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We present a study of galaxies in the STAGES survey of the Abell 901/902 supercluster at z~0.165, based on HST ACS F606W, COMBO-17, Spitzer 24um, XMM-Newton X-ray, and gravitational lensing maps. We characterize galaxies with strong, externally-triggered morphological distortions and normal, relatively undisturbed galaxies, using visual classification and quantitative CAS parameters. We compare normal and distorted galaxies in terms of their frequency, distribution within the cluster, star formation properties, and relationship to dark matter (DM) or surface mass density, and intra-cluster medium (ICM) density. We report here our preliminary results., Comment: To appear in the proceedings of "Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Disks", Rome, October 2007, Eds. J. Funes and E. M. Corsini. 2 pages, 2 figures

Aims. We analyse the relative performance of different photo-z codes in blind applications to ground-based data. Methods. We tested the codes on imaging datasets with different depths and filter coverages and compared the results to large spectroscopic catalogues. The photo-z error behaviour was analysed to select cleaner subsamples with more secure photo-z estimates. We consider Hyperz, BPZ, and the code used in the CADIS, COMBO-17, and HIROCS surveys. Results. The photo-z error estimates of the three codes do not correlate tightly with the accuracy of the photo-z's. While very large errors sometimes indicate a true catastrophic photo-z failure, smaller errors are usually not meaningful. For any given dataset, we find significant differences in redshift accuracy and outlier rates between the different codes when compared to spectroscopic redshifts. However, different codes excel in different regimes. The agreement between different sets of photo-z's is better for the subsample with secure spectroscopic redshifts than for the whole catalogue. Conclusions. Running today's photo-z codes on well-calibrated ground-based data can lead to reasonable accuracy. The actual performance on a given dataset is largely dependent on the template choice and on realistic instrumental response curves. It would be desirable to improve the photo-z error estimation for future applications so as to get a better handle on rejecting objects with grossly inaccurate photo-z's. The secure spectroscopic subsamples commonly used for assessments of photo-z accuracy may be biased toward objects for which the photo-z's are easier to estimate than for a complete flux-limited sample, resulting in very optimistic estimates. (abridged), Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A&A

We present the first high-redshift galaxy cluster candidate sample from the HIROCS survey found in the COSMOS field. It results from a combination of public COSMOS with proprietary H-band data on a 0.66 square degree part of the COSMOS field and comprises 12 candidates in the redshift range 1.23 < z < 1.55. We find an increasing fraction of blue cluster members with increasing redshift. Many of the blue and even some of the reddest member galaxies exhibit disturbed morphologies as well as signs of interaction., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, in print format, accepted for publication by A&A Letters

Type Ia supernovae are thought to be thermonuclear explosions of accreting white dwarfs that reach a critical mass limit. Despite their importance as cosmological distance indicators, the nature of their progenitors has remained controversial. Here we report the detection of circumstellar material in a normal Type Ia supernova. The expansion velocities, densities and dimensions of the circumstellar envelope indicate that this material was ejected from the progenitor system. The relatively low expansion velocities appear to favor a progenitor system where a white dwarf accretes material from a companion star which is in the red-giant phase at the time of explosion., Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Science. Full resolution version at http://www.hq.eso.org/~fpatat/science/sn06X/preprint.pdf . The original paper can be found at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1143005

We present XMM data for the supercluster A901/2, at z ~ 0.17, which is combined with deep imaging and 17-band photometric redshifts (from the COMBO-17 survey), 2dF spectra and Spitzer 24um data, to identify AGN in the supercluster. The 90ksec XMM image contains 139 point sources, of which 11 are identified as supercluster AGN with L_X(0.5-7.5keV) > 1.7x10^41 erg/cm2/s. The host galaxies have M_R < -20 and only 2 of 8 sources with spectra could have been identified as AGN by the detected optical emission lines. Using a large sample of 795 supercluster galaxies we define control samples of massive galaxies with no detected AGN. The local environments of the AGN and control samples differ at >98 per cent significance. The AGN host galaxies lie predominantly in areas of moderate projected galaxy density and with more local blue galaxies than the control sample, with the exception of one very bright Type I AGN very near the centre of a cluster. These environments are similar to, but not limited to, cluster outskirts and blue groups. Despite the large number of potential host galaxies, no AGN are found in regions with the highest galaxy density (excluding some cluster cores where emission from the ICM obscures moderate luminosity AGN). AGN are also absent from the areas with lowest galaxy density. We conclude that the prevalence of cluster AGN is linked to their environment., Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures. MNRAS accepted. Version with full resolution figures, including Figure 14, is available at http://www.sc.eso.org/~rgilmour/

We present a morphological study of galaxies in the A901/902 supercluster from the COMBO-17 survey. A total of 570 galaxies with photometric redshifts in the range 0.155 < z_phot < 0.185 are visually classified by three independent classifiers to M_V=-18. These morphological classifications are compared to local galaxy density, distance from the nearest cluster centre, local surface mass density from weak lensing, and photometric classification. At high local galaxy densities, log(Sigma_10 /Mpc^2) > 1.5, a classical morphology-density relation is found. A correlation is also found between morphology and local projected surface mass density, but no trend is observed with distance to the nearest cluster. This supports the finding that local environment is more important to galaxy morphology than global cluster properties. The breakdown of the morphological catalogue by colour shows a dominance of blue galaxies in the galaxies displaying late-type morphologies and a corresponding dominance of red galaxies in the early-type population. Using the 17-band photometry from COMBO-17, we further split the supercluster red sequence into old passive galaxies and galaxies with young stars and dust according to the prescription of Wolf et al. (2005). We find that the dusty star-forming population describes an intermediate morphological group between late-type and early-type galaxies, supporting the hypothesis that field and group spiral galaxies are transformed into S0s and, perhaps, ellipticals during cluster infall., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 7 pages, 6 figures

We have developed a method to calculate overdensities in multicolour surveys, facilitating a direct comparison of the local density contrast measured using galaxy samples that have different redshift error distributions, i.e. for red and blue, or bright and faint galaxies, respectively. We calculate overdensities in small redshift slices (Delta z =0.02, which at z=0.3 corresponds roughly to Delta r_comoving=53 h^-1 Mpc) for 9176 galaxies with R<=23.65, M_B(Vega)-5log h<=-18, and z<= 0.7, in three COMBO-17 fields (measuring 31'X 31' each). The mean redshift errors of this sample are approximately sigma_z/(1+z)~0.015. In the Chandra Deep Field South we identify a region that is underdense by almost a factor 2 compared to the other two fields in the same redshift range (0.25<~ z <~0.4). This can be used for an investigation of the variation of the colour-dependent luminosity function with environment: We calculate the luminosity function in this redshift range for red sequence and blue cloud galaxies (as defined by Bell et al. 04) in each of the fields separately. While the luminosity function of the blue galaxies remains unaffected by different density contrasts, the luminosity function of the red galaxies clearly has a more positive faint-end slope in the Chandra Deep Field South as compared to the other two COMBO-17 fields. The underdensity there is thus mainly due to a deficiency of faint red galaxies. This result is in qualitative agreement with the trends seen at z=0.1, e.g. in the 2dFGRS (Croton et al. 05), or in the SDSS (Zandivarez et al. 06)., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication by A&A

We investigate correlations between galaxy age and environment in the Abell 901/2 supercluster for separate morphologies. Using COMBO-17 data, we define a sample of 530 galaxies, complete at $M_V -5\log h<-18$ on an area of $3.5\times 3.5$ (Mpc/$h$)$^2$. We explore several age indicators including an extinction-corrected residual from the colour-magnitude relation (CMR). As a result, we find a clear trend of age with density for galaxies of all morphologies that include a spheroidal component, in the sense that galaxies in denser environments are older. This trend is not seen among Scd/Irr galaxies since they all have young ages. However, the trend among the other types is stronger for fainter galaxies. While we also see an expected age-morphology relation, we find no evidence for a morphology-density relation at fixed age., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS (Letters)

We have developed a method to calculate overdensities in multicolour surveys, and compare the local density contrast measured in galaxy samples with different redshift error distributions. We calculated overdensities for three COMBO-17 fields, and identified a region in the CDFS, where the density is lower by a factor of 2 compared to the other two fields. This is mainly due to a deficiency of faint red galaxies. This result is in agreement with local observations in the 2dF., Comment: To appear in the ASP Conference Series (Proceedings of the Cosmic Frontiers conference held in Durham, 31st July - 4th August 2006)

We present the first application of the 3D cosmic shear method developed in Heavens et al. (2006) and the geometric shear-ratio analysis developed in Taylor et al. (2006), to the COMBO-17 data set. 3D cosmic shear has been used to analyse galaxies with redshift estimates from two random COMBO-17 fields covering 0.52 square degrees in total, providing a conditional constraint in the (sigma_8, Omega_m) plane as well as a conditional constraint on the equation of state of dark energy, parameterised by a constant w= p/rho c^2. The (sigma_8, Omega_m) plane analysis constrained the relation between sigma_8 and Omega_m to be sigma_8(Omega_m/0.3)^{0.57 +- 0.19}=1.06 +0.17 -0.16, in agreement with a 2D cosmic shear analysis of COMBO-17. The 3D cosmic shear conditional constraint on w using the two random fields is w=-1.27 +0.64 -0.70. The geometric shear-ratio analysis has been applied to the A901/2 field, which contains three small galaxy clusters. Combining the analysis from the A901/2 field, using the geometric shear-ratio analysis, and the two random fields, using 3D cosmic shear, w is conditionally constrained to w=-1.08 +0.63 -0.58. The errors presented in this paper are shown to agree with Fisher matrix predictions made in Heavens et al. (2006) and Taylor et al. (2006). When these methods are applied to large datasets, as expected soon from surveys such as Pan-STARRS and VST-KIDS, the dark energy equation of state could be constrained to an unprecedented degree of accuracy., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Accepted to MNRAS

[ABRIDGED] The weak gravitational lensing effect is used to infer matter density fluctuations within the field-of-view of the Garching-Bonn Deep Survey (GaBoDS). This information is employed for a statistical comparison of the galaxy distribution to the total matter distribution. The result of this comparison is expressed by means of the linear bias factor, b, the ratio of density fluctuations, and the correlation factor $r$ between density fluctuations. The total galaxy sample is divided into three sub-samples using R-band magnitudes and the weak lensing analysis is applied separately for each sub-sample. Together with the photometric redshifts from the related COMBO-17 survey we estimate the typical mean redshifts of these samples with $\bar{z}=0.35, 0.47, 0.61$, respectively. For all three samples, a slight galaxy anti-bias, b~0.8+-0.1, on scales of a few Mpc/h is found; the bias factor shows evidence for a slight scale-dependence. The correlation between galaxy and (dark) matter distribution is high, r~0.6+-0.2, indicating a non-linear or/and stochastic biasing relation between matter and galaxies. Between the three samples no significant evolution with redshift is found., Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, LaTeX, accepted by A&A; estimates for the uncertainties in the galaxy redshift distribution were added, new Section 4.4 on statistical errors in the galaxy bias calibration factors

Context: Wide-field narrowband surveys are an efficient way of searching large volumes of high-redshift space for distant galaxies. Aims: We describe the Wide Field Imager Lyman-Alpha Search (WFILAS) over 0.74 sq. degree for bright emission-line galaxies at z~5.7. Methods: WFILAS uses deep images taken with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the ESO/MPI 2.2m telescope in three narrowband (70 A), one encompassing intermediate band (220 A) and two broadband filters, B and R. We use the novel technique of an encompassing intermediate band filter to exclude false detections. Images taken with broadband B and R filters are used to remove low redshift galaxies from our sample. Results: We present a sample of seven Lya emitting galaxy candidates, two of which are spectroscopically confirmed. Compared to other surveys all our candidates are bright, the results of this survey complements other narrowband surveys at this redshift. Most of our candidates are in the regime of bright luminosities, beyond the reach of less voluminous surveys. Adding our candidates to those of another survey increases the derived luminosity density by ~30%. We also find potential clustering in the Chandra Deep Field South, supporting overdensities discovered by other surveys. Based on a FORS2/VLT spectrum we additionally present the analysis of the second confirmed Lya emitting galaxy in our sample. We find that it is the brightest Lya emitting galaxy (1 x 10^-16 erg s^-1 cm^-2) at this redshift to date and the second confirmed candidate of our survey. Both objects exhibit the presence of a possible second Lya component redward of the line., Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in A&A Replaced with published version

We re-assess the question of a systematic time delay between the formation of the progenitor and its explosion in a type Ia supernova (SN Ia) using the Hubble Higher-z Supernova Search sample (Strolger et al. 2004). While the previous analysis indicated a significant time delay, with a most likely value of 3.4 Gyr, effectively ruling out all previously proposed progenitor models, our analysis shows that the time-delay estimate is dominated by systematic errors, in particular due to uncertainties in the star-formation history. We find that none of the popular progenitor models under consideration can be ruled out with any significant degree of confidence. The inferred time delay is mainly determined by the peak in the assumed star-formation history. We show that, even with a much larger Supernova sample, the time delay distribution cannot be reliably reconstructed without better constraints on the star-formation history., Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS

We describe the data reduction and object cataloging for the GEMS survey, a large-area (800 arcmin^2) two-band (F606W and F850LP) imaging survey with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on HST, centered on the Chandra Deep Field South., Comment: submitted to ApJS, 23 pages, 6 figures

We report the discovery of an ultra-cool white dwarf in the COMBO-17 survey. So far, only seven objects have been discovered in this rare category of white dwarfs, which are characterized by strong flux depression in the far-red and near-infrared part of the spectrum, presumably due to collisionally induced absorption (CIA). The new object COMBO-17 J114356.08-0144032 has very similar colours to LHS 3250, which was the first of its kind to be recognized. However, at R=21.5 it is the faintest and possibly most distant such object discovered to date. It is the only such object in COMBO-17 at R<23; due to the small sky coverage of 0.78 square degree this chance discovery can not provide any constraints on the abundance of faint ultra-cool white dwarfs. We speculate on the basis of the proper motion that this new object is probably a member of the Galactic (thin) disk., Comment: accepted for publication by A&A Letters, 4 pages in print format

We present measurements of galaxy clustering at redshift =0.6 using 10360 galaxies with photometric redshifts over an area of 0.78 square degree from the COMBO-17 survey. To obtain a result that is unaffected by redshift uncertainties, we calculate the projected correlation function w(r_p), giving results for red sequence and blue cloud galaxies separately. The correlation function of the red galaxies displays clear deviations from a power law at comoving separations around 1 to 3 h^-1 Mpc, and similar but weaker trends are suggested by the data for the blue galaxies. To interpret these results, we fit the correlation functions with analytical predictions derived from a simple halo occupation model. This combines linear clustering of the underlying mass with a description of the number of galaxies occupying each dark-matter halo (the halo occupation distribution). If the occupation numbers are taken to be a simple power law with N proportional to M^alpha, then alpha ~ 0.5 and alpha ~ 0.2 for red and blue galaxies respectively. These figures are little different from the values required to fit present-day clustering data. The power-spectrum shape is assumed to be known in this exercise, but we allow the data to determine the preferred value of sigma_8, the linear power-spectrum normalization. The average normalization inferred from red and blue galaxies at =0.6 is sigma_8=1.02+-0.17 at zero redshift, consistent with independent estimates of this local value. This agreement can be regarded as a verification of the hierarchical growth of the halo mass function., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication by A&A

We report the discovery of a rich component of dusty star-forming galaxies contaminating the red-sequence in the supercluster system comprising Abell 901a, 901b and A902 at redshift ~0.17. These galaxies do not fit into the colour-density relation, because their preferred habitat is different from that of regular red-sequence galaxies, which are typically dust-poor, old and passively evolving. The dusty red galaxies prefer the medium-density outskirts of clusters while being rare in both the low-density field and the high-density cluster cores. This new result is based on the information content in the medium-band photometry of the COMBO-17 survey. The photo-z accuracy of the ~800 brightest cluster galaxies is <0.01 and of the order of the velocity dispersion of the cluster. This enables us to select a rich and clean cluster sample, in which we can trace age-sensitive and dust-sensitive spectral features independently with the detailed medium-band SED data. We find the red colour of the dusty galaxies to be a result of dust extinction combined with relatively old stellar ages. We speculate that the dusty red galaxies could either be a product of minor mergers between established old red cluster galaxies with infalling blue field galaxies, or mark a period in the internal transformation of blue field galaxies into red cluster galaxies, which is triggered by the environmental influences experienced during cluster infall., Comment: accepted version, only minor changes and typos corrected, 17 pages in A&A print format

The DEEP2 and COMBO-17 surveys are used to study the evolution of the luminosity function of red and blue galaxies to $z \sim 1$. Schechter function fits show that, since $z = 1$, $M^*_B$ dims by $\sim$ 1.3 mag per unit redshift for both color classes, $\phi^*$ of blue galaxies shows little change, while $\phi^*$ for red galaxies has formally nearly quadrupled. At face value, the number density of blue galaxies has remained roughly constant since $ z = 1$, whereas that of red galaxies has been rising. Luminosity densities support both conclusions, but we note that most red-galaxy evolution occurs between our data and local surveys and in our highest redshift bin, where the data are weakest. We discuss the implications of having most red galaxies emerge after $z = 1$ from precursors among the blue population, taking into account the properties of local and distant E/S0s. We suggest a ``mixed'' scenario in which some blue galaxies have their star-formation quenched in gas-rich mergers, migrate to the red sequence with a variety of masses, and merge further on the red sequence in one or more purely stellar mergers. E/S0s of a given mass today will have formed via different routes, in a manner that may help to explain the fundamental plane and other local scaling laws., Comment: Submitted to ApJ. 73 pages, 12 figures. Part II of a two-paper series. The entire paper is available as a single postscript file at: http://www.ucolick.org/~cnaw/paper2_submitted.ps.gz

We present a measurement of mass estimates for dark matter halos around galaxies from the COMBO-17 survey using weak gravitational lensing. COMBO-17 is particularly useful for this kind of investigation because it covers observations in 17 optical filters from which accurate photometric redshifts and spectral classification for objects with $R<24$ are derived. This allows us to select lens and source galaxies from their redshifts and to thus avoid any uncertainties from estimates of the source redshift distribution. We study galaxy lenses at redshifts $z_\mathrm{d}=0.2-0.7$ by fitting the normalization of either singular isothermal spheres (SIS) or Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profiles to the whole lens sample; we then consider halos around blue and red subsamples separately. We also constrain the scaling of halo mass with light. For the NFW model, we find virial masses $M_\mathrm{vir}^*=3.9^{+3.3}_{-2.4}\times 10^{11}h^{-1}M_{\sun}$ (1-$\sigma$) for blue and $M_\mathrm{vir}^*=7.1^{+7.1}_{-3.8}\times 10^{11}h^{-1}M_{\sun}$ for red galaxies of $L_\star=10^{10}h^{-2}L_{\sun}$, respectively. The derived mass-to-light scaling relations suggest that the mass-to-light ratio might decrease with increasing luminosity for blue galaxies but increase with increasing luminosity for red galaxies. However, these differences between blue and red galaxies are only marginally significant and both subsamples are consistent with having the same mass-to-light ratio at all luminosities. Finally, we compare our results to those obtained from the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey (RCS) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Taking differences in the actual modelling into account, we find very good agreement with these surveys., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, submitted to A&A

This article discusses the our changing knowledge of the evolution of AGN from an optical perspective. It focusses on optically-unobscured (type-1) AGN as it is much trickier to investigate the evolution type-2 objects from an optical point of view. It discusses major optical survey work that improved our knowledge of QSO evolution during the last five years. It touches on the shape of the QSO luminosity function, on the peak of QSO activity, the quest for reddened QSOs and spectral evolution. Finally, it summarizes recent advances in the research of host galaxies, which probably hold the key for the triggering mechanisms of the activity, and reiterates the difficulty of understanding the physical evolution of AGN and its place in the context of galaxy evolution., Comment: Invited review to the 2nd RadioNet Science Workshop, 8 pages

One third of present-day spirals host optically visible strong bars that drive their dynamical evolution. However, the fundamental question of how bars evolve over cosmological times has yet to be addressed, and even the frequency of bars at intermediate redshifts remains controversial. We investigate the frequency of bars out to z~1.0 drawing on a sample of 1590 galaxies from the GEMS survey, which provides morphologies from HST ACS two-color images, and highly accurate redshifts from the COMBO-17 survey. We identify spiral galaxies using the Sersic index, concentration parameter, and rest-frame color. We characterize bars and disks by fitting ellipses to F606W and F850LP images, taking advantage of the two bands to minimize bandpass shifting. We exclude highly inclined (i>60 deg) galaxies to ensure reliable morphological classifications, and apply completeness cuts of M_v <= -19.3 and -20.6. More than 40% of the bars that we detect have semi major axes a<0.5" and would be easily missed in earlier surveys without the small PSF of ACS. The bars that we can reliably detect are fairly strong (with ellipticities e>=0.4) and have a in the range ~1.2-13 kpc. We find that the optical fraction of such strong bars remains at ~(30% +- 6%) from the present-day out to look-back times of 2-6 Gyr (z~0.2-0.7) and 6-8 Gyr (z~0.7-1.0); it certainly shows no sign of a drastic decline at z>0.7. Our findings of a large and similar bar fraction at these three epochs favor scenarios in which cold gravitationally unstable disks are already in place by z~1, and where on average bars have a long lifetime (well above 2 Gyr). The distributions of structural bar properties in the two slices are, however, not statistically identical and therefore allow for the possibility that the bar strengths and sizes may evolve over time., Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letters, to appear in Nov 2004 issue. Minor revisions,updated references

We combine high-resolution images from GEMS with redshifts and spectral energy distributions from COMBO-17 to explore the morphological types of galaxies that dominate the z~0.7 UV luminosity density. We analysed rest-frame 280 nm and V-band luminosities of 1483 galaxies with 0.65

Bars drive the dynamical evolution of disk galaxies by redistributing mass and angular momentum, and they are ubiquitous in present-day spirals. Early studies of the Hubble Deep Field reported a dramatic decline in the rest-frame optical bar fraction f_opt to below 5% at redshifts z>0.7, implying that disks at these epochs are fundamentally different from present-day spirals. The GEMS bar project, based on ~8300 galaxies with HST-based morphologies and accurate redshifts over the range 0.2-1.1, aims at constraining the evolution and impact of bars over the last 8 Gyr. We present early results indicating that f_opt remains nearly constant at ~30% over the range z=0.2-1.1,corresponding to lookback times of ~2.5-8 Gyr. The bars detected at z>0.6 are primarily strong with ellipticities of 0.4-0.8. Remarkably, the bar fraction and range of bar sizes observed at z>0.6 appear to be comparable to the values measured in the local Universe for bars of corresponding strengths. Implications for bar evolution models are discussed., Comment: Submitted June 25, 2004. 10 pages 5 figures. To appear in Penetrating Bars through Masks of Cosmic Dust: The Hubble Tuning Fork Strikes a New Note, eds. D. Block, K. Freeman, R. Groess, I. Puerari, & E.K. Block (Dordrecht: Kluwer), in press

As a step towards our understanding of galaxy evolution and for testing predictions of cosmological models we started a survey for galaxy clusters intending to identify candidates out to redshifts of ~1.5: HIROCS (= Heidelberg InfraRed/Optical Cluster Survey) is a multi-color survey (B, R, i, z and H) covering 11 square degrees in four fields on the sky. Our survey aims at a 5sigma detection of an L*+1 elliptical galaxy at z = 1.5. Classification of all objects and determination of photometric redshifts is done by the multi-color-classification scheme developed for the CADIS and COMBO-17 surveys. Cluster identification will be done by identifying overdensities in 3D-space (RA, DEC, zphot). First tests of our cluster finding algorithm on fields observed within CADIS and COMBO-17 revealed several cluster candidates.

We present the first successful demonstration of multi-object near-infrared spectroscopy on high redshift galaxies. Our objective is to address the true star formation history of the universe at z~1, a crucial epoch which some have suggested is the peak of star formation activity. By using H-alpha -the same robust star formation indicator used at low-z - redshifted into the J- and H-bands, we can trace star formation without the systematic uncertainties of different calibrators, or the extreme dust extinction in the rest-UV, which have plagued previous efforts. We are using the instrument CIRPASS (the Cambridge Infra-Red PAnoramic Survey Spectrograph), in multi-object mode, which has been successfully demonstrated on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) and the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). CIRPASS has 150 fibres deployable over \~40arcmin on the AAT and ~15arcmin on the WHT. Here we present preliminary results from one of our fields observed with the WHT: H-alpha detections of z~1 galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field North., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the proceedings of the XXXIXth Rencontres de Moriond "Exploring the Universe"

Based on the photometry of 10 near-UV, optical, and near-infrared bands of the Chandra Deep Field South, we estimate the photometric redshifts for 342 X-ray sources, which constitute ~99% of all the detected X-ray sources in the field. The models of spectral energy distribution are based on galaxies and a combination of power-law continuum and emission lines. Color information is useful for source classifications: Type-I AGN show non-thermal spectral features that are distinctive from galaxies and Type-II AGN. The hardness ratio in X-ray and the X-ray-to-optical flux ratio are also useful discriminators. Using rudimentary color separation techniques, we are able to further refine our photometric redshift estimations. Among these sources, 137 have reliable spectroscopic redshifts, which we use to verify the accuracy of photometric redshifts and to modify the model inputs. The average relative dispersion in redshift distribution is ~8%, among the most accurate for photometric surveys. The high reliability of our results is attributable to the high quality and broad coverage of data as well as the applications of several independent methods and a careful evaluation of every source. We apply our redshift estimations to study the effect of redshift on broadband colors and to study the redshift distribution of AGN. Our results show that both the hardness ratio and U-K color decline with redshift, which may be the result of a K-correction. The number of Type-II AGN declines significantly at z>2 and that of galaxies declines at z>1. However, the distribution of Type-I AGN exhibits less redshift dependence. As well, we observe a significant peak in the redshift distribution at z=0.6. We demonstrate that our photometric redshift estimation produces a reliable database for the study of X-ray luminosity of galaxies and AGN., Comment: 40 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We investigate how galaxy-galaxy lensing measurements depend on the knowledge of redshifts for lens and source galaxies. Galaxy-galaxy lensing allows one to study dark matter halos of galaxies statistically using weak gravitational lensing. Redshift information is required to reliably distinguish foreground lens galaxies from background source galaxies and to convert the measured shear into constraints on the lens model. Without spectroscopy or multi-colour information, redshifts can be drawn from independently estimated probability distributions. The COMBO-17 survey provides redshifts for both lens and source galaxies. It thus offers the unique possibility to do this investigation with observational data. We find that it is of great importance to know the redshifts of individual lens galaxies in order to constrain the properties of their dark matter halos. Whether the redshifts are derived from $UBVRI$ or the larger number of filters available in COMBO-17 is not very important. In contrast, knowledge of individual source redshifts improves the measurements only very little over the use of statistical source redshift distributions as long as the source redshift distribution is known accurately., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, submitted to A&A, major changes and extensions

We have mapped the AGN luminosity function and its evolution between z=1 and z=5 down to apparent magnitudes of $R<24$. Within the GEMS project we have analysed HST-ACS images of many AGN in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, enabling us to assess the evolution of AGN host galaxy properties with cosmic time., Comment: to appear in proceedings 'Multiwavelength AGN Surveys', Cozumel 2003

We present the COMBO-17 object catalogue of the Chandra Deep Field South for public use, covering a field which is 31.5' x 30' in size. This catalogue lists astrometry, photometry in 17 passbands from 350 to 930 nm, and ground-based morphological data for 63,501 objects. The catalogue also contains multi-colour classification into the categories 'Star', 'Galaxy' and 'Quasar' as well as photometric redshifts. We include restframe luminosities in Johnson, SDSS and Bessell passbands and estimated errors. The redshifts are most reliable at R<24, where the sample contains approximately 100 quasars, 1000 stars and 10000 galaxies. We use nearly 1000 spectroscopically identified objects in conjunction with detailed simulations to characterize the performance of COMBO-17. We show that the selection of quasars, more generally type-1 AGN, is nearly complete and minimally contaminated at z=[0.5,5] for luminosities above M_B=-21.7. Their photometric redshifts are accurate to roughly 5000 km/sec. Galaxy redshifts are accurate to 1% in dz/(1+z) at R<21. They degrade in quality for progressively fainter galaxies, reaching accuracies of 2% for galaxies with R~222 and of 10% for galaxies with R>24. The selection of stars is complete to R~23, and deeper for M stars. We also present an updated discussion of our classification technique with maps of survey completeness, and discuss possible failures of the statistical classification in the faint regime at R>24., Comment: submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics, public data set available at http://www.mpia.de/COMBO/combo_index.html

We present the results from a study of the host galaxies of 15 optically selected AGNs with 0.5

We have performed HST imaging of a sample of 23 high-redshift (1.8

We present a direct detection of the growth of large-scale structure, using weak gravitational lensing and photometric redshift data from the COMBO-17 survey. We use deep R-band imaging of two 0.25 square degree fields, affording shear estimates for over 52000 galaxies; we combine these with photometric redshift estimates from our 17 band survey, in order to obtain a 3-D shear field. We find theoretical models for evolving matter power spectra and correlation functions, and fit the corresponding shear correlation functions to the data as a function of redshift. We detect the evolution of the power at the 7.7 sigma level given minimal priors, and measure the rate of evolution for 0

We present a 3-dimensional lensing analysis of the z=0.16 supercluster A901/2, resulting in a 3-D map of the dark matter distribution within a 3 X 10^{5} [Mpc]^3 volume from the COMBO-17 survey. We perform a chi^2-fit of isothermal spheres to the tangential shear pattern around each cluster as a function of redshift to estimate the 3-D positions and masses of the main clusters in the supercluster from lensing alone. We then present the first 3-D map of the dark matter gravitational potential field, Phi, using the Kaiser-Squires (1993) and Taylor (2001) inversion methods. These maps clearly show the potential wells of the main supercluster components, including a new cluster behind A902, and demonstrates the applicability of 3-D dark matter mapping and projection free-mass-selected cluster finding to current data. Finally, we develop the halo model of dark matter and galaxy clustering and compare this with the auto-and cross-correlation functions of the 3-D gravitational potential, galaxy number densities and galaxy luminosity densities measured in the A901/2 field. We find significant anti-correlations between the gravitational potential field and the galaxy number density and luminosities, as expected due to baryonic infall into dark matter concentrations. We find good agreement with the halo model for the number densities and luminosity correlation functions., Comment: Submitted to MNRAS; 21 pages, 18 figures

We investigate correlations between the location of galaxies in dense environments and their degree of star-formation activity. Using photometric redshifts and spectral classifications from the unique 17-band COMBO-17 survey we are able to precisely isolate galaxies from the Abell 901/902 supercluster within a thin redshift slice around z=0.16. We compare the detailed photometric properties of the supercluster galaxies with the underlying dark matter density field as revealed by weak gravitational lensing. We find strong evidence for segregation by type, with the highest density regions populated almost exclusively by galaxies classified according to their rest-frame U-V colours as quiescent. We also observe a threshold surface mass density from lensing, \kappa\sim 0.05 (corresponding to a physical density \Sigma = 2.5x10^(14)h M_\sun Mpc^(-2)), above which star-formation activity is rapidly suppressed. This abrupt transformation affects primarily the faint end of the star-forming galaxy population and occurs at a local surface number density corresponding to roughly 400h^2 Mpc^(-2) to a limit of M*_V+6. When only galaxies brighter than M*+1 are considered the trends with environment remain, but are more gradual and extend beyond 2h^(-1) Mpc radius., Comment: 5 pages, accepted for publication as a letter in MNRAS

We use extensive multi-wavelength photometric data from the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) to estimate photometric redshifts for a sample of 434 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the Chandra Deep Field South. Using the Bayesian method, which incorporates redshift/magnitude priors, we estimate photometric redshifts for galaxies in the range 18 < R (AB) < 25.5, giving an rms scatter of 0.11. The outlier fraction is < 10%, with the outlier-clipped rms being 0.047. We examine the accuracy of photometric redshifts for several, special sub--classes of objects. The results for extremely red objects are more accurate than those for the sample as a whole, with rms of 0.051 and very few outliers (3%). Photometric redshifts for active galaxies, identified from their X-ray emission, have a dispersion of 0.104, with 10% outlier fraction, similar to that for normal galaxies. Employing a redshift/magnitude prior in this process seems to be crucial in improving the agreement between photometric and spectroscopic redshifts., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL

We present a determination of the optical/UV AGN luminosity function and its evolution, based on a large sample of faint (R<24) QSOs identified in the COMBO-17 survey. Using multi-band photometry in 17 filters within 350nm < lambda_obs < 930nm, we could simultaneously determine photometric redshifts with an accuracy of sigma_z<0.03 and obtain spectral energy distributions. The redshift range covered by the sample is 1.2

The emission line survey within the Calar Alto Deep Imaging Survey (CADIS) detects emission line galaxies by a scan with an imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer. It covers 5 fields of > 100 square arcmin each in three wavelengths windows centered on lambda ~ 700, 820, and 920nm, and reaches to a typical limiting line flux of 3 x 10^(-20) W m^(-2). This is the deepest emission line survey covering a field of several 100 square arcmin. Galaxies between z = 0.25 and z = 1.4 are detected by prominent emission lines (from Halpha to [OII]372.7) falling into the FP scans. Additional observations with a dozen medium band filters allow to establish the line identification and thus the redshift of the galaxies to better than sigma(z) =0.001. On the basis of a total of more than 400 emission line galaxies detected in Halpha (92 galaxies), [OIII]500.7 (124 galaxies), or [OII]372.7 (222 galaxies) we measure the instantaneous star formation rate (SFR) in the range 0.24 < z < 1.21. With this purely emission line selected sample we are able to reach much fainter emission line galaxies than previous, continuum-selected samples. Thus completeness corrections are much less important. Our results substantiates the indications from previous studies (based on small galaxy samples) that the SFR decreases by a factor of ~20 between z = 1.2 and today. In fact, for a Omega(m) = 0.3, Omega(Lambda) = 0.7 cosmology, we find an exponential decline rho(SFR) proportional to exp(-lookback_time) / 2.6Gyr). The inferred SF density is in perfect agreement with that deduced from the FIR emission of optically selected galaxies which is explained by a large overlap between both populations. We show that self-consistent extinction corrections of both our emission lines and the UV continua lead to consistent results for the SF density., Comment: accepted for publication in A&A

Galaxies at high redshift with a strong Ly-Alpha emission line trace massive star formation in the absence of dust, and can therefore be regarded as a prime signature of the first major starburst in galaxies. We report results of the Ly-Alpha search within the Calar Alto Deep Imaging Survey (CADIS). With imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer CADIS can detect emission lines in three waveband windows free of night-sky emission lines at 700nm, 820nm, and 920nm. The typical flux detection limit for Ly-Alpha emission redshifted into these windows, Flim > 3X10^(-20) Wm^(-2), corresponds to (unobscured) star formation rates of >10Msun/yr at z=6. Candidate Ly-Alpha-emitting galaxies are selected from the total emission line sample, which contains more than 97% of objects at z<1.2, by the absence of flux below the Lyman limit (B-band "dropouts"), and the non-detection of secondary emission lines in narrow band filters. We have detected 5 bright Ly-Alpha-emitting galaxy candidates at z ~ 4.8, and 11 candidates at z ~ 5.7. For two of four observed Ly-Alpha candidates, one candidate at z ~ 4.8, and the other at z ~ 5.7, the emission line detected with the Fabry-Perot has been verified spectroscopically at the VLT. When compared to Ly-Alpha surveys at z<3.5 even the upper limits set by our list of candidates show that bright Ly-Alpha galaxies are significantly rarer at z>5 than the assumption of a non-evolving population would predict. Therefore we conclude that the Ly-Alpha bright phase of primeval star formation episodes reached its peak at redshifts between 3 and 6., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A; 15 pages, 4 figures

We perform a cosmic shear analysis of the COMBO-17 survey -- a unique dataset with shear quality R-band imaging and accurate photometric redshift estimates (dz=0.05) for ~90% of galaxies to R=24.0. We undertake a full maximum likelihood analysis to measure the weak lensing power spectra, Cl^kk, Cl^bb & Cl^kb from l=400 to l=10^4. We find a strong measurement of the convergence power over five fields. The b-field has a much lower significance, indicating our data is free of major systematics, while the cross-correlation of k & b is consistent with zero. We have also calculated the shear correlation functions and variance over a range of scales between 0.5 and 20 arcmin. In addition, we have used our results to measure cosmological parameters, constraining the normalisation of the matter power spectrum to be sigma_8=(0.72 \pm 0.09)(Omega_m/0.3)^-0.49, where the errors quoted are 1-sigma due to the intrinsic dispersion in galaxy ellipticities, cosmic and sampling variance. We have significantly reduced the usual additional uncertainty in the median redshift (z_m) of the survey by estimating z_m directly from the data. To demonstrate the power of accurate redshift information, we have also measured parameters from a shear analysis of only those galaxies with accurate redshifts. In this case, we have eliminated the uncertainty in the redshift distribution of sources and we show that the uncertainty in the resulting parameter constraints are reduced by more than a factor of 2 compared to the typical uncertainties found in cosmic shear surveys to date. Finally, we combine our parameter measurements with constraints from the 2dFGRS and from the CMB. With these additional constraints, we measure sigma_8=0.73 +0.05/-0.03 and Omega_m=0.27 +/- 0.02., Comment: Matches version to appear in 1st May edition of MNRAS (vol. 341, pp.100-118)

We present a detailed empirical assessment of how the galaxy luminosity function and stellar luminosity density evolves over the last half of the universe's age (0.2

We present a weak shear analysis of the Abell 901/902 supercluster, composed of three rich clusters at z=0.16. Using a deep R-band image from the 0.5 x 0.5 degree MPG/ESO Wide Field Imager together with supplementary B-band observations, we build up a comprehensive picture of the light and mass distributions in this region. We find that, on average, the light from the early-type galaxies traces the dark matter fairly well, although one cluster is a notable exception to this rule. The clusters themselves exhibit a range of mass-to-light (M/L) ratios, X-ray properties, and galaxy populations. We attempt to model the relation between the total mass and the light from the early-type galaxies with a simple scale-independent linear biasing model. We find M/L_B=130h for the early type galaxies with zero stochasticity, which, if taken at face value, would imply Omega_m < 0.1. However, this linear relation breaks down on small scales and on scales equivalent to the average cluster separation (approximately 1 Mpc), demonstrating that a single M/L ratio is not adequate to fully describe the mass-light relation in the supercluster. Rather, the scatter in M/L ratios observed for the clusters supports a model incorporating non-linear biasing or stochastic processes. Finally, there is a clear detection of filamentary structure connecting two of the clusters, seen in both the galaxy and dark matter distributions, and we discuss the effects of cluster-cluster and cluster-filament interactions as a means to reconcile the disparate descriptions of the supercluster., Comment: 23 pages, 19 figures. ApJ, accepted

We report the discovery of the optical and near-infrared counterparts to GRB 001011. The GRB 001011 error box determined by Beppo-SAX was simultaneously imaged in the near-infrared by the 3.58-m New Technology Telescope and in the optical by the 1.54-m Danish Telescope ~8 hr after the gamma-ray event. Here we implement the colour-colour discrimination technique proposed by Rhoads (2001) and extend it using near-IR data as well. We present the results provided by an automatic colour-colour discrimination pipe-line developed to discern the different populations of objects present in the GRB 001011 error box. Our software revealed three candidates based on single-epoch images. Second-epoch observations carried out ~3.2 days after the burst revealed that the most likely candidate had faded, thus identifying it with the counterpart to the GRB. In deep R-band images obtained 7 months after the burst a faint (R=25.38+/-0.25) elongated object, presumably the host galaxy of GRB 001011, was detected at the position of the afterglow. The GRB 001011 afterglow is the first discovered with the assistance of colour-colour diagram techniques. We discuss the advantages of using this method and its application to error boxes determined by future missions., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 13 pages, 16 figures

We present K-band number counts for the faint galaxies in the Calar Alto Deep Imaging Survey (CADIS). We covered 4 CADIS fields, a total area of 0.2deg^2, in the broad band filters B, R and K. We detect about 4000 galaxies in the K-band images, with a completeness limit of K=19.75mag, and derive the K-band galaxy number counts in the range of 14.25 < K < 19.75mag. This is the largest medium deep K-band survey to date in this magnitude range. The B- and R-band number counts are also derived, down to completeness limits of B=24.75mag and R=23.25mag. The K-selected galaxies in this magnitude range are of particular interest, since some medium deep near-infrared surveys have identified breaks of both the slope of the K-band number counts and the mean B-K color at K=17\sim18mag. There is, however, a significant disagreement in the K-band number counts among the existing surveys. Our large near-infrared selected galaxy sample allows us to establish the presence of a clear break in the slope at K=17.0mag from dlogN/dm = 0.64 at brighter magnitudes to dlogN/dm = 0.36 at the fainter end. We construct no-evolution and passive evolution models, and find that the passive evolution model can simultaneously fit the B-, R- and K-band number counts well. The B-K colors show a clear trend to bluer colors for K > 18mag. We also find that most of the K=18-20mag galaxies have a B-K color bluer than the prediction of a no-evolution model for an L_* Sbc galaxy, implying either significant evolution, even for massive galaxies, or the existence of an extra population of small galaxies., Comment: Accepted for A&A, 10 pages, 7 figures