France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey Research Articles

THE WEAK LENSING SIGNAL AND THE CLUSTERING OF BOSS GALAXIES. II. ASTROPHYSICAL AND COSMOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS

We perform a joint analysis of the abundance, the clustering and the galaxy-galaxy lensing signal of galaxies measured from Data Release 11 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (SDSS III-BOSS) in our companion paper, Miyatake et al. (2014). The lensing signal was obtained by using the shape catalog of background galaxies from the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey, which was made publicly available by the CFHTLenS collaboration, with an area overlap of about 105 deg$^2$. We analyse the data in the framework of the halo model in order to fit halo occupation parameters and cosmological parameters ($\Omega_{\rm m}$ and $\sigma_8$) to these observables simultaneously, and thus break the degeneracy between galaxy bias and cosmology. Adopting a flat $\Lambda$CDM cosmology with priors on $\Omega_b h^2$, $n_{\rm s}$ and $h$ from the analysis of WMAP 9-year data, we obtain constraints on the stellar mass-halo mass relation of galaxies in our sample. Marginalizing over the halo occupation distribution parameters and a number of other nuisance parameters in our model, we obtain $\Omega_{\rm m}=0.310^{+0.019}_{-0.020}$ and $\sigma_8=0.785^{+0.044}_{-0.044}$ (68% confidence). We demonstrate the robustness of our results with respect to sample selection and a variety of systematics such as the halo off-centering effect and possible incompleteness in our sample. Our constraints are consistent, complementary and competitive with those obtained using other independent probes of these cosmological parameters. The cosmological analysis is the first of its kind to be performed at a redshift as high as $0.53$.

Two spectroscopically confirmed galaxy structures atz= 0.61 and 0.74 in the CFHTLS Deep 3 field

Adami et al. (2010) have detected several cluster candidates at z>0.5 as part of a systematic search for clusters in the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey, based on photometric redshifts. We focus here on two of them, located in the D3 field: D3-6 and D3-43. We have obtained spectroscopy with Gemini/GMOS and measured redshifts for 23 and 14 galaxies in the two structures. These redshifts were combined with those available in the literature. A dynamical and a weak lensing analysis were also performed, together with the study of X-ray Chandra archive data. Cluster D3-6 is found to be a single structure of 8 spectroscopically confirmed members at an average redshift z=0.607, with a velocity dispersion of 423 km/s. It appears to be a relatively low mass cluster. D3-43-S3 has 46 spectroscopically confirmed members at an average redshift z=0.739. It can be decomposed into two main substructures, having a velocity dispersion of about 600 and 350 km/s. An explanation to the fact that D3-43-S3 is detected through weak lensing (only marginally, at the ~3sigma level) but not in X-rays could be that the two substructures are just beginning to merge more or less along the line of sight. We also show that D3-6 and D3-43-S3 have similar global galaxy luminosity functions, stellar mass functions, and star formation rate (SFR) distributions. The only differences are that D3-6 exhibits a lack of faint early type galaxies, a deficit of extremely high stellar mass galaxies compared to D3-43-S3, and an excess of very high SFR galaxies. This study shows the power of techniques based on photometric redshifts to detect low to moderately massive structures, even at z~0.75.

CFHTLenS: co-evolution of galaxies and their dark matter haloes

Galaxy–galaxy weak lensing is a direct probe of the mean matter distribution around galaxies. The depth and sky coverage of the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey yield statistically significant galaxy halo mass measurements over a much wider range of stellar masses (108.75 to 1011.3 M⊙) and redshifts (0.2 < z < 0.8) than previous weak lensing studies. At redshift z ∼ 0.5, the stellar-to-halo mass ratio (SHMR) reaches a maximum of 4.0 ± 0.2 per cent as a function of halo mass at ∼1012.25 M⊙. We find, for the first time from weak lensing alone, evidence for significant evolution in the SHMR: the peak ratio falls as a function of cosmic time from 4.5 ± 0.3 per cent at z ∼ 0.7 to 3.4 ± 0.2 per cent at z ∼ 0.3, and shifts to lower stellar mass haloes. These evolutionary trends are dominated by red galaxies, and are consistent with a model in which the stellar mass above which star formation is quenched ‘downsizes’ with cosmic time. In contrast, the SHMR of blue, star-forming galaxies is well fitted by a power law that does not evolve with time. This suggests that blue galaxies form stars at a rate that is balanced with their dark matter accretion in such a way that they evolve along the SHMR locus. The redshift dependence of the SHMR can be used to constrain the evolution of the galaxy population over cosmic time.

RINGFINDER: AUTOMATED DETECTION OF GALAXY-SCALE GRAVITATIONAL LENSES IN GROUND-BASED MULTI-FILTER IMAGING DATA

We present RingFinder, a tool for finding galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses in multiband imaging data. By construction, the method is sensitive to configurations involving a massive foreground early-type galaxy and a faint, background, blue source. RingFinder detects the presence of blue residuals embedded in an otherwise smooth red light distribution by difference imaging in two bands. The method is automated for efficient application to current and future surveys, having originally been designed for the 150-deg2 Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS). We describe each of the steps of RingFinder. We then carry out extensive simulations to assess completeness and purity. For sources with magnification mu>4, RingFinder reaches 42% (resp. 25%) completeness and 29% (resp. 86%) purity before (resp. after) visual inspection. The completeness of RingFinder is substantially improved in the particular range of Einstein radii 0.8 < REin < 2. and lensed images brighter than g = 22.5, where it can be as high as 70%. RingFinder does not introduce any significant bias in the source or deflector population. We conclude by presenting the final catalog of RingFinder CFHTLS galaxy-scale strong lens candidates. Additional information obtained with Hubble Space Telescope and Keck Adaptive Optics high resolution imaging, and with Keck and Very Large Telescope spectroscopy, is used to assess the validity of our classification, and measure the redshift of the foreground and the background objects. From an initial sample of 640,000 early type galaxies, RingFinder returns 2500 candidates, which we further reduce by visual inspection to 330 candidates. We confirm 33 new gravitational lenses from the main sample of candidates, plus an additional 16 systems taken from earlier versions of RingFinder. First applications are presented in the SL2S galaxy-scale Lens Sample paper series.

CFHTLenS: the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey – imaging data and catalogue products

We present data products from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS). CFHTLenS is based on the Wide component of the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS). It encompasses 154 deg2 of deep, optical, high-quality, sub-arcsecond imaging data in the five optical filters u*g′r′i′z′. The scientific aims of the CFHTLenS team are weak gravitational lensing studies supported by photometric redshift estimates for the galaxies. This paper presents our data processing of the complete CFHTLenS data set. We were able to obtain a data set with very good image quality and high-quality astrometric and photometric calibration. Our external astrometric accuracy is between 60 and 70 mas with respect to Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, and the internal alignment in all filters is around 30 mas. Our average photometric calibration shows a dispersion of the order of 0.01–0.03 mag for g′r′i′z′ and about 0.04 mag for u* with respect to SDSS sources down to iSDSS ≤ 21. We demonstrate in accompanying papers that our data meet necessary requirements to fully exploit the survey for weak gravitational lensing analyses in connection with photometric redshift studies. In the spirit of the CFHTLS, all our data products are released to the astronomical community via the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre at http://www.cadc-ccda.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/community/CFHTLens/query.html. We give a description and how-to manuals of the public products which include image pixel data, source catalogues with photometric redshift estimates and all relevant quantities to perform weak lensing studies.

Nurturing Lyman break galaxies: observed link between environment and spectroscopic features

We examine the effects of magnitude, colour and Lyα equivalent width (EW) on the spatial distribution of z ∼ 3 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) and report significant differences in the two-point autocorrelation functions. The results are obtained using samples of ∼10 000–55 000 LBGs from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey Deep Fields. We find that magnitude has a larger effect on the autocorrelation function amplitude on small scales (≲1 |$h^{-1}_{70}$| Mpc, the one-halo term) and that colour is more influential on large scales (≳1 |$h^{-1}_{70}$| Mpc, the two-halo term). We find the most significant differences between autocorrelation functions for LBGs with dominant net Lyα EW in absorption (aLBGs) and dominant net Lyα EW in emission (eLBGs) determined from ≳95 per cent pure samples of each population using a photometric technique calibrated from ∼1000 spectra. The aLBG autocorrelation function has a higher two-halo amplitude than the full LBG sample and has a one-halo term departure from a power-law fit near ∼1 |$h^{-1}_{70}$| Mpc, corresponding to the virial radii of MDM ∼ 1013 M⊙ dark matter haloes. In contrast, the eLBG autocorrelation function has a one-halo term departure at ∼0.12 |$h^{-1}_{70}$| Mpc, suggesting parent haloes of MDM ∼ 1011 M⊙ and a two-halo term that exhibits a curious ‘hump’ on intermediate scales that we localize to the faintest, bluest members. The aLBG–eLBG cross-correlation function exhibits an anticorrelation component that reinforces different physical locations for a significant fraction of aLBGs and eLBGs. We introduce a ‘shell’ model for the eLBG autocorrelation function and find that the form can be reproduced assuming that a significant fraction of eLBGs have a shell-like spatial distribution. Based on the analysis of all LBG subsamples, and considering the natural asymmetric distribution of LBGs on the colour–magnitude diagram, we conclude that aLBGs are more likely to reside in group-like environments hosting multiple luminous (i′ < 26.4) LBGs whereas eLBGs are more likely to be found on group outskirts and in the field. Because Lyα is a tracer of several intrinsic properties, including morphology, the results presented here imply that the mechanisms behind the morphology–density relation at low redshift are in place at z ∼ 3 and that Lyα EW may be a key environment diagnostic. Finally, our results show that the LBG autocorrelation function amplitude is lower than the true average as a result of the spatial anticorrelation of the spectral types. This result holds broad consequences for all autocorrelation functions measured for any population that contains members residing in different environments as the average amplitude, and hence the inferred average dark matter mass, will always be underestimated.

CFHTLenS: the environmental dependence of galaxy halo masses from weak lensing

We use weak gravitational lensing to analyse the dark matter haloes around satellite galaxies in galaxy groups in the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS) data set. This data set is derived from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey Wide survey, and encompasses 154 deg2 of high-quality shape data. Using the photometric redshifts, we divide the sample of lens galaxies with stellar masses in the range 109–1010.5 M⊙ into those likely to lie in high-density environments (HDE) and those likely to lie in low-density environments (LDE). Through comparison with galaxy catalogues extracted from the Millennium Simulation, we show that the sample of HDE galaxies should primarily (∼61 per cent) consist of satellite galaxies in groups, while the sample of LDE galaxies should consist of mostly (∼87 per cent) non-satellite (field and central) galaxies. Comparing the lensing signals around samples of HDE and LDE galaxies matched in stellar mass, the lensing signal around HDE galaxies clearly shows a positive contribution from their host groups on their lensing signals at radii of ∼500–1000 kpc, the typical separation between satellites and group centres. More importantly, the subhaloes of HDE galaxies are less massive than those around LDE galaxies by a factor of 0.65 ± 0.12, significant at the 2.9σ level. A natural explanation is that the haloes of satellite galaxies are stripped through tidal effects in the group environment. Our results are consistent with a typical tidal truncation radius of ∼40 kpc.

THE SL2S GALAXY-SCALE GRAVITATIONAL LENS SAMPLE. I. THE ALIGNMENT OF MASS AND LIGHT IN MASSIVE EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES ATz= 0.2-0.9

We study the relative alignment of mass and light in a sample of 16 massive early-type galaxies at z=0.2-0.9 that act as strong gravitational lenses. The sample was identified from deep multi-band images obtained as part of the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey as part of the Strong Lensing Legacy Survey (SL2S). Higher resolution follow-up imaging is available for a subset of 10 systems. We construct gravitational lens models and infer total enclosed mass, elongation, and position angle of the mass distribution. By comparison with the observed distribution of light we infer that there is a substantial amount of external shear with mean value $<\gamma_{\rm ext}>= 0.12 \pm 0.05$, arising most likely from the environment of the SL2S lenses. In a companion paper, we combine these measurements with follow-up Keck spectroscopy to study the evolution of the stellar and dark matter content of early-type galaxies as a function of cosmic time.

Galaxy cluster searches based on photometric redshifts in the four CFHTLS Wide fields

We have developed a method for detecting clusters in large imaging surveys, based on the detection of structures in galaxy density maps made in slices of photometric redshifts. This method was first applied to the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) Deep 1 field by Mazure et al. (2007), then to all the Deep and Wide CFHTLS fields available in the T0004 data release by Adami et al. (2010). The validity of the cluster detection rate was estimated by applying the same procedure to galaxies from the Millennium simulation. Here we analyse with the same method the full CFHTLS Wide survey, based on the T0006 data release. In a total area of 154 deg2, we have detected 4061 candidate clusters at 3sigma or above (6802 at 2sigma and above), in the redshift range 0.1<=z<=1.15, with estimated mean masses between 1.3 10^14 and 12.6 10^14 M_solar. This catalogue of candidate clusters will be available online via VizieR. We compare our detections with those made in various CFHTLS analyses with other methods. By stacking a subsample of clusters, we show that this subsample has typical cluster characteristics (colour-magnitude relation, galaxy luminosity function). We also confirm that the cluster-cluster correlation function is comparable to that obtained for other cluster surveys and analyze large scale filamentary galaxy distributions. We have increased the number of known optical high redshift cluster candidates by a large factor, an important step towards obtaining reliable cluster counts to measure cosmological parameters. The clusters that we detect behave as expected for a sample of clusters fed by filaments at the intersection of which they are located.

Updated results of a search for main-belt comets using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey

The results of a search for main-belt comets using Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey data are updated. The remaining observations in the Very Wide segment of data, taken in the g’ or r’ filters, are visually inspected for cometary activity. The number of main-belt objects in the original and new data sets are 11,438 and 13,802, respectively, giving a total number of 25,240. This is the largest, and least biased, search for main-belt comets to date. One object is observed to show cometary activity, and a new upper limit for strongly active main-belt comets is derived to be 40 ± 18.

A search for edge-on galaxy lenses in the CFHT Legacy Survey

[ABRIDGED] The new generation of wide field optical imaging like the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) enables discoveries of all types of gravitational lenses present in the sky. The Strong Lensing Legacy Survey (SL2S) project has started an inventory, respectively for clusters or groups of galaxies lenses, and for Einstein rings around distant massive ellipticals. Here we attempt to extend this inventory by finding lensing events produced by massive edge-on disk galaxies which remains a poorly documented class of lenses. We implement and test an automated search procedure of edge-on galaxy lenses in the CFHTLS Wide fields with magnitude 18

Optical identification ofXMMsources in the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey

We present optical spectroscopic identifications of X-ray sources in ~3 square degrees of the XMM-Large Scale Structure survey (XMM-LSS), also covered by the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS), obtained with the AAOmega instrument at the Anglo Australian Telescope. In a flux limited sample of 829 point like sources in the optical band with g' <~22 mag and the 0.5-2 keV flux > 1x10^{-15}erg/cm^2/s, we observed 695 objects and obtained reliable spectroscopic identification for 489 sources, ~59% of the overall sample. We therefore increase the number of identifications in this field by a factor close to five. Galactic stellar sources represent about 15% of the total (74/489). About 55% (267/489) are broad-line Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) spanning redshifts between 0.15 and 3.87 with a median value of 1.68. The optical-to-X-ray spectral index of the broad-line AGNs is 1.47, typical of optically-selected Type I quasars and is found to correlate with the rest frame X-ray and optical monochromatic luminosities at 2 keV and 2500 angstroms respectively. Consistent with previous studies, we find alpha_ox not to be correlated with z. In addition, 32 and 116 X-ray sources are, respectively absorption and emission-line galaxies at z<0.76. From a line ratio diagnostic diagram it is found that in about 50% of these emission line galaxies, the emission lines are powered significantly by the AGN. Thirty of the XMM sources are detected at one or more radio frequencies. In addition, 24 sources have ambiguous identification: in 8 cases, two XMM sources have a single optical source within 6 arcsecs of each of them, whereas, 2 and 14 XMM sources have, respectively, 3 and 2 possible optical sources within 6 arcsecs of each of them.

Luminosity functions of XMM–LSS C1 galaxy clusters

Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey optical photometry has been used to study the galaxy luminosity functions (LFs) of 14 X-ray selected clusters from the XMM Large Scale Survey (XMM–LSS) survey. These are mostly groups and poor clusters, with masses (M500) in the range 0.6 to 19 × 1013 M⊙ and redshifts 0.05 ≤z≤ 0.61. Hence, these are some of the highest redshift X-ray selected groups to have been studied. Lower and upper colour cuts were used to determine cluster members. We derive individual LFs for all clusters as well as redshift-stacked and temperature-stacked LFs in three filters, g′, r′ and z′, down to M=−14.5. All LFs were fitted by Schechter functions which constrained the faint-end slope, α, but did not always fit well to the bright end. Derived values of α ranged from −1.03 to as steep as −2.1. We find no evidence for upturns at faint magnitudes. Evolution in α was apparent in all bands: it becomes shallower with increasing redshift; for example, in the z′ band it flattened from −1.75 at low redshift to −1.22 in the redshift range z= 0.43–0.61. Eight of our systems lie at z∼ 0.3, and we combine these to generate a galaxy LF in three colours for X-ray selected groups and poor clusters at redshift 0.3. We find that at z∼ 0.3 α is steeper (−1.67) in the green (g′) band than it is (−1.30) in the red (z′) band. This colour trend disappears at low redshift, which we attribute to reddening of faint blue galaxies from z∼ 0.3 to 0. We also calculated the total optical luminosity and found it to correlate strongly with X-ray luminosity (LX∝L2.1OPT), and also with ICM temperature (LOPT∝T1.62), consistent with expectations for self-similar clusters with constant mass-to-light ratio. We did not find any convincing correlation of Schechter parameters with mean cluster temperature.

BROADBAND IMAGING SEGREGATION OF z ∼ 3 Lyα EMITTING AND Lyα ABSORBING GALAXIES

The spectral properties of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) offer a means to isolate pure samples displaying either dominant Lyα in absorption or Lyα in emission using broadband information alone. We present criteria developed using a large z ∼ 3 LBG spectroscopic sample from the literature that enables large numbers of each spectral type to be gathered in photometric data, providing good statistics for multiple applications. In addition, we find that the truncated faint, blue-end tail of z ∼ 3 LBG population overlaps and leads directly into an expected Lyα emitter (LAE) population. As a result, we present simple criteria to cleanly select large numbers of z ∼ 3 LAEs in deep broadband surveys. We present the spectroscopic results of 32r' ≲ 25.5 LBGs and r' ≲ 27.0 LAEs at z ∼ 3 preselected in the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey that confirm these criteria.

THE CANADA-FRANCE ECLIPTIC PLANE SURVEY—L3 DATA RELEASE: THE ORBITAL STRUCTURE OF THE KUIPER BELT

We report the orbital distribution of the trans-Neptunian comets discovered during the first discovery year of the Canada–France Ecliptic Plane Survey (CFEPS). CFEPS is a Kuiper Belt object survey based on observations acquired by the Very Wide component of the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (LS-VW). The first year's detections consist of 73 Kuiper Belt objects, 55 of which have now been tracked for three years or more, providing precise orbits. Although this sample size is small compared to the world-wide inventory, because we have an absolutely calibrated and extremely well-characterized survey (with known pointing history) we are able to de-bias our observed population and make unbiased statements about the intrinsic orbital distribution of the Kuiper Belt. By applying the (publically available) CFEPS Survey Simulator to models of the true orbital distribution and comparing the resulting simulated detections to the actual detections made by the survey, we are able to rule out several hypothesized Kuiper Belt object orbit distributions. We find that the main classical belt's so-called 'cold' component is confined in semimajor axis (a) and eccentricity (e) compared to the more extended "hot" component; the cold component is confined to lower e and does not stretch all the way out to the 2:1 resonance but rather depletes quickly beyond a = 45 AU. For the cold main classical belt population we find a robust population estimate of N(Hg < 10) = 50 ± 5 × 103 and find that the hot component of the main classical belt represents ∼60% of the total population. The inner classical belt (sunward of the 3:2 mean-motion resonance) has a population of roughly 2000 trans-Neptunian objects with absolute magnitudes Hg < 10, and may not share the inclination distribution of the main classical belt. We also find that the plutino population lacks a cold low-inclination component, and so, the population is somewhat larger than recent estimates; our analysis shows a plutino population of N(Hg < 10)∼ 25+25−12 × 103compared to our estimate of the size of main classical Kuiper Belt population of N(Hg < 10) ∼ (126+50−46) × 103.

Two distant brown dwarfs in the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey Deep Extragalactic Survey Data Release 2

We present the discovery of two brown dwarfs in the UK infrared Telescope (UKIRT) Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Deep Extragalactic Survey (DXS) Data Release 2 (DR2). Both objects were selected photometrically from 6 deg2 in DXS for their blue J−K colour and the lack of optical counterparts in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82. Additional optical photometry provided by the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS) corroborated the possible substellarity of these candidates. Subsequent methane imaging of UDXS J221611.51+003308.1 and UDXS J221903.10+002418.2 has confirmed them as T7 ± 1 and T6 ± 1 dwarfs at photometric distances of 81 (52–118 pc) and 60 (44–87 pc; 2σ confidence level). A similar search in the DR2 of the Ultra-Deep Survey over a smaller area (0.77 deg2) and shallower depth did not return any late-T dwarf candidate. The numbers of late-T dwarfs in our study are broadly in line with a declining mass function when considering the current area and depth of the DXS and UDS. These brown dwarfs are the first discovered in the Visible Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (VIMOS) 4 field and among the few T dwarfs found in pencil-beam surveys. They are valuable to investigate the scaleheight of T dwarfs.

Searching for main-belt comets using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey

The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey, specifically the Very Wide segment of data, is used to search for possible main-belt comets. In the first data set, 952 separate objects with asteroidal orbits within the main-belt are examined using a three-level technique. First, the full-width-half-maximum of each object is compared to stars of similar magnitude, to look for evidence of a coma. Second, the brightness profiles of each object are compared with three stars of the same magnitude, which are nearby on the image to ensure any extended profile is not due to imaging variations. Finally, the star profiles are subtracted from the asteroid profile and the residuals are compared with the background using an unpaired T-test. No objects in this survey show evidence of cometary activity. The second survey includes 11438 objects in the main-belt, which are examined visually. One object, an unknown comet, is found to show cometary activity. Its motion is consistent with being a main-belt asteroid, but the observed arc is too short for a definitive orbit calculation. No other body in this survey shows evidence of cometary activity. Upper limits of the number of weakly and strongly active main-belt comets are derived to be 630 ± 77 and 87 ± 28 , respectively. These limits are consistent with those expected from asteroid collisions. In addition, data extracted from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope image archive of main-belt Comet 176P/LINEAR is presented.

The Metallicity Distribution of Distant F and G Type Stars in the CFHT Legacy Survey Deep Field

AbstractWe study the metal abundances of F and G type stars in the Galactic disk and halo using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey D4 field. For a sample of stars within 7 kpc of the Galactic plane, we derive mean abundance values of [Fe/H] = −0.77 ± 0.36 dex for the thick disk, and [Fe/H] = –1.42 ± 0.98 dex for the stellar halo, respectively. These metallicites are consistent with the metallicity estimates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6. We do not find a vertical abundance gradient for the thick disk between 1 kpc and 4 kpc. However, stars within 1 kpc of the Galactic plane are saturated in our dataset, and therefore we cannot rule out the observed vertical metallicity gradient for the thick disk stars in the SDSS. Moreover, we find a negative trend in the halo metallicity with increasing distance from the Galactic plane. This trend could be due to a contribution from an increasing number of very metal poor stars that belong to the outer halo. However, systematic effects in photometric metallicities are largest for the most metal poor stars, and therefore these effects cannot be ruled out.

The CFEPS Kuiper Belt Survey: Strategy and presurvey results

We present the data acquisition strategy and characterization procedures for the Canada–France Ecliptic Plane Survey (CFEPS), a sub-component of the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey. The survey began in early 2003 and as of summer 2005 has covered 430 square degrees of sky within a few degrees of the ecliptic. Moving objects beyond the orbit of Uranus are detected to a magnitude limit of m R = 23 – 24 (depending on the image quality). To track as large a sample as possible and avoid introducing followup bias, we have developed a multi-epoch observing strategy that is spread over several years. We present the evolution of the uncertainties in ephemeris position and orbital elements of a small 10-object sample of objects tracked through these epochs as part of a preliminary presurvey starting a year before the main CFEPS project. We describe the CFEPS survey simulator, to be released in 2006, which allows theoretical models of the Kuiper belt to be compared with the survey discoveries. The simulator utilizes the well-documented pointing history of CFEPS, with characterized detection efficiencies as a function of magnitude and rate of motion on the sky. Using the presurvey objects we illustrate the usage of the simulator in modeling the classical Kuiper belt. The primary purpose of this paper is to allow a user to immediately exploit the CFEPS data set and releases as they become available in the coming months.

A deep Chandra survey of the Groth Strip - II. Optical identification of the X-ray sources

In this paper, we discuss the optical and X-ray spectral properties of the sources detected in a single 200-ks Chandra pointing in the Groth-Westphal Strip region. A wealth of optical photometric and spectroscopic data are available in this field providing optical identifications and redshift determinations for the X-ray population. The optical photometry and spectroscopy used here are primarily from the Deep Extragalactic Evolutionary Probe 2 (DEEP2) survey with additional redshifts obtained from the literature. These are complemented with the deeper (r ≈ 26 mag) multiwaveband data (ugriz) from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey to estimate photometric redshifts and to optically identify sources fainter than the DEEP2 magnitude limit (R_(AB)≈ 24.5 mag). We focus our study on the 2–10 keV selected sample comprising 97 sources to the limit ≈ 8 × 10^(−1)6 erg s^(−1) cm^(−2), this being the most complete in terms of optical identification rate (86 per cent) and redshift determination fraction (63 per cent; both spectroscopic and photometric). We first construct the redshift distribution of the sample which shows a peak at z≈ 1. This is in broad agreement with models where less luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs) evolve out to z≈ 1 with powerful quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) peaking at higher redshift, z≈ 2. Evolution similar to that of broad-line QSOs applied to the entire AGN population (both types I and II) does not fit the data. We also explore the observedNH distribution of the sample and estimate a fraction of obscured AGN (N_H > 10^(22) cm^(−2)) of 48 ± 9 per cent. This is found to be consistent with both a luminosity-dependent intrinsic N_H distribution, where less luminous systems comprise a higher fraction of type II AGNs and models with a fixed ratio 2:1 between types I and II AGNs. We further compare our results with those obtained in deeper and shallower surveys. We argue that a luminosity-dependent parametrization of the intrinsic NH distribution is required to account for the fraction of obscured AGN observed in different samples over a wide range of fluxes.