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The Mass Scale of High-redshift Galaxies: Virial Mass Estimates Calibrated with Stellar Dynamical Models from LEGA-C.
- Source :
- Astrophysical Journal; 9/1/2022, Vol. 936 Issue 1, p1-10, 10p
- Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- Dynamical models for 673 galaxies at z = 0.6â€"1.0 with spatially resolved (long-slit) stellar kinematic data from LEGA-C are used to calibrate virial mass estimates defined as M vir = K Ď â€˛ ⋆ , int 2 R , with K a scaling factor, Ď â€˛ ⋆ , int the spatially integrated stellar velocity second moment from the LEGA-C survey, and R the effective radius measured from a SĂ©rsic profile fit to Hubble Space Telescope imaging. The sample is representative for M <subscript>⋆</subscript> > 3 Ă— 10<superscript>10</superscript> M <subscript>⊙</subscript> and includes all types of galaxies, irrespective of morphology and color. We demonstrate that using R = R <subscript>sma</subscript> (the semimajor axis length of the ellipse that encloses 50% of the light) in combination with an inclination correction on Ď â€˛ ⋆ , int produces an unbiased M <subscript>vir</subscript>. We confirm the importance of projection effects on Ď â€˛ ⋆ , int by showing the existence of a similar residual trend between virial mass estimates and inclination for the nearby early-type galaxies in the ATLAS<superscript>3D</superscript> survey. Also, as previously shown, when using a SĂ©rsic profile-based R estimate, a SĂ©rsic index-dependent correction to account for nonhomology in the radial profiles is required. With respect to analogous dynamical models for low-redshift galaxies from the ATLAS<superscript>3D</superscript> survey we find a systematic offset of 0.1 dex in the calibrated virial constant for LEGA-C, which may be due to physical differences between the galaxy samples or an unknown systematic error. Either way, with our work we establish a common mass scale for galaxies across 8 Gyr of cosmic time with a systematic uncertainty of at most 0.1 dex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- GALACTIC redshift
SPACE telescopes
GALACTIC evolution
STATISTICAL sampling
GALAXIES
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0004637X
- Volume :
- 936
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Astrophysical Journal
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 159060629
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac83c5