Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array: The H i Mass Function in the Local Universe

We present measurements of the neutral atomic hydrogen (H i ) mass function (H i MF) and cosmic H i density (Ω _H I ) at 0 ≤ z ≤ 0.088 from the Looking at the Distant Universe with MeerKAT Array (LADUMA) survey. Using LADUMA Data Release 1 (DR1), we analyze the H i MF via a new “recovery matrix” met...

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Main Authors: Amir Kazemi-Moridani, Andrew J. Baker, Marc Verheijen, Eric Gawiser, Sarah-Louise Blyth, Danail Obreschkow, Laurent Chemin, Jordan D. Collier, Kyle W. Cook, Jacinta Delhaize, Ed Elson, Bradley S. Frank, Marcin Glowacki, Kelley M. Hess, Benne W. Holwerda, Zackary L. Hutchens, Matt J. Jarvis, Melanie Kaasinen, Sphesihle Makhathini, Abhisek Mohapatra, Hengxing Pan, Anja C. Schröder, Leyya Stockenstroom, Mattia Vaccari, Tobias Westmeier, John F. Wu, Martin Zwaan
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Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9f3f
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author Amir Kazemi-Moridani
Andrew J. Baker
Marc Verheijen
Eric Gawiser
Sarah-Louise Blyth
Danail Obreschkow
Laurent Chemin
Jordan D. Collier
Kyle W. Cook
Jacinta Delhaize
Ed Elson
Bradley S. Frank
Marcin Glowacki
Kelley M. Hess
Benne W. Holwerda
Zackary L. Hutchens
Matt J. Jarvis
Melanie Kaasinen
Sphesihle Makhathini
Abhisek Mohapatra
Hengxing Pan
Anja C. Schröder
Leyya Stockenstroom
Mattia Vaccari
Tobias Westmeier
John F. Wu
Martin Zwaan
author_facet Amir Kazemi-Moridani
Andrew J. Baker
Marc Verheijen
Eric Gawiser
Sarah-Louise Blyth
Danail Obreschkow
Laurent Chemin
Jordan D. Collier
Kyle W. Cook
Jacinta Delhaize
Ed Elson
Bradley S. Frank
Marcin Glowacki
Kelley M. Hess
Benne W. Holwerda
Zackary L. Hutchens
Matt J. Jarvis
Melanie Kaasinen
Sphesihle Makhathini
Abhisek Mohapatra
Hengxing Pan
Anja C. Schröder
Leyya Stockenstroom
Mattia Vaccari
Tobias Westmeier
John F. Wu
Martin Zwaan
author_sort Amir Kazemi-Moridani
collection DOAJ
description We present measurements of the neutral atomic hydrogen (H i ) mass function (H i MF) and cosmic H i density (Ω _H I ) at 0 ≤ z ≤ 0.088 from the Looking at the Distant Universe with MeerKAT Array (LADUMA) survey. Using LADUMA Data Release 1 (DR1), we analyze the H i MF via a new “recovery matrix” method that we benchmark against a more traditional modified maximum likelihood (MML) method. Our analysis, which implements a forward modeling approach, corrects for survey incompleteness and uses extensive synthetic source injections to ensure robust estimates of the H i MF parameters and their associated uncertainties. This new method tracks the recovery of sources in mass bins different from those in which they were injected and incorporates a Poisson likelihood in the forward modeling process, allowing it to correctly handle uncertainties in bins with few or no detections. The application of our analysis to a high-purity subsample of the LADUMA DR1 spectral line catalog in turn mitigates any possible biases that could result from the inconsistent treatment of synthetic and real sources. For the surveyed redshift range, the recovered Schechter function normalization, low-mass slope, and “knee” mass are ${\phi }_{* }=3.5{6}_{-1.92}^{+0.97}\times 1{0}^{-3}$ Mpc ^−3 dex ^−1 , $\alpha =-1.1{8}_{-0.19}^{+0.08}$ , and $\mathrm{log}({M}_{* }/{M}_{\odot })=10.0{1}_{-0.12}^{+0.31}$ , respectively, which together imply a comoving cosmic H i density of ${{\rm{\Omega }}}_{{\rm{H}}\,{\rm{I}}}=3.0{9}_{-0.47}^{+0.65}\times 1{0}^{-4}$ . Our results show consistency between recovery matrix and MML methods and with previous low-redshift studies, giving confidence that the cosmic volume probed by LADUMA, even at low redshifts, is not an outlier in terms of its H i content.
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spelling doaj-art-e85278ff8a3a437d972628f559fdced42025-08-20T02:47:40ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01981220810.3847/1538-4357/ad9f3fLooking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array: The H i Mass Function in the Local UniverseAmir Kazemi-Moridani0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4496-9553Andrew J. Baker1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7892-396XMarc Verheijen2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9022-8081Eric Gawiser3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1530-8713Sarah-Louise Blyth4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5777-0036Danail Obreschkow5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1527-0762Laurent Chemin6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3834-7937Jordan D. Collier7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2326-7432Kyle W. Cook8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4012-779XJacinta Delhaize9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6149-0846Ed Elson10https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9359-0713Bradley S. Frank11https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3599-1521Marcin Glowacki12https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5067-8894Kelley M. Hess13https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9662-9089Benne W. Holwerda14https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4884-6756Zackary L. Hutchens15https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8574-5495Matt J. Jarvis16https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7039-9078Melanie Kaasinen17https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1173-2579Sphesihle Makhathini18https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9565-9622Abhisek Mohapatra19https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6047-4521Hengxing Pan20https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9160-391XAnja C. Schröder21https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2017-584XLeyya Stockenstroom22Mattia Vaccari23https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6748-0577Tobias Westmeier24https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5300-2486John F. Wu25https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5077-881XMartin Zwaan26https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0101-1804Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape , Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville 7535, South AfricaKapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen , Landleven 12, 9747 AD, Groningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Cape Town , Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7700, South AfricaInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia , 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, AustraliaUniversidad Andrés Bello , Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Ciencias Físicas—Instituto de Astrofísica, Fernandez Concha 700, Las Condes, Santiago, ChileInter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA), Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town , Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; School of Science, Western Sydney University , Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia; CSIRO , Space and Astronomy, P.O. Box 1130, Bentley, WA 6102, AustraliaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, 102 Natural Science Building, University of Louisville , Louisville, KY 40292, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Cape Town , Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7700, South AfricaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape , Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville 7535, South AfricaThe UK Astronomy Technology Centre , Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UKInter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA), Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town , Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , Royal Observatory, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK; International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University , Bentley, WA 6102, AustraliaDepartment of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology , Onsala Space Observatory, SE-43992 Onsala, Sweden; ASTRON , The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, 7990 AA, Dwingeloo, The NetherlandsDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, 102 Natural Science Building, University of Louisville , Louisville, KY 40292, USADepartment of Physics & Astronomy, University of North Carolina Asheville , 1 University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape , Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville 7535, South Africa; Astrophysics, University of Oxford , Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UKEuropean Southern Observatory , Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748 Garching, GermanyWits Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand , 1 Jan Smuts Avenue 2000, South AfricaDepartment of Astronomy, University of Cape Town , Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7700, South AfricaAstrophysics, University of Oxford , Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UKMax-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik , Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85748 Garching bei München, GermanyDepartment of Astronomy, University of Cape Town , Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7700, South AfricaInter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy, Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town , Private Bag X3, 7701 Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa; Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape , 7535 Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa; INAF — Istituto di Radioastronomia, via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, ItalyInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia , 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, AustraliaSpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218-2410, USA; Center for Astrophysical Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-2608, USAEuropean Southern Observatory , Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748 Garching, GermanyWe present measurements of the neutral atomic hydrogen (H i ) mass function (H i MF) and cosmic H i density (Ω _H I ) at 0 ≤ z ≤ 0.088 from the Looking at the Distant Universe with MeerKAT Array (LADUMA) survey. Using LADUMA Data Release 1 (DR1), we analyze the H i MF via a new “recovery matrix” method that we benchmark against a more traditional modified maximum likelihood (MML) method. Our analysis, which implements a forward modeling approach, corrects for survey incompleteness and uses extensive synthetic source injections to ensure robust estimates of the H i MF parameters and their associated uncertainties. This new method tracks the recovery of sources in mass bins different from those in which they were injected and incorporates a Poisson likelihood in the forward modeling process, allowing it to correctly handle uncertainties in bins with few or no detections. The application of our analysis to a high-purity subsample of the LADUMA DR1 spectral line catalog in turn mitigates any possible biases that could result from the inconsistent treatment of synthetic and real sources. For the surveyed redshift range, the recovered Schechter function normalization, low-mass slope, and “knee” mass are ${\phi }_{* }=3.5{6}_{-1.92}^{+0.97}\times 1{0}^{-3}$ Mpc ^−3 dex ^−1 , $\alpha =-1.1{8}_{-0.19}^{+0.08}$ , and $\mathrm{log}({M}_{* }/{M}_{\odot })=10.0{1}_{-0.12}^{+0.31}$ , respectively, which together imply a comoving cosmic H i density of ${{\rm{\Omega }}}_{{\rm{H}}\,{\rm{I}}}=3.0{9}_{-0.47}^{+0.65}\times 1{0}^{-4}$ . Our results show consistency between recovery matrix and MML methods and with previous low-redshift studies, giving confidence that the cosmic volume probed by LADUMA, even at low redshifts, is not an outlier in terms of its H i content.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9f3fGalaxiesGalaxy massesH I line emission
spellingShingle Amir Kazemi-Moridani
Andrew J. Baker
Marc Verheijen
Eric Gawiser
Sarah-Louise Blyth
Danail Obreschkow
Laurent Chemin
Jordan D. Collier
Kyle W. Cook
Jacinta Delhaize
Ed Elson
Bradley S. Frank
Marcin Glowacki
Kelley M. Hess
Benne W. Holwerda
Zackary L. Hutchens
Matt J. Jarvis
Melanie Kaasinen
Sphesihle Makhathini
Abhisek Mohapatra
Hengxing Pan
Anja C. Schröder
Leyya Stockenstroom
Mattia Vaccari
Tobias Westmeier
John F. Wu
Martin Zwaan
Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array: The H i Mass Function in the Local Universe
The Astrophysical Journal
Galaxies
Galaxy masses
H I line emission
title Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array: The H i Mass Function in the Local Universe
title_full Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array: The H i Mass Function in the Local Universe
title_fullStr Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array: The H i Mass Function in the Local Universe
title_full_unstemmed Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array: The H i Mass Function in the Local Universe
title_short Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array: The H i Mass Function in the Local Universe
title_sort looking at the distant universe with the meerkat array the h i mass function in the local universe
topic Galaxies
Galaxy masses
H I line emission
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9f3f
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