A DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF HIERARCHICAL GROWTH IN GALAXY GROUPS SINCE z {approx} 1

Williams, Rik J; Mulchaey, John S; Shectman, Stephen A; Kelson, Daniel D; Dressler, Alan

doi:10.1088/2041-8205/749/1/L12

Title: A DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF HIERARCHICAL GROWTH IN GALAXY GROUPS SINCE z {approx} 1

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Abstract

We present the first measurement of the evolution of the galaxy group stellar mass function (GrSMF) to redshift z {approx}> 1 and low masses (M{sub *} > 10{sup 12} M{sub Sun }). Our results are based on early data from the Carnegie-Spitzer-IMACS Survey, utilizing low-resolution spectra and broadband optical/near-IR photometry to measure redshifts for a 3.6 {mu}m selected sample of 37,000 galaxies over a 5.3 deg{sup 2} area to z {approx} 1.2. Employing a standard friends-of-friends algorithm for all galaxies more massive than log M{sub *}/M{sub Sun} = 10.5, we find a total of {approx}4000 groups. Correcting for spectroscopic incompleteness (including slit collisions), we build cumulative stellar mass functions for these groups in redshift bins at z > 0.35, comparing to the z = 0 and z > 0 mass functions from various group and cluster samples. Our derived mass functions match up well with z > 0.35 X-ray-selected clusters, and strong evolution is evident at all masses over the past 8 Gyr. Given the already low level of star formation activity in galaxies at these masses, we therefore attribute most of the observed growth in the GrSMF to group-group and group-galaxy mergers, in accordance with qualitative notions of hierarchicalmore »« less

Authors:: Williams, Rik J; Mulchaey, John S; Shectman, Stephen A; Kelson, Daniel D; Dressler, Alan

Publication Date:: Tue Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2012

OSTI Identifier:: 22047919

Resource Type:: Journal Article

Journal Name:: Astrophysical Journal Letters

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 749; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ALGORITHMS; ASTRONOMY; ASTROPHYSICS; COSMOLOGY; DENSITY; GALACTIC EVOLUTION; GALAXIES; INFRARED SPECTRA; MASS; PHOTOMETRY; RED SHIFT; STAR CLUSTERS; STARS; VISIBLE SPECTRA; X RADIATION

Citation Formats


                    Williams, Rik J, Mulchaey, John S, Shectman, Stephen A, Kelson, Daniel D, Dressler, Alan, and McCarthy, Patrick J., E-mail: williams@obs.carnegiescience.edu. A DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF HIERARCHICAL GROWTH IN GALAXY GROUPS SINCE z {approx} 1.  United States: N. p., 2012. 
        Web.  doi:10.1088/2041-8205/749/1/L12.

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                    Williams, Rik J, Mulchaey, John S, Shectman, Stephen A, Kelson, Daniel D, Dressler, Alan, & McCarthy, Patrick J., E-mail: williams@obs.carnegiescience.edu. A DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF HIERARCHICAL GROWTH IN GALAXY GROUPS SINCE z {approx} 1.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/749/1/L12

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                    Williams, Rik J, Mulchaey, John S, Shectman, Stephen A, Kelson, Daniel D, Dressler, Alan, and McCarthy, Patrick J., E-mail: williams@obs.carnegiescience.edu. 2012.  
        "A DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF HIERARCHICAL GROWTH IN GALAXY GROUPS SINCE z {approx} 1".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/749/1/L12.

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@article{osti_22047919,

  title        = {A DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF HIERARCHICAL GROWTH IN GALAXY GROUPS SINCE z {approx} 1},

  author       = {Williams, Rik J and Mulchaey, John S and Shectman, Stephen A and Kelson, Daniel D and Dressler, Alan and McCarthy, Patrick J., E-mail: williams@obs.carnegiescience.edu},

  abstractNote = {We present the first measurement of the evolution of the galaxy group stellar mass function (GrSMF) to redshift z {approx}> 1 and low masses (M{sub *} > 10{sup 12} M{sub Sun }). Our results are based on early data from the Carnegie-Spitzer-IMACS Survey, utilizing low-resolution spectra and broadband optical/near-IR photometry to measure redshifts for a 3.6 {mu}m selected sample of 37,000 galaxies over a 5.3 deg{sup 2} area to z {approx} 1.2. Employing a standard friends-of-friends algorithm for all galaxies more massive than log M{sub *}/M{sub Sun} = 10.5, we find a total of {approx}4000 groups. Correcting for spectroscopic incompleteness (including slit collisions), we build cumulative stellar mass functions for these groups in redshift bins at z > 0.35, comparing to the z = 0 and z > 0 mass functions from various group and cluster samples. Our derived mass functions match up well with z > 0.35 X-ray-selected clusters, and strong evolution is evident at all masses over the past 8 Gyr. Given the already low level of star formation activity in galaxies at these masses, we therefore attribute most of the observed growth in the GrSMF to group-group and group-galaxy mergers, in accordance with qualitative notions of hierarchical structure formation. Given the factor of 3-10 increase in the number density of groups and clusters with M{sub *} > 10{sup 12} M{sub Sun} since z = 1 and the strong anticorrelation between star formation activity and environmental density during this epoch, this late-time growth in group-sized halos may therefore be an important contributor to the structural and star formation evolution of massive galaxies over the past 8 Gyr.},

  doi          = {10.1088/2041-8205/749/1/L12},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22047919},
  journal      = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},

  issn         = {2041-8205},

  number       = 1,

  volume       = 749,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2012},

  month        = {Tue Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2012}

}

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