[en] We compare multi-wavelength star formation rate (SFR) indicators out to z ∼ 3 in the GOODS-South field. Our analysis uniquely combines U to 8 μm photometry from FIREWORKS, MIPS 24 μm and PACS 70, 100, and 160 μm photometry from the PEP, and Hα spectroscopy from the SINS survey. We describe a set of conversions that lead to a continuity across SFR indicators. A luminosity-independent conversion from 24 μm to total infrared luminosity yields estimates of L_IR that are in the median consistent with the L_IR derived from PACS photometry, albeit with significant scatter. Dust correction methods perform well at low-to-intermediate levels of star formation. They fail to recover the total amount of star formation in systems with large SFR_IR/SFR_UV ratios, typically occuring at the highest SFRs (SFR_UV+IR ∼> 100 M_sun yr^-1) and redshifts (z ∼> 2.5) probed. Finally, we confirm that Hα-based SFRs at 1.5 < z < 2.6 are consistent with SFR_SED and SFR_UV+IR provided extra attenuation toward H II regions is taken into account (A_V,neb = A_V,continuum/0.44). With the cross-calibrated SFR indicators in hand, we perform a consistency check on the star formation histories inferred from spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling. We compare the observed SFR-M relations and mass functions at a range of redshifts to equivalents that are computed by evolving lower redshift galaxies backward in time. We find evidence for underestimated stellar ages when no stringent constraints on formation epoch are applied in SED modeling. We demonstrate how resolved SED modeling, or alternatively deep UV data, may help to overcome this bias. The age bias is most severe for galaxies with young stellar populations and reduces toward older systems. Finally, our analysis suggests that SFHs typically vary on timescales that are long (at least several 100 Myr) compared to the galaxies' dynamical time.

[en] We have compiled a large sample of 151 high-redshift (z = 0.5-4) galaxies selected at 24 μm (S ₂₄ > 100 μJy) in the GOODS-N and ECDFS fields for which we have deep Spitzer IRS spectroscopy, allowing us to decompose the mid-infrared spectrum into contributions from star formation and activity in the galactic nuclei. In addition, we have a wealth of photometric data from Spitzer IRAC/MIPS and Herschel PACS/SPIRE. We explore how effective different infrared color combinations are at separating our mid-IR spectroscopically determined active galactic nuclei from our star-forming galaxies. We look in depth at existing IRAC color diagnostics, and we explore new color-color diagnostics combining mid-IR, far-IR, and near-IR photometry, since these combinations provide the most detail about the shape of a source's IR spectrum. An added benefit of using a color that combines far-IR and mid-IR photometry is that it is indicative of the power source driving the IR luminosity. For our data set, the optimal color selections are S ₂₅₀/S ₂₄ versus S ₈/S _3.6 and S ₁₀₀/S ₂₄ versus S ₈/S _3.6; both diagnostics have ∼10% contamination rate in the regions occupied primarily by star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei, respectively. Based on the low contamination rate, these two new IR color-color diagnostics are ideal for estimating both the mid-IR power source of a galaxy when spectroscopy is unavailable and the dominant power source contributing to the IR luminosity. In the absence of far-IR data, we present color diagnostics using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mid-IR bands which can efficiently select out high-z (z ∼ 2) star-forming galaxies.

[en] We report the likely identification of a substantial population of massive M ∼ 10¹¹ M _☉ galaxies at z ∼ 4 with suppressed star formation rates (SFRs), selected on rest-frame optical to near-IR colors from the FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE). The observed spectral energy distributions show pronounced breaks, sampled by a set of near-IR medium-bandwidth filters, resulting in tightly constrained photometric redshifts. Fitting stellar population models suggests large Balmer/4000 Å breaks, relatively old stellar populations, large stellar masses, and low SFRs, with a median specific SFR of 2.9 ± 1.8 × 10^–11 yr^–1. Ultradeep Herschel/PACS 100 μm, 160 μm and Spitzer/MIPS 24 μm data reveal no dust-obscured SFR activity for 15/19(79%) galaxies. Two far-IR detected galaxies are obscured QSOs. Stacking the far-IR undetected galaxies yields no detection, consistent with the spectral energy distribution fit, indicating independently that the average specific SFR is at least 10 × smaller than that of typical star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 4. Assuming all far-IR undetected galaxies are indeed quiescent, the volume density is 1.8 ± 0.7 × 10^–5 Mpc^–3 to a limit of log₁₀ M/M _☉ ≥ 10.6, which is 10 × and 80 × lower than at z = 2 and z = 0.1. They comprise a remarkably high fraction (∼35%) of z ∼ 4 massive galaxies, suggesting that suppression of star formation was efficient even at very high redshift. Given the average stellar age of 0.8 Gyr and stellar mass of 0.8 × 10¹¹ M _☉, the galaxies likely started forming stars before z = 5, with SFRs well in excess of 100 M _☉ yr^–1, far exceeding that of similarly abundant UV-bright galaxies at z ≥ 4. This suggests that most of the star formation in the progenitors of quiescent z ∼ 4 galaxies was obscured by dust

[en] We present an ALMA 1.3 mm (Band 6) continuum survey of lensed submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) at z = 1.0 to ∼3.2 with an angular resolution of ∼0.″2. These galaxies were uncovered by the Herschel Lensing Survey and feature exceptionally bright far-infrared continuum emission (S _peak ≳ 90 mJy) owing to their lensing magnification. We detect 29 sources in 20 fields of massive galaxy clusters with ALMA. Using both the Spitzer/IRAC (3.6/4.5 μm) and ALMA data, we have successfully modeled the surface brightness profiles of 26 sources in the rest-frame near- and far-infrared. Similar to previous studies, we find the median dust-to-stellar continuum size ratio to be small (R _e,dust/R _e,star = 0.38 ± 0.14) for the observed SMGs, indicating that star formation is centrally concentrated. This is, however, not the case for two spatially extended main-sequence SMGs with a low surface brightness at 1.3 mm (≲0.1 mJy arcsec⁻²), in which the star formation is distributed over the entire galaxy (R _e,dust/R _e,star > 1). As a whole, our SMG sample shows a tight anticorrelation between (R _e,dust/R _e,star) and far-infrared surface brightness (Σ_IR) over a factor of ≃1000 in Σ_IR. This indicates that SMGs with less vigorous star formation (i.e., lower Σ_IR) lack central starburst and are likely to retain a broader spatial distribution of star formation over the whole galaxies (i.e., larger R _e,dust/R _e,star). The same trend can be reproduced with cosmological simulations as a result of central starburst and potentially subsequent “inside-out” quenching, which likely accounts for the emergence of compact quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 2.

[en] We explore the effects of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and star formation activity on the infrared (0.3-1000 μm) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of luminous infrared galaxies from z = 0.5 to 4.0. We have compiled a large sample of 151 galaxies selected at 24 μm (S ₂₄ ∼> 100 μJy) in the GOODS-N and ECDFS fields for which we have deep Spitzer IRS spectroscopy, allowing us to decompose the mid-IR spectrum into contributions from star formation and AGN activity. A significant portion (∼25%) of our sample is dominated by an AGN (>50% of the mid-IR luminosity) in the mid-IR. Based on the mid-IR classification, we divide our full sample into four sub-samples: z ∼ 1 star-forming (SF) sources, z ∼ 2 SF sources, AGNs with clear 9.7 μm silicate absorption, and AGNs with featureless mid-IR spectra. From our large spectroscopic sample and wealth of multi-wavelength data, including deep Herschel imaging at 100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 μm, we use 95 galaxies with complete spectral coverage to create a composite SED for each sub-sample. We then fit a two-temperature component modified blackbody to the SEDs. We find that the IR SEDs have similar cold dust temperatures, regardless of the mid-IR power source, but display a marked difference in the warmer dust temperatures. We calculate the average effective temperature of the dust in each sub-sample and find a significant (∼20 K) difference between the SF and AGN systems. We compare our composite SEDs to local templates and find that local templates do not accurately reproduce the mid-IR features and dust temperatures of our high-redshift systems. High-redshift IR luminous galaxies contain significantly more cool dust than their local counterparts. We find that a full suite of photometry spanning the IR peak is necessary to accurately account for the dominant dust temperature components in high-redshift IR luminous galaxies.

[en] Using deep 100 and 160 μm observations in GOODS-South from GOODS-Herschel, combined with high-resolution HST/WFC3 near-infrared imaging from CANDELS, we present the first detailed morphological analysis of a complete, far-infrared (FIR) selected sample of 52 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; L_IR > 10¹² L_☉) at z ∼ 2. We also make use of a comparison sample of galaxies with lower IR luminosities but with the same redshift and H-band magnitude distribution. Our visual classifications of these two samples indicate that the fractions of objects with disk and spheroid morphologies are roughly the same but that there are significantly more mergers, interactions, and irregular galaxies among the ULIRGs (72⁺⁵_–7% versus 32 ± 3%). The combination of disk and irregular/interacting morphologies suggests that early-stage interactions, minor mergers, and disk instabilities could play an important role in ULIRGs at z ∼ 2. We compare these fractions with those of a z ∼ 1 sample selected from GOODS-H and COSMOS across a wide luminosity range and find that the fraction of disks decreases systematically with L_IR while the fraction of mergers and interactions increases, as has been observed locally. At comparable luminosities, the fraction of ULIRGs with various morphological classifications is similar at z ∼ 2 and z ∼ 1, though there are slightly fewer mergers and slightly more disks at higher redshift. We investigate the position of the z ∼ 2 ULIRGs, along with 70 z ∼ 2 LIRGs, on the specific star formation rate versus redshift plane, and find 52 systems to be starbursts (i.e., they lie more than a factor of three above the main-sequence relation). We find that many of these systems are clear interactions and mergers (∼50%) compared to only 24% of systems on the main sequence relation. If irregular disks are included as potential minor mergers, then we find that up to ∼73% of starbursts are involved in a merger or interaction at some level. Although the final coalescence of a major merger may not be required for the high luminosities of ULIRGs at z ∼ 2 as is the case locally, the large fraction (50%-73%) of interactions at all stages and potential minor mergers suggests that these processes contribute significantly to the high star formation rates of ULIRGs at z ∼ 2.

[en] Dusty galaxies at z ∼ 2 span a wide range of relative brightness between rest-frame mid-infrared (8 μm) and ultraviolet wavelengths. We attempt to determine the physical mechanism responsible for this diversity. Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs), which have rest-frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratios ∼> 1000, might be abnormally bright in the mid-IR, perhaps due to prominent emission from active galactic nuclei and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or abnormally faint in the UV. We use far-infrared data from the GOODS-Herschel survey to show that most DOGs with 10¹² L _☉ ∼< L _IR ∼< 10¹³ L _☉ are not abnormally bright in the mid-IR when compared to other dusty galaxies with similar IR (8-1000 μm) luminosities. We observe a relation between the median IR to UV luminosity ratios and the median UV continuum power-law indices for these galaxies, and we find that only 24% have specific star formation rates that indicate the dominance of compact star-forming regions. This circumstantial evidence supports the idea that the UV- and IR-emitting regions in these galaxies are spatially coincident, which implies a connection between the abnormal UV faintness of DOGs and dust obscuration. We conclude that the range in rest-frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratios spanned by dusty galaxies at z ∼ 2 is due to differing amounts of UV obscuration. Of galaxies with these IR luminosities, DOGs are the most obscured. We attribute differences in UV obscuration to either (1) differences in the degree of alignment between the spatial distributions of dust and massive stars or (2) differences in the total dust content.