degrading the Q factor by a factor of 2-5, well below those expected from the operational temperature or optical loading. We find that we can sufficiently recover our detectors' quality factor by tuning the current in the coils to generate a field that matches earth's magnetic field in magnitude to within a few uT. Therefore, it is necessary to employ a properly designed magnetic shield enclosing the TIM focal plane unit. Based on the results presented in this paper, we set a shielding requirement of |B| < 3 uT., Comment: This conference proceeding reports on a study of magnetic field dependence of the quality factor of Terahertz Intensity Mapper's 864-pixel Kinetic Inductance Detector array and an effort on carrying out the magnetic shielding requirement for TIM's balloon flight and science operation. 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in conference proceedings of SPIE

We present medium-resolution (R $\sim$ 4000) YJ, H \& K band spectroscopy of candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) in NGC~346, the most active star-formation region in the metal-poor (Z = 1/5 Z$_{\sun}$) Small Magellanic Cloud. The spectra were obtained with the KMOS (K-Band Multi Object Spectrograph) integral field instrument on the Very Large Telescope. From our initial sample of 18 candidate high-mass YSOs previously identified from mid-IR photometry and radiative transfer model fits to their spectral energy distributions, approximately half were resolved into multiple components by our integral-field data. In total, we detect 30 continuum sources and extract reliable spectra for 12 of these objects. The spectra show various features including hydrogen recombination lines, and lines from H$_2$, He~{\sc i} and [Fe~{\sc ii}], which are indicative of accretion, discs and outflowing material in massive YSOs. We spectroscopically confirm the youthful nature of nine YSO candidates and identify two others as OB stars. All of the confirmed YSOs have Br$\gamma$ in emission, but no emission is seen from the CO bandhead, despite other disc tracers present in the spectra. He\,{\sc i}~1.083 $\mu$m emission is also detected at appreciably higher rates than for the Galaxy., Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication MNRAS

In the era of Extremely Large Telescopes, the current generation of 8-10m facilities are likely to remain competitive at ground-UV wavelengths for the foreseeable future. The Cassegrain U-Band Efficient Spectrograph (CUBES) has been designed to provide high-efficiency (>40%) observations in the near UV (305-400 nm requirement, 300-420 nm goal) at a spectral resolving power of R>20,000 (with a lower-resolution, sky-limited mode of R ~ 7,000). With the design focusing on maximizing the instrument throughput (ensuring a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) ~20 per high-resolution element at 313 nm for U ~18.5 mag objects in 1h of observations), it will offer new possibilities in many fields of astrophysics, providing access to key lines of stellar spectra: a tremendous diversity of iron-peak and heavy elements, lighter elements (in particular Beryllium) and light-element molecules (CO, CN, OH), as well as Balmer lines and the Balmer jump (particularly important for young stellar objects). The UV range is also critical in extragalactic studies: the circumgalactic medium of distant galaxies, the contribution of different types of sources to the cosmic UV background, the measurement of H2 and primordial Deuterium in a regime of relatively transparent intergalactic medium, and follow-up of explosive transients. The CUBES project completed a Phase A conceptual design in June 2021 and has now entered the detailed design and construction phase. First science operations are planned for 2028., Comment: SPIE proceedings, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2022, Montr\'eal, Canada; 20 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables

Globular clusters play a role in many areas of astrophysics, ranging from stellar physics to cosmology. New ground-based optical surveys complemented by observations from space-based telescopes with unprecedented near-infrared capabilities will help us solve the puzzles of their formation histories. In this context, the Wide Survey of the Euclid space mission will provide red and near-infrared data over about 15000 square degrees of the sky. Combined with optical photometry from the ground, it will allow us to construct a global picture of the globular cluster populations in both dense and tenuous environments out to tens of megaparsecs. The homogeneous photometry of these data sets will rejuvenate stellar population studies that depend on precise spectral energy distributions. We provide a brief overview of these perspectives., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Proceedings of an oral contribution to Session 23 "Wide Field Photometric Surveys II" of the 2021 meeting of SF2A (Soci\'et\'e Fran\c{c}aise d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique), June 9, 2021. Reviewed by the proceedings editors and the Euclid Consortium editorial board

It was first observed in the 1970s that the dwarf galaxies surrounding our Milky Way, so-called satellites, appear to be arranged in a thin, vast plane. Similar discoveries have been made around additional galaxies in the local Universe such as Andromeda, Centaurus A, and potentially M83. In the specific cases with available kinematic data, the dwarf satellites also appear to preferentially co-orbit their massive host galaxy. Planes of satellites are rare in the lambda cold dark matter ($\Lambda$CDM) paradigm, although they may be a natural consequence of projection effects. Such a phase-space correlation, however, remains difficult to explain. In this work we analyzed the 2D spatial distribution of 2210 dwarf galaxies around early-type galaxies (ETGs) in the low-to-medium density fields of the "Mass Assembly of early-Type GaLAxies with their fine Structures" (MATLAS) survey. Under the assumption that the dwarfs are satellite members of the central massive ETG, we identified flattened structures using both a variation in the Hough transform and total least square (TLS) fitting. In 119 satellite systems, we find 31 statistically significant flattened dwarf structures using a combination of both methods with subsequent Monte Carlo (MC) simulations with random data. The vast majority of these dwarf structures lie within the estimated virial radii of the massive host. The major axes of these systems are aligned better than 30{\deg} with the estimated orientation of the large-scale structure in nine (50%) cases. Additional distance measurements and future kinematic studies will be required to confirm the planar nature of these structures and to determine if they are corotating systems., Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Today, there are millions of professionals worldwide acting as a designer, architect or engineer in the design, realization, and implementation of information systems. At this moment there is no well established and clearly identified body of knowledge that defines their profession in a "standard" way. In this article, we present the idea of developing an architecture method library. Such a library could play a pivotal role to further professionalize the field. The library contains project experiences, reference architectures, literature, proven methods, tools, etc. Access mechanisms allow the professional to use this body of knowledge. By giving it an open nature, it can be filled by professionals from different fields. Feedback mechanisms are possible to improve the contents of the library, for example by giving feedback on the method components in the library.

We investigate K-shell ionization of N$_2$ at 40 keV photon energy. Using a COLTRIMS reaction microscope we determine the vector momenta of the photoelectron, the Auger electron and both N$^+$ fragments. These fully differential data show that the dissociation process of the N$_2^{2+}$ ion is significantly modified not only by the recoil momentum of the photoelectron, but also by the photon momentum and the momentum of the emitted Auger electron. We find that the recoil energy introduced by the photon and the photoelectron momentum is partitioned with a ratio of approximately 30/70 between the Auger electron and fragment ion kinetic energies, respectively. We also observe that the photon momentum induces an additional rotation of the molecular ion., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures

We investigate angular emission distributions of the 1s-photoelectrons of N$_2$ ionized by linearly polarized synchrotron radiation at $h \nu=40$ keV. As expected, nondipole contributions cause a very strong forward-backward asymmetry in the measured emission distributions. In addition, we observe an unexpected asymmetry with respect to the polarization direction, which depends on the direction of the molecular fragmentation. In particular, photoelectrons are predominantly emitted in the direction of the forward nitrogen atom. This observation cannot be explained via asymmetries introduced by the initial bound and final continuum electronic states of the oriented molecule. The present simulations assign this asymmetry to a novel nontrivial effect of the recoil imposed to the nuclei by the fast photoelectrons and high-energy photons, which results in a propensity for the ions to break up along the axis of the recoil momentum. The results are of particular importance for the interpretation of future experiments at XFELs operating in the few tens of keV regime, where such nondipole and recoil effects will be essential., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures

It has long been suspected that powerful radio sources may lower the efficiency with which stars form from the molecular gas in their host galaxy, but so far, alternative mechanisms, in particular related to the stellar mass distribution in the massive bulges of their host galaxies, are not ruled out. We present new ALMA CO(1-0) interferometry of cold molecular gas in the nearby (z=0.0755), massive (M_stellar=4x10^11 M_sun), isolated, late-type spiral galaxy 2MASSX J23453269-044925, which is outstanding for having two pairs of powerful, giant radio jets, and a bright X-ray halo. The molecular gas is in a massive (M_gas=2x10^10 M_sun), 24 kpc wide, rapidly rotating ring, which is associated with the inner stellar disk. Broad (FWHM=70-180 km s^-1) lines with complex profiles associated with the radio source are seen over large regions in the ring, indicating gas velocities that are high enough to keep the otherwise marginally Toomre-stable gas from fragmenting into gravitationally bound, star-forming clouds. About 1-2% of the jet kinetic energy are required to power these motions. Resolved star-formation rate surface densities fall factors 50-75 short of expectations from the Kennicutt-Schmidt law of star-forming galaxies, and near gas-rich early-type galaxies with signatures of star formation lowered by jet feedback. We argue that radio AGN feedback is the only plausible mechanism to explain the low star-formation rates in this galaxy. Previous authors have already noted that the X-ray halo of J2345-0449 implies a baryon fraction near the cosmic average, which is very high for a galaxy. We contrast this finding with other, equally massive baryon-rich spiral galaxies without prominent radio sources. Most of the baryons in these galaxies are in stars, not in the halos. We also discuss the implications of our results for our general understanding of AGN feedback in massive galaxies., Comment: Submitted to A&A. Comments welcome!

The powerful combination of the cutting-edge multi-object spectrograph MOSAIC with the world largest telescope, the ELT, will allow us to probe deeper into the Universe than was possible. MOSAIC is an extremely efficient instrument in providing spectra for the numerous faint sources in the Universe, including the very first galaxies and sources of cosmic reionization. MOSAIC has a high multiplex in the NIR and in the VIS, in addition to multi-Integral Field Units (Multi-IFUs) in NIR. As such it is perfectly suited to carry out an inventory of dark matter (from rotation curves) and baryons in the cool-warm gas phases in galactic haloes at z=3-4. MOSAIC will enable detailed maps of the intergalactic medium at z=3, the evolutionary history of dwarf galaxies during a Hubble time, the chemistry directly measured from stars up to several Mpc. Finally, it will measure all faint features seen in cluster gravitational lenses or in streams surrounding nearby galactic halos, providing MOSAIC to be a powerful instrument with an extremely large space of discoveries. The preliminary design of MOSAIC is expected to begin next year, and its level of readiness is already high, given the instrumental studies made by the team., Comment: 8 pages, 4 Figures, Pre-edited version, to appear in the ESO Messenger No.182 - Quarter 1 2021 - Version identical to the Edited one

SuperSpec is an on-chip filter-bank spectrometer designed for wideband moderate-resolution spectroscopy at millimeter wavelengths, employing TiN kinetic inductance detectors. SuperSpec technology will enable large-format spectroscopic integral field units suitable for high-redshift line intensity mapping and multi-object spectrographs. In previous results we have demonstrated noise performance in individual detectors suitable for photon noise limited ground-based observations at excellent mm-wave sites. In these proceedings we present the noise performance of a full $R\sim 275$ spectrometer measured using deployment-ready RF hardware and software. We report typical noise equivalent powers through the full device of $\sim 3 \times 10^{-16} \ \mathrm{W}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ at expected sky loadings, which are photon noise dominated. Based on these results, we plan to deploy a six-spectrometer demonstration instrument to the Large Millimeter Telescope in early 2020., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by the Journal of Low Temperature Physics (Proceedings of the 18th International Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors)

The Pristine survey uses narrow-band photometry to derive precise metallicities down to the extremely metal-poor regime ([Fe/H] < -3), and currently consists of over 4 million FGK-type stars over a sky area of $\sim 2~500\, \mathrm{deg}^2$. We focus our analysis on a subsample of $\sim 80~000$ main sequence turnoff stars with heliocentric distances between 6 and 20 kpc, which we take to be a representative sample of the inner halo. The resulting metallicity distribution function (MDF) has a peak at [Fe/H] = -1.6, and a slope of $\Delta$(LogN)/$\Delta[Fe/H] = 1.0 \pm 0.1$ in the metallicity range of -3.4 < [Fe/H] < -2.5. This agrees well with a simple closed-box chemical enrichment model in this range, but is shallower than previous spectroscopic MDFs presented in the literature, suggesting that there may be a larger proportion of metal-poor stars in the inner halo than previously reported. We identify the Monoceros/TriAnd/ACS/EBS/A13 structure in metallicity space in a low latitude field in the anticenter direction, and also discuss the possibility that the inner halo is dominated by a single, large merger event, but cannot strongly support or refute this idea with the current data. Finally, based on the MDF of field stars, we estimate the number of expected metal-poor globular clusters in the Milky Way halo to be 5.4 for [Fe/H] < -2.5 and 1.5 for [Fe/H] < -3, suggesting that the lack of low metallicity globular clusters in the Milky Way is not due simply to statistical undersampling., Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Mapping of the large-scale structure through cosmic time has numerous applications in the studies of cosmology and galaxy evolution. At $z > 2$, the structure can be traced by the neutral intergalactic medium (IGM) by way of observing the Ly$\alpha$, forest towards densely-sampled lines-of-sight of bright background sources, such as quasars and star forming galaxies. We investigate the scientific potential of MOSAIC, a planned multi-object spectrograph on the European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), for the 3D mapping of the IGM at $z \gtrsim 3$. We simulate a survey of $3 \lesssim z \lesssim 4$ galaxies down to a limiting magnitude of $m_{r}\sim 25.5$ mag in an area of 1 degree$^2$ in the sky. Galaxies and their spectra (including the line-of-sight Ly$\alpha$ absorption) are taken from the lightcone extracted from the Horizon-AGN cosmological hydrodynamical simulation. The quality of the reconstruction of the original density field is studied for different spectral resolutions and signal-to-noise ratios of the spectra. We demonstrate that the minimum $S/N$ (per resolution element) of the faintest galaxies that such survey has to reach is $S/N = 4$. We show that a survey with such sensitivity enables a robust extraction of cosmic filaments and the detection of the theoretically-predicted galaxy stellar mass and star-formation rate gradients towards filaments. By simulating the realistic performance of MOSAIC we obtain $S/N(T_{\rm obs}, R, m_{r})$ scaling relations. We estimate that $\lesssim 35~(65)$ nights of observation time are required to carry out the survey with the instrument's high multiplex mode and with the spectral resolution of $R=1000~(2000)$. A survey with a MOSAIC-concept instrument on the ELT is found to enable the mapping of the IGM at $z > 3$ on Mpc scales, and as such will be complementary to and competitive with other planned IGM tomography surveys. [abridged], Comment: 28 pages, accepted to A&A; language edited

We study the intrinsic shapes of a sample of over 400 quiescent galaxies in the cores of the Virgo and Fornax clusters with luminosities $10^{6} \leq L_{g}/L_{\odot} \leq 10^{8}$. Similar to satellites of the Local Group and Centaurus A, these faint, low surface brightness cluster galaxies are best described as a family of thick ($C/A > 0.5$), oblate-triaxial spheroids. However, the large sample size allows us to show that the flattening of their stellar distributions depends both on luminosity and on the presence of a nuclear star cluster. Nucleated satellites are thicker at all luminosities compared to their non-nucleated counterparts, and fainter galaxies are systematically thicker as well, regardless of nucleation. Once nucleation is accounted for, we find no evidence that the environment the satellites live in plays a relevant role in setting their three-dimensional structure. We interpret both the presence of stellar nuclei and the associated thicker shapes as the result of preferential early and rapid formation, effectively making these faint nucleated galaxies the first generation of cluster satellites., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

Using deep, high resolution optical imaging from the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey we study the properties of nuclear star clusters (NSCs) in a sample of nearly 400 quiescent galaxies in the core of Virgo with stellar masses $10^{5}\lesssim M_{*}/M_{\odot} \lesssim10^{12}$. The nucleation fraction reaches a peak value $f_{n}\approx90\%$ for $M_{*} \approx 10^{9} M_{\odot}$ galaxies and declines for both higher and lower masses, but nuclei populate galaxies as small as $M_{*} \approx5\times10^{5} M_{\odot}$. Comparison with literature data for nearby groups and clusters shows that at the low-mass end nucleation is more frequent in denser environments. The NSC mass function peaks at $M_{NSC}\approx7\times10^{5} M_{\odot}$, a factor 3-4 times larger than the turnover mass for globular clusters (GCs). We find a nonlinear relation between the stellar masses of NSCs and of their host galaxies, with a mean nucleus-to-galaxy mass ratio that drops to $M_{NSC}/M_{*}\approx3.6\times10^{-3}$ for $M_{*} \approx 5\times10^{9} M_{\odot}$ galaxies. Nuclei in both more and less massive galaxies are much more prominent: $M_{NSC}\propto M_{*}^{0.46}$ at the low-mass end, where nuclei are nearly 50% as massive as their hosts. We measure an intrinsic scatter in NSC masses at fixed galaxy stellar mass of 0.4 dex, which we interpret as evidence that the process of NSC growth is significantly stochastic. At low galaxy masses we find a close connection between NSCs and GC systems, including a very similar occupation distribution and comparable total masses. We discuss these results in the context of current dissipative and dissipationless models of NSC formation., Comment: ApJ accepted

We have observed the giant elliptical galaxy M87 during the Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Galaxy Evolution (VESTIGE), a blind narrow-band Halpha+[NII] imaging survey of the Virgo cluster carried out with MegaCam at the Canada French Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). The deep narrow-band image confirmed the presence of a filament of ionised gas extending up to ~ 3 kpc in the north-western direction and ~ 8 kpc to the south-east, with a couple of plumes of ionised gas, the weakest of which, at ~ 18 kpc from the nucleus, was previously unknown. The analysis of deep optical images taken from the NGVS survey confirms that this gas filament is associated with dust seen in absorption which is now detected up to ~ 2.4 kpc from the nucleus. We have also analysed the physical and kinematical properties of the ionised gas filament using deep IFU MUSE data covering the central 4.8 x 4.8 kpc^2 of the galaxy. The spectroscopic data confirms a perturbed kinematics of the ionised gas, with differences in velocity of ~ 700-800 km s^-1 on scales of < 1 kpc. The analysis of 2D diagnostic diagrams and the observed relationship between the shock-sensitive [OI]/Halpha line ratio and the velocity dispersion of the gas suggest that the gas is shock-ionised., Comment: Accepted for publication to Astronomy & Astrophysics

We have observed the late-type peculiar galaxy NGC 4424 during VESTIGE, a blind narrow-band Halpha[NII] imaging survey of the Virgo cluster carried out with MegaCam at the CFHT. The presence of a 110 kpc long HI tail in the S direction indicates that this galaxy is undergoing a ram pressure stripping event. The deep narrow-band image revealed the presence of a low surface brightness ionised gas tail ~10 kpc long extending from the centre of the galaxy to the NW direction, in the direction opposite to the HI tail. Chandra and XMM X-rays data do not show any compact source in the nucleus nor the presence of an extended tail of hot gas, while MUSE spectroscopy indicates that the gas is photo-ionised in the inner regions and shock-ionised in the outer parts. IFU spectroscopy confirms that the ionised gas is kinematically decoupled from the stellar component and indicates the presence of two kinematically distinct structures in the stellar disc. The analysis of the SED of the galaxy indicates that the activity of star formation has been totally quenched in the outer disc ~ 250-280 Myr ago, while only reduced by ~80% in the central regions. All this observational evidence suggests that NGC 4424 is the remnant of an unequal-mass merger occurred <= 500 Myr ago, when the galaxy was already a member of the Virgo cluster, now undergoing a ram pressure stripping event which has removed the gas and quenched the activity of star formation in the outer disc. The tail of ionised gas probably results from the outflow produced by a central starburst fed by the collapse of gas induced by the merging episode. This outflow is sufficiently powerful to overcome the ram pressure induced by the intracluster medium on the disc of the galaxy crossing the cluster. This analysis thus suggests that feedback can participate in the quenching process of galaxies in high-density regions., Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysics

The next generation of cosmology space missions will be sensitive to parasitic signals arising from cosmic rays. Using a composite bolometer, we have investigated pulses produced by $\alpha$ particles in order to understand the movement of energy produced by ionising radiation. Using a series of measurements at 100 mK, we have compared the typical fitting algorithm (a mathematical model) with a second method of pulse interpretation by convolving the detector's thermal response function with a starting profile of thermalised athermal phonons, taking into account the effects of heat propagation. Using this new fitting method, we have eliminated the need for a non-physical quadratic nonlinearity factor produced using more common methods, and we find a pulse form in good agreement with known aspects of thermal physics. This work is carried forward in the effort to produce a physical model for energy deposition in this detector. The modelling is motivated by the reproduction of statistical features in the experimental dataset, and the new interpretation of $\alpha$ pulse shapes represents an improvement in the current understanding of the energy propagation mechanisms in this detector., Comment: Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018 (Austin, TX), published in Proc. SPIE 10698, Optical Infrared and Millimetre Wave, 1069863 on 12 July 2018

We present the consolidated scientific case for multi-object spectroscopy with the MOSAIC concept on the European ELT. The cases span the full range of ELT science and require either 'high multiplex' or 'high definition' observations to best exploit the excellent sensitivity and wide field-of-view of the telescope. Following scientific prioritisation by the Science Team during the recent Phase A study of the MOSAIC concept, we highlight four key surveys designed for the instrument using detailed simulations of its scientific performance. We discuss future ways to optimise the conceptual design of MOSAIC in Phase B, and illustrate its competitiveness and unique capabilities by comparison with other facilities that will be available in the 2020s., Comment: Paper presented at SPIE 2018 - Ground-based and Airbone Instrumentation for Astronomy VII

We present the analysis of 61 nucleated dwarf galaxies in the central regions ($

We report the discovery of 271 previously undetected dwarf galaxies in the outer Fornax cluster regions at radii $r_{\rm vir}/4<\!r\!

We present the results of a wide spectroscopic survey aimed at detecting extragalactic globular clusters (GCs) in the core of the Fornax cluster. About 4500 low resolution spectra (from 4800 to 10000 \AA ) were observed in 25 VLT/VIMOS masks covering the central 1 deg$^{2}$ around the dominant galaxy NGC 1399 corresponding to $\sim$175 kpc galactocentric radius. We describe the methodology used for data reduction and data analysis. We found a total of 387 unique physical objects (372 GCs and 15 ultra compact dwarfs) in the field covered by our observations. Most of these objects are associated with NGC 1399, with only 10% likely belonging to other giant galaxies. The new VIMOS dataset is complementary to the many GC catalogues already present in the literature and it brings the total number of tracer particles around NGC 1399 to more than 1130 objects. With this comprehensive radial velocity sample we have found that the velocity dispersion of the GC population (equally for red and blue GC populations) shows a relatively sharp increase from low velocity dispersion ($\sim250$-$350$ kms$^{-1}$) to high velocity dispersion ($\sim300$-$400$ kms$^{-1}$) at projected radius of $\approx10$ arcmin ($\sim60$ kpc) from the galaxy centre. This suggests that at a projected radius of $\approx60$ kpc both blue and red GC populations begin to be governed by the dominating Fornax cluster potential, rather than by the central NGC 1399 galaxy potential. This kinematic evidence corroborates similar results found using surface brightness analysis and planetary nebulae kinematics., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRAS, companion paper FVSS-II (Spiniello et al. 2018, submitted)

The Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission (VESTIGE) is a blind narrow-band Halpha+[NII] imaging survey carried out with MegaCam at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. The survey covers the whole Virgo cluster region from its core to one virial radius (104 deg^2). The sensitivity of the survey is of f(Halpha) ~ 4 x 10^-17 erg sec-1 cm^-2 (5 sigma detection limit) for point sources and Sigma (Halpha) ~ 2 x 10^-18 erg sec^-1 cm^-2 arcsec^-2 (1 sigma detection limit at 3 arcsec resolution) for extended sources, making VESTIGE the deepest and largest blind narrow-band survey of a nearby cluster. This paper presents the survey in all its technical aspects, including the survey design, the observing strategy, the achieved sensitivity in both the narrow-band Halpha+[NII] and in the broad-band r filter used for the stellar continuum subtraction, the data reduction, calibration, and products, as well as its status after the first observing semester. We briefly describe the Halpha properties of galaxies located in a 4x1 deg^2 strip in the core of the cluster north of M87, where several extended tails of ionised gas are detected. This paper also lists the main scientific motivations of VESTIGE, which include the study of the effects of the environment on galaxy evolution, the fate of the stripped gas in cluster objects, the star formation process in nearby galaxies of different type and stellar mass, the determination of the Halpha luminosity function and of the Halpha scaling relations down to ~ 10^6 Mo stellar mass objects, and the reconstruction of the dynamical structure of the Virgo cluster. This unique set of data will also be used to study the HII luminosity function in hundreds of galaxies, the diffuse Halpha+[NII] emission of the Milky Way at high Galactic latitude, and the properties of emission line galaxies at high redshift., Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysics

The Pristine survey is a narrow-band, photometric survey focused around the wavelength region of the Ca II H & K absorption lines, designed to efficiently search for extremely metal-poor stars. In this work, we use the first results of a medium-resolution spectroscopic follow-up to refine the selection criteria for finding extremely metal-poor stars ($\textrm{[Fe/H]} \leq -3.0$) in the Pristine survey. We consider methods by which stars can be selected from available broad-band and infrared photometry plus the additional Pristine narrow-band photometry. The spectroscopic sample presented in this paper consists of 205 stars in the magnitude range $14 < V < 18$. Applying the photometric selection criteria cuts the sample down to 149 stars, and from these we report a success rate of 70% for finding stars with $\textrm{[Fe/H]} \leq -2.5$ and 22% for finding stars with $\textrm{[Fe/H]} \leq -3.0$. These statistics compare favourably with other surveys that search for extremely metal-poor stars, namely an improvement by a factor of $\sim 4-5$ for recovering stars with $\textrm{[Fe/H]} \leq -3.0$. In addition, Pristine covers a fainter magnitude range than its predecessors, and can thus probe deeper into the Galactic halo., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables, full version of Table 1 available on-line only, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The study of galaxy morphology is fundamental to understand the physical processes driving the structural evolution of galaxies. It has long been known that dense environments host high fractions of early-type galaxies and low fractions of late-type galaxies, indicating that the environment affects the structural evolution of galaxies. In this paper we present an analysis of the morphological composition of red sequence galaxies in a sample of 9 galaxy clusters at $0.8

We carried out the deep spectroscopic observations of the nearby cluster A2151 with AF2/WYFFOS@WHT. The caustic technique enables us to identify 360 members brighter than $M_r = -16$ and within 1.3$R_{200}$. We separated the members into subsamples according to photometrical and dynamical properties such as colour, local environment and infall time. The completeness of the catalogue and our large sample allow us to analyse the velocity dispersion and the luminosity functions of the identified populations. We found evidence of a cluster still in its collapsing phase. The LF of the red population of A2151 shows a deficit of dwarf red galaxies. Moreover, the normalized LFs of the red and blue populations of A2151 are comparable to the red and blue LFs of the field, even if the blue galaxies start dominating one magnitude fainter and the red LF is well represented by a single Schechter function rather than a double Schechter function. We discuss how the evolution of cluster galaxies depends on their mass: bright and intermediate galaxies are mainly affected by dynamical friction and internal/mass quenching, while the evolution of dwarfs is driven by environmental processes which need time and a hostile cluster environment to remove the gas reservoirs and halt the star formation., Comment: Accepted for publication on MNARS, 15 pages,16 figures, 6 tables

Future astrophysics and cosmic microwave background space missions operating in the far-infrared to millimetre part of the spectrum will require very large arrays of ultra-sensitive detectors in combination with high multiplexing factors and efficient low-noise and low-power readout systems. We have developed a demonstrator system suitable for such applications. The system combines a 961 pixel imaging array based upon Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) with a readout system capable of reading out all pixels simultaneously with only one readout cable pair and a single cryogenic amplifier. We evaluate, in a representative environment, the system performance in terms of sensitivity, dynamic range, optical efficiency, cosmic ray rejection, pixel-pixel crosstalk and overall yield at at an observation centre frequency of 850 GHz and 20% fractional bandwidth. The overall system has an excellent sensitivity, with an average detector sensitivity NEPdet=3x10^-19 W/rt(Hz) measured using a thermal calibration source. At a loading power per pixel of 50fW we demonstrate white, photon noise limited detector noise down to 300 mHz. The dynamic range would allow the detection of 1 Jy bright sources within the field of view without tuning the readout of the detectors. The expected dead time due to cosmic ray interactions, when operated in an L2 or a similar far-Earth orbit, is found to be <4%. Additionally, the achieved pixel yield is 83% and the crosstalk between the pixels is <-30dB. This demonstrates that MKID technology can provide multiplexing ratios on the order of a 1000 with state-of-the-art single pixel performance, and that the technology is now mature enough to be considered for future space based observatories and experiments., Comment: Resubmitted manuscript after review A&A (2016) 16 pages, 10 figures

Deep observations of the dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxy NGC 1396 (M$_V = -16.60$, Mass $\sim 4\times10^8$ M$_\odot$), located in the Fornax cluster, have been performed with the VLT/ MUSE spectrograph in the wavelength region from $4750-9350$ \AA{}. In this paper we present a stellar population analysis studying chemical abundances, the star formation history (SFH) and the stellar initial mass function (IMF) as a function of galacto-centric distance. Different, independent ways to analyse the stellar populations result in a luminosity-weighted age of $\sim$ 6 Gyr and a metallicity [Fe/H]$\sim$ $-0.4$, similar to other dEs of similar mass. We find unusually overabundant values of [Ca/Fe] $\sim +0.1$, and under-abundant Sodium, with [Na/Fe] values around $-0.1$, while [Mg/Fe] is overabundant at all radii, increasing from $\sim+0.1$ in the centre to $\sim +0.2$ dex. We notice a significant metallicity and age gradient within this dwarf galaxy. To constrain the stellar IMF of NGC 1396, we find that the IMF of NGC 1396 is consistent with either a Kroupa-like or a top-heavy distribution, while a bottom-heavy IMF is firmly ruled out. An analysis of the abundance ratios, and a comparison with galaxies in the Local Group, shows that the chemical enrichment history of NGC 1396 is similar to the Galactic disc, with an extended star formation history. This would be the case if the galaxy originated from a LMC-sized dwarf galaxy progenitor, which would lose its gas while falling into the Fornax cluster., Comment: 21 pages, 17 figures

We present a new deep spectroscopic catalogue for Abell 85, within 3.0 $\times$ 2.6 Mpc$^2$ and down to $M_{r} \sim M_{r}^* +6$. Using the Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope (VIMOS@VLT) and the AutoFiber 2 at the William Herschel Telescope (AF2@WHT), we obtained almost 1,430 new redshifts for galaxies with $m_r \leq 21$ mag and $\langle \mu_{e,r} \rangle \leq 24$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$. These redshifts, together with SDSS-DR6 and NED spectroscopic information, result in 460 confirmed cluster members. This dataset allows the study of the luminosity function (LF) of the cluster galaxies covering three orders of magnitudes in luminosities. The total and radial LFs are best modelled by a double Schechter function. The normalized LFs show that their bright ($M_{r} \leq -21.5$) and faint ($M_{r}\geq -18.0$) ends are independent of clustercentric distance and similar to the field LFs unlike the intermediate luminosity range ($-21.5 \leq M_{r} \leq -18.0$). Similar results are found for the LFs of the dominant types of galaxies: red, passive, virialized and early-infall members. On the contrary, the LFs of blue, star forming, non-virialized and recent-infall galaxies are well described by a single Schechter function. These populations contribute to a small fraction of the galaxy density in the innermost cluster region. However, in the outskirts of the cluster, they have similar densities to red, passive, virialized and early-infall members at the LF faint end. These results confirm a clear dependence of the colour and star formation of Abell 85 members in the cluster centric distance., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication on MNRAS

(Abridged) We investigate the intrinsic shapes of low-luminosity galaxies in the central 300 kpc of the Virgo cluster using deep imaging obtained as part of the NGVS. We build a sample of nearly 300 red-sequence cluster members in the yet unexplored $-14 < M_{g} < -8$ magnitude range. The observed distribution of apparent axis ratios is then fit by families of triaxial models with normally-distributed intrinsic ellipticities and triaxialities. We develop a Bayesian framework to explore the posterior distribution of the model parameters, which allows us to work directly on discrete data, and to account for individual, surface brightness-dependent axis ratio uncertainties. For this population we infer a mean intrinsic ellipticity E=0.43, and a mean triaxiality T=0.16. This implies that faint Virgo galaxies are best described as a family of thick, nearly oblate spheroids with mean intrinsic axis ratios 1:0.94:0.57. We additionally attempt a study of the intrinsic shapes of Local Group satellites of similar luminosities. For the LG population we infer a slightly larger mean intrinsic ellipticity E=0.51, and the paucity of objects with round apparent shapes translates into more triaxial mean shapes, 1:0.76:0.49. We finally compare the intrinsic shapes of NGVS low-mass galaxies with samples of more massive quiescent systems, and with field, star-forming galaxies of similar luminosities. We find that the intrinsic flattening in this low-luminosity regime is almost independent of the environment in which the galaxy resides--but there is a hint that objects may be slightly rounder in denser environments. The comparable flattening distributions of low-luminosity galaxies that have experienced very different degrees of environmental effects suggests that internal processes are the main drivers of galaxy structure at low masses--with external mechanisms playing a secondary role., Comment: Accepted to ApJ. 18 pages, 12 figures

We analyse the evolution of the red sequence in a sample of galaxy clusters at redshifts $0.8 11.5$) red sequence galaxies in the WINGS clusters, which do not include only the brightest cluster galaxies and which are not present in the HCS clusters, suggesting that they formed at epochs later than $z=0.8$. The comparison with the luminosity distribution of a sample of passive red sequence galaxies drawn from the COSMOS/UltraVISTA field in the photometric redshift range $0.8