The Lockman Hole Project Gereb, K.; Morganti, R.; Oosterloo, T
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University of Groningen The Lockman Hole project Gereb, K.; Morganti, R.; Oosterloo, T. A.; Guglielmino, G.; Prandoni, I. Published in: Astronomy & astrophysics DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201322113 IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2013 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Gereb, K., Morganti, R., Oosterloo, T. A., Guglielmino, G., & Prandoni, I. (2013). The Lockman Hole project: Gas and galaxy properties from a stacking experiment. Astronomy & astrophysics, 558, [54]. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201322113 Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 23-09-2021 A&A 558, A54 (2013) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201322113 & c ESO 2013 Astrophysics The Lockman Hole project: gas and galaxy properties from a stacking experiment K. Geréb1,2, R. Morganti1,2,T.A.Oosterloo1,2, G. Guglielmino1,3,4, and I. Prandoni3 1 Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), PO Box 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo, The Netherlands 2 Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, PO Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands 3 Istituto di Radioastronomia, Bologna (INAF), via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy 4 University of Bologna, Dept of Astronomy, Via Ranzani 2, Bologna, Italy Received 20 June 2013 / Accepted 13 August 2013 ABSTRACT We perform an H I stacking analysis to study the relation between H I content and optical/radio/IR properties of galaxies located in the Lockman Hole area. In the redshift range covered by the observations (up to z = 0.09), we use the SDSS to separate galaxies with different optical characteristics, and we exploit the deep L-band radio continuum image (with noise 11 μJy beam−1) to identify galaxies with radio continuum emission. Infrared properties are extracted from the Spitzer catalog. We detect H I in blue galaxies, but H I is also detected in the group of red galaxies – albeit with smaller amounts than for the blue sample. We identify a group of optically inactive galaxies with early-type morphology that does not reveal any H I and ionized gas. These inactive galaxies likely represent the genuine red and dead galaxies depleted of all gas. Unlike inactive galaxies, H I is detected in red LINER-like objects. Galaxies with radio continuum counterparts mostly belong to the sub-mJy population, whose objects are thought to be a mixture of star-forming galaxies and low-power AGNs. After using several AGN diagnostics, we conclude that the radio emission in the majority of our sub-mJy radio sources stems from star formation. LINERs appear to separate into two groups based on IR properties and H I content. LINERs with a 24 μm detection show relatively large amounts of H I and are also often detected in radio continuum as a result of ongoing star formation. The LINER galaxies which are not detected at 24 μm are more like the optically inactive galaxies by being depleted of H I gas and having no sign of star formation. Radio LINERs in the latter group are the best candidates for hosting low-luminosity radio AGN. Key words. radio continuum: galaxies – galaxies: star formation – galaxies: evolution – radio lines: galaxies 1. Introduction Here we expand on these studies by using stacking tech- niques, to investigate the properties of the H I in galaxies lo- Cold gas is known to play an important role in the forma- cated in the Lockman Hole (LH) area, one of the well stud- tion and evolution of galaxies (Kereš et al. 2005; Crain et al. ied fields where multiwavelength data are available (Fotopoulou 2009; van de Voort et al. 2011). Therefore, our understanding et al. 2012; Guglielmino et al. 2012), allowing different classes of the structure, properties and evolution of galaxies can not of objects to be identified and studied. In our study, broad-band be complete without knowing about the various phases of the radio observations aimed at obtaining deep continuum images gas, including atomic hydrogen (H I), in and around galaxies, are used to extract additional information about the H I.Thisis and their dependence on other galaxy characteristics. The rela- the first time a combined analysis of line and deep continuum tion of H I with luminosity, morphological type, color, environ- data is attempted. A simultaneous line and continuum setup is ment, etc., has been widely investigated for the z = 0Universe, becoming standard for current radio telescopes, and it will be using large single-dish H I surveys, such as the H I Parkes All even more common in future radio surveys. With this work we Sky Survey (HIPASS; Meyer et al. 2004; Zwaan et al. 2005), the want to explore this possibility. Furthermore, the relatively high Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey (Martin et al. spatial resolution (∼10) of the observations used in this study 2010), and detailed imaging surveys like WHISP (van der Hulst reduces the risk of confusion from companion galaxies, often et al. 2001), THINGS (Walter et al. 2008), SAURON (Morganti present in previous, single-dish stacking experiments. 3D et al. 2006; Oosterloo et al. 2010), and ATLAS (Serra et al. The availability of deep radio continuum data (reaching 2012). 11 μJy noise) allows us to investigate the relation between the For work at moderate redshifts (i.e. z ∼ 0.1), present-day gas (H I) and the radio continuum emission in sub-mJy radio radio telescopes are limited by low sensitivity, and directly de- sources. The nature of the faint radio population responsible tecting samples of galaxies requires huge investments of observ- for the excess in number counts below ∼1 mJy is controversial. ing time (Jaffé et al. 2012). A possibility of going beyond these Various studies (e.g. Simpson et al. 2006; Seymour et al. 2008; sensitivity limitations and explore the gas content of galaxies Smolcic et al. 2008, Mignano et al. 2008; Padovani et al. 2009) at larger distances is given by stacking H I profiles. Although have identified this population with star-forming (SF) galax- limited so far, some studies using this technique have already ies (starbursts, spirals or irregulars) and low power radio-loud been carried out (Lah et al. 2007, 2009; Fabello et al. 2011a,b; and/or radio-quiet AGN (e.g. faint FR I, Seyfert galaxies), and Verheijen et al. 2007; Delhaize et al. 2013). many different approaches have been taken to disentangle these Article published by EDP Sciences A54, page 1 of 7 A&A 558, A54 (2013) Fig. 1. Redshift distribution of the SDSS galaxies in the Lockman Hole Fig. 2. BPT diagram of 26 blue (SF+LINER) and 31 red (SF+LINER) region, used for our H I stacking experiment. Lockman Hole galaxies with SDSS spectra available in the highest red- shift bin. Arrows mark the limits for galaxies for which only three opti- cal lines are measured above S/N > 2 (in the other galaxies all four lines two phenomena (see Prandoni et al. 2009, for an overview). This have S/N > 2). The vertical and horizontal lines represent the conven- study investigates the characteristics of sub-mJy sources and in tional separation for LINERs (i.e. [O iii]/Hβ<3and[Nii]/Hα>0.6) iii / ii / particular their H I content at low redshift, and it provides a first and Seyfert galaxies (i.e. [O ] Hβ>3and[N ] Hα>0.6). In this ff step in preparing the work to be done at higher redshift. work we adopt the demarcation by Kau mann et al. (2003,dashed Throughout this paper the standard cosmological model line) to separate star-forming galaxies from LINERs. The dotted line indicates the more stringent demarcation to identify AGN, proposed is used, with parameters Ωm = 0.3, Λ=0.7andH0 = −1 −1 by Kewley et al. (2001). The radio subsample is marked by circles 70 km s Mpc . (31 sources). This figure excludes the inactive galaxies, see Sect. 5.2 for more detail. 2. The data: piggyback from the continuum observations (−23 < Mr < −18) of the objects, we limit our H I analysis to the group of galaxies within 0.06 < z < 0.09 (73 galaxies). This For our H I analysis we use data taken with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), originally aimed for the is also motivated by the larger number of objects (critical for study of the radio continuum in the Lockman Hole area. The ob- stacking), and by the interest in terms of bridging future higher servations (Guglielmino et al. 2012, and in prep.) were carried redshift studies. In the remainder of the paper we refer to the . < z < . out at 1.4 GHz and centered on the coordinates RA = 10:52:16.6, 0 06 0 09 redshift range as the highest redshift bin. Dec =+58:01:15 (J2000). An area of about 6.6 square degree was covered by 16 pointings, each observed for 12 h.