Probing the z>6 Universe with the first Hubble Frontier Fields cluster Abell 2744

Abstract

The Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) program combines the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) with the gravitational lensing of massive galaxy clusters to probe the distant Universe to an unprecedented depth. Here, we present the results of the first combined HST and Spitzer observations of the cluster Abell 2744. We combine the full near-infrared data with ancillary optical images to search for gravitationally lensed high-redshift (z > 6) galaxies. We report the detection of 15 I814-dropout candidates at z ~ 6-7 and one Y105-dropout at z ~ 8 in a total survey area of 1.43 arcmin^2 in the source plane. The predictions of our lens model allow us to also identify five multiply-imaged systems lying at redshifts between z ~ 6 and z ~ 8. Thanks to constraints from the mass distribution in the cluster, we were able to estimate the effective survey volume corrected for completeness and magnification effects. This was in turn used to estimate the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function (LF) at z ~ 6-8. Our LF results are generally in agreement with the most recent blank field estimates, confirming the feasibility of surveys through lensing clusters. Although based on a shallower observations than what will be achieved in the final dataset including the full ACS observations, the LF presented here extends down to Muv ~ -18.5 at z ~ 7 with one identified object at Muv ~ -15 thanks to the highly-magnified survey areas. This early study forecasts the power of using massive galaxy clusters as cosmic telescopes and its complementarity to blank fields.

9 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. accepted for publication in ApJ

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Cited by in corpus (56)

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• Mass and magnification maps for the Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields clusters: implications for high redshift studies
• The Extreme Faint End of the UV Luminosity Function at $z\sim 6$ Through Gravitational Telescopes: a comprehensive assessment of strong lensing uncertainties
• Revealing Galaxy Candidates out to $z\sim 16$ with JWST Observations of the Lensing Cluster SMACS0723
• Ultraviolet Emission Lines in Young Low Mass Galaxies at z~2: Physical Properties and Implications for Studies at z>7
• Precise Strong Lensing Mass Modeling of Four Hubble Frontier Fields Clusters and a Sample of Magnified High-Redshift Galaxies
• Strong lensing analysis of Abell 2744 with MUSE and Hubble Frontier Fields images
• Hubble Frontier Fields First Complete Cluster Data: Faint Galaxies at $z\sim 5-10$ for UV Luminosity Functions and Cosmic Reionization
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• New Constraints on the Faint-end of the UV Luminosity Function at z~7-8 using the Gravitational Lensing of the Hubble Frontier Fields Cluster A2744
• Evolution of the galaxy stellar mass functions and UV luminosity functions at $z=6-9$ in the Hubble Frontier Fields
• Hubble Frontier Fields : A High-Precision Strong-Lensing Mass Model of the Massive Galaxy Cluster Abell 2744 using 180 Multiple Images
• A Geometrically Supported $z\sim 10$ Candidate Multiply-Imaged by the Hubble Frontier Fields Cluster Abell 2744
• First Frontier Field Constraints on the Cosmic Star-Formation Rate Density at z~10 - The Impact of Lensing Shear on Completeness of High-Redshift Galaxy Samples
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• The Extraordinary Amount of Substructure in the Hubble Frontier Fields Cluster Abell 2744
• Frontier Fields: High-Redshift Predictions and Early Results
• JWST UNCOVER: Extremely red and compact object at$z_{\mathrm{phot}}\simeq 7.6$ triply imaged by Abell 2744
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• The Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS) and the Brightest High-z Galaxies
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• Candidate Gravitationally Lensed Dusty Star-forming Galaxies in the Herschel Wide Area Surveys
• The ALMA Frontier Fields survey I: 1.1 mm continuum detections in Abell 2744, MACSJ0416.1-2403 and MACSJ1149.5+2223
• The MUSE Deep Lensed Field on the Hubble Frontier Field MACS~J0416
• Extremely Small Sizes for Faint z~2-8 Galaxies in the Hubble Frontier Fields: A Key Input For Establishing their Volume Density and UV Emissivity
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• Free Form Lensing Implications for the Collision of Dark Matter and Gas in the Frontier Fields Cluster MACSJ0416.1-2403
• Young Galaxy Candidates in the Hubble Frontier Fields - III. MACSJ0717.5+3745
• The Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space (GLASS). IV. Mass reconstruction of the lensing cluster Abell 2744 from frontier field imaging and GLASS spectroscopy
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• A Rigorous Free-form Lens Model of Abell 2744 to Meet the Hubble Frontier Fields Challenge
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• Young Galaxy Candidates in the Hubble Frontier Fields. II. MACS,J0416-2403
• Faint end of the $z\sim 3-7$ luminosity function of Lyman-alpha emitters behind lensing clusters observed with MUSE
• Connecting Faint End Slopes of the Lyman-$\alpha$ emitter and Lyman-break Galaxy Luminosity Functions
• Accounting for Cosmic Variance in Studies of Gravitationally-Lensed High-Redshift Galaxies in the Hubble Frontier Field Clusters
• Young Galaxy Candidates in the Hubble Frontier Fields IV. MACS J1149.5+2223
• Hubble Asteroid Hunter: II. Identifying strong gravitational lenses in HST images with crowdsourcing
• Astraeus II: Quantifying the impact of cosmic variance during the Epoch of Reionization
• A Pilot Survey for CIII] Emission in the Reionization Era: Gravitationally-Lensed z$\sim 7-8$ Galaxies in the Frontier Fields Cluster Abell 2744
• Mass Modeling of Frontier Fields Cluster MACS J1149.5+2223 Using Strong and Weak Lensing
• A Systematic Search for Lensed High-Redshift Galaxies in HST Images of MACS Clusters
• Characterising Strong Lensing Galaxy Clusters using the Millennium-XXL and MOKA simulations
• Quantifying the Impact of Cosmological Parameter Uncertainties on Strong Lensing Models With an Eye Toward the Frontier Fields
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• Impact of the turnover in the high-z galaxy luminosity function on the 21-cm signal during Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionization