Browsing by Author "Bremer, M."

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    DETECTION OF THREE GAMMA-RAY BURST HOST GALAXIES AT z similar to 6
    (IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2016) McGuire, J. T. W.; Tanvir, N. R.; Levan, A. J.; Trenti, M.; Stanway, E. R.; Shull, J. M.; Wiersema, K.; Perley, D. A.; Starling, R. L. C.; Bremer, M.; Stocke, J. T.; Hjorth, J.; Rhoads, J. E.; Curtis Lake, E.; Schulze, S.; Levesque, E. M.; Robertson, B.; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Ellis, R. S.; Fruchter, A. S.
    Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) allow us to pinpoint and study star-forming galaxies in the early universe, thanks to their orders of magnitude brighter peak luminosities compared to other astrophysical sources, and their association with the deaths of massive stars. We present Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 detections of three Swift GRB host galaxies lying at redshifts z = 5.913 (GRB 130606A), z = 6.295 (GRB 050904), and z = 6.327 (GRB 140515A) in the F140W (wide-JH band, lambda(obs) similar to 1.4 mu m) filter. The hosts have magnitudes (corrected for Galactic extinction) of m(lambda obs) = 26.34(-0.16)(+0.14), 27.56(-0.22)(+0.18), and 28.30(-0.33)(+0.25) respectively. In all three cases, the probability of chance coincidence of lower redshift galaxies is less than or similar to 2%, indicating that the detected galaxies are most likely the GRB hosts. These are the first detections of high-redshift (z > 5) GRB host galaxies in emission. The galaxies have luminosities in the range 0.1-0.6 L-z=6* (with M-1600* = -20.95 +/- 0.12) and half-light radii in the range 0.6-0.9 kpc. Both their half-light radii and luminosities are consistent with existing samples of Lyman-break galaxies at z similar to 6. Spectroscopic analysis of the GRB afterglows indicate low metallicities ([M/H] less than or similar to -1) and low dust extinction (AV less than or similar to 0.1) along the line of sight. Using stellar population synthesis models, we explore the implications of each galaxy's luminosity for its possible star-formation history and consider the potential for emission line metallicity determination with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope.
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    Early quenching of massive protocluster galaxies around z=2.2 radio galaxies
    (2016) Husband, K.; Bremer, M.; Stott, J.; Murphy, David
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    Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): probing the merger histories of massive galaxies via stellar populations
    (2017) Ferreras, I.; Hopkins, A. M.; Gunawardhana, M. L. P.; Sansom, A. E.; Owers, M. S.; Driver, S.; Davies, L.; Robotham, A.; Taylor, E. N.; Konstantopoulos, I.; Brough, S.; Norberg, P.; Croom, S.; Loveday, J.; Wang, L.; Bremer, M.
    The merging history of galaxies can be traced with studies of dynamically close pairs. These consist of a massive primary galaxy and a less massive secondary (or satellite) galaxy. The study of the stellar populations of secondary (lower mass) galaxies in close pairs provides a way to understand galaxy growth by mergers. Here we focus on systems involving at least one massive galaxy - with stellar mass above 10(11)M(circle dot) in the highly complete Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. Our working sample comprises 2692 satellite galaxy spectra (0.1 <= z <= 0.3). These spectra are combined into high S/N stacks, and binned according to both an 'internal' parameter, the stellar mass of the satellite galaxy (i. e. the secondary), and an 'external' parameter, selecting either the mass of the primary in the pair, or the mass of the corresponding dark matter halo. We find significant variations in the age of the populations with respect to environment. At fixed mass, satellites around the most massive galaxies are older and possibly more metal-rich, with age differences similar to 1-2 Gyr within the subset of lower mass satellites (similar to 10(10) M-circle dot). These variations are similar when stacking with respect to the halo mass of the group where the pair is embedded. The population trends in the lower mass satellites are consistent with the old stellar ages found in the outer regions of massive galaxies.
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    Chandra reveals a luminous Compton-thick QSO powering a Lyα blob in a z=4 starbursting protocluster
    (2020) Vito, F.; Brandt, W. N.; Lehmer, B. D.; Vignali, C.; Zou, F.; Bauer, F. E.; Bremer, M.; Gilli, R.; Ivison, R. J.; Spingola, C.
    Context. Galaxy clusters in the local universe descend from high-redshift overdense regions known as protoclusters. The large gas reservoirs and high rate of galaxy interaction in protoclusters are expected to enhance star-formation activity and trigger luminous supermassive black-hole accretion in the nuclear regions of the host galaxies.Aims. We investigated the active galactic nucleus (AGN) content of a gas-rich and starbursting protocluster at z=4.002, known as the Distant Red Core (DRC). In particular, we search for luminous and possibly obscured AGN in 13 identified members of the structure, and compare the results with protoclusters at lower redshifts. We also test whether a hidden AGN can power the Ly alpha blob (LAB) detected with VLT/MUSE in the DRC.Methods. We observed all of the identified members of the structure with 139 ks of Chandra ACIS-S imaging. Being less affected by absorption than optical and IR bands, even in the presence of large column densities of obscuring material, X-ray observations are the best tools to detect ongoing nuclear activity in the DRC galaxies.Results. We detect obscured X-ray emission from the two most gas-rich members of the DRC, named DRC-1 and DRC-2. Both of them are resolved into multiple interacting clumps in high-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter Array and Hubble Space Telescope observations. In particular, DRC-2 is found to host a luminous (L2-10 keV approximate to 3x10(45) erg s(-1) ) Compton-thick (N-H greater than or similar to 10(24) cm(-2)) quasar (QSO) candidate, comparable to the most luminous QSOs known at all cosmic times. The AGN fraction among DRC members is consistent with results found for lower redshift protoclusters. However, X-ray stacking analysis reveals that supermassive black hole (SMBH) accretion is likely also taking place in other DRC galaxies that are not detected individually by Chandra.Conclusions. The luminous AGN detected in the most gas-rich galaxies in the DRC and the widespread SMBH accretion in the other members, which is suggested by stacking analysis, point toward the presence of a strong link between large gas reservoirs, galaxy interactions, and luminous and obscured nuclear activity in protocluster members. The powerful and obscured QSO detected in DRC-2 is likely powering the nearby LAB detected with VLT/MUSE, possibly through photoionization; however, we propose that the diffuse Ly alpha emission may be due to gas shocked by a massive outflow launched by DRC-2 over a approximate to 10 kpc scale.
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    HERSCHEL-ATLAS: A BINARY HyLIRG PINPOINTING A CLUSTER OF STARBURSTING PROTOELLIPTICALS
    (2013) Ivison, R. J.; Swinbank, A. M.; Smail, Ian; Harris, A. I.; Bussmann, R. S.; Cooray, A.; Cox, P.; Fu, H.; Kovacs, A.; Krips, M.; Narayanan, D.; Negrello, M.; Neri, R.; Penarrubia, J.; Richard, J.; Riechers, D. A.; Rowlands, K.; Staguhn, J. G.; Targett, T. A.; Amber, S.; Baker, A. J.; Bourne, N.; Bertoldi, F.; Bremer, M.; Calanog, J. A.; Clements, D. L.; Dannerbauer, H.; Dariush, A.; De Zotti, G.; Dunne, L.; Eales, S. A.; Farrah, D.; Fleuren, S.; Franceschini, A.; Geach, J. E.; George, R. D.; Helly, J. C.; Hopwood, R.; Ibar, E.; Jarvis, M. J.; Kneib, J. -P.; Maddox, S.; Omont, A.; Scott, D.; Serjeant, S.; Smith, M. W. L.; Thompson, M. A.; Valiante, E.; Valtchanov, I.; Vieira, J.; van der Werf, P.
    Panchromatic observations of the best candidate hyperluminous infrared galaxies from the widest Herschel extragalactic imaging survey have led to the discovery of at least four intrinsically luminous z = 2.41 galaxies across an approximate to 100 kpc region-a cluster of starbursting protoellipticals. Via subarcsecond interferometric imaging we have measured accurate gas and star formation surface densities. The two brightest galaxies span similar to 3 kpc FWHM in submillimeter/radio continuum and CO J = 4-3, and double that in CO J = 1-0. The broad CO line is due partly to the multitude of constituent galaxies and partly to large rotational velocities in two counter-rotating gas disks-a scenario predicted to lead to the most intense starbursts, which will therefore come in pairs. The disks have M-dyn of several x 10(11) M-circle dot, and gas fractions of similar to 40%. Velocity dispersions are modest so the disks are unstable, potentially on scales commensurate with their radii: these galaxies are undergoing extreme bursts of star formation, not confined to their nuclei, at close to the Eddington limit. Their specific star formation rates place them greater than or similar to 5x above the main sequence, which supposedly comprises large gas disks like these. Their high star formation efficiencies are difficult to reconcile with a simple volumetric star formation law. N-body and dark matter simulations suggest that this system is the progenitor of a B(inary)-type approximate to 10(14.6)-M-circle dot cluster.