Decoding the Blueprint for the Formation and Evolution of Massive Galaxies
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
My research makes use of optical and UV light that has been emitted from intense dust-enshrouded star forming regions within a galaxy in the first throes of formation. The starlight from these nurseries gets absorbed by the dust grains and is reradiated as heat at infrared wavelengths. These forming galaxies are so far away that this light has taken about 12 billion years to reach us, so that we are essentially peering into the most distant corners of the Universe and into the past, when the Universe was very young and starting to form stars and galaxies. Due to the expansion of the Universe, the infrared radiation gets stretched to submillimetre wavelengths, which large telescopes on Earth like the 15-m diameter James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii, and in the future Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) of telescopes in Chile, can detect using specially designed cameras. These telescopes need to be built on the tops of high and dry mountains like Mauna Kea in Hawaii (3700m) and Llano de Chajnantor in Chile (5000m) because there are a great many molecules in the atmosphere like water that absorb the infrared energy we are trying to detect. Using the novel SCUBA-2 camera that is being commissioned on the JCMT in 2008, I will be participating in an international collaboration to map large portions of the sky at submillimetre wavelengths to detect these intense star-forming galaxies. Because we can probe this far back in time, we will be able to take a complete census of star-formation in the Universe that will tell us how and when the first stars and galaxies formed. Starting in 2010, ALMA will begin to revolutionise our view of the distant Universe as it will be provide unprecedentedly high-angular resolution capabilities at submillimetre wavelengths that optical astronomers have enjoyed for decades. By comparing their physical properties (such as masses, power output, and temperatures) to local galaxies, we can gain insight into how galaxies evolve over cosmic time. Comparing these direct observations of the real Universe to theoretical model predictions teaches us about the fine details of how galaxies form that we cannot access from our limited vantage point.
Publications
Austermann J
(2010)
AzTEC half square degree survey of the SHADES fields â?? I. Maps, catalogues and source counts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Biggs A
(2011)
The LABOCA survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South - radio and mid-infrared counterparts to submillimetre galaxies Radio/MIR counterparts to SMGs in the ECDF-S
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chapin E
(2009)
An AzTEC 1.1 mm survey of the GOODS-N field - II. Multiwavelength identifications and redshift distribution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chapin E
(2011)
A joint analysis of BLAST 250-500 µm and LABOCA 870 µm observations in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South BLAST and LABOCA observations of the ECDF-S
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coppin K
(2008)
Testing the evolutionary link between submillimetre galaxies and quasars: CO observations of QSOs at z ~ 2
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coppin K
(2012)
Herschel -PACS observations of [O i ]63 µm towards submillimetre galaxies at z ~ 1 Herschel observations of [O i ]63 µ m in z ~ 1 SMGs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coppin K
(2010)
Detection of molecular gas in a distant submillimetre galaxy at z= 4.76 with Australia Telescope Compact Array CO(2-1) in an SMG at z = 4.76
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Coppin K
(2011)
Herschel-Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey: detection of a far-infrared population around galaxy clusters? Far-infrared excess around clusters in H-ATLAS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coppin K
(2009)
A submillimetre galaxy at z = 4.76 in the LABOCA survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field -South
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coppin K
(2010)
MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF CANDIDATE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI-DOMINATED SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
| Description | 1) We require large catalogues of SMGs in order to characterise the full spectrum of SMG properties and to look for evolution in these properties over cosmic time. I led the UK side of the analysis of a large ESO/MPI collaboration to map the well-studied Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDFS) at 870um with LABOCA on the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) in Chile -- The LABOCA ECDFS Submillimetre Survey -- LESS (Weiss et al. 2009). LESS has superceded SHADES (Coppin et al., 2006) as the largest submm survey ever undertaken and has crucially yielded a natural follow-up sample for future detailed ALMA studies. One specific highlight from LESS that I uncovered during our characterisation of the SMG multiwavelength properties, was the discovery of the highest redshift SMG known - at a record-breaking spectroscopically-confirmed z=4.76 (Coppin et al. 2009), with a mix of starburst and obscured AGN signatures (just like SMGs at z~2). This galaxy is likely the progenitor of luminous distant red galaxies at z~3 (confirmed through a CO gas mass measurement using the Australian Telescope Compact Array; Coppin et al. 2010), which poses a direct challenge for theorists since if the progenitors of all of the luminous red galaxies at z~3 go through an ultraluminous starburst at z>4 then the required volume density of z>4 SMGs will exceed that predicted by current galaxy formation models by more than an order of magnitude. More examples of high-z SMGs are sure to be uncovered by upcoming submm surveys mapping fields with the best multi-wavelength data sets which will further constrain the models, and will be prime targets for ALMA follow-up. 2) Important physical properties of SMGs such as their dust temperatures, far-IR luminosities, dust masses, gas masses, and star formation rates can only be constrained by measuring their far-IR SEDs. Since SCUBA-2 and SABOCA were not available to undertake the original goals of the proposal, we undertook a collaborative BLAST-LESS venture (BLAST: Balloon-Borne Large Aperture Submillimetre Telescope) to probe the SEDs of high-redshift dusty galaxies by performing a joint analysis of these rich datasets at 250, 350, 500, and 870um (Chapin et al., submitted). BLAST uses a prototype of the Herschel-SPIRE array, and this study is thus a direct precursor to future joint far-IR/submm surveys aiming to identify multiwavelength counterparts and to measure their far-IR SEDs. We also performed a complementary optical-to-mid-IR multiwavelength and photometric redshift analysis of the LESS SMGs (Wardlow et al., submitted) and find a simple redshift estimator for SMGs based solely on the 3.6 and 8um fluxes, which is accurate to delta(z)~0.4 for SMGs at z<4. Also, in contrast to previous suggestions we find no significant correlation between 870um flux and redshift, which begs investigation by future studies. 3) It is crucially important to establish the link between massive high-z galaxies and their present-day descendents in order to help constrain theoretical models of galaxy formation (e.g. Baugh et al. 2005, MNRAS, 356, 1191; Bower et al. 2006, MNRAS, 370, 645). In order to investigate a potential evolutionary link between AGN/QSOs-SMGs (Sanders et al. 1988), I recently led a 60hr Spitzer-IRS study (Coppin et al. 2010) of a sample of SMGs likely harbouring powerful AGN on the basis of IRAC colour-selection technique, which could represent `missing link' sources in the Sanders et al. evolutionary sequence. Not only have we obtained new redshifts for this sample by measuring the positions of the PAH features (which also indicate significant star formation activity), but spectral decomposition has revealed that our targets have proportionately more continuum/AGN emission (~60%) than typical starburst-dominated SMGs (<30%). Our results imply a AGN-dominated duty cycle of ~15% (previously not convincingly known), assuming that all SMGs go through a subsequent AGN-dominated phase. |
| Exploitation Route | At the top of this page I have identified important results and related them to general developments in the field - that will be expanded on and carried out by my team and others. |
| Sectors | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Other |
| Description | The findings have been used, in part, to promote the public understanding of the results from this research. The discovery of the z=4.76 SMG was highlighted at the 2009 JENAM/NAM annual conference hosted at the University of Hertfordshire through an RAS press release: ``A (LESS)er challenge to galaxy formation'' (see http://star.herts.ac.uk/ewass/press/coppin.html), which was picked up by several press offices, including Astronomy Now who published an article based on our work entitled ``Most distant starbursting galaxies discovered''. I helped write the press release with the RAS and provided images & supplemental material and held interviews during NAM with press officers. There was no cost associated with this outreach. My work within the LABOCA Survey of the ECDFS (LESS) including the discovery of the z=4.76 SMG was featured in an article in the December 2009 issue of The Messenger quarterly journal presenting ESO's activities to the public (http://www.eso.org/sci/publications/messenger/archive/no.138-dec09/messenger-no138-26-29.pdf). I helped to provide text and an image for the article, and this incurred no direct costs. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2009 |
| Sector | Education,Other |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | L'Oreal Canada for Women in Science Research Excellence Fellowship, with the support of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO |
| Amount | $20,000 (CAD) |
| Funding ID | 201153400011 |
| Organisation | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | France |
| Start | 09/2011 |
| End | 08/2012 |
| Description | SCUBA2 Cosmology Legacy Survey Consortium |
| Organisation | AkzoNobel |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | I helped with on-sky commissioning of SCUBA2, survey data collection and analysis, helping with proposals for follow-up work, and PI/co-I of several of the survey papers - including a leading role (with 2 others) on the first survey paper. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Writing the proposal, data collection and analysis, and leading/contributing to survey papers |
| Impact | Geach, Chapin, Coppin et al., 2013, MNRAS, 432, 53 Roseboom et al., 2013, MNRAS, 436, 430 Coppin et al., 2014, in preparation Smith et al., 2014, in preparation |
| Description | ESO article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | My work within the LABOCA Survey of the ECDFS (LESS) including the discovery of the z=4.76 SMG was featured in an article in the December 2009 issue of The Messenger quarterly journal presenting ESO's activities to the public (http://www.eso.org/sci/publications/messenger/archive/no.138-dec09/messenger-no138-26-29.pdf) online and physical article |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | Herschel-NASA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Involvement in a Herschel-NASA press release "Herschel Sees Intergalactic Bridge Aglow with Stars", based on a recent Herschel paper published in ApJL (I am the lead author). McGill University also issued a similar press release and Jim Geach and I participated in a podcast which is available on iTunes. podcast available on iTunes |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | RAS Press Release |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The discovery of the z=4.76 SMG was highlighted at the 2009 JENAM/NAM annual conference hosted at the University of Hertfordshire through an RAS press release: ``A (LESS)er challenge to galaxy formation'' (see http://star.herts.ac.uk/ewass/press/coppin.html), which was picked up by several press offices, including Astronomy Now who published an article based on our work entitled ``Most distant starbursting galaxies discovered''. online articles |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |