Galaxy properties in different environments up to z∼ 3 in the GOODS NICMOS Survey Article

Grützbauch, R, Chuter, RW, Conselice, CJ et al. (2011). Galaxy properties in different environments up to z∼ 3 in the GOODS NICMOS Survey . MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, 412(4), 2361-2375. 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.18060.x

cited authors

  • Grützbauch, R; Chuter, RW; Conselice, CJ; Bauer, AE; Bluck, AFL; Buitrago, F; Mortlock, A

authors

abstract

  • We study the relationship between galaxy colour, stellar mass and local galaxy density in a deep near-infrared imaging survey up to a redshift of z∼ 3 using the GOODS (Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey) NICMOS (Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer) Survey (GNS). The GNS is a deep near-infrared Hubble Space Telescope survey imaging a total of 45 arcmin2 of the GOODS fields, reaching a stellar mass completeness limit of M*= 109.5M⊙ at z= 3. Using these data, we measure galaxy local densities based on galaxy counts within a fixed aperture, as well as the distance to the third, fifth and seventh nearest neighbour. We compare the average rest-frame (U-B) colour and fraction of blue galaxies in different local densities and at different stellar masses. We find a strong correlation between colour and stellar mass at all redshifts up to z∼ 3. Massive red galaxies are already in place at z∼ 3 at the expected location of the red sequence in the colour-magnitude diagram, although they are star forming. We do not find a strong correlation between colour and local density; however, there may be evidence that the highest overdensities are populated by a higher fraction of blue galaxies than average or underdense areas. This could be indicating that the colour-density relation at high redshift is reversed with respect to lower redshifts (z < 1), where higher densities are found to have lower blue fractions. Our data suggest that the possible higher blue fraction at extreme overdensities might be due to a lack of massive red galaxies at the highest local densities. © 2011 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2011 RAS.

publication date

  • January 1, 2011

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 2361

end page

  • 2375

volume

  • 412

issue

  • 4