A large-scale structure traced by [Oii] emitters hosting a distant cluster at z= 1.62

Abstract

We present a panoramic narrow-band imaging survey of [Oii] emitters in and around the ClG J0218.3-0510 cluster at z= 1.62 with Suprime-Cam on Subaru Telescope. 352 [Oii] emitters were identified on the basis of narrow-band excesses and photometric redshifts. We discovered a huge filamentary structure with some clumps traced by [Oii] emitters and found that the ClG J0218.3-0510 cluster is embedded in an even larger superstructure than the one reported previously. 31 [Oii] emitters were spectroscopically confirmed with the detection of Hα and/or [Oiii] emission lines by Fibre Multi Object Spectrograph observations. In the high-density regions such as cluster core and clumps, star-forming [Oii] emitters show a high overdensity by a factor of more than 10 compared to the field region. Interestingly, the relative fraction of [Oii] emitters in photo-z selected sample does not depend significantly on the local density. Although the star formation activity is very high even in the cluster core, some massive quiescent galaxies also exist at the same time. Furthermore, the properties of the individual [Oii] emitters, such as star formation rates (SFRs), stellar masses and specific SFRs, do not show a significant dependence on the local density, either. Such a lack of environmental dependence is consistent with our earlier result by Hayashi et al. on a z= 1.5 cluster and its surrounding region. The fact that the star-forming activity of galaxies in the cluster core is as high as that in the field at z~ 1.6 may suggest that the star-forming galaxies are probably just in a transition phase from a starburst mode to a quiescent mode, and are thus showing comparable level of star formation rates to those in lower density environments. We may be witnessing the start of the reversal of the local SFR-density relation due to the 'biased' galaxy formation and evolution in high-density regions at this high redshift, beyond which massive galaxies would be forming vigorously in a more biased way in protocluster cores. © 2012 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2012 RAS.