Growing up in the city : a study of galaxy cluster progenitors at z>2
Kuiper, E.
Citation
Kuiper, E. (2012, January 24). Growing up in the city : a study of galaxy cluster progenitors at z>2. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/18394
Version: Corrected Publisher’s Version
License: Licence agreement concerning inclusion of doctoral thesis in the Institutional Repository of the University of Leiden
Downloaded from: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/18394
Note: To cite this publication please use the final published version (if applicable).
Growing up in the city:
a study of galaxy cluster progenitors at z > 2
Proefschrift
ter verkrijging van
de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden,
op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof. mr. P. F. van der Heijden, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties
te verdedigen op dinsdag 24 januari 2012 klokke 15.00 uur
door
Ernst Kuiper
geboren te Amersfoort in 1984
Promotiecommissie
Promotor: Prof. dr. H. J. A. R¨ottgering Co-promotor: Prof. dr. G. K. Miley
Overige leden: Prof. dr. M. Franx dr. H. Hoekstra Prof. dr. F. P. Israel Prof. dr. K. Kuijken
dr. N. H. Hatch (School of Physics and Astronomy, Nottingham) dr. P. Rosati (European Southern Observatory, Garching)
dr. B. P. Venemans (Max Planck Institut f¨ur Astronomie, Heidelberg)
The work presented in this thesis is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).
iii
iv
Cover design by Bakabaka Design, www.bakabaka.nl Photo credit: cocoip, www.flickr.com/photos/cocoip
v
Table of contents
1. Introduction 1
1.1 The beginning . . . . 1
1.2 Galaxy clusters . . . . 1
1.2.1 The influence of environment . . . . 2
1.2.2 Galaxy clusters and cosmology . . . . 2
1.3 Galaxy clusters across cosmic time . . . . 3
1.4 Galaxy clusters at z > 1.5 . . . . 4
1.5 HzRGs: powerhouses in the early Universe . . . . 5
1.6 This thesis . . . . 6
1.7 Outlook . . . . 8
2. Kinematics of a z ∼ 2 protocluster core 13 2.1 Introduction . . . . 14
2.2 Data . . . . 15
2.3 Results . . . . 18
2.3.1 Cluster membership . . . . 18
2.3.2 Overdensity . . . . 20
2.3.3 Velocity distribution . . . . 23
2.4 Discussion . . . . 26
2.4.1 A galaxy cluster progenitor . . . . 26
2.4.2 Formation scenarios . . . . 28
2.5 Conclusions . . . . 34
3. A galaxy populations study of a radio–selected protocluster at z ∼ 3.1 39 3.1 Introduction . . . . 40
3.2 Data . . . . 41
3.2.1 Ground-based UV-optical imaging . . . . 41
3.2.2 HST/ACS optical imaging . . . . 43
3.2.3 Near-infrared data . . . . 43
3.2.4 Mid-infrared data . . . . 43
3.2.5 Further reduction . . . . 44
3.3 Photometry . . . . 44
3.4 Sample selection . . . . 46
3.4.1 Lyα and [Oiii] excess objects . . . . 46
vi
3.4.2 Lyman Break candidates . . . . 46
3.4.3 Balmer Break Galaxy candidates . . . . 49
3.4.4 Spectroscopic redshifts . . . . 51
3.4.5 Completeness: photometric redshift selection . . . . 52
3.5 SED fitting . . . . 53
3.6 Results . . . . 55
3.6.1 Number densities of galaxy populations . . . . 55
3.6.2 Properties of protocluster galaxy candidates . . . . 59
3.6.3 Dependance of galaxy properties on location within the proto- cluster . . . . 65
3.7 Discussion . . . . 68
3.7.1 Surface and volume overdensities . . . . 68
3.7.2 Field and cluster ensemble properties . . . . 70
3.7.3 The future of MRC 0316–257 . . . . 72
3.8 Summary and conclusions . . . . 73
4. Spectroscopy of z∼3 protocluster candidates 79 4.1 Introduction . . . . 80
4.2 Sample selection & data . . . . 82
4.3 Results . . . . 83
4.3.1 Redshift determination . . . . 83
4.3.2 Redshift distribution . . . . 84
4.4 Discussion . . . . 89
4.4.1 A possible superstructure and implications for the overdensity 89 4.4.2 Spatial distribution . . . . 90
4.4.3 Influence of protocluster environment on galaxy properties . 91 4.4.4 Interacting or unrelated structures? . . . . 97
4.5 Conclusions . . . . 100
5. Protoclusters with tunable filters 105 5.1 Introduction . . . . 106
5.2 Data . . . . 107
5.2.1 Data reduction . . . . 108
5.2.2 Source detection and photometry . . . . 110
5.3 Results . . . . 110
5.3.1 Selection of LAEs . . . . 110
5.3.2 Redshift distribution . . . . 114
5.3.3 Contamination . . . . 117
5.4 Does 6C0140+326 reside in a protocluster? . . . . 118
5.5 Conclusions & outlook . . . . 122
6. Dissecting high redshift radio galaxies 127
vii
6.1 Introduction . . . . 128
6.2 Observations . . . . 128
6.3 Results . . . . 129
6.3.1 Colour images . . . . 129
6.3.2 Decomposing the light from HzRGs . . . . 130
6.3.3 Sizes of HzRGs . . . . 134
6.3.4 Large-scale environment . . . . 135
6.4 Discussion . . . . 136
7. Appendix 139 7.1 Data . . . . 140
7.1.1 Integral field spectroscopy . . . . 140
7.1.2 Additional data . . . . 140
7.2 Results . . . . 140
7.2.1 Kinematics of individual objects . . . . 140
Nederlandse samenvatting 155
Curriculum Vitae 163
List of publications 165
Dankwoord 167
