© 2017. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. We compare the isophote shape parameter a4 of early-type galaxies (ETGs) between z ∼ 1 and 0 as a proxy for dynamics to investigate the epoch at which the dynamical properties of ETGs are established, using cluster ETG samples with stellar masses of log(M∗/M⊙) ≥ 10.5 which have spectroscopic redshifts. We have 130 ETGs from the Hubble Space Telescope Cluster Supernova Survey for z ∼ 1 and 355 ETGs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey for z ∼ 0. We have developed an isophote shape analysis method, which can be used for high-redshift galaxies and has been carefully compared with published results. We have applied the same method for both the z ∼ 1 and 0 samples. We find similar dependence of the a4 parameter on the mass and size at z ∼ 1 and 0; the main population of ETGs changes from disky to boxy at a critical stellar mass of log(M∗/M⊙) ∼ 11.5 with the massive end dominated by boxy. The disky ETG fraction decreases with increasing stellar mass both at z ∼ 1 and 0, and is consistent between these redshifts in all stellar mass bins when the Eddington bias is taken into account. Although uncertainties are large, the results suggest that the isophote shapes and probably dynamical properties of ETGs in massive clusters are already in place at z > 1 and do not significantly evolve in z < 1, despite significant size evolution in the same galaxy population. The constant disky fraction favors less violent processes than mergers as the main cause of the size and morphological evolution of intermediate mass ETGs in z < 1.

We report an extensive search for Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z = 6.5 in the Subaru Deep Field. Subsequent spectroscopy with Subaru and Keck identified eight more LAEs, giving a total of 17 spectroscopically confirmed LAEs at z = 6.5. Based on this spectroscopic sample of 17, complemented by a photometric sample of 58 LAEs, we have derived a more accurate Lyα luminosity function of LAEs at z = 6.5, which reveals an apparent deficit at the bright end of ∼0.75 mag fainter L*, compared with that observed at z = 5.7. The difference in the LAE luminosity functions between z = 5.7 and 6.5 is significant at the 3 σ level, which is reduced to 2 σ when cosmic variance is taken into account. This result may imply that the reionization of the universe has not been completed at z = 6.5. We found that the spatial distribution of LAEs at z = 6.5 was homogeneous over the field. We discuss the implications of these results for the reionization of the universe. © 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

We report measurements of ΩM, ΩΛ nd w from 11 supernovae (SNe) at z = 0.36-0.86 with high-quality light curves measured using WFPC2 on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This is an independent set of high-redshift SNe that confirms previous SN evidence for an accelerating universe. The high-quality light curves available from photometry on WFPC2 make it possible for these 11 SNe alone to provide measurements of the cosmological parameters comparable in statistical weight to the previous results. Combined with earlier Supernova Cosmology Project data, the new SNe yield a measurement of the mass density ΩM = 0.25 -0.06+0.07 (statistical) ± 0.04 (identified systematics), or equivalently, a cosmological constant of ± = 0.75 -0.07+0.06 (statistical) ± 0.04 (identified systematics), under the assumptions of a flat universe and that the dark energy equation-of-state parameter has a constant value w = -1. When the SN results are combined with independent flat-universe measurements of ΩM from cosmic microwave background and galaxy redshift distortion data, they provide a measurement of w = -1.05-0.20+0.15 (statistical) ± 0.09 (identified systematic), if w is assumed to be constant in time. In addition to high-precision light-curve measurements, the new data offer greatly improved color measurements of the high-redshift SNe and hence improved host galaxy extinction estimates. These extinction measurements show no anomalous negative E(B-V) at high redshift. The precision of the measurements is such that it is possible to perform a host galaxy extinction correction directly for individual SNe without any assumptions or priors on the parent E(B-V) distribution. Our cosmological fits using full extinction corrections confirm that dark energy is required with P(ΩΛ > 0) > 0.99, a result consistent with previous and current SN analyses that rely on the identification of a low-extinction subset or prior assumptions concerning the intrinsic extinction distribution.

We present new results on the Hubble diagram of distant type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) segregated according to the type of host galaxy. This makes it possible to check earlier evidence for a cosmological constant by explicitly comparing SNe residing in galaxies likely to contain negligible dust with the larger sample. The cosmological parameters derived from these SNe Ia hosted by presumed dust-free early-type galaxies support earlier claims for a cosmological constant, which we demonstrate at ≃5σ significance, and the internal extinction implied is small even for late-type systems (A B < 0.2). Thus, our data demonstrate that host galaxy extinction is unlikely to systematically dim distant SNe Ia in a manner that would produce a spurious cosmological constant. Our analysis is based on new Hubble Space Telescope STIS 'snapshot' images and Keck-II echellette spectroscopy at the locations of the SNe, spanning the redshift range 0 < z < 0.8. Selecting from the sample discovered by the Supernova Cosmology Project (SCP), we classify the host galaxies of 39 distant SNe using the combination of STIS imaging, Keck spectroscopy and ground-based broad-band photometry. The distant data are analysed in comparison with a low-redshift sample of 25 SNe Ia re-calibrated according to the precepts of the SCP. The scatter observed in the SNe Ia Hubble diagrams correlates closely with host galaxy morphology. We find this scatter is smallest for SNe Ia occurring in early-type hosts and largest for those occurring in late-type galaxies. Moreover, SNe residing in late-type hosts appear ≃0.14 ± 0.09 mag fainter in their light-curve-width-corrected luminosity than those in early-type hosts, as expected if a modest amount of dust extinction is a contributing factor. As in previous studies, these results are broadly independent of whether corrections based upon SN light-curve shapes are performed. We also use our high-redshift data set to search for morphological dependences in the SNe light curves, as are sometimes seen in lowredshift samples. No significant trends are found, possibly because the range of light-curve widths is too limited.

We report a measurement of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) rate in galaxy clusters at 0.9 < z < 1.46 from the Hubble Space Telescope Cluster Supernova Survey. This is the first cluster SN Ia rate measurement with detected z > 0.9 SNe. Finding 8 1 cluster SNeIa, we determine an SN Ia rate of 0.50+0.23-0.19 (stat) +0.10-0.09 (sys) h 270 SNuB (SNuB ≡ 10-12 SNe L -1, Byr-1). In units of stellar mass, this translates to 0.36+0.16-0.13 (stat) +0.07-0.06 (sys) h 270 SNuM (SNuM ≡ 10 -12 SNe M -1⊙yr-1). This represents a factor of 5 2 increase over measurements of the cluster rate at z < 0.2. We parameterize the late-time SN Ia delay time distribution (DTD) with a power law: Ψ(t)ts . Under the approximation of a single-burst cluster formation redshift of zf = 3, our rate measurement in combination with lower-redshift cluster SN Ia rates constrains s = -1.41 +0.47-0.40, consistent with measurements of the DTD in the field. This measurement is generally consistent with expectations for the "double degenerate" scenario and inconsistent with some models for the "single degenerate" scenario predicting a steeper DTD at large delay times. We check for environmental dependence and the influence of younger stellar populations by calculating the rate specifically in cluster red-sequence galaxies and in morphologically early-type galaxies, finding results similar to the full cluster rate. Finally, the upper limit of one hostless cluster SN Ia detected in the survey implies that the fraction of stars in the intra-cluster medium is less than 0.47 (95% confidence), consistent with measurements at lower redshifts. © 2012. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..

We develop a method to measure the strength of the absorption features in type la supernova (SN la) spectra and use it to make a quantitative comparisons between the spectra of type la supernovae at low and high redshifts. In this case study, we apply the method to 12 high-redshift (0.212 ≤ z ≤ 0.912) SNe la observed by the Supernova Cosmology Project. Through measurements of the strengths of these features and of the blueshift of the absorption minimum in Ca II H&K, we show that the spectra of the high-redshift SNe Ia are quantitatively similar to spectra of nearby SNe la (z < 0.15). One supernova in our high redshift sample, SN 2002fd at z = 0.279, is found to have spectral characteristics that are associated with peculiar SN 1991T/SN 1999aa-like supernovae. © ESO 2007.

We present VLT FORS1 and FORS2 spectra of 39 candidate high-redshift supernovae that were discovered as part of a cosmological study using type la supernovae (SNe la) over a wide range of redshifts. From the spectra alone, 20 candidates are spectrally classified as SNe Ia with redshifts ranging from z = 0.212 to z = 1.181. Of the remaining 19 candidates, 1 might be a type II supernova and 11 exhibit broad supernova-like spectral features and/or have supernova-like light curves. The candidates were discovered in 8 separate ground-based searches. In those searches in which SNe la at z ∼0.5 were targeted, over 80% of the observed candidates were spectrally classified as SNe Ia. In those searches in which SNe la with z > 1 were targeted, 4 candidates with z > 1 were spectrally classified as SNe la and later followed with ground and space based observatories. We present the spectra of all candidates, including those that could not be spectrally classified as supernova.