Grants related:
General
This IAC research group carries out several extragalactic projects in different spectral ranges, using space as well as ground-based telescopes, to study the cosmological evolution of galaxies and the origin of nuclear activity in active galaxies. The group is a member of the international consortium which built the SPIRE instrument for the Herschel Space Observatory and of the European consortium which is developing the SAFARI instrument for the infrared space telescope SPICA of the space agencies ESA and JAXA.
The main projects in 2018 were:
a) High-redshift galaxies and quasars with far-infrared emission discovered with the Herschel Space Observatory in the HerMES and Herschel-ATLAS Key Projects.
b) Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV: BELLS GALLERY galaxies and very luminous Lyman alpha emitting galaxies.
c) Participation in the development of the SAFARI instrument, one of the European contributions to the SPICA infrared space telescope.
d) Discovery of the most distant individual star ever observed, in one of the fields of the "HST Frontier Fields".
e) Search for supernovae in distant, gravitationally lensed galaxies.
f) Several studies with GTC of absorption line systems in the line of sight to red quasars.
Members
Results
- Marques-Chaves et al. (2018) present a study of the submillimeter galaxy HLock01 at z = 2.9574, one of the brightest gravitationally lensed sources discovered in the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey. Detailed analysis of the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) rest-frame UV GTC OSIRIS spectrum shows complex kinematics of the gas.
- Rigopoulou et al. (2018) using new, Herschel spectroscopic observations of key far-infrared fine structure lines of the z ∼ 3 galaxy HLSW-01 derive gas-phase metallicities and find that the metallicities of z ∼ 3 submm-luminous galaxies are consistent with solar metallicities and that they appear to follow the mass–metallicity relation expected for z ∼ 3 systems.
- Cornachione et al. (2018) present a morphological study of 17 lensed Lyα emitter (LAE) galaxies of the BELLS GALLERY sample. The analysis combines the magnification effect of strong galaxy–galaxy lensing with the high resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope to achieve a physical resolution of ~80 pc for this 2 < z < 3 LAE sample.
- Oteo et al. (2018) report the identification of an extreme protocluster of galaxies in the early universe whose core (nicknamed Distant Red Core, DRC, because of its very red color in Herschel SPIRE bands) is formed by at least 10 dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs), spectroscopically confirmed to lie at z = 4.002 via detection of emission lines with ALMA and ATCA.
- Kelly et al. (2018) report the discovery of an individual star, Icarus, at redshift z = 1.49 magnified by more than × 2,000 by gravitational lensing of the galaxy cluster MACS J1149+222. Icarus is located in a spiral galaxy that is so far from Earth that its light has taken 9000 million years to reach the Earth.
Scientific activity
Related publications
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HerMES: SPIRE galaxy number counts at 250, 350, and 500 μmEmission at far-infrared wavelengths makes up a significant fraction of the total light detected from galaxies over the age of Universe. Herschel provides an opportunity for studying galaxies at the peak wavelength of their emission. Our aim is to provide a benchmark for models of galaxy population evolution and to test pre-existing models ofOliver, S. J. et al.
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72010 -
HerMES: Halo occupation number and bias properties of dusty galaxies from angular clustering measurementsWe measure the angular correlation function, w(θ), from 0.5 to 30 arcmin of detected sources in two wide fields of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES). Our measurements are consistent with the expected clustering shape from a population of sources that trace the dark matter density field, including non-linear clustering atCooray, A. et al.
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72010 -
HerMES: Far infrared properties of known AGN in the HerMES fieldsNuclear and starburst activity are known to often occur concomitantly. Herschel-SPIRE provides sampling of the far-infrared (FIR) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of type 1 and type 2 AGN, allowing for the separation between the hot dust (torus) and cold dust (starburst) emission. We study large samples of spectroscopically confirmed type 1 andHatziminaoglou, E. et al.
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72010 -
Galaxy Counts at 24 μm in the SWIRE FieldsThis paper presents galaxy source counts at 24 μm in the six Spitzer Wide-field InfraRed Extragalactic (SWIRE) fields. The source counts are compared to counts in other fields, and to model predictions that have been updated since the launch of Spitzer. This analysis confirms a very steep rise in the Euclidean-normalized differential number countsShupe, David L. et al.
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32008 -
First results from HerMES on the evolution of the submillimetre luminosity functionWe have carried out two extremely deep surveys with SPIRE, one of the two cameras on Herschel, at 250 μm, close to the peak of the far-infrared background. We have used the results to investigate the evolution of the rest-frame 250-μm luminosity function out to z = 2. We find evidence for strong evolution out to z ≃ 1 but evidence for at most weakEales, S. A. et al.
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72010 -
Wide-field optical imaging on ELAIS N1, ELAIS N2, First Look Survey and Lockman Hole: observations and source cataloguesWe present u-, g-, r-, i- and z-band optical images and associated catalogues taken primarily with the Isaac Newton Telescope Wide Field Camera on the European Large Area ISO Survey (ELAIS) N1 and N2, First Look Survey and Lockman Hole fields comprising a total of 1000 h of integration time over 80 deg2 and approximately 4.3 million objects. InGonzález-Solares, E. A. et al.
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92011 -
The suppression of star formation by powerful active galactic nucleiThe old, red stars that constitute the bulges of galaxies, and the massive black holes at their centres, are the relics of a period in cosmic history when galaxies formed stars at remarkable rates and active galactic nuclei (AGN) shone brightly as a result of accretion onto black holes. It is widely suspected, but unproved, that the tightPage, M. J. et al.
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52012 -
The Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS): Survey Definition and GoalsWe present the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS), an 18 deg2 medium-deep survey at 3.6 and 4.5 μm with the postcryogenic Spitzer Space Telescope to ≈2 mJy (AB=23.1) depth of five highly observed astronomical fields (ELAIS-N1, ELAIS-S1, Lockman Hole, Chandra Deep Field South, and XMM-LSS). SERVS is designed to enable theMauduit, J.-C. et al.
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72012 -
The Herschel Space Observatory view of dust in M81We use Herschel Space Observatory data to place observational constraints on the peak and Rayleigh-Jeans slope of dust emission observed at 70-500 μm in the nearby spiral galaxy M81. We find that the ratios of wave bands between 160 and 500 μm are primarily dependent on radius but that the ratio of 70 to 160 μm emission shows no clear dependence onBendo, G. J. et al.
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72010 -
The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey: SPIRE-mm photometric redshiftsWe investigate the potential of submm-mm and submm-mm-radio photometric redshifts using a sample of mm-selected sources as seen at 250, 350 and 500μm by the SPIRE instrument on Herschel. From a sample of 63 previously identified mm sources with reliable radio identifications in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey North and Lockman HoleRoseboom, I. G. et al.
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22012 -
The Herschel Multi-Tiered Extragalactic Survey: source extraction and cross-identifications in confusion-dominated SPIRE imagesWe present the cross-identification and source photometry techniques used to process Herschel SPIRE imaging taken as part of the Herschel Multi-Tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES). Cross-identifications are performed in map-space so as to minimize source-blending effects. We make use of a combination of linear inversion and model selectionRoseboom, I. G. et al.
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112010 -
The dust morphology of the elliptical Galaxy M 86 with SPIREWe present Herschel-SPIRE observations at 250-500 μm of the giant elliptical galaxy M 86 and examine the distribution of the resolved cold dust emission and its relation with other galactic tracers. The SPIRE images reveal three dust components: emission from the central region; a dust lane extending north-south; and a bright emission feature 10Gomez, H. L. et al.
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72010 -
The Deep SPIRE HerMES Survey: spectral energy distributions and their astrophysical indications at high redshiftThe Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver on-board Herschel has been carrying out deep extragalactic surveys, one of the aims of which is to establish spectral energy distributions of individual galaxies spanning the infrared/submillimetre (IR/SMM) wavelength region. We report observations of the IR/SMM emission from the Lockman North field andBrisbin, D. et al.
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112010 -
The central region of spiral galaxies as seen by Herschel. M 81, M 99, and M 100With appropriate spatial resolution, images of spiral galaxies in thermal infrared (~10 μm and beyond) often reveal a bright central component, distinct from the stellar bulge, superimposed on a disk with prominent spiral arms. ISO and Spitzer studies have shown that much of the scatter in the mid-infrared colors of spiral galaxies is related toSauvage, M. et al.
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72010 -
Submillimetre galaxies reside in dark matter haloes with masses greater than 3×1011 solar massesThe extragalactic background light at far-infrared wavelengths comes from optically faint, dusty, star-forming galaxies in the Universe with star formation rates of a few hundred solar masses per year. These faint, submillimetre galaxies are challenging to study individually because of the relatively poor spatial resolution of far-infraredAmblard, Alexandre et al.
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22011 -
SPIRE imaging of M 82: Cool dust in the wind and tidal streamsM 82 is a unique representative of a whole class of galaxies, starbursts with superwinds, in the Very Nearby Galaxy Survey with Herschel. In addition, its interaction with the M 81 group has stripped a significant portion of its interstellar medium from its disk. SPIRE maps now afford better characterization of the far-infrared emission from coolRoussel, H. et al.
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72010 -
Redshift Determination and CO Line Excitation Modeling for the Multiply Lensed Galaxy HLSW-01We report on the redshift measurement and CO line excitation of HERMES J105751.1+573027 (HLSW-01), a strongly lensed submillimeter galaxy discovered in Herschel/SPIRE observations as part of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES). HLSW-01 is an ultra-luminous galaxy with an intrinsic far-infrared luminosity of L FIR = 1.4 × 1013 LScott, K. S. et al.
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52011 -
Radial distribution of gas and dust in spiral galaxies . The case of M 99 (NGC 4254) and M 100 (NGC 4321)By combining Herschel-SPIRE data with archival Spitzer, H i , and CO maps, we investigate the spatial distribution of gas and dust in the two famous grand-design spirals M 99 and M 100 in the Virgo cluster. Thanks to the unique resolution and sensitivity of the Herschel-SPIRE photometer, we are for the first time able to measure the distributionPohlen, M. et al.
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72010 -
On the origin of M81 group extended dust emissionGalactic cirrus emission at far-infrared wavelengths affects many extragalactic observations. Separating this emission from that associated with extragalactic objects is both important and difficult. In this paper we discuss a particular case, the M81 group, and the identification of diffuse structures prominent in the infrared, but also detectedDavies, J. I. et al.
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112010 -
Modeling of the HerMES Submillimeter Source Lensed by a Dark Matter Dominated Foreground Group of GalaxiesWe present the results of a gravitational lensing analysis of the bright z s = 2.957 submillimeter galaxy (SMG) HERMES found in the Herschel/SPIRE science demonstration phase data from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) project. The high-resolution imaging available in optical and near-IR channels, along with CO emissionGavazzi, R. et al.
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92011