Measuring star formation in high-z massive galaxies: a mid-infrared to submillimetre study of the GOODS NICMOS Survey sample

Viero, M. P.; Moncelsi, L.; Mentuch, E.; Buitrago, F.; Bauer, A. E.; Chapin, E. L.; Conselice, C. J.; Devlin, M. J.; Halpern, M.; Marsden, G.; Netterfield, C. B.; Pascale, E.; Pérez-González, P. G.; Rex, M.; Scott, D.; Smith, M. W. L.; Truch, M. D. P.; Trujillo, I.; Wiebe, D. V.
Bibliographical reference

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 421, Issue 3, pp. 2161-2169.

Advertised on:
4
2012
Number of authors
19
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
29
Refereed citations
28
Description
We present measurements of the mean mid-infrared to submillimetre flux densities of massive (M★≳ 1011 M&sun;) galaxies at redshifts 1.7 < z < 2.9, obtained by stacking positions of known objects taken from the GOODS NICMOS Survey (GNS) catalogue on maps at 24 ?m (Spitzer/MIPS); 70, 100 and 160 ?m (Herschel/PACS); 250, 350 and 500 ?m (BLAST); and 870 ?m (LABOCA). A modified blackbody spectrum fit to the stacked flux densities indicates a median [interquartile] star formation rate (SFR) of SFR = 63[48, 81] M&sun; yr-1. We note that not properly accounting for correlations between bands when fitting stacked data can significantly bias the result. The galaxies are divided into two groups, disc-like and spheroid-like, according to their Sérsic indices, n. We find evidence that most of the star formation is occurring in n≤ 2 (disc-like) galaxies, with median [interquartile] SFR = 122[100, 150] M&sun; yr-1, while there are indications that the n > 2 (spheroid-like) population may be forming stars at a median [interquartile] SFR = 14[9, 20] M&sun; yr-1, if at all. Finally, we show that star formation is a plausible mechanism for size evolution in this population as a whole, but find only marginal evidence that it is what drives the expansion of the spheroid-like galaxies.
Related projects
Group members
Traces of Galaxy Formation: Stellar populations, Dynamics and Morphology
We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.
Ignacio
Martín Navarro