Daniel R. Harbeck

A Survey of z > 5.8 Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. Discovery of Three New Quasars and the Spatial Density of Luminous Quasars at z ∼ 6* **

We present the results from a survey of i-dropout objects selected from ~1550 deg2 of multicolor imaging data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to search for luminous quasars at z 5.8. Objects with i*-z* > 2.2 and z* 0.90. The ARC 3.5 m spectrum of SDSSp J103027.10+052455.0 shows that over a range of ~300 A immediately blueward of the Lyα emission, the average transmitted flux is only 0.003 ± 0.020 times that of the continuum level, consistent with zero flux over a ~300 A range of the Lyα forest region and suggesting a tentative detection of the complete Gunn-Peterson trough. The existence of strong metal lines in the quasar spectra suggests early metal enrichment in the quasar environment. The three new objects, together with the previously published z = 5.8 quasar SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2, form a complete color-selected flux-limited sample at z 5.8. We estimate the selection function of this sample, taking into account the estimated variations in the quasar spectral energy distribution, as well as observational photometric errors. We find that at z = 6, the comoving density of luminous quasars at M1450 < -26.8 (H0 = 50 km s-1 Mpc-1, Ω = 1) is 1.1 × 10-9 Mpc-3. This is a factor of ~2 lower than that at z ~ 5 and is consistent with an extrapolation of the observed quasar evolution at z < 5. Using the current sample, we discuss the constraint on the shape of the quasar luminosity function and the implications for the contribution of quasars to the ionizing background at z ~ 6. The luminous quasars discussed in the paper have central black hole masses of several times 109 M⊙ by the Eddington argument, with likely dark halo masses on the order of 1013 M⊙. Their observed space density provides a sensitive test of models of quasar and galaxy formation at high redshift.

A Survey of z > 5.7 Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. II. Discovery of Three Additional Quasars at z > 6*

We present the discovery of three new quasars at z > 6 in ~ 1300 deg2 of Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging data, J114816.64+525150.3 (z = 6.43), J104845.05+463718.3 (z = 6.23), and J163033.90+401209.6 (z = 6.05). The first two objects have weak Lyα emission lines; their redshifts are determined from the positions of the Lyman break. They are only accurate to ~0.05 and could be affected by the presence of broad absorption line systems. The last object has a Lyα strength more typical of lower redshift quasars. Based on a sample of six quasars at z > 5.7 that cover 2870 deg2 presented in this paper and in Paper I, we estimate the comoving density of luminous quasars at z ~ 6 and M1450 5.7 quasars and high-resolution, ground-based images (seeing ~04) of three additional z > 5.7 quasars show that none of them is gravitationally lensed. The luminosity distribution of the high-redshift quasar sample suggests the bright-end slope of the quasar luminosity function at z ~ 6 is shallower than Ψ ∝ L-3.5 (2 σ), consistent with the absence of strongly lensed objects.

The Progenitors of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

The gas-deficient dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies present an evolutionary puzzle that we explore in 40 early-type and late-type dwarfs in the Local Group and nearby field. Although dSph’s experienced star formation over extended time spans in their youths, today all but one are completely free of detectable interstellar material, even in the Fornax dSph, where stars formed in the last 100 Myr. Combining photometric and spectroscopic stellar metallicity estimates for red giant branches with high-sensitivity H i 21 cm line data from the literature, we show that the well-established offset in luminosity-metallicity relationships for dSph’s and dwarf irregular (dIrr) galaxies exists also when confining the comparison to their old stellar populations: dSph’s have higher mean stellar metallicities for a fixed optical luminosity. Evidently star formation in younger dSph’s was more vigorous than in the youthful dIrr’s, leading to more efficient enrichment. Dwarf galaxies, whose locus in the luminosity-metallicity diagram is consistent with that of dSph’s, even when baryonic luminosities are considered, are the ‘‘ transition-type dwarfs ’’ Phoenix, DDO 210, LGS 3, Antlia, and KKR 25. These dwarfs have mixed dIrr/dSph morphologies, low stellar masses, low angular momentum, and H i contents of at most a few 10 6 M� . Unlike dIrr’s many transition-type dwarfs would closely resemble dSph’s if their gas were removed, as required to become a dSph; they are likely dSph progenitors. As gas removal is the key factor for such a transition, we consider the empirical evidence in favor and against various gas removal processes. We suggest that internal gas removal mechanisms are inadequate and favor ram-pressure stripping to clean the bulk of interstellar matter from galaxies to make dSph’s. A combination of initial conditions and environment seems to support the formation of dSph’s: nearby dSph’s appear to form from small galaxies with active early star formation, whose evolution halts due to externally induced gas loss. Transition-type dwarfs, then, are dSph’s that kept their interstellar medium and therefore should replace dSph’s in isolated locations where stripping is ineffective.

Population Gradients in Local Group Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

We present a systematic and homogeneous analysis of population gradients for the Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) Carina, Sculptor, Sextans, Tucana, and Andromeda I–III, V, and VI. For all of the Milky Way companions studied here, we find significant population gradients. The same is true for the remote dSph Tucana located at the outskirts of the Local Group. Among the M31 dSph companions, only Andromeda I and VI show obvious gradients. In all cases where a horizontal-branch (HB) morphology gradient is visible, the red HB stars are more centrally concentrated. The occurrence of a HB morphological gradient shows a correlation with a morphology gradient in the red giant branch. It seems likely that metallicity is the driver of the gradients in Sextans, Sculptor, Tucana, and Andromeda VI, while age is an important factor in Carina. We find no evidence that the vicinity of a nearby massive spiral galaxy influences the formation of the population gradients.

THE TULLY-FISHER RELATION AND ITS RESIDUALS FOR A BROADLY SELECTED SAMPLE OF GALAXIES

We measure the relation between galaxy luminosity and disk circular velocity (the Tully-Fisher [TF] relation), in the g, r, i, and z bands, for a broadly selected sample of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, with the goal of providing well-defined observational constraints for theoretical models of galaxy formation. The input sample of 234 galaxies has a roughly flat distribution of absolute magnitudes in the range -18.5 > Mr > -22, and our only morphological selection is an isophotal axis ratio cut b/a < 0.6 to allow accurate inclination corrections. Long-slit spectroscopy from the Calar Alto and MDM observatories yields usable Hα rotation curves for 162 galaxies (69%), with a representative color and morphology distribution. We define circular velocities V80 by evaluating the rotation curve at the radius containing 80% of the i-band light. Observational errors, including estimated distance errors due to peculiar velocities, are small compared to the intrinsic scatter of the TF relation. The slope of the forward TF relation steepens from -5.5 ± 0.2 mag (log10 km s-1)-1 in the g band to -6.6 ± 0.2 mag (log10 km s-1)-1 in the z band. The intrinsic scatter is σ ≈ 0.4 mag in all bands, and residuals from either the forward or inverse relations have an approximately Gaussian distribution. We discuss how Malmquist-type biases may affect the observed slope, intercept, and scatter. The scatter is not dominated by rare outliers or by any particular class of galaxies, although it drops slightly, to σ ≈ 0.36 mag, if we restrict the sample to nearly bulgeless systems. Correlations of TF residuals with other galaxy properties are weak: bluer galaxies are significantly brighter than average in the g-band TF relation but only marginally brighter in the i band; more concentrated (earlier type) galaxies are slightly fainter than average, and the TF residual is virtually independent of half-light radius, contrary to the trend expected for gravitationally dominant disks. The observed residual correlations do not account for most of the intrinsic scatter, implying that this scatter is instead driven largely by variations in the ratio of dark to luminous matter within the disk galaxy population.

Age Determination of Six Intermediate-Age Small Magellanic Cloud Star Clusters with Hst/acs

We present a photometric analysis of the star clusters Lindsay 1, Kron 3, NGC 339, NGC 416, Lindsay 38, and NGC 419 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), observed with the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) in the F555W and F814W filters. Our color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) extend ~3.5 mag deeper than the main-sequence turnoff points, deeper than any previous data. Cluster ages were derived using three different isochrone models: Padova, Teramo, and Dartmouth, which are all available in the ACS photometric system. Fitting observed ridgelines for each cluster, we provide a homogeneous and unique set of low-metallicity, single-age fiducial isochrones. The cluster CMDs are best approximated by the Dartmouth isochrones for all clusters, except for NGC 419 where the Padova isochrones provided the best fit. Using Dartmouth isochrones we derive ages of 7.5 ± 0.5 Gyr (Lindsay 1), 6.5 ± 0.5 Gyr (Kron 3), 6 ± 0.5 Gyr (NGC 339), 6 ± 0.5 Gyr (NGC 416), and 6.5 ± 0.5 Gyr (Lindsay 38). The CMD of NGC 419 shows several main-sequence turnoffs, which belong to the cluster and to the SMC field. We thus derive an age range of 1.2-1.6 Gyr for NGC 419. We confirm that the SMC contains several intermediate-age populous star clusters with ages unlike those of the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way. Interestingly, our intermediate-age star clusters have a metallicity spread of ~0.6 dex, which demonstrates that the SMC does not have a smooth, monotonic age-metallicity relation. We find an indication for centrally-concentrated blue straggler star candidates in NGC 416, while these are not present for the other clusters. Using the red clump magnitudes, we find that the closest cluster, NGC 419 (~50 kpc), and the farthest cluster, Lindsay 38 (~67 kpc), have a relative distance of ~17 kpc, which confirms the large depth of the SMC. The three oldest SMC clusters (NGC 121, Lindsay 1, and Kron 3) lie in the northwestern part of the SMC, while the youngest (NGC 419) is located near the SMC main body.

Complexity on Small Scales: The Metallicity Distribution of the Carina Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

The Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy is the only galaxy of this type that shows clearly episodic star formation separated by long pauses. Here we present metallicities for 437 radial velocity members of this Galactic satellite. The metallicities and radial velocities were measured as part of a Large Programme with the Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory, Chile. We obtained medium-resolution spectroscopy with the multiobject spectrograph FLAMES. Our target red giants cover the entire projected surface area of Carina. Our spectra are centered at the near-infrared Ca II triplet, which is a well-established metallicity indicator for old and intermediate-age red giants. The resulting data sample provides the largest collection of spectroscopically derived metallicities for a Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxy to date. Four of our likely radial velocity members of Carina lie outside this galaxys nominal tidal radius, supporting earlier claims of the possible existence of such stars beyond the main body of Carina. We find a mean metallicity of [Fe/H] ~ -1.7 dex on the 1997 metallicity scale of Carretta and Gratton for Carina. The formal FWHM of the metallicity distribution function is 0.92 dex, while the full range of metallicities is found to span approximately -3.0 dex < [Fe/H] < 0.0 dex. The metallicity distribution function might be indicative of several subpopulations distinct in metallicity. There appears to be a mild radial gradient such that more metal-rich populations are more centrally concentrated, matching a similar trend for an increasing fraction of intermediate-age stars (see the 2001 work of Harbeck and coworkers). This, as well as the photometric colors of the more metal-rich red giants, suggests that Carina exhibits an age-metallicity relation. Indeed, the age-metallicity degeneracy seems to conspire to form a narrow red giant branch despite the considerable spread in metallicity and wide range of ages. The metallicity distribution function is not well matched by a simple closed-box model of chemical evolution. Qualitatively better matches are obtained by chemical models that also take into account infall and outflows. A G dwarf problem remains for all these models.

Dark matter and stellar mass in the luminous regions of disk galaxies

We investigate the correlations among stellar mass (M*), disk scale length (Rd), and rotation velocity at 2.2 disk scale lengths (V2.2) for a sample of 81 disk-dominated galaxies (disk/total ≥ 0.9) selected from the SDSS. We measure V2.2 from long-slit Hα rotation curves and infer M* from galaxy i-band luminosities (Li) and g - r colors. We find logarithmic slopes of 2.60 ± 0.13 and 3.05 ± 0.12 for the (forward fit) Li-V2.2 and M*-V2.2 relations, somewhat shallower than most previous studies, with intrinsic scatter of 0.13 and 0.16 dex, respectively. Our direct estimates of the total-to-stellar mass ratio within 2.2Rd, assuming a Kroupa IMF, yield a median ratio of 2.4 for M* > 1010 M☉ and 4.4 for M* = 109-1010 M☉, with large scatter at a given M* and Rd. The typical ratio of the rotation speed predicted for the stellar disk alone to the observed rotation speed at 2.2Rd is ~0.65. The distribution of scale lengths at fixed M* is broad, but we find no correlation between disk size and the residual from the M*-V2.2 relation, implying that the M*-V2.2 relation is an approximately edge-on view of the disk galaxy fundamental plane. Independent of the assumed IMF, this result implies that stellar disks do not, on average, dominate the mass within 2.2Rd. We discuss our results in the context of infall models where disks form in adiabatically contracted cold dark matter halos. A model with a disk-to-halo mass ratio md = 0.05 provides a reasonable match to the Rd-M* distribution for spin parameters λ ranging from ~0.04 to 0.08, and it yields a reasonable match to the mean M*-V2.2 relation. A model with md = 0.1 predicts overly strong correlations between disk size and M*-V2.2 residual. Explaining the wide range of halo-to-disk mass ratios within 2.2Rd requires significant scatter in md values, with systematically lower md for galaxies with lower M* or lower stellar surface density Σ*.

Stellar kinematics in the remote Leo II dwarf spheroidal galaxy-another brick in the wall

We present the projected velocity dispersion profile for the remote (d = 233 kpc) Galactic dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy Leo II, based on 171 discrete stellar radial velocities that were obtained from medium-resolution spectroscopy using the FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory, Chile. The dispersion profile of those stars with good membership probabilities is essentially flat, with an amplitude of 6.6 ± 0.7 km s-1 over the full radial extent of our data, which probe to the stellar boundary of this galaxy. We find no evidence of any significant apparent rotation or velocity asymmetry, which suggests that tidal effects cannot be invoked to explain Leo IIs properties. From basic mass modeling, employing the Jeans equation, we derive a mass out to the limiting radius of (2.7 ± 0.5) × 107 M⊙ and a global mass-to-light ratio of 27-45 in solar units, depending on the adopted total luminosity. A cored halo profile and a mild amount of tangential velocity anisotropy is found to account well for Leo IIs observed kinematics, although we cannot exclude the possibility of a cusped halo with radially varying velocity anisotropy. All in all, this galaxy exhibits dark matter properties that appear to be concordant with the other dSph satellites of the Milky Way, namely, a halo mass profile that is consistent with a central core and a total mass that is similar to the common mass scale seen in other dSphs.

CN Abundance Variations on the Main Sequence of 47 Tucanae

We report on a deep spectroscopic survey for star-to-star CN variations along the main sequence (MS) of the globular cluster 47 Tuc with ESOs Very Large Telescope. We find a significant bimodal distribution in the S(3839) index for main-sequence stars in the mass range ~0.85 to 0.65 M⊙, or from the main-sequence turnoff down to ~2.5 mag below the main-sequence turnoff. An anticorrelation of CN and CH is evident on the MS. The result is discussed in the context of the ability of faint MS stars to alter their surface composition through internal evolutionary effects. We argue against internal stellar evolution as the only origin for the abundance spread in 47 Tuc; an external origin such as pollution seems to be more likely.