F. Pozzi

The Lesser Role of Starbursts in Star Formation at z = 2

Two main modes of star formation are know to control the growth of galaxies: a relatively steady one in disk-like galaxies, defining a tight star formation rate (SFR)-stellar mass sequence, and a starburst mode in outliers to such a sequence which is generally interpreted as driven by merging. Such starburst galaxies are rare but have much higher SFRs, and it is of interest to establish the relative importance of these two modes. PACS/Herschel observations over the whole COSMOS and GOODS-South fields, in conjunction with previous optical/near-IR data, have allowed us to accurately quantify for the first time the relative contribution of the two modes to the global SFR density in the redshift interval 1.5 1000 M ☉ yr-1, off-sequence sources significantly contribute to the SFR density (46% ± 20%). We conclude that merger-driven starbursts play a relatively minor role in the formation of stars in galaxies, whereas they may represent a critical phase toward the quenching of star formation and morphological transformation in galaxies.

Unveiling Obscured Accretion in the Chandra Deep Field-South

We make use of deep HST, VLT, Spitzer, and Chandra data on the Chandra Deep Field-South to constrain the number of Compton-thick AGNs in this field. We show that sources with high 24 μm-to-optical flux ratios and red colors form a distinct source population, and that their infrared luminosity is dominated by AGN emission. Analysis of the X-ray properties of these extreme sources shows that most of them (80% ± 15%) are indeed likely to be highly obscured, Compton-thick AGNs. The number of infrared-selected, Compton-thick AGNs with 5.8 μm luminosity higher than 1044.2 ergs s−1 turns out to be similar to that of X-ray-selected, unobscured, and moderately obscured AGNs with 2-10 keV luminosity higher than 1043 ergs s−1 in the redshift bin 1.2-2.6. This factor of 2 source population is exactly what is needed to solve the discrepancies between model predictions and X-ray AGN selection.

The deepest Herschel-PACS far-infrared survey: number counts and infrared luminosity functions from combined PEP/GOODS-H observations

We present results from the deepest Herschel-Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) far-infrared blank field extragalactic survey, obtained by combining observations of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) fields from the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) and GOODS-Herschel key programmes. We describe data reduction and theconstruction of images and catalogues. In the deepest parts of the GOODS-S field, the catalogues reach 3σ depths of 0.9, 0.6 and 1.3 mJy at 70, 100 and 160 μm, respectively, and resolve ~75% of the cosmic infrared background at 100 μm and 160 μm into individually detected sources. We use these data to estimate the PACS confusion noise, to derive the PACS number counts down to unprecedented depths, and to determine the infrared luminosity function of galaxies down to L_(IR) = 10^(11) L⊙ at z ~ 1 and L_(IR) = 10^(12) L⊙ at z ~ 2, respectively. For the infrared luminosity function of galaxies, our deep Herschel far-infrared observations are fundamental because they provide more accurate infrared luminosity estimates than those previously obtained from mid-infrared observations. Maps and source catalogues (>3σ) are now publicly released. Combined with the large wealth of multi-wavelength data available for the GOODS fields, these data provide a powerful new tool for studying galaxy evolution over a broad range of redshifts.

The first Herschel view of the mass-SFR link in high-z galaxies

Aims. We exploit deep observations of the GOODS-N field taken with PACS, the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer, onboard of Herschel, as part of the PACS evolutionary probe guaranteed time (PEP), to study the link between star formation and stellar mass in galaxies to z ∼ 2. Methods. Starting from a stellar mass – selected sample of ∼4500 galaxies with mag4.5 μm < 23.0 (AB), we identify ∼350 objects with a PACS detection at 100 or 160 μ ma nd∼ 1500 with only Spitzer 24 μm counterpart. Stellar masses and total IR luminosities (LIR) are estimated by fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Results. Consistently with other Herschel results, we find that LIR based only on 24 μm data is overestimated by a median factor ∼ 1. 8a tz ∼ 2, whereas it is underestimated (with our approach) up to a factor ∼ 1. 6a t 0.5 < z < 1.0. We then exploit this calibration to correct LIR based on the MIPS/Spitzer fluxes. These results clearly show how Herschel is fundamental to constrain LIR, and hence the star formation rate (SFR), of high redshift galaxies. Using the galaxies detected with PACS (and/or MIPS), we investigate the existence and evolution of the relations between the SFR, the specific star formation rate (SSFR=SFR/mass) and the stellar mass. Moreover, in order to avoid selection effects, we also repeat this study through a stacking analysis on the PACS images to fully exploit the far-IR information also for the Herschel and Spitzer undetected subsamples. We find that the SSFR-mass relation steepens with redshift, being almost flat at z < 1.0 and reaching a slope of α = −0.50 +0.13 −0.16 at z ∼ 2, at odds with recent works based on radio-stacking analysis at the same redshift. The mean SSFR of galaxies increases with redshift, by a factor ∼15 for

A Herschel view of the far-infrared properties of submillimetre galaxies

We study a sample of 61submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) selected from ground-based surveys, with known spectroscopic redshifts and observed with the Herschel Space Observatory as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) and the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) guaranteed time key programmes. Our study makes use of the broad far-infrared and submillimetre wavelength coverage (100−600  μm) only made possible by the combination of observations from the PACS and SPIRE instruments aboard the Herschel Space Observatory. Using a power-law temperature distribution model to derive infrared luminosities and dust temperatures, we measure a dust emissivity spectral index for SMGs of β = 2.0 ± 0.2. Our results unambiguously unveil the diversity of the SMG population. Some SMGs exhibit extreme infrared luminosities of ~10^(13) L_⊙ and relatively warm dust components, while others are fainter (a few times 10^(12) L_⊙) and are biased towards cold dust temperatures. Although at z~2 classical SMGs (>5 mJy at 850 μm) have large infrared luminosities (~10^(13) L_⊙ ), objects only selected on their submm flux densities (without any redshift informations) probe a large range in dust temperatures and infrared luminosities. The extreme infrared luminosities of some SMGs (L_IR ≳ 10^(12.7) L_⊙, 26/61 systems) imply star formation rates (SFRs) of >500 M_⊙ yr^(-1) (assuming a Chabrier IMF and no dominant AGN contribution to the FIR luminosity). Such high SFRs are difficult to reconcile with a secular mode of star formation, and may instead correspond to a merger-driven stage in the evolution of these galaxies. Another observational argument in favour of this scenario is the presence of dust temperatures warmer than that of SMGs of lower luminosities (~40 K as opposed to ~25 K), consistent with observations of local ultra-luminous infrared galaxies triggered by major mergers and with results from hydrodynamic simulations of major mergers combined with radiative transfer calculations. Moreover, we find that luminous SMGs are systematically offset from normal star-forming galaxies in the stellar mass-SFR plane, suggesting that they are undergoing starburst events with short duty cycles, compatible with the major merger scenario. On the other hand, a significant fraction of the low infrared luminosity SMGs have cold dust temperatures, are located close to the main sequence of star formation, and therefore might be evolving through a secular mode of star formation. However, the properties of this latter population, especially their dust temperature, should be treated with caution because at these luminosities SMGs are not a representative sample of the entire star-forming galaxy population.

Enhanced star formation rates in AGN hosts with respect to inactive galaxies from PEP-Herschel observations

We compare the average star formation (SF) activity in X-ray selected AGN hosts with a mass-matched control sample of inactive galaxies, including both star forming and quiescent sources, in the 0.5 10σ confidence level) in the hosts of luminous AGNs. However, when comparing to star forming galaxies only, AGN hosts are found broadly consistent with the locus of their “main sequence”. We investigate the relative far-IR luminosity distributions of active and inactive galaxies, and find a higher fraction of PACS detected, hence normal and highly star forming systems among AGN hosts. Although different interpretations are possible, we explain our findings as a consequence of a twofold AGN growth path: faint AGNs evolve through secular processes, with instantaneous AGN accretion not tightly linked to the current total SF in the host galaxy, while the luminous AGNs co-evolve with their hosts through periods of enhanced AGN activity and star formation, possibly through major mergers. While an increased SF activity with respect to inactive galaxies of similar mass is expected in the latter, we interpret the modest SF offsets measured in low-LX AGN hosts as either a) generated by non-synchronous accretion and SF histories in a merger scenario or b) due to possible connections between instantaneous SF and accretion that can be induced by smaller scale (non-major merger) mechanisms. Far-IR luminosity distributions favour the latter scenario.

Bolometric luminosities and Eddington ratios of X-ray selected active galactic nuclei in the XMM-COSMOS survey

Bolometric luminosities and Eddington ratios of both X-ray selected broad-line (Type-1) and narrow-line (Type-2) active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the XMM–Newton survey in the Cosmic Evolution Survey field are presented. The sample is composed of 929 AGN (382 Type-1 AGN and 547 Type-2 AGN) and it covers a wide range of redshifts, X-ray luminosities and absorbing column densities. About 65 per cent of the sources are spectroscopically identified as either Type-1 or Type-2 AGN (83 and 52 per cent, respectively), while accurate photometric redshifts are available for the rest of the sample. The study of such a large sample of X-ray selected AGN with a high-quality multiwavelength coverage from the far-infrared (now with the inclusion of Herschel data at 100 and 160 μm) to the optical–ultraviolet allows us to obtain accurate estimates of bolometric luminosities, bolometric corrections and Eddington ratios. The kbol- Lbol relations derived in this work are calibrated for the first time against a sizable AGN sample, and rely on observed redshifts, X-ray luminosities and column density distributions. We find that kbol is significantly lower at high Lbol with respect to previous estimates by Marconi et al. and Hopkins et al. Black hole (BH) masses and Eddington ratios are available for 170 Type-1 AGN, while BH masses for Type-2 AGN are computed for 481 objects using the BH mass–stellar mass relation and the morphological information. We confirm a trend between kbol and λEdd, with lower hard X-ray bolometric corrections at lower Eddington ratios for both Type-1 and Type-2 AGN. We find that, on average, the Eddington ratio increases with redshift for all types of AGN at any given MBH, while no clear evolution with redshift is seen at any given Lbol.

Building the cosmic infrared background brick by brick with Herschel/PEP

The cosmic infrared background (CIB) includes roughly half of the energy radiated by all galaxies at all wavelengths across cosmic time, as observed at the present epoch. The PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) survey is exploited here to study the CIB and its redshift differential, at 70, 100 and 160 μm, where the background peaks. Combining PACS observations of the GOODS-S, GOODS-N, Lockman Hole and COSMOS areas, we define number counts spanning over more than two orders of magnitude in flux: from ∼ 1m Jy to few hundreds mJy. Stacking of 24 μm sources and P(D) statistics extend the analysis down to ∼0.2 mJy. Taking advantage of the wealth of ancillary data in PEP fields, differential number counts d 2 N/dS /dz and CIB are studied up to z = 5. Based on these counts, we discuss the effects of confusion on PACS blank field observations and provide confusion limits for the three bands considered. While most of the available backward evolution models predict the total PACS number counts with reasonable success, the consistency to redshift distributions and CIB derivatives can still be significantly improved. The new high-quality PEP data highlight the need to include redshift-dependent constraints in future modeling. The total CIB surface brightness emitted above PEP 3σ flux limits is νIν = 4.52 ± 1.18, 8.35 ± 0.95 and 9.49 ± 0.59 [nW m −2 sr −1 ] at 70, 100, and 160 μm, respectively. These values correspond to 58 ± 7% and 74± 5% of the COBE/DIRBE CIB direct measurements at 100 and 160 μm. Employing the P(D) analysis, these fractions increase to ∼65% and ∼89%. More than half of the resolved CIB was emitted at redshift z ≤ 1. The 50%-light redshifts lie at z = 0.58, 0.67 and 0.73 at the three PACS wavelengths. The distribution moves towards earlier epochs at longer wavelengths: while the 70 μ mC IB is mainly produced by z ≤ 1.0 objects, the contribution of z > 1.0 sources reaches 50% at 160 μm. Most of the CIB resolved in the three PACS bands was emitted by galaxies with infrared luminosities in the range 10 11 −10 12 L� .

First Insights into the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey (SWIRE) Galaxy Populations

We characterize the SWIRE galaxy populations in the SWIRE validation field within the Lockman Hole, based on the 3.6-24μ Spitzer data and deep U,g,r,i optical imaging within an area ∼1/3 sq. deg for ∼16,000 Spitzer-SWIRE sources. The entire SWIRE survey will discover over 2.3 million galaxies at 3.6μm and almost 350,000 at 24μm; ∼ 70,000 of these will be 5-band 3.6-24μ detections. The colors cover a broad range, generally well represented by redshifted spectral

The incidence of obscuration in active galactic nuclei

We study the incidence of nuclear obscuration on a complete sample of 1310 AGN selected on the basis of their rest-frame 2‐10 keV X-ray flux from the XM M-COSMOS survey, in the redshift range 0.3 < z < 3.5. We classify the AGN as obscured or un-obscured on the basis of either the optical spectral properties and the over all SED or the shape of the X-ray spectrum. The two classifications agree in about 70% of the ob jects, and the remaining 30% can be further subdivided into two distinct classes: at low l uminosities X-ray un-obscured AGN do not always show signs of broad lines or blue/UV continuum emission in their optical spectra, most likely due to galaxy dilution effects; a t high luminosities broad line AGN may have absorbed X-ray spectra, which hints at an increased incidence of small-scale (subparsec) dust-free obscuration. We confirm that the fraction of obscured AGN is a decreasing function of the intrinsic X-ray luminosity, while the incid ence of absorption shows significant evolution only for the most luminous AGN, which appear to be more commonly obscured at higher redshift. We find no significant difference between th e mean stellar masses and star formation rates of obscured and un-obscured AGN hosts. We conclude that the physical state of the medium responsible for obscuration in AGN is complex, and mainly determined by the radiation environment (nuclear luminosity) in a small region enclosed within the gravitational sphere of influence of the central black hole, but is la rgely insensitive to the wider scale galactic conditions.