We analyzed metallicities for 33 z=3.4-4.2 absorption line systems with large neutral hydrogen column densities, drawn from a sample of H I-selected of Lyman limit systems (LLSs) identified in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar spectra, and stratified based on metal line features. We obtained higher-resolution spectra with the Keck Echellette Spectrograph and Imager (ESI), selecting targets according to our stratification scheme in an effort to fully sample the LLS population metallicity distribution. We established a plausible range of H I column densities and measured the metal column densities (or limits) for ions of carbon, silicon, and aluminum. With simulations, we found ionization-corrected metallicities or upper limits, when appropriate. Interestingly, our ionization models were better constrained with enhanced {\alpha}-to-aluminum abundances, with a median abundance ratio of [{\alpha}/Al]=0.3. Measured metallicities were generally low, ranging from [M/H]=-3 to -1.68, with even lower metallicities likely for some systems with upper limits. We constructed the cumulative distribution function (CDF) for the metallicity of the LLS population, using survival statistics to incorporate information from limits. Recent models of galaxy evolution propose that galaxies replenish their gas from the low-metallicity intergalactic medium (IGM) via high-density H I "flows" and eject enriched interstellar gas via outflows. Thus, there has been some expectation that LLSs at the peak of cosmic star formation (z~3) might have a bimodal metallicity distribution. We modeled our CDF as a mix of two Gaussian distributions, one reflecting the metallicity of the IGM and the other representative of the interstellar medium of star-forming galaxies. This bimodal distribution yielded a poor fit. A single Gaussian distribution better represented the sample with a low mean metallicity of [M/H]~-2.5.
Accurate modeling of galaxy formation in a hierarchical, cold dark matter universe requires the use of sufficiently high-resolution merger trees to obtain convergence in the predicted properties of galaxies. When semi-analytic galaxy formation models are applied to cosmological N-body simulation merger trees, it is often the case that those trees have insufficient resolution to give converged galaxy properties. We demonstrate a method to augment the resolution of N-body merger trees by grafting in branches of Monte Carlo merger trees with higher resolution, but which are consistent with the pre-existing branches in the N-body tree. We show that this approach leads to converged galaxy properties.
We identify isolated galaxy triplets in a volume-limited sample from the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10. Our final sample has 80 galaxy
systems in the redshift range 0.04$\le$z$\le$0.1, brighter than $M_r = -20.5 +
5\log h_{70}$. Spectral synthesis results and WHAN and BPT diagnostic diagrams
were employed to classify the galaxies in these systems as star-forming, active
nuclei, or passive/retired.
Our results suggest that the brightest galaxies drive the triplet evolution,
as evidenced by the strong correlations between properties as mass assembly and
mean stellar population age with triplet properties. Galaxies with intermediate
luminosity or the faintest one within the triplet seem to play a secondary
role. Moreover, the relation between age and stellar mass of galaxies is
similar for these galaxies but different for the brightest galaxy in the
system. Most of the triplet galaxies are passive or retired, according to the
WHAN classification. Low mass triplets present different fractions of WHAN
classes when compared to higher mass triplets. A census of WHAN class
combinations shows the dominance of star-forming galaxies in low mass triplets
while retired and passive galaxies prevail in high-mass systems. We argue that
these results suggest that the local environment, through galaxy interactions
driven by the brightest galaxy, is playing a major role in triplet evolution.
We develop a new method to constrain the physical conditions in the cool (~10^4 K) circumgalactic medium (CGM) from measurements of ionic columns densities, under two main assumptions: that the cool CGM spans a large range of gas densities, and that small high-density clouds are hierarchically embedded in large low-density clouds. The new method combines (or `stacks') the information available from different sightlines during the photoionization modeling, thus yielding significantly tighter constraints on the CGM properties compared to traditional methods which model each sightline individually. Applying this new technique to the COS-Halos survey of low-redshift ~L* galaxies, we find that we can reproduce all observed ion columns in all 44 galaxies in the sample, from the low-ions to OVI, with a single universal density structure for the cool CGM. The gas densities span the range 50 < \rho/\rho_mean < 5x10^5 (\rho_mean is the cosmic mean), while the physical size of individual clouds scales as ~\rho^-1, from ~35 kpc of the low density OVI clouds to ~6 pc of the highest density low-ion clouds. The cloud sizes are too small for this density structure to be driven by self-gravity, thus its physical source is unclear. We find a total cool CGM mass within the virial radius of 1.3x10^10 M_sun (~1% of the halo mass), distributed rather uniformly over the four decades in density. The mean cool gas density profile scales as R^-1.0, where R is the distance from the galaxy center. We construct a 3D model of the cool CGM based on our results, which we argue are a benchmark for the CGM structure in hydrodynamic simulations. Our results can be tested by measuring the coherence scales of different ions, using absorption line measurements along multiple sightlines towards lensed quasars.
We present a theoretical model for the evolution of mass, angular momentum and size of galaxy disks and bulges, and we implement it into the semi-analytic galaxy formation code SAGE. The model follows both secular and violent evolutionary channels, including smooth accretion, disk instabilities, minor and major mergers. We find that the combination of our recipe with hierarchical clustering produces two distinct populations of bulges: merger-driven bulges, akin to classical bulges and ellipticals, and instability-driven bulges, akin to secular (or pseudo-)bulges. The model can successfully reproduce the mass-size relation of gaseous and stellar disks, the evolution of the mass-size relation of ellipticals, the Faber-Jackson relation, and the magnitude-colour diagram of classical and secular bulges. The model predicts only a small overlap of merger-driven and instability-driven components in the same galaxy, and predicts different bulge types as a function of galaxy mass and disk fraction. Bulge type also affects the star formation rate and colour at a given luminosity. The model predicts a population of merger-driven red ellipticals that dominate both the low-mass and high-mass ends of the galaxy population, and span all dynamical ages; merger-driven bulges in disk galaxies are dynamically old and do not interfere with subsequent evolution of the star-forming component. Instability-driven bulges dominate the population at intermediate galaxy masses, especially thriving in massive disks. The model green valley is exclusively populated by instability-driven bulge hosts. Through the present implementation the mass accretion history is perceivable in the galaxy structure, morphology and colours.
Three bright molecular line sources in G333 have recently been shown to exhibit signatures of infall. We describe a molecular line radiative transfer modelling process which is required to extract the infall signature from Mopra and Nanten2 data. The observed line profiles differ greatly between individual sources but are reproduced well by variations upon a common unified model where the outflow viewing angle is the most significant difference between the sources. The models and data together suggest that the observed properties of the high-mass star-forming regions such as infall, turbulence, and mass are consistent with scaled-up versions of the low-mass case with turbulent velocities that are supersonic and an order of magnitude larger than those found in low-mass star-forming regions. Using detailed radiative transfer modeling, we show that the G333 cores are essentially undergoing a scaled-up version of low mass star formation. This is an extension of earlier work in that the degree of infall and the chemical abundances are constrained by the RT modeling in a way that is not practical with a standard analysis of observational data. We also find high velocity infall and high infall mass rates, possibly suggesting accelerated collapse due to external pressure. Molecular depletion due to freeze-out onto dust grains in central regions of the cores is suggested by low molecular abundances of several species. Strong evidence for a local enhancement of 13C-bearing species towards the outflow cloud cores is discussed, consistent with the presence of shocks caused by the supersonic motions within them.
Jets of compact radio sources are highly relativistic and Doppler boosted, making studies of their intrinsic properties difficult. Observed brightness temperatures can be used to study the intrinsic physical properties of the relativistic jets, and constrain models of jet formation in the inner jet region. We aim to observationally test such inner jet models. The very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) cores of compact radio sources are optically thick at a given frequency. The distance of the core from the central engine is inversely proportional to the frequency. Under the equipartition condition between the magnetic field energy and particle energy densities, the absolute distance of the VLBI core can be predicted. We compiled the brightness temperatures of VLBI cores at various radio frequencies of 2, 8, 15, and 86~GHz. We derive the brightness temperature on sub-parsec scales in the rest frame of the compact radio sources. We find that the brightness temperature increases with increasing distance from the central engine, indicating that the intrinsic jet speed (the Lorentz-factor) increases along the jet. This implies that the jets are accelerated in the (sub-)parsec regions from the central engine.
We study the extent to which very bright (-23.0 < MUV < -21.75) Lyman-break selected galaxies at redshifts z~7 display detectable Lya emission. To explore this issue, we have obtained follow-up optical spectroscopy of 9 z~7 galaxies from a parent sample of 24 z~7 galaxy candidates selected from the 1.65 sq.deg COSMOS-UltraVISTA and SXDS-UDS survey fields using the latest near-infrared public survey data, and new ultra-deep Subaru z'-band imaging (which we also present and describe in this paper). Our spectroscopy has yielded only one possible detection of Lya at z=7.168 with a rest-frame equivalent width EW_0 = 3.7 (+1.7/-1.1) Angstrom. The relative weakness of this line, combined with our failure to detect Lya emission from the other spectroscopic targets allows us to place a new upper limit on the prevalence of strong Lya emission at these redshifts. For conservative calculation and to facilitate comparison with previous studies at lower redshifts, we derive a 1-sigma upper limit on the fraction of UV bright galaxies at z~7 that display EW_0 > 50 Angstrom, which we estimate to be < 0.23. This result may indicate a weak trend where the fraction of strong Lya emitters ceases to rise, and possibly falls between z~6 and z~7. Our results also leave open the possibility that strong Lya may still be more prevalent in the brightest galaxies in the reionization era than their fainter counterparts. A larger spectroscopic sample of galaxies is required to derive a more reliable constraint on the neutral hydrogen fraction at z~7 based on the Lya fraction in the bright galaxies.
This paper describes the Third Public Data Release (DR3) of the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey. Science-grade quality data for 667 galaxies are made public, including the 200 galaxies of the Second Public Data Release (DR2). Data were obtained with the integral-field spectrograph PMAS/PPak mounted on the 3.5m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory. Three different spectral setups are available, i) a low-resolution V500 setup covering the wavelength range 3749-7500 AA (4240-7140 AA unvignetted) with a spectral resolution of 6.0 AA (FWHM), for 646 galaxies, ii) a medium-resolution V1200 setup covering the wavelength range 3650-4840 AA (3650-4620 AA unvignetted) with a spectral resolution of 2.3 AA (FWHM), for 484 galaxies, and iii) the combination of the cubes from both setups (called COMBO), with a spectral resolution of 6.0 AA and a wavelength range between 3700-7500 AA (3700-7140 AA unvignetted), for 446 galaxies. The Main Sample, selected and observed according to the CALIFA survey strategy covers a redshift range between 0.005 and 0.03, spans the color-magnitude diagram and probes a wide range of stellar mass, ionization conditions, and morphological types. The Extension Sample covers several types of galaxies that are rare in the overall galaxy population and therefore not numerous or absent in the CALIFA Main Sample. All the cubes in the data release were processed using the latest pipeline, which includes improved versions of the calibration frames and an even further improved im- age reconstruction quality. In total, the third data release contains 1576 datacubes, including ~1.5 million independent spectra. It is available at this http URL
We present a derivation of the kinetic equation describing the secular evolution of spatially inhomogeneous systems with long-range interactions, the so-called inhomogeneous Landau equation, by relying on a functional integral formalism. We start from the BBGKY hierarchy derived from the Liouville equation. At the order ${1/N}$, where $N$ is the number of particles, the evolution of the system is characterised by its 1-body distribution function and its 2-body correlation function. Introducing associated auxiliary fields, the evolution of these quantities may be rewritten as a traditional functional integral. By functionally integrating over the 2-body autocorrelation, one obtains a new constraint connecting the 1-body DF and the auxiliary fields. When inverted, this constraint allows us to obtain the closed non-linear kinetic equation satisfied by the 1-body distribution function. This derivation provides an alternative to previous methods, either based on the direct resolution of the truncated BBGKY hierarchy or on the Klimontovich equation. It may turn out to be fruitful to derive more accurate kinetic equations, e.g., accounting for collective effects, or higher order correlation terms.
We present the COSMOS2015 catalog which contains precise photometric redshifts and stellar masses for more than half a million objects over the 2deg$^{2}$ COSMOS field. Including new $YJHK_{\rm s}$ images from the UltraVISTA-DR2 survey, $Y$-band from Subaru/Hyper-Suprime-Cam and infrared data from the Spitzer Large Area Survey with the Hyper-Suprime-Cam Spitzer legacy program, this near-infrared-selected catalog is highly optimized for the study of galaxy evolution and environments in the early Universe. To maximise catalog completeness for bluer objects and at higher redshifts, objects have been detected on a $\chi^{2}$ sum of the $YJHK_{\rm s}$ and $z^{++}$ images. The catalog contains $\sim 6\times 10^5$ objects in the 1.5 deg$^{2}$ UltraVISTA-DR2 region, and $\sim 1.5\times 10^5$ objects are detected in the "ultra-deep stripes" (0.62 deg$^{2}$) at $K_{\rm s}\leq 24.7$ (3$\sigma$, 3", AB magnitude). Through a comparison with the zCOSMOS-bright spectroscopic redshifts, we measure a photometric redshift precision of $\sigma_{\Delta z/(1+z_s)}$ = 0.007 and a catastrophic failure fraction of $\eta=0.5$%. At $3<z<6$, using the unique database of spectroscopic redshifts in COSMOS, we find $\sigma_{\Delta z/(1+z_s)}$ = 0.021 and $\eta=13.2\% $. The deepest regions reach a 90\% completeness limit of 10$^{10}M_\odot$ to $z=4$. Detailed comparisons of the color distributions, number counts, and clustering show excellent agreement with the literature in the same mass ranges. COSMOS2015 represents a unique, publicly available, valuable resource with which to investigate the evolution of galaxies within their environment back to the earliest stages of the history of the Universe. The COSMOS2015 catalog is distributed via anonymous ftp (this ftp URL) and through the usual astronomical archive systems (CDS, ESO Phase 3, IRSA).
We present the Spitzer Data Fusion, a database incorporating far-ultraviolet to far-infrared flux measurements as well as photometric and spectroscopic redshifts for 4.4 million IRAC-selected sources detected over 8 extragalactic fields covering 65 deg$^2$ observed by Spitzer in all IRAC and MIPS bands during its cryogenic mission. Deeper Spitzer observations carried out during its warm mission over 5 sub-fields as part of the SERVS project are also presented and analysed in a similar fashion, detecting 2.8 million IRAC-selected sources over 18 deg$^2$ and merging them with multi-wavelength catalogues within the SERVS Data Fusion. When combined with Herschel SPIRE surveys and radio continuum observations over the same fields, the Spitzer Data Fusion and the SERVS Data Fusion provide an invaluable resource for multi-wavelength galaxy formation and evolution studies at infrared/millimetre/radio wavelengths. The catalogues and their future updates will be released at \url{this http URL} and on CDS/VizieR.
The spiral arms of the Milky Way are being accurately located for the first time via trigonometric parallaxes of massive star forming regions with the BeSSeL Survey, using the Very Long Baseline Array and the European VLBI Network, and with the Japanese VERA project. Here we describe a computer program that leverages these results to significantly improve the accuracy and reliability of distance estimates to other sources that are known to follow spiral structure. Using a Bayesian approach, sources are assigned to arms based on their (l,b,v) coordinates with respect to arm signatures seen in CO and HI surveys. A source's kinematic distance, displacement from the plane, and proximity to individual parallax sources are also considered in generating a full distance probability density function. Using this program to estimate distances to large numbers of star forming regions, we generate a realistic visualization of the Milky Way's spiral structure as seen from the northern hemisphere.
We study the effects of an asymmetric radiation field on the properties of a molecular cloud envelope. We employ observations of carbon monoxide (12CO and 13CO), atomic carbon, ionized carbon, and atomic hydrogen to analyze the chemical and physical properties of the core and envelope of L1599B, a molecular cloud forming a portion of the ring at approximately 27 pc from the star Lambda Ori. The O III star provides an asymmetric radiation field that produces a moderate enhancement of the external radiation field. Observations of the [CII] fine structure line with the GREAT instrument on SOFIA indicate a significant enhanced emission on the side of the cloud facing the star, while the [Ci], 12CO and 13CO J = 1-0 and 2-1, and 12CO J = 3-2 data from the PMO and APEX telescopes suggest a relatively typical cloud interior. The atomic, ionic, and molecular line centroid velocities track each other very closely, and indicate that the cloud may be undergoing differential radial motion. The HI data from the Arecibo GALFA survey and the SOFIA/GREAT [CII] data do not suggest any systematic motion of the halo gas, relative to the dense central portion of the cloud traced by 12CO and 13CO.
We present new results on the auto- and cross-correlation functions of galaxies and OVI absorbers in a $\sim 18~\textrm{Gpc}^3$ comoving volume at $z < 1$. We use a sample of 51,296 galaxies and 140 OVI absorbers in the column density range $13 \lesssim \log N \lesssim 15$ to measure two-point correlation functions in the two dimensions transverse and orthogonal to the line-of-sight $\xi(r_{\perp}, r_{\parallel})$. We furthermore infer the corresponding 'real-space' correlation functions, $\xi(r)$, by projecting $\xi(r_{\perp}, r_{\parallel})$ along $r_{\parallel}$, and assuming a power-law form, $\xi(r) = (r / r_0)^{-\gamma}$. Comparing the results from the absorber-galaxy cross-correlation function, $\xi_{\textrm{ag}}$, the galaxy auto-correlation function, $\xi_{\textrm{gg}}$, and the absorber auto-correlation function, $\xi_{\textrm{aa}}$, we constrain the statistical connection between galaxies and the metal-enriched intergalactic medium as a function of star-formation activity. We also compare these results to predictions from the EAGLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulation and find a reasonable agreement. We find that: (i) OVI absorbers show very little velocity dispersion with respect to galaxies on $\sim$ Mpc scales, likely $\lesssim$ 100 \kms; (ii) OVI absorbers and galaxies may not linearly trace the same underlying distribution of matter in general. In particular, our results demonstrate that OVI absorbers are less clustered, and potentially more extended around galaxies than galaxies are around themselves; (iii) On $\gtrsim 100$ kpc scales, the likelihood of finding OVI absorbers around star-forming galaxies is similar to the likelihood of finding OVI absorbers around non star-forming galaxies (abridged)
Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows are likely produced in the shock that is driven as the GRB jet interacts with the external medium. Long duration GRBs are also associated with powerful supernovae (SN). We consider the optical and radio afterglows of long GRBs for both blasts viewed along the jet axis ("on-axis" afterglows) and misaligned observes ("off-axis" afterglows). Comparing the optical emission from the afterglow with that of the accompanying SN, using SN 1998bw as an archetype, we find that only a few percent of afterglows viewed off-axis are brighter than the SN. For observable optical off-axis afterglows the viewing angle is at most twice the half-opening angle of the GRB jet. Radio off-axis afterglows should be detected with upcoming radio surveys within a few hundred Mpc. We propose that these surveys will act as "radio triggers," and that dedicated radio facilities should follow-up these sources. Follow-ups can unveil the presence of the radio supernova remnant, if present. In addition, they can probe the presence of a mildly relativistic component, either associated with the GRB jet or the SN ejecta, expected in these sources.
We present new theoretical stellar yields and surface abundances for three grids of metal-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) models. Post-processing nucleosynthesis results are presented for stellar models with initial masses between 1$M_{\odot}$ and 7.5$M_{\odot}$ for $Z=0.007$, and 1$M_{\odot}$ and 8$M_{\odot}$ for $Z=0.014$ (solar) and $Z=0.03$. We include stellar surface abundances as a function of thermal pulse on the AGB for elements from C to Bi and for a selection of isotopic ratios for elements up to Fe and Ni (e.g., $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C), which can be obtained from observations of molecules in stars and from the laboratory analysis of meteoritic stardust grains. Ratios of elemental abundances of He/H, C/O, and N/O are also included, which are useful for direct comparison to observations of AGB stars and their progeny including planetary nebulae. The integrated elemental stellar yields are presented for each model in the grid for hydrogen, helium and all stable elements from C to Bi. Yields of Li are also included for intermediate-mass models with hot bottom burning. We present the first $slow$ neutron-capture ($s$-process) yields for super-solar metallicity AGB stars with $Z=0.03$, and the first complete $s$-process yields for models more massive than 6$M_{\odot}$ at all three metallicities.
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We investigate the properties of $\sim7000$ narrow-band selected galaxies with strong H$\beta+$[OIII] and [OII] nebular emission lines from the High-$z$ Emission Line Survey (HiZELS) between $z \sim 0.8 - 5.0$. Our sample covers a wide range in stellar mass ($M\sim10^{7.5 - 12.0}$ M$_\odot$), rest-frame equivalent widths (EW$_\mathrm{rest}\sim 10 - 10^5$ \AA), and line luminosities ($L\sim10^{40.5 - 43.2}$ erg s$^{-1}$). We measure the H$\beta+$[OIII] and [OII]-selected stellar mass functions out to $z \sim 3.5$ and find that both $M_\star$ and $\phi_\star$ increases with cosmic time, which may be due to the [OIII] selection including an increasing fraction of AGN at lower redshifts. The [OII]-selected stellar mass functions show a constant $M_\star\sim10^{11.6}$ M$_\odot$ and a strong, increasing evolution with cosmic time in $\phi_\star$ in line with H$\alpha$ studies. We also investigate the EW$_\mathrm{rest}$ evolution as a function of redshift with a fixed mass range (10$^{9.5 - 10.0}$ M$_\odot$) and find an increasing trend best represented by $(1+z)^{3.81\pm0.14}$ and $(1+z)^{2.72\pm0.19}$ up to $z\sim 2$ and $\sim 3$ for H$\beta$+[OIII] and [OII] emitters, respectively. This is the first time that the EW evolution has been directly measured for H$\beta+$[OIII] and [OII] emitters up to these redshifts. There is evidence for a slower evolution for $z > 2$ in the H$\beta+$[OIII] EW and a decreasing trend for $z > 3$ in the [OII] EW evolution, which would imply low [OII] EW at the highest redshifts and higher [OIII]/[OII] line ratios. This suggests that the ionization parameter at higher redshift may be significantly higher than the local Universe. Our results set the stage for future near-IR space-based spectroscopic surveys to test our extrapolated predictions and also produce $z > 5$ measurements to constrain the high-$z$ end of the EW$_\mathrm{rest}$ and [OIII]/[OII] evolution.
Constraining the star formation histories (SFHs) of individual galaxies is crucial to understanding the mechanisms that regulate their evolution. Here, we combine multi-wavelength (ultraviolet, optical, and infrared) measurements of a very large sample of galaxies (~230,000) at z<0.16, with physically motivated models of galaxy spectral energy distributions to extract constraints on galaxy physical parameters (such as stellar mass and star formation rate) as well as individual SFHs. In particular, we set constraints on the timescales in which galaxies form a certain percentage of their total stellar mass (namely, 10, 50 and 90%). The large statistics allows us to average such measurements over different populations of galaxies (quiescent and star-forming) and in narrow ranges of stellar mass. As in the downsizing scenario, we confirm that low-mass galaxies have more extended SFHs than high-mass galaxies. We also find that at the same observed stellar mass, galaxies that are now quiescent evolve more rapidly than galaxies that are currently still forming stars. This suggests that stellar mass is not the only driver of galaxy evolution, but plays along with other factors such as merger events and other environmental effects.
We ensemble a database of 9 high-surface brightness (HSB) and 9 low-surface brightness (LSB) galaxies, for which both surface brightness density and spectroscopic rotation curve data are available in the literature, and are representative for the various morphologies. We use this dataset for a comparative testing of the Navarro-Frenk-White, the Einasto, and the pseudo-isothermal sphere dark matter models. We investigate the compatibility of the pure baryonic model and baryonic plus one of the three dark matter models with observations on the assembled galaxy database. When dark matter component is necessary to explain the spectroscopic rotational curves, we rank the models according to the goodness of fitting to the datasets. We construct the spatial luminosity density of the baryonic component based on the surface brightness profile of the galaxies. An axissymetric, baryonic mass model with variable axis ratios and three dark matter models are employed to fit the theoretical rotational velocity curves to the dataset. We perform $\chi^{2}$-tests to establish the relevance of dark matter models, and employ the Akaike information criterion to rank them. The statistical investigation suggests that in 7 cases out of 18 (for 5 HSB and 2 LSB galaxies) the addition of a dark matter component does not significantly improve the fit. In the rest of the cases the pseudo-isothermal sphere model is needed with the largest statistical significance for HSB galaxies, while for LSB galaxies the three dark matter models occur with similar significance.
We exploit the continuity equation approach and the `main sequence' star-formation timescales to show that the observed high abundance of galaxies with stellar masses > a few 10^10 M_sun at redshift z>4 implies the existence of a galaxy population featuring large star formation rates (SFRs) > 10^2 M_sun/yr in heavily dust-obscured conditions. These galaxies constitute the high-redshift counterparts of the dusty star-forming population already surveyed for z<3 in the far-IR band by the Herschel space observatory. We work out specific predictions for the evolution of the corresponding stellar mass and SFR functions out to z~10, elucidating that the number density at z<8 for SFRs >30 M_sun/yr cannot be estimated relying on the UV luminosity function alone, even when standard corrections for dust extinction based on the UV slope are applied. We compute the number counts and redshift distributions (including galaxy-scale gravitational lensing) of this galaxy population, and show that current data from AzTEC-LABOCA, SCUBA-2 and ALMA-SPT surveys are already digging into it. We substantiate how an observational strategy based on a color preselection in the far-IR or (sub-)mm band with Herschel and SCUBA-2, supplemented by photometric data via on-source observations with ALMA, can allow to reconstruct the bright end of the SFR functions out to z~8. In parallel, such a challenging task can be managed by exploiting current UV surveys in combination with (sub-)mm observations by ALMA and NIKA2 and/or radio observations by SKA and its precursors.
Phosphorus is a crucial element for the development of life, but so far P-bearing molecules have been detected only in a few astrophysical objects, hence its interstellar chemistry is almost totally unknown. Here we show new detections of phosphorus nitride in a sample of dense cores in different evolutionary stages of the intermediate- and high-mass star formation process: starless, with protostellar objects, and with ultracompact HII regions. All detected PN line widths are smaller than ~5 km/s , and they arise from regions associated with kinetic temperatures smaller than 100 K. Because the few previous detections reported in the literature are associated with warmer and more turbulent sources, the results of this work show that PN can arise from relatively quiescent and cold gas. This information is challenging for theoretical models that invoke either high desorption temperatures or grain sputtering from shocks to release phosphorus into the gas phase. Derived column densities are of the order of 10^{11-12} cm^{-2}, marginally lower than the values derived in the few high-mass star forming regions detected so far. New constraints on the column density upper limit of phosphorus monoxide, the fundamental unit of biologically relevant molecules, are also given.
SECCO is a survey devoted to the search for stellar counterparts within Ultra Compact High Velocity Clouds. In this contribution we present the results of a set of simulations aimed at the quantitative estimate of the sensitivity of the survey as a function of the total luminosity, size and distance of the stellar systems we are looking for. For all our synthetic galaxies we assumed an exponential surface brightness profile and an old and metal-poor population. The synthetic galaxies are simulated both on the images and on the photometric catalogs, taking into account all the observational effects. In the fields where the available observational material is of the top quality we detect synthetic galaxies as >=5 sigma over-densities of resolved stars down to muV,h=30.0 mag/arcsec2, for D<=1.5 Mpc, and down to muV,h~29.5 mag/arcsec2, for D<=2.5 Mpc. In the field with the worst observational material of the whole survey we detect synthetic galaxies with muV,h<=28.8 mag/arcsec2 out to D<=1.0 Mpc, and those with muV,h<=27.5 mag/arcsec2 out to D<=2.5 Mpc. Dwarf galaxies with MV=-10, with sizes in the range spanned by known dwarfs, are detected by visual inspection of the images up to D=5 Mpc independently of the image quality. In the best quality images dwarfs are partially resolved into stars up to D=3.0 Mpc, and completely unresolved at D=5 Mpc. As an independent test of the sensitivity of our images to low surface brightness galaxies we report on the detection of several dwarf spheroidal galaxies probably located in the Virgo cluster with MV<=-8.0 and muV,h<=26.8 mag/arcsec2. The nature of the previously discovered SECCO 1 stellar system, also likely located in the Virgo cluster, is re-discussed in comparison with these dwarfs. While specific for the SECCO survey, our study may also provide general guidelines for detection of faint stellar systems with 8m class telescopes.
The physical mechanisms driving star formation (SF) in galaxies are still not fully understood. Tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs), made of gas ejected during galaxy interactions, seem to be devoid of dark matter and have a near-solar metallicity. The latter makes it possible to study molecular gas and its link to SF using standard tracers (CO, dust) in a peculiar environment. We present a detailed study of a nearby TDG in the Virgo Cluster, VCC 2062, using new high-resolution CO(1--0) data from the Plateau de Bure, deep optical imaging from the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS), and complementary multiwavelength data. Until now, there was some doubt whether VCC 2062 was a true TDG, but the new deep optical images from the NGVS reveal a stellar bridge between VCC 2062 and its parent galaxy, NGC 4694, which is clear proof of its tidal origin. Several high-resolution tracers (\halpha, UV, 8~\mi, and 24~\mi) of the star formation rate (SFR) are compared to the molecular gas distribution as traced by the CO(1-0). Coupled with the SFR tracers, the NGVS data are used with the CIGALE code to model the stellar populations throughout VCC 2062, yielding a declining SFR in the recent past, consistent with the low \halpha/UV ratio, and a high burst strength. HI emission covers VCC 2062, whereas the CO is concentrated near the HI maxima. The CO peaks correspond to two very distinct regions: one with moderate SF to the NE and one with only slightly weaker CO emission but with nearly no SF. Even where SF is clearly present, the SFR is below the value expected from the surface density of the molecular and the total gas as compared to spiral galaxies and other TDGs. After discussing different possible explanations, we conclude that the low surface brightness is a crucial parameter to understand the low SFR.
We revisit the swing amplification model of galactic spiral arms proposed by Toomre (1981). We describe the derivation of the perturbation equation in detail and investigate the amplification process of stellar spirals. We find that the elementary process of the swing amplification is the phase synchronization of the stellar epicycle motion. Regardless of the initial epicycle phase, the epicycle phases of stars in a spiral are synchronized during the amplification. Based on the phase synchronization, we explain the dependence of the pitch angle of spirals on the epicycle frequency. We find the most amplified spiral mode and calculate its pitch angle, wavelengths, and amplification factor, which are consistent with those obtained by the more rigorous model based on the Boltzmann equation by Julian and Toomre (1966).
Molecules with hyperfine splitting of their rotational line spectra are useful probes of optical depth, via the relative line strengths of their hyperfine components.The hyperfine splitting is particularly advantageous in interpreting the physical conditions of the emitting gas because with a second rotational transition, both gas density and temperature can be derived. For HCN however, the relative strengths of the hyperfine lines are anomalous. They appear in ratios which can vary significantly from source to source, and are inconsistent with local thermodynamic equilibrium. This is the HCN hyperfine anomaly, and it prevents the use of simple LTE models of HCN emission to derive reliable optical depths. In this paper we demonstrate how to model HCN hyperfine line emission, and derive accurate line ratios, spectral line shapes and optical depths. We show that by carrying out radiative transfer calculations over each hyperfine level individually, as opposed to summing them over each rotational level, the anomalous hyperfine emission emerges naturally. To do this requires not only accurate radiative rates between hyperfine states, but also accurate collisional rates. We investigate the effects of different sets of hyperfine collisional rates, derived via the 'proportional method' and through direct recoupling calculations. Through an extensive parameter sweep over typical low mass star forming conditions, we show the HCN line ratios to be highly variable to optical depth. We also reproduce an observed effect whereby the red-blue asymmetry of the hyperfine lines (an infall signature) switches sense within a single rotational transition.
(ABRIDGED) The evolution and structure of the Magellanic Clouds is presently under debate. The classical scenario where both the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC) are orbiting the Milky Way has been challenged by an alternative where the LMC and SMC are in their first close passage to our Galaxy. Detailed studies of stellar populations in the galaxies should constrain the proposed scenarios. In particular, the west halo of the SMC was recently characterized with radial trends in age and metallicity which indicates tidal disruption. We increase the sample of star clusters in the west halo of the SMC with homogeneous age, metallicity, and distance derivations, to determine better age and metallicity gradients. Comparisons of observed and synthetic V,(B-V) colour-magnitude diagrams are used to derive parameters for west halo star clusters. We derived age and metallicity for the reference cluster NGC 152 compatible with literature parameters. Age and metallicity gradients are confirmed in the west halo: 2.6$\pm$0.6~Gyr/$^{\circ}$ and -0.19$\pm$0.09~dex/$^{\circ}$, respectively. Age-metallicity relation for the west halo has low dispersion in metallicity and it is compatible with a burst model of chemical enrichment. All WH clusters seem to follow the same predicted stellar distribution, with exception of AM-3 that should belong to the counter-bridge. Br\"uck~6 is only 130$\pm$40~Myr old and it could have been formed during a recent tidal interaction of the SMC-LMC. We suggest that it is crucial to split the SMC cluster population in groups: main body, wing/bridge, counter-bridge and west halo. This is the way to analyse the complex star formation and dynamical history of our neighbour. In particular we show that west halo has clear age and metallicity gradients and age-metallicity relation, also compatible with the dynamical model of tidal influence of the LMC over the SMC.
The $^3$He isotope is important to many fields of astrophysics, including stellar evolution, chemical evolution, and cosmology. The isotope is produced in low-mass stars which evolve through the planetary nebula (PN) phase. $^3$He abundances in PNe can help test models of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. We present the detection of the $^3$He$^+$ emission line using the single dish Deep Space Station 63, towards the PN IC$\,$418. We derived a $^3$He/H abundance in the range 1.74$\pm$0.8$\times$10$^{-3}$ to 5.8$\pm$1.7$\times$10$^{-3}$, depending on whether part of the line arises in an outer ionized halo. The lower value for $^3$He/H ratio approaches values predicted by stellar models which include thermohaline mixing, but requires that large amounts of $^3$He are produced inside low-mass stars which enrich the interstellar medium (ISM). However, this over-predicts the $^3$He abundance in HII regions, the ISM, and proto-solar grains, which is known to be of the order of 10$^{-5}$. This discrepancy questions our understanding of the evolution of the $^3$He, from circumstellar environments to the ISM.
Primordial dark matter (DM) haloes are the smallest gravitationally bound DM structures from which the first stars, black holes, and galaxies form and grow in the early universe. However, their structures are sensitive to the free streaming scale of DM, which in turn depends on the nature of DM particles. In this work, we test the hypothesis that the slope of the central cusps in primordial DM haloes near the free streaming scale depends on the nature of merging process. By combining and analysing data from a cosmological simulation with the cutoff in the small-scale matter power spectrum as well as a suite of controlled, high-resolution simulations of binary mergers, we find that (1) the primordial DM haloes form preferentially through major mergers in radial orbits and that (2) their central DM density profile is more susceptible to a merging process compared to that of galaxy and cluster-size DM haloes. Our work highlights the importance of dynamical processes on the structure formation during the Dark Ages.
We obtain stringent constraints on the actual efficiency of mass loss for red giant branch stars in the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tuc, by comparing synthetic modeling based on stellar evolution tracks with the observed distribution of stars along the horizontal branch in the colour-magnitude-diagram. We confirm that the observed, wedge-shaped distribution of the horizontal branch can be reproduced only by accounting for a range of initial He abundances --in agreement with inferences from the analysis of the main sequence-- and a red giant branch mass loss with a small dispersion. We have carefully investigated several possible sources of uncertainty that could affect the results of the horizontal branch modeling, stemming from uncertainties in both stellar model computations and the cluster properties such as heavy element abundances, reddening and age. We determine a firm lower limit of ~0.17$Mo for the mass lost by red giant branch stars, corresponding to horizontal branch stellar masses between ~0.65Mo and ~0.73Mo (the range driven by the range of initial helium abundances). We also derive that in this cluster the amount of mass lost along the asymptotic giant branch stars is comparable to the mass lost during the previous red giant branch phase. These results confirm for this cluster the disagreement between colour-magnitude-diagram analyses and inferences from recent studies of the dynamics of the cluster stars, that predict a much less efficient red giant branch mass loss. A comparison between the results from these two techniques applied to other clusters is required, to gain more insights about the origin of this disagreement.
In the context of the FLASHLIGHT survey, we obtained deep narrow band images of 15 $z\sim2$ quasars with GMOS on Gemini-South in an effort to measure Ly$\alpha$ emission from circum- and inter-galactic gas on scales of hundreds of kpc from the central quasar. We do not detect bright giant Ly$\alpha$ nebulae (SB~10$^{-17}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ arcsec$^{-2}$ at distances >50 kpc) around any of our sources, although we routinely ($\simeq47$%) detect smaller scale <50 kpc Ly$\alpha$ emission at this SB level emerging from either the extended narrow emission line regions powered by the quasars or by star-formation in their host galaxies. We stack our 15 deep images to study the average extended Ly$\alpha$ surface brightness profile around $z\sim2$ quasars, carefully PSF-subtracting the unresolved emission component and paying close attention to sources of systematic error. Our analysis, which achieves an unprecedented depth, reveals a surface brightness of SB$_{\rm Ly\alpha}\sim10^{-19}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ arcsec$^{-2}$ at $\sim200$ kpc, with a $2.3\sigma$ detection of Ly$\alpha$ emission at SB$_{\rm Ly\alpha}=(5.5\pm3.1)\times10^{-20}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ arcsec$^{-2}$ within an annulus spanning 50 kpc <R< 500 kpc from the quasars. Assuming this Ly$\alpha$ emission is powered by fluorescence from highly ionized gas illuminated by the bright central quasar, we deduce an average volume density of $n_{\rm H}=0.6\times10^{-2}$ cm$^{-3}$ on these large scales. Our results are in broad agreement with the densities suggested by cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of massive ($M\simeq10^{12.5}M_\odot$) quasar hosts, however they indicate that the typical quasars at these redshifts are surrounded by gas that is a factor of ~100 times less dense than the (~1 cm$^{-3}$) gas responsible for the giant bright Ly$\alpha$ nebulae around quasars recently discovered by our group.
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In this work, we show how the stellar mass (M) of galaxies affects the 3<z<4.6 Ly-alpha equivalent width (EW) distribution. To this end, we design a sample of 629 galaxies in the M range 7.6 < logM/Msun < 10.6 from the 3D-HST/CANDELS survey. We perform spectroscopic observations of this sample using the Michigan/Magellan Fiber System, allowing us to measure Ly-alpha fluxes and use 3D-HST/CANDELS ancillary data. In order to study the Ly-alpha EW distribution dependence on M, we split the whole sample in three stellar mass bins. We find that, in all bins, the distribution is best represented by an exponential profile of the form dN(M)/dEW= A(M)exp(-EW/W0(M))/W0(M). Through a Bayesian analysis, we confirm that lower M galaxies have higher Ly-alpha EWs. We also find that the fraction A of galaxies featuring emission and the e-folding scale W0 of the distribution anti- correlate with M, recovering expressions of the forms A(M)= -0.26(.13) logM/Msun+3.01(1.2) and W0(M)= -15.6(3.5) logM/Msun +166(34). These results are crucial for proper interpretation of Ly-alpha emission trends reported in the literature that may be affected by strong M selection biases.
We present Subaru/FOCAS and Keck/DEIMOS medium-resolution spectroscopy of a tidally disrupting Milky Way (MW) globular cluster Palomar 5 and its tidal stream. The observed fields are located to cover an angular extent of $\sim 17$\arcdeg along the stream, providing an opportunity to investigate a trend in line-of-sight velocities ($V_{\rm los}$) along the stream, which is essential to constrain its orbit and underlying gravitational potential of the Milky Way's dark matter halo. A spectral fitting technique is applied to the observed spectra to obtain stellar parameters and metallicities ([Fe/H]) of the target stars. The 19 stars most likely belonging to the central Pal 5 cluster have a mean $V_{\rm los}$ of $-58.1\pm 0.7$ km s$^{-1}$ and metallicity [Fe/H]$=-1.35\pm 0.06$ dex, both of which are in good agreement with those derived in previous high-resolution spectroscopic studies. Assuming that the stream stars have the same [Fe/H] as the progenitor cluster, the derived [Fe/H] and $V_{\rm los}$ values are used to estimate the possible $V_{\rm los}$ range of the member stars at each location along the stream. Because of the heavy contamination of the field MW stars, estimated $V_{\rm los}$ range depends on prior assumptions about the stream's $V_{\rm los}$, which highlights the importance of more definitely identifying the member stars using proper motion and chemical abundances to obtain an unbiased information of $V_{\rm los}$ in the outer part of the Pal 5 stream. The models for the gravitational potential of the MW's dark matter halo that are compatible with the estimated $V_{\rm los}$ range are discussed.
We have performed a spectral line survey called EMoCA toward Sagittarius B2(N) between 84 and 114 GHz with ALMA. Line intensities of the main isotopic species of ethyl cyanide and its singly 13C-substituted isotopomers observed toward the hot molecular core Sgr B2(N2) suggest that the doubly 13C-substituted isotopomers should be detectable also. We want to determine the spectroscopic parameters of all three doubly 13C-substituted isotopologues of ethyl cyanide to search for them in our ALMA data. We investigated the laboratory rotational spectra of the three species between 150 and 990 GHz. We searched for emission lines produced by these species in the ALMA spectrum of Sgr B2(N2). We modeled their emission as well as the emission of the 12C and singly 13C-substituted isotopologues assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium. We identified more than 5000 rotational transitions, pertaining to more than 3500 different transition frequencies, in the laboratory for each of the three isotopomers. The quantum numbers reach J ~ 115 and K_a ~ 35, resulting in accurate spectroscopic parameters and accurate rest frequency calculations beyond 1000 GHz for strong to moderately weak transitions of either isotopomer. All three species are unambiguously detected in our ALMA data. The 12C/13C column density ratio of the isotopomers with one 13C atom to the ones with two 13C atoms is about 25. Ethyl cyanide is the second molecule after methyl cyanide for which isotopologues containing two 13C atoms have been securely detected in the interstellar medium. The model of our ethyl cyanide data suggests that we should be able to detect vibrational satellites of the main species up to at least v_19 = 1 at 1130 K and up to v_13 + v_21 = 2 at 600 K for the isotopologues with one 13C atom in our present ALMA data. Such satellites may be too weak to be identified unambiguously for isotopologues with two 13C atoms.
The bright and highly-variable Seyfert I Active Galactic Nucleus, IC4329A, was observed with Suzaku 5 times in 2007 August with intervals of ~ 5 days, and a net exposure of 24-31 ks each. Another longer observation was carried out in 2012 August with a net exposure of 118 ks. In the 6 observations, the source was detected in 2-45 keV with average 2-10 keV fluxes of $(0.67-1.2)\times10^{-10}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The intensity changed by a factor of 2 among the 5 observations in 2007, and 1.5 within the 2012 observation. Difference spectra among these observations revealed that the variability of IC4329A was carried mainly by a power-law component with a photon index $\Gamma\sim2.0$. However, in addition to this primary component and the associated reflection, the broad-band Suzaku data required another, harder, and less variable component with $\Gamma\sim1.4$. The presence of this new continuum was also confirmed by analyzing the same 6 data sets through the spectral decomposition technique developed by Noda et al. 2013a. This $\Gamma\sim1.4$ continuum is considered to be a new primary component that has not been recognized in the spectra of IC4329A so far, although it was recently identified in those of several other Seyfert I galaxies (Noda et al. 2013a, 2014).
The analysis of the early star formation history (SFH) of nearby galaxies, obtained from their resolved stellar populations is relevant as a test for cosmological models. However, the early time resolution of observationally derived SFHs is limited by several factors. Thus, direct comparison of observationally derived SFHs with those derived from theoretical models of galaxy formation is potentially biased. Here we investigate and quantify this effect. For this purpose, we analyze the duration of the early star formation activity in a sample of four Local Group dwarf galaxies and test whether they are consistent with being true fossils of the pre-reionization era; i.e., if the quenching of their star formation occurred before cosmic reionization by UV photons was completed. Two classical dSph (Cetus and Tucana) and two dTrans (LGS-3 and Phoenix) isolated galaxies with total stellar masses between $1.3\times 10^6$ to $7.2\times 10^6$ M$_\odot$ have been studied. Accounting for time resolution effects, the SFHs peak as much as 1.25 Gyr earlier than the optimal solutions. Thus, this effect is important for a proper comparison of model and observed SFHs. It is also shown that none of the analyzed galaxies can be considered a true-fossil of the pre-reionization era, although it is possible that the {\it outer regions} of Cetus and Tucana are consistent with quenching by reionization.
We use a simple dynamical model which consists of a harmonic oscillator and a spherical component, in order to investigate the regular or chaotic character of orbits in a barred galaxy with a central spherically symmetric nucleus. Our aim is to explore how the basic parameters of the galactic system influence the nature of orbits, by computing in each case the percentage of chaotic orbits, as well as the percentages of different types of regular orbits. We also give emphasis to the types of regular orbits that support either the formation of nuclear rings or the barred structure of the galaxy. We provide evidence that the traditional x1 orbital family does not always dominate in barred galaxy models since we found several other types of resonant orbits which can also support the barred structure. We also found that sparse enough nuclei, fast rotating bars and high energy models can support the galactic bars. On the other hand, weak bars, dense central nuclei, slowly rotating bars and low energy models favor the formation of nuclear rings. We also compare our results with previous related work.
In this paper we use the two-dimensional (2D) version of a new analytical gravitational model in order to explore the orbital as well as the escape dynamics of the stars in a barred galaxy composed of a spherically symmetric central nucleus, a bar, a flat disk and a dark matter halo component. A thorough numerical investigation is conducted for distinguishing between bounded and escaping motion. Furthermore bounded orbits are further classified into non-escaping regular and trapped chaotic using the Smaller ALingment Index (SALI) method. Our aim is to determine the basins of escape through the two symmetrical escape channels around the Lagrange points $L_2$ and $L_3$ and also to relate them with the corresponding distribution of the escape rates of the orbits. We integrate initial conditions of orbits in several types of planes so as to obtain a more complete view of the overall orbital properties of the dynamical system. We also present evidence that the unstable manifolds which guide the orbits in and out the interior region are directly related with the formation of spiral and ring stellar structures observed in barred galaxies. In particular, we examine how the bar's semi-major axis determines the resulting morphologies. Our numerical simulations indicate that weak barred structures favour the formation of $R_1$ rings or $R_1'$ pseudo-rings, while strong bars on the other hand, give rise to $R_1R_2$ and open spiral morphologies. Our results are compared with earlier related work. The escape dynamics and the properties of the manifolds of the full three-dimensional (3D) galactic system will be given in an accompanying paper.
Mrk 231 is a nearby quasar with an unusually red continuum, generally explained as heavy reddening by dust (e.g., Leighly et al. 2014). Yan et al. 2015 proposed that Mrk 231 is a milli-parsec black-hole binary with little intrinsic reddening. The large-mass black hole experiences advection-dominated accretion, emitting little continuum, while the accretion disk of the small-mass black hole emits as an ordinary quasar, dominating the observed weak UV continuum and contributing all of the photoionizing flux. We demonstrate that this model is untenable for four reasons. (1) To produce the observed near-infrared emission lines, the equivalent widths would have to be ~100 times larger than typical values with respect to the photoionizing continuum, a situation that seems energetically unlikely. (2) We use the photoionization code Cloudy to demonstrate it is not possible to produce the HeI* emission line intensity for the observed HeI*/Pbeta flux ratios, even if the line-emitting gas intersects all of the photoionizing light. (3) We also show that while the HeI*/CIV line ratio is sensitive to the spectral energy distribution, the observed ratio is ~100 times higher than that of PHL 1811, an intrinsically X-ray weak quasar whose weak CIV line is well explained by its soft spectral energy distribution. (4) The observed continuum provides insufficient energy to power the thermal near- and mid-infrared emission. We find that the HeI*/Pbeta ratio is sensitive to the spectral energy distribution for a one-zone model. If this sensitivity is maintained in general broad-line region models, then this ratio may prove a useful diagnostic for heavily reddened quasars.
The thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) ${\it fluctuations}$ can open up a new powerful window into the astrophysics of the hot diffuse medium in cosmological structures. We report the detection of SZ fluctuations in the intracluster medium (ICM) of Coma cluster observed with ${\it Planck}$. The SZ data links the maximum observable X-ray scale to the large Mpc scale, extending our knowledge of the power spectrum of ICM fluctuations. Deprojecting the 2-d SZ perturbations into 3-d pressure fluctuations, we find an amplitude spectrum which peaks at $\delta P/P = 33\pm 12\%$ and $74\pm19\%$ in the $15'$ and $40'$ radius region, respectively. By using high-resolution hydrodynamical models, we improve the ICM turbulence constraints in Coma, finding 3-d Mach number ${\rm Ma_{3d}}= 0.8\pm0.3$ (15' region) and injection scale $L_{\rm inj}\approx 500$ kpc. Such properties are consistent with driving due to mergers tied to internal galaxy groups. For larger radii (40'), the injection scale is unaltered and the Mach number doubles, albeit velocities remain of the order of $10^3$ km s$^{-1}$ due to the declining plasma temperature. The transonic values at larger radii suggest that we are approaching the accretion shock region. The large pressure fluctuations show that Coma is in adiabatic mode (mediated by sound waves), rather than isobaric mode (mediated by buoyancy waves). As predicted by turbulence models, the distribution of SZ fluctuations is log-normal with mild non-Gaussianities (heavy tails). The substantial non-thermal pressure support implies hydrostatic mass bias $b_M=-15\%$ to $-45\%$ from the core to the outskirt region, respectively. While total SZ power probes the thermal energy content, the SZ fluctuations constrain the non-thermal deviations, providing a global, self-consistent view of cluster (thermo)dynamics, and thus improving our ability to carry out precision cosmology with clusters.
We report results from simulations of neutralino dark matter ($\chi$DM) haloes. We follow them from their emergence at one earth mass to a final mass of a few percent solar. We show that the density profiles of the first haloes are well described by a $\sim r^{-1.5}$ power-law. As haloes grow in mass, their density profiles evolve significantly. In the central regions, they become shallower and reach on average $\sim r^{-1}$, the asymptotic form of an NFW profile. However, the profile of individual haloes can show non-monotonic density slopes, and be shallower than $-1$ in some cases. We investigate the transformation of cuspy power-law profiles using a series of non-cosmological simulations of equal-mass mergers. Contrary to previous findings, we observe that temporal variations in the gravitational potential caused by mergers lead to a shallowing of the inner profile, an effect which is stronger for shallower initial profiles and for mergers that involve a higher number of systems. Depending on the merger details, the resulting profiles can be shallower or steeper than NFW in their inner regions. Interestingly, mergers have a much weaker effect when the initial profile is given by a broken power-law with an inner slope of $-1$ (such as NFW or Hernquist profiles). This offers a plausible explanation for the emergence of NFW-like profiles in $\chi$DM simulations. After their initial collapse, $\chi$DM haloes suffer copious major mergers, which progressively shallows the profile. However, once an NFW-like profile is established, it appears stable against subsequent merging. This suggests that halo profiles are not universal but rather a combination of (1) the physics of the formation of the microhaloes and (2) their early merger history, which are both set by the properties of the dark matter particle, as well as (3) the resilience of NFW-like profiles to perturbations.
A cluster finding method was developed and applied in four Local Group Galaxies (SMC, M31, M33 and NGC 6822). The aim is to study the young stellar population of these galaxies by identifying stellar structures in small and large scales. Also our aim is to assess the potential of using the observations of ESA's space mission Gaia for the study of nearby galaxies resolved in stars. The detection method used is a Hierarchical technique based on a modified friends of friends algorithm. The identified clusters are classified in five distinct categories according to their size. The data for our study were used from two ground based surveys, the Local Group Galaxy Survey and the Maggelanic Clouds Spectroscopic Survey. Relatively young main sequence stars were selected from the stellar catalogs and were used by the detection algorithm. Multiple young stellar structures were identified in all galaxies with size varying from very small scales of a few pc up to scales larger than 1 kpc. The same cluster finding method was used in six spiral galaxies observed with the Hubble Space Telescope in a previous study. The average size in each category of the identified structures in the Local Group galaxies presents values consistent with the identified structures in the relatively distant spiral galaxies. Most of the structures consist of stars within the observational limits of Gaia's instruments. It is expected that Gaia's observations will contribute significantly on the study of the young stellar population of nearby galaxies.
The $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model successfully reproduces many aspects of the galaxy and structure formation of the universe. However, the growth of large-scale structures (LSSs) in the early universe is not well tested yet with observational data. Here, we have utilized wide and deep optical--near-infrared data in order to search for distant galaxy clusters and superclusters ($0.8<z<1.2$). From the spectroscopic observation with the Inamori Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph (IMACS) on the Magellan telescope, three massive clusters at $z\sim$0.91 are confirmed in the SSA22 field. Interestingly, all of them have similar redshifts within $\Delta z\sim$0.01 with velocity dispersions ranging from 470 to 1300 km s$^{-1}$. Moreover, as the maximum separation is $\sim$15 Mpc, they compose a supercluster at $z\sim$0.91, meaning that this is one of the most massive superclusters at this redshift to date. The galaxy density map implies that the confirmed clusters are embedded in a larger structure stretching over $\sim$100 Mpc. $\Lambda$CDM models predict about one supercluster like this in our surveyed volume, consistent with our finding so far. However, there are more supercluster candidates in this field, suggesting that additional studies are required to determine if the $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model can successfully reproduce the LSSs at high redshift.
We explore the gas dynamics near the dust sublimation radius of active galactic nucleus (AGN). For the purpose, we perform axisymmetric radiation hydrodynamic simulations of a dusty gas disk of radius $\approx 1\,\mathrm{pc}$ around a supermassive black hole of mass $10^{7}\,\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ taking into account (1) anisotropic radiation of accretion disk, (2) X-ray heating by corona, (3) radiative transfer of infrared (IR) photons reemitted by dust, (4) frequency dependency of direct and IR radiations, and (5) separate temperatures for gas and dust. As a result, we find that for Eddington ratio $\approx 0.77$, a nearly neutral, dense ($\approx 10^{6\operatorname{-}8}\;\mathrm{cm^{-3}}$), geometrically-thin ($h/r<0.06$) disk forms with a high velocity ($\approx 200 \sim 3000\;\mathrm{km/s}$) dusty outflow launched from the disk surface. The disk temperature is determined by the balance between X-ray heating and various cooling, and the disk is almost supported by thermal pressure. Contrary to \citet{krolik07:_agn}, the radiation pressure by IR photons is not effective to thicken the disk, but rather compresses it. Thus, it seems difficult for a radiation-supported, geometrically-thick, obscuring torus to form near the dust sublimation radius as far as the Eddington ratio is high ($\sim 1$). The mass outflow rate is $0.05$-$0.1\;\mathrm{M_{\odot}}/\mathrm{yr}$ and the column density of the outflow is $N_{\mathrm{H}}\lesssim 10^{21}\;\mathrm{cm^{-2}}$. To explain observed type-II AGN fraction, it is required that outflow gas is extended to larger radii ($r\gtrsim 10\;\mathrm{pc}$) or that a denser dusty wind is launched from smaller radii ($r\sim 10^{4}\;R_{g}$).
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Most bipolar outflows are associated with individual young stellar objects and have small opening angles. Here we report the discovery of an extremely wide-angle ($\sim$180$\arcdeg$) bipolar outflow ("EWBO") in a cluster forming region AFGL 5142 from low-velocity emission of HCN (3-2) and HCO$^{+}$ (3-2) lines. This bipolar outflow is along a north-west to south-east direction with a line-of-sight flow velocity of about 3 km~s$^{-1}$ and is spatially connected to the high-velocity jet-like outflows. It seems to be a collection of low-velocity material entrained by the high-velocity outflows due to momentum feedback. The total ejected mass and mass loss rate due to both high velocity jet-like outflows and the "EWBO" are $\sim$24.5 M$_{\sun}$ and $\sim1.7\times10^{-3}$ M$_{\sun}$~yr$^{-1}$, respectively. Global collapse of the clump is revealed by the "blue profile" in the HCO$^{+}$ (1-0) line. A hierarchical network of filaments was identified in NH$_{3}$ (1,1) emission. Clear velocity gradients of the order of 10 km~s$^{-1}$~pc$^{-1}$ were found along filaments, indicating gas inflow along the filaments. The sum of the accretion rate along filaments and mass infall rate along the line of sight is $\sim$3.1$\times10^{-3}$ M$_{\sun}$~yr$^{-1}$, which exceeds the total mass loss rate, indicating that the central cluster is probably still gaining mass. The central cluster is highly fragmented and 22 condensations were identified in 1.1 mm continuum emission. The fragmentation process seems to be determined by thermal pressure and turbulence. The magnetic field may not play an important role in fragmentation.
We present results based on X-ray, optical, and radio observations of the massive galaxy cluster CIZA J0107.7+5408. We find that this system is a post core passage, dissociative, binary merger, with the optical galaxy density peaks of each subcluster leading their associated X-ray emission peaks. This separation occurs because the diffuse gas experiences ram pressure forces while the effectively collisionless galaxies (and presumably their associated dark matter halos) do not. This system contains double peaked diffuse radio emission, possibly a double radio relic with the relics lying along the merger axis and also leading the X-ray cores. We find evidence for a temperature peak associated with the SW relic, likely created by the same merger shock that is powering the relic radio emission in this region. Thus, this system is a relatively rare clean example of a dissociative binary merger, which can in principle be used to place constraints on the self-interaction cross-section of dark matter. Low frequency radio observations reveal ultra-steep spectrum diffuse radio emission that is not correlated with the X-ray, optical, or high frequency radio emission. We suggest that these sources are radio phoenixes, which are preexisting non-thermal particle populations that have been re-energized through adiabatic compression by the same merger shocks that power the radio relics. Finally, we place upper limits on inverse Compton emission from the SW radio relic.
Recently, both stellar mass-segregation and binary-fractions were uniformly measured on relatively large samples of Galactic Globular Clusters (GCs). Simulations show that both sizeable binary-star populations and Intermediate-Mass Black Holes (IMBHs) quench mass-segregation in relaxed GCs. Thus mass-segregation in GCs with a reliable binary-fraction measurement is a valuable probe to constrain IMBHs. In this paper we combine mass-segregation and binary-fraction measurements from the literature to build a sample of 33 GCs (with measured core-binary fractions), and a sample of 43 GCs (with a binary fraction measurement in the area between the core radius and the half-mass radius). Within both samples we try to identify IMBH-host candidates. These should have relatively low mass-segregation, a low binary fraction (< 5%), and short (< 1 Gyr) relaxation time. Considering the core binary fraction sample, no suitable candidates emerge. If the binary fraction between the core and the half-mass radius is considered, two candidates are found, but this is likely due to statistical fluctuations. We also consider a larger sample of 54 GCs where we obtained an estimate of the core binary fraction using a predictive relation based on metallicity and integrated absolute magnitude. Also in this case no suitable candidates are found. Finally, we consider the GC core- to half-mass radius ratio, that is expected to be larger for GCs containing either an IMBH or binaries. We find that GCs with large core- to half-mass radius ratios are less mass-segregated (and show a larger binary fraction), confirming the theoretical expectation that the energy sources responsible for the large core are also quenching mass-segregation
The runaway collision scenario is one of the most promising mechanisms to explain the formation of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in young dense star clusters. On the other hand, the massive stars that participate in the runaway collisions lose mass by stellar winds. In this paper, we discuss new N-body simulations of massive (6.5x10^4 Msun) star clusters, in which we added upgraded recipes for stellar winds and supernova explosion at different metallicity. We follow the evolution of the principal collision product (PCP), through dynamics and stellar evolution, till it forms a stellar remnant. At solar metallicity, the mass of the final merger product spans from few solar masses up to ~30 Msun. At low metallicity (0.01-0.1 Zsun) the maximum remnant mass is ~250 Msun, in the range of IMBHs. A large fraction (~0.6) of the PCPs are not ejected from the parent star cluster and acquire stellar or black hole (BH) companions. Most of the long-lived binaries hosting a PCP are BH-BH binaries. We discuss the importance of this result for gravitational wave detection.
We present a detailed, multi-wavelength study of star formation (SF) and AGN activity in 11 near-infrared (IR) selected, spectroscopically confirmed, massive ($\gtrsim10^{14}\,\rm{M_{\odot}}$) galaxy clusters at $1<z<1.75$. Using new, deep $Herschel$/PACS imaging, we characterize the optical to far-IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for IR-luminous cluster galaxies, finding that they can, on average, be well described by field galaxy templates. Identification and decomposition of AGN through SED fittings allows us to include the contribution to cluster SF from AGN host galaxies. We quantify the star-forming fraction, dust-obscured SF rates (SFRs), and specific-SFRs for cluster galaxies as a function of cluster-centric radius and redshift. In good agreement with previous studies, we find that SF in cluster galaxies at $z\gtrsim1.4$ is largely consistent with field galaxies at similar epochs, indicating an era before significant quenching in the cluster cores ($r<0.5\,$Mpc). This is followed by a transition to lower SF activity as environmental quenching dominates by $z\sim1$. Enhanced SFRs are found in lower mass ($10.1< \log \rm{M_{\star}}/\rm{M_{\odot}}<10.8$) cluster galaxies. We find significant variation in SF from cluster-to-cluster within our uniformly selected sample, indicating that caution should be taken when evaluating individual clusters. We examine AGN in clusters from $z=0.5-2$, finding an excess AGN fraction at $z\gtrsim1$, suggesting environmental triggering of AGN during this epoch. We argue that our results $-$ a transition from field-like to quenched SF, enhanced SF in lower mass galaxies in the cluster cores, and excess AGN $-$ are consistent with a co-evolution between SF and AGN in clusters and an increased merger rate in massive haloes at high redshift.
We report ALMA observations of a one-sided, high-velocity ($\sim$80 km s$^{-1}$) CO($J = 2 \rightarrow 1$) jet powered by the intermediate-mass protostellar source Serpens SMM1-a. The highly collimated molecular jet is flanked at the base by a wide-angle cavity; the walls of the cavity can be seen in both 4 cm free-free emission detected by the VLA and 1.3 mm thermal dust emission detected by ALMA. This is the first time that ionization of an outflow cavity has been directly detected via free-free emission in a very young, embedded Class 0 protostellar source that is still powering a molecular jet. The cavity walls are ionized either by UV photons escaping from the accreting protostellar source, or by the precessing molecular jet impacting the walls. These observations suggest that ionized outflow cavities may be common in Class 0 protostellar sources, shedding further light on the radiation, outflow, and jet environments in the youngest, most embedded forming stars.
We present results on the formation of Pop III stars at redshift 7.6 from the Renaissance Simulations, a suite of extremely high-resolution and physics-rich radiation transport hydrodynamics cosmological adaptive-mesh refinement simulations of high redshift galaxy formation performed on the Blue Waters supercomputer. In a survey volume of about 220 comoving Mpc$^3$, we found 14 Pop III galaxies with recent star formation. The surprisingly late formation of Pop III stars is possible due to two factors: (i) the metal enrichment process is local and slow, leaving plenty of pristine gas to exist in the vast volume; and (ii) strong Lyman-Werner radiation from vigorous metal-enriched star formation in early galaxies suppresses Pop III formation in ("not so") small primordial halos with mass less than $\sim$ 3 $\times$ 10$^7$ M$_\odot$. We quantify the properties of these Pop III galaxies and their Pop III star formation environments. We look for analogues to the recently discovered luminous Ly $\alpha$ emitter CR7 (Sobral et al. 2015), which has been interpreted as a Pop III star cluster within or near a metal-enriched star forming galaxy. We find and discuss a system similar to this in some respects, however the Pop III star cluster is far less massive and luminous than CR7 is inferred to be.
We report the detection of a wing component in NH$_3$ emission toward the starless core TUKH122 with subthermal turbulence in the Orion A cloud. This NH$_3$ core is suggested to be on the verge of star formation because the turbulence inside the NH$_3$ core is almost completely dissipated, and also because it is surrounded by CCS, which resembles the prestellar core L1544 in Taurus showing infall motions. Observations were carried out with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope at 0.05 km s$^{-1}$ velocity resolution. We find that the NH$_3$ line profile consists of two components. The quiescent main component has a small linewidth of 0.3 km s$^{-1}$ dominated by thermal motions, and the red-shifted wing component has a large linewidth of 1.36 km s$^{-1}$ representing turbulent motions. These components show kinetic temperatures of 11 K and $<$ 30 K, respectively. Furthermore, there is a clear velocity offset between the NH$_3$ quiescent gas ($VLSR=3.7$ km s$^{-1}$) and the turbulent gas ($VLSR=4.4$ km s$^{-1}$). The centroid velocity of the turbulent gas corresponds to that of the surrounding gas traced by the $^{13}$CO ($J=1-0$) and CS ($J=2-1$) lines. LVG model calculations for CS and CO show that the turbulent gas has a temperature of $8-13$ K and an H$_2$ density of ~ $10^4$ cm$^{-3}$, suggesting that the temperature of the turbulent component is also ~ 10 K. The detections of both NH$_3$ quiescent and wing components may indicate a sharp transition from the turbulent parent cloud to the quiescent dense core.
This paper reports on the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrum of three low redshift ($z \sim 0.6$) radio loud quasars, 3C 95, 3C 57 and PKS 0405-123. The spectra were obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) of the Hubble Space Telescope. The bolometric thermal emission, $L_{bol}$, associated with the accretion flow is a large fraction of the Eddington limit for all of these sources. We estimate the long term time averaged jet power, $\overline{Q}$, for the three sources. $\overline{Q}/L_{bol}$, is shown to lie along the correlation of $\overline{Q}/L_{bol}$ and $\alpha_{EUV}$ found in previous studies of the EUV continuum of intermediate and high redshift quasars, where the EUV continuum flux density between 1100 \AA\, and 700 \AA\, is defined by $F_{\nu} \sim \nu^{-\alpha_{EUV}}$. The high Eddington ratios of the three quasars extends the analysis into a wider parameter space. Selecting quasars with high Eddington ratios has accentuated the statistical significance of the partial correlation analysis of the data. Namely. the correlation of $\overline{Q}/L_{\mathrm{bol}}$ and $\alpha_{EUV}$ is fundamental and the correlation of $\overline{Q}$ and $\alpha_{EUV}$ is spurious at a very high statistical significance level (99.8\%). This supports the regulating role of ram pressure of the accretion flow in magnetically arrested accretion models of jet production. In the process of this study, we use multi-frequency and multi-resolution Very Large Array radio observations to determine that one of the bipolar jets in 3C 57 is likely frustrated by galactic gas that keeps the jet from propagating outside the host galaxy.
We present a novel positive potential-density pair expansion for modelling galaxies, based on the Miyamoto-Nagai (MN) disc. By using three sets of such discs, each one of them aligned along each symmetry axis, we are able to reconstruct a broad range of potentials that correspond to density profiles from exponential discs to 3D power law models with varying triaxiality (henceforth simply "twisted" models). We increase the efficiency of our expansion by allowing the scale length parameter of each disc to be negative. We show that, for suitable priors on the scale length and height parameters, these "MNn discs" have just one negative density minimum. This allows us to ensure global positivity by demanding that the total density at the global minimum is positive. We find that at better than 10\% accuracy in our density reconstruction, we can represent a radial and vertical exponential disc over $0.1-10$ scale lengths/heights with 4 MNn discs, an NFW profile over $0.1-10$ scale lengths with 4 MNn discs, and a twisted triaxial NFW profile with 3 MNn discs per symmetry axis. Our expansion is efficient, fully analytic, and well-suited to reproducing the density distribution and gravitational potential of galaxies from discs to ellipsoids.
We present 321 GHz observations of five AGN from ALMA Cycle 0 archival data: NGC 5793, NGC 1068, NGC 1386, NGC 4945, and the Circinus galaxy. Submillimeter maser emission is detected for the first time towards NGC 4945, and we present a new analysis of the submillimeter maser system in Circinus. None of the other three galaxies show maser emission, though we have detected and imaged the continuum from every galaxy. Both NGC 4945 and Circinus are known to host strong ($\gtrsim 10$ Jy) 22 GHz megamaser emission, and VLBI observations have shown that the masers reside in the innermost $\sim 1$ parsec of the galaxies. The peak flux densities of the 321 GHz masers in both systems are substantially weaker (by a factor of $\sim$100) than what is observed at 22 GHz, though the corresponding isotropic luminosities are more closely matched (within a factor of $\sim$10) between the two transitions. We compare the structure of the submillimeter spectra presented here to the known 22 GHz spectra, and we argue that in both galaxies the 321 GHz emission likely originates from the same material that gives rise to the 22 GHz masers. The continuum emission in NGC 4945 and NGC 5793 shows a spatial distribution indicative of an origin in the galactic disks (likely thermal dust emission), while for the other three galaxies the emission is centrally concentrated and likely originates from the nucleus.
We combined multi-wavelength data for blazars from the Roma-BZCAT catalog and analyzed hundreds of X-ray spectra. We present the fluxes and Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs), in 12 frequency bands from radio to $\gamma$-rays, for a final sample of 2214 blazars. Using a model-independent statistical approach, we looked for systematic trends in the SEDs; the most significant trends involved the radio luminosities and X-ray spectral indices of the blazars. We used a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), to determine the basis vectors of the blazar SEDs and, in order to maximize the size of the sample, imputed missing fluxes using the K-nearest neighbors method. Using more than an order of magnitude more data than was available when Fossati et al. (1997, 1998) first reported trends of SED shape with blazar luminosity, we confirmed the anti-correlation between radio luminosity and synchrotron peak frequency, although with greater scatter than was seen in the smaller sample. The same trend can be seen between bolometric luminosity and synchrotron peak frequency. Finally, we used all available blazar data to determine an empirical SED description that depends only on the radio luminosity at 1.4~GHz and the redshift. We verified that this statistically significant relation was not a result of the luminosity-luminosity correlations that are natural in flux-limited samples (i.e., where the correlation is actually caused by the redshift rather than the luminosity).
We present a detailed study of the complex ionization structure in a small (~250 pc) extended narrow line region (ENLR) cloud near Centaurus A using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer. This cloud is located in the so-called outer filament of ionized gas (about 15 kpc from the nucleus) where jet-induced star formation has been suggested to occur by different studies. We find that, despite the small size, a mixture of ionization mechanisms is operating, resulting in considerable complexity in the spatial ionization structure. The area includes two H II regions where star formation is occurring and another location where star formation must have ceased very recently. Interestingly, the extreme Balmer decrement of one of the star forming regions (H_alpha/H_beta~6) indicates that it is still heavily embedded in its natal cocoon of gas and dust. At all three locations a continuum counterpart is found with spectra matching those of O/B stars local to Centaurus A. The H II regions are embedded in a larger gas complex which is photoionized by the radiation of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN), but the O/B stars affect the spatial ionization pattern in the ENLR cloud very locally. In particular, in the surroundings of the youngest star forming region, we can isolate a tight mixing sequence in the diagnostic diagram going from gas with ionization due to a pure stellar continuum to gas only photoionized by the AGN. These results emphasize the complexity and the mixture of processes occurring in star forming regions under the influence of an AGN radiation. This is relevant for our understanding of AGN-induced star formation suggested to occur in a number of objects, including this region of Centaurus A. They also illustrate that these young stars influence the gas over only a limited region.
The young star V1331 Cyg received previous attention because it is surrounded by an optical, arc-like reflection nebula. V1331 Cyg is commonly considered to be a candidate for an object that has undergone an FU-Ori (FUOR) the outbreak in the past. This in turn could lead to a time-varying appearance of the dusty arcs that may be revealed by multi-epoch imaging. In particular, a radial colour analysis of the dust arcs can then be attempted to check whether radial grain size distribution was modified by a previous FUOR wind. Second-epoch imaging of V1331 Cyg was obtained by us in 2009 using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). By comparing this to archival HST data from 2000, we studied the time evolution of the circumstellar nebulae. After a point spread function subtraction using model point spread functions, we used customised routines to perform a proper motion analysis. The nebula expansion was first derived by deconvolving and correlating the two-epoch radial brightness profiles. Additional data from other facilities TLS, UKIDSS, SPITZER, and HERSCHEL were also incorporated to improve our understanding of the star in terms of environment, viewing angle, bipolar outflow length, and the FUOR phenomenon. The derived radial colour profiles do not indicate a spatial separation of the dust grain sizes. The HERSCHEL 160 micron images show for the time thermal emission from dust probably residing in the outer arc. By viewing V1331 Cyg almost pole-on, the length of the bipolar outflow exceeds previous estimates by far. The outer arc expansion timescale is consistent with the implantation time of the CO torus, which supports the hypothesis of an outburst that occurred a few thousand years ago. The azimuthal colour variation of the outer arc is probably due to changes of the scattering angle, imposed by a tilt or helical geometry of the dust configuration.
We present a catalogue including 11,204 spectra for 10,436 early-type emission-line stars from LAMOST DR2, among which 9,752 early-type emission-line spectra are newly discovered. For these early-type emission-line stars, we discuss the morphological and physical properties from their low-resolution spectra. In this spectral sample, the H$\alpha$ emission profiles display a wide variety of shapes. Based on the H$\alpha$ line profiles, these spectra are categorized into five distinct classes: single-peak emission, single-peak emission in absorption, double-peak emission, double-peak emission in absorption, and P-Cygni profiles. To better understand what causes the H$\alpha$ line profiles, we divide these objects into four types from the view of physical classification, which include classical Be stars, Herbig Ae/Be stars, close binaries and spectra contaminated by HII regions. The majority of Herbig Ae/Be stars and classical Be stars are identified and separated using the (H-K, K-W1) color-color diagram. We also discuss thirty one binary systems as listed in SIMBAD on-line catalogue and identify 3,600 spectra contaminated by HII regions after cross matching with positions in the Dubout-Crillon catalogue. A statistical analysis of line profiles versus classifications is then conducted in order to understand the distribution of H$\alpha$ profiles for each type in our sample. Finally, we also provide a table of 172 spectra with FeII emission lines and roughly calculate stellar wind velocities for seven spectra with P-Cygni profiles.
We analyse a 154 MHz image made from a 12 h observation with the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) to determine the noise contribution and behaviour of the source counts down to 30 mJy. The MWA image has a bandwidth of 30.72 MHz, a field-of-view within the half-power contour of the primary beam of 570 deg^2, a resolution of 2.3 arcmin and contains 13,458 sources above 5 sigma. The rms noise in the centre of the image is 4-5 mJy/beam. The MWA counts are in excellent agreement with counts from other instruments and are the most precise ever derived in the flux density range 30-200 mJy due to the sky area covered. Using the deepest available source count data, we find that the MWA image is affected by sidelobe confusion noise at the ~3.5 mJy/beam level, due to incompletely-peeled and out-of-image sources, and classical confusion becomes apparent at ~1.7 mJy/beam. This work highlights that (i) further improvements in ionospheric calibration and deconvolution imaging techniques would be required to probe to the classical confusion limit and (ii) the shape of low-frequency source counts, including any flattening towards lower flux densities, must be determined from deeper ~150 MHz surveys as it cannot be directly inferred from higher frequency data.
Using ALMA observations of the C$^{18}$O(2-1) line emission of the gas envelope of protostar L1527, we have reconstructed in space its morphology and kinematics under the assumption of axisymmetry about the west-east axis. We present evidence for rotation with a power law requiring an index increasing with decreasing distance from the star, as expected from a transition to Keplerian. The total velocity, interpreted as free-fall velocity, corresponds to a protostar mass of 0.2 solar masses. The very strong absorption slightly above systemic velocity prevents a reliable exploration at distances from the protostar smaller than $\sim$100 AU. The in-fall velocity, evaluated from the kinematics of the envelope without reference to this absorption, is found to be small and its variation over the explored range is poorly constrained. The accretion rate is evaluated at the scale of 2.5$\pm$1.0 10$^{-7}$ M$_{\odot}$. Deviations from a simple isothermal, stationary description are quantified. The overall morphology leaves room about the disk axis for a broad outflow and for a strong depression near the median plane. Finally, evidence is presented for the inclination of the median plane of the envelope to vary with distance from the star, requiring a non-trivial physical explanation.
These lecture notes and example problems are based on a course given at the
University of Cambridge in Part III of the Mathematical Tripos.
Fluid dynamics is involved in a very wide range of astrophysical phenomena,
such as the formation and internal dynamics of stars and giant planets, the
workings of jets and accretion discs around stars and black holes, and the
dynamics of the expanding Universe. Effects that can be important in
astrophysical fluids include compressibility, self-gravitation and the
dynamical influence of the magnetic field that is 'frozen in' to a highly
conducting plasma.
The basic models introduced and applied in this course are Newtonian gas
dynamics and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) for an ideal compressible fluid. The
mathematical structure of the governing equations and the associated
conservation laws are explored in some detail because of their importance for
both analytical and numerical methods of solution, as well as for physical
interpretation. Linear and nonlinear waves, including shocks and other
discontinuities, are discussed. The spherical blast wave resulting from a
supernova, and involving a strong shock, is a classic problem that can be
solved analytically. Steady solutions with spherical or axial symmetry reveal
the physics of winds and jets from stars and discs. The linearized equations
determine the oscillation modes of astrophysical bodies, as well as determining
their stability and their response to tidal forcing.
We study the area around the HII region Sh 2-234, including the young open cluster Stock 8, to investigate the extent and definition of the association Aur OB2 and the possible role of triggering in massive cluster formation. We obtained Str\"omgren and J,H,Ks photometry for Stock 8 and Str\"omgren photometry for two other cluster candidates in the area, which we confirm as young open clusters and name Alicante 11 and Alicante 12. We took spectroscopy of 33 early-type stars in the area, including the brightest cluster members. We calculate a common distance of $2.80^{+0.27}_{-0.24}$ kpc for the three open clusters and surrounding association. We derive an age 4-6 Ma for Stock 8, and do not find a significantly different age for the other clusters or the association. The star LSV +34 23, with spectral type O8 II(f), is likely the main source of ionization of Sh 2-234. We observe an important population of pre-main sequence stars, some of them with disks, associated with the B-type members lying on the main-sequence. We interpret the region as an area of recent star formation with some residual and very localized ongoing star formation. We do not find evidence for sequential star formation on a large scale. The classical definition of Aur OB2 has to be reconsidered, because its two main open clusters, Stock 8 and NGC 1893, are not at the same distance. Stock 8 is probably located in the Perseus arm, but other nearby HII regions whose distances also place them in this arm show quite different distances and radial velocities and, therefore, are not connected.
A new method to study the intrinsic color and luminosity of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is presented. A metric space built using principal component analysis (PCA) on spectral series SNe Ia between -12.5 and +17.5 days from B maximum is used as a set of predictors. This metric space is built to be insensitive to reddening. Hence, it does not predict the part of color excess due to dust-extinction. At the same time, the rich variability of SN Ia spectra is a good predictor of a large fraction of the intrinsic color variability. Such metric space is a good predictor of the epoch when the maximum in the B-V color curve is reached. Multivariate Partial Least Square (PLS) regression predicts the intrinsic B band light-curve and the intrinsic B-V color curve up to a month after maximum. This allows to study the relation between the light curves of SNe Ia and their spectra. The total-to-selective extinction ratio RV in the host-galaxy of SNe Ia is found, on average, to be consistent with typical Milky-Way values. This analysis shows the importance of collecting spectra to study SNe Ia, even with large sample publicly available. Future automated surveys as LSST will provide a large number of light curves. The analysis shows that observing accompaning spectra for a significative number of SNe will be important even in the case of "normal" SNe Ia.
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Recently, evidence has been presented for the polarization vectors from quasars to preferentially align with the axes of the large quasar groups (LQG) to which they belong. This report was based on observations made at optical wavelengths for two large quasar groups at redshift $\sim 1.3$. The correlation suggests that the spin axes of quasars preferentially align with their surrounding large-scale structure that is assumed to be traced by the LQGs. Here, we consider a large sample of LQGs built from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 quasar catalogue in the redshift range $1.0-1.8$. For quasars embedded in this sample, we collected radio polarization measurements with the goal to study possible correlations between quasar polarization vectors and the major axis of their host LQGs. Assuming the radio polarization vector is perpendicular to the quasar spin axis, we found that the quasar spin axis is preferentially parallel to the LQG major axis inside LQGs that have at least $20$ members. This result independently supports the observations at optical wavelengths. We additionally found that when the richness of an LQG decreases, the quasar spin axis becomes preferentially perpendicular to the LQG major axis and that no correlation is detected for quasar groups with fewer than $10$ members.
We present the first statistical sample of rest-frame far-UV spectra of star-forming galaxies at z~1. These spectra are unique in that they cover the high-ionization CIV{\lambda}{\lambda}1548, 1550 doublet. We also detect low-ionization features such as SiII{\lambda}1527, FeII{\lambda}1608, AlII{\lambda}1670, NiII{\lambda}{\lambda}1741, 1751 and SiII{\lambda}1808, and intermediate-ionization features from AlIII{\lambda}{\lambda}1854, 1862. Comparing the properties of absorption lines of lower- and higher- ionization states provides a window into the multi-phase nature of circumgalactic gas. Our sample is drawn from the DEEP2 survey and spans the redshift range 1.01 < z < 1.35 (<z> = 1.25). By isolating the interstellar CIV absorption from the stellar P-Cygni wind profile we find that 69% of the CIV profiles are blueshifted with respect to the systemic velocity. Furthermore, CIV shows a small but significant blueshift relative to FeII (offset of the best-fit linear regression -76 $\pm$ 26 km/s). At the same time, the CIV blueshift is on average comparable to that of MgII{\lambda}{\lambda}2796, 2803. At this point, in explaining the larger blueshift of CIV absorption at the ~ 3-sigma level, we cannot distinguish between the faster motion of highly-ionized gas relative to gas traced by FeII, and filling in on the red side from resonant CIV emission. We investigate how far-UV interstellar absorption kinematics correlate with other galaxy properties using stacked spectra. These stacking results show a direct link between CIV absorption and the current SFR, though we only observe small velocity differences among different ionization states tracing the outflowing ISM.
We present the results of our ALMA Cycle 2 high angular resolution (0.1-0.2 arcsec) observations of the nuclear region of the nearby well-studied type-2 active galactic nucleus (AGN), NGC 1068, at HCN J=3-2 and HCO+ J=3-2 emission lines. For the first time, due to a higher angular resolution than previous studies, we clearly detected dense molecular gas emission at the putative AGN location, identified as a ~1.1 mm (~266 GHz) continuum emission peak, by separating this emission from brighter emission located at 0.5-2.0 arcsec on the eastern and western sides of the AGN. The estimated intrinsic molecular emission size and dense molecular mass, which are thought to be associated with the putative dusty molecular torus around an AGN, were ~10 pc and ~several x 10^5 Msun, respectively. HCN-to-HCO+ J=3-2 flux ratios substantially higher than unity were found throughout the nuclear region of NGC 1068. The continuum emission displayed an elongated morphology along the direction of the radio jet located at the northern side of the AGN, as well as a weak spatially resolved component at ~2.0 arcsec on the southwestern side of the AGN. The latter component most likely originated from star formation, with the estimated luminosity more than one order of magnitude lower than the luminosity of the central AGN. No vibrationally excited (v2=1f) J=3-2 emission lines were detected for HCN and HCO+ across the field of view.
In this work, we present galaxy stellar and baryonic (stars plus cold gas) mass functions (SMF and BMF) and their halo mass dependence for two volume-limited data sets. The first, RESOLVE-B, coincides with the Stripe 82 footprint and is extremely complete down to baryonic mass Mbary ~ 10^9.1 Msun, probing the gas-rich dwarf regime below Mbary ~ 10^10 Msun. The second, ECO, covers a ~40 times larger volume (containing RESOLVE-A) and is complete to Mbary ~ 10^9.4 Msun. To construct the SMF and BMF we implement a new "cross-bin sampling" technique with Monte Carlo sampling from the full likelihood distributions of stellar or baryonic mass. Our SMFs exhibit the "plateau" feature starting below Mstar ~ 10^10 Msun that has been described in prior work. However, the BMF fills in this feature and rises as a straight power law below ~10^10 Msun, as gas-dominated galaxies become the majority of the population. Nonetheless, the low-mass slope of the BMF is not as steep as that of the theoretical dark matter halo MF. Moreover, we assign group halo masses by abundance matching, finding that the SMF and BMF separated into four physically motivated halo mass regimes reveal complex structure underlying the simple shape of the overall MFs. In particular, the satellite MFs are depressed below the central galaxy MF "humps" in groups with mass <10^13.5 Msun yet rise steeply in clusters. Our results suggest that satellite destruction and/or stripping are active from the point of nascent group formation. We show that the key role of groups in shaping MFs enables reconstruction of a given survey's SMF or BMF based on its group halo mass distribution.
The radiative feedback of massive stars on molecular clouds creates pillars, globules and other features at the interface between the HII region and molecular cloud. We present here Herschel observations between 70 and 500 micron of the immediate environment of the Cygnus OB2 association, performed within the HOBYS program. All structures were detected based on their appearance at 70 micron, and have been classified as pillars, globules, evaporating gasous globules (EGGs), proplyd-like objects, and condensations. From the 70 and 160 micron flux maps, we derive the local FUV field on the PDR surfaces. In parallel, we use a census of the O-stars to estimate the overall FUV-field, that is 10^3-10^4 G_0 close to the central OB cluster (within 10 pc) and decreases down to a few tens G_0, in a distance of 50 pc. From a SED fit to the four longest Herschel wavelengths, we determine column density and temperature maps and derive masses, volume densities and surface densities for these structures. We find that the morphological classification corresponds to distinct physical properties. Pillars and globules have the longest estimated photoevaporation lifetimes, a few 10^6 yr, while all other features should survive less than that. These lifetimes are consistent with that found in simulations of turbulent, UV-illuminated clouds. We propose a tentative evolutionary scheme in which pillars can evolve into globules, which in turn then evolve into EGGs, condensations and proplyd-like objects.
We present velocity-resolved maps taken with the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper (WHAM) in H{\alpha}, [S II] {\lambda}6716, and [N II] {\lambda}6583 around the well-known O8 III star {\lambda} Ori A (HD 36861) (l = 185{\deg} to 205{\deg}, b = -24{\deg} to -1{\deg}). The integrated intensity (v(LSR) = -80 to +80 km/s), I(H{\alpha}), within WHAM's one-degree beams varies from ~ 190 R near the center to ~ 10 R on the periphery of the nebula where it becomes comparable to foreground and/or background emission in this complex region. Intensity ratios for [N II]/H{\alpha} and [S II]/H{\alpha} average 0.28 and 0.35, respectively. In both ratios, higher values are found preferentially at larger radii from {\lambda} Ori, although the behavior of [N II]/H{\alpha} is complicated near the edges of the nebula. The [S II]/[N II] intensity ratio ranges from ~ 0.5 to ~ 1.0, with the value increasing toward larger radii (and lower H{\alpha} intensities). Variations of [S II]/H{\alpha}, [N II]/H{\alpha}, and [S II]/[N II] line ratios in this diffuse region show some similar trends to those seen in the warm ionized medium (WIM) but with generally lower metal-line ratios. As with the WIM, the trends are driven by changes in the underlying physical parameters, most notably the ionization states and gas temperature. We use these extremely high signal-to-noise observations to construct a map of temperature and non-thermal velocity throughout the nebula. Using the line widths of H{\alpha} and [S II], we separate thermal and non-thermal components and find spatial trends of these parameters within the nebula.
Hydrogen and helium emission lines in nebulae form by radiative
recombination. This is a simple process which, in principle, can be described
to very high precision. Ratios of He I and H I emission lines can be used to
measure the He$^+$/H$^+$ abundance ratio to the same precision as the
recombination rate coefficients. This paper investigates the controversy over
the correct theory to describe dipole $l$-changing collisions ($nl\rightarrow
nl'=l\pm 1$) between energy-degenerate states within an $n$-shell. The work of
Pengelly & Seaton (1964) has, for half-a-century, been considered the
definitive study which "solved" the problem. Recent work by Vrinceanu et
al.(2012) recommended the use of rate coefficients from a semi-classical
approximation which are nearly an order of magnitude smaller than those of
Pengelly & Seaton (1964), with the result that significantly higher densities
are needed for the $nl$ populations to come into local thermodynamic
equilibrium.
Here, we compare predicted H~I emissivities from the two works and find
widespread differences, of up to $\approx 10$%. This far exceeds the 1%
precision required to obtain the primordial He/H abundance ratio from
observations so as to constrain Big Bang cosmologies. We recommend using the
rate coefficients of Pengelly & Seaton (1964) for $l$-changing collisions, to
describe the H recombination spectrum, based-on their quantum mechanical
representation of the long-range dipole interaction.
We observed the nuclear region of the galaxy NGC 1365 with the integral field unit of the Gemini Multi Object Spectrograph mounted on the GEMINI-South telescope. The field of view covers $13^{\prime\prime} \times 6^{\prime\prime}$ ($1173 \times 541$ pc$^{2}$) centered on the nucleus, at a spatial resolution of $52$ pc. The spectral coverage extends from $5600$ \AA\ to $7000$ \AA, at a spectral resolution $R=1918$. NGC 1365 hosts a Seyfert 1.8 nucleus, and exhibits a prominent bar extending out to $100^{\prime\prime}$ (9 kpc) from the nucleus. The field of view lies within the inner Lindblad resonance. Within this region, we found that the kinematics of the ionized gas (as traced by [OI], [NII], H$\alpha$, and [SII]) is consistent with rotation in the large-scale plane of the galaxy. While rotation dominates the kinematics, there is also evidence for a fan-shaped outflow, as found in other studies based on the [OIII] emission lines. Although evidence for gas inflowing along nuclear spirals has been found in a few barred galaxies, we find no obvious signs of such features in the inner kiloparsec of NGC 1365. However, the emission lines exhibit a puzzling asymmetry that could originate from gas which is slower than the gas responsible for the bulk of the narrow-line emission. We speculate that it could be tracing gas which lost angular momentum, and is slowly migrating from the inner Lindblad resonance towards the nucleus of the galaxy.
We present a catalog of low-mass dense cores observed with the SHARC-II instrument at 350 microns. Our observations have an effective angular resolution of 10", approximately 2.5 times higher than observations at the same wavelength obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory, albeit with lower sensitivity, especially to extended emission. The catalog includes 81 maps covering a total of 164 detected sources. For each detected source, we tabulate basic source properties including position, peak intensity, flux density in fixed apertures, and radius. We examine the uncertainties in the pointing model applied to all SHARC-II data and conservatively find that the model corrections are good to within ~3", approximately 1/3 of the SHARC-II beam. We examine the differences between two array scan modes and find that the instrument calibration, beam size, and beam shape are similar between the two modes. We also show that the same flux densities are measured when sources are observed in the two different modes, indicating that there are no systematic effects introduced into our catalog by utilizing two different scan patterns during the course of taking observations. We find a detection rate of 95% for protostellar cores but only 45% for starless cores, and demonstrate the existence of a SHARC-II detection bias against all but the most massive and compact starless cores. Finally, we discuss the improvements in protostellar classification enabled by these 350 micron observations.
We present an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 106 GHz (Band 3) continuum survey of the complete population of dense cores in the Chamaeleon I molecular cloud. We detect a total of 24 continuum sources in 19 different target fields. All previously known Class 0 and Class I protostars in Chamaeleon I are detected, whereas all of the 56 starless cores in our sample are undetected. We show that the Spitzer+Herschel census of protostars in Chamaeleon I is complete, with the rate at which protostellar cores have been misclassified as starless cores calculated as <1/56, or < 2%. We use synthetic observations to show that starless cores collapsing following the turbulent fragmentation scenario are detectable by our ALMA observations when their central densities exceed ~10^8 cm^-3, with the exact density dependent on the viewing geometry. Bonnor-Ebert spheres, on the other hand, remain undetected to central densities at least as high as 10^10 cm^-3. Our starless core non-detections are used to infer that either the star formation rate is declining in Chamaeleon I and most of the starless cores are not collapsing, matching the findings of previous studies, or that the evolution of starless cores are more accurately described by models that develop less substructure than predicted by the turbulent fragmentation scenario, such as Bonnor-Ebert spheres. We outline future work necessary to distinguish between these two possibilities.
We assemble a sample of disk star-forming galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, studying the structure of H$\alpha$ emission lines, finding a large fraction of this sample contains boxy H$\alpha$ line profiles. This fraction depends on galaxy physical and geometric parameters in the following way: (1) it increases monotonically with star formation rate per unit area ($\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$), and stellar mass ($M_*$), with the trend being much stronger with $M_*$, from $\sim$0% at $M_*=10^{10}M_{\odot}$ to about 50% at $M_*=10^{11}M_\odot$; (2) the fraction is much smaller in face-on systems than in edge-on systems. It increases with galaxy inclination ($i$) while $i < 60\,^{\circ}$ and is roughly a constant of 25% beyond this range; (3) for the sources which can be modeled well with two velocity components, blueshifted and redshifted from the systemic velocity, these is a positive correlation between the velocity difference of these two components and the stellar mass, with a slope similar to the Tully-Fisher relation; (4) the two components are very symmetric in the mean, both in velocity and in amplitude. The four findings listed above can be understood as a natural result of a rotating galaxy disk with a kpc-scale ring-like H$\alpha$ emission region.
This paper outlines how the new GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky MWA Survey (GLEAM, Wayth et al. 2015), observed by the Murchison Widefield Array covering the frequency range 72 - 231 MHz, allows identification of a new large, complete, sample of more than 2000 bright extragalactic radio sources selected at 151 MHz. With a flux density limit of 4 Jy this sample is significantly larger than the canonical fully-complete sample, 3CRR (Laing, Riley & Longair 1983). In analysing this small bright subset of the GLEAM survey we are also providing a first user check of the GLEAM catalogue ahead of its public release (Hurley-Walker et al. in prep). Whilst significant work remains to fully characterise our new bright source sample, in time it will provide important constraints to evolutionary behaviour, across a wide redshift and intrinsic radio power range, as well as being highly complementary to results from targeted, small area surveys.
The WISE satellite has detected hundreds of millions sources over the entire sky. Classifying them reliably is however a challenging task due to degeneracies in WISE multicolour space and low levels of detection in its two longest-wavelength bandpasses. Here we aim at obtaining comprehensive and reliable star, galaxy and quasar catalogues based on automatic source classification in full-sky WISE data. This means that the final classification will employ only parameters available from WISE itself, in particular those reliably measured for a majority of sources. For the automatic classification we applied the support vector machines (SVM) algorithm, which requires a training sample with relevant classes already identified, and we chose to use the SDSS spectroscopic dataset for that purpose. By calibrating the classifier on the test data drawn from SDSS, we first established that a polynomial kernel is preferred over a radial one for this particular dataset. Next, using three classification parameters (W1 magnitude, W1-W2 colour, and a differential aperture magnitude) we obtained very good classification efficiency in all the tests. At the bright end, the completeness for stars and galaxies reaches ~95%, deteriorating to ~80% at W1=16 mag, while for quasars it stays at a level of ~95% independently of magnitude. Similar numbers are obtained for purity. Application of the classifier to full-sky WISE data, flux-limited to 16 mag (Vega) in the 3.4 $\mu$m channel, and appropriate a posteriori cleaning allowed us to obtain reliably-looking catalogues of star and galaxy candidates. However, the sources flagged by the classifier as `quasars' are in fact dominated by dusty galaxies but also exhibit contamination from sources located mainly at low ecliptic latitudes, consistent with Solar System objects.
Supermassive black holes are a key ingredient of galaxy evolution. However, their origin is still highly debated. In one of the leading formation scenarios, a black hole of $\sim100$ M$_{\odot}$ results from the collapse of the inner core of a supermassive star ($\gtrsim 10^{4-5}$ M$_{\odot}$), created by the rapid accumulation ($\gtrsim 0.1 $ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$) of pristine gas at the centre of newly formed galaxies at $z\sim 15$. The subsequent evolution is still speculative: the remaining gas in the supermassive star can either directly plunge into the nascent black hole, or part of it can form a central accretion disc, whose luminosity sustains a surrounding, massive, and nearly hydrostatic envelope (a system called a "quasi-star"). To address this point, we consider the effect of rotation on a quasi-star, as angular momentum is inevitably transported towards the galactic nucleus by the accumulating gas. Using a model for the internal redistribution of angular momentum that qualitative matches results from simulations of rotating convective stellar envelopes, we show that quasi-stars with an envelope mass greater than a few $10^{5}$ M$_{\odot} \times (\rm black~hole~mass/100 M_{\odot})^{0.82}$ have highly sub-keplerian gas motion in their core, preventing gas circularisation outside the black hole's horizon. Less massive quasi-stars could form but last for only $\lesssim 10^4$ years before the accretion luminosity unbinds the envelope, suppressing the black hole growth. We speculate that this might eventually lead to a dual black hole seed population: (i) massive ($>10^{4}$ M$_{\odot}$) seeds formed in the most massive ($> 10^{8}$ M$_{\odot}$) and rare haloes; (ii) lighter ($\sim 10^{2}$ M$_{\odot}$) seeds to be found in less massive and therefore more common haloes.
We investigate whether open clusters (OCs) tend to energy equipartition, by means of direct N-body simulations with a broken power-law mass function. We find that the simulated OCs become strongly mass segregated, but the local velocity dispersion does not depend on the stellar mass for most of the mass range: the curve of the velocity dispersion as a function of mass is nearly flat even after several half-mass relaxation times, regardless of the adopted stellar evolution recipes and Galactic tidal field model. This result holds both if we start from virialized King models and if we use clumpy sub-virial initial conditions. The velocity dispersion of the most massive stars and stellar remnants tends to be higher than the velocity dispersion of the lighter stars. This trend is particularly evident in simulations without stellar evolution. We interpret this result as a consequence of the strong mass segregation, which leads to Spitzer's instability. Stellar winds delay the onset of the instability. Our simulations strongly support the result that OCs do not attain equipartition, for a wide range of initial conditions.
Our goal is to investigate the spiral structure of the Northern Galactic plane using as tracers the classical Be stars detected by INT Photometric H$\alpha$ Survey (IPHAS). IPHAS scans the $29^o<l<+215^o, -5^o<b<+5^o$ region in the $r$, $i$ and H$\alpha$ bands. Spectroscopic follow up has been done for the bright H$\alpha$ emitters. We have developed an automatic procedure for spectral analysis, based on the BCD spectrophotometric system. In this paper we present a cataloque of 1135 Classical Be stars, for which we have determined spectral types, astrophysical parameters and distances. From these results we make a first attempt to map the structure of the Galactic disk in the anticenter direction.
We present the first measure of Fe and Na abundances in NGC 6362, a low-mass globular cluster where first and second generation stars are fully spatially mixed. A total of 160 member stars (along the red giant branch and the red horizontal branch) have been observed with the multi-object spectrograph FLAMES at the Very Large Telescope. We find that the cluster has an iron abundance of [Fe/H]=--1.09$\pm$0.01 dex, without evidence of intrinsic dispersion. On the other hand, the [Na/Fe] distribution turns out to be intrinsically broad and bimodal. The Na-poor and Na-rich stars populate, respectively, the bluest and the reddest red giant branches detected in the color-magnitude diagrams including the U filter. The red giant branch is composed of a mixture of first and second generation stars in a similar proportion, while almost all the red horizontal branch stars belong to the first cluster generation. Until now, NGC 6362 is the least massive globular cluster where both the photometric and spectroscopic signatures of multiple populations have been detected.
High resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy of the prototype accretion disk wind quasar, PDS 456, is presented. Here, the XMM-Newton RGS spectra are analyzed from the large 2013-2014 XMM-Newton campaign, consisting of 5 observations of approximately 100 ks in length. During the last observation (hereafter OBS. E), the quasar is at a minimum flux level and broad absorption line profiles are revealed in the soft X-ray band, with typical velocity widths of $\sigma_{\rm v}\sim 10,000$ km s$^{-1}$. During a period of higher flux in the 3rd and 4th observations (OBS. C and D, respectively), a very broad absorption trough is also present above 1 keV. From fitting the absorption lines with models of photoionized absorption spectra, the inferred outflow velocities lie in the range $\sim 0.1-0.2c$. The absorption lines likely originate from He and H-like neon and L-shell iron at these energies. Comparison with earlier archival data of PDS 456 also reveals similar absorption structure near 1 keV in a 40 ks observation in 2001, and generally the absorption lines appear most apparent when the spectrum is more absorbed overall. The presence of the soft X-ray broad absorption lines is also independently confirmed from an analysis of the XMM-Newton EPIC spectra below 2 keV. We suggest that the soft X-ray absorption profiles could be associated with a lower ionization and possibly clumpy phase of the accretion disk wind, where the latter is known to be present in this quasar from its well studied iron K absorption profile and where the wind velocity reaches a typical value of 0.3$c$.
We present the discovery of 15 extremely low mass (5 < log{g} < 7) white dwarf candidates, 9 of which are in ultra-compact double-degenerate binaries. Our targeted ELM Survey sample now includes 76 binaries. The sample has a lognormal distribution of orbital periods with a median period of 5.4 hr. The velocity amplitudes imply that the binary companions have a normal distribution of mass with 0.76 Msun mean and 0.25 Msun dispersion. Thus extremely low mass white dwarfs are found in binaries with a typical mass ratio of 1:4. Statistically speaking, 95% of the white dwarf binaries have a total mass below the Chandrasekhar mass and thus are not Type Ia supernova progenitors. Yet half of the observed binaries will merge in less than 6 Gyr due to gravitational wave radiation; probable outcomes include single massive white dwarfs and stable mass transfer AM CVn binaries.
We estimate the merger rate of double degenerate binaries containing extremely low mass (ELM) <0.3 Msun white dwarfs in the Galaxy. Such white dwarfs are detectable for timescales of 0.1 Gyr -- 1 Gyr in the ELM Survey; the binaries they reside in have gravitational wave merger times of 0.001 Gyr -- 100 Gyr. To explain the observed distribution requires that most ELM white dwarf binary progenitors detach from the common envelope phase with <1 hr orbital periods. We calculate the local space density of ELM white dwarf binaries and estimate a merger rate of 3e-3/yr over the entire disk of the Milky Way; the merger rate in the halo is 10 times smaller. The ELM white dwarf binary merger rate exceeds by a factor of 40 the formation rate of stable mass transfer AM CVn binaries, marginally exceeds the rate of underluminous supernovae, and is identical to the formation rate of R CrB stars. On this basis, we conclude that ELM white dwarf binaries can be the progenitors of all observed AM CVn and possibly underluminous supernovae, however the majority of He+CO white dwarf binaries go through unstable mass transfer and merge, e.g. into single massive ~1 Msun white dwarfs.
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