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Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): Exploring the WISE Web in G12

Jarrett, T.H.; Cluver, M.E.; Magoulas, C.; Bilicki, M.; Alpaslan, M.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Brough, S.; Brown, M.J.I.; Croom, S.; Driver, S.; Holwerda, B.W.; Hopkins, A.M.; Loveday, J.; Norberg, P.; Peacock, J.A.; Popescu, C.C.; Sadler, E.M.; Taylor, E.N.; Tuffs, R.J.; Wang, L.

Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): Exploring the WISE Web in G12 Thumbnail


Authors

T.H. Jarrett

M.E. Cluver

C. Magoulas

M. Bilicki

M. Alpaslan

J. Bland-Hawthorn

S. Brough

M.J.I. Brown

S. Croom

S. Driver

B.W. Holwerda

A.M. Hopkins

J. Loveday

J.A. Peacock

C.C. Popescu

E.M. Sadler

E.N. Taylor

R.J. Tuffs

L. Wang



Abstract

We present an analysis of the mid-infrared Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) sources seen within the equatorial GAMA G12 field, located in the North Galactic Cap. Our motivation is to study and characterize the behavior of WISE source populations in anticipation of the deep multiwavelength surveys that will define the next decade, with the principal science goal of mapping the 3D large-scale structures and determining the global physical attributes of the host galaxies. In combination with cosmological redshifts, we identify galaxies from their WISE W1 (3.4 μm) resolved emission, and we also perform a star-galaxy separation using apparent magnitude, colors, and statistical modeling of star counts. The resulting galaxy catalog has sime590,000 sources in 60 deg2, reaching a W1 5σ depth of 31 μJy. At the faint end, where redshifts are not available, we employ a luminosity function analysis to show that approximately 27% of all WISE extragalactic sources to a limit of 17.5 mag (31 μJy) are at high redshift, $z\gt 1$. The spatial distribution is investigated using two-point correlation functions and a 3D source density characterization at 5 Mpc and 20 Mpc scales. For angular distributions, we find that brighter and more massive sources are strongly clustered relative to fainter sources with lower mass; likewise, based on WISE colors, spheroidal galaxies have the strongest clustering, while late-type disk galaxies have the lowest clustering amplitudes. In three dimensions, we find a number of distinct groupings, often bridged by filaments and superstructures. Using special visualization tools, we map these structures, exploring how clustering may play a role with stellar mass and galaxy type.

Citation

Jarrett, T., Cluver, M., Magoulas, C., Bilicki, M., Alpaslan, M., Bland-Hawthorn, J., …Wang, L. (2017). Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): Exploring the WISE Web in G12. Astrophysical Journal, 836(2), Article 182. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/836/2/182

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 30, 2016
Online Publication Date Feb 17, 2017
Publication Date Feb 17, 2017
Deposit Date Mar 13, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Astrophysical Journal
Print ISSN 0004-637X
Electronic ISSN 0571-7248
Publisher American Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 836
Issue 2
Article Number 182
DOI https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/836/2/182

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Copyright Statement
© 2017. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.





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