Star formation history up to z= 7.4: implications for gamma-ray bursts and cosmic metallicity evolution

The current Swift sample of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with measured redshifts allows us to test the assumption that GRBs trace star formation in the Universe. Some authors have claimed that the rate of GRBs increases with cosmic redshift faster than the star formation rate, whose cause is not yet known. In this paper, I investigate the possibility of interpreting the observed discrepancy between the GRB rate history and the star formation rate history using cosmic metallicity evolution. I am motivated by the observation that cosmic metallicity evolves with redshift and GRBs tend to occur in low-metallicity galaxies. First, I derive a star formation history up to redshift   z = 7.4  from an updated sample of star formation rate densities. This is obtained by adding the new ultraviolet measurements of Bouwens et al. and the new ultraviolet and infrared measurements of Reddy et al. to the existing sample compiled by Hopkins & Beacom. Then, adopting a simple model for the relation between GRB production and the cosmic metallicity history as proposed by Langer & Norman, I show that the observed redshift distribution of the Swift GRBs can be reproduced with good accuracy. Although the results are limited by the small size of the GRB sample and the poorly understood selection biases in detection and localization of GRBs and in redshift determination, they suggest that GRBs trace both star formation and metallicity evolution. If the star formation history can be accurately measured with other approaches, which is presumably achievable in the near future, it will be possible to determine the cosmic metallicity evolution using the study of the redshift distribution of GRBs.     

A census of metals at high and low redshift and the connection between submillimetre sources and spheroid formation

Deep surveys in many wavebands have shown that the rate at which stars were forming was at least a factor of 10 higher at redshifts >1 than today. Heavy elements ('metals') are produced by stars, and the star formation history deduced by these surveys implies that a significant fraction of all metals in the Universe today should already exist at   z ∼ 2–3  . However, only 10 per cent of the total metals expected to exist at this redshift have so far been accounted for (in damped Lyman α absorbers and the Lyman forest). In this paper, we use the results of submillimetre surveys of the local and high-redshift Universe to show that there was much more dust in galaxies in the past. We find that a large proportion of the missing metals are traced by this dust, bringing the metals implied from the star formation history and observations into agreement. We also show that the observed distribution of dust masses at high redshift can be reproduced remarkably well by a simple model for the evolution of dust in spheroids, suggesting that the descendants of the dusty galaxies found in deep submillimetre surveys are the relatively dust-free spiral bulges and ellipticals in the Universe today.     

The SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES) – VII. Optical/IR photometry and stellar masses of submillimetre galaxies

We present estimates of the photometric redshifts, stellar masses and star formation histories of sources in the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES). This paper describes the 60 SCUBA sources detected in the Lockman Hole covering an area of ∼320 arcmin². Using photometry spanning the B band to 8 μm, we find that the average SCUBA source forms a significant fraction of its stars in an early period of star formation and that most of the remainder forms in a shorter more intense burst around the redshift it is observed. This trend does not vary significantly with source redshift. However, the sources show a clear increase in stellar mass with redshift, consistent with downsizing. In terms of spectral energy distribution types, only two out of the 51 sources we have obtained photometric redshifts for are best fitted by a quasar-like spectrum, with approximately 80 per cent of the sources being best fitted with late-type spectra (Sc, Im and starburst). By including photometry at 850 μm, we conclude that the average SCUBA source is forming stars at a rate somewhere between 6 and 30 times the rate implied from the rest-frame optical in a dust obscured burst and that this burst creates 15–65 per cent of the total stellar mass. Using a simplistic calculation, we estimate from the average star formation history that between one in five and one in 15 bright  ( L _*+ 2 < L _optical < L _*− 1 mag)  galaxies in the field over the interval  0 < z < 3  will at some point in their lifetime experience a similar energetic dusty burst of star formation. Finally, we compute the evolution of the star formation rate density and find it peaks around   z ∼ 2  .     

Gamma-ray bursts from stellar remnants: probing the Universe at high redshift

A gamma-ray burst (GRB) releases an amount of energy similar to that of a supernova explosion, which combined with its rapid variability suggests an origin related to neutron stars or black holes. Since these compact stellar remnants form from the most massive stars not long after their birth, GRBs should trace the star formation rate in the Universe; we show that the GRB flux distribution is consistent with this. Because of the strong evolution of the star formation rate with redshift, it follows that the dimmest known bursts have z  ∼ 6, much above the value usually quoted and beyond the most distant quasars. This explains the absence of bright galaxies in well-studied GRB error boxes. The increased distances imply a peak luminosity of 8.3 × 10⁵¹ erg s⁻¹ and a rate density of 0.025 per million years per galaxy. These values are 20 times higher and 150 times lower, respectively, than are implied by fits with non-evolving GRB rates. This means either that GRBs are caused by a much rarer phenomenon than mergers of binary neutron stars, or that their gamma-ray emission is often invisible to us due to beaming. Precise burst locations from optical transients will discriminate between the various models for GRBs from stellar deaths, because the distance between progenitor birth place and burst varies greatly among them. The dimmest GRBs are then the most distant known objects, and may probe the Universe at an age when the first stars were forming.     

Molecular signature of star formation at high redshifts

In recent years there has been much debate, both observational and theoretical, about the nature of star formation at high redshift. In particular, there seems to be strong evidence of a greatly enhanced star formation rate early in the Universe’s evolution. Simulations investigating the nature of the first stars indicate that these were large, with masses in excess of 100 solar masses. By the use of a chemical model, we have simulated the molecular signature of massive star formation for a range of redshifts, using different input models of metallicity in the early Universe. We find that, as long as the number of massive stars exceeds that in the Milky Way by factor of at least 1000, then several ‘hot-core’ like molecules should have detectable emission. Although we predict that such signatures should already be partly detectable with current instruments (e.g. with the VLA), facilities such as ALMA will make this kind of observation possible at the highest redshifts.     

The visibility of gamma-ray burst afterglows in dusty star-forming regions

Recent observations of the environments of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) favour massive stars as their progenitors, which are likely to be surrounded by gas and dust. The visibility of the optical and UV emission of a GRB is expected to depend on the characteristics of both the dust and the GRB emission itself. A reasonable distribution of surrounding dust is capable of absorbing all the optical and UV emission of the optical flash and afterglow of a GRB, unless the optical flash has a peak isotropic luminosity L _peak≳10⁴⁹ erg s⁻¹ . This means that dark bursts should exist and these bursts will have to be studied at infrared rather than optical wavelengths. In this paper details will be given about the infrared GRB dust emission. The reprocessed dust emission peaks at a rest-frame wavelength of about 8 μm. Forthcoming space telescopes, in particular the IRAC camera on board the Space Infrared Telescope Facility , could detect this emission out to a redshift of about two. However, an accurate position of the GRB afterglow must be provided for this emission to be identified, because the light curve of the reprocessed dust emission does not vary on time-scales less than several years.     

The chemical evolution of the Universe – I. High column density absorbers

We construct a simple, robust model of the chemical evolution of galaxies from high to low redshift, and apply it to published observations of damped Lyman α quasar absorption line systems (DLAs). The elementary model assumes quiescent star formation and isolated galaxies (no interactions, mergers or gas flows). We consider the influence of dust and chemical gradients in the galaxies, and hence explore the selection effects in quasar surveys. We fit individual DLA systems to predict some observable properties of the absorbing galaxies, and also indicate the expected redshift behaviour of chemical element ratios involving nucleosynthetic time delays.
Despite its simplicity, our 'monolithic collapse' model gives a good account of the distribution and evolution of the metallicity and column density of DLAs, and of the evolution of the global star formation rate and gas density below redshifts z ∼3. However, from the comparison of DLA observations with our model, it is clear that star formation rates at higher redshifts ( z >3) are enhanced. Galaxy interactions and mergers, and gas flows very probably play a major role.     

Substructures in hydrodynamical cluster simulations

We present predictions for the abundance and nature of extremely red objects (EROs) in the Λ cold dark matter model. EROs are red, massive galaxies observed at   z ≥ 1  and their numbers and properties pose a challenge to hierarchical galaxy formation models. We compare the predictions from two published models, one of which invokes a 'superwind' to regulate star formation in massive haloes and the other which suppresses gas cooling in haloes through 'radio-mode' active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. The superwind model underestimates the number counts of EROs by an order of magnitude, whereas the radio-mode AGN feedback model gives excellent agreement with the number counts and redshift distribution of EROs. In the AGN feedback model the ERO population is dominated by old, passively evolving galaxies, whereas observations favour an equal split between old galaxies and dusty starbursts. Also, the model predicts a more extended redshift distribution of passive galaxies than is observed. These comparisons suggest that star formation may be quenched too efficiently in this model.     

Multiwavelength study of X-ray selected star-forming galaxies within the Chandra Deep Field-South

We have combined multiwavelength observations of a selected sample of star-forming galaxies with galaxy evolution models in order to compare the results obtained for different star formation rate (SFR) tracers and to study the effect that the evolution of the star-forming regions has on them. We also aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the corrections due to extinction and nuclear activity on the derivation of the SFR. We selected the sample from Chandra data for the well studied region Chandra Deep Field -South (CDFS) and chose the objects that also have ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) data from Galaxy Evolution Explorer ( GALEX ) and Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) Spitzer , respectively.
Our main finding is that there is good agreement between the extinction corrected SFR(UV) and the SFR(X), and we confirm the use of X-ray luminosities as a trustful tracer of recent star formation activity. Nevertheless, at SFR(UV) larger than about  5 M_⊙ yr⁻¹  there are several galaxies with an excess of SFR(X) suggesting the presence of an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) not detected in the optical spectra. We conclude that the IR luminosity is driven by recent star formation even in those galaxies where the SFR(X) is an order of magnitude higher than the SFR(UV) and therefore may harbour an AGN. One object shows SFR(X) much lower than expected based on the SFR(UV); this SFR(X) 'deficit' may be due to an early transient phase before most of the massive X-ray binaries were formed. An X-ray deficit could be used to select extremely young bursts in an early phase just after the explosion of the first supernovae associated with massive stars and before the onset of massive X-ray binaries.     

Triggered star formation in the LMC4/Constellation III region of the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present multicolour images of the hosts of three z  = 2 QSOs previously detected in the R band by our group. The luminosities, colours and sizes of the hosts overlap with those of actively star-forming galaxies in the nearby Universe. Surface brightness radial profiles over the outer resolved areas roughly follow either an r ^1/4 or an exponential law. These properties give support to the young host galaxy interpretation of the extended light around QSOs at high redshift. The rest-frame UV and UV–optical colours are inconsistent with the hypothesis of a scattered halo of light from the active nucleus by a simple optically thin scattering process produced by dust or hot electrons. If the UV light is indeed stellar, star formation rates of hundreds of solar masses per year are implied, an order of magnitude larger than in field galaxies at similar redshifts and above. This might indicate that the QSO phenomenon (at least the high-luminosity one) is preferentially accompanied by enhanced galactic activity at high redshifts.     

The nature of high-redshift galaxies

Using semi-analytic models of galaxy formation set within the cold dark matter (CDM) merging hierarchy, we investigate several scenarios for the nature of the high-redshift     ) Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs). We consider a 'collisional starburst' model in which bursts of star formation are triggered by galaxy–galaxy mergers, and find that a significant fraction of LBGs are predicted to be starbursts. This model reproduces the observed comoving number density of bright LBGs as a function of redshift and the observed luminosity function at     and     with a reasonable amount of dust extinction. Model galaxies at     have star formation rates, half-light radii,     colours and internal velocity dispersions that are in good agreement with the data. Global quantities such as the star formation rate density and cold gas and metal content of the Universe as a function of redshift also agree well. Two 'quiescent' models without starbursts are also investigated. In one, the star formation efficiency in galaxies remains constant with redshift, while in the other, it scales inversely with disc dynamical time, and thus increases rapidly with redshift. The first quiescent model is strongly ruled out, as it does not produce enough high-redshift galaxies once realistic dust extinction is accounted for. The second quiescent model fits marginally, but underproduces cold gas and very bright galaxies at high redshift. A general conclusion is that star formation at high redshift must be more efficient than locally. The collisional starburst model appears to accomplish this naturally without violating other observational constraints.     

Further constraints on the evolution of Ks-selected galaxies in the GOODS/CDFS field

We have selected and analysed the properties of a sample of  2905 K_s < 21.5  galaxies in  ∼131 arcmin²  of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS), to obtain further constraints on the evolution of K_s -selected galaxies with respect to the results already obtained in previous studies. We made use of the public deep multiwavelength imaging from the optical B through the infrared (IR) 4.5-μm bands, in conjunction with available spectroscopic and COMBO17 data in the CDFS, to construct an optimized redshift catalogue for our galaxy sample. We computed the K_s -band luminosity function and determined that its characteristic magnitude has a substantial brightening and a decreasing total density from   z = 0  to  〈 z 〉= 2.5  . We also analysed the colours and number density evolution of galaxies with different stellar masses. Within our sample, and in contrast to what is observed for less massive systems, the vast majority (∼85–90 per cent) of the most massive  ( M > 2.5 × 10¹¹ M_⊙)  local galaxies appear to be in place before redshift   z ∼ 1  . Around 65–70 per cent of the total assemble between redshifts   z = 1  and 3 and most of them display extremely red colours, suggesting that plausible star formation in these very massive systems should mainly proceed in obscured, short-time-scale bursts. The remaining fraction (up to ∼20 per cent) could be in place at even higher redshifts   z = 3–4  , pushing the first epoch of formation of massive galaxies beyond the limits of current near-IR surveys.     

Deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging surveys and the formation of spheroidal galaxies

We have extended our previous analysis of morphologically selected elliptical and S0 galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) North to include Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) data in the HDF South and the HDFS–NICMOS areas. Our final sample amounts to 69 E/S0 galaxies with K <20.15 over an area of 11 arcmin². Although a moderately small number over a modest sky area, this sample benefits from the best imaging and photometric data available on high-redshift galaxies. Multi-waveband photometry allows us to estimate with good accuracy the redshifts for the majority of these galaxies, which lack a spectroscopic measure. We confirm our previous findings that massive E/S0s tend to disappear from flux-limited samples at z >1.4. This adds to the evidence that the rest-frame colours and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the numerous objects found at 0.8< z <1.2 are inconsistent with a very high redshift of formation for the bulk of stars, while they are more consistent with protracted (either continuous or episodic) star formation down to z ≤1. These results based on high-quality imaging on a small field can be complemented with data from colour-selected extremely red objects (EROs) on much larger sky areas: our claimed demise of E/S0s going from z =1 to z =1.5 is paralleled by a similarly fast decrease in the areal density of EROs when the colour limit is changed from ( R − K )=5 to ( R − K )=6 (corresponding to z ≃1 and z ≃1.3 respectively). Altogether, the redshift interval from 1 to 2 seems to correspond to a very active phase for the assembly of massive E/S0 galaxies in the field, and also probably one where a substantial fraction of their stars are formed.     

The Effect of the Initial Mass Function of Stars on the Burst Rate of GRBs

For the mechanism of production of γ-ray bursts (GRBs) it is rather generally recognized that the long-term γ-ray burst (LGRB) originates from the deaths of massive stars while the short-term γ-ray burst (SGRB) originates from the merging of close binaries. Therefore the speculation naturally follows that the number of LGRBs is directly proportional to the star formation rate (SFR). However, it is indicated from recent data analyses that this speculation does not fit the observations very well. It is considered that only massive stars with masses greater than a certain critical mass can produce the LGRB, so the initial mass function (IMF) of stars can significantly affect the production rate of LGRBs. In this paper it is considered that the IMF of stars can be used to explain the observed number distribution of the LGRBs with the redshift, and this has led to some good results.     

Observability of the virialization phase of spheroidal galaxies with radio arrays

In the standard galaxy formation scenario plasma clouds with a high thermal energy content must exist at high redshifts since the protogalactic gas is shock heated to the virial temperature, and extensive cooling, leading to efficient star formation, must await the collapse of massive haloes (as indicated by the massive body of evidence, referred to as downsizing ). Massive plasma clouds are potentially observable through the thermal and kinetic Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effects and their free–free emission. We find that the detection of substantial numbers of galaxy-scale thermal Sunyaev–Zel'dovich signals is achievable by blind surveys with next generation radio telescope arrays such as EVLA, ALMA and SKA. This population is even detectable with the 10 per cent SKA, and wide field of view options at high frequency on any of these arrays would greatly increase survey speed. An analysis of confusion effects and of the contamination by radio and dust emissions shows that the optimal frequencies are those in the range 10–35 GHz. Predictions for the redshift distributions of detected sources are also worked out.     

The STAGES view of red spirals and dusty red galaxies: mass-dependent quenching of star formation in cluster infall

We investigate the properties of optically passive spirals and dusty red galaxies in the A901/2 cluster complex at redshift ∼0.17 using rest-frame near-ultraviolet–optical spectral energy distributions, 24-μm infrared data and Hubble Space Telescope morphologies from the STAGES data set. The cluster sample is based on COMBO-17 redshifts with an rms precision of  σ _cz ≈ 2000 km s⁻¹  . We find that 'dusty red galaxies' and 'optically passive spirals' in A901/2 are largely the same phenomenon, and that they form stars at a substantial rate, which is only four times lower than that in blue spirals at fixed mass. This star formation is more obscured than in blue galaxies and its optical signatures are weak. They appear predominantly in the stellar mass range of  log  M _*/M_⊙=[10, 11]  where they constitute over half of the star-forming galaxies in the cluster; they are thus a vital ingredient for understanding the overall picture of star formation quenching in clusters. We find that the mean specific star formation rate (SFR) of star-forming galaxies in the cluster is clearly lower than in the field, in contrast to the specific SFR properties of blue galaxies alone, which appear similar in cluster and field. Such a rich red spiral population is best explained if quenching is a slow process and morphological transformation is delayed even more. At  log  M _*/M_⊙ < 10  , such galaxies are rare, suggesting that their quenching is fast and accompanied by morphological change. We note that edge-on spirals play a minor role; despite being dust reddened they form only a small fraction of spirals independent of environment.     

Millimetric properties of gamma-ray burst host galaxies

We present millimetre (mm) and submillimetre (submm) photometry of a sample of five host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), obtained using the Max Planck Millimetre Bolometer (MAMBO2) array and Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA). These observations were obtained as part of an ongoing project to investigate the status of GRBs as indicators of star formation. Our targets include two of the most unusual GRB host galaxies, selected as likely candidate submm galaxies: the extremely red  ( R − K ≈ 5)  host of GRB 030115, and the extremely faint  ( R > 29.5)  host of GRB 020124. Neither of these galaxies is detected, but the deep upper limits for GRB 030115 impose constraints on its spectral energy distribution, requiring a warmer dust temperature than is commonly adopted for submillimetre galaxies (SMGs).
As a framework for interpreting these data, and for predicting the results of forthcoming submm surveys of Swift -derived host samples, we model the expected flux and redshift distributions based on luminosity functions of both submm galaxies and GRBs, assuming a direct proportionality between the GRB rate density and the global star formation rate density. We derive the effects of possible sources of uncertainty in these assumptions, including (1) introducing an anticorrelation between GRB rate and the global average metallicity, and (2) varying the dust temperature.     

Starburst galaxies and structure in the submillimetre background towards the Hubble Deep Field

We use an 850-μm SCUBA map of the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) to study the dust properties of optically-selected starburst galaxies at high redshift. The optical/infrared (IR) data in the HDF allow a photometric redshift to be estimated for each galaxy, together with an estimate of the visible star-formation rate. The 850-μm flux density of each source provides the complementary information: the amount of hidden, dust-enshrouded star formation activity. Although the 850-μm map does not allow detection of the majority of individual sources, we show that the galaxies with the highest UV star-formation rates are detected statistically, with a flux density of about S ₈₅₀=0.2 mJy for an apparent UV star-formation rate of 1  h ⁻² M_⊙ yr⁻¹. This level of submillimetre output indicates that the total star-forming activity is on average a factor of approximately 6 times larger than the rate inferred from the UV output of these galaxies. The general population of optical starbursts is then predicted to contribute at least 25 per cent of the 850-μm background. We carry out a power-spectrum analysis of the map, which yields some evidence for angular clustering of the background source population, but at a level lower than that seen in Lyman-break galaxies. Together with other lines of argument, particularly from the NICMOS HDF data, this suggests that the 850-μm background originates over an extremely wide range of redshifts – perhaps 1≲ z ≲6.