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SPT2349−56 is a protocluster discovered in the 2500 deg2 South Pole Telescope (SPT) survey. In this paper, we study the kinematics of the galaxies found in the core of SPT2349−56 using high-resolution (1.55 kpc spatial resolution at z = 4.303) redshifted [C ii ] 158 μ m data. Using the publicly available code 3DBAROLO, we analyze the seven far-infrared brightest galaxies within the protocluster core. Based on conventional definitions for the detection of rotating disks, we classify six sources to be rotating disks in an actively star-forming protocluster environment, with weighted mean V rot/ σ disp = 4.5 ± 1.3. The weighted mean rotation velocity (V rot) and velocity dispersion (σ disp) for the sample are 357.1 ± 114.7 km s−1 and 43.5 ± 23.5 km s−1, respectively. We also assess the disk stability of the galaxies and find a mean Toomre parameter of Q T = 0.9 ± 0.3. The galaxies show a mild positive correlation between disk stability and dynamical support. Using the position–velocity maps, we find that five sources further classify as disturbed disks, and one classifies as a strictly rotating disk. Our sample joins several observations at similar redshift with high V / σ values, with the exception that they are morphologically disturbed, kinematically rotating, and interacting galaxies in an extreme protocluster environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present JWST and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) imaging for the lensing system SPT0418−47, which includes a strongly lensed, dusty, star-forming galaxy at redshift z = 4.225 and an associated multiply imaged companion. The JWST NIRCam and MIRI imaging observations presented in this paper were acquired as part of the Early Release Science program Targeting Extremely Magnified Panchromatic Lensed Arcs and Their Extended Star formation (TEMPLATES). This data set provides robust mutiwavelength detections of stellar light in both the main (SPT0418A) and companion (SPT0418B) galaxies, while the ALMA detection of [C ii ] emission confirms that SPT0418B lies at the same redshift as SPT0418A. We infer that the projected physical separation of the two galaxies is 4.42 ± 0.05 kpc. We derive total magnifications of μ = 29 ± 1 and μ = 4.1 ± 0.7 for SPT0418A and SPT0418B, respectively. We use both prospector and cigale to derive stellar masses. We find that SPT0418A has a stellar mass of M * = 3.4 − 0.6 + 1.1 × 10 10 M ⊙ from prospector or M * = 1.5 ± 0.3 × 1010 M ⊙ from cigale. The stellar mass ratio of SPT0418A and SPT0418B is roughly between 4 and 7 ( 4.2 − 1.6 + 1.9 for prospector and 7.5 ± 3.7 for cigale). We see evidence of extended structure associated with SPT0418A that is suggestive of a tidal feature. These features, along with the close projected proximity, imply that the system is interacting. Interestingly, the star formation rates and stellar masses of both galaxies are consistent with the main sequence of star-forming galaxies at this epoch, indicating that this ongoing interaction has not noticeably elevated the star formation levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present stellar mass fractions and composite luminosity functions (LFs) for a sample of 12 clusters from the Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS) in the redshift range 0.951 ≤ z ≤ 1.43. Using spectral energy distribution fitting of optical and deep mid-infrared photometry, we establish the membership of objects along the lines of sight to these clusters and calculate the stellar masses of member galaxies. This allows us to calculate the stellar mass of the clusters much more precisely than in previous works. We find stellar mass fractions for these clusters largely consistent with previous works, and an apparent negative correlation with total cluster mass. We measure a composite 3.6 ÎĽ m LF down to m * + 2.5 for all 12 clusters. Fitting a Schechter function to the LF, we find a characteristic 3.6 ÎĽ m magnitude of m * = 19.83 ± 0.12 and faint-end slope of α = âˆ'0.81 ± 0.10 for the full sample at a mean redshift of z ÂŻ = 1.18. We also divide the clusters into high- and low-redshift bins at z ÂŻ = 1.29 and z ÂŻ = 1.06 , respectively, and measure a composite LF for each bin. We see a small, but statistically significant, evolution in m * and α â€"consistent with passive evolutionâ€"when we study the joint fit to the two parameters, which is probing the evolution of faint cluster galaxies at z ∼ 1. This highlights the importance of deep IR data in studying the evolution of cluster galaxy populations at high redshift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The See Change survey was designed to make z > 1 cosmological measurements by efficiently discovering high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and improving cluster mass measurements through weak lensing. This survey observed twelve galaxy clusters with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spanning the redshift range z = 1.13–1.75, discovering 57 likely transients and 27 likely SNe Ia at z ∼ 0.8–2.3. As in similar previous surveys, this proved to be a highly efficient use of HST for supernova observations; the See Change survey additionally tested the feasibility of maintaining, or further increasing, the efficiency at yet higher redshifts, where we have less detailed information on the expected cluster masses and star formation rates. We find that the resulting number of SNe Ia per orbit is a factor of ∼8 higher than for a field search, and 45% of our orbits contained an active SN Ia within 22 rest-frame days of peak, with one of the clusters by itself yielding 6 of the SNe Ia. We present the survey design, pipeline, and supernova discoveries. Novel features include fully blinded supernova searches, the first random forest candidate classifier for undersampled IR data (with a 50% detection threshold within 0.05 mag of human searchers), real-time forward-modeling photometry of candidates, and semi-automated photometric classifications and follow-up forecasts. We also describe the spectroscopic follow-up, instrumental in measuring host galaxy redshifts. The cosmology analysis of our sample will be presented in a companion paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galactic outflows of molecular gas are a common occurrence in galaxies and may represent a mechanism by which galaxies self-regulate their growth, redistributing gas that could otherwise have formed stars. We previously presented the first survey of molecular outflows at z > 4 toward a sample of massive, dusty galaxies. Here we characterize the physical properties of the molecular outflows discovered in our survey. Using low-redshift outflows as a training set, we find agreement at the factor of 2 level between several outflow rate estimates. We find molecular outflow rates of 150–800 yr−1 and infer mass loading factors just below unity. Among the high-redshift sources, the molecular mass loading factor shows no strong correlations with any other measured quantity. The outflow energetics are consistent with expectations for momentum-driven winds with star formation as the driving source, with no need for energy-conserving phases. There is no evidence for active galactic nucleus activity in our sample, and while we cannot rule out deeply buried active galactic nuclei, their presence is not required to explain the outflow energetics, in contrast to nearby obscured galaxies with fast outflows. The fraction of the outflowing gas that will escape into the circumgalactic medium (CGM), though highly uncertain, may be as high as 50%. This nevertheless constitutes only a small fraction of the total cool CGM mass based on a comparison to z ∼ 2–3 quasar absorption line studies, but could represent ≳10% of the CGM metal mass. Our survey offers the first statistical characterization of molecular outflow properties in the very early universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive galaxy-scale outflows of gas are one of the most commonly invoked mechanisms to regulate the growth and evolution of galaxies throughout the universe. While the gas in outflows spans a large range of temperatures and densities, the cold molecular phase is of particular interest because molecular outflows may be capable of suppressing star formation in galaxies by removing the star-forming gas. We have conducted the first survey of molecular outflows at z > 4, targeting 11 strongly lensed dusty, star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) with high-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of OH 119 μm absorption as an outflow tracer. In this first paper, we give an overview of the survey, focusing on the detection rate and structure of molecular outflows. We find unambiguous evidence for outflows in 8/11 galaxies (73%), more than tripling the number known at z > 4. This implies that molecular winds in z > 4 DSFGs must have both a near-unity occurrence rate and large opening angles to be detectable in absorption. Lensing reconstructions reveal that 500 pc scale clumpy structures in the outflows are common. The individual clumps are not directly resolved, but from optical depth arguments we expect that future observations will require 50–200 pc spatial resolution to resolve them. We do not detect high-velocity [C ii ] wings in any of the sources with clear OH outflows, indicating that [C ii ] is not a reliable tracer of molecular outflows. Our results represent a first step toward characterizing molecular outflows at z > 4 at the population level, demonstrating that large-scale outflows are ubiquitous among early massive, dusty galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of galaxy clusters as a function of redshift can be utilized as an important cosmological tool. We present initial results from a program of follow-up observations of the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect (SZE) in high-redshift galaxy clusters detected by the Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS) which uses infrared data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey (WISE) instrument. Using typical on-source integration times of 3–4 hr per cluster, MUSTANG2 on the Green Bank Telescope was able to measure strong detections of SZE decrements and statistically significant masses on 14 out of 16 targets. On the remaining two, weaker (3.7σ) detections of the SZE signal and strong upper limits on the masses were obtained. In this paper we present masses and pressure profiles of each target and outline the data analysis used to recover these quantities. Of the clusters with strong detections, three show significantly flatter pressure profiles while, from the MUSTANG2 data, five others show signs of disruption at their cores. However, outside of the cores of the clusters, we were unable to detect significant amounts of asymmetry. Finally, there are indications that the relationship between optical richness used by MaDCoWS and SZE-inferred mass may be significantly flatter than indicated in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of the central radio activity of galaxy clusters at high redshift. Using a large sample of galaxy clusters at 0.7 < z < 1.5 from the Massive and Distant Clusters of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Survey and the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters 1.4 GHz catalog, we measure the fraction of clusters containing a radio source within the central 500 kpc, which we term the cluster radio-active fraction, and the fraction of cluster galaxies within the central 500 kpc exhibiting radio emission. We find tentative (2.25σ) evidence that the cluster radio-active fraction increases with cluster richness, while the fraction of cluster galaxies that are radioluminous (W Hz−1) does not correlate with richness at a statistically significant level. Compared to that calculated at 0 < z < 0.6, the cluster radio-active fraction at 0 < z < 1.5 increases by a factor of 10. This fraction is also dependent on the radio luminosity. Clusters at higher redshift are much more likely to host a radio source of luminosity W Hz−1 than are lower-redshift clusters. We compare the fraction of radioluminous cluster galaxies to the fraction measured in a field environment. For 0.7 < z < 1.5, we find that both the cluster and field radioluminous galaxy fraction increases with stellar mass, regardless of environment, though at fixed stellar mass, cluster galaxies are roughly 2 times more likely to be radioluminous than field galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a multiwavelength investigation of the radio galaxy population in the galaxy cluster MOO J1506+5137 at z = 1.09 ± 0.03, which in previous work we identified as having multiple complex radio sources. The combined data set used in this work includes data from the Low-Frequency Array Two-meter Sky Survey, NSF's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey. We find that there are five radio sources, which are all located within 500 kpc (∼1′) of the cluster center and have radio luminosities P1.4 GHz > 1.6 × 1024 W Hz−1. The typical host galaxies are among the highest stellar mass galaxies in the cluster. The exceptional radio activity among the massive galaxy population appears to be linked to the dynamical state of the cluster. The galaxy distribution suggests an ongoing merger, with a subgroup found to the northwest of the main cluster. Furthermore, two of the five sources are classified as bent-tail sources, with one being a potential wide-angle tail/hybrid morphology radio source, indicating a dynamic environment. The cluster also lies in a region of the mass–richness plane occupied by other merging clusters in the Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey. The data suggest that during the merger phase, radio activity can be dramatically enhanced, which would contribute to the observed trend of increased radio activity in clusters with increasing redshift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery and confirmation of a bright quasi-stellar object (QSO), 2MASS J13260399 + 7023462, at. This QSO is the first spectroscopically confirmed candidate from an ongoing search using the combination of Gaia and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer photometry to identify bright QSOs at z > 2, the redshift regime for which the Lyα forest is accessible with ground-based facilities. With a Gaia apparent magnitude G = 16.07, 2MASS J13260399 + 7023462 is one of the brightest QSOs known at z > 2, with only 15 currently known brighter QSOs. Given its inferred magnitude and redshift, it is among the most luminous objects in the universe; the inferred black hole mass and corresponding Eddington ratio are (2.7 ± 0.4) × 1010 and 1.3 ± 0.3, respectively. Follow-up Hubble observations confirm it is not gravitationally lensed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present 4.5 μm luminosity functions for galaxies identified in 178 candidate galaxy clusters at 1.3 < z < 3.2. The clusters were identified as Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) color-selected overdensities in the Clusters Around Radio-Loud AGN project, which imaged 420 powerful radio-loud active galactic nuclei (RLAGNs) at z > 1.3. The luminosity functions are derived for different redshift and richness bins, and the IRAC imaging reaches depths of m* + 2, allowing us to measure the faint end slopes of the luminosity functions. We find that α = –1 describes the luminosity function very well in all redshift bins and does not evolve significantly. This provides evidence that the rate at which the low mass galaxy population grows through star formation gets quenched and is replenished by in-falling field galaxies does not have a major net effect on the shape of the luminosity function. Our measurements for m* are consistent with passive evolution models and high formation redshifts (zf ∼ 3). We find a slight trend toward fainter m* for the richest clusters, implying that the most massive clusters in our sample could contain older stellar populations, yet another example of cosmic downsizing. Modeling shows that a contribution of a star-forming population of up to 40% cannot be ruled out. This value, found from our targeted survey, is significantly lower than the values found for slightly lower redshift, z ∼ 1, clusters found in wide-field surveys. The results are consistent with cosmic downsizing, as the clusters studied here were all found in the vicinity of RLAGNs—which have proven to be preferentially located in massive dark matter halos in the richest environments at high redshift—and they may therefore be older and more evolved systems than the general protocluster population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spitzer UltRa Faint SUrvey Program is a joint Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescope Exploration Science program using 10 galaxy clusters as cosmic telescopes to study z ≳ 7 galaxies at intrinsically lower luminosities, enabled by gravitational lensing, than blank field surveys of the same exposure time. Our main goal is to measure stellar masses and ages of these galaxies, which are the most likely sources of the ionizing photons that drive reionization. Accurate knowledge of the star formation density and star formation history at this epoch is necessary to determine whether these galaxies indeed reionized the universe. Determination of the stellar masses and ages requires measuring rest-frame optical light, which only Spitzer can probe for sources at z ≳ 7, for a large enough sample of typical galaxies. Our program consists of 550 hr of Spitzer/IRAC imaging covering 10 galaxy clusters with very well-known mass distributions, making them extremely precise cosmic telescopes. We combine our data with archival observations to obtain mosaics with ∼30 hr exposure time in both 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm in the central 4′ × 4′ field and ∼15 hr in the flanking fields. This results in 3σ sensitivity limits of ∼26.6 and ∼26.2 AB magnitudes for the central field in the IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 μm bands, respectively. To illustrate the survey strategy and characteristics we introduce the sample, present the details of the data reduction and demonstrate that these data are sufficient for in-depth studies of z ≳ 7 sources (using a z = 9.5 galaxy behind MACS J1149.5+2223 as an example). For the first cluster of the survey (the Bullet Cluster) we have released all high-level data mosaics and IRAC empirical point-spread function models. In the future we plan to release these data products for the entire survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of recent studies have proposed that the stellar initial mass function (IMF) of early type galaxies varies systematically as a function of galaxy mass, with higher mass galaxies having bottom-heavy IMFs. These bottom-heavy IMFs have more low-mass stars relative to the number of high mass stars, and therefore naturally result in proportionally fewer neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs). In this paper, we specifically predict the variation in the number of BHs and NSs based on the power-law IMF variation required to reproduce the observed mass-to-light ratio trends with galaxy mass. We then test whether such variations are observed by studying the field low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) populations of nearby early-type galaxies. In these binaries, an NS or BH accretes matter from a low-mass donor star. Their number is therefore expected to scale with the number of BHs and NSs present in a galaxy. We find that the number of LMXBs per K-band light is similar among the galaxies in our sample. These data therefore demonstrate the uniformity of the slope of the IMF from massive stars down to those now dominating the K-band light and are consistent with an invariant IMF. Our results are inconsistent with an IMF which varies from a Kroupa/Chabrier like IMF for low-mass galaxies to a steep power-law IMF (with slope x = 2.8) for high mass galaxies. We discuss how these observations constrain the possible forms of the IMF variations and how future Chandra observations can enable sharper tests of the IMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the star formation properties of 16 infrared-selected, spectroscopically confirmed galaxy clusters at 1 < z < 1.5 from the Spitzer/IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey (ISCS). We present new spectroscopic confirmation for six of these high-redshift clusters, five of which are at z > 1.35. Using infrared luminosities measured with deep Spitzer/Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer observations at 24 μm, along with robust optical + IRAC photometric redshifts and spectral-energy-distribution-fitted stellar masses, we present the dust-obscured star-forming fractions, star formation rates, and specific star formation rates in these clusters as functions of redshift and projected clustercentric radius. We find that z ∼ 1.4 represents a transition redshift for the ISCS sample, with clear evidence of an unquenched era of cluster star formation at earlier times. Beyond this redshift, the fraction of star-forming cluster members increases monotonically toward the cluster centers. Indeed, the specific star formation rate in the cores of these distant clusters is consistent with field values at similar redshifts, indicating that at z > 1.4 environment-dependent quenching had not yet been established in ISCS clusters. By combining these observations with complementary studies showing a rapid increase in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) fraction, a stochastic star formation history, and a major merging episode at the same epoch in this cluster sample, we suggest that the starburst activity is likely merger-driven and that the subsequent quenching is due to feedback from merger-fueled AGNs. The totality of the evidence suggests we are witnessing the final quenching period that brings an end to the era of star formation in galaxy clusters and initiates the era of passive evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Hubble Space Telescope near-IR spectroscopy for 18 galaxy clusters at 1.0 * < 10.0 M☼). We therefore conclude that environmental effects are still important at 1.0 * ≲ 10.0 M☼. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure the baryons contained in both the stellar and hot-gas components for 12 galaxy clusters and groups at z ∼ 0.1 with M = 1-5 × 1014M☼. This paper improves upon our previous work through the addition of XMM-Newton X-ray data, enabling measurements of the total mass and masses of each major baryonic component—intracluster medium, intracluster stars, and stars in galaxies—for each system. We recover a mean relation for the stellar mass versus halo mass, , that is 1σ shallower than in our previous result. We confirm that the partitioning of baryons between the stellar and hot-gas components is a strong function of M500; the fractions of total mass in stars and X-ray gas within a sphere of radius r500 scale as and , respectively. We also confirm that the combination of the brightest cluster galaxy and intracluster stars is an increasingly important contributor to the stellar baryon budget in lower halo masses. Studies that fail to fully account for intracluster stars typically underestimate the normalization of the stellar baryon fraction versus M500 relation by ∼25%. Our derived stellar baryon fractions are also higher, and the trend with halo mass weaker, than those derived from recent halo occupation distribution and abundance matching analyses. One difference from our previous work is the weak, but statistically significant, dependence here of the total baryon fraction upon halo mass: . For M500 ≳ 2 × 1014, the total baryon fractions within r500 are on average 18% below the universal value from the seven year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) analysis, or 7% below for the cosmological parameters from the Planck analysis. In the latter case, the difference between the universal value and cluster baryon fractions is less than the systematic uncertainties associated with the M500 determinations. The total baryon fractions exhibit significant scatter, particularly at M500 < 2 × 1014M☼ where they range from 60%-90%, or 65%-100%, of the universal value for WMAP7 and Planck, respectively. The ratio of the stellar-to-gas mass within r500 (M⋆/Mgas), a measure of integrated star-formation efficiency, strongly decreases with increasing M500. This relation is tight, with an implied intrinsic scatter of 12%. The fact that this relation remains tight at low mass implies that the larger scatter in the total baryon fractions at these masses arises from either true scatter in the total baryon content or observational scatter in M500 rather than late-time physical processes such as redistribution of gas to beyond r500. If the scatter in the baryon content at low mass is physical, then our results imply that in this mass range, the integrated star-formation efficiency rather than the baryon fraction that is constant at fixed halo mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The details of the stellar mass assembly of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) remain an unresolved problem in galaxy formation. We have developed a novel approach that allows us to construct a sample of clusters that form an evolutionary sequence, and have applied it to the Spitzer IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey (ISCS) to examine the evolution of BCGs in progenitors of present-day clusters with mass of (2.5-4.5) × 1014M☉. We follow the cluster mass growth history extracted from a high resolution cosmological simulation, and then use an empirical method that infers the cluster mass based on the ranking of cluster luminosity to select high-z clusters of appropriate mass from ISCS to be progenitors of the given set of z = 0 clusters. We find that, between z = 1.5 and 0.5, the BCGs have grown in stellar mass by a factor of 2.3, which is well-matched by the predictions from a state-of-the-art semi-analytic model. Below z = 0.5 we see hints of differences in behavior between the model and observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the first results from the Clusters Around Radio-Loud AGN program, a Cycle 7 and 8 Spitzer Space Telescope snapshot program to investigate the environments of a large sample of obscured and unobscured luminous radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 1.2 < z < 3.2. These data, obtained for 387 fields, reach 3.6 and 4.5μm depths of [3.6]AB = 22.6 and [4.5]AB = 22.9 at the 95% completeness level, which is two to three times fainter than L ∗ in this redshift range. By using the color cut [3.6] − [4.5] > −0.1 (AB), which efficiently selects high-redshift (z > 1.3) galaxies of all types, we identify galaxy cluster member candidates in the fields of the radio-loud AGN. The local density of these Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)-selected sources is compared to the density of similarly selected sources in blank fields.We find that 92% of the radio-loud AGN reside in environments richer than average. The majority (55%) of the radio-loud AGN fields are found to be overdense at a ⩾2σ level; 10% are overdense at a ⩾5σ level. A clear rise in surface density of IRAC-selected sources toward the position of the radio-loud AGN strongly supports an association of the majority of the IRAC-selected sources with the radio-loud AGN. Our results provide solid statistical evidence that radio-loud AGN are likely beacons for finding high-redshift galaxy (proto-)clusters. We investigate how environment depends on AGN type (unobscured radio-loud quasars versus obscured radio galaxies), radio luminosity and redshift, finding no correlation with either AGN type or radio luminosity. We find a decrease in density with redshift, consistent with galaxy evolution for this uniform, fluxlimited survey. These results are consistent with expectations from the orientation-driven AGN unification model, at least for the high radio luminosity regimes considered in this sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The best gravitational lenses for detecting distant galaxies are those with the largest mass concentrations and the most advantageous configurations of that mass along the line of sight. Our new method for finding such gravitational telescopes uses optical data to identify projected concentrations of luminous red galaxies (LRGs). LRGs are biased tracers of the underlying mass distribution, so lines of sight with the highest total luminosity in LRGs are likely to contain the largest total mass. We apply this selection technique to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and identify the 200 fields with the highest total LRG luminosities projected within a 3.5 radius over the redshift range 0.1 ⩽ z ⩽ 0.7. The redshift and angular distributions of LRGs in these fields trace the concentrations of non-LRG galaxies. These fields are diverse; 22.5% contain one known galaxy cluster and 56.0% contain multiple known clusters previously identified in the literature. Thus, our results confirm that these LRGs trace massive structures and that our selection technique identifies fields with large total masses. These fields contain two to three times higher total LRG luminosities than most known strong-lensing clusters and will be among the best gravitational lensing fields for the purpose of detecting the highest redshift galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fraction of cluster galaxies that host luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is an important probe of AGN fueling processes, the cold interstellar medium at the centers of galaxies, and how tightly black holes and galaxies co-evolve. We present a new measurement of the AGN fraction in a sample of 13 clusters of galaxies (M ⩾ 1014M☉) at 1 < z < 1.5 selected from the Spitzer/IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey, as well as the field fraction in the immediate vicinity of these clusters, and combine these data with measurements from the literature to quantify the relative evolution of cluster and field AGN from the present to z ~ 3. We estimate that the cluster AGN fraction at 1 < z < 1.5 is fA = 3.0+2.4 -1.4% for AGNs with a rest-frame, hard X-ray luminosity greater than LX,H ⩾ 1044 erg s-1. This fraction is measured relative to all cluster galaxies more luminous than M" 3.6(z)+1, where M"3.6(z) is the absolute magnitude of the break in the galaxy luminosity function at the cluster redshift in the IRAC 3.6μm bandpass. The cluster AGN fraction is 30 times greater than the 3σ upper limit on the value for AGNs of similar luminosity at z ~ 0.25, as well as more than an order of magnitude greater than the AGN fraction at z ~ 0.75. AGNs with LX,H ⩾ 1043 erg s-1 exhibit similarly pronounced evolution with redshift. In contrast to the local universe, where the luminous AGN fraction is higher in the field than in clusters, the X-ray and MIR-selected AGN fractions in the field and clusters are consistent at 1 < z < 1.5. This is evidence that the cluster AGN population has evolved more rapidly than the field population from z ~ 1.5 to the present. This environment-dependent AGN evolution mimics the more rapid evolution of star-forming galaxies in clusters relative to the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use imaging obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 to search for z850 dropouts at z ~ 7 and J110 dropouts at z ~ 9 lensed by the Bullet Cluster. In total we find 10 z850 dropouts in our 8.27 arcmin² field. Using magnification maps from a combined weak- and strong-lensing mass reconstruction of the Bullet Cluster and correcting for estimated completeness levels, we calculate the surface density and luminosity function of our z850 dropouts as a function of intrinsic (accounting for magnification) magnitude. We find results consistent with published blank field surveys, despite using much shallower data, and demonstrate the effectiveness of cluster surveys in the search for z ~ 7 galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The X-ray source CXOXBJ142607.6+353351 (CXOJ1426+35), which was identified in a 172 ks Chandra image in the Boötes field, shows double-peaked rest-frame optical/UV emission lines, separated by 0":69 (5.5 kpc) in the spatial dimension and by 690 km s-1 in the velocity dimension. The high excitation lines and emission line ratios indicate both systems are ionized by an active galactic nucleus (AGN) continuum, and the double-peaked profile resembles that of candidate dual AGNs. At a redshift of z = 1.175, this source is the highest redshift candidate dual AGN yet identified. However, many sources have similar emission line profiles for which other interpretations are favored. We have analyzed the substantial archival data available in this field as well as acquired near-infrared (NIR) adaptive optics (AO) imaging and NIR slit spectroscopy. The X-ray spectrum is hard, implying a column density of several 1023 cm-2. Though heavily obscured, the source is also one of the brightest in the field, with an absorption-corrected 2-10 keV luminosity of ~1045 erg s-1. Outflows driven by an accretion disk may produce the double-peaked lines if the central engine accretes near the Eddington limit. However, we may be seeing the narrow line regions of two AGNs following a galactic merger. While the AO image reveals only a single source, a second AGN would easily be obscured by the significant extinction inferred from the X-ray data. Understanding the physical processes producing the complex emission line profiles seen in CXOJ1426+35 and related sources is important for interpreting the growing population of dual AGN candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results from a systematic study of star formation in local galaxy clusters using 22 µm data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The 69 systems in our sample are drawn from the Cluster Infall Regions Survey, and all have robust mass determinations. The all-sky WISE data enable us to quantify the amount of star formation, as traced by 22 &microm, as a function of radius well beyond R200, and investigate the dependence of total star formation rate upon cluster mass. We find that the fraction of star-forming galaxies increases with cluster radius but remains below the field value even at 3R200. We also find that there is no strong correlation between the mass-normalized total specific star formation rate and cluster mass, indicating that the mass of the host cluster does not strongly influence the total star formation rate of cluster members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze Galaxy Evolution Explorer UV data for a system of four gravitationally bound groups at ɀ = 0.37, SG1120, which is destined to merge into a Coma-mass cluster by ɀ = 0, to study how galaxy properties may change during cluster assembly. Of the 38 visually classified S0 galaxies, with masses ranging from log(M/*)[Mʘ ≈ 10-11, we detect only one in the near-UV (NUV) channel, a strongly star-forming S0 that is the brightest UV source with a measured redshift placing it in SG1120. Stacking the undetected SO galaxies (which generally lie on or near the optical red sequence of SG1120) still results in no NUV/far-UV (FUV) detection (<2σ). Using our limit in the NUV band, we conclude that for a rapidly truncating star formation rate, star formation ceased at least ∼0.1-0.7 Gyr ago, depending on the strength of the starburst prior to truncation. With an exponentially declining star formation history over a range of timescales, we rule out recent star formation over a wide range of ages. We conclude that if S0 formation involves significant star formation, it occurred well before the groups were in this current pre-assembly phase. As such, it seems that S0 formation is even more likely to be predominantly occurring outside of the cluster environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the average physical properties and star formation histories (SFHs) of the most UV-luminous star- forming galaxies at z ~ 3.7. Our results are based on the average spectral energy distributions (SEDs), constructed from stacked optical-to-infrared photometry, of a sample of the 1913 most UV-luminous star-forming galaxies found in 5.3 deg2 of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. We find that the shape of the average SED in the rest optical and infrared is fairly constant with UV luminosity, i.e., more UV-luminous galaxies are, on average, also more luminous at longer wavelengths. In the rest UV, however, the spectral slope β (≅dlogFλ/dlogλ; measured at 0.13 μm <λrest < 0.28μm) rises steeply with the median UV luminosity from -1.8 at L ≈ L* to -1.2 (L ~ 4-5L*). We use population synthesis analyses to derive their average physical properties and find that (I) LUV and thus star formation rates (SFRs) scale closely with stellar mass such that more UV-luminous galaxies are also more massive, (2) the median ages indicate that the stellar populations are relatively young (200-400 Myr) and show little correlation with UV luminosity, and (3) more UV-luminous galaxies are dustier than their less- luminous counterparts, such that L ≈ 4-5L* galaxies are extincted up to A(1600) = 2 mag while L ≈ L* galaxies have A(1600) = 0.7-1.5 mag. We argue that the average SFHs of UV-luminous galaxies are better described by models in which SFR increases with time in order to simultaneously reproduce the tight correlation between the UV-derived SFR and stellar mass and their universally young ages. We demonstrate the potential of measurements of the SFR-M* relation at multiple redshifts to discriminate between simple models of SFHs. Finally, we discuss the fate of these UV-brightest galaxies in the next 1-2 Gyr and their possible connection to the most massive galaxies at z ~ 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure the star formation rates (SFRs) of massive (M⋆ > 1010.1M☼) early-type galaxies (ETGs) in a sample of 11 high-redshift (1.0 < z < 1.5) galaxy clusters drawn from the IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey (ISCS). We identify ETGs visually from Hubble Space Telescope imaging and select likely cluster members as having either an appropriate spectroscopic redshift or red-sequence color. Mid-infrared SFRs are measured using Spitzer 24 μm data for isolated cluster galaxies for which contamination by neighbors, and active galactic nuclei, can be ruled out. Cluster ETGs show enhanced specific star formation rates (sSFRs) compared to cluster galaxies in the local universe, but have sSFRs more than four times lower than that of field ETGs at 1 < z < 1.5. Relative to the late-type cluster population, isolated ETGs show substantially quenched mean SFRs, yet still contribute 12% of the overall star formation activity measured in 1 < z < 1.5 clusters. We find that new ETGs are likely being formed in ISCS clusters; the fraction of cluster galaxies identified as ETGs increases from 34% to 56% from z ∼ 1.5 → 1.25. While the fraction of cluster ETGs that are highly star-forming (SFR ⩾ 26 M☼ yr–1) drops from 27% to 10% over the same period, their sSFRs are roughly constant. All these factors taken together suggest that, particularly at z ≳ 1.25, the events that created these distant cluster ETGs—likely mergers, at least among the most massive—were both recent and gas-rich. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of a large-scale structure containing multiple protoclusters at z = 3.78 in the Boötes field. The spectroscopic discovery of five galaxies at z = 3.783 ± 0.002 lying within 1 Mpc of one another led us to undertake a deep narrow- and broadband imaging survey of the surrounding field. Within a comoving volume of 72 × 72 × 25 Mpc3, we have identified 65 Lyα emitter (LAE) candidates at z = 3.795 ± 0.015, and four additional galaxies at zspec = 3.730, 3.753, 3.780, 3.835. The galaxy distribution within the field is highly non-uniform, exhibiting three large (≈3-5 ×) overdensities separated by 8-14 Mpc (physical) and possibly connected by filamentary structures traced by LAEs. The observed number of LAEs in the entire field is nearly twice the average expected in field environments based on estimates of the Lyα luminosity function at these redshifts. We estimate that by z = 0 the largest overdensity will grow into a cluster of mass ≈1015M☼; the two smaller overdensities will grow into clusters of mass (2-6) × 1014M☼. The highest concentration of galaxies is located at the southern end of the image, suggesting that the current imaging may not map the true extent of the large-scale structure. Finding three large protocluster candidates within a single 0.3 deg2 field is highly unusual; expectations from theory suggest that such alignments should occur less than 2% of the time. Searching for and characterizing such structures and accurately measuring their volume space density can therefore place constraints on the theory of structure formation. Such regions can also serve as laboratories for the study of galaxy formation in dense environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We classify the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 431,038 sources in the 9 deg2 Boötes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey (NDWFS). There are up to 17 bands of data available per source, including ultraviolet (GALEX), optical (NDWFS), near-IR (NEWFIRM), and mid-infrared (IRAC and MIPS) data, as well as spectroscopic redshifts for ∼20,000 objects, primarily from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey. We fit galaxy, active galactic nucleus (AGN), stellar, and brown dwarf templates to the observed SEDs, which yield spectral classes for the Galactic sources and photometric redshifts and galaxy/AGN luminosities for the extragalactic sources. The photometric redshift precision of the galaxy and AGN samples are σ/(1 + z) = 0.040 and σ/(1 + z) = 0.169, respectively, with the worst 5% outliers excluded. On the basis of the of the SED fit for each SED model, we are able to distinguish between Galactic and extragalactic sources for sources brighter than I = 23.5 mag. We compare the SED fits for a galaxy-only model and a galaxy-AGN model. Using known X-ray and spectroscopic AGN samples, we confirm that SED fitting can be successfully used as a method to identify large populations of AGNs, including spatially resolved AGNs with significant contributions from the host galaxy and objects with the emission line ratios of “composite” spectra. We also use our results to compare with the X-ray, mid-IR, optical color, and emission line ratio selection techniques. For an F-ratio threshold of F > 10, we find 16,266 AGN candidates brighter than I = 23.5 mag and a surface density of ∼1900 AGN deg–2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure the faint-end slope of the galaxy luminosity function (LF) for cluster galaxies at 1 < z < 1.5 using Spitzer IRAC data. We investigate whether this slope, α, differs from that of the field LF at these redshifts, and with the cluster LF at low redshifts. The latter is of particular interest as low-luminosity galaxies are expected to undergo significant evolution. We use seven high-redshift spectroscopically confirmed galaxy clusters drawn from the IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey to measure the cluster-galaxy LF down to depths of M* + 3 (3.6 μm) and M* + 2.5 (4.5 μm). The summed LF at our median cluster redshift (z = 1.35) is well fit by a Schechter distribution with α3.6 μm = –0.97 ± 0.14 and α4.5 μm = –0.91 ± 0.28, consistent with a flat faint-end slope and is in agreement with measurements of the field LF in similar bands at these redshifts. A comparison to α in low-redshift clusters finds no statistically significant evidence of evolution. Combined with past studies which show that M* is passively evolving out to z ∼ 1.3, this means that the shape of the cluster LF is largely in place by z ∼ 1.3. This suggests that the processes that govern the buildup of the mass of low-mass cluster galaxies have no net effect on the faint-end slope of the cluster LF at z ≲ 1.3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Merging clusters of galaxies are unique in their power to directly probe and place limits on the self-interaction cross-section of dark matter. Detailed observations of several merging clusters have shown the intracluster gas to be displaced from the centroids of dark matter and galaxy density by ram pressure, while the latter components are spatially coincident, consistent with collisionless dark matter. This has been used to place upper limits on the dark matter particle self-interaction cross-section of order 1 cm2 g–1. The cluster A520 has been seen as a possible exception. We revisit A520 presenting new Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys mosaic images and a Magellan image set. We perform a detailed weak-lensing analysis and show that the weak-lensing mass measurements and morphologies of the core galaxy-filled structures are mostly in good agreement with previous works. There is, however, one significant difference: We do not detect the previously claimed “dark core” that contains excess mass with no significant galaxy overdensity at the location of the X-ray plasma. This peak has been suggested to be indicative of a large self-interaction cross-section for dark matter (at least ∼5σ larger than the upper limit of 0.7 cm2 g–1 determined by observations of the Bullet Cluster). We find no such indication and instead find that the mass distribution of A520, after subtraction of the X-ray plasma mass, is in good agreement with the luminosity distribution of the cluster galaxies. We conclude that A520 shows no evidence to contradict the collisionless dark matter scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of an IR-selected galaxy cluster in the IRAC Distant Cluster Survey (IDCS). New data from the Hubble Space Telescope spectroscopically confirm IDCS J1433.2+3306 at z = 1.89 with robust spectroscopic redshifts for seven members, two of which are based on the 4000 Å break. Detected emission lines such as [O II] and Hβ indicate star formation rates of ≳20 M☼ yr–1 for three galaxies within a 500 kpc projected radius of the cluster center. The cluster exhibits a red sequence with a scatter and color indicative of a formation redshift zf ≳ 3.5. The stellar age of the early-type galaxy population is approximately consistent with those of clusters at lower redshift (1