Structures and colours of the oldest galaxies at redshift 1.5

Physics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Hst Proposal Id #7280 Galaxies

Scientific paper

This proposal is to measure the detailed image structure of the two oldest galaxies presently known at high redshift. The 1-mJy radio galaxies 53W091 and 53W069 have ages of 3.5 Gyr at z=1.55 and 4.5 Gyr at z=1.43, based on rest-frame UV stellar absorption features from Keck LRIS spectra. These are the first high-redshift galaxies for which detailed studies of stellar populations have proved possible. The robust conclusion is that these objects must have formed at z>5, and it is important to understand what kind of galaxies they are. We therefore proposed to image 53W091 and 53W069 in three wavebands, allowing us to map their overall morphology in the rest-frame UV and on either side of the 4000-Angstrom break. If these are passively-evolving precursors of present-day ellipticals, then they should have de Vaucouleurs' profiles and characteristic radial colour gradients. Measuring these parameters would place the galaxies on the fundamental plane and thus measure their masses and metallicities, tying down more precisely their stellar ages. Given an allocation reduced to 9 orbits, we propose now to concentrate on the longer-wavelength imaging.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Structures and colours of the oldest galaxies at redshift 1.5 does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Structures and colours of the oldest galaxies at redshift 1.5, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Structures and colours of the oldest galaxies at redshift 1.5 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-895357

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.