Surface Density Of Galaxies Research Articles

Baryonic Ecosystem IN Galaxies (BEINGMgII). Host galaxies of ultra-strong absorbers in the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey

We study the galaxies hosting ultra-strong (USMgII) absorbers at small impact parameters of ∼ arcsecond (5 - 20 kpc) spanning a redshift range of allabszmin z using deep high-resolution images from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Survey and spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our aim is to explore the physical origin of the USMgII absorbers and characterize the associated galaxies. We performed a galaxy spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting using optical and near-IR multiband data to identify potential absorber host galaxies. Further, we searched for the nebular emission line from absorber galaxies in the SDSS fiber spectra. From a total of USMgII absorbers with ge 3 Å, along quasar sight lines, we detected galaxies based on nebular emission detected at the ge 2σ level. Utilizing the emission from the stacked spectrum and employing the best-fit galaxy SED template, we further identified galaxies, leading to a total of bona fide USMgII galaxies. With a prerequisite of having a minimum of four HSC passbands available, we found a detection rate of ∼ at an average impact parameter of kpc. We find that galaxies hosting USMgII systems are typically star-forming main sequence galaxies, with exhibiting a starburst nature. The non-zero emission along the "clear" sight lines, with no stellar counterpart, indicates that the USMgII absorbers may likely emanate from the unseen faint galaxies near the quasar. The USMgII absorbers preferentially align along the major and minor axes of the galaxy, which suggests that they originate in the disk or large-scale wind. We show that the distribution of as a function of the impact parameter indicates a discernible radial dependence for the "disk" and "wind" subsets, with the observed large scatter in potentially attributed to large-scale outflows. The quasar sight line hosting USMgII systems show a factor of three higher galaxy surface density at impact parameters of lesssim 50kpc, highlighting the multiple pathways that give rise to USMgII absorption.

MAMBO: An empirical galaxy and AGN mock catalogue for the exploitation of future surveys

Context. Current and future large surveys will produce unprecedented amounts of data. Realistic simulations have become essential for the design and development of these surveys, as well as for the interpretation of the results. Aims. We present MAMBO, a flexible and efficient workflow to build empirical galaxy and active galactic nucleus (AGN) mock catalogues that reproduce the physical and observational properties of these sources. Methods. We started with simulated dark matter (DM) haloes, to preserve the link with the cosmic web, and we populated them with galaxies and AGN using abundance matching techniques. We followed an empirical methodology, using stellar mass functions, host galaxy AGN mass functions, and AGN accretion rate distribution functions studied at different redshifts to assign, among other properties, stellar masses, the fraction of quenched galaxies, or the AGN activity (demography, obscuration, multiwavelength emission, etc.). Results. As a proof test, we applied the method to a Millennium DM lightcone of 3.14 deg2 up to a redshift of z = 10 and down to stellar masses of ℳ ≳ 1075 M⊙. We show that the AGN population from the mock lightcone presented here reproduces with good accuracy various observables, such as state-of-the-art luminosity functions in the X-ray up to z~7 and in the ultraviolet up to z~5, optical/near-infrared colour-colour diagrams, and narrow emission line diagnostic diagrams. Finally, we demonstrate how this catalogue can be used to make useful predictions for large surveys. Using Euclid as a case example, we compute, among other forecasts, the expected surface densities of galaxies and AGN detectable in the Euclid HE band. We find that Euclid might observe (on HE only) about 107 and 8 × 107 type 1 and 2 AGN, respectively, and 2 × 109 galaxies at the end of its 14 679 deg2 Wide survey, in good agreement with other published forecasts.

A Simple Model of the Radio–Infrared Correlation Depending on Gas Surface Density and Redshift

We introduce a simple parametric model of the radio–infrared correlation (i.e., the ratio between the IR luminosity and the 1.4 GHz radio luminosity, q IR) by considering the energy loss rate of high-energy cosmic-ray (CR) electrons governed by radiative cooling (synchrotron, bremsstrahlung, inverse Compton scattering), ionization, and adiabatic expansion. Each process of CR electron energy loss is explicitly computed and compared to each other. We rewrite the energy loss rate of each process to be dependent on the gas surface density and redshift using the relevant scaling relations. By combining each energy loss rate, the fraction of the synchrotron energy loss rate is computed as a function of gas surface density and redshift and used to extrapolate the well-established “local” radio–infrared correlation to the high-redshift Universe. The locally established q IR is reformulated to be dependent upon the redshift and the gas surface density and applied for understanding the observed distribution of the radio–infrared correlation of high-redshift galaxies in I. Delvecchio et al. Our model predicts that the q IR value is anticorrelated with gas surface density and the redshift dependency of the q IR value changes by the gas surface density of galaxies, which captures the observed trend of q IR values for stellar-mass-selected star-forming galaxies with a minimal impact of radio–infrared selection bias.

VERTICO and IllustrisTNG: The Spatially Resolved Effects of Environment on Galactic Gas

It has been shown in previous publications that the TNG100 simulation quantitatively reproduces the observed reduction in each of the total atomic and total molecular hydrogen gas for galaxies within massive halos, i.e., dense environments. In this Letter, we study how well TNG50 reproduces the resolved effects of a Virgo-like cluster environment on the gas surface densities of satellite galaxies with m * > 109 M ⊙ and star formation rate > 0.05 M ⊙ yr−1. We select galaxies in the simulation that are analogous to those in the HERACLES and VERTICO surveys and mock-observe them to the common specifications of the data. Although TNG50 does not quantitatively match the observed gas surface densities in the centers of galaxies, the simulation does qualitatively reproduce the trends of gas truncation and central density suppression seen in VERTICO in both H i and H2. This result promises that modern cosmological hydrodynamic simulations can be used to reliably model the post-infall histories of cluster satellite galaxies.

An enhanced abundance of bright galaxies in protocluster candidates at z ∼ 3–5

ABSTRACT We present a protocluster search covering z ∼ 3 to z ∼ 5 based on the combination of the Hyper SuprimeCam Subaru Strategic Programme and the CFHT Large Area U-band Deep Survey. We identify about 30 protocluster candidates per unit redshift over the $\sim 25\, \mathrm{deg^2}$ area of the Deep/UltraDeep layer. Protocluster candidates are selected as regions with a significantly enhanced surface density of dropout galaxies. With this large sample, we characterize the properties of their individual member galaxies. We compare the number counts of dropout galaxies in protocluster candidates with that of coeval field galaxies. Rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) bright galaxies are overabundant in protocluster candidates, a trend seen across the full redshift range studied. We do not find evidence for their spatial distribution within protocluster candidates to be distinct from their fainter counterparts, nor for their UV colour to be different from that of field galaxies with the same brightness. Cosmological simulations predict this bright-end excess, with the main cause being a richer population of massive galaxies, with only a minor contribution from an enhancement in star formation activity (and therefore UV emission) at fixed mass. U-to-K SED modelling of our observed samples supports this interpretation. This environmental differentiation in number counts is already in place at z ∼ 5, with no significant redshift dependence over the range in lookback times probed . These observational results and model predictions suggest that the cosmic clock is ahead in high-density environments.

The Formation of Star-forming Disks in the TNG50 Simulation

We investigate the disk formation process in the TNG50 simulation, examining the profiles of SFR surface density (ΣSFR), gas inflow and outflow, and the evolution of the angular momentum of inflowing gas particles. The TNG50 galaxies tend to have larger star-forming disks, and they also show larger deviations from exponential profiles in ΣSFR when compared to real galaxies in the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO survey. The stellar surface density of TNG50 galaxies show good exponential profiles, which is found to be the result of strong radial migration of stars over time. However, this strong radial migration of stars in the simulation produces flatter age profiles in TNG50 disks compared to observed galaxies. The star formation in the simulated galaxies is sustained by a net gas inflow, and this gas inflow is the primary driver for the cosmic evolution of star formation, as expected from simple gas-regulator models of galaxies. There is no evidence for any significant loss of angular momentum for the gas particles after they are accreted on to the galaxy, which may account for the large disk sizes in the TNG50 simulation. Adding viscous processes to the disks, such as the magnetic stresses from magnetorotational instability proposed by Wang & Lilly, will likely reduce the sizes of the simulated disks and the tension with the sizes of real galaxies, and this may produce more realistic exponential profiles.

PEARLS: Low Stellar Density Galaxies in the El Gordo Cluster Observed with JWST

A full understanding of how unusually large ultradiffuse galaxies (UDGs) fit into our conventional theory of galaxy formation remains elusive, despite the large number of objects identified locally. A natural extension of UDG research is the study of similar galaxies at higher redshift to establish how their properties may evolve over time. However, this has been a challenging task given how severely systematic effects and cosmological surface brightness dimming inhibit our ability to analyze low surface brightness galaxies at high z. Here, we present a sample of low stellar surface density galaxies (LDGs) at moderate redshift, likely the progenitors of local UDGs, identified using deep near-IR observations of the El Gordo cluster at z = 0.87 with JWST. By stacking eight NIRCAM filters, we reach an apparent surface brightness sensitivity of 24.59 mag arcsec−2, which is faint enough to be complete to the bright end of the LDG population. Our analysis identifies significant differences between this population and UDGs observed locally, such as their color and size distributions, which suggest that the UDG progenitors at high z are bluer and more extended than UDGs at z = 0. This suggests that multiple mechanisms are responsible for the UDG formation and that prolonged transformation of cluster dwarfs is not a primary UDG formation mechanism at high z. Furthermore, we find a slight overabundance of LDGs in El Gordo, and, in contrast to findings in local clusters, our analysis does not show a deficit of LDGs in the center of El Gordo, implying that tidal destruction of LDGs is significant between z = 0.87 and z = 0.

MUSE–ALMA Haloes – IX. Morphologies and stellar properties of gas-rich galaxies

ABSTRACT Understanding how galaxies interact with the circumgalactic medium (CGM) requires determining how galaxies’ morphological and stellar properties correlate with their CGM properties. We report an analysis of 66 well-imaged galaxies detected in Hubble Space Telescope and Very Large Telescope MUSE observations and determined to be within ±500 km s−1 of the redshifts of strong intervening quasar absorbers at 0.2 ≲ z ≲ 1.4 with H i column densities $N_{\rm H I} \gt 10^{18}\, \rm cm^{-2}$. We present the geometrical properties (Sérsic indices, effective radii, axis ratios, and position angles) of these galaxies determined using galfit. Using these properties along with star formation rates (SFRs, estimated using the H α or [O ii] luminosity) and stellar masses (M* estimated from spectral energy distribution fits), we examine correlations among various stellar and CGM properties. Our main findings are as follows: (1) SFR correlates well with M*, and most absorption-selected galaxies are consistent with the star formation main sequence of the global population. (2) More massive absorber counterparts are more centrally concentrated and are larger in size. (3) Galaxy sizes and normalized impact parameters correlate negatively with NHI, consistent with higher NHI absorption arising in smaller galaxies, and closer to galaxy centres. (4) Absorption and emission metallicities correlate with M* and specific SFR, implying metal-poor absorbers arise in galaxies with low past star formation and faster current gas consumption rates. (5) SFR surface densities of absorption-selected galaxies are higher than predicted by the Kennicutt–Schmidt relation for local galaxies, suggesting a higher star formation efficiency in the absorption-selected galaxies.

Galactic scaling rules in a modified dynamical model

Schulz (2017) galactic scaling rules , which include baryonic Tully–Fisher relation, have been surveyed in this work within the context of a modified dynamical model. These scaling relations are derived by employing the virial theorem and applying equilibrium and stability conditions. The scaling rules are also obtained by dimensional analysis of an integral relation between surface density and circular velocity of disk galaxies. To check the validity of the scaling relations based on observational data, we have defined, based on the properties of the model, the proper equilibrium size Req and equilibrium velocity Veq of systems. By employing these measures of length and velocity, SPARC data (Lelli et al., 2016a) is used to analyze the results. The viability of the scaling relations is tested and it is shown that, compared to some other measures of length and velocity, Req and Veq provide the closest fits to the theoretical predictions. We have compared our results with prior works and have concluded that the set of baryonic Tully–Fisher relation plus mass–size relation ( or mass–velocity) provides an appropriate description of the general characteristics of the systems. Lastly, it is shown that these scaling relations predict a certain evolution of galactic properties with redshift. This behavior provides a chance to examine the cosmic evolution of the present modified dynamical model in future works.

The Hα and [O iii] λ5007 Luminosity Functions of 1.2 < z < 1.9 Emission-line Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Grism Spectroscopy

Euclid and the Roman Space Telescope (Roman) will soon use grism spectroscopy to detect millions of galaxies via their Hα and [O iii] λ5007 emission. To better constrain the expected galaxy counts from these instruments, we use a vetted sample of 4239 emission-line galaxies from the 3D Hubble Space Telescope survey to measure the Hα and [O iii] λ5007 luminosity functions between 1.16 < z < 1.90; this sample is ∼4 times larger than previous studies at this redshift. We find very good agreement with previous measurements for Hα, but for [O iii], we predict a higher number of intermediate-luminosity galaxies than from previous works. We find that, for both lines, the characteristic luminosity, , increases monotonically with redshift, and use the Hα luminosity function to calculate the epoch’s cosmic star formation rate density. We find that Hα-visible galaxies account for ∼81% of the epoch’s total star formation rate, and this value changes very little over the 1.16 < z < 1.56 redshift range. Finally, we derive the surface density of galaxies as a function of limiting flux and find that previous predictions for galaxy counts for the Euclid Wide Survey are unchanged, but there may be more [O iii] galaxies in the Roman High Latitude Survey than previously estimated.

Are the host galaxies of long gamma-ray bursts more compact than star-forming galaxies of the field?

Context. Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer a promising tool for tracing the cosmic history of star formation, especially at high redshift, where conventional methods are known to suffer from intrinsic biases. Previous studies of GRB host galaxies at low redshift showed that high surface density of stellar mass and high surface density of star formation rate (SFR) can potentially enhance the GRB production. Evaluating the effect of such stellar densities at high redshift is therefore crucial to fully control the ability of long GRBs for probing the activity of star formation in the distant Universe. Aims. We assess how the size, stellar mass, and star formation rate surface densities of distant galaxies affect the probability of their hosting a long GRB, using a sample of GRB hosts at z &gt; 1 and a control sample of star-forming sources from the field. Methods. We gathered a sample of 45 GRB host galaxies at 1 &lt; z &lt; 3.1 observed with the Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 camera in the near-infrared. Our subsample at 1 &lt; z &lt; 2 has cumulative distributions of redshift and stellar mass consistent with the host galaxies of known unbiased GRB samples, while our GRB host selection at 2 &lt; z &lt; 3.1 has lower statistics and is probably biased toward the high end of the stellar mass function. Using the GALFIT parametric approach, we modeled the GRB host light profile with a Sérsic component and derived the half-light radius for 35 GRB hosts, which we used to estimate the star formation rate and stellar mass surface densities of each object. We compared the distribution of these physical quantities to the SFR-weighted properties of a complete sample of star-forming galaxies from the 3D-HST deep survey at a comparable redshift and stellar mass. Results. We show that similarly to z &lt; 1, GRB hosts are smaller in size and they have higher stellar mass and star formation rate surface densities than field galaxies at 1 &lt; z &lt; 2. Interestingly, this result is robust even when separately considering the hosts of GRBs with optically bright afterglows and the hosts of dark GRBs, as the two subsamples share similar size distributions. At z &gt; 2, however, GRB hosts appear to have sizes and stellar mass surface densities more consistent with those characterizing the field galaxies. This may reveal an evolution with redshift of the bias between GRB hosts and the overall population of star-forming sources, although we cannot exclude that our result at z &gt; 2 is also affected by the prevalence of dark GRBs in our selection. Conclusions. In addition to a possible trend toward a low-metallicity environment, other environmental properties such as stellar density appear to play a role in the formation of long GRBs, at least up to z ∼ 2. This might suggest that GRBs require special environments to enhance their production.

Lack of influence of the environment in the earliest stages of massive galaxy formation

ABSTRACT We investigate how the environment affects the assembly history of massive galaxies. For that purpose, we make use of Survey for High-z Absorption Red and Dead Sources (SHARDS) and HST spectrophotometric data, whose depth, spectral resolution, and wavelength coverage allow to perform a detailed analysis of the stellar emission as well as obtaining unprecedentedly accurate photometric redshifts. This expedites a sufficiently accurate estimate of the local environment and a robust derivation of the star formation histories of a complete sample of 332 massive galaxies (&amp;gt;1010M⊙) at redshift 1 ≤ z ≤ 1.5 in the GOODS-N field. We find that massive galaxies in this redshift range avoid the lowest density environments. Moreover, we observed that the oldest galaxies in our sample with mass-weighted formation redshift $\mathrm{\overline{z}_{M-w} \ge 2.5}$, avoid the highest density regions, preferring intermediate environments. Younger galaxies, including those with active star formation, tend to live in denser environments ($\Sigma = \mathrm{5.0_{1.1}^{24.8}\times 10^{10}\, M_{\odot }\, Mpc^{-2}}$). This behaviour could be expected if those massive galaxies starting their formation first would merge with neighbours and sweep their environment earlier. On the other hand, galaxies formed more recently ($\overline{z}_{M-w} \lt 2.5$) are accreted into large-scale structures at later times and we are observing them before sweeping their environment or, alternatively, they are less likely to affect their environment. However, given that both number and mass surface densities of neighbour galaxies is relatively low for the oldest galaxies, our results reveal a very weak correlation between environment and the first formation stages of the earliest massive galaxies.

Exploring the outskirts of the EAGLE disc galaxies

ABSTRACT Observations show that the surface brightness of disc galaxies can be well-described by a single exponential (TI), up-bending (TIII), or down-bending (TII) profiles in the outskirts. Here we characterize the mass surface densities of simulated late-type galaxies from the eagle project according to their distribution of mono-age stellar populations, the star formation activity, and angular momentum content. We find a clear correlation between the inner scale lengths and the stellar spin parameter, λ, for all three disc types with λ &amp;gt; 0.35. The outer scale lengths of TII and TIII discs show a positive trend with λ, albeit weaker for the latter. TII discs prefer fast rotating galaxies. With regards to the stellar age distribution, negative and U-shape age profiles are the most common for all disc types. Positive age profiles are determined by a more significant contribution of young stars in the central regions, which decrease rapidly in the outer parts. TII discs prefer relative higher contributions of old stars compared to other mono-age populations across the discs whereas TIII discs become progressively more dominated by intermediate age (2–6 Gyr) stars for increasing radius. The change in slope of the age profiles is located after the break of the mass surface density. We find evidence of larger flaring for the old stellar populations in TIII systems compared to TI and TII, which could indicate the action of other processes. Overall, the relative distributions of mono-age stellar populations and the dependence of the star formation activity on radius are found to shape the different disc types and age profiles.

Radial profiles of lensed z ∼ 1 galaxies on sub-kiloparsec scales

We study the spatially resolved physical properties of the Cosmic Snake arc in MACS J1206.2–0847 and the arc in Abell 0521 (A521). These are two strongly lensed galaxies at redshifts z = 1.036 and z = 1.044. We used observations of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The former gives access to the star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass (M⋆), and the latter to the H2 molecular gas mass (Mmol). HST and ALMA observations have similar angular resolutions of 0.15″ − 0.2″, which with the help of strong gravitational lensing enable us to reach spatial resolutions down to ∼30 pc and ∼100 pc in these two galaxies, respectively. These resolutions are close to the resolution of observations of nearby galaxies. We study the radial profiles of SFR, M⋆, and Mmol surface densities of these high-redshift galaxies and compare the corresponding exponential scale lengths with those of local galaxies. We find that the scale lengths in the Cosmic Snake are about 0.5 kpc − 1.5 kpc, and they are 3–10 times larger in A521. This is a significant difference knowing that the two galaxies have comparable integrated properties. These high-redshift scale lengths are nevertheless comparable to those of local galaxies, which cover a wide distribution. The particularity of our high-redshift radial profiles is the normalisation of the Mmol surface density profiles (ΣMmol), which are offset by up to a factor of 20 with respect to the profiles of z = 0 counterparts. The SFR surface density profiles are also offset by the same factor as ΣMmol, as expected from the Kennicutt-Schmidt law.

The role of the elaphrocentre in void galaxy formation

ABSTRACT Voids may affect galaxy formation via weakening mass infall or increasing disk sizes, which could potentially play a role in the formation of giant low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs). If a dark matter halo forms at the potential hill corresponding to a void of the cosmic web, which we denote the ‘elaphrocentre’ in contrast to a barycentre, then the elaphrocentre should weaken the infall rate to the halo when compared to infall rates towards barycentres. We investigate this hypothesis numerically. We present a complete software pipeline to simulate galaxy formation, starting from a power spectrum of initial perturbations and an N-body simulation through to merger-history-tree based mass infall histories. The pipeline is built from well-established, free-licensed cosmological software packages, and aims at highly portable long-term reproducibility. We find that the elaphrocentric accelerations tending to oppose mass infall are modest. We do not find evidence of location in a void or elaphrocentric position weakening mass infall towards a galaxy. However, we find indirect evidence of voids influencing galaxy formation: while void galaxies are of lower mass compared to galaxies in high-density environments, their spin parameters are typically higher. For a fixed mass, the implied disc scale length would be greater. Tangential accelerations in voids are found to be high and might significantly contribute to the higher spin parameters. We find significantly later formation epochs for void galaxies; this should give lower matter densities and may imply lower surface densities of disc galaxies. Thus, void galaxies have higher spin parameters and later formation epochs; both are factors that may increase the probability of forming LSBGs in voids.

FUV and NIR size of the HI selected low surface brightness galaxies

How low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) form stars and assemble stellar mass is one of the most important questions related to understanding the LSBG population. We select a sample of 381 HI bright LSBGs with both far ultraviolet (FUV) and near infrared (NIR) observations to investigate the star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass scales, and the growth mode. We measure the FUV and NIR radii of our sample, which represent the star-forming and stellar mass distribution scales respectively. We also compare the FUV and H band radius-stellar mass relation with archival data, to identify the SFR and stellar mass structure difference between the LSBG population and other galaxies. Since galaxy HI mass has a tight correlation with the HI radius, we can also compare the HI and FUV radii to understand the distribution of HI gas and star formation activities. Our results show that most of the HI selected LSBGs have extended star formation structure. The stellar mass distribution of LSBGs may have a similar structure to disk galaxies at the same stellar mass bins, but the star-forming activity of LSBGs happens at a larger radius than the high surface density galaxies, which may help to identify the LSBG sample from the wide-field deep u band image survey. The HI is also distributed at larger radii, implying a steeper (or not) Kennicutt-Schmidt relation for LSBGs.

Cosmic rays across the star-forming galaxy sequence – II. Stability limits and the onset of cosmic ray-driven outflows

ABSTRACT Cosmic rays (CRs) are a plausible mechanism for launching winds of cool material from the discs of star-forming galaxies. However, there is no consensus on what types of galaxies likely host CR-driven winds, or what role these winds might play in regulating galaxies’ star formation rates. Using a detailed treatment of the transport and losses of hadronic CRs developed in the previous paper in this series, here we develop a semi-analytical model that allows us to assess the viability of using CRs to launch cool winds from galactic discs. In particular, we determine the critical CR fluxes – and corresponding star formation rate surface densities – above which hydrostatic equilibrium within a given galaxy is precluded because CRs drive the gas off in a wind or otherwise render it unstable. Our model demonstrates that catastrophic, CR-driven wind loss is a possibility at galactic mean surface densities below ${\lesssim}10^2 \ \mathrm{ M}_{\odot }$ pc−2. In this regime – encompassing the Galaxy and local dwarfs – the locus of the CR-stability curve patrols the high side of the observed distribution of galaxies in the Kennicutt–Schmidt parameter space of star formation rate versus gas surface density. However, hadronic losses render CRs unable to drive global winds in galaxies with surface densities above the ∼102−103 M⊙ pc−2 transition region. Our results show that quiescent, low surface density galaxies like the Milky Way are poised on the cusp of instability, such that small changes to interstellar mass (ISM) parameters can lead to the launching of CR-driven outflows, and we suggest that, as a result, CR feedback sets an ultimate limit to the star formation efficiency of most modern galaxies.

Realistic mock observations of the sizes and stellar mass surface densities of massive galaxies in FIRE-2 zoom-in simulations

ABSTRACT The galaxy size–stellar mass and central surface density–stellar mass relationships are fundamental observational constraints on galaxy formation models. However, inferring the physical size of a galaxy from observed stellar emission is non-trivial due to various observational effects, such as the mass-to-light ratio variations that can be caused by non-uniform stellar ages, metallicities, and dust attenuation. Consequently, forward-modelling light-based sizes from simulations is desirable. In this work, we use the skirt dust radiative transfer code to generate synthetic observations of massive galaxies ($M_{*}\sim 10^{11}\, \rm {M_{\odot }}$ at z = 2, hosted by haloes of mass $M_{\rm {halo}}\sim 10^{12.5}\, \rm {M_{\odot }}$) from high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations that form part of the Feedback In Realistic Environments project. The simulations used in this paper include explicit stellar feedback but no active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. From each mock observation, we infer the effective radius (Re), as well as the stellar mass surface density within this radius and within $1\, \rm {kpc}$ (Σe and Σ1, respectively). We first investigate how well the intrinsic half-mass radius and stellar mass surface density can be inferred from observables. The majority of predicted sizes and surface densities are within a factor of 2 of the intrinsic values. We then compare our predictions to the observed size–mass relationship and the Σ1−M⋆ and Σe−M⋆ relationships. At z ≳ 2, the simulated massive galaxies are in general agreement with observational scaling relations. At z ≲ 2, they evolve to become too compact but still star forming, in the stellar mass and redshift regime where many of them should be quenched. Our results suggest that some additional source of feedback, such as AGN-driven outflows, is necessary in order to decrease the central densities of the simulated massive galaxies to bring them into agreement with observations at z ≲ 2.

Simulating the interstellar medium of galaxies with radiative transfer, non-equilibrium thermochemistry, and dust

ABSTRACT We present a novel framework to self-consistently model the effects of radiation fields, dust physics, and molecular chemistry (H2) in the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies. The model combines a state-of-the-art radiation hydrodynamics module with a H and He non-equilibrium thermochemistry module that accounts for H2 coupled to an empirical dust formation and destruction model, all integrated into the new stellar feedback framework SMUGGLE. We test this model on high-resolution isolated Milky-Way (MW) simulations. We show that the effect of radiation feedback on galactic star formation rates is quite modest in low gas surface density galaxies like the MW. The multiphase structure of the ISM, however, is highly dependent on the strength of the interstellar radiation field. We are also able to predict the distribution of H2, that allow us to match the molecular Kennicutt–Schmidt (KS) relation, without calibrating for it. We show that the dust distribution is a complex function of density, temperature, and ionization state of the gas. Our model is also able to match the observed dust temperature distribution in the ISM. Our state-of-the-art model is well-suited for performing next-generation cosmological galaxy formation simulations, which will be able to predict a wide range of resolved (∼10 pc) properties of galaxies.

The ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: CO Excitation and Atomic Carbon in Star-forming Galaxies at z = 1–3

Abstract We investigate the CO excitation and interstellar medium (ISM) conditions in a cold gas mass-selected sample of 22 star-forming galaxies at z = 0.46–3.60, observed as part of the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (ASPECS). Combined with Very Large Array follow-up observations, we detect a total of 34 CO transitions with J = 1 up to 8 (and an additional 21 upper limits, up to J = 10) and 6 and transitions (and 12 upper limits). The CO(2–1) and CO(3–2)-selected galaxies, at and 2.5, respectively, exhibit a range in excitation in their mid-J = 4, 5 and high-J = 7, 8 lines, on average lower than ( -brighter) BzK-color- and submillimeter-selected galaxies at similar redshifts. The former implies that a warm ISM component is not necessarily prevalent in gas mass-selected galaxies at . We use stacking and Large Velocity Gradient models to measure and predict the average CO ladders at z &lt; 2 and z ≥ 2, finding and , respectively. From the models, we infer that the galaxies at z ≥ 2 have intrinsically higher excitation than those at z &lt; 2. This fits a picture in which the global excitation is driven by an increase in the star formation rate surface density of galaxies with redshift. We derive a neutral atomic carbon abundance of , comparable to the Milky Way and main-sequence galaxies at similar redshifts, and fairly high densities (≥104 cm−3), consistent with the low-J CO excitation. Our results imply a decrease in the cosmic molecular gas mass density at z ≥ 2 compared to previous ASPECS measurements.