RT Journal Article
T1 The galaxy major merger fraction to z ~ 1
A1 López Sanjuan, C.
A1 Balcells, M.
A1 Pérez González, Pablo Guillermo
A1 Barro, Guillermo
A1 García Dabó, C. E.
A1 Gallego Maestro, Jesús
A1 Zamorano Calvo, Jaime
AB Aims. The importance of disc-disc major mergers in galaxy evolution remains uncertain. We study the major merger fraction in a SPITZER/IRAC-selected catalogue in the GOODS-S field up to z ~ 1 for luminosity- and mass-limited samples. Methods. We select disc-disc merger remnants on the basis of morphological asymmetries/distortions, and address three main sources of systematic errors: (i) we explicitly apply morphological K-corrections; (ii) we measure asymmetries in galaxies artificially redshifted to z_d = 1.0 to deal with loss of morphological information with redshift; and (iii) we take into account the observational errors in z and A, which tend to overestimate the merger fraction, though use of maximum likelihood techniques. Results. We obtain morphological merger fractions (f_m^mph) below 0.06 up to z ~ 1. Parameterizing the merger fraction evolution with redshift as f_m^mph (z) = f_m^mph (0)(1 + z)^m, we find that m = 1.8 ± 0.5 for M(B)≤ -20 galaxies, while m = 5.4 ± 0.4 for M_* ≥ 10^10 M_⨀ galaxies. When we translate our merger fractions to merger rates (R_m^mph), their evolution, parameterized as R_m^mph (z) = R_m^mph (0)(1+ z)^n, is quite similar in both cases: n = 3.3 ± 0.8 for M(B) ≤ -20 galaxies, and n = 3.5 ± 0.4 for M_* ≥10^10 M_⨀ galaxies. Conclusions. Our results imply that only similar to 8% of today's M(star) ≥ 10^10 M_⨀ galaxies have undergone a disc-disc major merger since z ~ 1. In addition, ~ 21% of M_* ≥ 10(10) M_⨀  galaxies at z ~ 1 have undergone one of these mergers since z similar to 1.5. This suggests that disc-disc major mergers are not the dominant process in the evolution of M_*  ≥ 10(10) M_⨀ galaxies since z  1, with only 0.2 disc-disc major mergers per galaxy, but may be an important process at z > 1, with ~ 1 merger per galaxy at 1 < z < 3.
PB EDP Sciencies
SN 0004-6361
YR 2009
FD 2009-07
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/44789
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/44789
LA eng
NO Abraham, R. G., van den Bergh, S., Glazebrook, K., et al. 1996, ApJS, 107, 1Adami, C., Mazure, A., Ilbert, O., et al. 2005, A&A, 443, 805Arnouts, S., Walcher, C. J., Le Fèvre, O., et al. 2007, A&A, 476, 137Balcells, M., Cristóbal Hornillos, D., & Eliche Moral, C. 2003, Rev. Mex. Astron. Astrofis. Conf. Ser., 16, 259Baldry, I. K., Glazebrook, K., Brinkmann, J., et al. 2004, ApJ, 600, 681Bekki, K., & Shioya, Y. 2001, ApJS, 134, 241Bell, E. F., Wolf, C., Meisenheimer, K., et al. 2004, ApJ, 608, 752Bell, E. F., Naab, T., McIntosh, D. H., et al. 2006a, ApJ, 640, 241Bell, E. F., Phleps, S., Somerville, R. S., et al. 2006b, ApJ, 652, 270Berrier, J. C., Bullock, J. S., Barton, E. J., et al. 2006, ApJ, 652, 56Bertone, S., & Conselice, C. J. 2009, ArXiv e-printsBluck, A. F. L., Conselice, C. J., Bouwens, R. J., et al. 2009, MNRAS, 394, L51Bower, R. G., Benson, A. J., Malbon, R., et al. 2006, MNRAS, 370, 645Bridge, C. R., Appleton, P. N., Conselice, C. J., et al. 2007, ApJ, 659, 931Bundy, K., Fukugita, M., Ellis, R. S., Kodama, T., & Conselice, C. J. 2004, ApJ, 601, L123Bundy, K., Ellis, R. S., Conselice, C. J., et al. 2006, ApJ, 651, 120Bundy, K., Fukugita, M., Ellis, R. S., et al. 2009, ApJ, 697, 1369Carlberg, R. G. 1990, ApJ, 350, 505Cassata, P., Cimatti, A., Franceschini, A., et al. 2005, MNRAS, 357, 903Cassata, P., Cimatti, A., Kurk, J., et al. 2008, A&A, 483, L39Cirasuolo, M., McLure, R. J., Dunlop, J. S., et al. 2007, MNRAS, 380, 585Conselice, C. J. 2003, ApJS, 147, 1Conselice, C. J. 2006a, MNRAS, 373, 1389Conselice, C. J.2006b, ApJ, 638, 686Conselice, C. J., Bershady, M. A., & Jangren, A. 2000, ApJ, 529, 886Conselice, C. J., Bershady, M. A., Dickinson, M., & Papovich, C. 2003, AJ, 126, 1183Conselice, C. J., Blackburne, J. A., & Papovich, C. 2005, ApJ, 620, 564Conselice, C. J., Rajgor, S., & Myers, R. 2008, MNRAS, 386, 909Conselice, C. J., Yang, C., & Bluck, A. F. L. 2009, MNRAS, 361Cowie, L. L., Songaila, A., Hu, E. M., & Cohen, J. G. 1996, AJ, 112, 839De Lucia, G., & Blaizot, J. 2007, MNRAS, 375, 2De Propris, R., Liske, J., Driver, S. P., Allen, P. D., & Cross, N. J. G. 2005, AJ, 130, 1516De Propris, R., Conselice, C. J., Liske, J., et al. 2007, ApJ, 666, 212Faber, S. M., Willmer, C. N. A., Wolf, C., et al. 2007, ApJ, 665, 265Fakhouri, O., & Ma, C.-P. 2008, MNRAS, 386, 577Fontana, A., Salimbeni, S., Grazian, A., et al. 2006, A&A, 459, 745Giallongo, E., Salimbeni, S., Menci, N., et al. 2005, ApJ, 622, 116Giavalisco, M., Ferguson, H. C., Koekemoer, A. M., et al. 2004, ApJ, 600, L93Gottlöber, S., Klypin, A., & Kravtsov, A. V. 2001, ApJ, 546, 223Governato, F., Gardner, J. P., Stadel, J., Quinn, T., & Lake, G. 1999, AJ, 117, 1651Hopkins, P. F., Hernquist, L., Cox, T. J., & Kereš, D. 2008, ApJS, 175, 356Hopkins, P. F., Cox, T. J., Younger, J. D., & Hernquist, L. 2009a, ApJ, 691, 1168Hopkins, P. F., Somerville, R. S., Cox, T. J., et al. 2009b, ArXiv e-printsHsieh, B. C., Yee, H. K. C., Lin, H., Gladders, M. D., & Gilbank, D. G. 2008, ApJ, 683, 33Jogee, S., Miller, S. H., Penner, K., et al. 2009, ApJ, 697, 1971Johansson, P. H., Naab, T., & Burkert, A. 2008, Astron. Nachr., 329, 956Kampczyk, P., Lilly, S. J., Carollo, C. M., et al. 2007, ApJS, 172, 329Kartaltepe, J. S., Sanders, D. B., Scoville, N. Z., et al. 2007, ApJS, 172, 320Khochfar, S., & Burkert, A. 2001, ApJ, 561, 517Khochfar, S., & Silk, J. 2006, ApJ, 648, L21Khochfar, S., & Silk, J. 2008, ArXiv e-printsKolatt, T. S., Bullock, J. S., Somerville, R. S., et al. 1999, ApJ, 523, L109Kriek, M., van der Wel, A., van Dokkum, P. G., Franx, M., & Illingworth, G. D. 2008, ApJ, 682, 896Kuchinski, L. E., Freedman, W. L., Madore, B. F., et al. 2000, ApJS, 131, 441Lauger, S., Burgarella, D., & Buat, V. 2005, A&A, 434, 77Lavery, R. J., Remijan, A., Charmandaris, V., Hayes, R. D., & Ring, A. A. 2004, ApJ, 612, 679Le Fèvre, O., Abraham, R., Lilly, S. J., et al. 2000, MNRAS, 311, 565Lin, L., Koo, D. C., Willmer, C. N. A., et al. 2004, ApJ, 617, L9Lin, L., Patton, D. R., Koo, D. C., et al. 2008, ApJ, 681, 232López Sanjuan, C., García Dabó, C. E., & Balcells, M. 2008, PASP, 120, 571López Sanjuan, C., Balcells, M., García Dabó, C. E., et al. 2009, ApJ, 694, 643Lotz, J. M., Davis, M., Faber, S. M., et al. 2008a, ApJ, 672, 177Lotz, J. M., Jonsson, P., Cox, T. J., & Primack, J. R. 2008b, MNRAS, 391, 1137Masjedi, M., Hogg, D. W., Cool, R. J., et al. 2006, ApJ, 644, 54Miller, S. H., Jogee, S., Conselice, C., et al. 2008, in New Horizons in Astronomy, ed. A. Frebel, J. R. Maund, J. Shen, & M. H. Siegel, ASP Conf. Ser., 393, 235Oyaizu, H., Lima, M., Cunha, C. E., Lin, H., & Frieman, J. 2008, ApJ, 689, 709Papovich, C., Moustakas, L. A., Dickinson, M., et al. 2006, ApJ, 640, 92Patton, D. R., & Atfield, J. E. 2008, ApJ, 685, 235Patton, D. R., Carlberg, R. G., Marzke, R. O., et al. 2000, ApJ, 536, 153Patton, D. R., Pritchet, C. J., Carlberg, R. G., et al. 2002, ApJ, 565, 208Pérez González, P. G., Rieke, G. H., Egami, E., et al. 2005, ApJ, 630, 82Pérez González, P. G., Rieke, G. H., Villar, V., et al. 2008, ApJ, 675, 234Ravikumar, C. D., Puech, M., Flores, H., et al. 2007, A&A, 465, 1099Rawat, A., Hammer, F., Kembhavi, A. K., & Flores, H. 2008, ApJ, 681, 1089Ryan, Jr., R. E., Cohen, S. H., Windhorst, R. A., & Silk, J. 2008, ApJ, 678, 751Salpeter, E. E. 1955, ApJ, 121, 161Scarlata, C., Carollo, C. M., Lilly, S. J., et al. 2007, ApJS, 172, 494Somerville, R. S., Lee, K., Ferguson, H. C., et al. 2004, ApJ, 600, L171Stewart, K. R., Bullock, J. S., Barton, E. J., & Wechsler, R. H. 2008, ArXiv e-printsStewart, K. R., Bullock, J. S., Wechsler, R. H., & Maller, A. H. 2009, ArXiv e-printsStrateva, I., Ivezić, Ž., Knapp, G. R., et al. 2001, AJ, 122, 1861Taylor-Mager, V. A., Conselice, C. J., Windhorst, R. A., & Jansen, R. A. 2007, ApJ, 659, 162Weinzirl, T., Jogee, S., Khochfar, S., Burkert, A., & Kormendy, J. 2009, ApJ, 696, 411Wild, V., Walcher, C. J., Johansson, P. H., et al. 2009, MNRAS, 395, 144
NO © ESO 2009. We dedicate this paper to the memory of our six IAC colleagues and friends who met with a fatal accident in Piedra de los Cochinos, Tenerife, in February 2007, with particular thanks to Maurizio Panniello, whose teaching of python was so important for this paper. We thank the anonymous referee for suggestions that improved the paper. This work was supported by the Spanish Programa Nacional de Astronomía y Astrofísica through project number AYA2006-12955, AYA2006-02358 and AYA 2006-15698-C02-02. This work was partially funded by the Spanish MEC under the Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Program grant CSD2006-00070: first Science with the GTC (http://www.iac.es/consolider-ingenio-gtc/). This work is based on HST/ACS images from GOODS HST Treasury Program, which is supported by NASA throught grants HST-GO-09425.01-A and HST-GO-09583.01, and in part on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech under NASA contract 1407. P.G.P.G. acknowledges support from the Ramón y Cajal Program financed by the Spanish Government and the European Union.
NO Programa Nacional de Astronomía y Astrofísica
NO Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC), España
NO National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NO Gobierno de España
NO Unión Europea (UE)
NO Programa Consolider-Ingenio
NO Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech
NO Programa Ramón y Cajal
DS Docta Complutense
RD 15 ago 2024