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arXiv · 1904.01597

The brightest UV-selected galaxies in protoclusters at $z\sim4$: Ancestors of Brightest Cluster Galaxies?

Kei Ito·Nobunari Kashikawa·Jun Toshikawa·Roderik Overzier·Masayuki Tanaka·Mariko Kubo·Takatoshi Shibuya·Shogo Ishikawa·Masafusa Onoue·Hisakazu Uchiyama·Yongming Liang·Ryo Higuchi·Crystal Martin·Chien-Hsiu Lee·Yutaka Komiyama·Song Huang
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Abstract

We present the results of a survey of the brightest UV-selected galaxies in protoclusters. These proto-brightest cluster galaxy (proto-BCG) candidates are drawn from 179 overdense regions of $g$-dropout galaxies at $z\sim4$ from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program identified previously as good protocluster candidates. This study is the first to extend the systematic study of the progenitors of BCGs from $z\sim2$ to $z\sim4$. We carefully remove possible contaminants from foreground galaxies and, for each structure, we select the brightest galaxy that is at least 1 mag brighter than the fifth brightest galaxy. We select 63 proto-BCG candidates and compare their properties with those of galaxies in the field and those of other galaxies in overdense structures. The proto-BCG candidates and their surrounding galaxies have different rest-UV color $(i - z)$ distributions to field galaxies and other galaxies in protoclusters that do not host proto-BCGs. In addition, galaxies surrounding proto-BCGs are brighter than those in protoclusters without proto-BCGs. The image stacking analysis reveals that the average effective radius of proto-BCGs is $\sim28\%$ larger than that of field galaxies. The $i-z$ color differences suggest that proto-BCGs and their surrounding galaxies are dustier than other galaxies at $z\sim4$. These results suggest that specific environmental effects or assembly biasses have already emerged in some protoclusters as early as $z \sim 4$, and we suggest that proto-BCGs have different star formation histories than other galaxies in the same epoch.

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Kei Ito, Nobunari Kashikawa, Jun Toshikawa, Roderik Overzier, Masayuki Tanaka, Mariko Kubo, Takatoshi Shibuya, Shogo Ishikawa, Masafusa Onoue, Hisakazu Uchiyama, Yongming Liang, Ryo Higuchi, Crystal Martin, Chien-Hsiu Lee, Yutaka Komiyama, Song Huang. 2019-04-02. The brightest UV-selected galaxies in protoclusters at $z\sim4$: Ancestors of Brightest Cluster Galaxies?. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357%2Fab1f0c

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