Publications (32)14.65 Total impact
-
Article: Probing nuclear activity versus star formation at z~0.8 using near-infrared multi-object spectroscopy
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic observations of 28 X-ray and mid-infrared selected sources at a median redshift of z~0.8 in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS). To date this is the largest compilation of NIR spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGN) at this redshift. The data were obtained using the multi-object spectroscopic mode of the Long-slit Intermediate Resolution Infrared Spectrograph (LIRIS) at the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope (WHT). These galaxies are representative of a larger sample studied in a previous work, consisting of over a hundred X-ray selected sources with mid-infrared counterparts, which were classified either as AGN-dominated or host galaxy-dominated, depending on the shape of their spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Here we present new NIR spectra of 13 and 15 sources of each class respectively. We detect the H alpha line at > 1.5 sigma above the continuum for the majority of the galaxies. Using attenuation-corrected H alpha luminosities and observed Spitzer/MIPS 24 micron fluxes, and after subtracting an AGN component estimated using an AGN empirical correlation and multi-frequency SED fits, we obtain average star formation rates (SFRs) of 7+/-7 and 20+/-50 Msun/yr respectively (median SFRs = 7 and 5 Msun/yr). These values are lower than the SFRs reported in the literature for different samples of non-active star-forming galaxies of similar stellar masses and redshifts (M* ~ 10^11 Msun and z~1). In spite of the small size of the sample studied here, as well as the uncertainty affecting the AGN-corrected SFRs, we speculate with the possibility of AGN quenching the star formation in galaxies at z~0.8. Alternatively, we might be seeing a delay between the offset of the star formation and AGN activity, as observed in the local universe.12/2012; -
Article: SAFIR: testing the coexistence of AGN and star formation activity and the nature of the dusty torus in the local universe
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present the Seyfert and star formation Activity in the Far-InfraRed (SAFIR) project, a small (15.1h) Herschel guaranteed time proposal performing PACS and SPIRE imaging of a small sample of nearby Seyfert galaxies. This project is aimed at studying the physical nature of the nuclear IR emission by means of multi-component spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting and the star formation properties of AGN hosts, as traced by cold dust. We summarize the results achieved so far and outline the on-going work.10/2012; -
Article: Status of the OTELO Project
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The OTELO project is the extragalactic survey currently under way using the tunable filters of the OSIRIS instrument at the GTC. OTELO is already providing the deepest emission line object survey of the universe up to a redshift 7. In this contribution, the status of the survey and the first results obtained are presented.10/2012; -
Article: OSIRIS/GTC: status and prospects
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: OSIRIS is the optical Day One instrument, and so far the only Spanish instrument, currently operating at the GTC. Building and testing an instrument for a 8-10m-class telescope with non-previous commissioning in turn, has represented a truly unique experience. In this contribution, the current status, the last commissioning results and some future prospects are given.10/2012; -
Article: Probing the Nuclear and Circumnuclear Activity of NGC1365 in the Infrared
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present new far-infrared (70-500micron) Herschel PACS and SPIRE imaging observations as well as new mid-IR Gemini/T-ReCS imaging (8.7 and 18.3micron) and spectroscopy of the inner Lindblad resonance (ILR) region (R<2.5kpc) of the spiral galaxy NGC1365. We complemented these observations with archival Spitzer imaging and spectral mapping observations. The ILR region of NGC1365 contains a Seyfert 1.5 nucleus and a ring of star formation with an approximate diameter of 2kpc. The strong star formation activity in the ring is resolved by the Herschel/PACS imaging data, as well as by the Spitzer 24micron continuum emission, [NeII]12.81micron line emission, and 6.2 and 11.3micron PAH emission. The AGN is the brightest source in the central regions up to lambda~24micron, but it becomes increasingly fainter in the far-infrared when compared to the emission originating in the infrared clusters (or groups of them) located in the ring. We modeled the AGN unresolved infrared emission with the CLUMPY torus models and estimated that the AGN contributes only to a small fraction (~5%) of the infrared emission produced in the inner ~5kpc. We fitted the non-AGN 24-500micron spectral energy distribution of the ILR region and found that the dust temperatures and mass are similar to those of other nuclear and circumnuclear starburst regions. Finally we showed that within the ILR region of NGC1365 most of the on-going star formation activity is taking place in dusty regions as probed by the 24micron emission.06/2012; -
Article: AGN-Host Galaxy Connection (Povic+, 2012)
VizieR Online Data Catalog. 02/2012; 354:19118. -
Article: Enhanced star formation rates in AGN hosts with respect to inactive galaxies from PEP-Herschel observations
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We compare the average star formation (SF) activity in X-ray selected AGN hosts with mass-matched control inactive galaxies,including star forming and quiescent sources, at 0.5<z<2.5. Recent observations carried out by PACS, the 60-210um Herschel photometric camera, in GOODS-S, GOODS-N and COSMOS allow us to unbiasedly estimate the far-IR luminosity, and hence the SF properties, of the two samples. Accurate AGN host stellar masses are measured by decomposing their total emission into the stellar and nuclear components. We find a higher average SF activity in AGN hosts with respect to non-AGNs. The level of SF enhancement is modest (~0.26dex at ~3sigma) at low X-ray luminosities (Lx<~10^43.5erg/s) and more pronounced (0.56dex at >10sigma) for bright AGNs. However, when comparing to star forming galaxies only, AGN hosts are broadly consistent with the locus of their `main sequence'. We investigate the relative far-IR luminosity distributions of active and inactive galaxies, and find a higher fraction of PACS detected, hence normal and highly star forming systems among AGN hosts. Although different interpretations are possible, we explain our findings as a consequence of a twofold AGN growth path: faint AGNs evolve through secular processes, with instantaneous AGN accretion not tightly linked to the current total SF in the host, while luminous AGNs co-evolve with their hosts through periods of enhanced AGN activity and SF, possibly through major mergers. While an increased SF with respect to non-AGNs of similar mass is expected in the latter, we interpret the modest SF offsets measured in low-Lx AGN hosts as either a) generated by non-synchronous accretion and SF histories in a merger scenario or b) due to possible connections between instantaneous SF and accretion that can be induced by smaller scale (non-major merger) mechanisms. Far-IR luminosity distributions favour the latter scenario.01/2012; -
Article: Testing the AGN Unification Model in the Infrared
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present near-to-mid-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for 21 Seyfert galaxies, using subarcsecond resolution imaging data. Our aim is to compare the properties Seyfert 1 (Sy1) and Seyfert 2 (Sy2) tori using clumpy torus models and a Bayesian approach to fit the infrared (IR) nuclear SEDs. These dusty tori have physical sizes smaller than 6 pc radius, as derived from our fits. Active galactic nuclei (AGN) unification schemes account for a variety of observational differences in terms of viewing geometry. However, we find evidence that strong unification may not hold, and that the immediate dusty surroundings of Sy1 and Sy2 nuclei are intrinsically different. The Type 2 tori studied here are broader, have more clumps, and these clumps have lower optical depths than those of Type 1 tori. The larger the covering factor of the torus, the smaller the probability of having direct view of the AGN, and vice-versa. In our sample, Sy2 tori have larger covering factors (C_T=0.95+/-0.02) and smaller escape probabilities than those of Sy1 (C_T=0.5+/-0.1). Thus, on the basis of the results presented here, the classification of a Seyfert galaxy may depend more on the intrinsic properties of the torus rather than on its mere inclination, in contradiction with the simplest unification model.01/2012; -
Article: Resolving the nuclear dust distribution of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 3081
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We report far-infrared (FIR) imaging of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 3081 in the range 70-500 micron, obtained with an unprecedented angular resolution, using the Herschel Space Observatory instruments PACS and SPIRE. The 11 kpc (~70 arcsec) diameter star-forming ring of the galaxy appears resolved up to 250 micron. We extracted infrared (1.6-500 micron) nuclear fluxes, that is active nucleus-dominated fluxes, and fitted them with clumpy torus models, which successfully reproduce the FIR emission with small torus sizes. Adding the FIR data to the near- and mid-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) results in a torus radial extent of Ro=4(+2/-1) pc, as well as in a flat radial distribution of the clouds (i.e. the q parameter). At wavelengths beyond 200 micron, cold dust emission at T=28+/-1 K from the circumnuclear star-forming ring of 2.3 kpc (~15 arcsec) in diameter starts making a contribution to the nuclear emission. The dust in the outer parts of the galaxy is heated by the interstellar radiation field (19+/-3 K).07/2011; -
Article: PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) - A Herschel Key Program
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Deep far-infrared photometric surveys studying galaxy evolution and the nature of the cosmic infrared background are a key strength of the Herschel mission. We describe the scientific motivation for the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) guaranteed time key program and its role in the complement of Herschel surveys, and the field selection which includes popular multiwavelength fields such as GOODS, COSMOS, Lockman Hole, ECDFS, EGS. We provide an account of the observing strategies and data reduction methods used. An overview of first science results illustrates the potential of PEP in providing calorimetric star formation rates for high redshift galaxy populations, thus testing and superseeding previous extrapolations from other wavelengths, and enabling a wide range of galaxy evolution studies.06/2011; -
Article: Testing the Unification Model for AGN in the Infrared: are the obscuring tori of Type 1 and 2 Seyferts different?
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present new mid-infrared (MIR) imaging data for three Type-1 Seyfert galaxies obtained with T-ReCS on the Gemini-South Telescope at subarcsecond resolution. Our aim is to enlarge the sample studied in a previous work to compare the properties of Type-1 and Type-2 Seyfert tori using clumpy torus models and a Bayesian approach to fit the infrared nuclear spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Thus, the sample considered here comprises 7 Type-1, 11 Type-2, and 3 intermediate-type Seyferts. The unresolved IR emission of the Seyfert 1 galaxies can be reproduced by a combination of dust heated by the central engine and direct AGN emission, while for the Seyfert 2 nuclei only dust emission is considered. These dusty tori have physical sizes smaller than 6 pc radius, as derived from our fits. Unification schemes of AGN account for a variety of observational differences in terms of viewing geometry. However, we find evidence that strong unification may not hold, and that the immediate dusty surroundings of Type-1 and Type-2 Seyfert nuclei are intrinsically different. The Type-2 tori studied here are broader, have more clumps, and these clumps have lower optical depths than those of Type-1 tori. The larger the covering factor of the torus, the smaller the probability of having direct view of the AGN, and vice-versa. In our sample, Seyfert 2 tori have larger covering factors and smaller escape probabilities than those of Seyfert 1. All the previous differences are significant according to the Kullback-Leibler divergence. Thus, on the basis of the results presented here, the classification of a Seyfert galaxy as a Type-1 or Type-2 depends more on the intrinsic properties of the torus rather than on its mere inclination towards us, in contradiction with the simplest unification model.01/2011; -
Article: The Soft X-ray and Narrow-line Emission of Mrk 573 on Kiloparsec Scales
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present a study of the circumnuclear region of the nearby Seyfert galaxy Mrk 573 using Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data. We have studied the morphology of the soft (<2 keV) X-rays comparing it with the [O III] and Hα HST images. The soft X-ray emission is resolved into a complex extended region. The X-ray morphology shows a biconical region extending up to 12 arcsec (4 kpc) in projection from the nucleus. A strong correlation between the X-rays and the highly ionized gas seen in the [O III]λ5007 Å image is reported. Moreover, we have studied the line intensities detected with the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) and used them to fit the low-resolution EPIC/XMM-Newton and ACIS/Chandra spectra. The RGS/XMM-Newton spectrum is dominated by emission lines of C VI, O VII, O VIII, Fe XVII, and Ne IX, among other highly ionized species. A good fit is obtained using these emission lines found in the RGS/XMM-Newton spectrum as a template for Chandra spectra of the nucleus and extended emission, coincident with the cone-like structures seen in the [O III]/Hα map. The photoionization model Cloudy provides a reasonable fit for both the nuclear region and the cone-like structures showing that the dominant excitation mechanism is photoionization. For the nucleus the emission is modeled using two phases: a high ionization [log (U) = 1.23] and a low ionization [log (U) = 0.13]. For the high-ionization phase the transmitted and reflected components are in a 1:2 ratio, whereas for the low ionization the reflected component dominates. For the extended emission, we successfully reproduced the emission with two phases. The first phase shows a higher ionization parameter for the northwest (log (U) = 0.9) than for the southeast cone (log (U) = 0.3). Moreover, this phase is transmission dominated for the southeast cone and reflection dominated for the northwest cone. The second phase shows a low-ionization parameter (log (U) = –3) and is rather uniform for northwest and southeast cones and equally distributed in reflection and transmission components. In addition, we have also derived the optical/infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) of the nucleus from high spatial resolution images of Mrk 573. The nuclear optical/infrared SED of the nucleus has been modeled by a clumpy torus model. The torus bolometric luminosity agrees very well with the active galactic nucleus (AGN) luminosity inferred from the observed hard X-ray spectrum. The optical depth along the line of sight expected from the torus modeling indicates a high neutral hydrogen column density in agreement with the classification of the nucleus of Mrk 573 as a Compton-thick AGN.The Astrophysical Journal 10/2010; 723(2):1748. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: The soft X-ray and narrow-line emission of Mrk573 on kiloparcec scales
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present a study of the circumnuclear region of the nearby Seyfert galaxy Mrk573 using Chandra, XMM-Newton and HST data. The X-ray morphology shows a biconical region extending up to 12 arcsecs (4 kpc) in projection from the nucleus. A strong correlation between the X-rays and the highly ionized gas seen in the [O III] image is reported. Moreover, we have studied the line intensities detected with the RGS/XMM-Newton and used them to fit the low resolution EPIC/XMM-Newton and ACIS/Chandra spectra. The RGS spectrum is dominated by emission lines of C VI, O VII, O VIII, Fe XVII, and Ne IX, among others. A good fit is obtained using these emission lines found in the RGS spectrum as a template for Chandra spectra of the nucleus and extended emission. The photoionization model Cloudy provides a reasonable fit for both the nuclear region and the cone-like structures. For the nucleus the emission is modelled using two phases: a high ionization [log(U)=1.23] and a low ionization [log(U)=0.13]. For the high ionization phase the transmitted and reflected component are in a ratio 1:2, whereas for the low ionization the reflected component dominates. For the extended emission, we successfully reproduced the emission with two phases. The first phase shows a higher ionization parameter for the NW (log(U)=0.9) than for the SE cone (log(U)=0.3). The second phase shows a low ionization parameter (log(U)=-3) and is rather uniform for NW and SE cones. In addition, the nuclear optical/infrared SED has been modeled by a clumpy torus model. The torus bolometric luminosity agrees with the AGN luminosity inferred from the observed hard X-ray spectrum. The optical depth along the line of sight derived from the SED fit indicates a high neutral column density in agreement with the classification of the nucleus as a Compton-thick AGN. Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, final version of the paper submitted to ApJ09/2010; -
Article: Evolution of Dust Temperature of Galaxies through Cosmic Time as seen by Herschel
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We study the dust properties of galaxies in the redshift range 0.1<z<2.8 observed by the Herschel Space Observatory in the field of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North as part of PEP and HerMES key programmes. Infrared (IR) luminosity (L_IR) and dust temperature (T_dust) of galaxies are derived from the spectral energy distribution (SED) fit of the far-infrared (FIR) flux densities obtained with PACS and SPIRE instruments onboard Herschel. As a reference sample, we also obtain IR luminosities and dust temperatures of local galaxies at z<0.1 using AKARI and IRAS data in the field of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We compare the L_IR-T_dust relation between the two samples and find that: the median T_dust of Herschel-selected galaxies at z>0.5 with L_IR>5x10^{10} L_\odot, appears to be 2-5 K colder than that of AKARI-selected local galaxies with similar luminosities; and the dispersion in T_dust for high-z galaxies increases with L_IR due to the existence of cold galaxies that are not seen among local galaxies. We show that this large dispersion of the L_IR-T_dust relation can bridge the gap between local star-forming galaxies and high-z submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). We also find that three SMGs with very low T_dust (<20 K) covered in this study have close neighbouring sources with similar 24-\mum brightness, which could lead to an overestimation of FIR/(sub)millimeter fluxes of the SMGs. Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, To appear in MNRAS09/2010; -
Article: Herschel FIR counterparts of selected Ly-alpha emitters at z~2.2. Fast evolution since z~3 or missed obscured AGNs?
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Ly-alpha emitters (LAEs) are seen everywhere in the redshift domain from local to z~7. Far-infrared (FIR) counterparts of LAEs at different epochs could provide direct clues on dust content, extinction, and spectral energy distribution (SED) for these galaxies. We search for FIR counterparts of LAEs that are optically detected in the GOODS-North field at redshift z~2.2 using data from the Herschel Space Telescope with the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS). The LAE candidates were isolated via color-magnitude diagram using the medium-band photometry from the ALHAMBRA Survey, ancillary data on GOODS-North, and stellar population models. According to the fitting of these spectral synthesis models and FIR/optical diagnostics, most of them seem to be obscured galaxies whose spectra are AGN-dominated. From the analysis of the optical data, we have observed a fraction of AGN or composite over source total number of ~0.75 in the LAE population at z~2.2, which is marginally consistent with the fraction previously observed at z=2.25 and even at low redshift (0.2<z<0.45), but significantly different from the one observed at redshift ~3, which could be compatible either with a scenario of rapid change in the AGN fraction between the epochs involved or with a non detection of obscured AGN in other z=2-3 LAE samples due to lack of deep FIR observations. We found three robust FIR (PACS) counterparts at z~2.2 in GOODS-North. This demonstrates the possibility of finding dust emission in LAEs even at higher redshifts. Comment: 11 pages (including Appendices), 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters (two references added)08/2010; -
Article: Herschel deep far-infrared counts through the Abell 2218 cluster-lens
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Gravitational lensing by massive galaxy clusters allows study of the population of intrinsically faint infrared galaxies that lie below the sensitivity and confusion limits of current infrared and submillimeter telescopes. We present ultra-deep PACS 100 and 160 microns observations toward the cluster lens Abell 2218, to penetrate the Herschel confusion limit. We derive source counts down to a flux density of 1 mJy at 100 microns and 2 mJy at 160 microns, aided by strong gravitational lensing. At these levels, source densities are 20 and 10 beams/source in the two bands, approaching source density confusion at 160 microns. The slope of the counts below the turnover of the Euclidean-normalized differential curve is constrained in both bands and is consistent with most of the recent backwards evolutionary models. By integrating number counts over the flux range accessed by Abell 2218 lensing (0.94-35 mJy at 100 microns and 1.47-35 mJy at 160 microns, we retrieve a cosmic infrared background (CIB) surface brightness of ~8.0 and ~9.9 nW m^-2 sr^-1, in the respective bands. These values correspond to 55% (+/- 24%) and 77% (+/- 31%) of DIRBE direct measurements. Combining Abell 2218 results with wider/shallower fields, these figures increase to 62% (+/- 25%) and 88% (+/- 32%) CIB total fractions, resolved at 100 and 160 microns, disregarding the high uncertainties of DIRBE absolute values. Comment: Accepted for publication on the A&A Herschel Special Issue, final version05/2010; -
Article: The first Herschel view of the mass-SFR link in high-z galaxies
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We exploit deep observations of the GOODS-N field taken with PACS, on board of Herschel, as part of the PEP guaranteed time, to study the link between star formation and stellar mass in galaxies to z~2. Starting from a stellar mass-selected sample of ~4500 galaxies with mag[4.5mu]<23 (AB), we identify ~350 objects with a PACS detection at 100 or 160mu and ~1500 with only Spitzer 24 mu counterpart. Stellar masses and total IR luminosities (LIR) are estimated by fitting the SEDs. Consistently with other Herschel results, we find that LIR based only on 24 mu data is overestimated by a median factor ~1.8 at z~2, whereas it is underestimated (with our approach) up to a factor ~1.6 at 0.5<z<1.0. We then exploit this calibration to correct LIR based on the MIPS fluxes. These results clearly show how Herschel is fundamental to constrain LIR, and hence the SFR, of high redshift galaxies. Using the galaxies detected with PACS (and/or MIPS), we investigate the existence and evolution of the relations between the star formation rate (SFR), the specific star formation rate (SSFR=SFR/mass) and the stellar mass. Moreover, in order to avoid selection effects, we also repeat this study through a stacking analysis on the PACS images to fully exploit the far-IR information also for the Herschel and Spitzer undetected subsamples. We find that the SSFR-mass relation steepens with redshift, being almost flat at z<1.0 and reaching a slope of alpha=-0.50^(+0.13)_(-0.16) at z~2, at odds with recent works based on radio-stacking analysis at the same redshift. The mean SSFR of galaxies increases with redshift, by a factor ~15 for massive M>10^(11) (M_sun) galaxies from z=0 to z=2, and seems to flatten at z>1.5 in this mass range. Moreover, the most massive galaxies have the lowest SSFR at any z, implying that they have formed their stars earlier and more rapidly than their low mass counterparts. Comment: Accepted for publication in the A&A Herschel Special issue05/2010; -
Article: Herschel PEP: The star-formation rates of 1.5<z<2.5 massive galaxies
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The star formation rate (SFR) is a key parameter in the study of galaxy evolution. The accuracy of SFR measurements at z~2 has been questioned following a disagreement between observations and theoretical models. The latter predict SFRs at this redshift that are typically a factor 4 or more lower than the measurements. We present star-formation rates based on calorimetric measurements of the far-infrared (FIR) luminosities for massive 1.5<z<2.5, normal star-forming galaxies (SFGs), which do not depend on extinction corrections and/or extrapolations of spectral energy distributions. The measurements are based on observations in GOODS-N with the Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer (PACS) onboard Herschel, as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) project, that resolve for the first time individual SFGs at these redshifts at FIR wavelengths. We compare FIR-based SFRs to the more commonly used 24 micron and UV SFRs. We find that SFRs from 24 micron alone are higher by a factor of ~4-7.5 than the true SFRs. This overestimation depends on luminosity: gradually increasing for log L(24um)>12.2 L_sun. The SFGs and AGNs tend to exhibit the same 24 micron excess. The UV SFRs are in closer agreement with the FIR-based SFRs. Using a Calzetti UV extinction correction results in a mean excess of up to 0.3 dex and a scatter of 0.35 dex from the FIR SFRs. The previous UV SFRs are thus confirmed and the mean excess, while narrowing the gap, is insufficient to explain the discrepancy between the observed SFRs and simulation predictions. Comment: Accepted for publication in the A&A Herschel first results special issue. v2 Correction to the meta data only05/2010; -
Article: Dissecting the cosmic infra-red background with Herschel/PEP
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The constituents of the cosmic IR background (CIB) are studied at its peak wavelengths (100 and 160 um) by exploiting Herschel/PACS observations of the GOODS-N, Lockman Hole, and COSMOS fields in the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) guaranteed-time survey. The GOODS-N data reach 3 sigma depths of ~3.0 mJy at 100 um and ~5.7 mJy at 160 um. At these levels, source densities are 40 and 18 beams/source, respectively, thus hitting the confusion limit at 160 um. Differential number counts extend from a few mJy up to 100-200 mJy, and are approximated as a double power law, with the break lying between 5 and 10 mJy. The available ancillary information allows us to split number counts into redshift bins. At z<=0.5 we isolate a class of luminous sources (L(IR)~1e11 Lsun), whose SEDs resemble late-spiral galaxies, peaking at ~130 um restframe and significantly colder than what is expected on the basis of pre-Herschel models. By integrating number counts over the whole covered flux range, we obtain a surface brightness of 6.36 +/- 1.67 and 6.58 +/-1.62 [nW m^-2 sr^-1] at 100 and 160 um, resolving ~45% and ~52% of the CIB, respectively. When stacking 24 um sources, the inferred CIB lies within 1.1 sigma and 0.5 sigma from direct measurements in the two bands, and fractions increase to 50% and 75%.Most of this resolved CIB fraction was radiated at z<=1.0, with 160 um sources found at higher redshift than 100 um ones. Comment: Accepted for publication on the A&A Herschel Special Issue05/2010; -
Article: Study of star-forming galaxies in SDSS up to redshift 0.4 II. Evolution from the fundamental parameters: mass, metallicity & SFR
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: To understand the formation and evolution of galaxies, it is important to have a full comprehension of the role played by the metallicity, star formation rate (SFR), morphology, and color. The interplay of these parameters at different redshifts will substantially affect the evolution of galaxies and, as a consequence, the evolution of them will provide important clues and constraints on the galaxy evolution models. In this work we focus on the evolution of the SFR, metallicity of the gas, and morphology of galaxies at low redshift in search of signs of evolution. We use the S2N2 diagnostic diagram as a tool to classify star--forming, composite, and AGN galaxies. We analyzed the evolution of the three principal BPT diagrams, estimating the SFR and specific SFR (SSFR) for our samples of galaxies, studying the luminosity and mass-metallicity relations, and analyzing the morphology of our sample of galaxies through the g-r color, concentration index, and SSFR. We found that the S2N2 is a reliable diagram to classify star--forming, composite, and AGNs galaxies. We demonstrate that the three principal BPT diagrams show an evolution toward higher values of [OIII]5007/Hb due to a metallicity decrement. We found an evolution in the mass-metallicity relation of ~ 0.2 dex for the redshift range 0.3 < z < 0.4 compared to our local one. From the analysis of the evolution of the SFR and SSFR as a function of the stellar mass and metallicity, we discovered a group of galaxies with higher SFR and SSFR at all redshift samples, whose morphology is consistent with those of late-type galaxies. Finally, the comparison of our local (0.04<z<0.1) with our higher redshift sample (0.3<z<0.4), show that the metallicity, the SFR and morphology, evolve toward lower values of metallicity, higher SFRs, and late--type morphologies for the redshift range 0.3<z<0.4 Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A03/2010;
Top co-authors
Top Journals
Institutions
-
2010–2012
-
Universidad de La Laguna
- Departamento de Astrofísica
La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
-
-
1996–2010
-
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
-
