Parameters Of Galaxies Research Articles

AGN-driven galactic outflows: comparing models to observations

ABSTRACT The actual mechanism(s) powering galactic outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is still a matter of debate. At least two physical models have been considered in the literature: wind shocks and radiation pressure on dust. Here, we provide a first quantitative comparison of the AGN radiative feedback scenario with observations of galactic outflows. We directly compare our radiation pressure-driven shell models with the observational data from the most recent compilation of molecular outflows on galactic scales. We show that the observed dynamics and energetics of galactic outflows can be reproduced by AGN radiative feedback, with the inclusion of radiation trapping and/or luminosity evolution. The predicted scalings of the outflow energetics with AGN luminosity can also quantitatively account for the observational scaling relations. Furthermore, sources with both ultrafast and molecular outflow detections are found to be located in the ‘forbidden’ region of the NH–λ plane. Overall, an encouraging agreement is obtained over a wide range of AGN and host galaxy parameters. We discuss our results in the context of recent observational findings and numerical simulations. In conclusion, AGN radiative feedback is a promising mechanism for driving galactic outflows that should be considered, alongside wind feedback, in the interpretation of future observational data.

Mock light-cones and theory friendly catalogues for the CANDELS survey

ABSTRACT We present mock catalogues created to support the interpretation of the Cosmic Assembly Near-IR Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS). We extract haloes along past light-cones from the Bolshoi Planck dissipationless N-body simulations and populate these haloes with galaxies using two different independently developed semi-analytic models of galaxy formation and the empirical model universemachine. Our mock catalogues have geometries that encompass the footprints of observations associated with the five CANDELS fields. In order to allow field-to-field variance to be explored, we have created eight realizations of each field. In this paper, we present comparisons with observable global galaxy properties, including counts in observed frame bands, luminosity functions, colour–magnitude distributions and colour–colour distributions. We additionally present comparisons with physical galaxy parameters derived from SED fitting for the CANDELS observations, such as stellar masses and star formation rates. We find relatively good agreement between the model predictions and CANDELS observations for luminosity and stellar mass functions. We find poorer agreement for colours and star formation rate distributions. All of the mock light-cones as well as curated ‘theory friendly’ versions of the observational CANDELS catalogues are made available through a web-based data hub.

What does (not) drive the variation of the low-mass end of the stellar initial mass function of early-type galaxies

Context. The stellar initial mass function (IMF) seems to be variable and not universal, contrary to what has been argued in the literature over the last three decades. Several relations of the low-mass end of the IMF slope with other stellar population, photometrical, and kinematical parameters of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) have been proposed, but consensus on the factual cause of the observed variations has not yet been reached. Aims. We investigate the relationship between the IMF and other stellar population parameters in NGC 3311, the central galaxy of the Hydra I cluster. NGC 3311 is a unique laboratory, characterized by old and metal-rich stars, that is similar to other massive ETGs for which the IMF slope has been measured to be bottom-heavy (i.e., dwarf-rich); however, it has unusual stellar velocity dispersion and [α/Fe] profiles, both of which increase with radius. Methods. We use the spatially resolved stellar population parameters (age, total metallicity, and [α/Fe]) that were derived in a forthcoming paper (Barbosa et al. 2020) – via the full-spectrum fitting of high signal-to-noise MUSE observations – to compare the IMF slope in the central part of NGC 3311 (R ≲ 16 kpc) against other stellar parameters, with the goal of assessing their relations and dependencies. Results. For NGC 3311, we unambiguously invalidate the previously observed direct correlation between the IMF slope and the local stellar velocity dispersion, confirming some doubts that had been raised in the literature. This relation may simply arise as a spatial coincidence between the region with the largest stellar velocity dispersion and the region where the oldest in situ population is found and dominates the light. We also show robust evidence that the proposed IMF−metallicity relation is contaminated by the degeneracy between these two parameters. We do confirm that the stellar content in the innermost region of NGC 3311 follows a bottom-heavy IMF, in line with other literature results. The tightest correlations we found are those between stellar age and the IMF and between the galactocentric radius and the IMF. Conclusions. The variation of the IMF at its low-mass end is not due to kinematical, dynamical, or global properties in NGC 3311. We speculate instead that the IMF might be dwarf-dominated in the “red nuggets” that formed through a very short and intense star formation episode at high redshifts (z > 2) when the Universe was denser and richer in gas, and which then ended up being the central cores of today’s giant ellipticals.

A tale of two sites – II. Inferring the properties of minihalo-hosted galaxies with upcoming 21-cm interferometers

ABSTRACT The first generation of galaxies is expected to form in minihaloes, accreting gas through H2 cooling, and possessing unique properties. Although unlikely to be directly detected in UV/infrared surveys, the radiation from these molecular-cooling galaxies (MCGs) could leave an imprint in the 21-cm signal from the Cosmic Dawn. Here, we quantify their detectability with upcoming radio interferometers. We generate mock 21-cm power spectra using a model for both MCGs as well as more massive, atomic-cooling galaxies, allowing both populations to have different properties and scaling relations. The galaxy parameters are chosen so as to be consistent with: (i) high-redshift UV luminosity functions; (ii) the upper limit on the neutral fraction from QSO spectra; (iii) the Thomson scattering optical depth to the CMB; and (iv) the timing of the recent putative EDGES detection. The latter implies a significant contribution of MCGs to the Cosmic Dawn, if confirmed to be cosmological. We then perform Bayesian inference on two models including and ignoring MCG contributions. Comparing their Bayesian evidences, we find a strong preference for the model including MCGs, despite the fact that it has more free parameters. This suggests that if MCGs indeed play a significant role in the Cosmic Dawn, it should be possible to infer their properties from upcoming 21-cm power spectra. Our study illustrates how these observations can discriminate among uncertain galaxy formation models with varying complexities, by maximizing the Bayesian evidence.

Galaxies in Observations and Numerical Models

A comparison of the virial parameters of galaxies and galaxy clusters (radius, density, and entropy function) in a wide range of masses, $${{10}^{6}} \leqslant {{M}_{{{\text{vir}}}}}{\text{/}}{{M}_{ \odot }} \leqslant {{10}^{{14}}}$$ , shows that these parameters are correlated and depend on the virial mass of an object in a regular way. For the observed galaxies and galaxy clusters the available estimates of virial parameters are quite close to each other and the values of reduced virial density Gρ are concentrated in a shallow interval $$0.5 \leqslant {{G}_{\rho }}{\text{/}}\langle {{G}_{\rho }}\rangle \leqslant 2$$ around its mean value. This “virial” paradox sharpen when compared with simulations, in which the number of such objects is very small, and for the majority of dark matter halos these densities are ~50–100 times smaller. Our theoretical analysis shows possible reasons for this discrepancy of observations and simulations, pointing out its connection with the spectrum of cosmological perturbations. After some refinement, the considered data can be used to constrain models of cosmological inflation. A number of accompanying questions is discussed.

The dependence of Type Ia Supernovae salt2 light-curve parameters on host galaxy morphology

ABSTRACT Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are widely used to measure distances in the Universe. Despite the recent progress achieved in SN Ia standardization, the Hubble diagram still shows some remaining intrinsic dispersion. The remaining scatter in supernova luminosity could be due to the environmental effects that are accounted for as mass step correction in the current cosmological analyses. In this work, we compare the local and global colour (U − V), the local star formation rate, and the host stellar mass to the host galaxy morphology. The observed trends suggest that the host galaxy morphology is a relevant parameter to characterize the SN Ia environment. Therefore, we study the influence of host galaxy morphology on light-curve parameters of SNe Ia from the pantheon cosmological supernova sample. We determine the Hubble morphological type of host galaxies for a subsample of 330 SNe Ia. We confirm that the salt2 stretch parameter x1 depends on the host morphology with the p-value ∼10−14. The supernovae with lower stretch value are hosted mainly by elliptical and lenticular galaxies. No correlation for the salt2 colour parameter c is found. We also examine Hubble diagram residuals for supernovae hosted by ‘early-type’ and ‘late-type’ morphological groups of galaxies. The analysis reveals that the mean distance modulus residual in early-type galaxies is smaller than the one in late-type galaxies, which means that early-type galaxies contain brighter supernovae after stretch and colour corrections. However, we do not observe any difference in the residual dispersion for these two morphological groups. The obtained results are in the line with other analyses showing environmental dependence of SN Ia light-curve parameters and luminosity. We confirm the importance of including a host galaxy parameter into the standardization procedure of SNe Ia for further cosmological studies.

New X-shaped bulge photometric model as a tool for measuring B/PS bulges and their X-structures in photometric studies

ABSTRACT Recent orbital studies of 3D bar structure in various numerical and analytical models show that X-structures that reside in boxy/peanut-shaped (B/PS) bulges are not delineated by some specific type of orbits, but are natural parts of them and formed by the same orbits that constitute such bulges. This implies that to accurately account for B/PS bulges and their X-structures in photometric studies, one needs the photometric model of B/PS bulge that includes an X-structure as its natural part. To find such a model, we considered a self-consistent numerical galaxy model where a typical B/PS bulge arises. Using spectral characteristics of particle-‘stars’, we decomposed the galaxy model on to the bar and non-bar components. We used the extracted 3D bar component to find an appropriate B/PS bulge photometric model, which can account for X-structures residing in such bulges. The resulted B/PS bulge photometric model has a truncated 2D Sersic profile with truncations introduced above (in the upper half-plane) and below (in the bottom half-plane) the rays of X-structures. We applied this model to represent B/PS bulges of various numerical models and some real galaxies. The comparison with previous works revealed that there are systematic shifts between the X-structure parameters of the same galaxies measured within the different approaches. We found that the geometric parameters of X-structures of real and modelled galaxies are consistent with each other if we measure them using our new model.

UV dust attenuation as a function of stellar mass and its evolution with redshift

ABSTRACT Studying the ultraviolet dust attenuation, as well as its relation to other galaxy parameters such as the stellar mass, plays an important role in multiwavelength research. This work relates the dust attenuation to the stellar mass of star-forming galaxies, and its evolution with redshift. A sample of galaxies with an estimate of the dust attenuation computed from the infrared excess was used. The dust attenuation versus stellar mass data, separated in redshift bins, was modelled by a single parameter linear function, assuming a non-zero constant apparent dust attenuation for low-mass galaxies. But the origin of this effect is still to be determined and several possibilities are explored (actual high dust content, variation of the dust-to-metal ratio, variation of the stars–dust geometry). The best-fitting parameter of this model is then used to study the redshift evolution of the cosmic dust attenuation and is found to be in agreement with results from the literature. This work also gives evidence to a redshift evolution of the dust attenuation–stellar mass relationship, as is suggested by recent works in the highest redshift range.

VALES VI: ISM enrichment in star-forming galaxies up to z ∼ 0.2 using 12CO(1–0), 13CO(1–0), and C18O(1–0) line luminosity ratios

ABSTRACT We present Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) observations towards 27 low-redshift (0.02 < z < 0.2) star-forming galaxies taken from the Valparaíso ALMA/APEX Line Emission Survey. We perform stacking analyses of the 12CO(1–0), 13CO(1–0), and C18O(1–0) emission lines to explore the L′ [12CO(1–0)]/L′ [13CO(1–0)] [hereafter L′ (12CO)/L′ (13CO)] and L′ [13CO(1–0)]/L′ [C18O(1–0)] [hereafter L′ (13CO)/L′ (C18O)] line luminosity ratio dependence as a function of different global galaxy parameters related to the star formation activity. The sample has far-IR luminosities of $10^{10.1\!-\!11.9}\,$ L⊙ and stellar masses of 109.8–10.9 M⊙ corresponding to typical star-forming and starburst galaxies at these redshifts. On average, we find an L′ (12CO)/L′ (13CO) line luminosity ratio value of 16.1 ± 2.5. Galaxies with pieces of evidence of possible merging activity tend to show higher L′ (12CO)/L′ (13CO) ratios by a factor of 2, while variations of this order are also found in galaxy samples with higher star formation rates (SFRs) or star formation efficiencies (SFEs). We also find an average L′ (13CO)/L′ (C18O) line luminosity ratio of 2.5 ± 0.6, which is in good agreement with those previously reported for starburst galaxies. We find that galaxy samples with high LIR, SFR, and SFE show low L′ (13CO)/L′ (C18O) line luminosity ratios with high L′ (12CO)/L′ (13CO) line luminosity ratios, suggesting that these trends are produced by selective enrichment of massive stars in young starbursts.

Mapping the working of environmental effects in A963

Aims. We qualitatively assess and map the relative contribution of pre-processing and cluster related processes to the build-up of A963, a massive cluster at z = 0.2 showing an unusually high fraction of star forming galaxies in its interior. Methods. We use Voronoi binning of positions of cluster members on the plane of the sky in order to map the 2D variations of galaxy properties in the centre and infall region of A963. We map four galaxy parameters (fraction of star forming galaxies, specific star formation rate, H I deficiency and age of the stellar population) based on full SED fitting, 21 cm imaging and optical spectroscopy. Results. We find an extended region dominated by passive galaxies along a north–south axis crossing the cluster centre, possibly associated with known filaments of the large-scale structure. There are signs that the passive galaxies in this region were quenched long before their arrival in the vicinity of the cluster. Contrary to that, to the east and west of the cluster centre lie regions of recent accretion dominated by gas rich, actively star forming galaxies not associated with any substructure or filament. The few passive galaxies in this region appear to be recently quenched, and some gas rich galaxies show signs of ongoing ram-pressure stripping. We report the first tentative observations at 21 cm of ongoing ram-pressure stripping at z = 0.2, as well as observed inflow of low-entropy gas into the cluster along filaments of the large-scale structure. Conclusions. The observed galaxy content of A963 is a result of strongly anisotropic accretion of galaxies with different properties. Gas rich, star forming galaxies are being accreted from the east and west of the cluster and these galaxies are being quenched at r < R200, likely by ram-pressure stripping. The bulk of the accretion onto the cluster, containing multiple groups, happens along the north–south axis and brings mostly passive galaxies, likely quenched before entering A963.

High-redshift damped Ly α absorbing galaxy model reproducing the N H I − Z distribution

ABSTRACT We investigate how damped Lyman α absorbers (DLAs) at $z$ ∼ 2 − 3, detected in large optical spectroscopic surveys of quasars, trace the population of star-forming galaxies. Building on previous results, we construct a model based on observed and physically motivated scaling relations in order to reproduce the bivariate distributions of metallicity, Z, and H i column density, $N_{\rm H\, \rm{\small {I}}}$. Furthermore, the observed impact parameters for galaxies associated to DLAs are in agreement with the model predictions. The model strongly favours a metallicity gradient, which scales with the luminosity of the host galaxy, with a value of γ* = −0.019 ± 0.008 dex kpc−1 for L* galaxies that gets steeper for fainter galaxies. We find that DLAs trace galaxies over a wide range of galaxy luminosities, however, the bulk of the DLA cross-section arises in galaxies with L ∼ 0.1 L* at $z$ ∼ 2.5 consistent with numerical simulations.

ALMA Reveals the Molecular Gas Properties of Five Star-forming Galaxies across the Main Sequence at 3

We present the detection of CO(5-4) with S/N> 7 - 13 and a lower CO transition with S/N > 3 (CO(4-3) for 4 galaxies, and CO(3-2) for one) with ALMA in band 3 and 4 in five main sequence star-forming galaxies with stellar masses 3-6x10^10 M/M_sun at 3 < z < 3.5. We find a good correlation between the total far-infrared luminosity LFIR and the luminosity of the CO(5-4) transition L'CO(5-4), where L'CO(5-4) increases with SFR, indicating that CO(5-4) is a good tracer of the obscured SFR in these galaxies. The two galaxies that lie closer to the star-forming main sequence have CO SLED slopes that are comparable to other star-forming populations, such as local SMGs and BzK star-forming galaxies; the three objects with higher specific star formation rates (sSFR) have far steeper CO SLEDs, which possibly indicates a more concentrated episode of star formation. By exploiting the CO SLED slopes to extrapolate the luminosity of the CO(1-0) transition, and using a classical conversion factor for main sequence galaxies of alpha_CO = 3.8 M_sun(K km s^-1 pc^-2)^-1, we find that these galaxies are very gas rich, with molecular gas fractions between 60 and 80%, and quite long depletion times, between 0.2 and 1 Gyr. Finally, we obtain dynamical masses that are comparable with the sum of stellar and gas mass (at least for four out of five galaxies), allowing us to put a first constraint on the alpha_CO parameter for main sequence galaxies at an unprecedented redshift.

The Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey. IX. Classification of Bulge Types and Statistical Properties of Pseudo Bulges

Abstract We study the statistical properties of 320 bulges of disk galaxies in the Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey, using robust structural parameters of galaxies derived from image fitting. We apply the Kormendy relation to classify classical and pseudo bulges and characterize the bulge dichotomy with respect to the structural properties of the bulges and the physical properties of the host galaxies. We confirm previous findings that pseudo bulges on average have smaller Sérsic indices, lower bulge-to-total ratios, and fainter surface brightnesses than classical bulges. Our sizable sample statistically shows that pseudo bulges are more intrinsically flattened than classical bulges. Pseudo bulges are most frequent (incidence ≳80%) in late-type spirals (later than Sc). Our measurements support the picture in which pseudo bulges arose from star formation induced by inflowing gas, while classical bulges were born out of violent processes such as mergers and coalescence of clumps. We reveal differences with the literature that warrant attention: (1) the bimodal distribution of Sérsic indices presented by previous studies is not reproduced in our study; (2) classical and pseudo bulges have similar relative bulge sizes; and (3) the pseudo bulge fraction is considerably smaller in early-type disks than reported in previous studies based on one-dimensional surface brightness profile fitting. We attribute these differences to our improved image quality, more robust bulge-to-disk decomposition technique, and to the different classification criteria that we applied. Moreover, we find that barred galaxies do not host more pseudo bulges or more prominent pseudo bulges than unbarred galaxies. Various implications of these findings are discussed.

Physical properties of the CDFS X-ray sources through fitting spectral energy distributions

ABSTRACT The physical parameters of galaxies and/or active galactic nucleus (AGNs) can be derived by fitting their multiband spectral energy distributions (SEDs). By using cigale code, we perform multiband SED fitting (from ultraviolet to infrared) for 791 X-ray sources (518 AGNs and 273 normal galaxies) in the 7 Ms Chandra Deep Field-south survey (CDFS). We consider the contributions from AGNs and adopt more accurate redshifts than published before. Therefore, more accurate star formation rates (SFRs) and stellar masses (M*) are derived. We classify the 518 AGNs into type-I and type-II based on their optical spectra and their SEDs. Moreover, six AGN candidates are selected from the 273 normal galaxies based on their SEDs. Our main results are as follows: (1) the host galaxies of AGNs have larger M* than normal galaxies, implying that AGNs prefer to host in massive galaxies; (2) the specific star formation rates (sSFRs) of AGN host galaxies are different from those of normal galaxies, suggesting that AGN feedback may play an important role in the star formation activity; (3) we find that the fraction of optically obscured AGNs in CDFS decreases with the increase of intrinsic X-ray luminosity, which is consistent with previous studies; and (4) the host galaxies of type-I AGNs tend to have lower M* than type-II AGNs, which may suggest that dust in the host galaxy may also contribute to the optical obscuration of AGNs.

The Gas–Star Formation Cycle in Nearby Star-forming Galaxies. I. Assessment of Multi-scale Variations

Abstract The processes regulating star formation in galaxies are thought to act across a hierarchy of spatial scales. To connect extragalactic star formation relations from global and kiloparsec-scale measurements to recent cloud-scale resolution studies, we have developed a simple, robust method that quantifies the scale dependence of the relative spatial distributions of molecular gas and recent star formation. In this paper, we apply this method to eight galaxies with ∼1″ resolution molecular gas imaging from the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS–ALMA (PHANGS–ALMA) survey and PdBI Arcsecond Whirlpool Survey (PAWS) that have matched resolution, high-quality narrowband Hα imaging. At a common scale of 140 pc, our massive (log(M ⋆[M ⊙]) = 9.3–10.7), normally star-forming (SFR[M ⊙ yr−1] = 0.3–5.9) galaxies exhibit a significant reservoir of quiescent molecular gas not associated with star formation as traced by Hα emission. Galactic structures act as backbones for both molecular gas and H ii region distributions. As we degrade the spatial resolution, the quiescent molecular gas disappears, with the most rapid changes occurring for resolutions up to ∼0.5 kpc. As the resolution becomes poorer, the morphological features become indistinct for spatial scales larger than ∼1 kpc. The method is a promising tool to search for relationships between the quiescent or star-forming molecular reservoir and galaxy properties, but requires a larger sample size to identify robust correlations between the star-forming molecular gas fraction and global galaxy parameters.

Black Hole-Galaxy Scaling Relation Evolution From z~2.5: Simulated Observations With HARMONI on the ELT

We present preliminary results on the potential of HARMONI, the first light integral field spectrograph for the ELT, to explore the evolution of central super massive black holes (SMBH) - host galaxy relation in the range from z∼0.7 to z∼2.5. We simulated HARMONI observations of QSO+host galaxy at different redshifts, assuming different morphologies for the host galaxy. As input, we combined MUSE observations of nearby galaxies and a theoretical QSO spectrum. These were dimmed and redshifted to the desired cosmic epoch. We scaled the total host galaxy luminosity to three different values, sampling three orders of magnitude. Likewise, we assumed two different luminosities for the central QSO. Simulations were performed for the 30×60 mas2 HARMONI spatial scale and LTAO working at 0.67 arcsec seeing. The selected wavelength range (i.e. 4700-5300 A at rest-frame) was sampled at the lowest HARMONI spectral resolving power (i.e. R∼3200). This configuration included all the ingredients to estimate the host galaxy parameters and the SMBH mass, as well as for assessing the morphological type of the host galaxy.

Understanding the Discrepancy between IRX and Balmer Decrement in Tracing Galaxy Dust Attenuation

Abstract We compare the infrared excess (IRX) and Balmer decrement ( ) as dust attenuation indicators in relation to other galaxy parameters using a sample of ∼32,000 local star-forming galaxies (SFGs) carefully selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explore. While at fixed , IRX turns out to be independent on galaxy stellar mass, the Balmer decrement does show a strong mass dependence at fixed IRX. We find the discrepancy, parameterized by the color excess ratio , is not dependent on the gas-phase metallicity and axial ratio, but on the specific star formation rate (SSFR) and galaxy size (R e) following . This finding reveals that the nebular attenuation as probed by the Balmer decrement becomes increasingly larger than the global (stellar) attenuation of SFGs with decreasing SSFR surface density. This can be understood in the context of an enhanced fraction of intermediate-age stellar populations that are less attenuated by dust than the H ii region-traced young population, in conjunction with a decreasing dust opacity of the diffuse interstellar matter when spreading over a larger spatial extent. Once the SSFR surface density of an SFG is known, the conversion between attenuation of nebular and stellar emission can be well estimated using our scaling relation.

Stellar populations of galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey up to z ∼ 1

Aims.Our aim is to determine the distribution of stellar population parameters (extinction, age, metallicity, and star formation rates) of quiescent galaxies within the rest-frame stellar mass–colour diagrams andUVJcolour–colour diagrams corrected for extinction up toz ∼ 1. These novel diagrams reduce the contamination in samples of quiescent galaxies owing to dust-reddened galaxies, and they provide useful constraints on stellar population parameters only using rest-frame colours and/or stellar mass.Methods.We set constraints on the stellar population parameters of quiescent galaxies combining the ALHAMBRA multi-filter photo-spectra with our fitting code for spectral energy distribution, MUlti-Filter FITting (MUFFIT), making use of composite stellar population models based on two independent sets of simple stellar population (SSP) models. The extinction obtained by MUFFIT allowed us to remove dusty star-forming (DSF) galaxies from the sample of redUVJgalaxies. The distributions of stellar population parameters across these rest-frame diagrams are revealed after the dust correction and are fitted by LOESS, a bi-dimensional and locally weighted regression method, to reduce uncertainty effects.Results.Quiescent galaxy samples defined via classicalUVJdiagrams are typically contaminated by a ∼20% fraction of DSF galaxies. A significant part of the galaxies in the green valley are actually obscured star-forming galaxies (∼30–65%). Consequently, the transition of galaxies from the blue cloud to the red sequence, and hence the related mechanisms for quenching, seems to be much more efficient and faster than previously reported. The rest-frame stellar mass–colour andUVJcolour–colour diagrams are useful for constraining the age, metallicity, extinction, and star formation rate of quiescent galaxies by only their redshift, rest-frame colours, and/or stellar mass. Dust correction plays an important role in understanding how quiescent galaxies are distributed in these diagrams and is key to performing a pure selection of quiescent galaxies via intrinsic colours.

The Mass Dependence of Structure, Star Formation Rate, and Mass Assembly Mode at 0.5 &lt; z &lt; 2.5

Abstract To investigate the mass dependence of structural transformation and star formation quenching, we construct three galaxy samples using massive (M * &gt; 1010 M ⊙) red, green, and blue galaxy populations at 0.5 &lt; z &lt; 2.5 in five 3D–HST/CANDELS fields. The structural parameters, including effective radius (r e), galaxy compactness (Σ1.5), and second-order moment of 20% brightest pixels (M 20), are found to be correlated with stellar mass. Sérsic index (n), concentration (C), and Gini coefficient (G) seem to be insensitive to stellar mass. The morphological distinction between blue and red galaxies is found at a fixed mass bin, suggesting that quenching processes should be accompanied with transformations of galaxy structure and morphology. Except for r e and Σ1.5 at the high-mass end, structural parameters of green galaxies are intermediate between red and blue galaxies in each stellar mass bin at z &lt; 2, indicating that green galaxies are at a transitional phase when blue galaxies are being quenched into quiescent statuses. The similar sizes and compactness for the blue and green galaxies at the high-mass end imply that some of these galaxies will not appear to be significantly shrunk until they are completely quenched into red quiescent galaxies. For the green galaxies at 0.5 &lt; z &lt; 1.5, a morphological transformation sequence of bulge buildup can be seen as their star formation activities are gradually shut down, while a faster morphological transformation is verified for the green galaxies at 1.5 &lt; z &lt; 2.5.

On the environment of low surface brightness galaxies at different scales

ABSTRACT We select a volume-limited sample of galaxies derived from the SDSS DR7 to study the environment of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies at different scales, as well as several physical properties of the dark matter haloes where the LSB galaxies of the sample are embedded. To characterize the environment, we make use of a number of publicly available value-added galaxy catalogues. We find a slight preference for LSB galaxies to be found in filaments instead of clusters, with their mean distance to the nearest filament typically larger than for high surface brightness (HSB) galaxies. The fraction of isolated central LSB galaxies is higher than the same fraction for HSB ones, and the density of their local environment lower. The stellar-to-halo mass ratio using four different estimates is up to ∼20 per cent for HSB galaxies. LSB central galaxies present more recent assembly times when compared with their HSB counterparts. Regarding the λ spin parameter, using six different proxies for its estimation, we find that LSB galaxies present systematically larger values of λ than the HSB galaxy sample, and constructing a control sample with direct kinematic information drawn from ALFALFA, we confirm that the spin parameter of LSB galaxies is 1.6–2 times larger than the one estimated for their HSB counterparts.