Modelling Dust in Galactic SEDs: Application to Semi-Analytical Galaxy Formation Models

We present the basic features and preliminary results of the interface between our spectrophotometric model GRASIL (which calculates galactic SEDs from the UV to the submm with a detailed computation of dust extinction and thermal reemission) with the semi-analytical galaxy formation model GALFORM (which computes galaxy formation and evolution in the hierarchical scenario, providing the star formation history as an input to our model). With these two models we are able to synthesize simulated samples of a few thousand galaxies for statistical studies of galaxy properties to investigate galaxy formation and evolution. There is good agreement with the available SED and luminosity function data. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The evolution of galactic discs

We use recent observations of high-redshift galaxies to study the evolution of galactic discs over the redshift range 0 <  z ≲1. The data are inconsistent with models in which discs were already assembled at z  = 1 and have evolved only in luminosity since that time. Assuming that disc properties change with redshift as powers of 1 +   z and analysing the observations assuming an Einstein–de Sitter universe, we find that for given rotation speed, disc scalelength decreases with z as ∼ (1 +  z )⁻¹, total B -band mass-to-light ratio decreases with z as ∼ (1 +  z )⁻¹, and disc luminosity (again in B ) depends only weakly on z . These scalings are consistent with current data on the evolution of disc galaxy abundance as a function of size and luminosity. Both the scalings and the abundance evolution are close to the predictions of hierarchical models for galaxy formation. If different cosmogonies are compared, the observed evolution in disc size and disc abundance favours a flat low-Ω₀ universe over an Einstein–de Sitter universe.     

Environments of Supernova Remnants Which Contain Different Types of Neutron Star

Understanding the formation and evolution of massive galaxies provides important keys to constrain the baryon assembly processes in the ΛCDM hierarchical scenario. We review the main results obtained so far with the K20 and other recent near-IR surveys on the redshift distribution, the evolution of the luminosity function and luminosity density, the nature of old and dusty EROs, the evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function and the nature of luminous starbursts at z∼2 which may be the progenitors of the present-day massive spheroidal galaxies.     

The Connection between Spheroidal Galaxies and QSOs

In view of the extensive evidence of tight inter-relationships between spheroidal galaxies (and galactic bulges) with massive black holes hosted at their centers, a consistent model must deal jointly with the evolution of the two components. We describe one such model, which successfully accounts for the local luminosity function of spheroidal galaxies, for their photometric and chemical properties, for deep galaxy counts in different wavebands, including those in the (sub)-mm region which proved to be critical for current semi-analytic models stemming from the standard hierarchical clustering picture, for clustering properties of SCUBA galaxies, of EROs, and of LBGs, as well as for the local mass function of massive black holes and for quasar evolution. Predictions that can be tested by surveys carried out by SIRTF are presented. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Joint cosmological formation of QSOs and bulge-dominated galaxies

Older and more recent pieces of observational evidence suggest a strong connection between QSOs and galaxies; in particular, the recently discovered correlation between black hole and galactic bulge masses suggests that QSO activity is directly connected to the formation of galactic bulges. The cosmological problem of QSO formation is analysed in the framework of an analytical model for galaxy formation; for the first time a joint comparison with galaxy and QSO observables is performed. In this model it is assumed that the same physical variable that determines galaxy morphology is able to modulate the mass of the black hole responsible for QSO activity. Both halo spin and the occurrence of a major merger are considered as candidates for this role. The predictions of the model are compared with available data for the type-dependent galaxy mass functions, the star formation history of elliptical galaxies, the QSO luminosity function and its evolution (including the obscured objects contributing to the hard-X-ray background), the mass function of dormant black holes and the distribution of black hole-to-bulge mass ratios. A good agreement with observations is obtained if the halo spin modulates the efficiency of black hole formation, and if the galactic haloes at z =0 have shone in an inverted order with respect to the hierarchical one (i.e., stars and black holes in bigger galactic haloes have formed before those in smaller ones). This inversion of hierarchical order for galaxy formation, which reconciles galaxy formation with QSO evolution, is consistent with many pieces of observational evidence.     

Star formation and clustering in the Hubble Deep Field

We have derived a complete and reliable flux limited sample of15 μm selected galaxies in the ISO-HDF. These galaxies have been shown to produce a large fraction of the Cosmic Infrared Background. From their mid-infrared luminosities, we deduce their star formation rates, and compare then to the ones that can be derived from their radio emission. We find excellent agreement, except for a few objects that are known to be AGN-dominated from their X-ray properties. We show that our sample is more strongly clustered than optical samples, and discuss the constraints it puts on hierarchical models of galaxy evolution. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Redshift evolution of angular diameters and surface brightness: how rigid are galactic measuring rods?

The effect of a cosmic time variation of Newton’s constant on galactic angular diameters, linear size, apparent magnitude, and surface brightness is investigated. The redshift scaling of the gravitational constant is proportional to the Hubble parameter, derived from the constancy of a moderate dimensionless ratio of fundamental constants, and manifested in galactic linear-size evolution. The latter is demonstrated by fitting the angular size–redshift relation to spectroscopically and photometrically selected samples of high-redshift rotators. The intrinsic luminosity evolution of the rotators and their magnitude–redshift and surface brightness–redshift relations are studied. The galactic luminosity scales with a power of the Hubble parameter, and the scaling exponent is inferred from a moderate dimensionless ratio involving the gravitational constant, the Galactic luminosity, and the velocity of the Galaxy in the microwave background. The fits are performed with a cosmic expansion factor derived from paleoplanetary surface temperatures. This expansion factor is tested by comparing the corresponding redshift evolution of the angular-size distance to the distance estimates of two samples of galaxy clusters.     

The formation and evolution of field massive galaxies

The problem of the formation and evolution of field massive galaxies is briefly reviewed from an observational perspective. The motivations and the characteristics of the K20 survey are outlined. The redshift distribution of K _s<20 galaxies, the evolution of the rest-frame K _s-band luminosity function and luminosity density to z∼ 1.5, the nature and the role of the red galaxy population are presented. Such results are compared with the predictions of models of galaxy evolution. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The K-band Hubble diagram for the brightest cluster galaxies: a test of hierarchical galaxy formation models

We analyse the K -band Hubble diagram for a sample of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in the redshift range 0< z <1. In good agreement with earlier studies, we confirm that the scatter in the absolute magnitudes of the galaxies is small (0.3 mag). The BCGs exhibit very little luminosity evolution in this redshift range: if q ₀=0.0, we detect no luminosity evolution; for q ₀=0.5, we measure a small negative evolution (i.e., BCGs were about 0.5 mag fainter at z =1 than today). If the mass in stars of these galaxies had remained constant over this period of time, substantial positive luminosity evolution would be expected: BCGs should have been brighter in the past, since their stars were younger. A likely explanation for the observed zero or negative evolution is that the stellar mass of the BCGs has been assembled over time through merging and accretion, as expected in hierarchical models of galaxy formation. The colour evolution of the BCGs is consistent with that of an old stellar population ( z _for>2) that is evolving passively. We can thus use evolutionary population synthesis models to estimate the rate of growth in stellar mass for these systems. We find that the stellar mass in a typical BCG has grown by a factor ≃2 since z ≃1 if q ₀=0.0, or by factor ≃4 if q ₀=0.5. These results are in good agreement with the predictions of semi-analytic models of galaxy formation and evolution set in the context of a hierarchical scenario for structure formation. The models predict a scatter in the luminosities of the BCGs that is somewhat larger than the observed one, but that depends on the criterion used to select the model clusters.     

Galaxy Evolution in Groups and Clusters: Workshop Summary

The study of galaxy clusters and groups covers a large range of physical scales, from cosmology to large scale structure, to individual galaxies. This workshop on the evolution of galaxies in clusters and groups provided a rich assembly of subjects. Brief summaries are given in some of these topics, including: the applications of clusters to cosmology, the evolution of cluster galaxies in the context of the Butcher-Oemler effect, the galaxy populations in clusters – from dwarfs to the cD galaxy, the interplay between cluster/group environment and the evolution of clusters, the infalling cluster members and the galaxy luminosity function. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Young Stellar Populations at High z: Where are They?

Our view on the deep universe is strongly biassed towards the starlight that directly escapes from high-redshift galaxies, since we know very little on the fraction of luminosity absorbed by dust. Attempts to correct for this effect directly from the slope of the UV spectra seem to suggest that a significant fraction of the UV flux is extinguished. New constraints are now set on the fraction of dust-enshrouded young stellar populations by the detection of the Cosmic Infrared Background, and faint galaxy counts at IR and submm wavelengths. We briefly review the observations and use a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation and evolution to predict number counts consistent with the background. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

GALICS: capturing the panchromaticity of galaxies

This contribution describes results obtained with the GALICS model (for Galaxies In Cosmological Simulations), which is a hybrid model for hierarchical galaxy formation studies, combining the outputs of large cosmological N-body simulations with simple, semi-analytic recipes to describe the fate of the baryons within dark matter halos. Designed to predict the overall statistical properties of galaxies, with special emphasis on the panchromatic spectral energy distribution emitted by galaxies in the UV/optical and IR/submm wavelength ranges, such an approach can be used to predict the galaxy luminosity function evolution from the ultraviolet to far infrared, along with individual galaxies star formation histories. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Statistical analysis of galaxy surveys – III. The non-linear clustering of red and blue galaxies in the 2dFGRS

We present measurements of the higher order clustering of red and blue galaxies as a function of scale and luminosity made from the two-degree field galaxy redshift survey (2dFGRS). We use a counts-in-cells analysis to estimate the volume-averaged correlation functions,     , as a function of scale up to the order of   p = 5  , and also the reduced void probability function. Hierarchical amplitudes are constructed using the estimates of the correlation functions:     . We find that (i) red galaxies display stronger clustering than blue galaxies at all orders measured; (ii) red galaxies show values of   S _p   that are strongly dependent on luminosity whereas blue galaxies show no segregation in   S _p   within the errors; this is remarkable given the segregation in the variance; (iii) the linear relative bias shows the opposite trend to the hierarchical amplitudes, with little segregation for the red sequence and some segregation for the blue; (iv) faint red galaxies deviate significantly from the 'universal' negative binomial reduced void probabilities followed by all other galaxy populations. Our results show that the characteristic colour of a galaxy population reveals a unique signature in its spatial distribution. Such signatures will hopefully further elucidate the physics responsible for shaping the cosmological evolution of galaxies.     

GABE: Galaxy Assembly with Binary Evolution

We developed a new semi-analytic galaxy formation model: Galaxy Assembly with Binary Evolution(GABE). For the first time, we introduce binary evolution into semi-analytic models of galaxy formation by using the Yunnan-II stellar population synthesis model, which includes various binary interactions. When implementing our galaxy formation model onto the merger trees extracted from the Millennium simulation, it can reproduce a large body of observational results. We find that in the local universe, the model including binary evolution reduces the luminosity at optical and infrared wavelengths slightly, but it increases the luminosity at ultraviolet wavelengths significantly, especially in FUV band. The resulting luminosity function does not change very much over SDSS optical bands and infrared band, but the predicted colors are bluer, especially when the FUV band is under consideration. The new model allows us to explore the physics of various high energy events related to the remnants of binary stars, such as type Ia supernovae, short gamma-ray bursts and gravitational wave events, and their relation with host galaxies in a cosmological context.     

The host galaxies of luminous radio-quiet quasars

We present the results of a deep K -band imaging study which reveals the host galaxies around a sample of luminous radio-quiet quasars. The K -band images, obtained at UKIRT, are of sufficient quality to allow accurate modelling of the underlying host galaxy. Initially, the basic structure of the hosts is revealed using a modified clean deconvolution routine optimized for this analysis. Two of the 14 quasars are shown to have host galaxies with violently disturbed morphologies which cannot be modelled by smooth elliptical profiles. For the remainder of our sample, 2D models of the host and nuclear component are fitted to the images using the χ ² statistic to determine goodness of fit. Host galaxies are detected around all of the quasars. The reliability of the modelling is extensively tested, and we find the host luminosity to be well constrained for nine quasars. The derived average K -band absolute K -corrected host galaxy magnitude for these luminous radio-quiet quasars is 〈 M _K 〉=25.15±0.04, slightly more luminous than an L * galaxy. The spread of derived host galaxy luminosities is small, although the spread of nuclear-to-host ratios is not. These host luminosities are shown to be comparable to those derived from samples of quasars of lower total luminosity, and we conclude that there is no correlation between host and nuclear luminosity for these quasars. Nuclear-to-host ratios break the lower limit previously suggested from studies of lower nuclear luminosity quasars and Seyfert galaxies. Morphologies are less certain but, on the scales probed by these images, some hosts appear to be dominated by spheroids while others appear to have disc-dominated profiles.     

On the fate of processed matter in dwarf galaxies

Two-dimensional calculations of the evolution of remnants generated by the strong mechanical energy deposited by stellar clusters in dwarf galaxies ( M  ∼ 10⁹–10¹⁰ M⊙) are presented. The evolution is followed for times longer than both the blowout time and the presumed span of energy injection generated by a coeval massive stellar cluster. The remnants are shown to end up wrapping around the central region of the host galaxy, while growing to kiloparsec-scale dimensions. Properties of the remnants such as luminosity, size, swept-up mass and expansion speed are given as functions of time for all calculated cases.   The final fate of the swept-up galactic gas and of the matter processed by the central starburst is shown to be highly dependent on the properties of the low-density galactic halo. Superbubbles powered by star clusters, with properties similar to those inferred from the observations, slow down in the presence of an extended halo to expansion speeds smaller than the host galaxy escape velocity. Values of the critical luminosity required for the superbubbles to reach the edge of the galaxies with a speed comparable to the escape speed are derived analytically and numerically. The critical luminosities are larger than those in the detected sources, and thus the superbubbles in amorphous dwarf galaxies must have already undergone blowout and are presently evolving into an extended low-density halo. This will inhibit the loss of the swept-up and processed matter from the galaxy.     

Galaxy–dark matter correlations applied to galaxy–galaxy lensing: predictions from the semi-analytic galaxy formation models

We use semi-analytic models of galaxy formation combined with high-resolution N -body simulations to make predictions for galaxy–dark matter correlations and apply them to galaxy–galaxy lensing. We analyse cross-power spectra between the dark matter and different galaxy samples selected by luminosity, colour or star formation rate. We compare the predictions with the recent detection by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We show that the correlation amplitude and the mean tangential shear depend strongly on the luminosity of the sample on scales below 1  h ⁻¹ Mpc, reflecting the correlation between the galaxy luminosity and the halo mass. The cross-correlation cannot, however, be used to infer the halo profile directly because different halo masses dominate on different scales and because not all galaxies are at the centres of the corresponding haloes. We compute the redshift evolution of the cross-correlation amplitude and compare it with those of galaxies and dark matter. We also compute the galaxy–dark matter correlation coefficient and show that it is close to unity on scales above 1  h ⁻¹ Mpc for all considered galaxy types. This would allow one to extract the bias and the dark matter power spectrum on large scales from the galaxy and galaxy–dark matter correlations.     

The Phoenix Deep Survey: 1.4-GHz source counts

We present the first results from the Phoenix Deep Survey, a multiwavelength survey of a 2° diameter region. Observations in the radio continuum at 1.4 GHz carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array are described. The catalogue of over 1000 radio sources compiled from these observations is analysed, and the source counts are presented. We model the observational source counts using a two-population model and published luminosity functions for these populations. Upon invoking luminosity and density evolution, we find that a luminosity evolution model best fits the radio observations, consistent with earlier work. The redshift distribution of the two galaxy populations investigated is also modelled and discussed.