HerMES: the contribution to the cosmic infrared background from galaxies selected by mass and redshift

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2013-12

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IOP Publishing Ltd.

Abstract

We quantify the fraction of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) that originates from galaxies identified in the UV/optical/near-infrared by stacking 81,250 (similar to 35.7 arcmin(-2)) K-selected sources (K-AB < 24.0) split according to their rest-frame U-V versus V-J colors into 72,216 star-forming and 9034 quiescent galaxies, on maps from Spitzer/MIPS (24 mu m), Herschel/PACS (100, 160 mu m), Herschel/SPIRE (250, 350, 500 mu m), and AzTEC (1100 mu m). The fraction of the CIB resolved by our catalog is (69% +/- 15%) at 24 mu m, (78% +/- 17%) at 70 mu m, (58% +/- 13%) at 100 mu m, (78% +/- 18%) at 160 mu m, (80% +/- 17%) at 250 mu m, (69% +/- 14%) at 350 mu m, (65% +/- 12%) at 500 mu m, and (45% +/- 8%) at 1100 mu m. Of that total, about 95% originates from star-forming galaxies, while the remaining 5% is from apparently quiescent galaxies. The CIB at lambda less than or similar to 200 mu m appears to be sourced predominantly from galaxies at z less than or similar to 1, while at. greater than or similar to 200 mu m the bulk originates from 1 less than or similar to z less than or similar to 2. Galaxies with stellar masses log(M/M-circle dot) = 9.5-11 are responsible for the majority of the CIB, with those in the log(M/M-circle dot) = 9.5-10 bin contributing mostly at lambda < 250 mu m, and those in the log(M/M circle dot) = 10-11 bin dominating at lambda > 350 mu m. The contribution from galaxies in the log(M/M-circle dot) = 9.0-9.5 (lowest) and log(M/M-circle dot) = 11.0-12.0 (highest) stellar-mass bins contribute the least-both of order 5%-although the highest stellar-mass bin is a significant contributor to the luminosity density at z greater than or similar to 2. The luminosities of the galaxies responsible for the CIB shifts from combinations of "normal" and luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) at lambda less than or similar to 160 mu m, to LIRGs at 160 less than or similar to lambda less than or similar to 500 mu m, to finally LIRGs and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies at lambda greater than or similar to 500 mu m. Stacking analyses were performed using SIMSTACK, a novel algorithm designed to account for possible biases in the stacked flux density due to clustering. It is made available to the public at www.astro.caltech.edu/similar to viero/viero_homepage/toolbox.html.

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cosmology: observations, galaxies: evolution, infrared: galaxies, large-scale structure of universe, submillimeter: galaxies, star-forming galaxies, active galactic nuclei, similar-to 2, spectral, energy-distributions, multiband imaging photometer, deep-field-south, hubble-space-telescope, goods nicmos survey, 160 mu-m, aperture-submillimeter-telescope

Citation

M. P. Viero et al. 2013. "HerMES: the contribution to the cosmic infrared background from galaxies selected by mass and redshift," ApJ 779 32 doi:10.1088/0004-637X/779/1/32