The stellar mass function and star formation rate-stellar mass relation of galaxies at z ~ 4 - 7

We investigate the evolution of the star formation rate-stellar mass relation (SFR-M*) and Galaxy Stellar Mass Function (GSMF) of z ~ 4-7 galaxies, using cosmological simulations run with the smoothed particle hydrodynamics code P-GADGET3(XXL). We explore the effects of different feedback prescriptions (supernova driven galactic winds and AGN feedback), initial stellar mass functions and metal cooling. We show that our fiducial model, with strong energy-driven winds and early AGN feedback, is able to reproduce the observed stellar mass function obtained from Lyman-break selected samples of star forming galaxies at redshift 6 < z < 7. At z ~ 4, observed estimates of the GSMF vary according to how the sample was selected. Our simulations are more consistent with recent results from K-selected samples, which provide a better proxy of stellar masses and are more complete at the high mass end of the distribution. We find that in some cases simulated and observed SFR-M* relations are in tension, and this can lead to numerical predictions for the GSMF in excess of the GSMF observed. By combining the simulated SFR(M*) relationship with the observed star formation rate function at a given redshift, we argue that this disagreement may be the result of the uncertainty in the SFR-M* (Luv-M*) conversion. Our simulations predict a population of faint galaxies not seen by current observations.Comment: 23 Pages, 13 figures, modified to match accepted version to MNRA

The relation between star formation rate and stellar mass of galaxies at z ∼\sim 1-4

The relation between the Star Formation Rate (SFR) and stellar mass (${\rm M}_{\star}$) of galaxies represents a fundamental constraint on galaxy formation and has been studied extensively both in observations and cosmological simulations. However, the observed amplitude has not been successfully reproduced in simulations, indicating either that the halo accretion history and baryonic physics are poorly modeled or that observations contain biases. We examine the evolution of the SFR$-{\rm M}_{\star}$ relation of $z\sim1-4$ galaxies and display the inconsistency between observed relations that are obtained using different techniques. We employ cosmological hydrodynamic simulations and compare these with a range of observed SFR$-{\rm M}_{\star}$ relations. We find that numerical results are consistent with observations that use Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) techniques to estimate star formation rates and dust corrections. On the contrary, simulations are not able to reproduce results that were obtained by combining only UV and IR luminosities. These imply SFRs at a fixed stellar mass that are larger almost by a factor of 5 than those of SED measurements for $z \sim1.5-4$. Furthermore, we find remarkable agreement between the numerical results from various authors who have employed different cosmological codes and run simulations with different resolutions. This is interesting for two reasons. A) simulations can produce realistic populations of galaxies within representative cosmological volumes even at relatively modest resolutions. B) It is likely that current numerical codes that rely on similar subgrid multiphase Inter-Stellar Medium (ISM) models and are tuned to reproduce statistical properties of galaxies, produce similar results for the SFR$-{\rm M}_{\star}$ relation by construction, regardless of resolution, box size and, to some extent, the adopted feedback prescriptions.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in PAS

Theoretical study of an LAE-CIV absorption pair at z = 5.7

We present a theoretical model to predict the properties of an observed $z =$ 5.72 Lyman $\alpha$ emitter galaxy - CIV absorption pair separated by 1384 comoving kpc/h. We use the separation of the pair and an outflow velocity/time travelling argument to demonstrate that the observed galaxy cannot be the source of metals for the CIV absorber. We find a plausible explanation for the metal enrichment in the context of our simulations: a dwarf galaxy with $M_{\star} =$ 1.87 $\times$ 10$^{9} M_{\odot}$ located 119 comoving kpc/h away with a wind velocity of $\sim$ 100 km/s launched at $z \sim$ 7. Such a dwarf ($M_{\text{UV}} =$ - 20.5) is fainter than the detection limit of the observed example. In a general analysis of galaxy - CIV absorbers, we find galaxies with -20.5 $< M_{\text{UV}} <$ - 18.8 are responsible for the observed metal signatures. In addition, we find no correlation between the mass of the closest galaxy to the absorber and the distance between them, but a weak anti-correlation between the strength of the absorption and the separation of galaxy - absorber pairs.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted April 10, 2017 in MNRA

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: understanding observations of large-scale outflows at low redshift with EAGLE simulations

This work presents a study of galactic outflows driven by stellar feedback. We extract main-sequence disc galaxies with stellar mass 10^9 ≤ M⋆/ M⊙ ≤ 5.7 × 10^(10) at redshift z = 0 from the highest resolution cosmological simulation of the Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments (EAGLE) set. Synthetic gas rotation velocity and velocity dispersion (σ) maps are created and compared to observations of disc galaxies obtained with the Sydney-AAO (Australian Astronomical Observatory) Multi-object Integral field spectrograph (SAMI), where σ-values greater than 150 km s^(−1) are most naturally explained by bipolar outflows powered by starburst activity. We find that the extension of the simulated edge-on (pixelated) velocity dispersion probability distribution depends on stellar mass and star formation rate surface density (Σ_(SFR)), with low-M⋆/low-Σ_(SFR) galaxies showing a narrow peak at low σ (∼30 km s^(−1)) and more active, high-M⋆/high-Σ_(SFR) galaxies reaching σ > 150 km s^(−1). Although supernova-driven galactic winds in the EAGLE simulations may not entrain enough gas with T <10^5 K compared to observed galaxies, we find that gas temperature is a good proxy for the presence of outflows. There is a direct correlation between the thermal state of the gas and its state of motion as described by the σ-distribution. The following equivalence relations hold in EAGLE: (i) low-σ peak  ⇔ disc of the galaxy  ⇔ gas with T <10^5 K; (ii) high-σ tail  ⇔ galactic winds  ⇔ gas with T ≥10^5 K

Galactic winds and extended Lyα emission from the host galaxies of high column density quasi-stellar object absorption systems

We present three-dimensional (3D) resonant radiative transfer simulations of the spatial and spectral diffusion of the Lyα radiation from a central source in the host galaxies of high column density absorption systems at z∼ 3. The radiative transfer simulations are based on a suite of cosmological galaxy formation simulations which reproduce a wide range of observed properties of damped Lyα absorption systems. The Lyα emission is predicted to be spatially extended up to several arcsec, and the spectral width of the Lyα emission is broadened to several hundred (in some case more than thousand) km s−1. The distribution and the dynamical state of the gas in the simulated galaxies are complex, the latter with significant contributions from rotation and both in- and out-flows. The emerging Lyα radiation extends to gas with column densities of NH I∼ 1018 cm−2 and its spectral shape varies strongly with viewing angle. The strong dependence on the central H i column density and the H i velocity field suggests that the Lyα emission will also vary strongly with time on time-scales of a few dynamical times of the central region. Such variations with time should be especially pronounced at times where the host galaxy undergoes a major merger and/or starburst. Depending on the pre-dominance of in- or out-flow along a given sightline and the central column density, the spectra show prominent blue peaks, red peaks or double-peaked profiles. Both spatial distribution and spectral shape are very sensitive to details of the galactic wind implementation. Stronger galactic winds result in more spatially extended Lyα emission and - somewhat counterintuitively - a narrower spectral distributio

The evolution of the star formation rate function and cosmic star formation rate density of galaxies at z ˜ 1-4

We investigate the evolution of the galaxy star formation rate function (SFRF) and cosmic star formation rate density (CSFRD) of z ˜ 1-4 galaxies, using cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations and a compilation of ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR) and Hα observations. These tracers represent different populations of galaxies with the IR light being a probe of objects with high star formation rates and dust contents, while UV and Hα observations provide a census of low star formation galaxies where mild obscuration occurs. We compare the above SFRFs with the results of SPH simulations run with the code P-GADGET3(XXL). We focus on the role of feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) and supernovae in form of galactic winds. The AGN feedback prescription that we use decreases the simulated CSFRD at z < 3 but is not sufficient to reproduce the observed evolution at higher redshifts. We explore different wind models and find that the key factor for reproducing the evolution of the observed SFRF and CSFRD at z ˜ 1-4 is the presence of a feedback prescription that is prominent at high redshifts (z ≥ 4) and becomes less efficient with time. We show that variable galactic winds which are efficient at decreasing the SFRs of low-mass objects are quite successful in reproducing the observables

TRANSLATING THE VISUAL: CHEN CHIEH-JEN’S WORK

Nacido en Taiwán y actualmente residente en Taipei, Chen Chieh-jen (1960) es un videoartista cuya obra presenta una profunda y feroz – aunque a menudo silenciosa – meditación histórica y política. Sus obras se caracterizan por la inserción de imágenes de archivo que se relacionan y dialogan con imágenes contemporáneas. Mirando el pasado de China en relación con su presente, Chen subraya las consecuencias sociales, las expectativas frustradas, las interpretaciones erróneas y las apropiaciones de la mirada occidental. En particular, este estudio aborda un vídeo realizado en 2002, “Lingchi - Echoes of a historical photograph” y otro, “Factory”, realizado en 2003 que revelan el foco principal y la praxis visual y auditiva del artista. En la obra de Chen, de hecho, la visión y, sobre todo, sus límites, tanto en el sentido concreto como en el metafórico, juegan un papel importante en la construcción de un denso discurso artístico y conceptual relacionado con la creación de imágenes y la traducción visual.Born in Taiwan and currently living in Taipei, Chen Chieh-jen (1960) is a video-artist whose oeuvre presents a profound and fierce – although often silent – historical and political meditation. His works are characterized by the insertion of archival footage in close dialogue with actual and contemporary images. Looking at China’s past in relation to its present, Chen underlines social damages, frustrated expectations, misinterpretations and appropriations by the Western gaze. In particular, this study addresses a video made in 2002, “Lingchi - Echoes of a historical photograph”, and “Factory” realized in 2003; having as a mainfocus the artist’s visual and aural praxis. In Chen’s work in fact, vision, and most of all its limits, in both a concrete and metaphorical sense, play a major part in the construction of a dense artistic and conceptual discourse related to image-making and visual translation.

Cosmic evolution of the CIV in high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations

We investigate the properties of triply ionized Carbon (CIV) in the Intergalactic Medium using a set of high-resolution and large box-size cosmological hydrodynamic simulations of a $\Lambda$CDM model. We rely on a modification of the GADGET-2 code that self-consistently follows the metal enrichment mechanism by means of a detailed chemical evolution model. We focus on several numerical implementations of galactic feedback: galactic winds in the energy driven and momentum driven prescriptions and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) powered by gas accretion onto massive black holes. We extract mock IGM transmission spectra in neutral hydrogen (HI) and CIV and perform Voigt profile fitting. The results are then compared with high-resolution quasar (QSO) spectra obtained with the UVES spectrograph at the VLT and the HIRES spectrograph at Keck. We find that feedback has little impact on statistics related to the neutral hydrogen, while CIV is more affected by galactic winds and/or AGN feedback. When the same analysis is performed over observed and simulated CIV lines, we find reasonables good agreement between data and simulations over the column density range $N_{\rm CIV}=10^{12.5-15}$ cm$^{-2}$. Also the CIV line-widths distribution appears to be in agreement with the observed values, while the HI Doppler parameters, $b_{\rm HI}$, are in general too large showing that the diffuse cosmic web is heated more than what is inferred by observations. The simulation without feedback fails in reproducing the CIV systems at high column densities at all redshift, while the AGN feedback case agrees with observations only at $z<3$, when this form of feedback is particularly effective. We also present scatter plots in the $b-N$ and in the $N_{\rm CIV}-N_{\rm HI}$ planes, showing that there is rough agreement between observations and simulations only when feedback is taken into account.Comment: 22 pages, 20 figures, minor revisions, accepted for publication in MNRA