Search

We present a Bayesian inference on the neutral hydrogen fraction of the intergalactic medium (IGM), $\overline{x}_{\small HI}$, at z ∼ 6–8 using the properties of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) during the epoch of reionization. We use large samples of LBG candidates at 5.5 ≤ z ≤ 8.2 with spectroscopy from Keck/DEIMOS and Keck/MOSFIRE. For each galaxy, we incorporate either the Lyman-α (Lyα) equivalent width (EW) for detections or the EW limit spectrum for non-detections to parametrize the EW distribution at various ultraviolet brightnesses for a given redshift. Using our reference sample of galaxy candidates from the ionized universe at z ∼ 6.0, we are able to infer $\overline{x}_{\small HI}$ at two redshifts: z ∼ 6.7 and z ∼ 7.6. This work includes intrinsically faint, gravitationally lensed galaxies at z ∼ 6.0 in order to constrain the intrinsic faint-end Lyα EW distribution and provide a comparable population of galaxies to counterparts in our sample that are at higher redshift. The inclusion of faint galaxy candidates, in addition to a more sophisticated modelling framework, allows us to better isolate effects of the interstellar medium and circumgalactic medium on the observed Lyα distribution from those of the IGM. We infer an upper limit of $\overline{x}_{\small HI}$ ≤ 0.25 (0.44) at z = 6.7 ± 0.2 and a neutral fraction of $\overline{x}_{\small HI}$ = $0.83^{+0.08}_{-0.11}$ (0.83$^{+0.11}_{-0.21}$) at z = 7.6 ± 0.6, both within 68 per cent (95 per cent) uncertainty, results that favour a moderately late and fairly rapid reionization.

Revealing the cosmic hydrogen reionization history is one of the main goals of the modern cosmology. z > 5 quasars (QSOs) have been used as back-lights to investigate the evolution of the intervening intergalactic medium (IGM) during the cosmic reionization since their first discovery. However, due to the small population of luminous QSOs (∼130 QSOs known to date), a tight constraint on the reionization history has not yet been placed. In this work, we aim to tighten the constraint using the 93 QSOs (5.5 < z < 7.1) recently discovered in the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-Luminosity Quasars (SHELLQS) project. This is the largest QSO sample used to constrain the epoch of reionization. We measure the mean IGM Ly α transmission and the QSO near-zone size using the UV spectra of these QSOs. The mean IGM Ly α transmission rises above zero at z ≲ 6, indicating the end of the reionization. The near-zone sizes of the SHELLQs QSOs are consistent with sizes spanned by QSOs of lifetime tq ∼ 1–100 Myr in simulations. Due to the scatter created by the low signal-to-noise spectra and large Ly α redshift uncertainty, we cannot conclude whether the redshift evolution of the near-zone size is affected by the reionization effect.

Protoclusters of galaxies have been found in the last quarter century. However, most of them have been found through the overdensity of star-forming galaxies, and there had been no known structures identified by multiple spectroscopically confirmed quiescent galaxies at $z>2.5$. In this letter, we report the discovery of an overdense structure of massive quiescent galaxies with the spectroscopic redshift $z=2.77$ in the COSMOS field, QO-1000. We first photometrically identify this structure as a $4.2\sigma$ overdensity with 14 quiescent galaxies in $7\times4\ {\rm pMpc^2}$ from the COSMOS2020 catalog. We then securely confirm the spectroscopic redshifts of 4 quiescent galaxies by detecting multiple Balmer absorption lines with Keck/MOSFIRE. All the spectroscopically confirmed members are massive ($\log{(M_\star/M_\odot)}>11.0$) and located in a narrow redshift range ($2.7668$ times denser than in the general field. In addition, we confirm that they form a red sequence in the $J-K_s$ color. This structure's halo mass is estimated as $\log{(M_{\rm halo}/M_\odot)}>13.2$ from their stellar mass. Similar structures found in the IllustrisTNG simulation are expected to evolve into massive galaxy clusters with $\log{(M_{\rm halo}/M_\odot)}\geq14.8$ at $z=0$. These results suggest that QO-1000 is a more mature protocluster than the other known protoclusters. It is likely in a transition phase between the star-forming protoclusters and the quenched galaxy clusters., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJL

We spectroscopically detected 838 likely, 448 probable, and 265 possible strong lens candidates within $\approx2$ million galaxy spectra contained within the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) from the sixteenth data release (DR16) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We apply the spectroscopic detection method of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Emission-Line Lens Survey (BELLS) and add Gaussian fit information, grading, additional inspection observables, and additional inspection methods to improve our selection method. We observed 477 candidates with lensing evidence within low-resolution images from both the Legacy survey of SDSS-I/II and the DESI Legacy survey, which is $12\%$ higher than the percentage of BELLS candidates observed with similar lensing evidence. Our search within the latest and improved reductions of the BOSS survey yielded a $20\%$ increase in the number of lens candidates expected from searching all BOSS and eBOSS galaxies. The distribution of target and background redshifts of our candidates is similar to the candidates and confirmed lenses within the BELLS observations. We present our Spectroscopic Identification of Lensing Objects (SILO) candidates in a value-added catalogue (VAC) in SDSS DR16. The examination of these lens candidates in follow-up high-resolution imaging may yield more than twice the lenses found in previous spectroscopic detection surveys within SDSS, which would extend the results of previous lens surveys within SDSS to higher redshifts, constrain models of mass structures in spiral galaxies, and test if including the identification of possible lensing features within low-resolution images has merit to spectroscopic detection programs., Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS 27-Jan-2021. 27 pages, 5 figures, 10 tables. A description of eBOSS and links to all associated publications can be found here: https://www.sdss.org/surveys/eboss/. The Spectroscopic Identification of Lensing Objects (SILO) value-added catalogue (VAC) is available for download at https://data.sdss.org/sas/dr16/eboss/spectro/lensing/silo

We have obtained three-dimensional maps of the universe in $\sim200\times200\times80$ comoving Mpc$^3$ (cMpc$^3$) volumes each at $z=5.7$ and $6.6$ based on a spectroscopic sample of 179 galaxies that achieves $\gtrsim80$\% completeness down to the Ly$\alpha$ luminosity of $\log(L_{\rm Ly\alpha}/[\mathrm{erg\ s^{-1}}])=43.0$, based on our Keck and Gemini observations and the literature. The maps reveal filamentary large-scale structures and two remarkable overdensities made out of at least 44 and 12 galaxies at $z=5.692$ (z57OD) and $z=6.585$ (z66OD), respectively, making z66OD the most distant overdensity spectroscopically confirmed to date with $>10$ spectroscopically confirmed galaxies. We compare spatial distributions of submillimeter galaxies at $z\simeq 4-6$ with our $z=5.7$ galaxies forming the large-scale structures, and detect a $99.97\%$ signal of cross correlation, indicative of a clear coincidence of dusty star-forming galaxy and dust unobscured galaxy formation at this early epoch. The galaxies in z57OD and z66OD are actively forming stars with star formation rates (SFRs) $\gtrsim5$ times higher than the main sequence, and particularly the SFR density in z57OD is 10 times higher than the cosmic average at the redshift (a.k.a. the Madau-Lilly plot). Comparisons with numerical simulations suggest that z57OD and z66OD are protoclusters that are progenitors of the present-day clusters with halo masses of $\sim10^{14}\ \mathrm{M_\odot}$., Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, Accepted for Publication in ApJ

The epoch of reionization (EoR) 21-cm signal is expected to be highly non-Gaussian in nature and this non-Gaussianity is also expected to evolve with the progressing state of reionization. Therefore the signal will be correlated between different Fourier modes ($k$). The power spectrum will not be able capture this correlation in the signal. We use a higher-order estimator -- the bispectrum -- to quantify this evolving non-Gaussianity. We study the bispectrum using an ensemble of simulated 21-cm signal and with a large variety of $k$ triangles. We observe two competing sources driving the non-Gaussianity in the signal: fluctuations in the neutral fraction ($x_{\rm HI}$) field and fluctuations in the matter density field. We find that the non-Gaussian contribution from these two sources vary, depending on the stage of reionization and on which $k$ modes are being studied. We show that the sign of the bispectrum works as a unique marker to identify which among these two components is driving the non-Gaussianity. We propose that the sign change in the bispectrum, when plotted as a function of triangle configuration $\cos{\theta}$ and at a certain stage of the EoR can be used as a confirmative test for the detection of the 21-cm signal. We also propose a new consolidated way to visualize the signal evolution (with evolving $\overline{x}_{\rm HI}$ or redshift), through the trajectories of the signal in a power spectrum and equilateral bispectrum i.e. $P(k)-B(k, k, k)$ space., Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Replaced to match the accepted version

We discuss constraints on cosmic reionisation and their implications on a cosmic SFR density $\rho_\mathrm{SFR}$ model; we study the influence of key-parameters such as the clumping factor of ionised hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM) $C_{H_{II}}$ and the fraction of ionising photons escaping star-forming galaxies to reionise the IGM $f_\mathrm{esc}$. Our analysis uses SFR history data coming from luminosity functions, assuming that star-forming galaxies were sufficient to lead the reionisation process at high redshift. We add two other sets of constraints: measurements of the IGM ionised fraction and the most recent result from Planck Satellite about the integrated Thomson optical depth of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) $\tau_\mathrm{Planck}$. We also consider various possibilities for the evolution of these two parameters with redshift, and confront them with observational data cited above. We conclude that, if the model of a constant clumping factor is chosen, the fiducial value of $3$ often used in papers is consistent with observations; even if a redshift-dependent model is considered, the resulting optical depth is strongly correlated to $C_{H_{II}}$ mean value at $z>7$, an additional argument in favour of the use of a constant clumping factor. Besides, the escape fraction is related to too many astrophysical parameters to allow us to use a complete and fully satisfactory model. A constant value with redshift seems again to be the most likely expression: considering it as a fit parameter, we get from the maximum likelihood (ML) model $f_\mathrm{esc}=0.24\pm0.08$; with a redshift-dependent model, we find an almost constant evolution, slightly increasing with $z$, around $f_\mathrm{esc}=0.23$. Last, our analysis shows that a reionisation beginning as early as $z\geq14$ and persisting until $z\sim6$ is a likely storyline., Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

We present a catalogue of 2135 galaxy redshifts from the VLT LBG Redshift Survey (VLRS), a spectroscopic survey of z approximate to 3 galaxies in wide fields centred on background quasi-stellar objects. We have used deep optical imaging to select galaxies via the Lyman-break technique. Spectroscopy of the Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) was then made using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph (VIMOS) instrument, giving a mean redshift of z = 2.79. We analyse the clustering properties of the VLRS sample and also of the VLRS sample combined with the smaller area Keck-based survey of Steidel et al. From the semiprojected correlation function, w(p)(sigma), for the VLRS and combined surveys, we find that the results are well fit with a single power-law model, with clustering scale lengths of r(0) = 3.46 +/- 0.41 and 3.83 +/- 0.24 h(-1) Mpc, respectively. We note that the corresponding combined xi (r) slope is flatter than for local galaxies at gamma = 1.5-1.6 rather than gamma = 1.8. This flat slope is confirmed by the z-space correlation function, xi (s), and in the range 10

We present VLT/X-Shooter and MUSE spectroscopy of a faint F814W = 28.60 +/- 0.33 (M-UV = -17.0), low-mass (less than or similar to 10(7)M(circle dot)), and compact (R-eff = 62 pc) freshly star-forming galaxy at z = 3.1169 magnified (16x) by the Hubble Frontier Fields galaxy cluster Abell S1063. Gravitational lensing allows for a significant jump toward lowluminosity regimes, in moderately high-resolution spectroscopy (R = lambda/d lambda similar to 3000-7400). We measured C IV lambda 1548, 1550, He II lambda 1640, OIII] lambda 1661, 1666, CIII]lambda lambda 1907, 1909, H beta, [O III] lambda lambda 4959, 5007 emission lines with FWHM less than or similar to 50 km s(-1) and (de-lensed) fluxes spanning the interval 1.0 x 10(-19)-2 x 10(-18) erg s(-1) cm(-2) at signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 4-30. The double-peaked Ly alpha emission with Delta v(red -blue) = 280(+/- 7) km s(-1) and delensed fluxes 2.4((blue))vertical bar 8.5((red)) x 10(-18) erg s(-1) cm(-2) (S/N = 38((blue))vertical bar 110((red)) indicate a low column density of neutral hydrogen gas consistent with a highly ionized interstellar medium as also inferred from the large [O III]lambda 5007/[O II] lambda 3727 > 10 ratio. We detect C IV lambda 1548, 1550 resonant doublet in emission, each component with FWHM less than or similar to 45 km s(-1) and redshifted by + 51(+/- 10) km s(-1) relative to the systemic redshift. We interpret this as nebular emission tracing an expanding optically thin interstellar medium. Both C IV lambda 1548, 1550 and He II lambda 1640 suggest the presence of hot and massive stars (with a possible faint active galactic nucleus). The ultraviolet slope is remarkably blue, beta = -2.95 +/- 0.20 (F-lambda = lambda(beta)), consistent with a dust-free and young less than or similar to 20 Myr galaxy. Line ratios suggest an oxygen abundance 12 + log(O/H)

We present VLT/X-Shooter and MUSE spectroscopy of a faint F814W = 28.60 ± 0.33 ({M}{UV}=-17.0), low-mass (≲{10}7{M}☉ ), and compact (R eff = 62 pc) freshly star-forming galaxy at z = 3.1169 magnified (16×) by the Hubble Frontier Fields galaxy cluster Abell S1063. Gravitational lensing allows for a significant jump toward low-luminosity regimes, in moderately high-resolution spectroscopy (R=λ /dλ ∼ 3000{--}7400). We measured C IV λ 1548,1550, He II λ 1640, O III]λ 1661,1666, C III]λ λ 1907,1909, Hβ, [O III]λ λ 4959,5007 emission lines with {FWHM}≲ 50 km s-1 and (de-lensed) fluxes spanning the interval 1.0× {10}-19{--}2× {10}-18 erg s-1 cm-2 at signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 4-30. The double-peaked Lyα emission with {{∆ }}v({red}-{blue})=280(±7) km s-1 and de-lensed fluxes {2.4}({blue)}| {8.5}({red)}× {10}-18 erg s-1 cm-2 (S/N = {38}({blue)}| {110}({red)}) indicate a low column density of neutral hydrogen gas consistent with a highly ionized interstellar medium as also inferred from the large [O III]λ 5007/ [O II]λ 3727 \gt \quad 10 ratio. We detect C IV λ 1548,1550 resonant doublet in emission, each component with {FWHM}≲ 45 km s-1 and redshifted by +51(±10) km s-1 relative to the systemic redshift. We interpret this as nebular emission tracing an expanding optically thin interstellar medium. Both C IV λ 1548,1550 and He II λ 1640 suggest the presence of hot and massive stars (with a possible faint active galactic nucleus). The ultraviolet slope is remarkably blue, β =-2.95+/- 0.20 ({F}λ ={λ }β ), consistent with a dust-free and young ≲20 Myr galaxy. Line ratios suggest an oxygen abundance 12 + log(O/H)\quad \lt \quad 7.8. We are witnessing an early episode of star formation in which a relatively low N H I and negligible dust attenuation might favor a leakage of ionizing radiation. This galaxy currently represents a unique low-luminosity reference object for future studies of the reionization epoch with the James Webb Space Telescope. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory for Astronomical research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO programs P095.A-0840, P095.A-0653, P186.A-0798.

Detection of individual luminous sources during the reionization epoch and cosmic dawn through their signatures in the HI 21-cm signal is one of the direct approaches to probe the epoch. Here, we summarize our previous works on this and present preliminary results on the prospects of detecting such sources using the SKA1-low experiment. We first discuss the expected HI 21-cm signal around luminous sources at different stages of reionization and cosmic dawn. We then introduce two visibility based estimators for detecting such signal: one based on the matched filtering technique and the other relies on simply combing the visibility signal from different baselines and frequency channels. We find that that the SKA1-low should be able to detect ionized bubbles of radius $R_b \gtrsim 10$ Mpc with $\sim 100$ hr of observations at redshift $z \sim 8$ provided that the mean outside neutral Hydrogen fraction $ x_{\rm HI} \gtrsim 0.5$. We also investigate the possibility of detecting HII regions around known bright QSOs such as around ULASJ1120+0641 discovered by Mortlock et al. 2011. We find that a $5 \sigma$ detection is possible with $600$ hr of SKA1-low observations if the QSO age and the outside $ x_{\rm HI} $ are at least $\sim 2 \times 10^7$ Myr and $\sim 0.2$ respectively. Finally, we investigate the possibility of detecting the very first X-ray and Ly-$\alpha$ sources during the cosmic dawn. We consider mini-QSOs like sources which emits in X-ray frequency band. We find that with a total $\sim 1000$ hr of observations, SKA1-low should be able to detect those sources individually with a $\sim 9 \sigma$ significance at redshift $z=15$. We summarize how the SNR changes with various parameters related to the source properties.

The determination of galaxy redshifts in James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)'s blank-field surveys will mostly rely on photometric estimates, based on the data provided by JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) at 0.6-5.0 {\mu}m and Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) at {\lambda}>5.0 {\mu}m. In this work we analyse the impact of choosing different combinations of NIRCam and MIRI broad-band filters (F070W to F770W), as well as having ancillary data at {\lambda}=10, but the zphot quality significantly degrades at S/N, Comment: 29 pages, 27 figures, 12 tables. Accepted for publication at the ApJS

In the pre-reionization Universe, the regions of the inter-galactic medium (IGM) which are far from luminous sources are the last to undergo reionization. Until then, they should be scarcely affected by stellar radiation; instead, the X-ray emission from an early black hole (BH) population can have much larger influence. We investigate the effects of such emission, looking at a number of BH model populations (differing for the cosmological density evolution of BHs, the BH properties, and the spectral energy distribution of the BH emission). We find that BH radiation can easily heat the IGM to 10^3-10^4 K, while achieving partial ionization. The most interesting consequence of this heating is that BHs are expected to induce a 21-cm signal (delta T_b ~ 20-30 mK at z, Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures; accepted for publication on MNRAS

Context. The study of large and representative samples of low-metallicity star-forming galaxies at different cosmic epochs is of great interest to the detailed understanding of the assembly history and evolution of low-mass galaxies.Aims. We present a thorough characterization of a large sample of 183 extreme emission-line galaxies (EELGs) at redshift 0.11Methods. We use multiwavelength COSMOS photometry, HST-ACS I-band imaging, and optical zCOSMOS spectroscopy to derive the main global properties of star-forming EELGs, such as sizes, stellar masses, star formation rates (SFR), and reliable oxygen abundances using both "direct" and "strong-line" methods.Results. The EELGs are extremely compact (r(50) similar to 1.3 kpc), low-mass (M-* similar to 10(7)-10(10) M-circle dot) galaxies forming stars at unusually high specific star formation rates (sSFR equivalent to SFR/M-star up to 10(-7) yr(-1)) compared to main sequence star-forming galaxies of the same stellar mass and redshift. At rest-frame UV wavelengths, the EELGs are luminous and show high surface brightness and include strong Ly alpha emitters, as revealed by GALEX spectroscopy. We show that zCOSMOS EELGs are high-ionization, low-metallicity systems, with median 12+log(O/H) = 8.16 +/- 0.21 (0.2 Z(circle dot)) including a handful of extremely metal-deficient (Conclusions. The zCOSMOS EELGs are galaxies caught in a transient and probably early period of their evolution, where they are efficiently building up a significant fraction of their present-day stellar mass in an ongoing, galaxy-wide starburst. Therefore, the EELGs constitute an ideal benchmark for comparison studies between low- and high-redshift low-mass star-forming galaxies.

Context. The study of large and representative samples of low-metallicity star-forming galaxies at different cosmic epochs is of great interest to the detailed understanding of the assembly history and evolution of low-mass galaxies. Aims. We present a thorough characterization of a large sample of 183 extreme emission-line galaxies (EELGs) at redshift 0.11 Methods. We use multiwavelength COSMOS photometry, HST-ACS I-band imaging, and optical zCOSMOS spectroscopy to derive the main global properties of star-forming EELGs, such as sizes, stellar masses, star formation rates (SFR), and reliable oxygen abundances using both "direct" and "strong-line" methods. Results. The EELGs are extremely compact (r(50) similar to 1.3 kpc), low-mass (M-* similar to 10(7)-10(10) M-circle dot) galaxies forming stars at unusually high specific star formation rates (sSFR equivalent to SFR/M-star up to 10(-7) yr(-1)) compared to main sequence star-forming galaxies of the same stellar mass and redshift. At rest-frame UV wavelengths, the EELGs are luminous and show high surface brightness and include strong Ly alpha emitters, as revealed by GALEX spectroscopy. We show that zCOSMOS EELGs are high-ionization, low-metallicity systems, with median 12+log(O/H) = 8.16 +/- 0.21 (0.2 Z(circle dot)) including a handful of extremely metal-deficient ( Conclusions. The zCOSMOS EELGs are galaxies caught in a transient and probably early period of their evolution, where they are efficiently building up a significant fraction of their present-day stellar mass in an ongoing, galaxy-wide starburst. Therefore, the EELGs constitute an ideal benchmark for comparison studies between low- and high-redshift low-mass star-forming galaxies.

We present the first observations of the Frontier Fields Cluster Abell S1063 taken with the newly commissioned Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) integral field spectrograph. Because of the relatively large field of view (1 arcmin^2), MUSE is ideal to simultaneously target multiple galaxies in blank and cluster fields over the full optical spectrum. We analysed the four hours of data obtained in the Science Verification phase on this cluster and measured redshifts for 53 galaxies. We confirm the redshift of five cluster galaxies, and determine the redshift of 29 other cluster members. Behind the cluster, we find 17 galaxies at higher redshift, including three previously unknown Lyman-alpha emitters at z>3, and five multiply-lensed galaxies. We report the detection of a new z=4.113 multiply lensed galaxy, with images that are consistent with lensing model predictions derived for the Frontier Fields. We detect C III], C IV, and He II emission in a multiply lensed galaxy at z=3.116, suggesting the likely presence of an active galactic nucleus. We also created narrow-band images from the MUSE datacube to automatically search for additional line emitters corresponding to high-redshift candidates, but we could not identify any significant detections other than those found by visual inspection. With the new redshifts, it will become possible to obtain an accurate mass reconstruction in the core of Abell S1063 through refined strong lensing modelling. Overall, our results illustrate the breadth of scientific topics that can be addressed with a single MUSE pointing. We conclude that MUSE is a very efficient instrument to observe galaxy clusters, enabling their mass modelling, and to perform a blind search for high-redshift galaxies., 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

We have observed emission line objects located in a 0.26 deg^2 field in the M96 (Leo) group, coincident with the intergalactic HI cloud. The emission line objects were selected using the same procedure as used for the search for intracluster planetary nebulae in the Virgo cluster, and their m_5007 luminosity function has a bright cut-off ~1.2 magnitude fainter than for the PNLF associated with the elliptical galaxies in the M96 group.Therefore the vast majority of these emission line objects are compatible with not being intragroup planetary nebulae at the Leo group distance of 10 Mpc. Spectroscopic follow-up of two emission line objects in this Leo field showed that indeed these do not have the [OIII] doublet expected for a real PN. The brighter source is identified as a starburst object at redshift z = 3.128, because of a second emission in the near infrared, identified as FeII (\lambda 2220 AA). From these data we derive three main results: (i) from the absence of PN we can determine a more stringent upper limit to the surface brightness in any old stellar population associated with the Leo HI cloud. (ii) This translates to an upper limit of 1.6% for the fraction of luminosity in a diffuse intragroup component in the densest 3 x 2 deg area of the Leo group,relative to the light in galaxies. (iii) Using this Leo field as a blank field, we derive an average fraction of 13.6% background emission line objects that enter in surveys of Virgo intracluster PN. The small fraction confirms the validity of the selection criteria for intracluster PN candidates in Virgo., Comment: 11 pages, in press on Astronomy & Astrophysics

We present the results of a new search for bright star-forming galaxies at z ~ 7 within the UltraVISTA DR2 and UKIDSS UDS DR10 data, which together provide 1.65 sq deg of near-infrared imaging with overlapping optical and Spitzer data. Using a full photo-z analysis to identify high-z galaxies and reject contaminants, we have selected a sample of 34 luminous (-22.7 < M_UV < -21.2) galaxies with 6.5 < z < 7.5. Crucially, the deeper imaging provided by UltraVISTA DR2 confirms all of the robust objects previously uncovered by Bowler et al. (2012), validating our selection technique. Our sample includes the most massive galaxies known at z ~ 7, with M_* ~ 10^{10} M_sun, and the majority are resolved, consistent with larger sizes (r_{1/2} ~ 1 - 1.5 kpc) than displayed by less massive galaxies. From our final sample, we determine the form of the bright end of the rest-frame UV galaxy luminosity function (LF) at z ~ 7, providing strong evidence that the bright end of the z = 7 LF does not decline as steeply as predicted by the Schechter function fitted to fainter data. We consider carefully, and exclude the possibility that this is due to either gravitational lensing, or significant contamination of our galaxy sample by AGN. Rather, our results favour a double power-law form for the galaxy LF at high z, or, more interestingly, a LF which simply follows the form of the dark-matter halo mass function at bright magnitudes. This suggests that the physical mechanism which inhibits star-formation activity in massive galaxies (i.e. AGN feedback or some other form of `mass quenching') has yet to impact on the observable galaxy LF at z ~ 7, a conclusion supported by the estimated masses of our brightest galaxies which have only just reached a mass comparable to the critical `quenching mass' of M_* = 10 ^{10.2} M_sun derived from studies of the mass function of star-forming galaxies at lower z., 36 pages, 13 figures, accepted to MNRAS

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will have a low frequency component (SKA-low) which has as one of its main science goals the study of the redshifted 21cm line from the earliest phases of star and galaxy formation in the Universe. This 21cm signal provides a new and unique window on both the formation of the first stars and accreting black holes and the later period of substantial ionization of the intergalactic medium. The signal will teach us fundamental new things about the earliest phases of structure formation, cosmology and even has the potential to lead to the discovery of new physical phenomena. Here we present a white paper with an overview of the science questions that SKA-low can address, how we plan to tackle these questions and what this implies for the basic design of the telescope., Comment: Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronomy, reformatted to 57 pages, some updated and improved figures and minor changes and updates to the text

We present a catalogue of 2135 galaxy redshifts from the VLT LBG Redshift Survey (VLRS), a spectroscopic survey of z approximate to 3 galaxies in wide fields centred on background quasi-stellar objects. We have used deep optical imaging to select galaxies via the Lyman-break technique. Spectroscopy of the Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) was then made using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph (VIMOS) instrument, giving a mean redshift of z = 2.79. We analyse the clustering properties of the VLRS sample and also of the VLRS sample combined with the smaller area Keck-based survey of Steidel et al. From the semiprojected correlation function, w(p)(sigma), for the VLRS and combined surveys, we find that the results are well fit with a single power-law model, with clustering scale lengths of r(0) = 3.46 +/- 0.41 and 3.83 +/- 0.24 h(-1) Mpc, respectively. We note that the corresponding combined xi (r) slope is flatter than for local galaxies at gamma = 1.5-1.6 rather than gamma = 1.8. This flat slope is confirmed by the z-space correlation function, xi (s), and in the range 10

We investigate the physical properties of the progenitors of today living Milky Way-like galaxies that are visible as Damped Lyα Absorption systems and Lyα Emitters at higher redshifts (z ≍ 2.3,5.7). To this aim we use a statistical merger-tree approach that follows the formation of the Galaxy and its dwarf satellites in a cosmological context, tracing the chemical evolution and stellar population history of the progenitor halos. The model accounts for the properties of the most metal-poor stars and local dwarf galaxies, providing insights on the early cosmic star-formation. Fruitful links between Galactic Archaeology and more distant galaxies are presented.

We investigate the physical properties of the progenitors of today living Milky Way-like galaxies that are visible as Damped Lyα Absorption systems and Lyα Emitters at higher redshifts (z ≍ 2.3,5.7). To this aim we use a statistical merger-tree approach that follows the formation of the Galaxy and its dwarf satellites in a cosmological context, tracing the chemical evolution and stellar population history of the progenitor halos. The model accounts for the properties of the most metal-poor stars and local dwarf galaxies, providing insights on the early cosmic star-formation. Fruitful links between Galactic Archaeology and more distant galaxies are presented.

We investigate the physical properties of the progenitors of today living Milky Way-like galaxies that are visible as Damped Lyα Absorption systems and Lyα Emitters at higher redshifts (z ≍ 2.3,5.7). To this aim we use a statistical merger-tree approach that follows the formation of the Galaxy and its dwarf satellites in a cosmological context, tracing the chemical evolution and stellar population history of the progenitor halos. The model accounts for the properties of the most metal-poor stars and local dwarf galaxies, providing insights on the early cosmic star-formation. Fruitful links between Galactic Archaeology and more distant galaxies are presented.

We use the current sample of ~10,000 zCOSMOS spectra of sources selected with I(AB) < 22.5 to define the density field out to z~1, with much greater resolution in the radial dimension than has been possible with either photometric redshifts or weak lensing. We apply new algorithms that we have developed (ZADE) to incorporate objects not yet observed spectroscopically by modifying their photometric redshift probability distributions using the spectroscopic redshifts of nearby galaxies. This strategy allows us to probe a broader range of galaxy environments and reduce the Poisson noise in the density field. The reconstructed overdensity field of the 10k zCOSMOS galaxies consists of cluster-like patterns surrounded by void-like regions, extending up to z~1. Some of these structures are very large, spanning the ~50 Mpc/h transverse direction of the COSMOS field and extending up to Delta z~0.05 in redshift. We present the three dimensional overdensity maps and compare the reconstructed overdensity field to the independently identified virialised groups of galaxies and clusters detected in the visible and in X-rays. The distribution of the overdense structures is in general well traced by these virialised structures. A comparison of the large scale structures in the zCOSMOS data and in the mock catalogues reveals an excellent agreement between the fractions of the volume enclosed in structures of all sizes above a given overdensity between the data and the mocks in 0.2, Comment: 35 pages, 20 figures; submitted to ApJ; the high resolution pdf available at http://www.exp-astro.phys.ethz.ch/kovac/public/zCOSMOS

We identify an abundant population of extreme emission line galaxies (EELGs) at redshift z~1.7 in the Cosmic Assembly Near-IR Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) imaging from Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 (HST/WFC3). 69 EELG candidates are selected by the large contribution of exceptionally bright emission lines to their near-infrared broad-band magnitudes. Supported by spectroscopic confirmation of strong [OIII] emission lines -- with rest-frame equivalent widths ~1000\AA -- in the four candidates that have HST/WFC3 grism observations, we conclude that these objects are galaxies with 10^8 Msol in stellar mass, undergoing an enormous starburst phase with M_*/(dM_*/dt) of only ~15 Myr. These bursts may cause outflows that are strong enough to produce cored dark matter profiles in low-mass galaxies. The individual star formation rates and the co-moving number density (3.7x10^-4 Mpc^-3) can produce in ~4 Gyr much of the stellar mass density that is presently contained in 10^8-10^9 Msol dwarf galaxies. Therefore, our observations provide a strong indication that many or even most of the stars in present-day dwarf galaxies formed in strong, short-lived bursts, mostly at z>1., Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ; 10 pages; 6 figures; 1 table