The star formation histories of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We present the results of a moped analysis of  ∼3 × 10⁵  galaxy spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 3 (SDSS DR3), with a number of improvements in data, modelling and analysis compared with our previous analysis of DR1. The improvements include: modelling the galaxies with theoretical models at a higher spectral resolution of 3 Å, better calibrated data, an extended list of excluded emission lines and a wider range of dust models. We present new estimates of the cosmic star formation rate (SFR), the evolution of stellar mass density and the stellar mass function from the fossil record. In contrast to our earlier work the results show no conclusive peak in the SFR out to a redshift around 2 but continue to show conclusive evidence for 'downsizing' in the SDSS fossil record. The star formation history is now in good agreement with more traditional instantaneous measures. The galaxy stellar mass function is determined over five decades of mass, and an updated estimate of the current stellar mass density is presented. We also investigate the systematic effects of changes in the stellar population modelling, the spectral resolution, dust modelling, sky lines, spectral resolution and the change of data set. We find that the main changes in the results are due to the improvements in the calibration of the SDSS data, changes in the initial mass function and the theoretical models used.     

Baryonic conversion tree: the global assembly of stars and dark matter in galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Using the spectroscopic sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 1 (SDSS DR1), we measure how gas was transformed into stars as a function of time and stellar mass: the baryonic conversion tree (BCT). There is a clear correlation between early star formation activity and present-day stellar mass: the more massive galaxies have formed approximately 80 per cent of their stars at   z > 1  , while for the less massive ones the value is only approximately 20 per cent. By comparing the BCT with the dark matter merger tree, we find indications that star formation efficiency at   z > 1  had to be approximately a factor of two higher than today (∼10 per cent) in galaxies with present-day stellar mass larger than  2 × 10¹¹ M_⊙  , if this early star formation occurred in the main progenitor. Therefore, the λ cold dark matter (LCDM) paradigm can accommodate a large number of red objects. On the other hand, in galaxies with present-day stellar mass less than  10¹¹ M_⊙  , efficient star formation seems to have been triggered at   z ∼ 0.2  . We show that there is a characteristic mass  ( M _*∼ 10¹⁰ M_⊙)  for feedback efficiency (or lack of star formation). For galaxies with masses lower than this, feedback (or star formation suppression) is very efficient while for higher masses it is not. The BCT, determined here for the first time, should be an important observable with which to confront theoretical models of galaxy formation.     

The shapes of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We determine the underlying shapes of spiral and elliptical galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6 (SDSS DR6) from the observed distribution of projected galaxy shapes, taking into account the effects of dust extinction and reddening. We assume that the underlying shapes of spirals and ellipticals are well approximated by triaxial ellipsoids. The elliptical galaxy data are consistent with oblate spheroids, with a correlation between luminosity and ellipticity: the mean values of minor to middle axis ratios are 0.41 ± 0.03 for   M _r ≈−18  ellipticals and 0.76 ± 0.04 for   M _r ≈−22.5  ellipticals. Ellipticals show almost no dependence of axial ratio on galaxy colour, implying a negligible dust optical depth.
There is a strong variation of spiral galaxy shapes with colour indicating the presence of dust. The intrinsic shapes of spiral galaxies in the SDSS DR6 are consistent with flat discs with a mean and dispersion of thickness to diameter ratio of (21 ± 2) per cent, and a face-on ellipticity, e , of  ln( e ) =−2.33 ± 0.79  . Not including the effects of dust in the model leads to discs that are systematically rounder by up to 60 per cent. More luminous spiral galaxies tend to have thicker and rounder discs than lower luminosity spirals. Both elliptical and spiral galaxies tend to be rounder for larger galaxies.
The marginalized value of the edge-on r -band dust extinction E ₀ in spiral galaxies is   E ₀≃ 0.45  mag for galaxies of median colours, increasing to   E ₀= 1  mag for   g − r > 0.9  and   E ₀= 1.9  for the luminous and most compact galaxies, with half-light radii  <2  h ⁻¹ kpc  .     

The environmental dependence of different colors in the CMASS sample of the SDSS DR9

I investigate the environmental dependence of galaxy colors in the CMASS sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 9(SDSS DR9).To decrease the radial selection effect,I divide the CMASS sample into subsamples with a redshift binning size of?z=0.01 and analyze the environmental dependence of the u-r,u-g,g-r,r-i and i-z colors for these subsamples in each redshift bin.Statistical analysis shows that all five colors weakly correlate with the local environment,which may mean that the environmental processes responsible for a galaxy’s properties proceed slowly over cosmic time.     

A sample of radio-loud active galactic nuclei in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

A sample of 2712 radio-luminous galaxies is defined from the second data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) by cross-comparing the main spectroscopic galaxy sample with two radio surveys: the National Radio Astronomy Observatories (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) Sky Survey (NVSS) and the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters (FIRST) survey. The comparison is carried out in a multistage process and makes optimal use of both radio surveys by exploiting the sensitivity of the NVSS to extended and multicomponent radio sources in addition to the high angular resolution of the FIRST images. A radio source sample with 95 per cent completeness and 98.9 per cent reliability is achieved, far better than would be possible for this sample if only one of the surveys was used. The radio source sample is then divided into two classes: radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galaxies in which the radio emission is dominated by star formation. The division is based on the location of a galaxy in the plane of 4000-Å break strength versus radio luminosity per unit stellar mass and provides a sample of 2215 radio-loud AGN and 497 star-forming galaxies brighter than 5 mJy at 1.4 GHz. A full catalogue of positions and radio properties is provided for these sources. The local radio luminosity function is then derived both for radio-loud AGN and for star-forming galaxies and is found to be in agreement with previous studies. By using the radio to far-infrared (FIR) correlation, the radio luminosity function of star-forming galaxies is also compared to the luminosity function derived in the FIR. It is found to agree well at high luminosities but less so at lower luminosities, confirming that the linearity of the radio to FIR correlation breaks down below about 10²² W Hz⁻¹ at 1.4 GHz.     

Scale-dependent galaxy bias in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey as a function of luminosity and colour

It has been known for a long time that the clustering of galaxies changes as a function of galaxy type. This galaxy bias acts as a hindrance to the extraction of cosmological information from the galaxy power spectrum or correlation function. Theoretical arguments show that a change in the amplitude of the clustering between galaxies and mass on large scales is unavoidable, but cosmological information can be easily extracted from the shape of the power spectrum or correlation function if this bias is independent of scale. Scale-dependent bias is generally small on large scales,   k < 0.1  h  Mpc⁻¹  , but on smaller scales can affect the recovery of  Ω_m h   from the measured shape of the clustering signal, and have a small effect on the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations. In this paper, we investigate the transition from scale-independent to scale-dependent galaxy bias as a function of galaxy population. We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 sample to fit various models, which attempt to parametrize the turn-off from scale-independent behaviour. For blue galaxies, we find that the strength of the turn-off is strongly dependent on galaxy luminosity, with stronger scale-dependent bias on larger scales for more luminous galaxies. For red galaxies, the scale dependence is a weaker function of luminosity. Such trends need to be modelled in order to optimally extract the information available in future surveys, and can help with the design of such surveys.