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1. The ALPINE-ALMA [C  ii ] survey: Investigation of 10 galaxies at z ∼ 4.5 with [O  ii ] and [C  ii ] line emission − ISM properties and [O  ii ]−SFR relation

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac071  

   Vanderhoof, Brittany N. ; Faisst, A. L. ; Shen, L. ; Lemaux, B. C. ; Béthermin, M. ; Capak, P. L. ; Cassata, P. ; Le Fèvre, O. ; Schaerer, D. ; Silverman, J. ; et al ( January 2022 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   We present 10 main-sequence ALPINE galaxies (log (M/M⊙) = 9.2−11.1 and ${\rm SFR}=23-190\, {\rm M_{\odot }\, yr^{-1}}$) at z ∼ 4.5 with optical [O ii] measurements from Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy and Subaru/MOIRCS narrow-band imaging. This is the largest such multiwavelength sample at these redshifts, combining various measurements in the ultraviolet, optical, and far-infrared including [C ii]158 $\mu$m line emission and dust continuum from ALMA and H α emission from Spitzer photometry. For the first time, this unique sample allows us to analyse the relation between [O ii] and total star-formation rate (SFR) and the interstellar medium (ISM) properties via [O ii]/[C ii] and [O ii]/H α luminosity ratios at z ∼ 4.5. The [O ii]−SFR relation at z ∼ 4.5 cannot be described using standard local descriptions, but is consistent with a metal-dependent relation assuming metallicities around $50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ solar. To explain the measured dust-corrected luminosity ratios of $\log (L_{\rm [OII]}/L_{\rm [CII]}) \sim 0.98^{+0.21}_{-0.22}$ and $\log (L_{\rm [OII]}/L_{\rm H\alpha }) \sim -0.22^{+0.13}_{-0.15}$ for our sample, ionization parameters log (U) < −2 and electron densities $\log (\rm n_e / {\rm [cm^{-3}]}) \sim 2.5-3$ are required. The former is consistent with galaxies at z ∼ 2−3, however lower than at z > 6. The latter may be slightly higher than expected given the galaxies’ specific SFR. The analysis of this pilot sample suggests that typical log (M/M⊙) > 9 galaxies at z ∼ 4.5 to have broadly similar ISM properties as their descendants at z ∼ 2 and suggest a strong evolution of ISM properties since the epoch of reionization at z > 6.

    

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2. The MOSDEF survey: the mass–metallicity relationship and the existence of the FMR at z ∼ 1.5

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1793  

   Topping, Michael W ; Shapley, Alice E ; Sanders, Ryan L ; Kriek, Mariska ; Reddy, Naveen A ; Coil, Alison L ; Mobasher, Bahram ; Siana, Brian ; Freeman, William R ; Shivaei, Irene ; et al ( July 2021 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   ABSTRACT We analyse the rest-optical emission-line ratios of z ∼ 1.5 galaxies drawn from the Multi-Object Spectrometer for Infra-Red Exploration Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey. Using composite spectra, we investigate the mass–metallicity relation (MZR) at z ∼ 1.5 and measure its evolution to z = 0. When using gas-phase metallicities based on the N2 line ratio, we find that the MZR evolution from z ∼ 1.5 to z = 0 depends on stellar mass, evolving by $\Delta \rm log(\rm O/H) \sim 0.25$ dex at M*< $10^{9.75}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ down to $\Delta \rm log(\rm O/H) \sim 0.05$ at M* ≳ $10^{10.5}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$. In contrast, the O3N2-based MZR shows a constant offset of $\Delta \rm log(\rm O/H) \sim 0.30$ across all masses, consistent with previous MOSDEF results based on independent metallicity indicators, and suggesting that O3N2 provides a more robust metallicity calibration for our z ∼ 1.5 sample. We investigated the secondary dependence of the MZR on star formation rate (SFR) by measuring correlated scatter about the mean M*-specific SFR and M*−$\log (\rm O3N2)$ relations. We find an anticorrelation between $\log (\rm O/H)$ and sSFR offsets, indicating the presence of a M*−SFR−Z relation, though with limited significance. Additionally, we find that our z ∼ 1.5 stacks lie along the z = 0 metallicity sequence at fixed μ = log (M*/M⊙) − 0.6 × $\log (\rm SFR / M_{\odot } \, yr^{-1})$ suggesting that the z ∼ 1.5 stacks can be described by the z = 0 fundamental metallicity relation (FMR). However, using different calibrations can shift the calculated metallicities off of the local FMR, indicating that appropriate calibrations are essential for understanding metallicity evolution with redshift. Finally, understanding how [N ii]/H α scales with galaxy properties is crucial to accurately describe the effects of blended [N ii] and H α on redshift and H α fiux measurements in future large surveys utilizing low-resolution spectra such as with Euclid and the Roman Space Telescope. 

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3. Star-forming S0 Galaxies in SDSS-MaNGA: fading spirals or rejuvenated S0s?

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac871  

   Rathore, Himansh ; Kumar, Kavin ; Mishra, Preetish K. ; Wadadekar, Yogesh ; Bait, Omkar ( March 2022 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   We investigate the origin of rare star formation in an otherwise red-and-dead population of S0 galaxies, using spatially resolved spectroscopy. Our sample consists of 120 low redshift (z < 0.1) star-forming S0 (SF-S0) galaxies from the SDSS-IV MaNGA DR15. We have selected this sample after a visual inspection of deep images from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys DR9 and the Subaru/HSC-SSP survey PDR3 to remove contamination from spiral galaxies. We also construct two control samples of star-forming spirals (SF-Sps) and quenched S0s (Q-S0s) to explore their evolutionary link with the star-forming S0s. To study star formation at resolved scales, we use dust-corrected H α luminosity and stellar density (Σ⋆) maps to construct radial profiles of star formation rate (SFR) surface density (ΣSFR) and specific SFR (sSFR). Examining these radial profiles, we find that star formation in SF-S0s is centrally dominated as opposed to disc-dominated star formation in spirals. We also compared various global (size–mass relation, bulge-to-total luminosity ratio) and local (central stellar velocity dispersion) properties of SF-S0s to those of the control sample galaxies. We find that SF-S0s are structurally similar to the quenched S0s and are different from star-forming spirals. We infer that SF-S0s are unlikely to be fading spirals. Inspecting stellar and gas velocity maps, we find that more than $50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the SF-S0 sample shows signs of recent galaxy interactions such as kinematic misalignment, counter-rotation, and unsettled kinematics. Based on these results, we conclude that in our sample of SF-S0s, star formation has been rejuvenated, with minor mergers likely to be a major driver.

    

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4. The ALPINE-ALMA [C II] survey: Little to no evolution in the [C II]–SFR relation over the last 13 Gyr

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202037617  

   Schaerer, D. ; Ginolfi, M. ; Béthermin, M. ; Fudamoto, Y. ; Oesch, P. A. ; Le Fèvre, O. ; Faisst, A. ; Capak, P. ; Cassata, P. ; Silverman, J. D. ; et al ( November 2020 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   The [C  II ] 158 μ m line is one of the strongest IR emission lines, which has been shown to trace the star formation rate (SFR) of galaxies in the nearby Universe, and up to z  ∼ 2. Whether this is also the case at higher redshift and in the early Universe remains debated. The ALPINE survey, which targeted 118 star-forming galaxies at 4.4 <   z  <  5.9, provides a new opportunity to examine this question with the first statistical dataset. Using the ALPINE data and earlier measurements from the literature, we examine the relation between the [C  II ] luminosity and the SFR over the entire redshift range from z  ∼ 4 − 8. ALPINE galaxies, which are both detected in [C  II ] and in dust continuum, show good agreement with the local L ([CII])–SFR relation. Galaxies undetected in the continuum by ALMA are found to be over-luminous in [C  II ] when the UV SFR is used. After accounting for dust-obscured star formation, by an amount of SFR(IR) ≈ SFR(UV) on average, which results from two different stacking methods and SED fitting, the ALPINE galaxies show an L ([CII])–SFR relation comparable to the local one. When [C  II ] non-detections are taken into account, the slope may be marginally steeper at high- z , although this is still somewhat uncertain. When compared homogeneously, the z  >  6 [C  II ] measurements (detections and upper limits) do not behave very differently to the z  ∼ 4 − 6 data. We find a weak dependence of L ([CII])/SFR on the Ly α equivalent width. Finally, we find that the ratio L ([CII])/ L IR ∼ (1 − 3) × 10 −3 for the ALPINE sources, comparable to that of “normal” galaxies at lower redshift. Our analysis, which includes the largest sample (∼150 galaxies) of [C  II ] measurements at z  > 4 available so far, suggests no or little evolution of the [C  II ]–SFR relation over the last 13 Gyr of cosmic time. 

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5. JWST UNCOVER: discovery of z > 9 galaxy candidates behind the lensing cluster Abell 2744

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad1998  

   Atek, Hakim ; Chemerynska, Iryna ; Wang, Bingjie ; Furtak, Lukas J. ; Weibel, Andrea ; Oesch, Pascal ; Weaver, John R. ; Labbé, Ivo ; Bezanson, Rachel ; van Dokkum, Pieter ; et al ( August 2023 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   We present the results of a search for high-redshift (z > 9) galaxy candidates in the JWST UNCOVER survey, using deep NIRCam and NIRISS imaging in seven bands over ∼45 arcmin2 and ancillary Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations. The NIRCam observations reach a 5σ limiting magnitude of ∼29.2 AB. The identification of high-z candidates relies on a combination of a dropout selection and photometric redshifts. We find 16 candidates at 9 < z < 12 and three candidates at 12 < z < 13, eight candidates are deemed very robust. Their lensing amplification ranges from μ = 1.2 to 11.5. Candidates have a wide range of (lensing corrected) luminosities and young ages, with low stellar masses [6.8 < log(M⋆/M⊙) < 9.5] and low star formation rates (SFR = 0.2–7 M⊙ yr−1), confirming previous findings in early JWST observations of z > 9. A few galaxies at z ∼ 9−10 appear to show a clear Balmer break between the F356W and F444W/F410M bands, which helps constrain their stellar mass. We estimate blue UV continuum slopes between β = −1.8 and −2.3, typical for early galaxies at z > 9 but not as extreme as the bluest recently discovered sources. We also find evidence for a rapid redshift-evolution of the mass-luminosity relation and a redshift evolution of the UV continuum slope for a given range of intrinsic magnitude, in line with theoretical predictions. These findings suggest that deeper JWST observations are needed to reach the fainter galaxy population at those early epochs, and follow-up spectroscopy will help better constrain the physical properties and star formation histories of a larger sample of galaxies.

    

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