This work presents detailed analysis from the GEEC2 spectroscopic survey of galaxy groups at 0.8<z<1. This deep survey, which has a magnitude limit of r_AB<24.75, had previously found a population of intermediate ('green') galaxies between the star-forming ('blue') and quiescent ('red') sequences. GMOS-S spectroscopy for the 11 X-ray selected galaxy groups was obtained and is highly complete ( > 66 per cent) for eight of the eleven groups. Using an optical-NIR colour-colour diagram, the galaxies in the sample are separated with a dust insensitive method into the three categories, star-forming, quiescent, and intermediate. The strongest environmental dependence is observed in the fraction of quiescent galaxies, which is higher inside groups than in the field for all stellar masses. While intermediate galaxies represent ~15-20 per cent of the star-forming population in both the group and field, the average specific star formation rates (sSFR) of the group population is lower by a factor of ~3. The intermediate population also does not show the strong Hδ absorption that is characteristic of starburst galaxies. Inside groups, only 4.4-6.7 per cent of star-forming galaxies are starbursts, which gives additional validity to the assumption that the quenching of star-formation is the primary process in the transition from the star-forming to the quiescent state. With the use of stellar synthesis models, two possible scenarios for the origins of the intermediate population are investigated, including the quenching of star-forming galaxies via environmental processes and the rejuvenation of star formation in early-type galaxies via mixed mergers. To model the quenching scenario, we have tested the use of different exponential quenching timescales (τ_2) and different types of delays between satellite accretion and the onset of quenching. We found that the fraction of intermediate galaxies depends most strongly on the value of τ_2. The relative fractions of galaxies rule out both the no-delay scenario, which would require a long τ_2 that over-produces intermediate galaxies, as well as the constant 3 Gyr delay model, which does not produce a sufficient number of quiescent galaxies. The observed fractions are best matched with a model that includes a dynamical delay time and a τ_2=0.25 Gyr, but this model also predicts intermediate galaxies Hδ strength higher than that observed. For the rejuvenation scenario, we found that the time visible in the intermediate region is directly related to the size of the second 'burst' of star-formation, which can then be further constrained by the Hδ strength for the intermediate population. The observations are best matched to a burst size of ~1 per cent, at a rate of ~3 times per Gyr. In order to properly distinguish between the two scenarios, we will need to both increase the signal-to-noise ratio for the Hδ measurements and conduct a deeper survey of satellite galaxies both inside groups and in the field.

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), one of the programs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III), has now completed its systematic, homogeneous spectroscopic survey sampling all major populations of the Milky Way. After a three-year observing campaign on the Sloan 2.5 m Telescope, APOGEE has collected a half million high-resolution (R similar to 22,500), high signal-to-noise ratio (>100), infrared (1.51-1.70 mu m) spectra for 146,000 stars, with time series information via repeat visits to most of these stars. This paper describes the motivations for the survey and its overall design-hardware, field placement, target selection, operations-and gives an overview of these aspects as well as the data reduction, analysis, and products. An index is also given to the complement of technical papers that describe various critical survey components in detail. Finally, we discuss the achieved survey performance and illustrate the variety of potential uses of the data products by way of a number of science demonstrations, which span from time series analysis of stellar spectral variations and radial velocity variations from stellar companions, to spatial maps of kinematics, metallicity, and abundance patterns across the Galaxy and as a function of age, to new views of the interstellar medium, the chemistry of star clusters, and the discovery of rare stellar species. As part of SDSS-III Data Release 12 and later releases, all of the APOGEE data products are publicly available.

Theory of cosmic structure formation outlines how stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and large-scale structures formed out of primordial density fluctuations. It presents us a picture of cosmic mass assembly, and places strong constraints on cosmological model. Both observations and theories suggest that structures formation follows a "bottom up" process, in which small, low-mass component form first, and gradually develop into larger, more massive systems. This dissertation focuses on three crucial stages of cosmic structure formation: first generation stars, quasar host galaxies and the large-scale galaxy overdensities. In Chapter 1, I present an overview of structure formation, acquainting readers with a general picture from first object in the Universe to large-scale structures at later epochs. In Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, I derive strong constraints to the star formation rates (SFRs) of very massive Population III (Pop III) stars in two high redshift galaxies at z = 7. By probing the He II emission lines for both galaxies, I conclude that the contributions of very massive Pop III stars to total the SFRs are less than 3%. In Chapter 4, I move to more massive systems, quasar host galaxies at z ~ 3. Using damped Lyman alpha absorption systems as natural coronagraphs, I report that rest-frame far-UV emission of quasar host galaxy correlates strongly with quasar luminosity. This result suggests a co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. In Chapter 5, I develop a novel method for searching the most massive protoclusters at z = 2-3, by utilizing intergalactic Lyman alpha absorption. My investigations suggest that large intergalactic Lyman alpha absorption systems effectively trace the most overdense regions at large scale of ~ 15 h⁻¹ Mpc. In Chapter 6, I present our imaging observations of an extreme galaxy overdensity (protocluster) BOSS1441+4000, which is discovered using the techniques developed in Chapter 5. Furthermore, I report an intergalactic-scale Lyman alpha nebula detected at the density peak of BOSS1441+4000. This discovery, together with previously discovered Slug nebula, provide us a first look of intergalactic medium in emission in the early Universe. In the Chapter 7, I give a summary of this dissertation and discuss several future prospects.

Abstract The discs in galaxies are radially extended, rotationally supported, flattened systems. In the cosmological Lambda Cold Dark Matter model the formation of the discs is intimately connected with galaxy formation. Generally it is assumed that the discs have exponentially decreasing stellar surface brightness profiles, but completely satisfactory theoretical explanation for this has not been presented. Large number of studies in the past decade have challenged this view, and have found a change in the slope of the surface brightness profile in the outer regions of many galaxies discs: the surface brightness can decrease more, or less, steeply than in the inner regions. The transition between the two slopes is often called a disc break. Consequently, the discs are divided in three major categories: single exponential Type I, down-bending break Type II, and up-bending break Type III. Formation of these break features has been linked to the initial formation of the discs, internal evolution, and also with the interactions between galaxies. By studying the detailed properties of the disc break features, the evolutionary history of discs, and galaxies in general, can be better understood. The thesis work focuses on the structural analysis of the galaxies in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G), which consists of 2352 galaxies observed in the 3.6 and 4.5 µm mid-infrared wavelengths with the Spitzer space telescope. Work has been carried out as a part of the data-analysis pipelines of the S4G survey, utilizing surface photometry. In addition, special emphasis has been put on the study of the disc and disc break properties in a wide range of galaxy morphological types and stellar masses. The thesis work attempts to at least partially understand how galaxy stellar mass and observed wavelength affect the properties of the discs and breaks, and how galaxy structural components are connected with the breaks. The data comprises mainly of the 3.6 µm infrared data, providing a view to the stellar mass distribution of galaxies. We find that the Type II breaks are the most common disc profile type, found in 45 ± 2% of the sample galaxies, consisting of 759 galaxies in the stellar mass range 8.5 ≲ log10(M*/M⊙) ≲ 11. Type I discs are found in 31 ± 2%, and the Type III breaks in 23 ± 2% of the sample. The fraction of the profile types also depends of the galaxy stellar mass: fractions of the Types II and III increase, while Type I fraction decreases, with increasing stellar mass. We attribute these changes with stellar mass to the increased frequency of bar resonance structures in higher mass galaxies, which are commonly associated with a Type II break, and to the increased fraction of Type III profiles in generally more massive early-type disc galaxies. In addition to the Type II breaks associated with bar resonance structures, we find that nearly half of these breaks relate to the visual spiral outer edge, confirming previous results of the Type II break connection with galaxy structure, and thus the internal evolution rather than initial formation of discs. Complementary data in optical wavelengths from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey shows a strong change in the properties of the discs inside the Type II breaks, indicating that the inner discs are evolving via star formation. In late-type spiral galaxies (T ≳ 4) with a Type II break, possible evidence of radial stellar migration is found in the outer disc: the slope of the surface brightness profile is shallower in the infrared compared to optical wavelengths, indicating that older stellar populations are more evenly spread throughout the disc. Formation of the Type I and III profiles remain poorly understood. However, indication that some of the Type III profiles are formed by environmentally driven processes is found, with a correlation between the properties of the local environment and the disc profile parameters. Furthermore, indication of star formation possibly causing the up-bends in spiral galaxies is found through a presence of young stellar population in the outer disc section.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / We quantitatively examine the effects of merger and environment within a cosmological hydrodynamic simulation. We show that our simulation model broadly reproduces the observed scatter in H I at a given stellar mass as quantified by the HI mass function in bins of stellar mass, as well as the H I richness versus local galaxy density. The predicted H I fluctuations and environmental effects are roughly consistent with data, though some discrepancies are present at group scales. For satellite galaxies in & 1012Mhalos, the H I richness distribution is bimodal and drops towards the largest halo masses. The depletion rate of H I once a galaxy enters a more massive halo is more rapid at higher halo mass, in contrast to the specific star formation rate which shows much less variation in the attenuation rate versus halo mass. This suggests that, up to halo mass scales probed here (. 1014M), star formation is mainly attenuated by starvation, but H I is additionally removed by stripping once a hot gaseous halo is present. In low mass halos, the H I richness of satellites is independent of radius, while in high mass halos they become gas-poor towards the center, confirming the increasing strength of the stripping with halo mass. By tracking the progenitors of galaxies, we show that the gas fraction of satellite and central galaxiesdecreases from z =5 ! 0, tracking each other until z⇠1 after which the satellites’ H I content drops much more quickly, particularly for the highest halo masses. Mergers somewhat increase the H I richness and its scatter about the mean relation, but these variations are consistent with arising form inflow fluctuations, unlike in the case of star formation where mergers boost it above that expected from inflow fluctuations. In short, our simulations suggest that the H I content in galaxies is determined by their ability to accrete gas from their surroundings, with stripping effects playing a driving role once a hot gaseous halo is present.

Galaxy properties are known to correlate with their environment, suggesting that environment plays a significant role in galaxy evolution. In particular, blue star forming spiral galaxies are preferentially found in low density regions while red, passive elliptical galaxies are found in the densest clusters. This suggests galaxies falling into groups and clusters experience a decrease in their star formation rate (SFR) and a morphological transformation from spiral to elliptical, but the timescales associated with these changes are not well constrained. This thesis explores the impact of environment on galaxy SFRs and morphologies for a large sample of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We separate galaxies into two environments (groups and clusters) and use location in projected phase space as an estimate for how long a galaxy has been a part of its current environment. We calculate the timescales associated with the changes in galaxy SFRs and morphologies, and determine SFRs change more quickly than morphology. By comparing to a sample of field galaxies, we find evidence that prior group environments impact current galaxy properties via pre-processing. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The majority of galaxy formation studies which explore beyond local redshifts do not typically probe down to the dwarf galaxy stellar mass range of ∼ 10^9 Msun . Thus trends in the observed evolution or characteristics of galaxy formation at a particular epoch are based upon populations of massive galaxies. However the currently favored Λ-Cold Dark Matter (Λ-CDM) theory is based upon hierarchical clustering and merging of lower mass systems, which proceed to make the higher mass, complex morphology of galaxies we observe. Thus it is clear that within the dwarf galaxy mass regime there should be a significant phase of galaxy formation and evolution. This work aims to uncover the influence of local environment on the formation and evolution of dwarf and massive galaxies beyond local redshift, probing down to a mass range lower than that which has been explored by previous studies. A previously successful study titled the Redshift One LDSS-3 Emission line Survey (ROLES), released results for a redshift of z ∼ 1, which compared the [OII] luminosity and galaxy stellar mass functions ([OII] LF and GSMF respectively), star formation rate density (SFRD), and specific star formation rate (sSFR) relations, with a local SDSS dataset. This led to the expansion of the study to lower redshift (this work) which explored low stellar mass galaxies at a redshift of z ∼ 0.75. This follow-up study referred to as ROLES75 (z ∼ 0.75) targeted the same two deep fields explored by the z ∼ 1 study (GOODS-South, MS1054-03 FIRES), which have extensive public photometry. Low mass targets were selected for study by their K-magnitudes (22.5 < KAB < 24) leading to a dwarf mass range of 8.5 < Log(M∗/Msun) < 9.5, and which were most likely to be within our redshift range (0.62 < z < 0.885). Follow-up multi-object spectroscopy targeted the [OII]λ3727A emission line star formation tracer in these targets allowing us to identify and obtain secure spectroscopic redshifts, SED-fit stellar masses and observed [OII] luminosity calibrated star formation rates down to limits of Log(M∗/Msun) ∼ 8.85 and SFR ∼ 0.1 Msun/yr . Science results presented here are similar to those published by the ROLES z ∼ 1 study, however we also studied the influence of the high versus low density environment in which the galaxy populations reside. This study confirmed that while the [OII] luminosity was higher in earlier times, environment does not influence galaxy formation at z ∼ 0.75. The faint-end slope of the [OII] LF, α ∼ 1.25 measured here, is also observed to become increasingly more steep with increasing redshift. The [OII] luminous GSMF is observed to not have significantly evolved since z ∼ 2.75, confirming the result of the previous ROLES work. However the impact of environment on the GSMF is apparent in the high mass end where the imprint of structure from the CDFS field enhances the stellar mass function above the field population. There is also weak evidence of a bi-modal [OII] luminous GSMF indicated by an ‘upturn’ near ∼ 10^9 Msun in the low density field population. The SFRD at z ∼ 0.75 does not confirm the picture presented by the ROLES z ∼ 1 study where a constant scale factor was applicable to the local SDSS SFRD to obtain the z ∼ 1 SFRD. The SFRD in the high mass end at z ∼ 0.75 is lower than would be expected based upon a constant scale factor, while the low stellar mass end exhibits some consistency with this picture. In the high density environment, this dominant SFRD (over the low density field population) is driven by the high density [OII] luminous GSMF in the high stellar mass end, rather than through an enhancement of the SFR. The normalization of the sSFR − M∗ relation at z ∼ 0.75 is found to lie between those corresponding to z ∼ 1 and present day. There is a subtle ‘upturn’ in the sSFR − M∗ relation confirming this observation which was also present in the ROLES z ∼ 1 study but not present in the local SDSS sSFR − M∗ relation. The sSFR of active galaxies does not depend upon the local density in which they are forming, confirming the same conclusion based upon the [OII] LF. However, there is redshift evolution of the sSFR − M∗ relation with respect to local density. The high density sSFR − M∗ relation for star forming galaxies was dominant over its low density counterpart at early times, with the opposite the case at present day. There is suggestion of the crossover or rollover transition occurring at z ∼ 0.75.

In this thesis, I explore the star formation histories of both spiral and elliptical galaxies. In Part 1,1 present an in-depth study of the star formation histories of spiral galaxies with a wide range of properties. Optical and near-infrared colours are used in conjunction with up-to-date stellar population synthesis models to constrain the ages and metallicities of my sample galaxies. I find that age and metallicity gradients are common in spiral galaxies of all types. The age of a spiral galaxy correlates mainly with its surface brightness, and its metallicity correlates strongly with both its surface brightness and absolute magnitude. Using simple models, I demonstrate that the correlations observed in this thesis show that the star formation history of a region within a galaxy depends primarily on its surface density, and possibly on the dynamical time. Metal- enriched outflow from low mass galaxies seems to be required to reproduce a reasonably strong metallicity-magnitude correlation. These variations in star formation history are a continuous function of the physical parameters: in particular, I find no evidence for a bimodal spiral galaxy surface brightness distribution. In Part 2, I present a short study on the formation epoch of early-type galaxies. I developed a photometric redshift estimator optimised for redshifts z ~ 1. The redshift estimator provides redshifts accurate to ~ 10 per cent. This redshift estimator is then applied to a sample of morphologically-selected early-type galaxies in the northern Hubble Deep Field. Comparison of their colour-magnitude relation with a passively evolved Coma cluster colour-magnitude relation indicates that over half of the sample must form at redshifts greater than two.

The majority of galaxy formation studies which explore beyond local redshifts do not typically probe down to the dwarf galaxy stellar mass range of ∼ 10^9 Msun . Thus trends in the observed evolution or characteristics of galaxy formation at a particular epoch are based upon populations of massive galaxies. However the currently favored Λ-Cold Dark Matter (Λ-CDM) theory is based upon hierarchical clustering and merging of lower mass systems, which proceed to make the higher mass, complex morphology of galaxies we observe. Thus it is clear that within the dwarf galaxy mass regime there should be a significant phase of galaxy formation and evolution. This work aims to uncover the influence of local environment on the formation and evolution of dwarf and massive galaxies beyond local redshift, probing down to a mass range lower than that which has been explored by previous studies. A previously successful study titled the Redshift One LDSS-3 Emission line Survey (ROLES), released results for a redshift of z ∼ 1, which compared the [OII] luminosity and galaxy stellar mass functions ([OII] LF and GSMF respectively), star formation rate density (SFRD), and specific star formation rate (sSFR) relations, with a local SDSS dataset. This led to the expansion of the study to lower redshift (this work) which explored low stellar mass galaxies at a redshift of z ∼ 0.75. This follow-up study referred to as ROLES75 (z ∼ 0.75) targeted the same two deep fields explored by the z ∼ 1 study (GOODS-South, MS1054-03 FIRES), which have extensive public photometry. Low mass targets were selected for study by their K-magnitudes (22.5 < KAB < 24) leading to a dwarf mass range of 8.5 < Log(M∗/Msun) < 9.5, and which were most likely to be within our redshift range (0.62 < z < 0.885). Follow-up multi-object spectroscopy targeted the [OII]λ3727A emission line star formation tracer in these targets allowing us to identify and obtain secure spectroscopic redshifts, SED-fit stellar masses and observed [OII] luminosity calibrated star formation rates down to limits of Log(M∗/Msun) ∼ 8.85 and SFR ∼ 0.1 Msun/yr . Science results presented here are similar to those published by the ROLES z ∼ 1 study, however we also studied the influence of the high versus low density environment in which the galaxy populations reside. This study confirmed that while the [OII] luminosity was higher in earlier times, environment does not influence galaxy formation at z ∼ 0.75. The faint-end slope of the [OII] LF, α ∼ 1.25 measured here, is also observed to become increasingly more steep with increasing redshift. The [OII] luminous GSMF is observed to not have significantly evolved since z ∼ 2.75, confirming the result of the previous ROLES work. However the impact of environment on the GSMF is apparent in the high mass end where the imprint of structure from the CDFS field enhances the stellar mass function above the field population. There is also weak evidence of a bi-modal [OII] luminous GSMF indicated by an ‘upturn’ near ∼ 10^9 Msun in the low density field population. The SFRD at z ∼ 0.75 does not confirm the picture presented by the ROLES z ∼ 1 study where a constant scale factor was applicable to the local SDSS SFRD to obtain the z ∼ 1 SFRD. The SFRD in the high mass end at z ∼ 0.75 is lower than would be expected based upon a constant scale factor, while the low stellar mass end exhibits some consistency with this picture. In the high density environment, this dominant SFRD (over the low density field population) is driven by the high density [OII] luminous GSMF in the high stellar mass end, rather than through an enhancement of the SFR. The normalization of the sSFR − M∗ relation at z ∼ 0.75 is found to lie between those corresponding to z ∼ 1 and present day. There is a subtle ‘upturn’ in the sSFR − M∗ relation confirming this observation which was also present in the ROLES z ∼ 1 study but not present in the local SDSS sSFR − M∗ relation. The sSFR of active galaxies does not depend upon the local density in which they are forming, confirming the same conclusion based upon the [OII] LF. However, there is redshift evolution of the sSFR − M∗ relation with respect to local density. The high density sSFR − M∗ relation for star forming galaxies was dominant over its low density counterpart at early times, with the opposite the case at present day. There is suggestion of the crossover or rollover transition occurring at z ∼ 0.75.

In this thesis we use the Tully-Fisher relation (TFR), the correlation between a galaxy's luminosity and its rotation velocity, to probe the luminous and dark matter in galaxies over the last &asymp; 8 Gyr. First, we use samples of galaxies spatially resolved in H&alpha; emission with integral field unit observations from the K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS) Redshift One Spectroscopic Survey (KROSS) at z &asymp; 1 and the Sydney-Australian-Astronomical-Observatory Multi- object Integral-Field Spectrograph (SAMI) Galaxy Survey at z &asymp; 0. We match the data quality, analysis methods and sample selection between the two surveys to conduct a direct comparison of the absolute K-band magnitude (MK) and stellar mass (M_*) TFRs at z &asymp; 1 and z &asymp; 0, free of any difference in biases between them. We measure no evolution of the MK TFR zero-point for star- forming disk-like galaxies since z &asymp; 1, but an increase by 0.2 ± 0.2 dex of the M_* TFR zero-point for the same galaxies over the same period. This implies the total mass-to-stellar mass ratio of those galaxies has decreased by a factor of &asymp; 0.4 since z &asymp; 1 at fixed rotation velocity, whilst their K-band stellar mass-to- light ratio has increased by a factor of &asymp; 1.6. Moderate rates of star formation in galaxies and continued gas accretion since z &asymp; 1 can explain these changes. Second, we take a step toward an independent measure of the TFR evolution over the same period using carbon monoxide (CO) emission from galaxies as an alternative kinematic tracer. We present the M_* and Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer absolute Band 1 magnitude (MW1) TFRs for galaxies from the CO Legacy Database for the Galex Arecibo SDSS Survey (COLD GASS) as z &asymp; 0 benchmarks that are pre-requisites to extend the CO TFR to z &gsim; 1. We find no significant offsets between the COLD GASS TFR zero-points and those of similar z &asymp; 0 studies. The slope of the M_* COLD GASS TFR agrees with those of similar z &asymp; 0 studies, but the MW1 TFR slope is slightly shallower than previous studies at a similar redshift. We attribute this to the fact that the COLD GASS sample comprises galaxies of various (late-type) morphologies. Nevertheless, our work provides a robust reference point with which to compare future CO TFR studies.