Wil van Breugel

Giant Lyα Nebulae Associated with High-Redshift Radio Galaxies*

We report deep, Keck narrowband Ly? images of the luminous z > 3 radio galaxies 4C 41.17, 4C 60.07, and B2 0902+34. The images show giant, 100-200 kpc scale, emission-line nebulae, centered on these galaxies, that exhibit a wealth of morphological structure, including extended low surface brightness emission in the outer regions, radially directed filaments, cone-shaped structures and (indirect) evidence for extended Ly? absorption. We discuss these features within a general scenario in which the nebular gas cools gravitationally in large cold dark matter halos, forming stars and multiple stellar systems. Merging of these building blocks triggers large-scale starbursts, forming the stellar bulges of massive radio galaxy hosts, and feeds supermassive black holes, which produce the powerful radio jets and lobes. The radio sources, starburst superwinds, and radiation pressure from active galactic nucleus then disrupt the accretion process, limiting galaxy and black hole growth, and imprint the observed filamentary and cone-shaped structures of the Ly? nebulae.

A Radio Galaxy at z = 5.19*

We report the discovery of the most distant known AGN, the radio galaxy TN J0924-2201 at z = 5.19. The radio source was selected from a new sample of ultra-steep spectrum (USS) sources, has an extreme radio spectral index alpha_365MHz^1.4GHz = -1.63, and is identified at near-IR wavelengths with a very faint, K = 21.3 +- 0.3 object. Spectroscopic observations show a single emission line at lambda ~ 7530A, which we identify as Ly-alpha. The K-band image, sampling rest frame U-band, shows a multi-component, radio-aligned morphology, typical of lower-redshift radio galaxies. TN J0924-2201 extends the near-IR Hubble, or K-z, relation for powerful radio galaxies to z > 5, and is consistent with models of massive galaxies forming at even higher redshifts.

Morphological Evolution in High-Redshift Radio Galaxies and the Formation of Giant Elliptical Galaxies*

We present deep near-infrared images of high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) obtained with the near-infrared camera (NIRC) on the Keck I telescope. In most cases, the near-IR data sample rest wavelengths that are free of contamination from strong emission lines and at λrest > 4000 A, where older stellar populations, if present, might dominate the observed flux. At z > 3, the rest-frame optical morphologies generally have faint, large-scale (~50 kpc) emission surrounding multiple, ~10 kpc components. The brightest of these components are often aligned with the radio structures. These morphologies change dramatically at 2 3 HzRGs are similar to the total sizes and luminosities of normal radio-quiet star forming galaxies at z = 3-4. For objects where such data are available, our observations show that the line-free, near-IR colors of the z > 3 galaxies are very blue, consistent with models in which recent star formation dominates the observed light. Direct spectroscopic evidence for massive star formation in one of the z > 3 HzRGs exists (4C 41.17). Our results suggest that the z > 3 HzRGs evolve into much more massive systems than the radio-quiet galaxies and that they are qualitatively consistent with models in which massive galaxies form in hierarchical fashion through the merging of smaller star-forming systems. The presence of relatively luminous subcomponents along the radio axes of the z > 3 galaxies suggests a causal connection with the AGN. We compare the radio and near-IR sizes as a function of redshift and suggest that this parameter may be a measure of the degree to which the radio sources have induced star formation in the parent objects. We also discuss the Hubble diagram of radio galaxies, the possibility of a radio power dependence in the K-z relation, and its implications for radio galaxy formation. Finally, we present for the first time in published format basic radio and optical information on 3C 257 (z = 2.474), the highest redshift galaxy in the 3C sample and among the most powerful radio sources known.

Minkowski's Object : A starburst triggered by a radio jet, revisited

We present neutral hydrogen, ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared imaging, and optical spectroscopy, of Minkowskis Object (MO), a star-forming peculiar galaxy near NGC 541. The observations strengthen evidence that star formation in MO was triggered by the radio jet from NGC 541. Key new results are the discovery of a 4.9 × 10^8 M_⊙ double H I cloud straddling the radio jet downstream from MO, where the jet changes direction and decollimates; strong detections of MO, also showing double structure, in UV and Hα; and numerous H II regions and associated clusters in MO. In UV, MO resembles the radio-aligned, rest-frame UV morphologies in many high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs), also thought to be caused by jet-induced star formation. MOs stellar population is dominated by a 7.5 Myr old, 1.9 × 10^7 M_⊙ instantaneous burst, with a current star formation rate of 0.52 M_⊙ yr^(-1) (concentrated upstream from where the H I column density is high). This is unlike the jet-induced star formation in Centaurus A, where the jet interacts with preexisting cold gas; in MO, the H I may have cooled out of a warmer, clumpy intergalactic or interstellar medium as a result of jet interaction, followed by the collapse of the cooling clouds and subsequent star formation (consistent with numerical simulations). Since the radio source that triggered star formation in MO is much less luminous, and therefore more common than powerful HzRGs, and because the environment around MO is not particularly special in terms of abundant dense, cold gas, jet-induced star formation in the early universe might be even more prevalent than previously thought.

MODELING THE PAN-SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION OF STARBURST GALAXIES. II. CONTROL OF THE H ii REGION PARAMETERS

We examine, from a theoretical viewpoint, how the physical parameters of H II regions are controlled in both normal galaxies and in starburst environments. These parameters are the H II region luminosity function, the time-dependent size, the covering fraction of molecular clouds, the pressure in the ionized gas, and the ionization parameter. The factors that control them are the initial mass function (IMF) of the exciting stars, the cluster mass function, the metallicity, and the mean pressure in the surrounding interstellar medium. We investigate the sensitivity of the Hα luminosity to the IMF, and find that this can translate to more than a factor 2 variation in derived star formation rates. The molecular cloud dissipation timescale is estimated from a case study of M17 to be ~1 Myr for this object. Based on H II luminosity function fitting for nearby galaxies, we suggest that the H II region cluster mass function is fitted by a lognormal form peaking at ~100 M☉. The cluster mass function continues the stellar IMF to a higher mass regime. The pressure in the H II regions is controlled by the mechanical luminosity flux from the central cluster. Since this is closely related to the ionizing photon flux, we show that the ionization parameter is not a free variable, and that the diffuse ionized medium may be composed of many large, faint, and old H II regions. Finally, we derive theoretical probability distributions for the ionization parameter as a function of metallicity and compare these to those derived for SDSS galaxies.

HST STIS Observations of PG 0946+301: The Highest Quality UV Spectrum of a BALQSO

We describe deep (40 orbits) Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of the broad absorption line (BAL) quasi-stellar object (QSO) PG 0946+301 and make them available to the community. These observations are the major part of a multiwavelength campaign on this object aimed at determining the ionization equilibrium and abundances (IEAs) in BALQSOs. We present simple template fits to the entire data set, which yield firm identifications for more than two dozen BALs from 18 ions and give lower limits for the ionic column densities. We find that the outflows metallicity is consistent with being solar, while the abundance ratio of phosphorus to other metals is at least 10 times solar. These findings are based on diagnostics that are not sensitive to saturation and partial covering effects in the BALs, which considerably weakened previous claims for enhanced metallicity. Ample evidence for these effects is seen in the spectrum. We also discuss several options for extracting tighter IEA constraints in future analyses and present the significant temporal changes that are detected between these spectra and those taken by the HST Faint Object Spectrograph in 1992.

Spatially resolved optical images of high-redshift quasi-stellar objects

U and B continuum and Ly-alpha images obtained with the UV-flooded TI2 CCD at the prime focus of the 4-m telescope at KPNO during May and November 1988 are reported for 19 radio-loud high-redshift QSOs. The data are presented in extensive contour maps, radial surface-brightness profiles, and tables and discussed in detail. Ly-alpha emission with typical luminosity about 10 to the 44th erg/sec and spatial extent about 100 kpc is spatially resolved in 15 QSOs, and these nebulae are attributed to the photoionization of the interstellar or intergalactic medium of young or proto galaxies by radiation escaping anisotropically along the radio axis of the QSO. The mechanisms possibly responsible for the Ly-alpha emission and for the UV fuzz seen around some of the QSOs are explored. 84 refs.

Dust and star formation in distant radio galaxies

In this thesis I discuss recent observations of distant (z > 2) radio galaxies. There is strong evidence that radio galaxies are the progenitors of the brightest cluster ellipticals and are among the most luminous and massive galaxies at any epoch, allowing relatively detailed studies of their formation process out to large distances. Submillimeter emission has been detected in many, implying star formation rates of order 1000 Msun/yr over scales of tens of kpc, consistent with a scenario in which these galaxies are currently forming the bulk of their eventual stellar population. Many radio galaxies also host giant (~ 150 kpc) emission line nebulae. We obtaind very deep narrow-band Ly-a images for a select few of these. The observations show spectacular detail with a wealth of morphological structure, such as extended (~ 80 kpc) filamentary structures, giving insight in feedback processes during their formation. I discuss the possible origin and the ionization source of these halos in connection with the sub-mm results, and discuss possible implications for theories of galaxy formation.

Discovery of Radio-Loud Broad Absorption Line Quasars Using Ultraviolet Excess and Deep Radio Selection*

We report the discovery of five broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs in a complete sample of 111 ultraviolet excess (UVX) QSO candidates also detected in the NRAO VLA Sky Survey. All five BAL QSOs, which include two high-ionization BAL QSOs and three low-ionization BAL QSOs, are formally radio loud. Of QSOs with z>0.4, 3%±2% show low-ionization BALs, and of QSOs with z>1.5, all radio loud, 9%±5% show BALs; these frequencies are consistent with those of optical surveys. While the first reported radio-loud BAL QSO, FIRST J155633.8+351758, is likely to be heavily dust reddened and thus less radio loud than indicated by its observed radio-to-optical luminosity, these QSOs are UVX-selected and probably free of significant dust along the line of sight. We point out unusual features in two of the BAL QSOs and discuss the significance finding these heretofore rare objects.

Evidence for large-scale winds from starburst galaxies. I - The nature of the ionized gas in M82 and NGC 253

The results of long-slit spectroscopy and narrow-band imaging of M82 and NGC 253, the two nearest examples of FIR luminous galaxies believed to be undergoing intense bursts of star formation, are presented. The profile of the gas pressure in the emission-line filaments in M82 is derived and found to be in good agreement with the model of Chevalier and Clegg (1985) of a supernovae-driven wind from a starburst nucleus. Lower quality data from NGC 253 support the same interpretation. Analysis of the emission-line ratios suggests that the line-emitting gas may be heated by low-velocity shocks, although photoionization from dilute UV radiation from unusually hot stars in the central starburst may also be important. 56 references.