We review many of the basic properties of star cluster systems, and focus in particular on how they relate to their host galaxy properties and ambient environment. The cluster mass and luminosity functions are well approximated by power-laws of the form $Ndm \propto M^{\alpha}dm$, with $\alpha\sim-2$ over most of the observable range. However, there is now clear evidence that both become steeper at high masses/luminosities, with the value of the downward turn dependent on environment. The host galaxy properties also appear to affect the cluster formation efficiency ($\Gamma$ - i.e., the fraction of stars that form in bound clusters), with higher star-formation rate density galaxies having higher $\Gamma$ values. Within individual galaxies, there is evidence for $\Gamma$ to vary by a factor of 3-4, likely following the molecular gas surface density, in agreement with recent predictions. Finally, we discuss cluster disruption and its effect on the observed properties of a population, focussing on the age distribution of clusters. We briefly discuss the expectations of theoretical and numerical studies, and also the observed distributions in a number of galaxies. Most observational studies now find agreement with theoretical expectations, namely nearly a constant cluster age distribution for ages up to ~100 Myr (i.e. little disruption), and a drastic steepening above this value caused by a combination of cluster disruption and incompleteness. Rapid cluster disruption for clusters with ages < 100 Myr is ruled out for most galaxies.
We review the available methods for estimating actions, angles and frequencies of orbits in both axisymmetric and triaxial potentials. The methods are separated into two classes. Unless an orbit has been trapped by a resonance, convergent, or iterative, methods are able to recover the actions to arbitrarily high accuracy given sufficient computing time. Faster non-convergent methods rely on the potential being sufficiently close to a separable potential and the accuracy of the action estimate cannot be improved through further computation. We critically compare the accuracy of the methods and the required computation time for a range of orbits in an axisymmetric multi-component Galactic potential. We introduce a new method for estimating actions that builds on the adiabatic approximation of Sch\"onich & Binney (2012) and discuss the accuracy required for the actions, angles and frequencies using suitable distribution functions for the thin and thick discs, the stellar halo and a star stream. We conclude that for studies of the disc and smooth halo component of the Milky Way the most suitable compromise between speed and accuracy is the St\"ackel Fudge, whilst when studying streams the non-convergent methods do not offer sufficient accuracy and the most suitable method is computing the actions from an orbit integration via a generating function. All the software used in this study can be downloaded from https://github.com/jls713/tact.
The triggering mechanisms for Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are still debated. Some of the most popular ones include galaxy interactions (IT) and disk instabilities (DI). Using an advanced semi analytic model (SAM) of galaxy formation, coupled to accurate halo occupation distribution modeling, we investigate the imprint left by each separate triggering process on the clustering strength of AGN at small and large scales. Our main results are as follows: i) DIs, irrespective of their exact implementation in the SAM, tend to fall short in triggering AGN activity in galaxies at the center of halos with $M_h>10^{13.5} h^{-1}M_{\odot}$. On the contrary, the IT scenario predicts abundance of active, central galaxies that generally agrees well with observations at every halo mass. ii) The relative number of satellite AGN in DIs at intermediate-to-low luminosities is always significantly higher than in IT models, especially in groups and clusters. The low AGN satellite fraction predicted for the IT scenario might suggest that different feeding modes could simultaneously contribute to the triggering of satellite AGN. iii) Both scenarios are quite degenerate in matching large-scale clustering measurements, suggesting that the sole average bias might not be an effective observational constraint. iv) Our analysis suggests the presence of both a mild luminosity and a more consistent redshift dependence in the AGN clustering, with AGN inhabiting progressively less massive dark matter halos as the redshift increases. We also discuss the impact of different observational selection cuts in measuring AGN clustering, including possible discrepancies between optical and X-ray surveys.
In the context of observations of the rest-frame ultraviolet and optical emission from distant galaxies, we explore the emission-line properties of photoionization models of active and inactive galaxies. Our aim is to identify new line-ratio diagnostics to discriminate between gas photoionization by active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star formation. We use a standard photoionization code to compute the emission from AGN narrow-line regions and compare this with calculations of the nebular emission from star-forming galaxies achieved using the same code. We confirm the appropriateness of widely used optical spectral diagnostics of nuclear activity versus star formation and explore new diagnostics at ultraviolet wavelengths. We find that combinations of a collisionally excited metal line or line multiplet, such as CIV 1548,1551, OIII]1661,1666, NIII]1750, [SiIII]1883+[SiIII]1892 and [CIII]1907+CIII]1909, with the HeII 1640 recombination line are individually good discriminants of the nature of the ionizing source. Diagrams involving at least 3 of these lines allow an even more stringent distinction between active and inactive galaxies, as well as valuable constraints on interstellar gas parameters and the shape of the ionizing radiation. Several line ratios involving Ne-based emission lines, such as [NeIV]2424, [NeIII]3343 and [NeV]3426, are also good diagnostics of nuclear activity. Our results provide a comprehensive framework to identify the sources of photoionization and physical conditions of the ionized gas from the ultraviolet and optical nebular emission from galaxies. This will be particularly useful to interpret observations of high-redshift galaxies with future facilities, such as the James Webb Space Telescope and extremely large ground-based telescopes.
Small kinematically-decoupled stellar discs with scalelengths of a few tens of parsec are known to reside in the centre of galaxies. Different mechanisms have been proposed to explain how they form, including gas dissipation and merging of globular clusters. Using archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging and ground-based integral-field spectroscopy, we investigated the structure and stellar populations of the nuclear stellar disc hosted in the interacting SB0 galaxy NGC 1023. The stars of the nuclear disc are remarkably younger and more metal rich with respect to the host bulge. These findings support a scenario in which the nuclear disc is the end result of star formation in metal enriched gas piled up in the galaxy centre. The gas can be of either internal or external origin, i.e. from either the main disc of NGC 1023 or the nearby satellite galaxy NGC 1023A. The dissipationless formation of the nuclear disc from already formed stars, through the migration and accretion of star clusters into the galactic centre is rejected.
We study oxygen abundance profiles of the gaseous disc components in simulated galaxies in a hierarchical universe. We analyse the disc metallicity gradients in relation to the stellar masses and star formation rates of the simulated galaxies. We find a trend for galaxies with low stellar masses to have steeper metallicity gradients than galaxies with high stellar masses at z ~0. We also detect that the gas-phase metallicity slopes and the specific star formation rate (sSFR) of our simulated disc galaxies are consistent with recently reported observations at z ~0. Simulated galaxies with high stellar masses reproduce the observed relationship at all analysed redshifts and have an increasing contribution of discs with positive metallicity slopes with increasing redshift. Simulated galaxies with low stellar masses a have larger fraction of negative metallicity gradients with increasing redshift. Simulated galaxies with positive or very negative metallicity slopes exhibit disturbed morphologies and/or have a close neighbour. We analyse the evolution of the slope of the oxygen profile and sSFR for a gas-rich galaxy-galaxy encounter, finding that this kind of events could generate either positive and negative gas-phase oxygen profiles depending on their state of evolution. Our results support claims that the determination of reliable metallicity gradients as a function of redshift is a key piece of information to understand galaxy formation and set constrains on the subgrid physics.
We explore the evolution of the Stellar Mass-Star Formation Rate-Metallicity Relation using a set of 256 COSMOS and GOODS galaxies in the redshift range 1.90 < z < 2.35. We present the galaxies' rest-frame optical emission-line fluxes derived from IR-grism spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope and combine these data with star formation rates and stellar masses obtained from deep, multi-wavelength (rest-frame UV to IR) photometry. We then compare these measurements to those for a local sample of galaxies carefully matched in stellar mass (7.5 < log(M*/Msol) < 10.5) and star formation rate (-0.5 < log(SFR) < 2.5 in Msol yr^-1). We find that the distribution of z ~ 2.1 galaxies in stellar mass-SFR-metallicity space is clearly different from that derived for our sample of similarly bright (L_H\b{eta} > 3 . 10^40 ergs s^-1) local galaxies, and this offset cannot be explained by simple systematic offsets in the derived quantities. At stellar masses above ~10^9 Msol and star formation rates above ~10 Msol yr^-1, the z ~ 2.1 galaxies have higher oxygen abundances than their local counterparts, while the opposite is true for lower-mass, lower-SFR systems.
The feedback from radio-loud active galactic nuclei (R-AGN) may help maintain low star formation (SF) rates in their early-type hosts, but the observational evidence for this mechanism has been inconclusive. We study systematic differences of aggregate spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of various subsets of $\sim$4000 low-redshift R-AGN from Best & Heckman (2012) with respect to (currently) inactive control samples selected to have matching redshift, stellar mass, population age, axis ratio, and environment. Aggregate SEDs, ranging from the ultraviolet (UV) through mid-infrared (mid-IR, 22 $\mu$m), were constructed using a Bayesian method that eliminates biases from non-detections in GALEX and WISE. We study rare high-excitation sources separately from low-excitation ones, which we split by environment and host properties. We find that both the UV and mid-IR emission of non-cluster R-AGNs (80% of sample) are suppressed by $\sim$0.2 dex relative to that of the control group, especially for moderately massive galaxies (log $M_* \lesssim$ 11). The difference disappears for high-mass R-AGN and for R-AGN in clusters, where other, non-AGN quenching/maintenance mechanisms may dominate, or where the suppression of SF due to AGN may persist between active phases of the central engine, perhaps because of the presence of a hot gaseous halo storing AGN energy. High-excitation (high accretion rate) sources, which make up 2% of the R-AGN sample, also show no evidence of SF suppression (their UV is the same as in controls), but they exhibit a strong mid-IR excess due to AGN dust heating.
We examine subhaloes and galaxies residing in a simulated LCDM galaxy cluster ($M^{\rm crit}_{200}=1.1\times10^{15}M_\odot/h$) produced by hydrodynamical codes ranging from classic Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), newer SPH codes, an adaptive mesh code and a moving mesh scheme. These codes use subgrid models to capture galaxy formation physics. We compare how well these codes reproduce the same subhaloes/galaxies in gravity only, non-radiative hydrodynamics and full radiative physics runs by looking at the overall subhalo/galaxy distribution and on an individual objects basis. We find the subhalo population is reproduced to within $\lesssim10\%$ for both dark matter only and non-radiative runs, with individual objects showing code-to-code scatter of $\lesssim0.1$ dex, although the gas in non-radiative simulations shows significant scatter. Including radiative physics significantly increases the diversity seen. The subhalo mass and $V_{max}$ distributions vary by $\approx20\%$, a result of feedback moving significant baryonic mass around. Galaxies also show striking code-to-code variations. Although the Tully-Fisher relation is similar in almost all codes, the number of galaxies with $10^{9}M_\odot/h\lesssim M_*\lesssim 10^{12}M_\odot/h$ can differ by a factor of 4. Individual galaxies show code-to-code scatter of $\sim0.5$ dex in stellar mass. Moreover, strong systematic differences exist, with some codes producing galaxies $70\%$ smaller than others. The diversity partially arises from the inclusion/absence of AGN feedback. Our results combined with our companion papers, Sembolini et al. (2015a,b), demonstrate that subgrid physics is not just subject to fine-tuning, but the complexity of building galaxies in all environments remains a challenge. We argue that even basic galaxy properties, such as the stellar mass to halo mass, should be treated with errors bars of $\sim0.2-0.5$ dex.
The ultraviolet broad absorption lines have been seen in the spectra of quasars at high redshift, and are generally considered to be caused by outflows with velocities from thousands kilometers per second to one tenth of the speed of light. They provide crucial implications for the cosmological structures and physical evolutions related to the feedback of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Recently, through a dedicated program of optically spectroscopic identifications of selected quasar candidates at redshift 5 by using the Lijiang 2.4 m telescope, we discovered two luminous broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs) at redshift about 4.75. One of them may even have the potentially highest absorption Balnicity Index (BI) ever found to date, which is remarkably characterized by its deep, broad absorption lines and sub-relativistic outflows. Further physical properties, including the metal abundances, variabilities, evolutions of the supermassive black holes (SMBH) and accretion disks associated with the feedback process, can be investigated with multi-wavelength follow-up observations in the future.
NGC147, NGC185 and CassiopeiaII (CassII) have similar positions in the sky, distances and measured line of sight velocities. This proximity in phase space suggests that these three satellites of M31 form a subgroup within the Local Group. Nevertheless, the differences in their star formation history and interstellar medium, and the recent discovery of a stellar stream in NGC~147, combined with the lack of tidal features in the other two satellites, are all indications of complex and diverse interactions between M31 and these three satellites. We use a genetic algorithm to explore the different orbits that these satellites can have and select six sets of orbits that could best explain the observational features of the NGC147, NGC185 and CassII satellites. The parameters of these orbits are then used as a starting point for N-body simulations. We present models for which NGC147, NGC185 and CassII are a bound group for a total time of at least one Gyr but still undergo different interactions with M31 and as a result NGC147 has a clear stellar stream whereas the other two satellites have no significant tidal features. This result shows that it is possible to find solutions that reproduce the contrasting properties of the satellites and for which NGC147-NGC185-CassII have been gravitationally bound.
As part of the Megamaser Cosmology Project (MCP), here we present a new
geometric distance measurement to the megamaser galaxy NGC 5765b. Through a
series of VLBI observations, we have confirmed the water masers trace a thin,
sub-parsec Keplerian disk around the nucleus, implying an enclosed mass of 4.55
$\pm$ 0.40 $\times~10^{7}M_\odot$. Meanwhile, from single dish monitoring of
the maser spectra over two years, we measured the secular drifts of maser
features near the systemic velocity of the galaxy with rates between 0.5 and
1.2 km s$^{-1}$ yr$^{-1}$. Fitting a warped, thin disk model to these
measurements, we determine a Hubble Constant $H_{0}$ of 66.0 $\pm$ 6.0 km
s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$ with the angular-diameter distance to NGC 5765b of 126.3
$\pm$ 11.6 Mpc.
Apart from the distance measurement, we also investigate some physical
properties related to the maser disk in NGC 5765b. The high-velocity features
are spatially distributed into several clumps, which may indicate the existence
of a spiral density wave associated with the accretion disk. For the
red-shifted features, the envelope defined by the peak maser intensities
increases with radius. The profile of the systemic masers in NGC 5765b is
smooth and shows almost no structural changes over the two years of monitoring
time, which differs from the more variable case of NGC 4258.
We detect a new suspected giant radio galaxy (GRG) discovered by KAT-7. The GRG core is identified with the WISE source J013313.50-130330.5, an extragalactic source based on its infrared colors and consistent with a misaligned AGN-type spectrum at $z\approx 0.3$. The multi-$\nu$ spectral energy distribution (SED) of the object associated to the GRG core shows a synchrotron peak at $\nu \approx 10^{14}$ Hz consistent with the SED of a radio galaxy blazar-like core. The angular size of the lobes are $\sim 4 ^{\prime}$ for the NW lobe and $\sim 1.2 ^{\prime}$ for the SE lobe, corresponding to projected linear distances of $\sim 1078$ kpc and $\sim 324$ kpc, respectively. The best-fit parameters for the SED of the GRG core and the value of jet boosting parameter $\delta =2$, indicate that the GRG jet has maximum inclination $\theta \approx 30$ deg with respect to the line of sight, a value obtained for $\delta=\Gamma$, while the minimum value of $\theta$ is not constrained due to the degeneracy existing with the value of Lorentz factor $\Gamma$. Given the photometric redshift $z \approx 0.3$, this GRG shows a core luminosity of $P_{1.4 GHz} \approx 5.52 \times 10^{24}$ W Hz$^{-1}$, and a luminosity $P_{1.4 GHz} \approx 1.29 \times 10^{25}$ W Hz$^{-1}$ for the NW lobe and $P_{1.4 GHz} \approx 0.46 \times 10^{25}$ W Hz$^{-1}$ for the SE lobe, consistent with the typical GRG luminosities. The radio lobes show a fractional linear polarization $\approx 9 \%$ consistent with typical values found in other GRG lobes.
We have obtained new estimates of the Sun's distance from the symmetry plane Zo and the vertical disk scale height h using currently available data on stellar OB associations, Wolf-Rayet stars, HII regions, and Cepheids. Based on individual determinations, we have calculated the mean Zo=-16+/-2 pc. Based on the model of a self-gravitating isothermal disk for the density distribution, we have found the following vertical disk scale heights: h = 40.2+/-2.1 pc from OB associations, h = 47.8+/-3.9 pc from Wolf-Rayet stars, h=48.4+/-2.5 pc from HII regions, and h = 66.2+/-1.6 pc from Cepheids. We have estimated the surface, \sum=6 kpc^{-2}, and volume, D(Zo) = 50.6 kpc^{-3}, densities from a sample of OB associations. We have found that there could be approximately 5000 OB associations in the Galaxy.
All available CCD observation of RV UMa have been analyzed to obtain an accurate mathematical description of the ligh variation. We discuss in this paper a new study of variable star RV UMa, a short period RRab star, in orther to determine through the light curve and the physical parameters, the presence of "Blazhko effect". The Star were observed for a total of 839 sessions shooting, and exhibits light curve modulation with the shortest modulation Period=0.468002 ever observed. The result detect small but definite modification in temperature and mean radius of the star itself. All results are compared with previously published literature values and discussed.
Chemodynamical models of our Galaxy that have analytic Extended Distribution Functions (EDFs) are likely to play a key role in extracting science from surveys in the era of Gaia.
Spatially resolved kinematics have been used to determine the dynamical status of star-forming galaxies with ambiguous morphologies, and constrain the importance of galaxy interactions during the assembly of galaxies. However, measuring the importance of interactions or galaxy merger rates requires knowledge of the systematics in kinematic diagnostics and the visible time with merger indicators. We analyze the dynamics of star-forming gas in a set of binary merger hydrodynamic simulations with stellar mass ratios of 1:1 and 1:4. We find that the evolution of kinematic asymmetries traced by star-forming gas mirrors morphological asymmetries derived from mock optical images, in which both merger indicators show the largest deviation from isolated disks during strong interaction phases. Based on a series of simulations with various initial disk orientations, orbital parameters, gas fractions, and mass ratios, we find that the merger signatures are visible for ~0.2-0.4 Gyr with kinematic merger indicators but can be approximately twice as long for equal-mass mergers of massive gas-rich disk galaxies designed to be analogs of z~2-3 submillimeter galaxies. Merger signatures are most apparent after the second passage and before the black holes coalescence, but in some cases they persist up to several hundred Myr after coalescence. About 20-60% of the simulated galaxies are not identified as mergers during the strong interaction phase, implying that galaxies undergoing violent merging process do not necessarily exhibit highly asymmetric kinematics in their star-forming gas. The lack of identifiable merger signatures in this population can lead to an underestimation of merger abundances in star-forming galaxies, and including them in samples of star-forming disks may bias the measurements of disk properties such as intrinsic velocity dispersion.
We present new deep photometry of the globular cluster system (GCS) around NGC 6166, the central supergiant galaxy in Abell 2199. HST data from the ACS and WFC3 cameras in F475W, F814W are used to determine the spatial distribution of the GCS, its metallicity distribution function (MDF), and the dependence of the MDF on galactocentric radius and on GC luminosity. The MDF is extremely broad, with the classic red and blue subpopulations heavily overlapped, but a double-Gaussian model can still formally match the MDF closely. The spatial distribution follows a Sersic-like profile detectably to a projected radius of at least $R_{gc} = 250$ kpc. To that radius, the total number of clusters in the system is N_{GC} = 39000 +- 2000, the global specific frequency is S_N = 11.2 +- 0.6, and 57\% of the total are blue, metal-poor clusters. The GCS may fade smoothly into the Intra-Cluster Medium of A2199; we see no clear transition from the core of the galaxy to the cD halo or the ICM. The radial distribution, projected ellipticity, and mean metallicity of the red (metal-richer) clusters match the halo light extremely well for R > 15 kpc, both of them varying as \sigma_{MRGC} ~ \sigma_{light} ~ R^-1.8. By comparison, the blue (metal-poor) GC component has a much shallower falloff \sigma_{MPGC} ~ R^-1.0 and a more nearly spherical distribution. This strong difference in their density distributions produces a net metallicity gradient in the GCS as a whole that is primarily generated by the population gradient. With NGC 6166 we appear to be penetrating into a regime of high enough galaxy mass and rich enough environment that the bimodal two-phase description of GC formation is no longer as clear or effective as it has been in smaller galaxies.
I show that there is a physical limit to the mass of a black hole, above which it cannot grow through luminous accretion of gas, and so cannot appear as a quasar or active galactic nucleus. The limit is Mmax \simeq 5x10^{10}M_sun for typical parameters, but can reach Mmax \simeq 2.7x10^{11}M_sun in extreme cases (e.g. maximal prograde spin). The largest black hole masses so far found are close to but below the limit. The Eddington luminosity \simeq 6.5x10^{48} erg/s corresponding to Mmax is remarkably close to the largest AGN bolometric luminosity so far observed. The mass and luminosity limits both rely on a reasonable but currently untestable hypothesis about AGN disc formation, so future observations of extreme SMBH masses can therefore probe fundamental disc physics. Black holes can in principle grow their masses above Mmax by non-luminous means such as mergers with other holes, but cannot become luminous accretors again. They might nevertheless be detectable in other ways, for example through gravitational lensing. I show further that black holes with masses ~ Mmax can probably grow above the values specified by the black-hole -- host-galaxy scaling relations, in agreement with observation.
Galaxies represent one of the preferred candidate sources to drive the reionization of the universe. Even as gains are made in mapping the galaxy UV luminosity density to z>6, significant uncertainties remain regarding the Lyman-continuum (LyC) photon production efficiency xi_{ion} and the escape fraction f_{esc}. However, dramatic progress can be made in assessing the impact of z>~6 galaxies on the reionization of the universe, using the Halpha fluxes inferred from z=4-5 galaxies based on their IRAC broad-band fluxes. Here, we provide the first-ever direct estimates of the LyC photon production efficiency xi_{ion} for z>~4 galaxies, by comparing the LyC photons implied by the inferred H$\alpha$ luminosities for a $z=4$-5 sample with the dust-corrected UV-continuum luminosities. We find log_{10} xi_{ion}/[Hz / ergs] to have a mean value of 25.28_{-0.09}^{+0.10} and 25.34_{-0.08}^{+0.09} for sub-L* z=4-5 galaxies adopting Calzetti and SMC dust laws, respectively. Reassuringly, both derived values are consistent with standardly assumed xi_{ion}'s in reionization models, with a slight preference for higher xi_{ion}'s (by ~0.1 dex) adopting the SMC dust law. A modest ~0.03-dex increase in these estimates would result if the escape fraction for ionizing photons is non-zero and galaxies dominate the ionizing emissivity at z~4.4. High values of xi_{ion} (~25.5-25.9 dex) are derived for the bluest galaxies (beta<-2.3) in our samples, independent of dust law and consistent with results for a z=7.045 galaxy. Such elevated values of xi_{ion} would have important consequences, indicating that f_{esc} cannot be in excess of 13% unless the galaxy UV luminosity function does not extend down to -13 mag or the clumping factor is greater than 3. A low escape fraction would fit well with the low rate of Lyman-continuum leakage observed at z~3.
In the present work we study possible time dependent effects in Axion Dark Matter searches employing resonant cavities. We find that the width of the resonance, which depends on the axion mean square velocity in the local frame, will show an annual variation due to the motion of the Earth around the sun (modulation). Furthermore, if the experiments become directional, employing suitable resonant cavities, one expects large asymmetries in the observed widths relative to the sun's direction of motion. Due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis, these asymmetries will manifest themselves as a diurnal variation in the observed width.
The correlation between the jet power and accretion disk luminosity is investigated for active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) from the literature. The power-law correlation index is steep ($\mu \sim$ 1.0--1.4) for radio loud quasars and the `outliers' track of BHXBs, and it is flatter ($\mu \sim$ 0.3--0.6) for radio loud galaxies and the standard track of BHXBs. The steep-index groups are mostly at higher accretion rates (peaked at Eddington ratio $>$ 0.01) and the flatter-index groups are at relatively low accretion rates (peaked at Eddington ratio $<$ 0.01), implying that the former groups could be dominated by the inner disk accretion of black hole, while the jet in latter groups would be a hybrid production of the accretion and black hole spin. We could still have a fundamental plane of black hole activity for the BHXBs and AGNs with diverse (maybe two kinds of) correlation indices. It is noted that the fundamental plane of black hole activity should be referred to the correlation between the jet power and disk luminosity or equivalently to the correlation between jet power, Eddington ratio and black hole mass, rather than the jet power, disk luminosity and black hole mass.
The decline of star formation in massive low-redshift galaxies, often referred to as quenching, has been attributed to a variety of factors. Some proposals suggest that erupting active galactic nuclei may strip galaxies of their interstellar medium, and thus the ability to form stars. Here, we note that, whereas star formation is universal in small, low-redshift galaxies, fractional duty cycles of star formation steadily decline in galaxies of increasing mass, although star formation may not cease entirely. We show that, when infall of gas from extragalactic space ceases, galaxies of high stellar mass appear to sustain star formation on gas liberated in mass loss from evolved low- and intermediate-mass stars admixed with occasional Type II supernova ejecta. This model quantitatively accounts for the universal limiting metallicity plateau at a ratio of oxygen to hydrogen atoms, Z(O) = n(O)/n(H) = 0.0013, characterizing high-mass intermittently star-forming galaxies. We show that, when fractional duty cycles are specifically taken into account, the star formation rates of galaxies on this plateau correspond to mass loss rates from evolving stars in rough agreement with observed estimates. Far-infrared continuum and fine-structure line observations, as well as molecular data, may soon be able to resolve whether or not low levels of sporadic star formation can be sustained indefinitely in massive galaxies.
A monotonic, statistically significant gradient in the observed Faraday Rotation Measure (RM) across the jet of an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) reflects a corresponding gradient in the electron density and/or line-of-sight magnetic (B) field. Such gradients may indicate the presence of a toroidal B field component, possibly associated with a helical jet B field. Although transverse RM gradients have been reported across a number of parsec-scale AGN jets, the same is not true on kiloparsec scales, suggesting that other (e.g. random) B-field components usually dominate on these larger scales. We have identified an extended, monotonic transverse RM gradient across the Northern lobe of a previously published Very Large Array (kiloparsec-scale) RM image of 5C4.114. We reanalyzed these VLA data in order to determine the significance of this RM gradient. The RM gradient across the Northern kiloparsec-scale lobe structure of 5C4.114 has a statistical significance of about 4sigma. There is also a somewhat less prominent monotonic transverse RM gradient across the Southern jet/lobe (significance ~ 3sigma). Other parts of the RM distribution observed across the source are patchy and show no obvious order.This suggests that we are observing a random RM component associated with the foreground material in the cluster in which the radio source is located and through which it is viewed, superposed on a more ordered RM component that arises in the immediate vicinity of the AGN jets. We interpret the transverse RM gradient as reflecting the systematic variations of the line-of-sight component of a helical or toroidal B field associated with the jets of 5C4.114. These results suggest that the helical field that arises due to the joint action of the rotation of the central black hole and its accretion disc and the jet outflow can survive to distances of thousands of parsec from the central engine.
Recent studies have established that extreme dwarf galaxies --whether satellites or field objects-- suffer from the so called "too big to fail" (TBTF) problem. Put simply, the TBTF problem consists of the fact that it is difficult to explain both the measured kinematics of dwarfs and their observed number density within the LCDM framework. The most popular proposed solutions to the problem involve baryonic feedback processes. For example, reionization and baryon depletion can decrease the abundance of halos that are expected to host dwarf galaxies. Moreover, feedback related to star formation can alter the dark matter density profile in the central regions of low-mass halos. In this article we assess the TBTF problem for field dwarfs, taking explicitly into account the baryonic effects mentioned above. We find that 1) reionization feedback cannot resolve the TBTF problem on its own, because the halos in question are too massive to be affected by it, and that 2) the degree to which profile modification can be invoked as a solution to the TBTF problem depends on the radius at which galactic kinematics are measured. Based on a literature sample of about 90 dwarfs with interferometric observations in the 21cm line of atomic hydrogen (HI), we conclude that the TBTF problem persists despite baryonic effects. However, the preceding statement assumes that the sample under consideration is representative of the general population of field dwarfs. In addition, the unexplained excess of dwarf galaxies in LCDM could be as small as a factor of ~ 1.8, given the current uncertainties in the measurement of the galactic velocity function. Both of these caveats highlight the importance of upcoming uniform surveys with HI interferometers for advancing our understanding of the issue.
We searched a resolution of the flat galactic rotation curve problem from geometry instead of assuming the existence of dark matter. We observed that the scale independence of the rotational velocity in the outer region of galaxies could point out to a possible existence of local scale symmetry and therefore the gravitational phenomena inside such regions should be described by the unique local scale symmetric theory, namely Weyl's theory of gravity. We solved field equations of Weyl gravity and determined the special geometry of the outer region of galaxies. In order to understand the scale dependent description of gravitational phenomena, we compared individual terms of so called Einstein-Weyl theory and conjectured that while the outer region of galaxies are described by the Weyl term, the inner region of galaxies are described by the Einstein-Hilbert term.
An elegant model for passive scalar mixing was given by Kraichnan (1968) assuming the velocity to be delta-correlated in time. For realistic random flows this assumption becomes invalid. We generalize the Kraichnan model to include the effects of a finite correlation time, $\tau$, using renewing flows. The generalized evolution equation for the 3-D passive scalar spectrum $\hat{M}(k,t)$ or its correlation function $M(r,t)$, gives the Kraichnan equation when $\tau \to 0$, and extends it to the next order in $\tau$. It involves third and fourth order derivatives of $M$ or $\hat{M}$ (in the high $k$ limit). For small-$\tau$ (or small Strouhl number), it can be recast using the Landau-Lifshitz approach, to one with at most second derivatives of $\hat{M}$. We present both a scaling solution to this equation neglecting diffusion and a more exact solution including diffusive effects. Interestingly, to leading order in $\tau$, we show that the steady state 1-D passive scalar spectrum, preserves the Batchelor (1959) form, $E_\theta(k) \propto k^{-1}$, in the viscous-convective limit, independent of $\tau$. When passive scalar fluctuations decay, we show that the decay rate is reduced for finite $\tau$, but the spectrum $E_\theta(k) \propto k^{1/2}$ independent of $\tau$ . We also present results from high resolution ($1024^3$) direct numerical simulations of passive scalar mixing. We find reasonable agreement with predictions of the Batchelor spectrum, during steady state. The scalar spectrum during decay is however shallower than what theory predicts, a feature which remains intriguing.
The effect of gravitational Faraday rotation was predicted in the 1950s, but there is currently no practical method for measuring this effect. Measuring this effect is important because it will provide new evidence for correctness of general relativity, in particular, in the strong field limit. We predict that the observed degree and angle of the X-ray polarization of a cosmologically distant quasar microlensed by the random star field in a foreground galaxy or cluster lens vary rapidly and concurrently with flux during caustic-crossing events using the first simulation of quasar X-ray microlensing polarization light curves. Therefore, it is possible to detect gravitational Faraday rotation by monitoring the X-ray polarization of gravitationally microlensed quasars. Detecting this effect will also confirm the strong gravity nature of quasar X-ray emission.
We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations of the HCN\,(3--2) and HCO$^+$\,(3--2) molecular lines toward the W3(H$_2$O) and W3(OH) star-forming complexes. Infall and outflow motions in the W3(H$_2$O) have been characterized by observing HCN and HCO$^+$ transitions. High-velocity blue/red-shifted emission, tracing the outflow, show multiple knots, which might originate in episodic and precessing outflows. `Blue-peaked' line profiles indicate that gas is infalling onto the W3(H$_2$O) dust core. The measured large mass accretion rate, 2.3$\times$10$^{-3}$~M$_{\odot}$~yr$^{-1}$, together with the small free-fall time scale, 5$\times$10$^{3}$~yr, suggest W3(H$_2$O) is in an early evolutionary stage of the process of formation of high-mass stars. For the W3(OH), a two-layer model fit to the HCN and HCO$^+$ spectral lines and Spizter/IRAC images support that the W3(OH) H{\sc ii} region is expanding and interacting with the ambient gas, with the shocked neutral gas being expanding with an expansion timescale of 6.4$\times$10$^{3}$~yr. The observations suggest different kinematical timescales and dynamical states for the W3(H$_2$O) and W3(OH).
We discuss the role of protostellar outflow feedback in clustered star formation using the observational data of recent molecular outflow surveys toward nearby cluster-forming clumps. We found that for almost all clumps, the outflow momentum injection rate is significantly larger than the turbulence dissipation rate. Therefore, the outflow feedback is likely to maintain supersonic turbulence in the clumps. For less massive clumps such as B59, L1551, and L1641N, the outflow kinetic energy is comparable to the clump gravitational energy. In such clumps, the outflow feedback probably affects significantly the clump dynamics. On the other hand, for clumps with masses larger than about 200 M$_\odot$, the outflow kinetic energy is significantly smaller than the clump gravitational energy. Since the majority of stars form in such clumps, we conclude that outflow feedback cannot destroy the whole parent clump. These characteristics of the outflow feedback support the scenario of slow star formation.
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We use the Illustris simulation to study the relative contributions of in situ star formation and stellar accretion to the build-up of galaxies over an unprecedentedly wide range of masses ($M_{\ast} = 10^9-10^{12} \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$), galaxy types, environments, and assembly histories. We find that the `two-phase' picture of galaxy formation predicted by some models is a good approximation only for the most massive galaxies in our simulation -- namely, the stellar mass growth of galaxies below a few times $10^{11} \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$ is dominated by in situ star formation at all redshifts, while galaxies above this mass at $z \lesssim 1$ grow primarily by accretion of stars via mergers. The fraction of the total stellar mass of galaxies at $z=0$ contributed by accreted stars shows a strong dependence on galaxy stellar mass, ranging from about 10% for Milky Way-sized galaxies to over 80% for $M_{\ast} \approx 10^{12} \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$ objects, yet with a large galaxy-to-galaxy variation. At a fixed stellar mass, elliptical galaxies and those formed at the centres of younger haloes exhibit larger fractions of ex situ stars than disc-like galaxies and those formed in older haloes. On average, $\sim$50% of the ex situ stellar mass comes from major mergers (stellar mass ratio $\mu > 1/4$), $\sim$20% from minor mergers ($1/10 < \mu < 1/4$), $\sim$20% from very minor mergers ($\mu < 1/10$), and $\sim$10% from stars that were stripped from surviving galaxies (e.g. flybys or ongoing mergers). These components are spatially segregated, with in situ stars dominating the innermost regions of galaxies, and ex situ stars being deposited at larger galactocentric distances in order of decreasing merger mass ratio. The `transition' radius where ex situ stars begin to dominate over the in situ class decreases for more massive galaxies and correlates strongly with the total ex situ fraction.
We use linear perturbation theory to investigate how a groove in the phase
space of a disc galaxy changes the stellar disc's stability properties. Such a
groove is a narrow trough around a fixed angular momentum from which most stars
have been removed, rendering part of the disc unresponsive to spiral waves. We
find that a groove can dramatically alter a disc's eigenmode spectrum by giving
rise to a set of vigorously growing eigenmodes. These eigenmodes are particular
to the grooved disc and are absent from the original ungrooved disc's mode
spectrum. We discuss the properties and possible origin of the different
families of new modes.
By the very nature of our technique, we prove that a narrow phase-space
groove can be a source of rapidly growing spiral patterns that are true
eigenmodes of the grooved disc and that no non-linear processes need to be
invoked to explain their presence in N-body simulations of disc galaxies. Our
results lend support to the idea that spiral structure can be a recurrent
phenomenon, in which one generation of spiral modes alters a disc galaxy's
phase space in such a way that a following generation of modes is destabilized.
The accreted component of stellar haloes is composed of the contributions of several satellites, infalling onto the host with their different masses, at different times, on different orbits. This work uses a suite of idealised, collisionless N-body simulations of minor mergers to understand how these different ingredients shape each contribution to the accreted halo, in both density and kinematics. I find that more massive satellites deposit their central particles deeper into the gravitational potential of the host, with a clear correlation enforced by dynamical friction, resulting in a marked mass segregation. After mass, both infall redshift and the scatter in the satellites concentration play important roles. Earlier accretion events contribute more to the inner regions of the halo; more concentrated subhaloes sink deeper through dynamical friction. Any effect due to the initial orbital circularity is only important for low-mass satellites: dynamical friction efficiently radialises the most massive minor mergers -- at approximately $M_{\rm vir, s}/M_{\rm vir, h}\gtrsim1/20$ -- erasing the imprint of the infall orbit. The kinematics of material contributed by each satellite is also ordered with satellite mass: low-mass satellites contribute fast-moving populations -- in both ordered rotation and radial velocity dispersion. In turn, contributions by massive satellites have lower velocity dispersion and loose their angular momentum to dynamical friction, resulting in a strong radial bias.
We derive H{\alpha} fluxes for a large spectroscopic and photometric-redshift-selected sample of sources over GOODS-North and South in the redshift range z = 3.8-5.0 with deep HST, Spitzer/IRAC, and ground-based observations. The H{\alpha} flux is inferred based on the offset between the IRAC 3.6 {\mu}m flux and that predicted from the best-fit SED. We demonstrate that the H{\alpha} flux correlates well with dust- corrected UV star-formation rate (SFR) and therefore can serve as an independent SFR indicator. However, we also find a systematic offset in the SFR_H{\alpha}/SFR_UV ratios for z ~ 4-5 galaxies relative to local relations (assuming the same dust corrections for nebular regions and stellar light). We show that we can resolve the modest tension in the inferred SFRs by assuming bluer intrinsic UV slopes (increasing the dust correction), a rising star-formation history or assuming a low metallicity stellar population with a hard ionizing spectrum (increasing the L_H{\alpha}/SFR ratio). Using H{\alpha} as a SFR indicator, we find a higher normalization of the star formation main sequence compared to recent SED-based determinations and also derive the SFR functions at z ~ 4-8. In addition, we assess for the first time the burstiness of star formation in z ~ 4 galaxies on <100 Myr time scales by comparing UV and H{\alpha}-based sSFRs; their one-to-one relationship argues against significantly bursty star-formation histories. Further progress will be made on these results, by incorporating new results from ALMA to constrain the dust-obscured star formation in high-redshift UV-selected samples.
We have studied a sample of 89 very isolated elliptical galaxies at z < 0.08 and compared their properties with elliptical galaxies located in a high-density environment such as the Coma supercluster. Our aim is to probe the role of environment on the morphological transformation and quenching of elliptical galaxies as a function of mass. In addition, we elucidate about the nature of a particular set of blue and star-forming isolated ellipticals identified here. We study physical properties of ellipticals such as color, specific star formation rate, galaxy size and stellar age as a function of stellar mass and environment based on SDSS data. We analyze in more detail the blue star-forming isolated ellipticals through photometric characterization using GALFIT and infer their star formation history using STARLIGHT. Among the isolated ellipticals ~ 20% are blue, 8% are star-forming and ~ 10% are recently quenched, while among the Coma ellipticals ~ 8% are blue and just <= 1% are star-forming or recently quenched. There are four isolated galaxies (~ 4.5%) that are blue and star-forming at the same time. These galaxies, with masses between 7 x 10^9 and 2 x 10^10 h-2 M_sun, are also the youngest galaxies with light-weighted stellar ages <= 1 Gyr and exhibit bluer colors toward the galaxy center. Around 30-60% of their present-day luminosity, but only < 5% of their present-day mass, is due to star formation in the last 1 Gyr. The processes of morphological transformation and quenching seem to be in general independent of environment since most of elliptical galaxies are "red and dead", although the transition to the red sequence should be faster for isolated ellipticals. In some cases, the isolated environment seems to propitiate the rejuvenation of ellipticals by recent (< 1 Gyr) cold gas accretion.
We sort $4683$ molecular clouds between $10^\circ< \ell <65^\circ$ from the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey based on observational diagnostics of star formation activity: compact $70$ $\mu{\rm m}$ sources, mid-IR color-selected YSOs, ${\rm H_2O}$ and ${\rm CH_3OH}$ masers, and UCHII regions. We also present a combined ${\rm NH_3}$-derived gas kinetic temperature and ${\rm H_2O}$ maser catalog for $1788$ clumps from our own GBT 100m observations and from the literature. We identify a subsample of $2223$ ($47.5\%$) starless clump candidates, the largest and most robust sample identified from a blind survey to date. Distributions of flux density, flux concentration, solid angle, kinetic temperature, column density, radius, and mass show strong ($>1$ dex) progressions when sorted by star formation indicator. The median starless clump candidate is marginally sub-virial ($\alpha \sim 0.7$) with $>75\%$ of clumps with known distance being gravitationally bound ($\alpha < 2$). These samples show a statistically significant increase in the median clump mass of $\Delta M \sim 170-370$ M$_\odot$ from the starless candidates to clumps associated with protostars. This trend could be due to (i) mass growth of the clumps at $\dot{M}\sim200-440$ Msun Myr$^{-1}$ for an average free-fall $0.8$ Myr time-scale, (ii) a systematic factor of two increase in dust opacity from starless to protostellar phases, (iii) and/or a variation in the ratio of starless to protostellar clump lifetime that scales as $\sim M^{-0.4}$. By comparing to the observed number of ${\rm CH_3OH}$ maser containing clumps we estimate the phase-lifetime of massive ($M>10^3$ M$_\odot$) starless clumps to be $0.37 \pm 0.08 \ {\rm Myr} \ (M/10^3 \ {\rm M}_\odot)^{-1}$; the majority ($M<450$ M$_\odot$) have phase-lifetimes longer than their average free-fall time.
Using three-dimensional stellar kinematic data from simulated galaxies, we examine the efficacy of a Jeans equation analysis in reconstructing the total disk surface density, including the dark matter, at the "Solar" radius. Our simulation dataset includes galaxies formed in a cosmological context using state-of-the-art high resolution cosmological zoom simulations, and other idealised models. The cosmologically formed galaxies have been demonstrated to lie on many of the observed scaling relations for late-type spirals, and thus offer an interesting surrogate for real galaxies with the obvious advantage that all the kinematical data are known perfectly. We show that the vertical velocity dispersion is typically the dominant kinematic quantity in the analysis, and that the traditional method of using only the vertical force is reasonably effective at low heights above the disk plane. At higher heights the inclusion of the radial force becomes increasingly important. We also show that the method is sensitive to uncertainties in the measured disk parameters, particularly the scale lengths of the assumed double exponential density distribution, and the scale length of the radial velocity dispersion. In addition, we show that disk structure and low number statistics can lead to significant errors in the calculated surface densities. Finally we examine the implications of our results for previous studies of this sort, suggesting that more accurate measurements of the scale lengths may help reconcile conflicting estimates of the local dark matter density in the literature.
We present newly obtained three-dimensional gaseous maps of the Milky Way Galaxy; HI, H$_2$ and total-gas (HI plus H$_2$) maps, which were derived from the HI and $^{12}$CO($J=1$--0) survey data and rotation curves based on the kinematic distance. The HI and H$_2$ face-on maps show that the HI disk is extended to the radius of 15--20 kpc and its outskirt is asymmetric to the Galactic center, while most of the H$_2$ gas is distributed inside the solar circle. The total gas mass within radius 30 kpc amounts to $8.0\times 10^9$ M$_\odot$, 89\% and 11\% of which are HI and H$_2$, {respectively}. The vertical slices show that the outer HI disk is strongly warped and the inner HI and H$_2$ disks are corrugated. The total gas map is advantageous to trace spiral structure from the inner to outer disk. Spiral structures such as the Norma-Cygnus, the Perseus, the Sagittarius-Carina, the Scutum-Crux, and the Orion arms are more clearly traced in the total gas map than ever. All the spiral arms are well explained with logarithmic spiral arms with pitch angle of $11\degree$ -- $15\degree$. The molecular fraction to the total gas is high near the Galactic center and decreases with the Galactocentric distance. The molecular fraction also locally enhanced at the spiral arms compared with the inter-arm regions.
We present an analysis of the impact of bars and bulges on the radial distributions of the different types of supernovae (SNe) in the stellar discs of host galaxies with various morphologies. We use a well-defined sample of 500 nearby (< 100 Mpc) SNe and their low-inclined (i < 60 deg) and morphologically non-disturbed S0-Sm host galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that in Sa-Sm galaxies, all core-collapse (CC) and vast majority of SNe Ia belong to the disc, rather than the bulge component. The radial distribution of SNe Ia in S0-S0/a galaxies is inconsistent with their distribution in Sa-Sm hosts, which is probably due to the contribution of the outer bulge SNe Ia in S0-S0/a galaxies. In Sa-Sbc galaxies, the radial distribution of CC SNe in barred hosts is inconsistent with that in unbarred ones, while the distributions of SNe Ia are not significantly different. At the same time, the radial distributions of both types of SNe in Sc-Sm galaxies are not affected by bars. We propose that the additional mechanism shaping the distributions of Type Ia and CC SNe can be explained within the framework of substantial suppression of massive star formation in the radial range swept by strong bars, particularly in early-type spirals. The radial distribution of CC SNe in unbarred Sa-Sbc galaxies is more centrally peaked and inconsistent with that in unbarred Sc-Sm hosts, while the distribution of SNe Ia in unbarred galaxies is not affected by host morphology. These results can be explained by the distinct distributions of massive stars in the discs of early- and late-type spirals.
We are performing a series of observations with ground-based telescopes toward Planck Galactic cold clumps (PGCCs) in the $\lambda$ Orionis complex in order to systematically investigate the effects of stellar feedback. In the particular case of PGCC G192.32-11.88, we discovered an extremely young Class 0 protostellar object (G192N) and a proto-brown dwarf candidate (G192S). G192N and G192S are located in a gravitationally bound bright-rimmed clump. The velocity and temperature gradients seen in line emission of CO isotopologues indicate that PGCC G192.32-11.88 is externally heated and compressed. G192N probably has the lowest bolometric luminosity ($\sim0.8$ L$_{\sun}$) and accretion rate (6.3$\times10^{-7}$ M$_{\sun}$~yr$^{-1}$) when compared with other young Class 0 sources (e.g. PACS Bright Red sources (PBRs)) in the Orion complex. It has slightly larger internal luminosity ($0.21\pm0.01$ L$_{\sun}$) and outflow velocity ($\sim$14 km~s$^{-1}$) than the predictions of first hydrostatic cores (FHSCs). G192N might be among the youngest Class 0 sources, which are slightly more evolved than a FHSC. Considering its low internal luminosity ($0.08\pm0.01$ L$_{\odot}$) and accretion rate (2.8$\times10^{-8}$ M$_{\sun}$~yr$^{-1}$), G192S is an ideal proto-brown dwarf candidate. The star formation efficiency ($\sim$0.3\%-0.4\%) and core formation efficiency ($\sim$1\%) in PGCC G192.32-11.88 are significantly smaller than in other giant molecular clouds or filaments, indicating that the star formation therein is greatly suppressed due to stellar feedback.
Numerical simulations have shown that the X-shaped structure in the Milky Way bulge can naturally arise from the bar instability and buckling instability. To understand the influence of the buckling amplitude on the morphology of the X-shape, we analyze three self-consistent numerical simulations of barred galaxies with different buckling amplitudes (strong, intermediate and weak). We derive the three-dimensional density with an adaptive kernel smoothing technique. The face-on iso-density surfaces are all elliptical, while in the edge-on view, the morphology of buckled bars transitions with increasing radius, from a central boxy core to a peanut bulge and then to an extended thin bar. Based on these iso-density surfaces at different density levels, we find no clear evidence for a well-defined structure shaped like a letter X. The X-shaped structure is more peanut-like, whose visual perception is probably enhanced by the pinched inner concave iso-density contours. The peanut bulge can reproduce qualitatively the observed bimodal distributions which were used as evidence for the discovery of the X-shape. The central boxy core is shaped like an oblong tablet, extending to $\sim$ 500 pc above and below the Galactic plane ($|b| \sim 4^\circ$). From the solar perspective, lines of sight passing through the central boxy core do not show bimodal distributions. This generally agrees with the observations that the double peaks merge at $|b| \sim 4^\circ - 5^\circ$ from the Galactic plane, indicating the presence of a possibly similar structure in the Galactic bulge.
We investigate the clustering and dark matter halo mass for a sample of $\sim$16,000 central galaxies selected from the SDSS/DR7 group catalog. We select subsamples of central galaxies on three two-dimensional planes, each formed by stellar mass ($M_{\star}$) and one of the other properties including optical color (g-r) , surface stellar mass density ($\mu_{\star}$) and central stellar velocity dispersion ($\sigma_{\star}$). For each subsample we measure both the projected cross-correlation function ($w_{p}(r_{p})$) relative to a reference galaxy sample, and an average mass of the host dark matter halos ($M_{halo}$) . For comparison we have also estimated the $w_{p}(r_{p})$ for the full galaxy population and the subset of satellite galaxies. We find that, for central galaxies, both $w_{p}(r_{p})$ and $M_{halo}$ show strongest dependence on $M_{\star}$, and there is no clear dependence on other properties when stellar mass is fixed. This result provides strong support to the previously-adopted assumption that, for central galaxies, stellar mass is the galaxy property that is best indicative of the host dark halo mass. The full galaxy population and the subset of satellites show similar clustering properties in all cases. However, they are similar to the centrals only at high masses ($M_{\star} \geq 10^{11} M_{\odot}$). At low-mass ($M_{\star} \leq 10^{11} M_{\odot}$), the results are different: the $w_{p}(r_{p})$ increases with both $\sigma$ and g-r when $M_{\star}$ is fixed, and depends very weakly on $M_{\star}$ when $\sigma_{\star}$ or g-r is fixed. At fixed $M_{star}$, the $\mu_{\star}$ shows weak correlations with clustering amplitude (and halo mass for central galaxies). Our results suggest that it is necessary to consider central and satellite galaxies separately when studying the link between galaxies and dark matter halos. (Abridged)
This paper reviews recent observations of water in Galactic interstellar clouds and nearby galactic nuclei. Two results are highlighted: (1) Multi-line H$_2$O mapping of the Orion Bar shows that the water chemistry in PDRs is driven by photodissociation and -desorption, unlike in star-forming regions. (2) High-resolution spectra of H$_2$O and its ions toward 5 starburst / AGN systems reveal low ionization rates, unlike as found from higher-excitation lines. We conclude that the chemistry of water strongly depends on radiation environment, and that the ionization rates of interstellar clouds decrease by at least 10 between galactic nuclei and disks.
We investigate Primoridal Black Hole (PBH) formation by which we mean black holes produced in the early universe during radiation domination. After discussing the range of PBH mass permitted in the original mechanism of Carr and Hawking, hybrid inflation with parametric resonance is presented as an existence theorem for PBHs of arbitrary mass. As proposed in arXiv:1510.00400, PBHs with many solar masses can provide a solution to the dark matter problem in galaxies. PBHs can also explain dark matter observed in clusters and suggest a primordial origin for supermassive black holes in galactic cores.
The tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole leads to a short-lived thermal flare. Despite extensive searches, radio follow-up observations of known thermal stellar tidal disruption flares (TDFs) have not yet produced a conclusive detection. We present a detection of variable radio emission from a thermal TDF, which we interpret as originating from a newly-launched jet. The multi-wavelength properties of the source present a natural analogy with accretion state changes of stellar mass black holes, suggesting all TDFs could be accompanied by a jet. In the rest frame of the TDF, our radio observations are an order of magnitude more sensitive than nearly all previous upper limits, explaining how these jets, if common, could thus far have escaped detection.
We compare the observed size distribution of circum stellar disks in the Orion Trapezium cluster with the results of $N$-body simulations in which we incorporated an heuristic prescription for the evolution of these disks. In our simulations, the sizes of stellar disks are affected by close encounters with other stars (with disks). We find that the observed distribution of disk sizes in the Orion Trapezium cluster is excellently reproduced by truncation due to dynamical encounters alone. The observed distribution appears to be a sensitive measure of the past dynamical history of the cluster, and therewith on the conditions of the cluster at birth. The best comparison between the observed disk size distribution and the simulated distribution is realized with a cluster of $N = 2500\pm500$ stars with a half-mass radius of about 0.5\,pc in virial equilibrium (with a virial ratio of $Q = 0.5$, or somewhat colder $Q \simeq 0.3$), and with a density structure according to a fractal dimension of $F \simeq 1.6$. Simulations with these parameters reproduce the observed distribution of circum stellar disks in about 0.2--0.5\,Myr.
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We study the rest-frame optical properties of 74 luminous (L_bol=10^46.2-48.2 erg/s), 1.5<z<3.5 broad-line quasars with near-IR (JHK) slit spectroscopy. Systemic redshifts based on the peak of the [OIII]5007 line reveal that redshift estimates from the rest-frame UV broad emission lines (mostly MgII) are intrinsically uncertain by ~ 200 km/s (measurement errors accounted for). The overall full-width-at-half-maximum of the narrow [OIII] line is ~ 1000 km/s on average. A significant fraction of the total [OIII] flux (~ 40%) is in a blueshifted wing component with a median velocity offset of ~ 700 km/s, indicative of ionized outflows within a few kpc from the nucleus; we do not find evidence of significant [OIII] flux beyond ~ 10 kpc in our slit spectroscopy. The [OIII] line is noticeably more asymmetric and weaker than that in typical less luminous low-z quasars. However, when matched in quasar continuum luminosity, low-z quasars have similar [OIII] profiles and strengths as these high-z systems. Therefore the exceptionally large width and blueshifted wing, and the relatively weak strength of [OIII] in high-z luminous quasars are mostly a luminosity effect rather than redshift evolution. The Hbeta-[OIII] region of these high-z quasars displays a similar spectral diversity and Eigenvector 1 correlations with anti-correlated [OIII] and optical FeII strengths, as seen in low-z quasars; but the average broad Hbeta width is larger by 25% than typical low-z quasars, indicating more massive black holes in these high-z systems. These results highlight the importance of understanding [OIII] emission in the general context of quasar parameter space in order to understand quasar feedback in the form of [OIII] outflows. The calibrated one-dimensional near-IR spectra are made publicly available, along with a composite spectrum.
We introduce methods which allow observed galaxy clustering to be used together with observed luminosity or stellar mass functions to constrain the physics of galaxy formation. We show how the projected two-point correlation function of galaxies in a large semi-analytic simulation can be estimated to better than ~10% using only a very small subsample of the subhalo merger trees. This allows measured correlations to be used as constraints in a Monte Carlo Markov Chain exploration of the astrophysical and cosmological parameter space. An important part of our scheme is an analytic profile which captures the simulated satellite distribution extremely well out to several halo virial radii. This is essential to reproduce the correlation properties of the full simulation at intermediate separations. As a first application, we use low-redshift clustering and abundance measurements to constrain a recent version of the Munich semi-analytic model. The preferred values of most parameters are consistent with those found previously, with significantly improved constraints and somewhat shifted "best" values for parameters that primarily affect spatial distributions. Our methods allow multi-epoch data on galaxy clustering and abundance to be used as joint constraints on galaxy formation. This may lead to significant constraints on cosmological parameters even after marginalising over galaxy formation physics.
We compare global predictions from the EAGLE hydrodynamical simulation, and two semi-analytic (SA) models of galaxy formation, L-GALAXIES and GALFORM. All three models include the key physical processes considered to be essential for the formation and evolution of galaxies and their parameters are calibrated against a small number of observables at $z\approx 0$. The two SA models have been applied to merger trees constructed from the EAGLE dark matter only simulation. GALFORM has been run with two prescriptions for the ram pressure stripping of hot gas from satellites: instantaneous or gradual stripping. We find that at $z\leq 2$, both the galaxy stellar mass functions for stellar masses $M_{*} < 10^{10.5} {\rm M}_{\odot}$ and the median specific star formation rates (sSFRs) in the three models agree to better than 0.4 dex. The evolution of the sSFR predicted by the three models closely follows the mass assembly history of dark matter haloes. Where we do find interesting differences we vary model parameters or select subsets of galaxies to determine the main cause of the difference. In both EAGLE and L-GALAXIES there are more central passive galaxies with $M_{*} < 10^{9.5} {\rm M}_{\odot}$ than in GALFORM. This difference is related to galaxies that have entered and then left a larger halo and which are treated as satellites in GALFORM. In the range 0<z<1, the slope of the evolution of the star formation rate density in EAGLE is a factor of $\approx 1.5$ steeper than for the two SA models. The median sizes for galaxies with $M_{*} > 10^{9.5} {\rm M}_{\odot}$ differ in some instances by an order of magnitude, while the stellar mass-size relation in EAGLE is a factor of $\approx 2$ tighter than for the two SA models. Our results suggest the need for a revision of the galactic wind treatment in SA models and of the effect that the baryonic self-gravity has on the underlying dark matter.
We examine the redshift evolution of standard strong emission-line diagnostics for Hbeta-selected star-forming galaxies using the local SDSS sample and a new z = 0.2 - 2.3 sample obtained from HST WFC3 grism and Keck DEIMOS and MOSFIRE data. We use the SDSS galaxies to show that there is a systematic dependence of the strong emission-line properties on Balmer-line luminosity, which we interpret as showing that both the N/O abundance and the ionization parameter increase with increasing line luminosity. Allowing for the luminosity dependence tightens the diagnostic diagrams and the metallicity calibrations. The combined SDSS and high-redshift samples show that there is no redshift evolution in the line properties once the luminosity correction is applied, i.e., all galaxies with a given L(Hbeta) have similar strong emission-line distributions at all the observed redshifts. We argue that the best metal diagnostic for the high-redshift galaxies may be a luminosity-adjusted version of the [NII]6584/Halpha metallicity relation.
We measure a relation between the depth of four prominent rest-UV absorption complexes and metallicity for local galaxies and verify it up to z~3. We then apply this relation to a sample of 224 galaxies at 3.5 < z < 6.0 (<z> = 4.8) in COSMOS, for which unique UV spectra from DEIMOS and accurate stellar masses from SPLASH are available. The average galaxy population at z~5 and log(M/Msun) > 9 is characterized by 0.3-0.4 dex (in units of 12+log(O/H)) lower metallicities than at z~2, but comparable to z~3.5. We find galaxies with weak/no Ly-alpha emission to have metallicities comparable to z~2 galaxies and therefore may represent an evolved sub-population of z~5 galaxies. We find a correlation between metallicity and dust in good agreement with local galaxies and an inverse trend between metallicity and star-formation rate (SFR) consistent with observations at z~2. The relation between stellar mass and metallicity (MZ relation) is similar to z~3.5, however, there are indications of it being slightly shallower, in particular for the young, Ly-alpha emitting galaxies. We show that, within a "bathtub" approach, a shallower MZ relation is expected in the case of a fast (exponential) build-up of stellar mass with an e-folding time of 100-200 Myr. Due to this fast evolution, the process of dust production and metal enrichment as a function of mass could be more stochastic in the first billion years of galaxy formation compared to later times.
We analyzed data from a shadow observation of the high density molecular cloud MBM36 (l~4{\deg}, b~35{\deg}) with Suzaku. MBM36 is located in a region that emits relatively weakly in the 3/4~keV band, compared to the surrounding NPS/Loop 1 structure and the Galactic Bulge. The contrast between a high and low density targets in the MBM36 area allows one to separate the local and distant contributors to the Soft Diffuse X-ray Background, providing a much better characterization of the individual components compared to single pointing observations. We identify two non-local thermal components, one at kT~0.12 keV and one at kT~0.29keV. The colder component matches well with models of emission from the higher latitude region of the Galactic Bulge. The emission of the warmer component is in agreement with models predicting that the NPS is due to a hypershell from the center of the Milky Way. Geometrical and pressure calculations rule out a nearby bubble as responsible for the emission associate with the NPS. Any Galactic Halo/CircumGalactic Halo emission, if present, is outshined by the other components. We also report an excess emission around 0.9~keV, likely due to an overabundance of NeIX.
It has long been recognized that magnetic fields play an important role in many astrophysical environments, yet the strength and structure of magnetic fields beyond our solar system have been at best only qualitatively constrained. The Galactic magnetic field in particular is crucial for modeling the transport of Galactic CRs, for calculating the background to dark matter and CMB-cosmology studies, and for determining the sources of UHECRs. This report gives a brief overview of recent major advances in our understanding of the Galactic magnetic field (GMF) and its lensing of Galactic and ultrahigh energy cosmic rays.
Recent observations have revealed a variety of young star clusters, including embedded systems, young massive clusters, and associations. We study the formation and dynamical evolution of these clusters using a combination of simulations and theoretical models. Our simulations start with a turbulent molecular cloud that collapses under its own gravity. The stars are assumed to form in the densest regions in the collapsing cloud after an initial free-fall times of the molecular cloud. The dynamical evolution of these stellar distributions are continued by means of direct $N$-body simulations. The molecular clouds typical for the Milky Way Galaxy tend to form embedded clusters which evolve to resemble open clusters. The associations were initially considerably more clumpy, but lost their irregularity in about a dynamical time scale due to the relaxation process. The densest molecular clouds, which are absent in the Milky Way but are typical in starburst galaxies, form massive young star clusters. They indeed are rare in the Milky Way. Our models indicate a distinct evolutionary path from molecular clouds to open clusters and associations or to massive star clusters. The mass-radius relation for both types of evolutionary tracks excellently matches the observations. According to our calculations the time evolution of the half-mass radius for open clusters and associations follows $r_{\rm h}/{\rm pc}=2.7(t_{\rm age}/{\rm pc})^{2/3}$, whereas for massive star clusters $r_{\rm h}/{\rm pc}=0.34(t_{\rm age}/{\rm Myr})^{2/3}$. Both trends are consistent with the observed age-mass-radius relation for clusters in the Milky Way.
We present a new method to search for candidate z~>2 Herschel 500{\mu}m sources in the GOODS-North field, using a S500{\mu}m/S24{\mu}m "color deconfusion" technique. Potential high-z sources are selected against low-redshift ones from their large 500{\mu}m to 24{\mu}m flux density ratios. By effectively reducing the contribution from low-redshift populations to the observed 500{\mu}m emission, we are able to identify counterparts to high-z 500{\mu}m sources whose 24{\mu}m fluxes are relatively faint. The recovery of known z~4 starbursts confirms the efficiency of this approach in selecting high-z Herschel sources. The resulting sample consists of 34 dusty star-forming galaxies at z~>2. The inferred infrared luminosities are in the range 1.5x10^12-1.8x10^13 Lsun, corresponding to dust-obscured star formation rates (SFRs) of ~260-3100 Msun/yr for a Salpeter IMF. Comparison with previous SCUBA 850{\mu}m-selected galaxy samples shows that our method is more efficient at selecting high-z dusty galaxies with a median redshift of z=3.07+/-0.83 and 10 of the sources at z~>4. We find that at a fixed luminosity, the dust temperature is ~5K cooler than that expected from the Td-LIR relation at z<1, though different temperature selection effects should be taken into account. The radio-detected subsample (excluding three strong AGN) follows the far-infrared/radio correlation at lower redshifts, and no evolution with redshift is observed out to z~5, suggesting that the far-infrared emission is star formation dominated. The contribution of the high-z Herschel 500{\mu}m sources to the cosmic SFR density is comparable to that of SMG populations at z~2.5 and at least 40% of the extinction-corrected UV samples at z~4 (abridged).
The aim of this work is to understand the nature of the parent population of beamed narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s), by studying the physical properties of three parent candidates samples: steep-spectrum radio-loud NLS1s, radio-quiet NLS1s and disk-hosted radio-galaxies. In particular, we focused on the black hole mass and Eddington ratio distribution and on the interactions between the jet and the narrow-line region.
(Abridged) We make use of the deepest VLT/MUSE observations performed so far on the Hubble Deep Field South (HDFS) to characterize the low-mass (< $10^{10}$M$_\odot$) galaxy population at intermediate redshift. We identify a sample of 28 spatially-resolved emission-line galaxies in the deep (27h integration time) MUSE data cube, spread over a redshift interval of 0.2 < z < 1.4. The public HST images and multi-band photometry over the HDFS are used to constrain the stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR) of the galaxies and to perform a morphological analysis. We derive the resolved ionized gas properties of these galaxies from the MUSE data and model the disk (both in 2D and with GalPaK$^{\rm 3D}$) to retrieve their intrinsic gas kinematics. We build a sample of resolved emission-line galaxies of much lower stellar mass and SFR (by $\sim$1-2 orders of magnitude) than previous 3D spectroscopic surveys. Most of the spatially-resolved MUSE-HDFS galaxies have gas kinematics consistent with disk-like rotation, but about 20% have velocity dispersions larger than the rotation velocities, and 30% are part of a close pair and/or show clear signs of recent gravitational interactions. In the high-mass regime, the MUSE-HDFS galaxies follow the Tully-Fisher relation defined from previous surveys in a similar redshift range. This scaling relation extends also to lower masses/velocities but with a higher dispersion. The MUSE-HDFS galaxies follow the scaling relations defined in the local universe between the specific angular momentum and the stellar mass. However, we find that intermediate-redshift star-forming galaxies fill a continuum transition from the spiral to elliptical local scaling relations, according to the dynamical state of the gas. This indicates that some galaxies may lose their angular momentum and become dispersion-dominated prior to becoming passive.
We explore the environmental dependence of star formation timescales in low mass galaxies using the [$\alpha$/Fe] abundance ratio as an evolutionary clock. We present integrated [$\alpha$/Fe] measurements for 11 low mass ($M_\star \sim 10^9~M_\odot$) early-type galaxies (ETGs) with a large range of cluster-centric distance in the Virgo Cluster. We find a gradient in [$\alpha$/Fe], where the galaxies closest to the cluster center (the cD galaxy, M87) have the highest values. This trend is driven by galaxies within a projected radius of 0.4~Mpc (0.26 times the virial radius of Virgo~A), all of which have super-solar [$\alpha$/Fe]. Galaxies in this mass range exhibit a large scatter in the [$\alpha$/Fe]--$\sigma$ diagram, and do not obviously lie on an extension of the relation defined by massive ETGs. In addition, we find a correlation between [$\alpha$/Fe] and globular cluster specific frequency ($S_N$), suggesting that low-mass ETGs that formed their stars over a short period of time, were also efficient at forming massive star clusters. The innermost low-mass ETGs in our sample have [$\alpha$/Fe] values comparable to that of M87, implying that environment is the controlling factor for star formation timescales in dense regions. These low-mass galaxies could be the surviving counterparts of the objects that have already been accreted into the halo of M87, and may be the link between present-day low-mass galaxies and the old, metal-poor, high-[$\alpha$/Fe], high-$S_N$ stellar populations seen in the outer halos of massive ETGs.
We present a model for the seeding and evolution of magnetic fields in galaxies by supernovae (SN). SN explosions during galaxy assembly provide seed fields, which are subsequently amplified by compression, shear flows and random motions. Our model explains the origin of microG magnetic fields within galactic structures. We implement our model in the MHD version of the cosmological simulation code Gadget-3 and couple it with a multi-phase description of the interstellar medium. We perform simulations of Milky Way-like galactic halo formation and analyze the distribution and strength of the magnetic field. We investigate the intrinsic rotation measure (RM) evolution and find RM values exceeding 1000 rad/m*m at high redshifts and RM values around 10 rad/m*m at present-day. We compare our simulations to a limited set of observational data points and find encouraging similarities. In our model, galactic magnetic fields are a natural consequence of the very basic processes of star formation and galaxy assembly.
While quasar outflows may be quasi-ubiquitous, there are significant differences on a source-by- source basis. These differences can be organized along the 4D Eigenvector 1 sequence: at least at low z, with only Population A sources radiating at relatively high Eddington ratio and showing prominent high-velocity outflows in Civ {\lambda}1549 line profiles. We discuss in this paper VLT-FORS observations of Civ {\lambda}1549 emission line profiles for a high-luminosity sample of Hamburg- ESO quasars and how they are affected by outflow motion as a function of quasar luminosity. Our high- luminosity sample has the notable advantage that the rest frame has been accurately determined from previous VLT-ISAAC observations of H{\beta} in the J, H, and K bands. This makes measures of inter-line velocity shifts accurate and free of systemic biases. As the redshift increases and the luminosity of the brightest quasars increases, powerful, high-velocity outflows become more frequent. We discuss the outflow contextualisation, fol- lowing the 4DE1 formalism, as a tool for understanding the nature of the so-called weak lined quasars (WLQ) discovered in recent years as a new, poorly understood class of quasars. We estimate the kinetic power associ- ated with Civ {\lambda}1549 outflows and suggest that the host galaxies in the most luminous sources likely experience significant feedback.
Using the cosmological hydrodynamics simulation Horizon-AGN, we investigate the spatial distribution of satellite galaxies relative to their central counterpart in the redshift range between 0.3 and 0.8. We find that, on average, these satellites tend to be located on the galactic plane of the central object. This effect is detected for central galaxies with a stellar mass larger than 10^10 solar masses and found to be strongest for red passive galaxies, while blue galaxies exhibit a weaker trend. For galaxies with a minor axis parallel to the direction of the nearest filament, we find that the coplanarity is stronger in the vicinity of the central galaxy, and decreases when moving towards the outskirts of the host halo. By contrast, the spatial distribution of satellite galaxies relative to their closest filament follows the opposite trend: their tendency to align with them dominates at large distances from the central galaxy, and fades away in its vicinity. Relying on mock catalogs of galaxies in that redshift range, we show that massive red centrals with a spin perpendicular to their filament also have corotating satellites well aligned with both the galactic plane and the filament. On the other hand, lower-mass blue centrals with a spin parallel to their filament have satellites flowing straight along this filament, and hence orthogonally to their galactic plane. The orbit of these satellites is then progressively bent towards a better alignment with the galactic plane as they penetrate the central region of their host halo. The kinematics previously described are consistent with satellite infall and spin build-up via quasi-polar flows, followed by a re-orientation of the spin of massive red galaxies through mergers.
Motivated by recent claims of a compelling ~3.5 keV emission line from nearby galaxies and galaxy clusters, we investigate a novel plasma model incorporating a charge exchange component obtained from theoretical scattering calculations. Fitting this kind of component with a standard thermal model yields positive residuals around 3.5 keV, produced mostly by S XVI transitions from principal quantum numbers n > 8 to the ground. Such high-n states can only be populated by the charge exchange process. In this scenario, the observed 3.5 keV line flux in clusters can be naturally explained by an interaction in an effective volume of ~1 kpc^3 between a ~3 keV temperature plasma and cold dense clouds moving at a few hundred km/s. The S XVI lines at ~3.5 keV also provide a unique diagnostic of the charge exchange phenomenon in hot cosmic plasmas.
We show that a significant correlation (up to 5sigma) emerges between the
bulge index, defined to be larger for larger bulge/disk ratio, in spiral
galaxies with similar luminosities in the Galaxy Zoo 2 of SDSS and the number
of tidal-dwarf galaxies in the catalogue by Kaviraj et al. (2012).
In the standard cold or warm dark-matter cosmological models the number of
satellite galaxies correlates with the circular velocity of the dark matter
host halo. In generalized-gravity models without cold or warm dark matter such
a correlation does not exist, because host galaxies cannot capture in-falling
dwarf galaxies due to the absence of dark-matter-induced dynamical friction.
However, in such models a correlation is expected to exist between the bulge
mass and the number of satellite galaxies, because bulges and tidal-dwarf
satellite galaxies form in encounters between host galaxies. This is not
predicted by dark matter models in which bulge mass and the number of
satellites are a priori uncorrelated because higher bulge/disk ratios do not
imply higher dark/luminous ratios. Hence, our correlation reproduces the
prediction of scenarios without dark matter, whereas an explanation is not
found readily from the a priori predictions of the standard scenario with dark
matter. Further research is needed to explore whether some application of the
standard theory may explain this correlation.
Recent UV-optical surveys have been successful in finding tidal disruption
events (TDEs), in which a star is tidally disrupted by a supermassive black
hole (BH). These TDEs release a huge amount of radiation energy ~ 10^51-52 erg
into the circum-nuclear medium. If the medium is dusty, most of the radiation
energy will be absorbed by dust grains within ~ 1 pc from the BH and
re-radiated in the infrared. We calculate the dust emission lightcurve from a
1-D radiative transfer model, taking into account the time-dependent heating,
cooling and sublimation of dust grains. We show that the dust emission peaks at
3-10 microns and has typical luminosities ~ 10^42-43 erg/s (with sky covering
factor of dusty clouds ranging from 0.1-1). This is detectable by current
generation of telescopes. In the near future, James Webb Space Telescope will
be able to perform photometric and spectroscopic measurements, in which
silicate or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features may be found.
Observations at rest-frame wavelength > 2 microns have only been reported
from two TDE candidates, SDSS J0952+2143 and Swift J1644+57. Although
consistent with the dust emission from TDEs, the mid-infrared fluxes of the two
events may be from other sources. Long-term monitoring is needed to draw a firm
conclusion. We also point out two nearby TDE candidates (ASSASN-14ae and -14li)
where the dust emission may be currently detectable. The dust infrared emission
can give a snapshot of the pc-scale dust content around weakly- or non-active
galactic nuclei, which is hard to probe otherwise.
We report on a multiwavelength survey of a sample of 42 flat-spectrum radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (RLNLS1s). This is the largest known sample of this type of active galactic nucleus (AGN) to date. We found that 17% of sources were detected at high-energy gamma rays (E>100 MeV), and 90% at X-rays (0.3-10 keV). The masses of the central black holes are in the range $\sim 10^{6-8}M_{\odot}$, smaller than the values of blazars. The disk luminosities are about 1-49% of the Eddington value, with one outlier at 0.3%, comparable with the luminosities observed in flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). The jet powers are $\sim 10^{42-46}$ erg s$^{-1}$, comparable with BL Lac Objects, yet relatively smaller than FSRQs. However, once renormalized by the mass of the central black hole, the jet powers of RLNLS1s, BL Lacs, and FSRQs are consistent each other, indicating the scalability of the jets. We found episodes of extreme variability at high energies on time scales of hours. In some cases, dramatic spectral and flux changes are interpreted as the interplay between the relativistic jet and the accretion disk. We conclude that, despite the distinct observational properties, the central engines of RLNLS1s are similar to those of blazars.
Analysis of the correlation between the angular positions of distant radio galaxies on the spherical sky and the orientations of their polarization vectors with respect to their major axes indicates a dipolar anisotropy in the large scale. We have considered FRW metric with a single mode of large-scale scalar perturbation which includes both anisotropy and inhomogeneity. Using Newman-Penrose formalism, we have determined the effect of the perturbation on the change of the angle between the galaxy major axis and its polarization vector as the radiation propagates. We argue that this perturbation can lead to the observed dipole anisotropy in the distribution of radio polarization.
Stars form predominantly in groups usually denoted as clusters or associations. The observed stellar groups display a broad spectrum of masses, sizes and other properties, so it is often assumed that there is no underlying structure in this diversity. Here we show that the assumption of an unstructured multitude of cluster or association types might be misleading. Current data compilations of clusters show correlations between cluster mass, size, age, maximum stellar mass etc. In this first paper we take a closer look at the correlation of cluster mass and radius. We use literature data to explore relations in cluster and molecular core properties in the solar neighborhood. We show that for embedded clusters in the solar neighborhood there exists a clear correlation between cluster mass and half-mass radius of the form $M_c = C R_c^{\gamma}$ with gamma = 1.7 +/-0.2. This correlation holds for infra red K band data as well as X-ray sources and for clusters containing a hundred stars up to those consisting of a few tens of thousands of stars. The correlation is difficult to verify for clusters containing <30 stars due to low-number statistics. Dense clumps of gas are the progenitors of the embedded clusters. We find a similar slope for the mass-size relation of dense, massive clumps as for the embedded star clusters. This might point at a direct translation from gas to stellar mass: however, it is difficult to relate size measurements for clusters (stars) to those for gas profiles. Taking into account multiple paths for clump mass into cluster mass, we obtain an average star-formation efficiency of 18%{+9.3}{-5.7} for the embedded clusters in the solar neighborhood. The derived mass-radius relation gives constraints for the theory of clustered star formation. Analytical models and simulations of clustered star formation have to reproduce this relation in order to be realistic (abridged)
Much of the dense gas in molecular clouds has a filamentary structure but the detailed structure and evolution of this gas is poorly known. We have observed 54 cores in infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) using N$_2$H$^+$ (1-0) and (3-2) to determine the kinematics of the densest material, where stars will form. We also observed N$_2$D$^+$ (3-2) towards 29 of the brightest peaks to analyse the level of deuteration which is an excellent probe of the quiescent of the early stages of star formation. There were 13 detections of N$_2$D$^+$ (3-2). This is one of the largest samples of IRDCs yet observed in these species. The deuteration ratio in these sources ranges between 0.003 and 0.14. For most of the sources the material traced by N$_2$D$^+$ and N$_2$H$^+$ (3-2) still has significant turbulent motions, however three objects show subthermal N$_2$D$^+$ velocity dispersion. Surprisingly the presence or absence of an embedded 70 $\mu$m source shows no correlation with the detection of N$_2$D$^+$ (3-2), nor does it correlate with any change in velocity dispersion or excitation temperature. Comparison with recent models of deuteration suggest evolutionary time-scales of these regions of several free-fall times or less.
In this review lifetime measurements of ions with at most two electrons are summarized. Such highly ionized systems have been studied - until now - only in the Experimental Storage Ring of the GSI in Darmstadt. Emphasis is put on decays via the weak interaction. The first observations of beta-decay into bound atomic states are described as well as its time mirrored counterpart, the electron-capture decay. In the latter case the decays of hydrogen- and helium-like ions are compared with a surprising result. Further on, the observation of sinusoidal modulations of the decay rate in two-body decays is summarized. As a possible cause an interference due to the emission of neutrinos with different rest mass is discussed.
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Narrow stellar streams in the Milky Way halo are uniquely sensitive to dark-matter subhalos, but many of these may be tidally disrupted. I calculate the interaction between stellar and dark-matter streams using analytical and N-body calculations, showing that disrupting objects can be detected as low-concentration subhalos. Through this effect, we can constrain the streaminess of the halo as well as the orbit and present position of individual dark-matter streams. This will have profound implications for the formation of halos and for direct and indirect-detection dark-matter searches.
We compare the half-light circular velocities, V_{1/2}, of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group to the predicted circular velocity curves of galaxies in the NIHAO suite of LCDM simulations. We use a subset of 34 simulations in which the central galaxy has a stellar luminosity in the range 0.5 x 10^5 < L_V < 2 x 10^8 L_{sun}. The NIHAO galaxy simulations reproduce the relation between stellar mass and halo mass from abundance matching, as well as the observed half-light size vs luminosity relation. The corresponding dissipationless simulations over-predict the V_{1/2}, recovering the problem known as too big to fail (TBTF). By contrast, the NIHAO simulations have expanded dark matter haloes, and provide an excellent match to the distribution of V_{1/2} for galaxies with L_V > 2 x 10^6 L_{sun}. For lower luminosities our simulations predict very little halo response, and tend to over predict the observed circular velocities. In the context of LCDM, this could signal the increased stochasticity of star formation in haloes below M_{halo} \sim 10^{10} M_{sun}, or the role of environmental effects. Thus, haloes that are "too big to fail", do not fail LCDM, but haloes that are "too small to pass" (the galaxy formation threshold) provide a future test of LCDM.
We investigate clustering properties of quasars using a new version of our semi-analytic model of galaxy and quasar formation with state-of-the-art cosmological N-body simulations. In this study, we assume that a major merger of galaxies triggers cold gas accretion on to a supermassive black hole and quasar activity. Our model can reproduce the downsizing trend of the evolution of quasars. We find that the median mass of quasar host dark matter haloes increases with cosmic time by an order of magnitude from z=4 (a few 1e+11 Msun) to z=1 (a few 1e+12 Msun), and depends only weakly on the quasar luminosity. Deriving the quasar bias through the quasar--galaxy cross-correlation function in the model, we find that the quasar bias does not depend on the quasar luminosity, similar to observed trends. This result reflects the fact that quasars with a fixed luminosity have various Eddington ratios and thus have various host halo masses that primarily determine the quasar bias. We also show that the quasar bias increases with redshift, which is in qualitative agreement with observations. Our bias value is lower than the observed values at high redshifts, implying that we need some mechanisms that make quasars inactive in low-mass haloes and/or that make them more active in high-mass haloes.
Leo P is a gas-rich dwarf galaxy with an extremely low gas-phase oxygen abundance (3% solar). The isolated nature of Leo P enables a quantitative measurement of metals lost solely due to star formation feedback. We present an inventory of the oxygen atoms in Leo P based on the gas-phase oxygen abundance measurement, the star formation history, and the chemical enrichment evolution derived from resolved stellar populations. The star formation history also provides the total amount of oxygen produced. Overall, Leo P has retained 5 % of its oxygen; 25% of the retained oxygen is in the stars while 75% is in the gas phase. This is considerably lower than the 20-25% calculated for massive galaxies, supporting the trend for less efficient metal retention for lower mass galaxies. The retention fraction is higher than that calculated for other alpha elements (Mg, Si, Ca) in dSph Milky Way satellites of similar stellar mass and metallicity. Accounting only for the oxygen retained in stars, our results are consistent with those derived for the alpha elements in dSph galaxies. Thus, under the assumption that the dSph galaxies lost the bulk of their gas mass through an environmental process such as tidal stripping, the estimates of retained metal fractions represent underestimates by roughly a factor of four. Because of its isolation, Leo P provides an important datum for the fraction of metals lost as a function of galaxy mass due to star formation.
We compare the properties of gas flows on both the near and far side of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) disk using Hubble Space Telescope UV absorption-line observations toward an AGN behind (transverse) and a star within (down-the-barrel) the LMC disk at an impact parameter of 3.2 kpc. We find that even in this relatively quiescent region gas flows away from the disk at speeds up to $\sim$100 km/s in broad and symmetrical absorption in the low and high ions. The symmetric absorption profiles combined with previous surveys showing little evidence that the ejected gas returns to the LMC and provide compelling evidence that the LMC drives a global, large-scale outflow across its disk, which is the likely result of a recent burst of star formation in the LMC. We find that the outflowing gas is multiphase, ionized by both photoionization (SiII and SiIII) and collisional ionization (SiIV and CIV). We estimate a total mass and outflow rate to be $>10^7$ Msun and $>0.4$ Msun/yr. Since the velocity of this large-scale outflow does not reach the LMC escape velocity, the gas removal is likely aided by either ram-pressure stripping with the Milky Way halo or tidal interactions with the surrounding galaxies, implying that the environment of LMC-like or dwarf galaxies plays an important role in their ultimate gas starvation. Finally we reassess the mass and plausible origins of the high-velocity complex toward the LMC given its newly-determined distance that places it in the lower Milky Way halo and sky-coverage that shows it extends well beyond the LMC disk.
The stellar initial mass function is an important ingredient in galaxy formation, mainly linking the luminosity of a galaxy to its stellar mass, and driving chemical enrichment. In recent years there has been an ongoing discussion about systematic variations of the IMF in early-type galaxies and its connection with possible drivers such as velocity dispersion or metallicity. Strong gravitational lensing over galaxy scales in combination with photometric and spectroscopic data provides a powerful method to constrain the stellar mass-to-light ratio and hence the functional form of the IMF. We combine photometric and spectroscopic constraints from the latest set of population synthesis models of Charlot & Bruzual, including a varying IMF, with a non-parametric analysis of the lensing mass in a sample of 18 early-type lens galaxies from the SLACS survey, with velocity dispersions in the range 200-300 km/s. We find that very bottom-heavy IMFs are excluded. However, the upper limit to the IMF slope ($\mu \lesssim 2.2$ for a bimodal IMF, taking into account a 20-30% contribution to the lensing mass from dark matter, where $\mu=1.3$ corresponds to a Kroupa-like IMF) is compatible at the $1\sigma$ level with the constraints imposed by gravity-sensitive line strengths. A two-segment power law parameterisation of the IMF (keeping its index at the high mass end fixed at the Salpeter value) is more constrained ($\Gamma\lesssim1.5$, where $\Gamma$ is the power index at the low-mass end). Furthermore we find that for a standard Milky Way-like IMF to be applicable a significant amount of dark matter is required within an effective radius. Our results reveal a large scatter regarding possible values of the IMF slope, suggesting that the recent lenses of Smith et al. - who find a Milky Way-like IMF in a few massive lensing early-type galaxies - may be explained by such a scatter. (Abridged)
The Ophiuchus stellar stream presents a dynamical puzzle: its old stellar populations ($\sim 12$ Gyr) cannot be reconciled with (1) its orbit in a simple model for the Milky Way potential and (2) its short angular extent, both of which imply that the observed stream formed within the last $<1$ Gyr. Recent theoretical work has shown that streams on chaotic orbits may abruptly fan out near their apparent ends; stars in these fans are dispersed in both position and velocity and may be difficult to associate with the stream. Here we present the first evidence of such stream-fanning in the Ophiuchus stream, traced by four blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars beyond the apparent end of the stream. These stars stand out from the background by their high velocities ($v_{\rm los} > 230$ km s$^{-1}$) against $\sim 40$ other stars: their velocities are comparable to those of the stream, but would be exceptional if they were unrelated halo stars. Their positions and velocities are, however, inconsistent with simple extrapolation of the observed cold, high-density portion of the stream. These observations suggest that stream-fanning may be a real, observable effect and, therefore, that Ophiuchus may be on a chaotic orbit. They also show that the Ophiuchus stream is more extended and hence dynamically older than previously thought, easing the stellar population vs. dynamical age tension.
The first stars, known as Population III (PopIII), produced the first heavy elements, thereby enriching their surrounding pristine gas. Previous detections of metals in intergalactic gas clouds, however, find a heavy element enrichment larger than $1/1000$ times that of the solar environment, higher than expected for PopIII remnants. In this letter we report the discovery of a Lyman limit system (LLS) at $z=3.53$ with the lowest metallicity seen in gas with discernable metals, $10^{-3.41\pm0.26}$ times the solar value, at a level expected for PopIII remnants. We make the first relative abundance measurement in such low metallicity gas: the carbon-to-silicon ratio is $10^{-0.26\pm0.17}$ times the solar value. This is consistent with models of gas enrichment by a PopIII star formation event early in the Universe, but also consistent with later, Population II enrichment. The metals in all three components comprising the LLS, which has a velocity width of 400 km s$^{-1}$, are offset in velocity by $\sim+6$ km s$^{-1}$ from the bulk of the hydrogen, suggesting the LLS was enriched by a single event. Relative abundance measurements in this near-pristine regime open a new avenue for testing models of early gas enrichment and metal mixing.
In order to characterize the distribution of molecular gas in spiral galaxies, we study the line profiles of CO:1-0 emission in Andromeda, our nearest massive spiral galaxy. We compare observations performed with the IRAM 30m single-dish telescope and with the CARMA interferometer at a common resolution of 23 arcsec ~ 85pc x 350pc and 2.5 km/s. When fitting a single Gaussian component to individual spectra, the line profile of the single dish data is a factor 1.5+-0.4 larger than the interferometric data one. This ratio in line widths is surprisingly similar to the ratios previously observed in two other nearby spirals, NGC 4736 and NGC 5055, but measured at ~0.5-1 kpc spatial scale. In order to study the origin of the different line widths, we stack the individual spectra in 5 bins of increasing peak intensity and fit two Gaussian components to the stacked spectra. We find a unique narrow component of FWHM = 7.5+-0.4 km/s visible in both the single dish and the interferometric data. In addition, a broad component with FWHM = 14.4+-1.5 km/s is present in the single-dish data, but cannot be identified in the interferometric data. We interpret this additional broad line width component detected by the single dish as a low brightness molecular gas component that is extended on spatial scales >0.5 kpc, and thus filtered out by the interferometer. We search for evidence of line broadening by stellar feedback across a range of star formation rates but find no such evidence on ~100 pc spatial scale when characterizing the line profile by a single Gaussian component.
We present the Dark-ages Reionization and Galaxy-formation Observables from Numerical Simulations (DRAGONS) program and Tiamat, the collisionless N-body simulation program upon which DRAGONS is built. The primary trait distinguishing Tiamat from other large simulation programs is its density of outputs at high redshift (100 from z=35 to z=5; roughly one every 10 Myr) enabling the construction of very accurate merger trees at an epoch when galaxy formation is rapid and mergers extremely frequent. We find that the friends-of-friends halo mass function agrees well with the prediction of Watson et al. at high masses, but deviates at low masses, perhaps due to our use of a different halo finder or perhaps indicating a break from "universal" behaviour. We then analyse the dynamical evolution of galaxies during the Epoch of Reionization finding that only a small fraction (~20%) of galactic halos are relaxed. We illustrate this using standard relaxation metrics to establish two dynamical recovery time-scales: i) halos need ~1.5 dynamical times following formation, and ii) ~2 dynamical times following a major (3:1) or minor (10:1) merger to be relaxed. This is remarkably consistent across a wide mass range. Lastly, we use a phase-space halo finder to illustrate that major mergers drive long-lived massive phase-space structures which take many dynamical times to dissipate. This can yield significant differences in the inferred mass build-up of galactic halos and we suggest that care must be taken to ensure a physically meaningful match between the galaxy-formation physics of semi-analytic models and the halo finders supplying their input.
We use high resolution N-Body simulations to study the concentration and spin
parameters of dark matter haloes in the mass range $10^8\, {\rm M}_{\odot}\,
h^{-1} < {\rm M} < 10^{11}\, {\rm
M}_{\odot}\, h^{-1}$ and redshifts $5{<}z{<}10$, corresponding to the haloes
of galaxies thought to be responsible for reionization. We build a sub-sample
of equilibrium haloes and contrast their properties to the full population that
also includes unrelaxed systems. Concentrations are calculated by fitting both
NFW and Einasto profiles to the spherically-averaged density profiles of
individual haloes. After removing haloes that are out-of-equilibrium, we find a
$z{>}5$ concentration$-$mass ($c(M)$) relation that is almost flat and well
described by a simple power-law for both NFW and Einasto fits. The intrinsic
scatter around the mean relation is $\Delta c_{\rm{vir}}{\sim1}$ (or 20 per
cent) at $z=5$. We also find that the analytic model proposed by Ludlow et al.
reproduces the mass and redshift-dependence of halo concentrations. Our
best-fit Einasto shape parameter, $\alpha$, depends on peak height, $\nu$, in a
manner that is accurately described by $\alpha {=}0.0070\nu^2{+}0.1839$. The
distribution of the spin parameter, $\lambda$, has a weak dependence on
equilibrium state; $\lambda$ peaks at roughly ${\sim}0.033$ for our relaxed
sample, and at ${\sim}0.04$ for the full population. The spin--virial mass
relation has a mild negative correlation at high redshift.
We introduce Meraxes, a new, purpose-built semi-analytic galaxy formation model designed for studying galaxy growth during reionization. Meraxes is the first model of its type to include a temporally- and spatially-coupled treatment of reionization and is built upon a custom (100 Mpc)$^3$ N-body simulation with high temporal and mass resolution, allowing us to resolve the galaxy and star formation physics relevant to early galaxy formation. Our fiducial model with supernova feedback reproduces the observed optical depth to electron scattering and evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function between $z$=5-7, predicting that a broad range of halo masses contribute to reionization. Using a constant escape fraction and global recombination rate, our model is unable to simultaneously match the observed ionizing emissivity at $z{\lesssim}6$. However, the use of an evolving escape fraction of 0.05-0.1 at $z{\sim}6$, increasing towards higher redshift, is able to satisfy these three constraints. We also demonstrate that photoionization suppression of low mass galaxy formation during reionization has only a small effect on the ionization history of the inter-galactic medium. This lack of "self-regulation" arises due to the already efficient quenching of star formation by supernova feedback. It is only in models with gas supply limited star formation that reionization feedback is effective at regulating galaxy growth. We similarly find that reionization has only a small effect on the stellar mass function, with no observationally detectable imprint at $M_{\rm *}{>}10^{7.5}\,{\rm M_\odot}$. However, patchy reionization has significant effects on individual galaxy masses, with variations of factors of 2-3 at $z$=5 that correlate with environment.
In this paper we present calculations of the UV luminosity function predictions from the Dark-ages Reionization And Galaxy-formation Observables from Numerical Simulations (DRAGONS) project, which combines N-body, semi-analytic and semi-numerical modeling designed to study galaxy formation during the Epoch of Reionization. Using galaxy formation physics including supernova feedback, the model naturally reproduces the UV LFs for high-redshift star-forming galaxies from $z{\sim}5$ through to $z{\sim}10$. We investigate the predicted luminosity-star formation rate (SFR) relation, finding that variable SFR histories of galaxies result in a scatter around the mean relation of $0.1$-$0.3$ dex depending on UV luminosity. We find close agreement between the model and observationally derived SFR functions. We use our predicted luminosities to investigate the luminosity function below current detection limits, and the ionizing photon budget for reionization. We predict that the slope of the UV LF remains steep below current detection limits and becomes flat at $M_\mathrm{UV}{\gtrsim}{-14}$. We find that $48$ ($17$) per cent of the total UV flux at $z{\sim}6$ ($10$) has been detected above an observational limit of $M_\mathrm{UV}{\sim}{-17}$, and that galaxies fainter than $M_\mathrm{UV}{\sim}{-17}$ are the main source of ionizing photons for reionzation. We investigate the luminosity-stellar mass relation, and find a correlation for galaxies with $M_\mathrm{UV}{<}{-14}$ that has the form $M_\bigstar{\propto}10^{-0.47M_\mathrm{UV}}$, in good agreement with observations, but which flattens for fainter galaxies. We determine the luminosity-halo mass relation to be $M_\mathrm{vir}{\propto}10^{-0.35M_\mathrm{UV}}$, finding that galaxies with $M_\mathrm{UV}{=}{-20}$ reside in host dark matter haloes of $10^{11.0\pm 0.1}\mathrm{M_\odot}$ at $z{\sim}6$, and that this mass decreases towards high redshift.
We report on OH maser emission toward G336.644-0.695 (IRAS 16333-4807), which is a H2O maser-emitting Planetary Nebula (PN). We have detected 1612, 1667 and 1720 MHz OH masers at two epochs using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), hereby confirming it as the seventh known case of an OH-maser-emitting PN. This is only the second known PN showing 1720 MHz OH masers after K 3-35 and the only evolved stellar object with 1720 MHz OH masers as the strongest transition. This PN is one of a group of very young PNe. The 1612 MHz and 1667 MHz masers are at a similar velocity to the 22 GHz H2O masers, whereas the 1720 MHz masers show a variable spectrum, with several components spread over a higher velocity range (up to 36 km/s). We also detect Zeeman splitting in the 1720 MHz transition at two epochs (with field strengths of ~2 to ~10 mG), which suggests the OH emission at 1720 MHz is formed in a magnetized environment. These 1720 MHz OH masers may trace short-lived equatorial ejections during the formation of the PN.
Aims: We study the effects of the cosmological assembly history on the chemical and dynamical properties of the discs of spiral galaxies as a function of radius. Methods: We make use of the simulated Milky-Way mass, fully-cosmological discs, from {\tt RaDES} (Ramses Disc Environment Study). We analyse their assembly history by examining the proximity of satellites to the galactic disc, instead of their merger trees, to better gauge which satellites impact the disc. We present stellar age and metallicity profiles, Age-Metallicity Relation (AMR), Age-Velocity dispersion Relation (AVR), and Stellar Age Distribution (SAD) in several radial bins for the simulated galaxies. Results: Assembly histories can be divided into three different stages: i) a merger dominated phase, when a large number of mergers with mass ratios of $\sim$1:1 take place (lasting $\sim$3.2$\pm$0.4 Gyr on average); ii) a quieter phase, when $\sim$1:10 mergers take place (lasting $\sim$4.4$\pm$2.0 Gyr) - these two phases are able to kinematically heat the disc and produce a disc that is chemically mixed over its entire radial extension; iii) a "secular" phase where the few mergers that take place have mass ratios below 1:100, and which do not affect the disc properties (lasting $\sim$5.5$\pm$2.0 Gyr). Phase ii ends with a final merger event (at time $t_\mathrm{jump}$) marking the onset of important radial differences in the AMR, AVR, and SAD. Conclusions: Inverted AMR trends in the outer parts of discs, for stars younger than $t_\mathrm{jump}$, are found as the combined effect of radial motions and star formation in satellites temporarily located in these outer parts. "U-shaped" stellar age profiles change to an old plateau ($\sim$10 Gyr) in the outer discs for the entire {\tt RaDES} sample. This shape is a consequence of inside-out growth of the disc, radial motions of disc stars ... [abridged]
We performed the Fabry-Perot scanning interferometry of the quartet of galaxies NGC 7769, 7770, 7771 and 7771A in Ha line and studied their velocity fields. We found that the rotation curve of NGC 7769 is weakly distorted. The rotation curve of NGC 7771 is strongly distorted with the tidal arms caused by direct flyby of NGC 7769 and flyby of a smaller neighbor NGC 7770. The rotation curve of NGC 7770 is significantly skewed because of the interaction with much massive NGC 7771. The rotation curves and morphological disturbances suggest that the NGC 7769 and NGC 7771 have passed the first pericenter stage, however, probably the second encounter has not happened yet.
Studies discerning whether there is a significant correlation between UHECR arrival directions and optical AGN are hampered by the lack of a uniformly selected and complete all-sky optical AGN catalog. To remedy this, we are preparing such a catalog based on the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS), a spectroscopic sample of $\sim 44,500$ galaxies complete to a K magnitude of 11.75 over 91% of the sky. We have analyzed the available optical spectra of these 2MRS galaxies ($\sim 80$% of the galaxies), in order to identify the AGN amongst them with uniform criteria. We present a first-stage release of the AGN catalog for the southern sky, based on spectra from the 6dF Galaxy survey and CTIO telescope. Providing a comparably uniform and complete catalog for the northern sky is more challenging because the spectra for the northern galaxies were taken with different instruments.
The energy densities in magnetic fields and cosmic rays (CRs) in galaxies are often assumed to be in equipartition, allowing for an indirect estimate of the magnetic field strength from the observed radio synchrotron spectrum. However, both primary and secondary CRs contribute to the synchrotron spectrum, and the CR electrons also loose energy via bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton. While classical equipartition formulae avoid these intricacies, there have been recent revisions that account for the extreme conditions in starbursts. Yet, the application of the equipartition formula to starburst environments also presupposes that timescales are long enough to reach equilibrium. Here, we test equipartition in the central molecular zones (CMZs) of nearby starburst galaxies by modeling the observed gamma-ray spectra, which provide a direct measure of the CR energy density, and the radio spectra, which provide a probe of the magnetic field strength. We find that in starbursts, the magnetic field energy density is significantly larger than the CR energy density, demonstrating that the equipartition argument is frequently invalid for CMZs.
Observations of the cosmic microwave background indicate that baryons account for 5% of the Universe's total energy content. In the local Universe, the census of all observed baryons falls short of this estimate by a factor of two. Cosmological simulations indicate that the missing baryons might not have condensed into virialized haloes, but reside throughout the filaments of the cosmic web (where matter density is larger than average) as a low-density plasma at temperatures of $10^5-10^7$ kelvin, known as the warm-hot intergalactic medium. There have been previous claims of the detection of warm baryons along the line of sight to distant blazars and of hot gas between interacting clusters. These observations were, however, unable to trace the large-scale filamentary structure, or to estimate the total amount of warm baryons in a representative volume of the Universe. Here we report X-ray observations of filamentary structures of gas at $10^7$ kelvin associated with the galaxy cluster Abell 2744. Previous observations of this cluster were unable to resolve and remove coincidental X-ray point sources. After subtracting these, we reveal hot gas structures that are coherent over scales of 8 mergaparsecs. The filaments coincide with over-densities of galaxies and dark matter, with 5-10% of their mass in baryonic gas. This gas has been heated up by the cluster's gravitational pull and is now feeding its core. Our findings strengthen evidence for a picture of the Universe in which a large fraction of the missing baryons reside in the filaments of the cosmic web.
White dwarfs (WDs) are the most promising captors of dark matter (DM) particles in the crests that are expected to build up in the cores of dense stellar clusters. The DM particles could reach sufficient densities in WD cores to liberate energy through self-annihilation. The extinction associated with our Galactic Centre, the most promising region where to look for such effects, makes it impossible to detect the potential associated luminosity of the DM-burning WDs. However, in smaller stellar systems which are close enough to us and not heavily extincted, such as $\omega-$Cen, we may be able to detect DM-burning WDs. We investigate the prospects of detection of DM-burning WDs in a stellar cluster harbouring an IMBH, which leads to higher densities of DM at the centre as compared with clusters without one. We calculate the capture rate of WIMPs by a WD around an IMBH and estimate the luminosity that a WD would emit depending on its distance to the center of the cluster. Direct-summation $N-$body simulations of $\omega-$Cen yield a non-negligible number of WDs in the range of radii of interest. We apply our assumption to published HST/ACS observations of stars in the center of $\omega-$Cen to search for DM burning WDs and, although we are not able to identify any evident candidate because of crowding and incompleteness, we proof that their bunching up at high luminosities would be unique. We predict that DM burning will lead to a truncation of the cooling sequence at the faint end. The detection of DM burning in future observations of dense stellar clusters, such as globular clusters or ultra-compact dwarf galaxies could allow us to probe different models of DM distributions and characteristics such as the DM particle scattering cross section on nucleons. On the other hand, if DM-burning WDs really exist, their number and properties could give hints to the existence of IMBHs.
Improving the capabilities of detecting faint X-ray sources is fundamental to
increase the statistics on faint high-z AGN and star-forming galaxies.We
performed a simultaneous Maximum Likelihood PSF fit in the [0.5-2] keV and
[2-7] keV energy bands of the 4 Ms {\em Chandra} Deep Field South (CDFS) data
at the position of the 34930 CANDELS H-band selected galaxies.
For each detected source we provide X-ray photometry and optical counterpart
validation. We validated this technique by means of a raytracing simulation. We
detected a total of 698 X-ray point-sources with a likelihood
$\mathcal{L}$$>$4.98 (i.e. $>$2.7$\sigma$). We show that the prior knowledge of
a deep sample of Optical-NIR galaxies leads to a significant increase of the
detection of faint (i.e. $\sim$10$^{-17}$ cgs in the [0.5-2] keV band) sources
with respect to "blind" X-ray detections. By including previous catalogs, this
work increases the total number of X-ray sources detected in the 4 Ms CDFS,
CANDELS area to 793, which represents the largest sample of extremely faint
X-ray sources assembled to date.
Our results suggest that a large fraction of the optical counterparts of our
X-ray sources determined by likelihood ratio actually coincides with the priors
used for the source detection. Most of the new detected sources are likely
star-forming galaxies or faint absorbed AGN. We identified a few sources
sources with putative photometric redshift z$>$4. Despite the low number
statistics, this sample significantly increases the number of X--ray selected
candidate high-z AGN.
We use the Dark-ages, Reionization And Galaxy-formation Observables from Numerical Simulations (DRAGONS) framework to investigate the effect of galaxy-formation physics on the morphology and statistics of ionized hydrogen (HII) regions during the Epoch of Reioinization (EoR). DRAGONS self-consistently couples a semi-analytic galaxy-formation model with the inhomogeneous ionizing UV background, and can therefore be used to study the dependence of morphology and statistics of reionization on feedback phenomena of the ionizing source galaxy population. Changes in galaxy-formation physics modify the sizes of HII regions and the amplitude and shape of 21-cm power spectra. Of the galaxy physics investigated, we find that supernova feedback plays the most important role in reionization, with HII regions up to $\approx 20$ per cent smaller and a fractional difference in the amplitude of power spectra of up to $\approx 17$ per cent at fixed ionized fraction in the absence of this feedback. We compare our galaxy-formation-based reionization models with past calculations that assume constant stellar-to-halo mass ratios and find that with the correct choice of minimum halo mass, such models can mimic the predicted reionization morphology. Reionization morphology at fixed neutral fraction is therefore not uniquely determined by the details of galaxy formation, but is sensitive to the mass of the haloes hosting the bulk of the ionizing sources. Simple EoR parametrizations are therefore accurate predictors of reionization statistics. However, a complete understanding of reionization using future 21-cm observations will require interpretation with realistic galaxy-formation models, in combination with other observations.
Both WMAP and Planck data show the significant odd-multipole preference in the large scales of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation temperature anisotropies, which is a crucial clue for the violation of the cosmological principle, if it originates from the cosmological reasons. By defining various direction dependent statistics in the full-sky Planck 2015 maps, like those in the previous works [P. Naselsky \emph{et al}., Astrophys. J. {\bf 749}, 31 (2012); W. Zhao, Phys. Rev. D {\bf 89}, 023101 (2014)], we found that the CMB parity asymmetry has a preferred direction, which is independent of the choices of the statistics. In particular, this preferred axis is strongly aligned with those in the CMB quadrupole and octopole, as well as that in CMB kinematic dipole, which hints their non-cosmological origin. In the realistic observations, the foreground residuals are inevitable, which should be masked to avoid the possible influence on cosmological results. In this paper, we extend our previous analyses to the masked Planck 2015 data. By defining the similar direction dependent statistic in the masked map, we find the direction preference of the CMB parity asymmetry, and also the preferred axis is coincided with that found in the full-sky analysis. So, our conclusions on the CMB parity violation and its directional properties are stabilized.
The radial density profile (RDP) of cluster DOLIDZE 14 provides the radius of 9.8 arcmin, it is based on consideration of first plateau region of RDP. This value is less than the radius which comes through consideration of the second plateau region. The stars, which are inside of the cluster radius, are used to estimate the distance-modulus and E(I-R) by fitting theoretical isochrone on the colour-magnitude diagram (CMD). The best fitted stellar isochrone of solar matellacity provides these values as 11.15 mag and 0.25 mag, respectively. These results are used to estimate the mass-function slope of the cluster, which comes to be different that of Salpeter-Value. The enhancement of brighter stars does not found within the cluster region which indicates its old age. The Mass-Segregation phenomena of cluster is found between massive and lighter stars but not found in fainter stars, having magnitude greater than 15 mag in I-band. The relaxation-time is very little in the comparison of its age. The mean proper motion of cluster's radial zones is found to be high in the comparison of field region (12.77-15.18 arcmin). This is indicative of weak-gravitational bond among the stars of the cluster.
M 2 has been claimed to posses three distinct stellar components that are enhanced in iron relative to each other. We use equivalent width measurements from 14 red giant branch stars from which Yong et al. detect a $\sim$0.8 dex wide, trimodal iron distribution to redetermine the metallicity of the cluster. In contrast to Yong et al., which derive atmospheric parameters following only the classical spectroscopic approach, we perform the chemical analysis using three different methods to constrain effective temperatures and surface gravities. When atmospheric parameters are derived spectroscopically, we measure a trimodal metallicity distribution, that well resembles that by Yong et al. We find that the metallicity distribution from Fe II lines strongly differs from the distribution obtained from Fe I features when photometric gravities are adopted. The Fe I distribution mimics the metallicity distribution obtained using spectroscopic parameters, while the Fe II shows the presence of only two stellar groups with metallicity [Fe/H]$\simeq$-1.5 and -1.1 dex, which are internally homogeneous in iron. This finding, when coupled with the high-resolution photometric evidence, demonstrates that M 2 is composed by a dominant population ($\sim$99%) homogeneous in iron and a minority component ($\sim$1%) enriched in iron with respect to the main cluster population.
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Cosmic dust is an important component of the Universe, and its origin, especially at high redshifts, is still unknown. I present a simple but powerful method of assessing whether dust observed in a given galaxy could in principle have been formed by asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars or supernovae (SNe). Using this method I show that for most of the galaxies with detected dust emission between z=4 and z=7.5 (1.5-0.7 billion years after the Big Bang) AGB stars are not numerous and efficient enough to be responsible for the measured dust masses. Supernovae could account for most of the dust, but only if all of them had efficiencies close to the maximal theoretically allowed value. This suggests that a different mechanism is responsible for dust production at high redshifts, and the most likely possibility is the grain growth in the interstellar medium.
We employ a blindly selected sample of low-redshift C IV absorption systems identified in spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), combined with galaxy data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), to study the metal-enriched circumgalactic medium (CGM) with ~100% completeness for galaxy luminosities L > 0.01 L* at z < 0.015. We find that galaxies are typically found at the C IV absorber redshifts within impact parameters rho < 200 kpc, with the nearest galaxy having L < 0.1 L* for 78% of the absorbers. The ubiquity of faint dwarfs in close proximity to the absorbers suggests that these galaxies affect the enrichment and physical conditions of massive-galaxy halos. However, a fraction of our sample (33%) arise well outside the virial radius of any nearby galaxy brighter than 0.01 L*. The detection rate for C IV absorption within the virial radius is mass dependent and is considerably higher for L >~0.1 L* galaxies (7/8) than for less luminous galaxies (1/10). We also find that the occurrence of C IV absorbers depends strongly on the broader environment: 67% (8/12) of galaxies with rho < 150 kpc in regions of low galaxy density (regions with fewer than ten 0.1 L* galaxies within 1 Mpc) have affiliated C IV absorption while none (0/9) of the galaxies in denser regions show C IV within rho < 150 kpc. The reduced detection rate of C IV in denser environments persists for massive group dark matter halos. In contrast, H I is pervasive in the CGM without regard to mass or environment, although some of these Ly-alpha absorbers could arise in unrelated intergalactic gas.
While numerical simulations suggest that the strength of the Lyman alpha (Lya) line of star-forming disk galaxies strongly depends on the inclination at which they are observed (i.e. from edge-on to face-on, we expect to see a change from an attenuated Lya line to a strong Lya emission line), recent observations with the Hubble space telescope (HST) have highlighted few low-redshift highly inclined (edge-on) disk galaxies that breaks this trend. We aim to understand how a strong Lya emission line is able to escape from one of those inclined disk galaxies, named Mrk1486 (z=0.0338). For that purpose we used a large set of HST imaging and spectroscopic data to investigate both the ISM structure and the dominant source of Lya radiation inside Mrk1486. Moreover, we used a 3D Monte Carlo Lya radiation transfer code to study the radiative transfer of Lya and UV continuum photons inside a 3D geometry of neutral hydrogen (HI) and dust that models the ISM structure at the galaxy center. The analysis of IFU Halpha spectroscopic data of Mrk1486 indicates the presence of two bipolar galactic winds of HI gas above and bellow the disk plane of Mrk1486. Furthermore, comparing different diagnostic diagrams (such as [OIII]5007/Hbeta versus [OI]6300/Halpha) to photo- and shock-ionization models, we find that the Lya production of Mrk1486 is dominated by photoionization inside the galaxy disk. From this perspective, our numerical simulations succeed in reproducing the strength and spectral shape of the observed Lya line of Mrk1486 by assuming a scenario in which the Lya photons are produced inside the disk, travel along the galactic winds and scatter on cool HI materials toward the observer. As bipolar galactic winds are ubiquitous in star-forming disk galaxies, this mechanism may explain the origin of strong Lya emission lines recently observed from highly inclined galaxies at high-redshift.
We aim to understand the contribution of the ionized, atomic and molecular phases of the ISM to the [CII] emission from clouds near the dynamical center and the BCLMP302 HII region in the north of the nearby galaxy M33 at a spatial resolution of 50pc. We combine high resolution [CII] spectra taken with the HIFI spectrometer onboard the Herschel satellite with [CII] Herschel-PACS maps and ground-based observations of CO(2-1) and HI. All data are at a common spatial resolution of 50pc. Typically, the [CII] lines have widths intermediate between the narrower CO(2-1) and broader HI line profiles. We decomposed the [CII] spectra in terms of contribution from molecular and atomic gas detected in CO(2-1) and HI, respectively. We find that the relative contribution of molecular and atomic gas traced by CO(2-1) and HI varies depends mostly on the local physical conditions and geometry. We estimate that 11-60% and 5-34% of the [CII] intensities in the center and in BCLMP302, respectively, arise at velocities showing no CO(2-1) or HI emission and could arise in CO-dark molecular gas. The deduced strong variation in the [CII] emission not associated with CO and HI cannot be explained in terms of differences in A_v, far-ultraviolet radiation field, and metallicity between the two studied regions. Hence the relative amounts of diffuse (CO-dark) and dense molecular gas possibly vary on spatial scales smaller than 50pc. Based on the emission measure observed at radio wavelengths we estimate the contribution of ionized gas at a few positions to lie between 10-25%. The correlations between the intensities of tracers corresponding to the same velocity range as [CII], differ from the correlation derived from PACS data. The results in this paper emphasize the need for velocity-resolved observations to discern the contribution of different components of the ISM to [CII] emission. (abridged)
I review (1) Physics of Star Formation & Open Questions; (2) Structure & Dynamics of Star-Forming Clouds & Young Clusters; (3) Star Formation Rates: Observations & Theoretical Implications.
We present a near-infrared band-merged photometric and polarimetric catalog for the 39$\arcmin$ $\times$ 69$\arcmin$ fields on the northeastern part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which were observed using SIRPOL, an imaging polarimeter of the InfraRed Survey Facility (IRSF). This catalog lists 1,858 sources brighter than 14 mag at $H$ band with polarization signal-to-noise ratio greater than three in the $J$, $H$, or $K_s$ bands. Based on the relationship between the extinction and the polarization degree, we argue that the polarization mostly arises from dichroic extinctions caused by local interstellar dust in the LMC. This catalog allows us to map polarization structures to examine the global geometry of the local magnetic field, and to show a statistical analysis of polarization of each field to understand its polarization properties. At the selected fields with coherent polarization position angles, we estimate magnetic field strengths in the range of 3$-$25 $\mu$G using the Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. This implies the presence of large-scale magnetic fields on a scale of around one hundred parsecs. When comparing mid and far-infrared dust emission maps, we confirmed that the polarization patterns are well aligned with molecular clouds around the star-forming regions.
IRAS 17256-3631 is a southern Galactic massive star forming region located at a distance of 2 kpc. In this paper, we present a multiwavelength investigation of the embedded cluster, the HII region, as well as the parent cloud. Radio images at 325, 610 and 1372 MHz were obtained using GMRT, India while the near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy were carried out using UKIRT and Mt. Abu Infrared Telescope, India. The near-infrared K-band image reveals the presence of a partially embedded infrared cluster. The spectral features of the brightest star in the cluster, IRS-1, spectroscopically agrees with a late O or early B star and could be the driving source of this region. Filamentary H_2 emission detected towards the outer envelope indicates presence of highly excited gas. The parent cloud is investigated at far-infrared to millimeter wavelengths and eighteen dust clumps have been identified. The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these clumps have been fitted as modified blackbodies and the best-fit peak temperatures are found to range from 14-33 K, while the column densities vary from 0.7-8.5x10^22 cm^-2. The radio maps show a cometary morphology for the distribution of ionized gas that is density bounded towards the north-west and ionization bounded towards the south-east. This morphology is better explained with the champagne flow model as compared to the bow shock model. Using observations at near, mid and far-infrared, submillimeter and radio wavelengths, we examine the evolutionary stages of various clumps.
The mass scaling relation between supermassive black holes and their host spheroids has previously been described by a quadratic or steeper relation at low masses (10^5 < M_bh/M_sun < 10^7). How this extends into the realm of intermediate mass black holes (10^2 < M_bh < 10^5 M_sun) is not yet clear, although for the barred Sm galaxy LEDA 87300, Baldassare et al. have recently reported a nominal virial mass M_bh=5x10^4 M_sun residing in a `spheroid' of stellar mass equal to 6.3x10^8 M_sun. We point out, for the first time, that LEDA 87300 therefore appears to reside on the near-quadratic M_bh-M_{sph,*} relation. However, Baldassare et al. modelled the bulge _and_ bar as the single spheroidal component of this galaxy. Here we perform a 3-component bulge+bar+disk decomposition and find a bulge luminosity which is 7.7 times fainter than the published `bulge' luminosity. After correcting for dust we find that M_bulge=0.9x10^8 M_sun, and M_bulge/M_disk=0.04 - which is now in accord with ratios typically found in Scd-Sm galaxies. We go on to discuss slight revisions to the stellar velocity dispersion (40+/-11 km/s) and black hole mass (M_bh=2.9x10^4 M_sun) and show that LEDA 87300 remains consistent with both the M_bh-sigma relation and the near-quadratic M_bh-M_{sph,*} relation when using the reduced bulge mass. LEDA 87300 therefore offers the first support for the rapid but regulated (near-quadratic) growth of black holes, relative to their host bulge/spheroid, extending into the domain of intermediate mass black holes.
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) harbors a rich and diverse system of star clusters, whose ages, chemical abundances, and positions provide information about the LMC history of star formation. We use Science Verification imaging data from the Dark Energy Survey to increase the census of known star clusters in the outer LMC and to derive physical parameters for a large sample of such objects using a spatially and photometrically homogeneous data set. Our sample contains 255 visually identified cluster candidates, of which 109 were not listed in any previous catalog. We quantify the crowding effect for the stellar sample produced by the DES Data Management pipeline and conclude that the stellar completeness is < 10% inside typical LMC cluster cores. We therefore develop a pipeline to sample and measure stellar magnitudes and positions around the cluster candidates using DAOPHOT. We also implement a maximum-likelihood method to fit individual density profiles and colour-magnitude diagrams. For 117 (from a total of 255) of the cluster candidates (28 uncatalogued clusters), we obtain reliable ages, metallicities, distance moduli and structural parameters, confirming their nature as physical systems. The distribution of cluster metallicities shows a radial dependence, with no clusters more metal-rich than [Fe/H] ~ -0.7 beyond 8 kpc from the LMC center. The age distribution has two peaks at ~ 1.2 Gyr and ~ 2.7 Gyr.
We present the Voigt profile analysis of 132 intervening CIV+CIII components associated with optically-thin HI absorbers at 2.1 < z < 3.4 in the 19 high-quality UVES/VLT and HIRES/Keck QSO spectra. For log N(CIV) = [11.7, 14.1], N(CIII) is proportional to N(CIV) with an exponent (1.42 +- 0.11) and < N(CIII)/N(CIV) > = 1.0 +- 0.3 with a negligible redshift evolution. For 54 CIV components tied (aligned) with HI at log N(HI) = [12.2, 16.0] and log N(CIV) = [11.8, 13.8], the gas temperature T_b estimated from absorption line widths is well-approximated to a Gaussian peaking at log T_b ~ 4.4 +- 0.3 for log T_b = [3.5, 5.5], with a negligible non-thermal contribution. For 32 of 54 tied HI+CIV pairs, also tied with CIII at log N(CIII) = [11.7, 13.8], we ran both photoionisation equilibrium (PIE) and non-PIE (using a fixed temperature T_b) Cloudy models for the Haardt-Madau QSO+galaxy 2012 UV background. We find evidence of bimodality in observed and derived physical properties. High-metallicity branch absorbers have a carbon abundance [C/H]_temp > -1.0, a line-of-sight length L_temp < 20 kpc, and a total (neutral and ionised) hydrogen volume density log n(H, temp) = [-4.5, -3.3] and and log T_b = [3.9, 4.5]. Low-metallicity branch absorbers have [C/H]_temp < -1.0, L_temp = [20, 480] kpc and log n(H, temp) = [-5.2, -4.3] and log T_b ~ 4.5. High-metallicity branch absorbers seem to be originated from extended disks, inner halos or outflowing gas of intervening galaxies, while low-metallicity absorbers are produced by galactic halos or the surrounding IGM filament.
We present Megacam deep optical images (g and r) of Malin 1 obtained with the 6.5m Magellan/Clay telescope, detecting structures down to ~ 28 B mag arcsec-2. In order to enhance galaxy features buried in the noise, we use a noise reduction filter based on the total generalized variation regularizator. This method allows us to detect and resolve very faint morphological features, including spiral arms, with a high visual contrast. For the first time, we can appreciate an optical image of Malin 1 and its morphology in full view. The images provide unprecedented detail, compared to those obtained in the past with photographic plates and CCD, including HST imaging. We detect two peculiar features in the disk/spiral arms. The analysis suggests that the first one is possibly a background galaxy, and the second is an apparent stream without a clear nature, but could be related to the claimed past interaction between Malin 1 and the galaxy SDSSJ123708.91 + 142253.2. Malin 1 exhibits features suggesting the presence of stellar associations, and clumps of molecular gas, not seen before with such a clarity. Using these images, we obtain a diameter for Malin 1 of 160 kpc, ~ 50 kpc larger than previous estimates. A simple analysis shows that the observed spiral arms reach very low luminosity and mass surface densities, to levels much lower than the corresponding values for the Milky Way.
We present the catalog of optical and infrared counterparts of the Chandra COSMOS-Legacy Survey, a 4.6 Ms Chandra program on the 2.2 square degrees of the COSMOS field, combination of 56 new overlapping observations obtained in Cycle 14 with the previous C-COSMOS survey. In this Paper we report the i, K, and 3.6 micron identifications of the 2273 X-ray point sources detected in the new Cycle 14 observations. We use the likelihood ratio technique to derive the association of optical/infrared (IR) counterparts for 97% of the X-ray sources. We also update the information for the 1743 sources detected in C-COSMOS, using new K and 3.6 micron information not available when the C-COSMOS analysis was performed. The final catalog contains 4016 X-ray sources, 97% of which have an optical/IR counterpart and a photometric redshift, while 54% of the sources have a spectroscopic redshift. The full catalog, including spectroscopic and photometric redshifts and optical and X-ray properties described here in detail, is available online. We study several X-ray to optical (X/O) properties: with our large statistics we put better constraints on the X/O flux ratio locus, finding a shift towards faint optical magnitudes in both soft and hard X-ray band. We confirm the existence of a correlation between X/O and the the 2-10 keV luminosity for Type 2 sources. We extend to low luminosities the analysis of the correlation between the fraction of obscured AGN and the hard band luminosity, finding a different behavior between the optically and X-ray classified obscured fraction.
CR7 is the brightest Lyman-$\alpha$ emitter observed at $z>6$, which shows very strong Lyman-$\alpha$ and HeII 1640 \AA\ line luminosities, but no metal line emission. Previous studies suggest that CR7 hosts either young primordial stars with a total stellar mass of $\sim 10^7\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ or a black hole of $\sim 10^6\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$. Here, we explore different formation scenarios for CR7 with a semianalytical model, based on the random sampling of dark matter merger trees. We find that primordial stars cannot account for the observed line luminosities because of their short lifetimes and because of early metal enrichment. Black holes that are the remnants of the first stars are either not massive enough, or reside in metal-polluted haloes, ruling out this possible explanation of CR7. Our models instead suggest that direct collapse black holes, which form in metal-free haloes exposed to large Lyman-Werner fluxes, are more likely the origin of CR7. However, this result is derived under optimistic assumptions and future observations are necessary to further constrain the nature of CR7.
We model the vertical structure of magnetized accretion disks subject to viscous and resistive heating, and irradiation by the central star. We apply our formalism to the radial structure of magnetized accretion disks threaded by a poloidal magnetic field dragged during the process of star formation developed by Shu and coworkers. We consider disks around low mass protostars, T Tauri, and FU Orionis stars. We consider two levels of disk magnetization, $\lambda_{sys} = 4$ (strongly magnetized disks), and $\lambda_{sys} = 12$ (weakly magnetized disks). The rotation rates of strongly magnetized disks have large deviations from Keplerian rotation. In these models, resistive heating dominates the thermal structure for the FU Ori disk. The T Tauri disk is very thin and cold because it is strongly compressed by magnetic pressure; it may be too thin compared with observations. Instead, in the weakly magnetized disks, rotation velocities are close to Keplerian, and resistive heating is always less than 7\% of the viscous heating. In these models, the T Tauri disk has a larger aspect ratio, consistent with that inferred from observations. All the disks have spatially extended hot atmospheres where the irradiation flux is absorbed, although most of the mass ($\sim 90-95$ \%) is in the disk midplane. With the advent of ALMA one expects direct measurements of magnetic fields and their morphology at disk scales. It will then be possible to determine the mass-to-flux ratio of magnetized accretion disks around young stars, an essential parameter for their structure and evolution. Our models contribute to the understanding of the vertical structure and emission of these disks.
Globular clusters (GCs) can be considered discrete, long-lived, dynamical tracers that retain crucial information about the assembly history of their parent galaxy. In this paper, we present a new catalogue of GC velocities and colours for the lenticular galaxy NGC 1023, we study their kinematics and spatial distribution, in comparison with the underlying stellar kinematics and surface brightness profile, and we test a new method for studying GC properties. Specifically, we decompose the galaxy light into its spheroid (assumed to represent the bulge + halo components) and disk components and use it to assign to each GC a probability of belonging to one of the two components. Then we model the galaxy kinematics, assuming a disk and spheroidal component, using planetary nebulae (PNe) and integrated stellar light. We use this kinematic model and the probability previously obtained from the photometry to recalculate for each GC its likelihood of being associated with the disk, the spheroid, or neither. We find that the reddest GCs are likely to be associated with the disk, as found for faint fuzzies in this same galaxy, suggesting that the disk of this S0 galaxy originated at z ~ 2. The majority of blue GCs are found likely to be associated with the spheroidal (hot) component. The method also allows us to identify objects that are unlikely to be in equilibrium with the system. In NGC1023 some of the rejected GCs form a substructure in phase space that is connected with NGC 1023 companion galaxy.
Nonlocal gravity is the recent classical nonlocal generalization of Einstein's theory of gravitation in which the past history of the gravitational field is taken into account. In this theory, nonlocality appears to simulate dark matter. The virial theorem for the Newtonian regime of nonlocal gravity theory is derived and its consequences for "isolated" astronomical systems in virial equilibrium at the present epoch are investigated. In particular, for a sufficiently isolated nearby galaxy in virial equilibrium, the galaxy's baryonic diameter---namely, the diameter of the smallest sphere that completely surrounds the baryonic system at the present time---is predicted to be larger than the effective dark matter fraction times a universal length that is the basic nonlocality length scale of about 3 kpc.
Spatially resolved studies of high redshift galaxies, an essential insight into galaxy formation processes, have been mostly limited to stacking or unusually bright objects. We present here the study of a typical (L$^{*}$, M$_\star$ = 6 $\times 10^9$ $M_\odot$) young lensed galaxy at $z=3.5$, observed with MUSE, for which we obtain 2D resolved spatial information of Ly$\alpha$ and, for the first time, of CIII] emission. The exceptional signal-to-noise of the data reveals UV emission and absorption lines rarely seen at these redshifts, allowing us to derive important physical properties (T$_e\sim$15600 K, n$_e\sim$300 cm$^{-3}$, covering fraction f$_c\sim0.4$) using multiple diagnostics. Inferred stellar and gas-phase metallicities point towards a low metallicity object (Z$_{\mathrm{stellar}}$ = $\sim$ 0.07 Z$_\odot$ and Z$_{\mathrm{ISM}}$ $<$ 0.16 Z$_\odot$). The Ly$\alpha$ emission extends over $\sim$10 kpc across the galaxy and presents a very uniform spectral profile, showing only a small velocity shift which is unrelated to the intrinsic kinematics of the nebular emission. The Ly$\alpha$ extension is $\sim$4 times larger than the continuum emission, and makes this object comparable to low-mass LAEs at low redshift, and more compact than the Lyman-break galaxies and Ly$\alpha$ emitters usually studied at high redshift. We model the Ly$\alpha$ line and surface brightness profile using a radiative transfer code in an expanding gas shell, finding that this model provides a good description of both observables.
We perform global linear stability analysis and idealized numerical simulations in global thermal balance to understand the condensation of cold gas from hot/virial atmospheres (coronae), in particular the intracluster medium (ICM). We pay particular attention to geometry (e.g., spherical versus plane-parallel) and the nature of the gravitational potential. Global linear analysis gives a similar value for the fastest growing thermal instability modes in spherical and Cartesian geometries. Simulations and observations suggest that cooling in halos critically depends on the ratio of the cooling time to the free-fall time ($t_{cool}/t_{ff}$). Extended cold gas condenses out of the ICM only if this ratio is smaller than a threshold value close to 10. Previous works highlighted the difference between the nature of cold gas condensation in spherical and plane-parallel atmospheres; namely, cold gas condensation appeared easier in spherical atmospheres. This apparent difference due to geometry arises because the previous plane-parallel simulations focussed on {\em in situ} condensation of multiphase gas but spherical simulations studied condensation {\em anywhere} in the box. Unlike previous claims, our nonlinear simulations show that there are only minor differences in cold gas condensation, either in situ or anywhere, for different geometries. The amount of cold gas condensing depends on the shape of the gravitational potential well; gas has more time to condense if gravitational acceleration decreases toward the center. In our idealized simulations with heating balancing cooling in each layer, there can be significant mass/energy/momentum transfer across layers that can trigger condensation and drive $t_{cool}/t_{ff}$ far beyond the critical value close to 10. Triggered condensation is very prominent in plane-parallel simulations, in which a large amount of cold gas condenses out.
Removing strong outbursts from multiwavelength light curves of the blazar Mrk 421, we construct outburstless time series for this system. A model-independent power spectrum light curve analysis in the optical, hard X-ray and gamma-rays of this outburstless state shows clear evidence for a periodicity of \approx 400 days. A subsequent full maximum likelihood analysis fitting an eclipse model confirms a periodicity of 387.16 days. The power spectrum of the signal in the outburstless state of the source does not follow a flicker noise behaviour and so, the system producing it is not self-organised. This means that the periodicity is not produced by any internal physical processes associated to the central engine. The simplest physical mechanism to which this periodicity could be ascribed is a dynamical effect produced by an orbiting supermassive black hole companion of mass \sim 10^7 M_\odot eclipsing the central black hole, which has a mass \sim 10^8 M_\odot. The optimal model restricts the physics of the eclipsing binary black hole candidate system to have an eclipse fraction of 0.36, occurring over approximately 30% of the orbital period.
We present a first look at the SCUBA-2 observations of three sub-regions of the Orion B molecular cloud: LDN 1622, NGC 2023/2024, and NGC 2068/2071, from the JCMT Gould Belt Legacy Survey. We identify 29, 564, and 322 dense cores in L1622, NGC 2023/2024, and NGC 2068/2071 respectively, using the SCUBA-2 850 micron map, and present their basic properties, including their peak fluxes, total fluxes, and sizes, and an estimate of the corresponding 450 micron peak fluxes and total fluxes, using the FellWalker source extraction algorithm. Assuming a constant temperature of 20 K, the starless dense cores have a mass function similar to that found in previous dense core analyses, with a Salpeter-like slope at the high-mass end. The majority of cores appear stable to gravitational collapse when considering only thermal pressure; indeed, most of the cores which have masses above the thermal Jeans mass are already associated with at least one protostar. At higher cloud column densities, above 1-2 x 10^23 cm^-2, most of the mass is found within dense cores, while at lower cloud column densities, below 1 x 10^23 cm^-2, this fraction drops to 10% or lower. Overall, the fraction of dense cores associated with a protostar is quite small (<8%), but becomes larger for the densest and most centrally concentrated cores. NGC 2023 / 2024 and NGC 2068/2071 appear to be on the path to forming a significant number of stars in the future, while L1622 has little additional mass in dense cores to form many new stars.
We present a method for analysing the phase space of star-forming regions. In particular we are searching for clumpy structures in the 3D subspace formed by two position coordinates and radial velocity. The aim of the method is the detection of kinematic segregated radial velocity groups, that is, radial velocity intervals whose associated stars are spatially concentrated. To this end we define a kinematic segregation index, $\tilde{\Lambda}$(RV), based on the Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) graph algorithm, which is estimated for a set of radial velocity intervals in the region. When $\tilde{\Lambda}$(RV) is significantly greater than 1 we consider that this bin represents a grouping in the phase space. We split a star-forming region into radial velocity bins and calculate the kinematic segregation index for each bin, and then we obtain the spectrum of kinematic groupings, which enables a quick visualization of the kinematic behaviour of the region under study. We carried out numerical models of different configurations in the subspace of the phase space formed by the coordinates and the radial velocity that various case studies illustrate. The analysis of the test cases demonstrates the potential of the new methodology for detecting different kind of groupings in phase space.
The Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies (RC3) is a reasonably complete listing of 23,011 nearby, large, bright galaxies. By using the final imaging data release from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we generate scientifically-calibrated FITS mosaics by using the montage program for all SDSS imaging bands for all RC3 galaxies that lie within the survey footprint. We further combine the SDSS g, r, and i band FITS mosaics for these galaxies to create color-composite images by using the STIFF program. We generalized this software framework to make FITS mosaics and color-composite images for an arbitrary catalog and imaging data set. Due to positional inaccuracies inherent in the RC3 catalog, we employ a recursive algorithm in our mosaicking pipeline that first determines the correct location for each galaxy, and subsequently applies the mosaicking procedure. As an additional test of this new software pipeline and to obtain mosaic images of a larger sample of RC3 galaxies, we also applied this pipeline to photographic data taken by the Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey with $B_J$, $R_F$, and $I_N$ plates. We publicly release all generated data, accessible via a web search form, and the software pipeline to enable others to make galaxy mosaics by using other catalogs or surveys.
Near a black hole, differential rotation of a magnetized accretion disk is thought to produce an instability that amplifies weak magnetic fields, driving accretion and outflow. These magnetic fields would naturally give rise to the observed synchrotron emission in galaxy cores and to the formation of relativistic jets, but no observations to date have been able to resolve the expected horizon-scale magnetic-field structure. We report interferometric observations at 1.3-millimeter wavelength that spatially resolve the linearly polarized emission from the Galactic Center supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. We have found evidence for partially ordered fields near the event horizon, on scales of ~6 Schwarzschild radii, and we have detected and localized the intra-hour variability associated with these fields.
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