0000000000711598
AUTHOR
A. Fernández-soto
A K s -band-selected catalogue of objects in the ALHAMBRA survey
The original ALHAMBRA catalogue contained over 400 000 galaxies selected using a synthetic F814W image, to the magnitude limit AB(F814W) ≈ 24.5. Given the photometric redshift depth of the ALHAMBRA multiband data (〈 z〉 = 0.86) and the approximately I-band selection, there is a noticeable bias against red objects at moderate redshift.We avoid this bias by creating a new catalogue selected in the Ks band. This newly obtained catalogue is certainly shallower in terms of apparent magnitude, but deeper in terms of redshift, with a significant population of red objects at z > 1. We select objects using the Ks band images, which reach an approximate AB magnitude limit Ks ≈ 22. We generate masks an…
The ALHAMBRA survey: An empirical estimation of the cosmic variance for merger fraction studies based on close pairs
[Aims]: Our goal is to estimate empirically the cosmic variance that affects merger fraction studies based on close pairs for the first time. [Methods]: We compute the merger fraction from photometric redshift close pairs with 10 h−1 kpc ≤ rp ≤ 50 h−1 kpc and Δv ≤ 500 km s−1 and measure it in the 48 sub-fields of the ALHAMBRA survey. We study the distribution of the measured merger fractions that follow a log-normal function and estimate the cosmic variance σv as the intrinsic dispersion of the observed distribution. We develop a maximum likelihood estimator to measure a reliable σv and avoid the dispersion due to the observational errors (including the Poisson shot noise term). [Results]: …
The ALHAMBRA survey: B -band luminosity function of quiescent and star-forming galaxies at 0.2 ≤ z < 1 by PDF analysis
[Aims]: Our goal is to study the evolution of the B-band luminosity function (LF) since z ∼ 1 using ALHAMBRA data. [Methods]: We used the photometric redshift and the I-band selection magnitude probability distribution functions (PDFs) of those ALHAMBRA galaxies with I ≤ 24 mag to compute the posterior LF. We statistically studied quiescent and star-forming galaxies using the template information encoded in the PDFs. The LF covariance matrix in redshift - magnitude - galaxy type space was computed, including the cosmic variance. That was estimated from the intrinsic dispersion of the LF measurements in the 48 ALHAMBRA sub-fields. The uncertainty due to the photometric redshift prior is also…
The ALHAMBRA survey: Discovery of a faint QSO at z = 5.41
[Aims]: We aim to illustrate the potentiality of the Advanced Large, Homogeneous Area, Medium-Band Redshift Astronomical (ALHAMBRA) survey to investigate the high-redshift universe through the detection of quasi stellar objects (QSOs) at redshifts higher than 5. [Methods]: We searched for QSOs candidates at high redshift by fitting an extensive library of spectral energy distributions-including active and non-active galaxy templates, as well as stars-to the photometric database of the ALHAMBRA survey (composed of 20 optical medium-band plus the 3 broad-band JHKs near-infrared filters). [Results]: Our selection over ≈1 square degree of ALHAMBRA data (∼1/4 of the total area covered by the sur…
The ALHAMBRA Project: A large area multi medium-band optical and NIR photometric survey
(ABRIDGED) We describe the first results of the ALHAMBRA survey which provides cosmic tomography of the evolution of the contents of the Universe over most of Cosmic history. Our approach employs 20 contiguous, equal-width, medium-band filters covering from 3500 to 9700 A, plus the JHKs bands, to observe an area of 4 sqdeg on the sky. The optical photometric system has been designed to maximize the number of objects with accurate classification by SED and redshift, and to be sensitive to relatively faint emission lines. The observations are being carried out with the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope using the cameras LAICA and O-2000. The first data confirm that we are reaching the expected magnit…
Evolution of Balmer jump selected galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey
Extragalactic astronomy.-- et al.
The alhambra photometric system
Aparicio Villegas, Teresa et al.
Near-IR Galaxy Counts and Evolution from the Wide-Field ALHAMBRA survey
arxiv:0902.2403v1
The ALHAMBRA survey: Accurate merger fractions by PDF analysis of photometric close pairs
Our goal is to develop and test a novel methodology to compute accurate close pair fractions with photometric redshifts. We improve the current methodologies to estimate the merger fraction f_m from photometric redshifts by (i) using the full probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the sources in redshift space, (ii) including the variation in the luminosity of the sources with z in both the selection of the samples and in the luminosity ratio constrain, and (iii) splitting individual PDFs into red and blue spectral templates to deal robustly with colour selections. We test the performance of our new methodology with the PDFs provided by the ALHAMBRA photometric survey. The merger frac…
Galaxy clusters and groups in the ALHAMBRA survey
Ascaso, Begoña et al.
GRB 050904 at redshift 6.3: observations of the oldest cosmic explosion after the Big Bang
We present optical and near-infrared observations of the afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 050904. We derive a photometric redshift z = 6.3, estimated from the presence of the Lyman break falling between the I and J filters. This is by far the most distant GRB known to date. Its isotropic-equivalent energy is 3.4x10^53 erg in the rest-frame 110-1100 keV energy band. Despite the high redshift, both the prompt and the afterglow emission are not peculiar with respect to other GRBs. We find a break in the J-band light curve at t_b = 2.6 +- 1.0 d (observer frame). If we assume this is the jet break, we derive a beaming-corrected energy E_gamma = (4-12)x10^51 erg. This limit shows that GRB 050…
Observational Cosmology at High Redshift
Summary. I offer a brief review of the evolution and present status of our observational knowledge of the high-redshift Universe. In particular, I focus on the different methods that have been devised to select distant objects, and the observational evidence in hand to support (or else) the standard evolutionary scenario. 1 How High is High? The study of objects at cosmological distances from us started in the 1960s with the discovery and identification of quasi-stellar radiosources. The explanation of the features observed in the optical spectra of these objects as highly redshifted hydrogen lines opened the door to the very distant Universe. For the next 30 years after the discovery of qu…