Listing of Talk Abstracts

Mapping the Far-IR Atomic and Molecular Coolants From the ISM in the Here and Now: The Herschel-PACS Spectrometer

Philip Appleton (NASA Herschel Science Center, CALTECH)

The PACS IFU Spectrometer on board the Herschel Space Telescope is allowing astronomers to rapidly map the distribution and kinematics of fundamental coolants in the ISM of nearby galaxies. Ranging from low- metallicity dwarf systems, through mergers and collisions, to the powerful ULIRGs and Quasars, the PACS instrument is allowing us to explore excitation and cooling in a diverse variety of nearby resolvable environments. I will review some of the most exciting new results obtained by PACS in 1.5 years of operation, with an emphasis on how the PACS Spectrometer can provide new insight into heating and cooling in regions of star formation, shocks and AGN heating and the pumping of molecular lines. The results will feed into a growing body of knowledge about the role of primary molecular and atomic coolants, and their importance in the high-redshift universe which will be uncovered by the next generation of ground and space born IR and Sub-mm telescopes.

An Optical an d Near-IR Integral Field Spectroscopic Survey of Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies.

Santiago Arribas (CSIC)

I will present recent results of our Integral Field Spectroscopic (IFS) survey of Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (U/LIRGs) based on the use of several currently available northern and southern IFU facilities. I will also show the potential of JWST, and in particular the IFU of NIRSpec, when studying star forming galaxies. Finally I will comment on the complementarity of the IFU of NIRSpec/JWST with other instrument concepts (e.g. HARMONI) proposed for E-ELT.

Galactic Star Formation Science with Integral Field Spectroscopy

Tracy Beck (STScI)

Ever since the introduction of integral field spectrographs at ground-based observatories in the mid 1990's, IFUs have excelled at revealing the structure and kinematics of galaxies in the nearby and distant universe. Yet, the same capabilities that make IFUs so powerful for extra-galactic science also make them important tools for revealing star formation processes within the Milky Way. From the kinematics of pure emission line Herbig-Haro energy sources, to spatially resolved spectroscopy of young star binaries, and spatial resolution of gas species in proto-planetary disks, IFUs are making an impact on galactic star formation science. I will review some of the past uses of IFUs in star formation science, discuss some current studies and capabilities that are being explored, and outline some future opportunities for using IFUs to further our knowledge on the formation and evolution of nearby stars.

Grasping in the Dark: IFUs for Studying Galaxy Disks

Matt Bershady (University of Wisconsin)

Large-grasp IFUs are rare, yet offer the only viable means to map the composition and kinematics of diffuse, low surface-brightness emission from stars and gas at high spectral resolution. We present science highlights of the DiskMass Survey, enabled by SparsePak, and an extension of this survey to lower surface-brightness disks. IFUs under construction for the WIYN 3.5m Telescope will offer new opportunities to probe the dynamical structure of stellar populations in galactic disks. We discuss how these measurements open possibilities for studying disk dynamics at high redshift with high angular resolution, but low spectral resolution, IFUs on JWST and 10-42m ground-based telescopes.

"Studying Star Formation with Integral Field Spectroscopy across Cosmic Time: From Nearby Spiral Galaxies to High Redshift Lyman Alpha Emitters"

Guillermo Blanc (The University of Texas at Austin)

Wide field of view integral field spectroscopy is a powerful tool to study star formation across cosmic time. In this talk I will present results from two surveys being conducted with the integral field spectrograph VIRUS-P, currently the largest field of view IFU in the world. The first is the HETDEX Pilot Survey for Ly-alpha emitters (LAEs) at 2

IFUs on JWST

Torsten Boeker (European Space Agency)

The James Webb Space Telescope will be the first observatory to offer integral-field spectroscopy from space. Both the NIRSpec and MIRI instruments contain slicer-based IFUs that together will enable IFU spectroscopy over the complete wavelength range between 0.7 and 28 microns. I will give an overview of the design, capabilities, and operational constraints of these unique instrument features, and will highlight some of their exciting scientific applications.

The Sites of Gamma-Ray Bursts and Supernovae in Their Host Galaxies

Lise Christensen (Excellence Cluster Universe, TUM)

Long duration Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are believed to be related to the core-collapse of massive stars. The relatively rare nature of GRBs compared to regular Supernovae implies that some special conditions, such as low metallicity, is necessary for the progenitor star to explode as a GRB. The special nature of the progenitors can be analysed through the physical conditions present at the location of the explosions in the host galaxy such as emission line ratios, metallicities, star formation rates, and ages of the HII regions. Since most GRBs are found at cosmological distances, we are generally limited to study point sources and integrated spectra of faint galaxies, although in a few cases we can analyse the conditions in more detail. I will present results from recent VLT-VIMOS IFU data of two nearby GRB hosts and a recently started programme to observe core collapse SN host galaxies with IFU data. Our observing programme aims at establishing which conditions are required for a GRB explosion rather than a normal core collapse supernova.

HARMONI - A Potential First Light IFS for the E-ELT

Fraser Clarke (University of Oxford)

HARMONI is a visible/near-infrared integral field spectrograph currently being considered as one of the first light instruments for the 42-m European Extremely Large Telescope. HARMONI will provide medium-high resolution (R~5000-20000) spectroscopy in the V-K bands (0.47-2.5 microns) over an extended field of up to 10x5 arcseconds. It will provide a range of pixels scales of 40mas/pixel to sample the telescope's GLAO corrected PSF, down to 4mas/pixel to sample the diffraction limited images provided by the ATLAS-LTAO system. I will outline the key science cases for HARMONI, ranging from extrasolar planets to high redshift galaxies, along with the key technologies which will make HARMONI possible.

Prospects of Integral Field Spectroscopic Studies of Active and Luminous Star Forming Galaxies with JWST.

Luis Colina (CSIC)

Results of an on-going near-IR integral field spectroscopic survey of a representative sample of low-z luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies will be presented. Survey consists of data (H & K bands) taken with VLT SINFONI integral field spectrograph. A summary of the present status of the project and results on the 2D structure of the stellar populations, ionization sources and kinematics on (sub)kpc-scales will be given. Implications for similar studies in low- and high-z galaxies with JWST NIRSpec and MIRI integral field spectrographs will be discussed.

Massively Multiplexed IFU Surveys With Hexabundles and FIREBALL.

Scott Croom (University of Sydney)

The current generation of massive galaxy surveys such as 2dF and SDSS have made major advances in our understanding of galaxy formation. However, the single fibres they use fundamentally limit the data that is obtained, as well as introducing various biases. To solve this problem requires massively multipexed IFU surveys. The advent of new fibre technology (hexabundles) and low-cost spectrographs (e.g. MUSE) allows this to become a reality. I will discuss the key science motivations for such a project and then outline the FIREBALL concept for a multi-object IFU system on the VLT.

The Coming of Age of IFSs: The Story So Far

Roger Davies (University of Oxford)

Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) has grown into a general purpose tool that is in use at almost all 8-10m telescopes with large field and multiple object versions under development. The next generation extremely large telescope projects are designing such instruments to be part of their first light instrument suites and several future space missions plan to have IFS capabilities. I will review the key advantages of the IFS technique that have driven this growth in its use and discuss the pros and cons of the different slicing techniques that have been used. I will illustrate this discussion using some of the key scientific contributions made by IFS over the last 20 years and look forward to the capabilities that will be offered by future instruments.

First Results From The Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS)

Michael Dopita (RSAA, The Australian National University)

The Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS), operating on the ANU 2.3m telescope at Siding Spring Observatory since April 2009 has been shown to provide a 25 x 38 arc sec field of view at a resolution of 1 arc sec. It has a double-beam configuration, providing excellent image quality and broad-band response with a peak throughput of over 35%, including telescope and atmosphere. As such it is the most efficient IFU in the world for surface-brightness limited applications. Its 6 Volume Phased Holographic (VPH) gratings provide spectral resolutions of 3000 and 7000.The full spectral range is covered in a single exposure in the R=3000 mode, and in two exposures in the R=7000 mode. A process of “interleaved nod-and-shuffle” is applied to permit quantum noise-limited sky subtraction. In this talk I will present the first results on planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, elliptical galaxies, cluster, dwarf and ultra-luminous starburst galaxies. All of the topics presented refer to either submitted or accepted papers. These results collectively show that the influence of large-scale shock excitation in galaxies on observed emission line ratios has been seriously underestimated hitherto, and that objects previously classified as LINER or composite objects do not necessarily contain active nuclei.

SpIOMM and SITELLE: Wide-field Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometers

Laurent Drissen (Université Laval)

At the 1999 NGST science and technology conference in Hyannis, three groups presented designs and the science capabilities of wide-field imaging Fourier transform spectrometers (IFTS) for the future JWST. While this option was not selected by the space agencies, we have designed and built an IFTS prototype to demonstrate the capabilities of such an instrument on the ground. SpIOMM is an imaging FTS capable of obtaining the spectrum, in the visible band (350 - 850 nm), of every source of light in a 12 arcminute field of view, with a typical spectral resolution of 300 - 3000 and a spatial resolution limited by the seeing. It is attached to the 1.6-m telescope of the Mont Mégantic Observatory in southern Québec. I will present the IFTS concept and design, and highlight some of its successes: hyperspectral 3D views of the Crab and Cas A supernova remnants, spectral mapping of galactic nebulae and nearby galaxies. Finally, an overview of SITELLE, an improved version of SpIOMM being designed and built for the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope will be presented.

IFU Performances For Distant Supernovae For Cosmology in Space

Anne Ealet (CPPM/CNRS, France)

Supernovae have been shown to be one of the most powerful cosmological distance indicator to tag the dark energy component. To improve their precision, spectroscopy has been identified as a very important tool needed to control them and then to improve constraint to probe the nature of dark energy. I propose to present the interest to use an IFU based on a slicer technology to measure distant supernovae spectra in the NIR in space. We have made intensive studies in France to estimate the performance of such an instrument, able to follow very precisely faint supernovae and to measure their caracteristics. we have developed a full prototype using glass slicer technology working in the NIR and have developed a a complete simulation and an original calibration procedure to ensure and validate the spectro photometric performances. I will present the concept and the result of this work. I will also show that JWST/NIRspec IFU slicer has common caracteristics useful to follow supernovae at high redshift . Such a program will need a good coordination with large imaging surveys for ensure enough SN discovery.

Science with the SWIFT IFU.

Lisa Fogarty (University of Oxford)

We will present the first science results from the SWIFT IFU, covering several key projects. The first project investigates the kinematic and physical properties of a local interacting galaxy system, Arp147. This system consists of a collisionally-created ring galaxy with an early-type companion. The observations were used to derive spatially resolved kinematics of the galaxies allowing us to draw conclusions about the nature and timing of the encounter, which can be used to constrain galaxy interaction models. We also present first results from another SWIFT key project to study the spatially resolved kinematics and morphology of galaxies in the redshift desert. Targets were selected from the DEEP2 survey sample, with known spectroscopic redshifts. Analysis of two objects using several spectral diagnostic features (including Spitzer photometry, where available) will be discussed. We observed a sample of 15 early-type galaxies (ETGs) in the Coma cluster and measured their two dimensional kinematic structure using the CaT absorption lines. We classified the galaxies into fast and slow rotators and, comparing our results to the results of the SAURON survey, we used this to examine any environmental dependence in the fast/slow rotator fraction. SWIFT itself is an AO-assisted, slicer-based IFS operating in the I and z bands. The instrument is mounted at the Cassegrain focus of the 200-inch Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory in California, where it was installed and commissioned in October 2008. The observations presented in this talk illustrate the capabilities of SWIFT and highlight it's uniqueness.

The Growth of Galaxies at z ~ 2: Insights From IFU Surveys

Natascha M. Forster Schreiber (Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik (MPE))

Key insights are gained from studies of the spatially-resolved dynamics, star formation, and physical properties from near-IR integral field spectroscopy, now possible with instruments such as SINFONI at the VLT. I will present results of such studies, including "SINS", the largest survey to date with full 2D mapping of Halpha kinematics and distribution with SINFONI for over 100 galaxies probing the bulk of the massive star-forming population at z ~ 2. I will highlight both detailed case studies and ensemble properties, and will discuss the implications on the mass assembly, star formation, and dynamical evolution of massive z ~ 2 galaxies.

Deployable IFU Observations of Galaxies in a Merging System of Groups at z~0.35 with VLT FLAMES/GIRAFFE

Emily Freeland (Texas A&M University)

Galaxy evolution on group scales is key to our understanding of how environment affects the galaxies we observe today because (1) most galaxies in the local universe are in groups, and (2) hierarchical structure formation predicts that galaxy clusters assemble from the accretion of smaller structures, like groups. We present VLT FLAMES/GIRAFFE Deployable IFU observations of galaxies in four groups at z~0.37 which are likely gravitationally bound to each other and expected to merge and form a cluster like Coma. These data allow us to map star-formation distributions in individual galaxies, as well as identify AGN and better characterize their role in galaxy evolution.

Turbulence and Kinematics of High Star Formation Rate Galaxies.

Karl Glazebrook (Swinburne)

IFU observations of galaxies in the early Universe have revealed a picture where large amounts of star formation takes place on 'turbulent' disk galaxies characterised by high velocity dispersions, up to a factor of ten higher than known in local spiral disks. This turbulence has been interpreted as being powered by gravitational instability in gas rich disks. We present new IFU observations of the highest SFR galaxies in SDSS (at z~0.1) and WiggleZ (z~1.5) surveys using the AAT 3.9m, ANU 2.3m and Keck 10m telescopes. These reveal a new scaling relation between star-formation and kinematic turbulence suggesting the opposite may be true - that the high star-formation rates and selection effects are responsible for the large velocity dispersions observed at high-redshift and that local analogues can be found. This demonstrates that it is vital to compare low and high-redshift observations with similar IFU observations and similar analysis techniques.

Bridging the IFU Redshift Desert:  The kinematics of Star Formation Across Cosmic Time

Andy Green (Swinburne University)

Kinematic studies of star forming galaxies suggest a correlation between velocity dispersions and star formation rates, where high redshift galaxies tend to have higher dispersions due to the cosmic star formation rate density. Simulations and morphological observations suggest that large, star forming clumps embedded in early disks evolve into thin, bulge dominated modern disks. However, kinematic observations of this transformation have been hampered by the lack of high-resolution IFUs suited to the transitional period between z~1 and z~0.1. Leveraging new observations from exiting IFUs showing nearby clumpy galaxies, I will show how JWST will bridge this gap and explain possible origins of the star formation rate—velocity dispersion correlation.

Investigating the Chemical Homogeneity of Low-Metallicity Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies Using Integral Field Spectroscopy

Bethan James (STScI)

The study of the chemical and physical evolution of Blue Compact Dwarf (BCDs) galaxies is fundamental in our understanding of galaxy formation in the early Universe. Being nearby, BCDs serve as excellent laboratories to study chemical enrichment processes in often unblemished environments, in comparison to primordial galaxies at high-redshift. It has been claimed in the past that in low-metallicity BCDs (12+log(O/H)<8.3), the N/O value is independent of metallicity (O/H ratio), implying the need to invoke a primary production of nitrogen in intermediate-mass stars, in addition to the secondary nitrogen produced from the CNO cycle in high-mass stars. In order to better understand this controversial issue, more extensive spatial information than that offered by traditional longslit spectroscopic methods, is required. We undertook an integral field spectroscopic study of the nebular gas within a sample of BCDs previously thought to have anomalously high N/O values. Here we present the results of this study for 3 BCDs: two with anomalous N/O values (Mrk996 and UM420) and one with more normal N/O values (UM462). We describe in detail how we derived the physical conditions (Te, Ne) as a function of position within the galaxy, and as a consequence, how this revealed both revised metallicities and normal N/O ratios. Abundances for other elements will also be discussed. In the case of Mrk996, which displays both narrow and broad component emission lines, we associated an increased N/O ratio with the broad component in the nebular gas clearly correlated with WR emission features. This is one of the first clear evidence of nitrogen self-enrichment of an HII region from WR stars. All the above mentioned results suggest that the nitrogen enrichment seen in the low-metallicity gas of these BCDs is not due to primary nitrogen production, as suggested by current theories. This investigation is also a direct proof that performing spatially resolved spectroscopy, and conducting a separate analysis of broad and narrow emission line components, are vital in deriving the 'true' chemical abundances of BCD galaxies.

IFU Studies of Gravitationally Lensed z=2-3 Galaxies: a Preview of Science With Next Generation Facilities

Tucker Jones (Caltech)

The detailed study of high-redshift galaxies is hampered by problems of poor physical resolution. While increased resolution and sensitivity for high-redshift galaxy studies is a primary science driver for next-generation facilities such as JWST, TMT, and ALMA, we can achieve comparable resolution with current telescopes by observing highly magnified gravitationally lensed sources. We present observations of a sample of strongly lensed galaxies at z=2-3 taken with the OSIRIS integral field unit and laser guide star adaptive optics system on the Keck 2 telescope, yielding physical resolutions in the source plane as fine as 100 parsec. The data reveal coherent velocity fields, multiple giant star-forming regions, and metallicity gradients which add to our understanding of the physical processes by which early galaxies accrete their gas and build their morphological and dynamic signatures. These observations provide a unique preview of the high resolution and science capabilities that will become routine with IFUs on JWST and TMT.

Future Perspectives for IFU Science in the Era of JWST

James Larkin (UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy)

Integral field spectrographs have blossomed on telescopes in the last decade and are providing innovative new ways to observe our Universe. In the era of the JWST, even more powerful spectrographs coupled to adaptive optics systems on the proposed new extremely large telescopes will provide a complimentary and detailed dissection of objects in the early universe and in our own Galaxy. I’ll discuss some of the existing IFUs and what they can achieve in the next decade, but I’ll focus on what is possible with planned instruments. Many of the details will center around our own instruments at Keck and TMT, but the capabilities are similar to those on other very large telescopes.

2D Kinematics and Physical Properties of Distant Galaxies

Marie Lemoine-Busserolle (Gemini Observatory)

The study of the physical properties of high-redshift galaxies has become one of the major goals of extragalactic astronomy. In particular the mass-assembly histories of galaxies have been the focus of many studies at redshift 1 to 3. We will present recently published results obtained from Integral Field NIR Spectroscopy of a sample of 13 high-z (1 < z < 4) star-forming galaxies (4<230 M⊙/yr). We spatially resolved the kinematics using bright rest-frame optical emission lines, allowing studies of dynamical masses, SFRs, Tully-Fisher relations and metallicities at these "key" epochs. Using this data, we can set constrains on the formation and evolution of this galaxies, during an epoch of when we expect strong evolution in their masses and mass-to-light ratios. We found in particular relatively young stellar populations (age <1.5 Gyr) in our objects and most of them have not yet converted the majority of their gas into stars (gas fraction > 50 per cent). Finally we show that those of them which already have a stable disc will probably have their final stellar mass similar to the present-day spirals, to which these rotating systems can be seen as precursors. We will briefly present also an interesting result obtained for a comparable star-forming "clumpy" galaxy (A370-A5, z=1.341) discovered as an arc behind the lens cluster Abell 370 (z=0.374). The natural magnification due to massive galaxy clusters allows to spatially resolve and constrain the dynamics of young star forming galaxies 1 to 3 magnitudes fainter than those selected in blank fields. Thus, the study of lensed galaxies allows to probe a low mass regime of galaxies not accessible in standard observation. In this particular case, we found that the gas distribution and kinematics are consistent with a bipolar outflow with a range of velocities of v~100 km/s. References: Lemoine-Busserolle M. & Lamareille, F., 2010, MNRAS, 402, 2291 Lemoine-Busserolle, M. et al., 2010, MNRAS 401, 1657L

GMTIFS - An AO-Corrected Integral-Field Spectrograph and Imager for the Giant Magellan Telescope

Peter McGregor (RSAA, The Australian National University)

GMTIFS has been selected as one of six instruments for the Giant Magellan Telescope for which conceptual design studies are underway. GMTIFS will be used with GMT's Laser Tomography Adaptive Optics system, and will address most of the adaptive optics science cases for GMT. The primary instrument is an adaptive-optics-corrected near-infrared, integral-field spectrograph. This will have several image scales, and possibly different spectral resolutions, to address different science goals. GMTIFS will also contain an adaptive-optics imager that is matched to the ~20x20 arcsec field corrected by the single-conjugate LTAO system. This will also serve as the acquisition camera for the IFS. The talk will present the motivations for integral-field spectroscopy on GMT, summarize the science cases for GMTIFS under-pinned by on-going IFS programs on existing facilities, and describe the current instrument design.

A Detailed 2D Spectroscopic Study of the Central Region of NGC 5253

Ana Monreal-Ibero (Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucía)

The mechanisms that govern the interaction between the recent/on-going star formation and the surrounding gas in starburst galaxies are not yet fully understood. Because of their a priori simplicity, the subgroup of HII galaxies constitute the ideal environment to study these mechanisms. Here, we present a detailed study of the central region of a nearby HII galaxy, NGC5253, using optical Integral Field Spectroscopy with FLAMES at the VLT. In particular, we will present a detailed extinction map for the ionized gas that shows that the largest extinction is associated with the prominent Giant HII region. There is an offset of ~0.5" between the peak of the optical continuum and the extinction peak in agreement with findings in the infrared. Also, we will show how the [SII]l6717/[SII]l6731 ratio trace an electron density gradient declining from the peak of emission in Ha (790cm^-3) outwards, while the argon line ratio traces areas with N_e~4200 - 6200cm^-3. Moreover, we will see how the area polluted with extra nitrogen, as deduced from the excess [NII]/Ha, extends up to distances of 3.3" (~60pc) from the maximum pollution, which is offset by ~1.5" from the peak of continuum emission and how Wolf-Rayet features are distributed in an irregular pattern over a larger area (~100pc x 100pc) Finally, we will present an analysis of the kinematics: the line profiles are complex. Up to three emission components were needed to reproduce them. One of them, associated with the giant HII region, presents supersonic widths and [NII] and [SII] emission lines shifted up to 40km/s with respect to Ha. Similarly, one of the narrow components presents offsets in the [NII] line.

The Thorny Road of Innovation: 10 Years of Science With PMAS at Calar Alto

Martin Roth (Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam)

PMAS, the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer, was initially designed and built as an experimental travelling instrument. It is optimized for high throughput and good image quality throughout the optical wavelength range, good UV response, and low to medium spectral resolution. After commissioning at Calar Alto Observatory in 2001, the instrument quickly became popular in the Spanish-German user community. It is today the must-demanded instrument at the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope. The instrument is unique in many ways, most notably offering a dual-IFU capability, which allows to either address high spatial resolution observations over a modest field-of-view, or alternatively low surface brightness observations over a large field-of-view. Along those lines, I shall report on one decade of experience with many different scientific challenges, and prospects for further work in the context of single IFU and deployable mini-IFU surveys.

Integral-Field Spectroscopy Data Reduction Made Easy With p3d

Christer Sandin (Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam)

Integral-field spectrographs are well suited instruments to observe extended and faint objects, such as, for example, planetary nebulæ or galaxies. A result of such observations are large quantities of raw data, which often require an expert to convert them to accurate scientific spectra. In order to speed up the data-reduction process, make it easier to comprehend, and also less error-prone, semi-automatic tools - or pipelines - become highly valuable assets. The goal of our recently released data-reduction tool p3d, which is designed to work with any fiber-fed integral-field spectrograph, is to provide a freely available tool that will help you reduce your IFS data easily, while also attaining high accuracy. I will here present some of the features and versatility as well as future plans of p3d.

High Spatial Resolution via Low Redshift

Rob Sharp (RSAA)

I will present resent results focusing on nearby galaxies which exhibit large scale galactic winds. This work exploits the wide fields-of-view and high sensitivity to low surface brightness features provided by the current generation of IFS facilities. Such observations are essential in order to drive development of data reduction and analysis tools, generate template observations for the canonical sources and provide a framework for interpretation at higher redshift where spatial resolution and source signal are limited.

Extracting Information From Data Cubes with PCA Tomography: Applications to Nearby AGN

João Steiner (Universidade de São Paulo)

PCA Tomography is a technique to analyse, reduce noise and extract information from data cubes using Principal Component Analysis (Steiner et al, 2009, MNRAS,395,64). This technique produces the principal components from the matrix in where the "objects" are the spatial pixels and the properties, the spectral pixels. The eigenvectors are thus interpreted as the eigenspectra and the projection of the data on the eigenvectors are tomograms that are "slices" of the data in the new coordinates. Applications on IFU data cubes of nearby AGNs are presented, illustrating that new information can be obtained with this method. In particular it is quite efficint in finding LLAGN in nearby galaxies as well as identifying gaseous discs and outflows.

Stellar and Gas Kinematics Around Nearby AGN Mapped With IFU Observations

Thaisa Storchi Bergmann (Instituto de Fisica - UFRGS, Brazil)

I report recent observations of the inner few hundred parsecs (pc) of host galaxies of nearby Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) at a sampling of a few to tens of pc, using optical and near-IR Integral Field Unit (IFU) observations obtained with the Gemini Telescopes. The sample observed so far is comprised mostly of disk galaxies. We have been able to map the stellar kinematics and in a few cases the stellar population (age distribution) and unresolved nuclear components. We have also mapped the gas kinematics and excitation, and in a few cases the gas reddening. The stellar kinematics is dominated by circular rotation in the plane of the galaxy. The ionized gas kinematics also shows rotation, but is usually dominated by an outflowing component along the Narrow-Line Region (NLR) whose flux distribution and kinematics correlate with structures seen in radio maps. Details of the outflow can be observed in velocity channel maps which sample the location of gas of different velocities. In the lowest activity AGNs, it is also possible to map an inflowing component on the galaxy plane along nuclear spirals and filaments. Similar inflows as well as compact rotating disks are observed in hot molecular gas (H$_2$) emission in the near-IR. I report also the results of the use of the technique of Principal Component Analysis applied to the datacubes, which has allowed us to resolve faint nuclear components such as compact disks and jets around the AGN.

High Contrast Observations with Slicer Based Integral Field Spectrographs

Matthias Tecza (University of Oxford)

Integral field spectrographs, coupled with the technique of spectral deconvolution, show great promise in directly imaging and spectroscopically characterising extra-solar planets. The latest conceptual designs of ELT exo-planet direct detection instruments aim to achieve contrasts of 1e9 only a few tenths of an arc second from the parent star. It has previously been thought that non common path errors in image slicer based IFSs would limit the achievable contrast by modifying the speckle pattern, however, recent results have provided reason to doubt this. As part of the EPICS (Exo-Planet Imaging Camera and Spectrograph on the E-ELT) design study an investigation has been made into whether slicer based integral field spectrographs do limit the achievable contrast as opposed to other IFU types. We have a 2-pronged approach to tackle this question: 1. Simulation - We are simulating the effect of adding in wave front error in the pupil plane on the speckle pattern of a high contrast observation. 2. Experiment - An experimental test bed including a slicer based IFS has been set up for comparison to the simulations and to analyze effects that cannot be well simulated. Results including speckle rejection factors from experiment and predicted achievable contrasts from simulations will be presented.

Galaxy Evolution in 3D and the Pitfalls of Reducing Your GMOS IFU Data

James Turner (Gemini Observatory)

IFUs allow us to map the properties of galaxies undergoing evolutionary changes in full spatial and spectral detail, to study the processes at work by close comparison with model predictions. Our current project looks at a sample of low-to-intermediate redshift E+A galaxies from SDSS, with the goal of using numerical simulations incorporating stellar population synthesis codes (eg. Bekki et al., 2005) to help distinguish between and understand possible mechanisms for the E+A transition--such as major or minor mergers, tidal encounters and truncation of ordinary star formation. In the course of this project, we have spent significant effort on investigating data processing optimizations and complications that can arise when reducing GMOS IFU data. Some issues (such as kinematic discontinuities) were previously known but poorly understood. Here I give an overview of the main problems one is likely to encounter when reducing GMOS IFU data and how to mitigate them. Some of these factors will also be relevant for other IFUs. I will finish by presenting some preliminary analysis of our resulting, re-processed E+A galaxy data and discussing what we can tentatively conclude about their evolution.

IR Spectroscopy From Space: A HST/WFC3 Grism View of Starforming Galaxies

Benjamin Weiner (Steward Observatory, U. of Arizona)

The sensitivity and field of view of the IR channel of HST/WFC3 and its grisms open the possibility to do slitless spectroscopic surveys of deep fields. H-alpha can be detected from a significant number of galaxies at z~1 in a single GOODS field, allowing statistical studies of star formation in high-z galaxies. While the grism resolution is too low for kinematic studies and slitless grisms are not what we typically think of as IFUs, slitless surveys do provide imaging spectroscopy at HST resolution. As such, results from HST/WFC3 offer a preview of what could be done with JWST at higher spectral and spatial resolution. I will discuss preliminary results from a HST/WFC3 grism survey of GOODS-N, focusing on the flux, size and distribution of the H-alpha emitting star forming region in high redshift galaxies.

Studying the Assembly of Galaxies with MUSE

Lutz Wisotzki (Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam)

The Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) is a 2nd generation IFU instrument for the ESO-VLT, currently being built by a European consortium and scheduled for first light at the telescope in 2012. MUSE in its wide-field mode will provide high angular resolution optical spectra over a contiguous field of view of 1' x 1', at a spatial sampling of 0.2" x 0.2" and assisted by ground-layer adaptive optics. The 90000 spectra with resolution R~3000 will be simultaneously recorded by 24 spectrographs. The entire system is optimized for high throughput and stability, with the design aim of performing very long integrations. In a separate "narrow-field mode", high-order adaptive optics will achieve Strehl ratios up to 0.2 (in the optical!) at much higher spatial sampling. The main science driver for MUSE is the investigation of the high-redshift universe through the detection of Ly-alpha emission from individual galaxies and the cosmic web. Each MUSE data cube will cover the redshift range from z=3 to 6.7 simultaneously in Ly-alpha, plus foreground galaxies at z < 3. We are currently developing a comprehensive observational strategy to study various aspects of galaxy formation in the course of our Guaranteed Time Observations. A key component will be ultra-long integrations reaching star-forming galaxies as faint as 4e-19 erg s^-1 cm^-2 in Ly-alpha flux, deep enough to detect the precursors of today's Milky Way-type galaxies in large numbers. The corresponding surface brightness limit for extended emission should enable us to directly detect the intergalactic gas in the process of being accreted by the dark matter haloes. We will also search for galactic outflows in emission, as well as by targeting QSO or GRB fields where high-resolution absorption line spectra are available. Combining the MUSE 3D maps of the young Ly-alpha universe with JWST and ALMA will provide tight constraints on the physical properties of young galaxies. I will give an overview about the status of the MUSE project and its planned scientific exploitation. While focussing on the main science topic of galaxy evolution mentioned above, I will also very briefly touch upon possible applications in other areas of astrophysics.

Resolved metallicity gradients and the role of AGN in high-redshift star forming galaxies

Shelley Wright (UC Berkeley)

Resolved studies of galaxies in the early universe (z > 1) have greatly benefited from recent advances in adaptive optics and integral field spectroscopy at 8-10 meter telescopes. I will present diffraction-limited integral field spectrograph (IFS) observations of rest-frame optical emission lines from individual high redshift (1 < z < 3) star forming galaxies. These results are part of an on-going chemo-dynamical survey using 0.1" spatial resolution using OSIRIS coupled to the Keck Observatory Adaptive Optics (AO) system. In our previous work using OSIRIS, we found that metallicity indicators, like [N II] 658.4 nm and [O III] 500.7 nm, do not simply trace global star formation, but can be contaminated by weak AGN emission. These are among the weakest known AGN at this epoch, and I will discuss their potential impact on high-z metallicity studies and relate them to the high redshift AGN luminosity function. I will also present the internal rotation and velocity dispersion of these galaxies and discuss their implications for the growth of these early systems.