The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: High-resolution kinematics of luminous star-forming galaxies

Emily Wisnioski; Karl Glazebrook; Chris Blake; Ted Wyder; Chris Martin; Gregory B. Poole; Rob Sharp; Warrick Couch; Glenn G. Kacprzak; Sarah Brough; Matthew Colless; Carlos Contreras; Scott Croom; Darren Croton; Tamara Davis; Michael J. Drinkwater; Karl Forster; David G. Gilbank; Michael Gladders; Ben Jelliffe; Russell J. Jurek; I. Hui Li; Barry Madore; Kevin Pimbblet; Michael Pracy; David Woods; H. K.C. Yee

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19429.x

The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: High-resolution kinematics of luminous star-forming galaxies

Emily Wisnioski^*, Karl Glazebrook, Chris Blake, Ted Wyder, Chris Martin, Gregory B. Poole, Rob Sharp, Warrick Couch, Glenn G. Kacprzak, Sarah Brough, Matthew Colless, Carlos Contreras, Scott Croom, Darren Croton, Tamara Davis, Michael J. Drinkwater, Karl Forster, David G. Gilbank, Michael Gladders, Ben JelliffeRussell J. Jurek, I. Hui Li, Barry Madore, Kevin Pimbblet, Michael Pracy, David Woods, H. K.C. Yee

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

We report evidence of ordered orbital motion in luminous star-forming galaxies at z~ 1.3. We present integral field spectroscopy (IFS) observations, performed with the OH Suppressing InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (OSIRIS) system, assisted by laser guide star adaptive optics on the Keck telescope, of 13 star-forming galaxies selected from the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. Selected via ultraviolet and [Oii] emission, the large volume of the WiggleZ survey allows the selection of sources which have comparable intrinsic luminosity and stellar mass to IFS samples at z > 2. Multiple 1-2kpc size subcomponents of emission, or 'clumps', are detected within the Hα spatial emission which extends over 6-10kpc in four galaxies, resolved compact emission (r < 3kpc) is detected in five galaxies and extended regions of Hα emission are observed in the remaining four galaxies. We discuss these data in the context of different snapshots in a merger sequence and/or the evolutionary stages of coalescence of star-forming regions in an unstable disc. We find evidence of ordered orbital motion in galaxies as expected from disc models and the highest values of velocity dispersion (σ > 100kms^-1) in the most compact sources. This unique data set reveals that the most luminous star-forming galaxies at z > 1 are gaseous unstable discs indicating that a different mode of star formation could be feeding gas to galaxies at z > 1, and lending support to theories of cold dense gas flows from the intergalactic medium.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2601-2623
Number of pages	23
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume	417
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19429.x
Publication status	Published - Nov 2011

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Wisnioski, E., Glazebrook, K., Blake, C., Wyder, T., Martin, C., Poole, G. B., Sharp, R., Couch, W., Kacprzak, G. G., Brough, S., Colless, M., Contreras, C., Croom, S., Croton, D., Davis, T., Drinkwater, M. J., Forster, K., Gilbank, D. G., Gladders, M., ... Yee, H. K. C. (2011). The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: High-resolution kinematics of luminous star-forming galaxies. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 417(4), 2601-2623. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19429.x

@article{254b893f92144001b09ee4b9f8085857,

title = "The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: High-resolution kinematics of luminous star-forming galaxies",

abstract = "We report evidence of ordered orbital motion in luminous star-forming galaxies at z~ 1.3. We present integral field spectroscopy (IFS) observations, performed with the OH Suppressing InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (OSIRIS) system, assisted by laser guide star adaptive optics on the Keck telescope, of 13 star-forming galaxies selected from the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. Selected via ultraviolet and [Oii] emission, the large volume of the WiggleZ survey allows the selection of sources which have comparable intrinsic luminosity and stellar mass to IFS samples at z > 2. Multiple 1-2kpc size subcomponents of emission, or 'clumps', are detected within the Hα spatial emission which extends over 6-10kpc in four galaxies, resolved compact emission (r < 3kpc) is detected in five galaxies and extended regions of Hα emission are observed in the remaining four galaxies. We discuss these data in the context of different snapshots in a merger sequence and/or the evolutionary stages of coalescence of star-forming regions in an unstable disc. We find evidence of ordered orbital motion in galaxies as expected from disc models and the highest values of velocity dispersion (σ > 100kms-1) in the most compact sources. This unique data set reveals that the most luminous star-forming galaxies at z > 1 are gaseous unstable discs indicating that a different mode of star formation could be feeding gas to galaxies at z > 1, and lending support to theories of cold dense gas flows from the intergalactic medium.",

keywords = "Galaxies: evolution, Galaxies: formation, Galaxies: high-redshift, Galaxies: kinematics and dynamics",

author = "Emily Wisnioski and Karl Glazebrook and Chris Blake and Ted Wyder and Chris Martin and Poole, {Gregory B.} and Rob Sharp and Warrick Couch and Kacprzak, {Glenn G.} and Sarah Brough and Matthew Colless and Carlos Contreras and Scott Croom and Darren Croton and Tamara Davis and Drinkwater, {Michael J.} and Karl Forster and Gilbank, {David G.} and Michael Gladders and Ben Jelliffe and Jurek, {Russell J.} and Li, {I. Hui} and Barry Madore and Kevin Pimbblet and Michael Pracy and David Woods and Yee, {H. K.C.}",

year = "2011",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19429.x",

language = "English",

volume = "417",

pages = "2601--2623",

journal = "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society",

issn = "0035-8711",

publisher = "Oxford University Press ",

number = "4",

}

Wisnioski, E, Glazebrook, K, Blake, C, Wyder, T, Martin, C, Poole, GB, Sharp, R, Couch, W, Kacprzak, GG, Brough, S, Colless, M, Contreras, C, Croom, S, Croton, D, Davis, T, Drinkwater, MJ, Forster, K, Gilbank, DG, Gladders, M, Jelliffe, B, Jurek, RJ, Li, IH, Madore, B, Pimbblet, K, Pracy, M, Woods, D & Yee, HKC 2011, 'The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: High-resolution kinematics of luminous star-forming galaxies', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 417, no. 4, pp. 2601-2623. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19429.x

TY - JOUR

T1 - The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey

T2 - High-resolution kinematics of luminous star-forming galaxies

AU - Wisnioski, Emily

AU - Glazebrook, Karl

AU - Blake, Chris

AU - Wyder, Ted

AU - Martin, Chris

AU - Poole, Gregory B.

AU - Sharp, Rob

AU - Couch, Warrick

AU - Kacprzak, Glenn G.

AU - Brough, Sarah

AU - Colless, Matthew

AU - Contreras, Carlos

AU - Croom, Scott

AU - Croton, Darren

AU - Davis, Tamara

AU - Drinkwater, Michael J.

AU - Forster, Karl

AU - Gilbank, David G.

AU - Gladders, Michael

AU - Jelliffe, Ben

AU - Jurek, Russell J.

AU - Li, I. Hui

AU - Madore, Barry

AU - Pimbblet, Kevin

AU - Pracy, Michael

AU - Woods, David

AU - Yee, H. K.C.

PY - 2011/11

Y1 - 2011/11

N2 - We report evidence of ordered orbital motion in luminous star-forming galaxies at z~ 1.3. We present integral field spectroscopy (IFS) observations, performed with the OH Suppressing InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (OSIRIS) system, assisted by laser guide star adaptive optics on the Keck telescope, of 13 star-forming galaxies selected from the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. Selected via ultraviolet and [Oii] emission, the large volume of the WiggleZ survey allows the selection of sources which have comparable intrinsic luminosity and stellar mass to IFS samples at z > 2. Multiple 1-2kpc size subcomponents of emission, or 'clumps', are detected within the Hα spatial emission which extends over 6-10kpc in four galaxies, resolved compact emission (r < 3kpc) is detected in five galaxies and extended regions of Hα emission are observed in the remaining four galaxies. We discuss these data in the context of different snapshots in a merger sequence and/or the evolutionary stages of coalescence of star-forming regions in an unstable disc. We find evidence of ordered orbital motion in galaxies as expected from disc models and the highest values of velocity dispersion (σ > 100kms-1) in the most compact sources. This unique data set reveals that the most luminous star-forming galaxies at z > 1 are gaseous unstable discs indicating that a different mode of star formation could be feeding gas to galaxies at z > 1, and lending support to theories of cold dense gas flows from the intergalactic medium.

AB - We report evidence of ordered orbital motion in luminous star-forming galaxies at z~ 1.3. We present integral field spectroscopy (IFS) observations, performed with the OH Suppressing InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (OSIRIS) system, assisted by laser guide star adaptive optics on the Keck telescope, of 13 star-forming galaxies selected from the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. Selected via ultraviolet and [Oii] emission, the large volume of the WiggleZ survey allows the selection of sources which have comparable intrinsic luminosity and stellar mass to IFS samples at z > 2. Multiple 1-2kpc size subcomponents of emission, or 'clumps', are detected within the Hα spatial emission which extends over 6-10kpc in four galaxies, resolved compact emission (r < 3kpc) is detected in five galaxies and extended regions of Hα emission are observed in the remaining four galaxies. We discuss these data in the context of different snapshots in a merger sequence and/or the evolutionary stages of coalescence of star-forming regions in an unstable disc. We find evidence of ordered orbital motion in galaxies as expected from disc models and the highest values of velocity dispersion (σ > 100kms-1) in the most compact sources. This unique data set reveals that the most luminous star-forming galaxies at z > 1 are gaseous unstable discs indicating that a different mode of star formation could be feeding gas to galaxies at z > 1, and lending support to theories of cold dense gas flows from the intergalactic medium.

KW - Galaxies: evolution

KW - Galaxies: formation

KW - Galaxies: high-redshift

KW - Galaxies: kinematics and dynamics

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80255126293&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19429.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19429.x

M3 - Article

SN - 0035-8711

VL - 417

SP - 2601

EP - 2623

JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

IS - 4

ER -

The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: High-resolution kinematics of luminous star-forming galaxies

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