Author
A. M. J. Mortier
Other affiliations: University of Edinburgh
Bio: A. M. J. Mortier is an academic researcher from Imperial College London. The author has contributed to research in topics: Galaxy & Redshift. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 12 publications receiving 2567 citations. Previous affiliations of A. M. J. Mortier include University of Edinburgh.
Papers
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University of Sussex1, California Institute of Technology2, Jet Propulsion Laboratory3, European Space Agency4, Ames Research Center5, University of Edinburgh6, Paris Diderot University7, Imperial College London8, University of Paris-Sud9, Aix-Marseille University10, Cornell University11, University of La Laguna12, Spanish National Research Council13, Complutense University of Madrid14, UK Astronomy Technology Centre15, University of Colorado Boulder16, University of California, Irvine17, Goddard Space Flight Center18, University of Nottingham19, Cardiff University20, University of Padua21, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris22, University of Cambridge23, University of British Columbia24, European Space Research and Technology Centre25, University of Manchester26, University College London27, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory28, University of Lethbridge29, University of Oxford30, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation31, University of Hertfordshire32, Harvard University33
TL;DR: The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) is a legacy program designed to map a set of nested fields totalling ∼380deg^2 as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) is a legacy programme designed to map a set of nested fields totalling ∼380 deg^2. Fields range in size from 0.01 to ∼20 deg^2, using the Herschel-Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) (at 250, 350 and 500 μm) and the Herschel-Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) (at 100 and 160 μm), with an additional wider component of 270 deg^2 with SPIRE alone. These bands cover the peak of the redshifted thermal spectral energy distribution from interstellar dust and thus capture the reprocessed optical and ultraviolet radiation from star formation that has been absorbed by dust, and are critical for forming a complete multiwavelength understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.
The survey will detect of the order of 100 000 galaxies at 5σ in some of the best-studied fields in the sky. Additionally, HerMES is closely coordinated with the PACS Evolutionary Probe survey. Making maximum use of the full spectrum of ancillary data, from radio to X-ray wavelengths, it is designed to facilitate redshift determination, rapidly identify unusual objects and understand the relationships between thermal emission from dust and other processes. Scientific questions HerMES will be used to answer include the total infrared emission of galaxies, the evolution of the luminosity function, the clustering properties of dusty galaxies and the properties of populations of galaxies which lie below the confusion limit through lensing and statistical techniques.
This paper defines the survey observations and data products, outlines the primary scientific goals of the HerMES team, and reviews some of the early results.
852 citations
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University of Sussex1, Jet Propulsion Laboratory2, California Institute of Technology3, European Space Agency4, Ames Research Center5, University of Edinburgh6, Paris Diderot University7, Imperial College London8, Aix-Marseille University9, Cornell University10, University of La Laguna11, Spanish National Research Council12, Complutense University of Madrid13, UK Astronomy Technology Centre14, University of Colorado Boulder15, University of California, Irvine16, Goddard Space Flight Center17, University of Nottingham18, Cardiff University19, University of Padua20, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris21, University of Cambridge22, University of British Columbia23, European Space Research and Technology Centre24, University of Manchester25, University College London26, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory27, University of Lethbridge28, University of Oxford29, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation30, University of Hertfordshire31, Harvard University32
TL;DR: The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) is a legacy program designed to map a set of nested fields totalling ~380 deg^2 as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey, HerMES, is a legacy program designed to map a set of nested fields totalling ~380 deg^2. Fields range in size from 0.01 to ~20 deg^2, using Herschel-SPIRE (at 250, 350 and 500 \mu m), and Herschel-PACS (at 100 and 160 \mu m), with an additional wider component of 270 deg^2 with SPIRE alone. These bands cover the peak of the redshifted thermal spectral energy distribution from interstellar dust and thus capture the re-processed optical and ultra-violet radiation from star formation that has been absorbed by dust, and are critical for forming a complete multi-wavelength understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.
The survey will detect of order 100,000 galaxies at 5\sigma in some of the best studied fields in the sky. Additionally, HerMES is closely coordinated with the PACS Evolutionary Probe survey. Making maximum use of the full spectrum of ancillary data, from radio to X-ray wavelengths, it is designed to: facilitate redshift determination; rapidly identify unusual objects; and understand the relationships between thermal emission from dust and other processes. Scientific questions HerMES will be used to answer include: the total infrared emission of galaxies; the evolution of the luminosity function; the clustering properties of dusty galaxies; and the properties of populations of galaxies which lie below the confusion limit through lensing and statistical techniques.
This paper defines the survey observations and data products, outlines the primary scientific goals of the HerMES team, and reviews some of the early results.
707 citations
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Paris Diderot University1, Max Planck Society2, European Space Agency3, University of California, Irvine4, INAF5, University of Edinburgh6, Cardiff University7, Imperial College London8, California Institute of Technology9, Jet Propulsion Laboratory10, Spanish National Research Council11, Aix-Marseille University12, University of Bologna13, University of Colorado Boulder14, Goddard Space Flight Center15, University of Sussex16, University of Padua17, University of British Columbia18, UK Astronomy Technology Centre19, University of Paris-Sud20, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris21, University of Manchester22, University College London23, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory24, University of Lethbridge25, University of Oxford26, University of Hertfordshire27
TL;DR: In this paper, the spectral energy distribution and dust temperature of galaxies have strongly evolved over the last 80% of the age of the Universe, and possible consequences for the determination of star-formation rates (SFR) and any evidence for a major change in their starformation properties.
Abstract: The Herschel Space Observatory enables us to accurately measure the bolometric output of starburst galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN) by directly sampling the peak of their far-infrared (IR) emission. Here we examine whether the spectral energy distribution (SED) and dust temperature of galaxies have strongly evolved over the last 80% of the age of the Universe. We discuss possible consequences for the determination of star-formation rates (SFR) and any evidence for a major change in their star-formation properties. We use Herschel deep extragalactic surveys from 100 to 500 μm to compute total IR luminosities in galaxies down to the faintest levels, using PACS and SPIRE in the GOODS-North field (PEP and HerMES key programs). An extension to fainter luminosities is done by stacking images on 24 μm prior positions. We show that measurements in the SPIRE bands can be used below the statistical confusion limit if information at higher spatial resolution is used, e.g. at 24 μm, to identify “isolated” galaxies whose flux is not boosted by bright neighbors. Below z ~ 1.5, mid-IR extrapolations are correct for star-forming galaxies with a dispersion of only 40% (0.15 dex), therefore similar to z ~ 0 galaxies, over three decades in luminosity below the regime of ultra-luminous IR galaxies (ULIRGs, LIR ≥ 1012 ). This narrow distribution is puzzling when considering the range of physical processes that could have affected the SED of these galaxies. Extrapolations from only one of the 160 μm, 250 μm or 350 μm bands alone tend to overestimate the total IR luminosity. This may be explained by the lack of far-IR constraints around and above ~150 μm (rest-frame) before Herschel on those templates. We also note that the dust temperature of luminous IR galaxies (LIRGs, LIR ≥ 1011 ) around z ~ 1 is mildly colder by 10–15% than their local analogs and up to 20% for ULIRGs at z ~ 1.6 (using a single modified blackbody-fit to the peak far-IR emission with an emissivity index of β = 1.5). Above z = 1.5, distant galaxies are found to exhibit a substantially larger mid- over far-IR ratio, which could either result from stronger broad emission lines or warm dust continuum heated by a hidden AGN. Two thirds of the AGNs identified in the field with a measured redshift exhibit the same behavior as purely star-forming galaxies. Hence a large fraction of AGNs harbor coeval star formation at very high SFR and in conditions similar to purely star-forming galaxies.
245 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the spectral energy distribution (SED) and dust temperature of galaxies have strongly evolved since z~2.5, which may either result from stronger broad emission lines or warm dust continuum heated by a hidden AGN.
Abstract: The Herschel Space Observatory enables us to accurately measure the bolometric output of starburst galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN) by directly sampling the peak of their far-infrared (IR) emission. Here we examine whether the spectral energy distribution (SED) and dust temperature of galaxies have strongly evolved since z~2.5. We use Herschel deep extragalactic surveys from 100 to 500um to compute total IR luminosities in galaxies down to the faintest levels, using PACS and SPIRE in the GOODS-North field (PEP and HerMES key programs). We show that measurements in the SPIRE bands can be used below the statistical confusion limit if information at higher spatial resolution is used to identify isolated galaxies whose flux is not boosted by bright neighbors. Below z~1.5, mid-IR extrapolations are correct for star-forming galaxies with a dispersion of only 40% (0.15dex), therefore similar to z~0 galaxies. This narrow distribution is puzzling when considering the range of physical processes that could have affected the SED of these galaxies. Extrapolations from only one of the 160um, 250um or 350um bands alone tend to overestimate the total IR luminosity. This may be explained by the lack of far-IR constraints around and above ~150um (rest-frame) on local templates. We also note that the dust temperature of luminous IR galaxies around z~1 is mildly colder by 10-15% than their local analogs and up to 20% for ULIRGs at z~1.6. Above z=1.5, distant galaxies are found to exhibit a substantially larger mid- over far-IR ratio, which could either result from stronger broad emission lines or warm dust continuum heated by a hidden AGN. Two thirds of the AGNs identified in the field with a measured redshift exhibit the same behavior as purely star-forming galaxies. Hence a large fraction of AGNs harbor star formation at very high SFR and in conditions similar to purely star-forming galaxies.
229 citations
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California Institute of Technology1, ASTRON2, University of Sussex3, University of Hertfordshire4, University of Portsmouth5, University of the Western Cape6, University of Padua7, University of California, Davis8, University of Cambridge9, University of Lisbon10, University of California, Riverside11, McGill University12, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation13, Drexel University14, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory15, Durham University16, Spanish National Research Council17, University of Oxford18, Imperial College London19, University of Naples Federico II20, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare21, Space Telescope Science Institute22, University of Nottingham23, University of Hawaii24, University of Calgary25, Max Planck Society26, University of Edinburgh27, University of Wisconsin-Madison28, Carnegie Institution for Science29, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives30, Leiden University31, Haverford College32, Liverpool John Moores University33, Leibniz Association34
TL;DR: The Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS) as discussed by the authors is designed to enable the study of galaxy evolution as a function of environment from z~5 to the present day, and is the first survey both large enough and deep enough to put rare objects such as luminous quasars and galaxy clusters at z>1 into their cosmological context.
Abstract: We present the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS), an 18 square degrees medium-deep survey at 3.6 and 4.5 microns with the post-cryogenic Spitzer Space Telescope to ~2 microJy (AB=23.1) depth of five highly observed astronomical fields (ELAIS-N1, ELAIS-S1, Lockman Hole, Chandra Deep Field South and XMM-LSS). SERVS is designed to enable the study of galaxy evolution as a function of environment from z~5 to the present day, and is the first extragalactic survey both large enough and deep enough to put rare objects such as luminous quasars and galaxy clusters at z>1 into their cosmological context. SERVS is designed to overlap with several key surveys at optical, near- through far-infrared, submillimeter and radio wavelengths to provide an unprecedented view of the formation and evolution of massive galaxies. In this paper, we discuss the SERVS survey design, the data processing flow from image reduction and mosaicing to catalogs, as well as coverage of ancillary data from other surveys in the SERVS fields. We also highlight a variety of early science results from the survey.
181 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors review the range of complementary techniques and theoretical tools that allow astronomers to map the cosmic history of star formation, heavy element production, and reionization of the Universe from the cosmic "dark ages" to the present epoch.
Abstract: Over the past two decades, an avalanche of data from multiwavelength imaging and spectroscopic surveys has revolutionized our view of galaxy formation and evolution. Here we review the range of complementary techniques and theoretical tools that allow astronomers to map the cosmic history of star formation, heavy element production, and reionization of the Universe from the cosmic "dark ages" to the present epoch. A consistent picture is emerging, whereby the star-formation rate density peaked approximately 3.5 Gyr after the Big Bang, at z~1.9, and declined exponentially at later times, with an e-folding timescale of 3.9 Gyr. Half of the stellar mass observed today was formed before a redshift z = 1.3. About 25% formed before the peak of the cosmic star-formation rate density, and another 25% formed after z = 0.7. Less than ~1% of today's stars formed during the epoch of reionization. Under the assumption of a universal initial mass function, the global stellar mass density inferred at any epoch matches reasonably well the time integral of all the preceding star-formation activity. The comoving rates of star formation and central black hole accretion follow a similar rise and fall, offering evidence for co-evolution of black holes and their host galaxies. The rise of the mean metallicity of the Universe to about 0.001 solar by z = 6, one Gyr after the Big Bang, appears to have been accompanied by the production of fewer than ten hydrogen Lyman-continuum photons per baryon, a rather tight budget for cosmological reionization.
3,104 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review the range of complementary techniques and theoretical tools that allow astronomers to map the cosmic history of star formation, heavy element production, and reionization of the Universe from the cosmic "dark ages" to the present epoch.
Abstract: Over the past two decades, an avalanche of data from multiwavelength imaging and spectroscopic surveys has revolutionized our view of galaxy formation and evolution. Here we review the range of complementary techniques and theoretical tools that allow astronomers to map the cosmic history of star formation, heavy element production, and reionization of the Universe from the cosmic "dark ages" to the present epoch. A consistent picture is emerging, whereby the star-formation rate density peaked approximately 3.5 Gyr after the Big Bang, at z~1.9, and declined exponentially at later times, with an e-folding timescale of 3.9 Gyr. Half of the stellar mass observed today was formed before a redshift z = 1.3. About 25% formed before the peak of the cosmic star-formation rate density, and another 25% formed after z = 0.7. Less than ~1% of today's stars formed during the epoch of reionization. Under the assumption of a universal initial mass function, the global stellar mass density inferred at any epoch matches reasonably well the time integral of all the preceding star-formation activity. The comoving rates of star formation and central black hole accretion follow a similar rise and fall, offering evidence for co-evolution of black holes and their host galaxies. The rise of the mean metallicity of the Universe to about 0.001 solar by z = 6, one Gyr after the Big Bang, appears to have been accompanied by the production of fewer than ten hydrogen Lyman-continuum photons per baryon, a rather tight budget for cosmological reionization.
1,626 citations
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Paris Diderot University1, University of Crete2, Max Planck Society3, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris4, California Institute of Technology5, Foundation for Research & Technology – Hellas6, European Space Agency7, University of Concepción8, Durham University9, Aix-Marseille University10, INAF11, University of Edinburgh12, UK Astronomy Technology Centre13, University of Arizona14, University of Hawaii15, University of Massachusetts Amherst16, University of British Columbia17, University of Paris-Sud18, Space Telescope Science Institute19, National Radio Astronomy Observatory20, Texas A&M University21
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the infrared (IR) 3-500μm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies at 0 < z < 2.5, supplemented by a local reference sample from IRAS, ISO, Spitzer, and AKARI data.
Abstract: We present the deepest 100 to 500 μm far-infrared observations obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory as part of the GOODS-Herschel key program, and examine the infrared (IR) 3–500 μm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies at 0 < z < 2.5, supplemented by a local reference sample from IRAS, ISO, Spitzer, and AKARI data. We determine the projected star formation densities of local galaxies from their radio and mid-IR continuum sizes.
We find that the ratio of total IR luminosity to rest-frame 8 μm luminosity, IR8 (≡ L_(IR)^(tot)/L_8), follows a Gaussian distribution centered on IR8 = 4 (σ = 1.6) and defines an IR main sequence for star-forming galaxies independent of redshift and luminosity. Outliers from this main sequence produce a tail skewed toward higher values of IR8. This minority population ( 3 × 10^(10) L_⊙ kpc^(-2)) and a high specific star formation rate (i.e., starbursts). The rest-frame, UV-2700 A size of these distant starbursts is typically half that of main sequence galaxies, supporting the correlation between star formation density and starburst activity that is measured for the local sample.
Locally, luminous and ultraluminous IR galaxies, (U)LIRGs (L_(IR)^(tot)≥ 10^(11) L_☉), are systematically in the starburst mode, whereas most distant (U)LIRGs form stars in the “normal” main sequence mode. This confusion between two modes of star formation is the cause of the so-called “mid-IR excess” population of galaxies found at z > 1.5 by previous studies. Main sequence galaxies have strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission line features, a broad far-IR bump resulting from a combination of dust temperatures (T_(dust) ~ 15–50 K), and an effective T_(dust) ~ 31 K, as derived from the peak wavelength of their infrared SED. Galaxies in the starburst regime instead exhibit weak PAH equivalent widths and a sharper far-IR bump with an effective T_(dust)~ 40 K. Finally, we present evidence that the mid-to-far IR emission of X-ray active galactic nuclei (AGN) is predominantly produced by star formation and that candidate dusty AGNs with a power-law emission in the mid-IR systematically occur in compact, dusty starbursts. After correcting for the effect of starbursts on IR8, we identify new candidates for extremely obscured AGNs.
1,235 citations
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University of Paris1, Centre national de la recherche scientifique2, Academia Sinica3, California Institute of Technology4, Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe5, University of Cambridge6, University of Geneva7, Valparaiso University8, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory9, University of Edinburgh10, Niels Bohr Institute11, University of Rochester12, Space Telescope Science Institute13, ETH Zurich14, University of Bologna15, Max Planck Society16, University of Zagreb17, Kindai University18, University of the Western Cape19
TL;DR: The COSMOS2015(24) catalog as mentioned in this paper contains precise photometric redshifts and stellar masses for more than half a million objects over the 2deg(2) COSmOS field, which is highly optimized for the study of galaxy evolution and environments in the early universe.
Abstract: We present the COSMOS2015(24) catalog, which contains precise photometric redshifts and stellar masses for more than half a million objects over the 2deg(2) COSMOS field. Including new YJHK(s) images from the UltraVISTA-DR2 survey, Y-band images from Subaru/Hyper-Suprime-Cam, and infrared data from the Spitzer Large Area Survey with the Hyper-Suprime-Cam Spitzer legacy program, this near-infrared-selected catalog is highly optimized for the study of galaxy evolution and environments in the early universe. To maximize catalog completeness for bluer objects and at higher redshifts, objects have been detected on a chi(2) sum of the YJHK(s) and z(++) images. The catalog contains similar to 6 x 10(5) objects in the 1.5 deg(2) UltraVISTA-DR2 region and similar to 1.5 x 10(5) objects are detected in the “ultra-deep stripes” (0.62 deg(2)) at K-s \textless= 24.7 (3 sigma, 3 `', AB magnitude). Through a comparison with the zCOSMOS-bright spectroscopic redshifts, we measure a photometric redshift precision of sigma(Delta z(1) (+ zs)) = 0.007 and a catastrophic failure fraction of eta = 0.5%. At 3 \textless z \textless 6, using the unique database of spectroscopic redshifts in COSMOS, we find sigma(Delta z(1) (+ zs)) = 0.021 and eta = 13.2%. The deepest regions reach a 90% completeness limit of 10(10)M(circle dot) to z = 4. Detailed comparisons of the color distributions, number counts, and clustering show excellent agreement with the literature in the same mass ranges. COSMOS2015 represents a unique, publicly available, valuable resource with which to investigate the evolution of galaxies within their environment back to the earliest stages of the history of the universe. The COSMOS2015 catalog is distributed via anonymous ftp and through the usual astronomical archive systems (CDS, ESO Phase 3, IRSA).
1,002 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the first systematic data sets of CO molecular line emission in z∼ 1 − 3 normal star-forming galaxies (SFGs) for a comparison of the dependence of galaxy-averaged star formation rates on molecular gas masses at low and high redshifts, and in different galactic environments.
Abstract: We use the first systematic data sets of CO molecular line emission in z∼ 1–3 normal star-forming galaxies (SFGs) for a comparison of the dependence of galaxy-averaged star formation rates on molecular gas masses at low and high redshifts, and in different galactic environments. Although the current high-z samples are still small and biased towards the luminous and massive tail of the actively star-forming ‘main-sequence’, a fairly clear picture is emerging. Independent of whether galaxy-integrated quantities or surface densities are considered, low- and high-z SFG populations appear to follow similar molecular gas–star formation relations with slopes 1.1 to 1.2, over three orders of magnitude in gas mass or surface density. The gas-depletion time-scale in these SFGs grows from 0.5 Gyr at z∼ 2 to 1.5 Gyr at z∼ 0. The average corresponds to a fairly low star formation efficiency of 2 per cent per dynamical time. Because star formation depletion times are significantly smaller than the Hubble time at all redshifts sampled, star formation rates and gas fractions are set by the balance between gas accretion from the halo and stellar feedback.
In contrast, very luminous and ultraluminous, gas-rich major mergers at both low and high z produce on average four to 10 times more far-infrared luminosity per unit gas mass. We show that only some fraction of this difference can be explained by uncertainties in gas mass or luminosity estimators; much of it must be intrinsic. A possible explanation is a top-heavy stellar mass function in the merging systems but the most likely interpretation is that the star formation relation is driven by global dynamical effects. For a given mass, the more compact merger systems produce stars more rapidly because their gas clouds are more compressed with shorter dynamical times, so that they churn more quickly through the available gas reservoir than the typical normal disc galaxies. When the dependence on galactic dynamical time-scale is explicitly included, disc galaxies and mergers appear to follow similar gas-to-star formation relations. The mergers may be forming stars at slightly higher efficiencies than the discs.
996 citations