We explore the relationship between active galactic nuclei and star formation in a sample of 513 optically luminous type 1 quasars up to redshifts of $\sim$4 hosting extremely high star formation rates (SFRs). The quasars are selected to be individually detected by the \textit{Herschel} SPIRE instrument at $> $3$\sigma$ at 250 $\mu$m, leading to typical SFRs of order of 1000 M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$. We find the average SFRs to increase by almost a factor 10 from $z\sim0.5$ to $z\sim3$, mirroring the rise in the comoving SFR density over the same epoch. However, we find that the SFRs remain approximately constant with increasing accretion luminosity for accretion luminosities above 10$^{12}$ L$_{\odot}$. We also find that the SFRs do not correlate with black hole mass. Both of these results are most plausibly explained by the existence of a self-regulation process by the starburst at high SFRs, which controls SFRs on time-scales comparable to or shorter than the AGN or starburst duty cycles. We additionally find that SFRs do not depend on Eddington ratio at any redshift, consistent with no relation between SFR and black hole growth rate per unit black hole mass. Finally, we find that high-ionisation broad absorption line (HiBAL) quasars have indistinguishable far-infrared properties to those of classical quasars, consistent with HiBAL quasars being normal quasars observed along a particular line of sight, with the outflows in HiBAL quasars not having any measurable effect on the star formation in their hosts.
Microlensing provides a unique tool to break the stellar to dark matter degeneracy in the inner Milky Way. We combine N-body dynamical models fitted to the Milky Way's Boxy/Peanut bulge with exponential disk models outside this, and compute the microlensing properties. Considering the range of models consistent with the revised MOA-II data, we find low dark matter fractions in the inner Galaxy: at the peak of their stellar rotation curve a fraction $f_v=(0.88\pm0.07)$ of the circular velocity is baryonic (at $1\sigma$, $f_v > 0.72$ at $2\sigma$). These results are in agreement with constraints from the EROS-II microlensing survey of brighter resolved stars, where we find $f_v=(0.9\pm0.1)$ at $1\sigma$. Our fiducial model of a disk with scale length 2.6kpc, and a bulge with a low dark matter fraction of 12%, agrees with both the revised MOA-II and EROS-II microlensing data. The required baryonic fractions, and the resultant low contribution from dark matter, are consistent with the NFW profiles produced by dissipationless cosmological simulations in Milky Way mass galaxies. They are also consistent with recent prescriptions for the mild adiabatic contraction of Milky Way mass haloes without the need for strong feedback, but there is some tension with recent measurements of the local dark matter density. Microlensing optical depths from the larger OGLE-III sample could improve these constraints further when available.
We present ALMA ultra-high-spatial resolution ($\sim 20 \, {\rm mas}$) observations of dust continuum at $920 \, {\rm \mu m}$ and $1.2 \, {\rm mm}$ in a pair of submm galaxies (SMGs) at $z = 3.442$, ALMACAL-1 (A-1: $S_{\rm 870 \mu m} = 6.5 \pm 0.2 \, {\rm mJy}$) and ALMACAL-2 (A-2: $S_{\rm 870 \mu m} = 4.4 \pm 0.2 \, {\rm mJy}$). The spectroscopic redshifts of A-1 and A-2 have been confirmed via serendipitous detection of up to nine emission lines. Our ultra-high-spatial resolution data reveal that about half of the star formation in each of these starbursts is dominated by a single compact clump (FWHM size of $\sim 350 \, {\rm pc}$). This structure is confirmed by independent datasets at $920 \, {\rm \mu m}$ and $1.2 \, {\rm mm}$. The star-formation rate (SFR) surface densities of all these clumps are extremely high, $\Sigma_{\rm SFR} \sim 1200$ to $\sim 3000 \, {M_\odot \, {\rm yr}^{-1} \, {\rm kpc}^{-2}}$, the highest found in high-redshift galaxies. There is a small probability that A-1 and A-2 are the lensed components of a background source gravitationally amplified by the blazar host. If this was the case, the effective radius of the source would be $R_{\rm eff} \sim 40 \, {\rm pc}$, and the de-magnified SFR surface density would be $\Sigma_{\rm SFR} \sim 10000 \, {M_\odot \, {\rm yr}^{-1} \, {\rm kpc}^{-2}}$, comparable with the eastern nucleus of Arp 220. Despite being unable to rule out an AGN contribution, our results suggest that a significant percentage of the enormous far-IR luminosity in some dusty starbursts is concentrated in very small star-forming regions. The high $\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ in our pair of SMGs could only be measured thanks to the ultra-high-resolution ALMA observations used in this work, demonstrating that long-baseline observations are essential to study and interpret the properties of dusty starbursts in the early Universe.
We present medium-resolution, near-ultraviolet VLT/FLAMES observations of the star USNO-A0600-15865535. We adapt a standard method of stellar typing to our measurement of the shape of the Balmer epsilon absorption line to demonstrates that USNO-A0600-15865535 is a blue horizontal branch star, residing in the lower stellar halo at a distance of 4.4 kpc from the Sun. We measure the H & K lines of singly-ionized calcium and find two isolated velocity components, one originating in the disk, and one associated with high-velocity cloud complex WD. This detection demonstrated that complex WD is closer than ~4.4 kpc and is the first distance constraint on the +100 km/s Galactic complex of clouds. We find that Complex WD is not in corotation with the Galactic disk as has been assumed for decades. We examine a number of scenarios, and find that the most likely is that Complex WD was ejected from the solar neighborhood and is only a few kpc from the Sun.
We obtained adaptive-optics assisted SINFONI observations of the central regions of the giant elliptical galaxy NGC5419 with a spatial resolution of 0.2 arcsec ($\approx 55$ pc). NGC5419 has a large depleted stellar core with a radius of 1.58 arcsec (430 pc). HST and SINFONI images show a point source located at the galaxy's photocentre, which is likely associated with the low-luminosity AGN previously detected in NGC5419. Both the HST and SINFONI images also show a second nucleus, off-centred by 0.25 arcsec ($\approx 70$ pc). Outside of the central double nucleus, we measure an almost constant velocity dispersion of $\sigma \sim 350$ km/s. In the region where the double nucleus is located, the dispersion rises steeply to a peak value of $\sim 420$ km/s. In addition to the SINFONI data, we also obtained stellar kinematics at larger radii from the South African Large Telescope. While NGC5419 shows low rotation ($v < 50$ km/s), the central regions (inside $\sim 4 \, r_b$) clearly rotate in the opposite direction to the galaxy's outer parts. We use orbit-based dynamical models to measure the black hole mass of NGC5419 from the kinematical data outside of the double nuclear structure. The models imply M$_{\rm BH}=7.2^{+2.7}_{-1.9} \times 10^9$ M$_{\odot}$. The enhanced velocity dispersion in the region of the double nucleus suggests that NGC5419 possibly hosts two supermassive black holes at its centre, separated by only $\approx 70$ pc. Yet our measured M$_{\rm BH}$ is consistent with the black hole mass expected from the size of the galaxy's depleted stellar core. This suggests, that systematic uncertainties in M$_{\rm BH}$ related to the secondary nucleus are small.
We cross-correlate the largest available Mid-Infrared (WISE), X-ray (3XMM) and Radio (FIRST+NVSS) catalogues to define the MIXR sample of AGN and star-forming galaxies. We pre-classify the sources based on their positions on the WISE colour/colour plot, showing that the MIXR triple selection is extremely effective to diagnose the star formation and AGN activity of individual populations, even on a flux/magnitude basis, extending the diagnostics to objects with luminosities and redshifts from SDSS DR12. We recover the radio/mid-IR star formation correlation with great accuracy, and use it to classify our sources, based on their activity, as radio-loud and radio-quiet AGN, LERGs/LINERs, and non-AGN galaxies. These diagnostics can prove extremely useful for large AGN and galaxy samples, and help develop ways to efficiently triage sources when data from the next generation of instruments becomes available. We study bias in detail, and show that while the widely-used WISE colour selections for AGN are very successful at cleanly selecting samples of luminous AGN, they miss or misclassify a substantial fraction of AGN at lower luminosities and/or higher redshifts. MIXR also allows us to test the relation between radiative and kinetic (jet) power in radio-loud AGN, for which a tight correlation is expected due to a mutual dependence on accretion. Our results highlight that long-term AGN variability, jet regulation, and other factors affecting the $Q/L$$_{bol}$ relation, are introducing a vast amount of scatter in this relation, with dramatic potential consequences on our current understanding of AGN feedback and its effect on star formation.
We examine the dark matter content of satellite galaxies in Lambda-CDM cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of the Local Group from the APOSTLE project. We find excellent agreement between simulation results and estimates for the 9 brightest Galactic dwarf spheroidals (dSphs) derived from their stellar velocity dispersions and half-light radii. Tidal stripping plays an important role by gradually removing dark matter from the outside in, affecting in particular fainter satellites and systems of larger-than-average size for their luminosity. Our models suggest that tides have significantly reduced the dark matter content of Can Ven I, Sextans, Carina, and Fornax, a prediction that may be tested by comparing them with field galaxies of matching luminosity and size. Uncertainties in observational estimates of the dark matter content of individual dwarfs have been underestimated in the past, at times substantially. We use our improved estimates to revisit the `too-big-to-fail' problem highlighted in earlier N-body work. We reinforce and extend our previous conclusion that the APOSTLE simulations show no sign of this problem. The resolution does not require `cores' in the dark mass profiles, but, rather, relies on revising assumptions and uncertainties in the interpretation of observational data and accounting for `baryon effects' in the theoretical modelling.
We report the discovery of 14 Lyman-alpha blobs (LABs) at z~0.3, existing at least 4-7 billion years later in the Universe than all other LABs known. Their optical diameters are 20-70 kpc, and GALEX data imply Ly-alpha luminosities of (0.4-6.3)x10^43 erg/s. Contrary to high-z LABs, they live in low-density areas. They are ionized by AGN, suggesting that cold accretion streams as a power source must deplete between z=2 and z=0.3. We also show that transient AGN naturally explain the ionization deficits observed in many LABs: Their Ly-alpha and X-ray fluxes decorrelate below 10^6 years because of the delayed escape of resonantly scattering Ly-alpha photons. High Ly-alpha luminosities do not require currently powerful AGN, independent of obscuration. Chandra X-ray data reveal intrinsically weak AGN, confirming the luminous optical nebulae as impressive ionization echoes. For the first time, we also report mid-infrared thermal echoes from the dusty tori. We conclude that the AGN have faded by 3-4 orders of magnitude within the last 10^(4-5) years, leaving fossil UV, optical and thermal radiation behind. The host galaxies belong to the group of previously discovered Green Bean galaxies (GBs). Gemini optical imaging reveals smooth spheres, mergers, spectacular outflows and ionization cones. Because of their proximity and high flux densities, GBs are perfect targets to study AGN feedback, mode switching and the Ly-alpha escape. The fully calibrated, coadded optical FITS images are publicly available.
We present LZIFU (LaZy-IFU), an IDL toolkit for fitting multiple emission lines simultaneously in integral field spectroscopy (IFS) data. LZIFU is useful for the investigation of the dynamical, physical and chemical properties of gas in galaxies. LZIFU has already been applied to many world-class IFS instruments and large IFS surveys, including the Wide Field Spectrograph, the new Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey, the Sydney-Australian-astronomical-observatory Multi-object Integral-field spectrograph (SAMI) Galaxy Survey. Here we describe in detail the structure of the toolkit, and how the line fluxes and flux uncertainties are determined, including the possibility of having multiple distinct kinematic components. We quantify the performance of LZIFU, demonstrating its accuracy and robustness. We also show examples of applying LZIFU to CALIFA and SAMI data to construct emission line and kinematic maps, and investigate complex, skewed line profiles presented in IFS data. The code is made available to the astronomy community through github. LZIFU will be further developed over time to other IFS instruments, and to provide even more accurate line and uncertainty estimates.
We present Karl G Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations of CO(2-1) line emission and rest-frame 250GHz continuum emission of the Hyper-Luminous IR Galaxies (HyLIRGs) BRI1202-0725 (z=4.69) and BRI1335-0417 (z=4.41), with an angular resolution as high as 0.15". Our low order CO observations delineate the cool molecular gas, the fuel for star formation in the systems, in unprecedented detail. For BRI1202-0725, line emission is seen from both extreme starburst galaxies: the quasar host and the optically obscured submm galaxy (SMG), in addition to one of the Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies in the group. Line emission from the SMG shows an east-west extension of about 0.6". For Lyalpha-2, the CO emission is detected at the same velocity as [CII] and [NII], indicating a total gas mass ~4.0*10^10 solar masses. The CO emission from BRI1335-0417 peaks at the nominal quasar position, with a prominent northern extension (~1", a possible tidal feature). The gas depletion timescales are ~10^7 years for the three HyLIRGs, consistent with extreme starbursts, while that of Lyalpha-2 may be consistent with main sequence galaxies. We interpret these sources as major star formation episodes in the formation of massive galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs) via gas rich mergers in the early Universe.
We present the rationale for and the observational description of ASPECS: The ALMA SPECtroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (UDF), the cosmological deep field that has the deepest multi-wavelength data available. Our overarching goal is to obtain an unbiased census of molecular gas and dust continuum emission in high-redshift (z$>$0.5) galaxies. The $\sim$1$'$ region covered within the UDF was chosen to overlap with the deepest available imaging from HST. Our ALMA observations consist of full frequency scans in band 3 (84-115 GHz) and band 6 (212-272 GHz) at approximately uniform line sensitivity ($L'_{\rm CO}\sim$2$\times$10$^{9}$ K km/s pc$^2$), and continuum noise levels of 3.8 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ and 12.7 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$, respectively. The molecular surveys cover the different rotational transitions of the CO molecule, leading to essentially full redshift coverage. The [CII] emission line is also covered at redshifts $6.0<z<8.0$. We present a customized algorithm to identify line candidates in the molecular line scans, and quantify our ability to recover artificial sources from our data. Based on whether multiple CO lines are detected, and whether optical spectroscopic redshifts as well as optical counterparts exist, we constrain the most likely line identification. We report 10 (11) CO line candidates in the 3mm (1mm) band, and our statistical analysis shows that $<$4 of these (in each band) are likely spurious. Less than 1/3 of the total CO flux in the low-J CO line candidates are from sources that are not associated with an optical/NIR counterpart. We also present continuum maps of both the band 3 and band 6 observations. The data presented here form the basis of a number of dedicated studies that are presented in subsequent papers.
We present an analysis of a deep (1$\sigma$=13 $\mu$Jy) cosmological 1.2-mm continuum map based on ASPECS, the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. In the 1 arcmin$^2$ covered by ASPECS we detect nine sources at $>3.5\sigma$ significance at 1.2-mm. Our ALMA--selected sample has a median redshift of $z=1.6\pm0.4$, with only one galaxy detected at z$>$2 within the survey area. This value is significantly lower than that found in millimeter samples selected at a higher flux density cut-off and similar frequencies. Most galaxies have specific star formation rates similar to that of main sequence galaxies at the same epoch, and we find median values of stellar mass and star formation rates of $4.0\times10^{10}\ M_\odot$ and $\sim40~M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, respectively. Using the dust emission as a tracer for the ISM mass, we derive depletion times that are typically longer than 300 Myr, and we find molecular gas fractions ranging from $\sim$0.1 to 1.0. As noted by previous studies, these values are lower than using CO--based ISM estimates by a factor $\sim$2. The 1\,mm number counts (corrected for fidelity and completeness) are in agreement with previous studies that were typically restricted to brighter sources. With our individual detections only, we recover $55\pm4\%$ of the extragalactic background light (EBL) at 1.2 mm measured by the Planck satellite, and we recover $80\pm7\%$ of this EBL if we include the bright end of the number counts and additional detections from stacking. The stacked contribution is dominated by galaxies at $z\sim1-2$, with stellar masses of (1-3)$\times$10$^{10}$ M$_\odot$. For the first time, we are able to characterize the population of galaxies that dominate the EBL at 1.2 mm.
In this paper we use ASPECS, the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the {\em Hubble} Ultra Deep Field (UDF) in band 3 and band 6, to place blind constraints on the CO luminosity function and the evolution of the cosmic molecular gas density as a function of redshift up to $z\sim 4.5$. This study is based on galaxies that have been solely selected through their CO emission and not through any other property. In all of the redshift bins the ASPECS measurements reach the predicted `knee' of the CO luminosity function (around $5\times10^{9}$ K km/s pc$^2$). We find clear evidence of an evolution in the CO luminosity function with respect to $z\sim 0$, with more CO luminous galaxies present at $z\sim 2$. The observed galaxies at $z\sim 2$ also appear more gas-rich than predicted by recent semi-analytical models. The comoving cosmic molecular gas density within galaxies as a function of redshift shows a factor 3-10 drop from $z \sim 2$ to $z \sim 0$ (with significant error bars), and possibly a decline at $z>3$. This trend is similar to the observed evolution of the cosmic star formation rate density. The latter therefore appears to be at least partly driven by the increased availability of molecular gas reservoirs at the peak of cosmic star formation ($z\sim2$).
We study the molecular gas properties of high-$z$ galaxies observed in the ALMA Spectroscopic Survey (ASPECS) that targets a $\sim1$ arcmin$^2$ region in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF), a blind survey of CO emission (tracing molecular gas) in the 3mm and 1mm bands. Of a total of 1302 galaxies in the field, 56 have spectroscopic redshifts and correspondingly well-defined physical properties. Among these, 11 have infrared luminosities $L_{\rm{}IR}>10^{11}$ L$_\odot$, i.e. a detection in CO emission was expected. Out these, 7 are detected at various significance in CO, and 4 are undetected in CO emission. In the CO-detected sources, we find CO excitation conditions that are lower than typically found in starburst/SMG/QSO environments. We use the CO luminosities (including limits for non-detections) to derive molecular gas masses. We discuss our findings in context of previous molecular gas observations at high redshift (star-formation law, gas depletion times, gas fractions): The CO-detected galaxies in the UDF tend to reside on the low-$L_{\rm{}IR}$ envelope of the scatter in the $L_{\rm{}IR}-L'_{\rm{}CO}$ relation, but exceptions exist. For the CO-detected sources, we find an average depletion time of $\sim$ 1 Gyr, with significant scatter. The average molecular-to-stellar mass ratio ($M_{\rm{}H2}$/$M_*$) is consistent with earlier measurements of main sequence galaxies at these redshifts, and again shows large variations among sources. In some cases, we also measure dust continuum emission. On average, the dust-based estimates of the molecular gas are a factor $\sim$2-5$\times$ smaller than those based on CO. Accounting for detections as well as non-detections, we find large diversity in the molecular gas properties of the high-redshift galaxies covered by ASPECS.
We present a search for [CII] line and dust continuum emission from optical dropout galaxies at $z>6$ using ASPECS, our ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (UDF). Our observations, which cover the frequency range $212-272$ GHz, encompass approximately the range $6<z<8$ for [CII] line emission and reach a limiting luminosity of L$_{\rm [CII]}\sim$(1.6-2.5)$\times$10$^{8}$ L$_{\odot}$. We identify fourteen [CII] line emitting candidates in this redshift range with significances $>$4.5 $\sigma$, two of which correspond to blind detections with no optical counterparts. At this significance level, our statistical analysis shows that about 60\% of our candidates are expected to be spurious. For one of our blindly selected [CII] line candidates, we tentatively detect the CO(6-5) line in our parallel 3-mm line scan. None of the line candidates are individually detected in the 1.2 mm continuum. A stack of all [CII] candidates results in a tentative detection with $S_{1.2mm}=14\pm5\mu$Jy. This implies a dust-obscured star formation rate (SFR) of $(3\pm1)$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. We find that the two highest--SFR objects have candidate [CII] lines with luminosities that are consistent with the low-redshift $L_{\rm [CII]}$ vs. SFR relation. The other candidates have significantly higher [CII] luminosities than expected from their UV--based SFR. At the current sensitivity it is unclear whether the majority of these sources are intrinsically bright [CII] emitters, or spurious sources. If only one of our line candidates was real (a scenario greatly favored by our statistical analysis), we find a source density for [CII] emitters at $6<z<8$ that is significantly higher than predicted by current models and some extrapolations from galaxies in the local universe.
We present direct estimates of the mean sky brightness temperature in observing bands around 99GHz and 242GHz due to line emission from distant galaxies. These values are calculated from the summed line emission observed in a blind, deep survey for specrtal line emission from high redshift galaxies using ALMA (the 'ASPECS' survey). In the 99 GHz band, the mean brightness will be dominated by rotational transitions of CO from intermediate and high redshift galaxies. In the 242GHz band, the emission could be a combination of higher order CO lines, and possibly [CII] 158$\mu$m line emission from very high redshift galaxies ($z \sim 6$ to 7). The mean line surface brightness is a quantity that is relevant to measurements of spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background, and as a potential tool for studying large-scale structures in the early Universe using intensity mapping. While the cosmic volume and the number of detections are admittedly small, this pilot survey provides a direct measure of the mean line surface brightness, independent of conversion factors, excitation, or other galaxy formation model assumptions. The mean surface brightness in the 99GHZ band is: $T_B = 0.94\pm 0.09$ $\mu$K. In the 242GHz band, the mean brightness is: $T_B = 0.55\pm 0.033$ $\mu$K. These should be interpreted as lower limits on the average sky signal, since we only include lines detected individually in the blind survey, while in a low resolution intensity mapping experiment, there will also be the summed contribution from lower luminosity galaxies that cannot be detected individually in the current blind survey.
Motivated by the claimed detection of a large population of faint active galactic nuclei (AGN) at high redshift, recent studies have proposed models in which AGN contribute significantly to the z > 4 H I ionizing background. In some models, AGN are even the chief sources of reionization. If correct, these models would make necessary a complete revision to the standard view that galaxies dominated the high-redshift ionizing background. It has been suggested that AGN-dominated models can better account for two recent observations that appear to be in conflict with the standard view: (1) large opacity variations in the z ~ 5.5 H I Lyman-alpha forest, and (2) slow evolution in the mean opacity of the He II Lyman-alpha forest. Large spatial fluctuations in the ionizing background from the brightness and rarity of AGN may account for the former, while the earlier onset of He II reionization in these models may account for the latter. Here we show that models in which AGN emissions source >~ 50 % of the ionizing background generally provide a better fit to the observed H I Lyman-alpha forest opacity variations compared to standard galaxy-dominated models. However, we argue that these AGN-dominated models are in tension with constraints on the thermal history of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Under standard assumptions about the spectra of AGN, we show that the earlier onset of He II reionization heats up the IGM well above recent temperature measurements. We further argue that the slower evolution of the mean opacity of the He II Lyman-alpha forest relative to simulations may reflect deficiencies in current simulations rather than favor AGN-dominated models as has been suggested.
The relations between star formation and properties of molecular clouds are studied based on a sample of star forming regions in the Galactic Plane. Sources were selected by having radio recombination lines to provide identification of associated molecular clouds and dense clumps. Radio continuum and mid-infrared emission were used to determine star formation rates, while 13CO and submillimeter dust continuum emission were used to obtain masses of molecular and dense gas, respectively. We test whether total molecular gas or dense gas provides the best predictor of star formation rate. We also test two specific theoretical models, one relying on the molecular mass divided by the free-fall time, the other using the free-fall time divided by the crossing time. Neither is supported by the data. The data are also compared to those from nearby star forming regions and extragalactic data. The star formation "efficiency," defined as star formation rate divided by mass, spreads over a large range when the mass refers to molecular gas; the standard deviation of the log of the efficiency decreases by a factor of three when the mass of relatively dense molecular gas is used rather than the mass of all the molecular gas.
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Chemical abundances are presented for 25 M31 globular clusters (GCs), based on moderately high resolution (R = 22, 500) H-band integrated light spectra from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). Infrared spectra offer lines from new elements, of different strengths, and at higher excitation potentials compared to the optical. Integrated abundances of C, N, and O are derived from CO, CN, and OH molecular features, while Fe, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, and Ti abundances are derived from atomic features. These abundances are compared to previous results from the optical, demonstrating the validity and value of infrared integrated light analyses. The CNO abundances are consistent with typical tip of the red giant branch stellar abundances, but are systematically offset from optical, Lick index abundances. With a few exceptions, the other abundances agree between the optical and the infrared within the 1{\sigma} uncertainties. The first integrated K abundances are also presented, and demonstrate that K tracks the alpha-elements. The combination of infrared and optical abundances allows better determinations of GC properties, and enables probes of the multiple populations in extragalactic GCs. In particular, the integrated effects of the Na/O anticorrelation can be directly examined for the first time.
The presence of short-lived radioisotopes (SLRs) in solar system meteorites has been interpreted as evidence that the solar system was exposed to a supernova shortly before or during its formation. Yet results from hydrodynamical models of SLR injection into the proto-solar cloud or disc suggest that gas-phase mixing may not be efficient enough to reproduce the observed abundances. As an alternative, we explore the injection of SLRs via dust grains as a way to overcome the mixing barrier. We numerically model the interaction of a supernova remnant containing SLR-rich dust grains with a nearby molecular cloud. The dust grains are subject to drag forces and both thermal and non-thermal sputtering. We confirm that the expanding gas shell stalls upon impact with the dense cloud and that gas-phase SLR injection occurs slowly due to hydrodynamical instabilities at the cloud surface. In contrast, dust grains of sufficient size (> 1 micron) decouple from the gas and penetrate into the cloud within 0.1 Myr. Once inside the cloud, the dust grains are destroyed by sputtering, releasing SLRs and rapidly enriching the dense (potentially star-forming) regions. Our results suggest that SLR transport on dust grains is a viable mechanism to explain SLR enrichment.
We report the first direct spectroscopic measurement of the velocity dispersion function (VDF) for the high-mass red sequence (RS) galaxy population at redshift $z \sim 0.55$. We achieve high precision by using a sample of 600,000 massive galaxies with spectra from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) of the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III), covering stellar masses $M_* \gtrsim 10^{11} M_{\odot}$. We determine the VDF by projecting the joint probability-density function (PDF) of luminosity $L$ and velocity dispersion $\sigma$, i.e. $p(L, \sigma)$, defined by our previous measurements of the RS luminosity function (LF) and $L-\sigma$ relation for this sample. These measurements were corrected from red--blue galaxy population confusion, photometric blurring, incompleteness and selection effects within a forward-modeling framework that furthermore correctly accommodates the low spectroscopic signal-to-noise ratio of the individual BOSS spectra. The $z\sim0.55$ RS VDF is in agreement with the $z\sim0$ early-type galaxy (ETG) VDF at $\log_{10} \sigma \gtrsim 2.47$, but the number density of $z=0.55$ RS galaxies is larger than that of $z=0$ ETG galaxies at $2.35 \gtrsim \log_{10} \sigma \gtrsim 2.47$. The extrapolation of an intermediate-mass L-$\sigma$ relation towards the high-mass end in previous low-z works may be responsible for this trend, although this interpretation is still subject to small differences in the way both populations are defined. We also provide the sample PDF for the RS population (i.e. uncorrected for incompleteness), which is a key ingredient for gravitational lensing analyses using the BOSS sample.
We present spectra of 14 A-type supergiants in the metal-rich spiral galaxy M83. We derive stellar parameters and metallicities, and measure a spectroscopic distance modulus m-M = 28.47 +\- 0.10 (4.9 +\- 0.2 Mpc), in agreement with other methods. We use the stellar characteristic metallicity of M83 and other systems to discuss a version of the galaxy mass-metallicity relation that is independent of the analysis of nebular emission lines and the associated systematic uncertainties. We reproduce the radial metallicity gradient of M83, which flattens at large radii, with a chemical evolution model, constraining gas inflow and outflow processes. We carry out a comparative analysis of the metallicities we derive from the stellar spectra and published HII region line fluxes, utilizing both the direct, Te-based method and different strong-line abundance diagnostics. The direct abundances are in relatively good agreement with the stellar metallicities, once we apply a modest correction to the nebular oxygen abundance due to depletion onto dust. Popular empirically calibrated strong-line diagnostics tend to provide nebular abundances that underestimate the stellar metallicities above the solar value by ~0.2 dex. This result could be related to difficulties in selecting calibration samples at high metallicity. The O3N2 method calibrated by Pettini and Pagel gives the best agreement with our stellar metallicities. We confirm that metal recombination lines yield nebular abundances that agree with the stellar abundances for high metallicity systems, but find evidence that in more metal-poor environments they tend to underestimate the stellar metallicities by a significant amount, opposite to the behavior of the direct method.
The origin of the observed steep rotation curves of blue compact dwarf galaxies (BCDs) remains largely unexplained by theoretical models of BCD formation. We therefore investigate the rotation curves in BCDs formed from mergers between gas- rich dwarf irregular galaxies based on the results of numerical simulations for BCD formation. The principal results are as follows. The dark matter of merging dwarf irregulars undergoes a central concentration so that the central density can become up to 6 times higher than those of the initial dwarf irregulars. However, the more compact dark matter halo alone can not reproduce the gradient differences observed between dwarf irregulars and BCDs. We provide further support that the central concentration of gas due to rapid gas-transfer to the central regions of dwarf-dwarf mergers is responsible for the observed difference in rotation curve gradients. The BCDs with central gas concentration formed from merging can thus show steeply rising rotation curves in their central regions. Such gas concentration is also responsible for central starbursts of BCDs and the high central surface brightness and is consistent with previous BCD studies. We discuss the relationship between rotational velocity gradient and surface brightness, the dependence of BCD rotation curves on star formation threshold density, progenitor initial profile, interaction type and merger mass ratio, as well as potential evolutionary links between dwarf irregulars, BCDs and compact dwarf irregulars.
We investigate the Milky Way Galaxy's radial and vertical metallicity gradients using a sample of 47,406 red clump stars from the RAVE DR4. This sample is more than twice the size of the largest sample in the literature investigating radial and vertical metallicity gradients. The absolute magnitude of Groenewegen (2008) is used to determine distances to our sample stars. The resulting distances agree with the RAVE DR4 distances Binney et al. (2014) of the same stars. Our photometric method also provides distances to 6185 stars that are not assigned a distance in RAVE DR4. The metallicity gradients are calculated with their current orbital positions ($R_{gc}$ and $Z$) and with their orbital properties (mean Galactocentric distance, $R_{m}$ and $z_{max}$), as a function of the distance to the Galactic plane: d[Fe/H]/d$R_{gc}=$-$0.047\pm0.003$ dex/kpc for $0\leq |Z|\leq0.5$ kpc and d[Fe/H]/d$R_m=$-$0.025\pm0.002$ dex/kpc for $0\leq z_{max}\leq0.5$ kpc. This reaffirms the radial metallicity gradient in the thin disc but highlights that gradients are sensitive to the selection effects caused by the difference between $R_{gc}$ and $R_{m}$. The radial gradient is flat in the distance interval 0.5-1 kpc from the plane and then becomes positive greater than 1 kpc from the plane. The radial metallicity gradients are also eccentricity dependent. We showed that d[Fe/H]/d$R_m=$-$0.089\pm0.010$, -$0.073\pm0.007$, -$0.053\pm0.004$ and -$0.044\pm0.002$ dex/kpc for $e_p\leq0.05$, $e_p\leq0.07$, $e_p\leq0.10$ and $e_p\leq0.20$ sub-samples, respectively, in the distance interval $0\leq z_{max}\leq0.5$ kpc. Similar trend is found for vertical metallicity gradients. Both the radial and vertical metallicity gradients are found to become shallower as the eccentricity of the sample increases. These findings can be used to constrain different formation scenarios of the thick and thin discs.
The dynamical impact of Lyman-alpha (Ly{\alpha}) radiation pressure on galaxy formation depends on the rate and duration of momentum transfer between Ly{\alpha} photons and neutral hydrogen gas. Although photon trapping has the potential to multiply the effective force, ionizing radiation from stellar sources may relieve the Ly{\alpha} pressure before appreciably affecting the kinematics of the host galaxy or efficiently coupling Ly{\alpha} photons to the outflow. We present self-consistent Ly{\alpha} radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of high-$z$ galaxy environments by coupling the Cosmic Ly{\alpha} Transfer code (COLT) with spherically symmetric Lagrangian frame hydrodynamics. The accurate but computationally expensive Monte-Carlo radiative transfer calculations are feasible under the one-dimensional approximation. In certain cases Ly{\alpha} feedback significantly enhances the velocity of the shell of gas expanding around a central source. Radiative feedback alone is capable of ejecting baryons into the intergalactic medium (IGM) for protogalaxies with a virial mass of $M_{\rm vir} \lesssim 10^8~{\rm M}_\odot$. We compare the Ly{\alpha} signatures of Population III stars with $10^5$ K blackbody emission to that of direct collapse black holes with a nonthermal Compton-thick spectrum and find substantial differences. For both sources, the flux emerging from the galaxy is reprocessed by the IGM such that the observed Ly{\alpha} luminosity is reduced significantly and the time-averaged velocity offset of the Ly{\alpha} peak is shifted redward.
We construct maps of the oxygen abundance distribution across the disks of 88 galaxies using CALIFA data release 2 (DR2) spectra. The position of the center of a galaxy (coordinates on the plate) were also taken from the CALIFA DR2. The galaxy inclination, the position angle of the major axis, and the optical radius were determined from the analysis of the surface brightnesses in the SDSS $g$ and $r$ bands of the photometric maps of SDSS data release 9. We explore the global azimuthal abundance asymmetry in the disks of the CALIFA galaxies and the presence of a break in the radial oxygen abundance distribution. We found that there is no significant global azimuthal asymmetry for our sample of galaxies, i.e., the asymmetry is small, usually lower than 0.05 dex. The scatter in oxygen abundances around the abundance gradient has a comparable value, $\lesssim 0.05$ dex. A significant (possibly dominant) fraction of the asymmetry can be attributed to the uncertainties in the geometrical parameters of these galaxies. There is evidence for a flattening of the radial abundance gradient in the central part of 18 galaxies. We also estimated the geometric parameters (coordinates of the center, the galaxy inclination and the position angle of the major axis) of our galaxies from the analysis of the abundance map. The photometry-map-based and the abundance-map-based geometrical parameters are relatively close to each other for the majority of the galaxies but the discrepancy is large for a few galaxies with a flat radial abundance gradient.
We present observations of three active sites of star formation in the Taurus Molecular Cloud complex taken at 323 and 608 MHz (90 and 50 cm, respectively) with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). Three pointings were observed as part of a pathfinder project, targeted at the young stellar objects (YSOs) L1551 IRS 5, T Tau and DG Tau (the results for these target sources were presented in a previous paper). In this paper, we search for other YSOs and present a survey comprising of all three fields; a by-product of the large instantaneous field of view of the GMRT. The resolution of the survey is of order 10 arcsec and the best rms noise at the centre of each pointing is of order $100\,\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ at 323 MHz and $50\,\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ at 608 MHz. We present a catalogue of 1815 and 687 field sources detected above $5\,\sigma_{\rm rms}$ at 323 and 608 MHz, respectively. A total of 440 sources were detected at both frequencies, corresponding to a total unique source count of 2062 sources. We compare the results with previous surveys and showcase a sample of extended extragalactic objects. Although no further YSOs were detected in addition to the target YSOs based on our source finding criteria, these data can be useful for targeted manual searches, studies of radio galaxies or to assist in the calibration of future observations with the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) towards these regions.
Observations of massive outflows with detectable central AGN typically find them within radii $\lesssim 10$ kpc. We show that this apparent size restriction is a natural result of AGN driving if this process injects total energy only of order the gas binding energy to the outflow, and the AGN varies over time (`flickers') as suggested in recent work. After the end of all AGN activity the outflow continues to expand to larger radii, powered by the thermal expansion of the remnant shocked AGN wind. We suggest that on average, outflows should be detected further from the nucleus in more massive galaxies. In massive gas--rich galaxies these could be several tens of kpc in radius. We also consider the effect that pressure of such outflows has on a galaxy disc. In moderately gas--rich discs, with gas-to-baryon fraction $< 0.2$, the outflow may induce star formation significant enough to be distinguished from quiescent by an apparently different normalisation of the Kennicutt-Schmidt law. The star formation enhancement is probably stronger in the outskirts of galaxy discs, so coasting outflows might be detected by their effects upon the disc even after the driving AGN has shut off. We compare our results to the recent inference of inside--out quenching of star formation in galaxy discs.
We use high spectral resolution (R > 8000) data covering 3800-13000\r{A} to study the physical conditions of the broad line region (BLR) of nine nearby Seyfert 1 galaxies. Up to six broad HI lines are present in each spectrum. A comparison - for the first time using simultaneous optical to near-infrared observations - to photoionisation calculations with our devised simple scheme yields the extinction to the BLR at the same time as determining the density and photon flux, and hence distance from the nucleus, of the emitting gas. This points to a typical density for the HI emitting gas of 10$^{11}$cm$^{-3}$ and shows that a significant amount of this gas lies at regions near the dust sublimation radius, consistent with theoretical predictions. We also confirm that in many objects the line ratios are far from case B, the best-fit intrinsic broad-line H$\alpha$/H$\beta$ ratios being in the range 2.5-6.6 as derived with our photoionization modeling scheme. The extinction to the BLR, based on independent estimates from HI and HeII lines, is A$_V$ $\le$ 3 for Seyfert 1-1.5s, while Seyfert 1.8-1.9s have A$_V$ in the range 4-8. A comparison of the extinction towards the BLR and narrow line region (NLR) indicates that the structure obscuring the BLR exists on scales smaller than the NLR. This could be the dusty torus, but dusty nuclear spirals or filaments could also be responsible. The ratios between the X-ray absorbing column N$_H$ and the extinction to the BLR are consistent with the Galactic gas-to-dust ratio if N$_H$ variations are considered.
We use 3.6 $\mu$m photometry from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S$^{4}$G) to trace the stellar distribution in nearby disk galaxies ($z\approx0$) with total stellar masses $10^{8.5}\lesssim M_{\ast}/M_{\odot}\lesssim10^{11}$ and mid-IR Hubble types $-3 \le T \le 10$, and to provide observational constraints for galaxy formation models to be checked against. For 1154 galaxies with disk inclinations lower than $65^{\circ}$, we Fourier decompose and rescale their images to a common frame determined (i) by the size in physical units, (ii) by their disk scalelength, and for 748 barred galaxies (iii) by both the length and orientation of their bars. We stack the resized density profiles and images to obtain statistically representative average stellar disks and bars in bins of $M_{\ast}$ and $T$. We also calculate the mean stellar contribution to the circular velocity. We infer the gravitational potentials from the synthetic bars to obtain the tangential-to-radial force ratio ($Q_{\rm T}$) and $A_2$ profiles in the different bins. We provide observational evidence for bar-induced secular evolution of disk galaxies. For $M_{\ast} \ge 10^{9}M_{\odot}$, we find a significant difference in the stellar density profiles of barred and non-barred systems: (i) disks in barred galaxies show larger scalelengths ($h_{\rm R}$) and fainter extrapolated central surface brightnesses ($\Sigma_{0}$), (ii) the mean surface brightness profiles ($\Sigma_{\ast}$) of barred and non-barred galaxies intersect each other slightly beyond the mean bar length, most likely at the bar corotation, and (iii) the central mass concentration of barred galaxies is larger (by almost a factor 2 when $T\le5$) than in their non-barred counterparts. We also show that bars hosted by early-type galaxies are more centrally concentrated and have larger density amplitudes than their late-type counterparts (Abridged).
We present a determination of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass function for early- and late-type galaxies in the nearby universe (z<0.0057), established from a volume-limited sample consisting of a statistically complete collection of the brightest spiral galaxies in the southern hemisphere. The sample is defined by limiting luminosity (redshift-independent) distance, D_L=25.4 Mpc, and a limiting absolute B-band magnitude, M_B=-19.12. These limits define a sample of 140 spiral, 30 elliptical (E), and 38 lenticular (S0) galaxies. We established the Sersic index distribution for early-type (E/S0) galaxies in our sample. Davis et al. (2014) established the pitch angle distribution for their sample, which is identical to our late-type (spiral) galaxy sample. We then used the pitch angle and the Sersic index distributions in order to estimate the SMBH mass function for our volume-limited sample. The observational simplicity of our approach relies on the empirical relation between the mass of the central (SMBH) and the Sersic index (Graham et al. 2007) for an early-type galaxy or the logarithmic spiral arm pitch angle (Berrier et al. 2013) for a spiral galaxy. Our SMBH mass function agrees well at the high-mass end with previous values in the literature. At the low-mass end, while inconsistencies exist in previous works that still need to be resolved, our work is more in line with expectations based on modeling of black hole evolution.
In the present paper, we extend the study of Del Popolo (2010) to determine the slope of the inner density profile of galaxy haloes with different morphologies. We study how galaxy morphology changes the relation between the inner slope of the galaxy halo density profile, $\alpha$, and the stellar mass, $M_{*}$, or rotation velocity $V_{\rm rot}$. For this, we use the model of Del Popolo (2009) in combination with observed data from the Romanowsky \& Fall (2012) sample of elliptical and spiral galaxies, the Local Group sample compiled by McConnachie (2012), and the simulation results by Cloet-Osselaer et al. (2014). We find that the slope $\alpha$ flattens monotonically, from $\alpha \simeq -1 $ at $V_{\rm rot} \simeq 250$ km/s, to $\alpha \simeq 0 $. After $V_{\rm rot}\simeq 25$ km/s the slope starts to steepen. The steepening happens in the mass range dominated by non-rotationally supported galaxies (e.g., dSphs) and depends on the level of offset in the angular momentum of rotationally and non-rotationally dominated galaxies. The steepening is a consequence of the decrease in baryons content, and angular momentum in spheroidal dwarf galaxies. We finally compare our result to the SPH simulations of Di Cintio. Our result is in qualitatively agreement with their simulations, with the main difference that the inner slope $\alpha$ at small stellar masses ($M_* \lesssim10^{8} M_{\odot}$) is flatter than that in their simulations. As a result, the claim that finding a core in dwarf galaxies with masses slightly smaller than $\simeq 10^6 M_{\odot}$, (as in the Di Cintio, or Governato, supernovae feedback mechanism) would be a problem for the $\Lambda$CDM model must be probably revised.
In this paper, we scrutinize the effect of spectral index distribution on estimating the AGN (active galactic nucleus) radio luminosity function (RLF) by a Monte Carlo method. We find that the traditional bivariate RLF estimators can cause bias in varying degree. The bias is especially pronounced for the flat-spectrum radio sources whose spectral index distribution is more scattered. We believe that the bias is caused because the $K$-corrections complicate the truncation boundary on the $L-z$ plane of the sample, but the traditional bivariate RLF estimators have difficulty in dealing with this boundary condition properly. We suggest that the spectral index distribution should be incorporated into the RLF analysis process to obtain a robust estimation. This drives the need for a trivariate function of the form $\Phi(\alpha,z,L)$ which we show provides an accurate basis for measuring the RLF.
This paper describes the Bayesian Technique for Multi-image Analysis (BaTMAn), a novel image segmentation technique based on Bayesian statistics, whose main purpose is to characterize an astronomical dataset containing spatial information and perform a tessellation based on the measurements and errors provided as input. The algorithm will iteratively merge spatial elements as long as they are statistically consistent with carrying the same information (i.e. signal compatible with being identical within the errors). We illustrate its operation and performance with a set of test cases that comprises both synthetic and real Integral-Field Spectroscopic (IFS) data. Our results show that the segmentations obtained by BaTMAn adapt to the underlying structure of the data, regardless of the precise details of their morphology and the statistical properties of the noise. The quality of the recovered signal represents an improvement with respect to the input, especially in those regions where the signal is actually constant and/or the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurements is low. However, the algorithm may be sensitive to small-scale random fluctuations (depending on the dimensionality of the data and the adopted priors), and its ability to recover the signal in the presence of spatial gradients is limited. Due to these effects, the output errors may be underestimated by as much as a factor of the order of two. Two of the most interesting aspects of the algorithm are that (i) it will prioritise the conservation of all the statistically-significant information over the reduction of the noise, and (ii) the precise choice of the input data does have a crucial impact on the results. Hence, the philosophy of BaTMAn is not to use it as a "black box" that improves the signal-to-noise ratio, but as a new approach for the characterization of spatially-resolved data prior to its scientific analysis.
High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with Hitomi was expected to resolve the origin of the faint unidentified E=3.5 keV emission line reported in several low-resolution studies of various massive systems, such as galaxies and clusters, including the Perseus cluster. We have analyzed the Hitomi first-light observation of the Perseus cluster. The emission line expected for Perseus based on the XMM-Newton signal from the large cluster sample under the dark matter decay scenario is too faint to be detectable in the Hitomi data. However, the previously reported 3.5 keV flux from Perseus was anomalously high compared to the sample-based prediction. We find no unidentified line at the reported flux level. The high flux derived with XMM MOS for the Perseus region covered by Hitomi is excluded at >3-sigma within the energy confidence interval of the most constraining previous study. If XMM measurement uncertainties for this region are included, the inconsistency with Hitomi is at a 99% significance for a broad dark-matter line and at 99.7% for a narrow line from the gas. We do find a hint of a broad excess near the energies of high-n transitions of Sxvi (E=3.44 keV rest-frame) -- a possible signature of charge exchange in the molecular nebula and one of the proposed explanations for the 3.5 keV line. While its energy is consistent with XMM pn detections, it is unlikely to explain the MOS signal. A confirmation of this interesting feature has to wait for a more sensitive observation with a future calorimeter experiment.
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Recent observations suggest ongoing planet formation in the innermost parsec of our Galaxy. The super-massive black hole (SMBH) might strip planets or planetary embryos from their parent star, bringing them close enough to be tidally disrupted. We investigate the chance of planet tidal captures by running three-body encounters of SMBH-star-planet systems with a high-accuracy regularized code. We show that tidally captured planets have orbits close to those of their parent star. We conclude that the final periapsis distance of the captured planet from the SMBH will be much larger than 200 AU, unless its parent star was already on a highly eccentric orbit.
Galaxies fall into two clearly distinct types: `blue-sequence' galaxies that are rapidly forming young stars, and `red-sequence' galaxies in which star formation has almost completely ceased. Most galaxies more massive than $3\times10^{10} M_\odot$ follow the red-sequence while less massive central galaxies lie on the blue sequence. We show that these sequences are created by a competition between star formation-driven outflows and gas accretion on to the supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center. We develop a simple analytic model for this interaction. In galaxies less massive than $3\times10^{10} M_\odot$, young stars and supernovae drive a buoyant outflow that balances the rate of gas inflow. This prevents high gas densities building up in the central regions. More massive galaxies, however, are surrounded by a hot corona. We argue that above a halo mass of $\sim 10^{12} M_\odot$, the supernova-driven outflow is no longer buoyant and star formation is unable to prevent the build up of gas in the central regions. This triggers a strongly non-linear response from the black hole. Its accretion rate rises rapidly, heating the galaxy's corona, disrupting the incoming supply of cool gas and starving the galaxy of the fuel for star formation. The host galaxy makes a transition to the red sequence, and further growth predominantly occurs through galaxy mergers. We show that the analytic model provides a good description of galaxy evolution in the EAGLE hydrodynamic simulations, and demonstrate that, so long as star formation-driven outflows are present, the transition mass scale is almost independent of subgrid parameter choice. The transition mass disappears entirely, however, if star formation driven outflows are absent.
We present chemical abundances derived from high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectra of the nine brightest known red giant members of the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Reticulum II. These stars span the full metallicity range of Ret II (-3.5 < [Fe/H] < -2). Seven of the nine stars have extremely high levels of r-process material ([Eu/Fe]~1.7), in contrast to the extremely low neutron-capture element abundances found in every other ultra-faint dwarf galaxy studied to date. The other two stars are the most metal-poor stars in the system ([Fe/H] < -3), and they have neutron-capture element abundance limits similar to those in other ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. We confirm that the relative abundances of Sr, Y, and Zr in these stars are similar to those found in r-process halo stars but ~0.5 dex lower than the solar r-process pattern. If the universal r-process pattern extends to those elements, the stars in Ret II display the least contaminated known r-process pattern. The abundances of lighter elements up to the iron peak are otherwise similar to abundances of stars in the halo and in other ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. However, the scatter in abundance ratios is large enough to suggest that inhomogeneous metal mixing is required to explain the chemical evolution of this galaxy. The presence of low amounts of neutron-capture elements in other ultra-faint dwarf galaxies may imply the existence of additional r-process sites besides the source of r-process elements in Ret II. Galaxies like Ret II may be the original birth sites of r-process enhanced stars now found in the halo.
We present 3.7 arcsec (~0.05 pc) resolution 3.2 mm dust continuum observations from the IRAM PdBI, with the aim of studying the structure and fragmentation of the filamentary Infrared Dark Cloud G035.39-00.33. The continuum emission is segmented into a series of 13 quasi-regularly spaced (~0.18pc) cores, following the major axis of the IRDC. We compare the spatial distribution of the cores with that predicted by theoretical work describing the fragmentation of hydrodynamic fluid cylinders, finding a significant (factor of ~8) discrepancy between the two. Our observations are consistent with the picture emerging from kinematic studies of molecular clouds suggesting that the cores are harboured within a complex network of independent sub-filaments. This result emphasises the importance of considering the underlying physical structure, and potentially, dynamically important magnetic fields, in any fragmentation analysis. The identified cores exhibit a range in (peak) beam-averaged column density ($3.6{\rm x}10^{23}{\rm cm}^{-2}<N_{H,c}<8.0{\rm x}10^{23}{\rm cm}^{-2}$), mass ($8.1M_{\odot}<M_{c}<26.1M_{\odot}$), and number density ($6.1{\rm x}10^{5}{\rm cm}^{-3}<n_{H, c, eq}<14.7{\rm x}10^{5}{\rm cm}^{-3}$). Two of these cores, dark in the mid-infrared, centrally-concentrated, monolithic (with no traceable substructure at our PdBI resolution), and with estimated masses of the order ~20-25$M_{\odot}$, are good candidates for the progenitors of intermediate-to-high-mass stars. Virial parameters span a range $0.2<\alpha_{\rm vir}<1.3$. Without additional support, possibly from dynamically important magnetic fields with strengths of the order 230$\mu$G<B<670$\mu$G, the cores are susceptible to gravitational collapse. These results may imply a multi-layered fragmentation process, which incorporates the formation of sub-filaments, embedded cores, and the possibility of further fragmentation.
We have analyzed images from the VST ATLAS survey to identify candidate gravitationally lensed quasar systems in a sample of WISE sources with W1 - W2 > 0.7. Results from followup spectroscopy with the Baade 6.5 m telescope are presented for seven systems. One of these is a quadruply lensed quasar. Two are projected superpositions of two quasars at different redshifts. In one system two quasars, though at the same redshift, have very different emission line profiles, and constitute a physical binary. In three systems the component spectra are consistent with the lensing hypothesis, after allowing for micro-lensing. But as no lensing galaxy is detected in these three, we classify them as nearly identical quasar pairs. More extensive observations are needed to establish whether they are lensed quasars or physical binaries.
We present deep SINFONI K band integral field spectra of two submillimeter (SMG) galaxy systems: BR 1202-0725 and J1000+0234, at $z=4.69$ and $4.55$ respectively. Spectra extracted for each object in the two systems do not show any signature of the [O II]$\lambda\lambda$3726,29\AA$\,$ emission-lines, placing upper flux limits of $3.9$ and $2.5 \times 10^{-18}\,$${\rm erg\,s^{-1}\,\,cm^{-2} \,}$ for BR 1202-0725 and J1000+0234, respectively. Using the relation between the star formation rate (SFR) and the luminosity of the [O II] doublet from Kennicutt (1998), we estimate unobscured SFR upper limits of $\sim$ $10-15\,\rm M_\odot\,yr^{-1} \,$ and $\sim$ $30-40\,\rm M_\odot\,yr^{-1} \,$ for the objects of the two systems, respectively. For the SMGs, these values are at least two orders of magnitude lower than those derived from SED and IR luminosities. The differences on the SFR values would correspond to internal extinction of, at least, $3.4 - 4.9$ and $2.1 - 3.6$ mag in the visual for BR 1202-0725 and J1000+0234 SMGs, respectively. The upper limit for the [O II]-derived SFR in one of the LAEs (Ly$\alpha2$) in the BR1202-0725 system is at least one order of magnitude lower than the previous SFR derived from infrared tracers, while both estimates are in good agreement for Ly$\alpha$1. The lower limits to the internal extinction in these two Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) are $0.6$ mag and $1.3$ mag, respectively. No evidence for the previously claimed (Ohta et al. 2000) [O II] emission associated with Ly$\alpha$1 is identified in our data, implying that residuals of the K-band sky emission lines after subtraction in medium-band imaging data could provide the adequate flux.
Stellar scattering off irregularities in a galaxy disk has been shown to make an exponential radial profile, but no fundamental reason for this has been suggested. Here we show that exponentials are mathematically expected from random scattering in a disk when there is a slight inward bias in the scattering probability. Such a bias was present in our previous scattering experiments that formed exponential profiles. Double exponentials can arise when the bias varies with radius. This is a fundamental property of scattering and may explain why piece-wise exponential profiles are ubiquitous in galaxies, even after minor mergers and other disruptive events.
In this paper, which is the first in a series of papers associated with cataclysmic variables and related objects, we introduce the CATUABA code, a numerical machinery written for analysis of the MOCCA simulations, and show some first results by investigating the present-day population of cataclysmic variables in globular clusters. Emphasis was given on their properties and the observational selection effects when observing and detecting them. In this work we analysed in this work six models, including three with Kroupa distributions of the initial binaries. We found that for models with Kroupa initial distributions, considering the standard value of the efficiency of the common envelope phase adopted in BSE, no single cataclysmic variable was formed only via binary stellar evolution, i. e., in order to form them, strong dynamical interactions have to take place. We show and explain why this is inconsistent with observational and theoretical results. Our results indicate that the population of cataclysmic variables in globular clusters is, mainly, in the last stage of their evolution and observational selection effects can drastically change the expected number of observed cataclysmic variables. We show that the probability of observing them during the outbursts is extremely small and conclude that the best way of looking for cataclysmic variables in globular clusters is by searching for variabilities during quiescence, instead of during outbursts. For that, one would need a very deep observation which could reach magnitudes $\gtrsim$ 27 mag. Finally, we argue that cataclysmic variables in globular clusters are not necessarily magnetic.
We present large-scale trends in the distribution of star-forming objects revealed by the Hi-GAL survey. As a simple metric probing the prevalence of star formation in Hi-GAL sources, we define the fraction of the total number of Hi-GAL sources with a 70-micron counterpart as the "star-forming fraction" or SFF. The mean SFF in the inner galactic disc (3.1 kpc < R_GC < 8.6 kpc) is 25%. Despite an apparent pile-up of source numbers at radii associated with spiral arms, the SFF shows no significant deviations at these radii, indicating that the arms do not affect the star-forming productivity of dense clumps either via physical triggering processes or through the statistical effects of larger source samples associated with the arms. Within this range of Galactocentric radii, we find that the SFF declines with R_GC at a rate of -0.026 +/- 0.002 per kiloparsec, despite the dense gas mass fraction having been observed to be constant in the inner Galaxy. This suggests that the SFF may be weakly dependent on one or more large-scale physical properties of the Galaxy, such as metallicity, radiation field, pressure or shear, such that the dense sub-structures of molecular clouds acquire some internal properties inherited from their environment.
In this first investigation of the MOCCA database with respect to cataclysmic variables, we found that for models with Kroupa initial distributions, considering the standard value of the efficiency of the common-envelope phase adopted in BSE, no single cataclysmic variable was formed only via binary stellar evolution, i. e., in order to form them, strong dynamical interactions have to take place. Our results also indicate that the population of cataclysmic variables in globular clusters are, mainly, in the last stage of their evolution and observational selection effects can change drastically the expected number and properties of observed cataclysmic variables.
Galaxy morphology and star formation activity are strictly linked, in the way that bulge-dominated galaxies are in general quiescent, while disk dominated galaxies are actively star-forming. In this paper, we study the properties of bulges and disks as a function of the position of galaxies in the star formation rate (SFR) - stellar mass ($M_{\star}$) plane. Our sample is built on the SDSS DR7 catalogue, and the bulge-disk decomposition is the one of Simard et al. (2011). We find that at a given stellar mass the Main Sequence (MS) is populated by galaxies with the lowest B/T ratios. The B/T on the MS increases with increasing stellar mass, thus confirming previous results in literature. In the upper envelop of the MS, the average B/T is higher than that of MS counterparts at fixed stellar mass. This indicates that starburst galaxies have a significant bulge component. In addition, bulges above the MS are characterised by blue colours, whereas, if on the MS or below it, they are mostly red and dead. The disks show blue colours above and on the MS despite the color of the bulge. They become redder below the MS and in the quiescence region. This would suggest that galaxies above the MS have nuclear and disk star formation activity. The nuclear activity is the first to be suppressed, moving the galaxies on the MS. Once also the disk stops forming stars, the galaxy moves below the MS and eventually on the quiescence region. This is confirmed by a large fraction ($\sim50\%$) of passive galaxies with a secure two component morphology coexisting with a population of pure spheroidals.
Neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) gas in interstellar space is largely organized into filaments, loops, and shells, the most prominent of which are "supershells". These gigantic structures requiring $\gtrsim 3 \times 10^{52}$ erg to form are generally thought to be produced by either the explosion of multiple supernovae (SNe) in OB associations or alternatively by the impact of high-velocity clouds (HVCs) falling to the Galactic disk. Here we report the detection of a kiloparsec (kpc)-size supershell in the outskirts of the Milky Way with the compact HVC 040+01$-$282 (hereafter CHVC040) at its geometrical center using the "Inner-Galaxy Arecibo L-band Feed Array" HI 21-cm survey data. The morphological and physical properties of both objects suggest that CHVC040, which is either a fragment of a nearby disrupted galaxy or a cloud originated from an intergalactic accreting flow, collided with the disk $\sim 5$ Myrs ago to form the supershell. Our result shows that some compact HVCs can survive their trip through the Galactic halo and inject energy and momentum into the Milky Way disk.
We present $\simeq$0$.\!\!^{\prime\prime}4$-resolution extinction-independent distributions of star formation and dust in 11 star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at $z = 1.3-3.0$. These galaxies are selected from sensitive, blank-field surveys of the $2' \times 2'$ Hubble Ultra-Deep Field at $\lambda = 5$ cm and 1.3 mm using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). They have star-formation rates (SFRs), stellar masses, and dust properties representative of massive main-sequence SFGs at $z \sim 2$. Morphological classification performed on spatially-resolved stellar mass maps indicates a mixture of disk and morphologically disturbed systems; half of the sample harbor X-ray active galactic nuclei (AGN), thereby representing a diversity of $z \sim 2$ SFGs undergoing vigorous mass assembly. We find that their intense star formation most frequently occurs at the location of stellar-mass concentration and extends over an area comparable to their stellar-mass distribution, with a median diameter of $4.2 \pm 1.8$ kpc. This provides direct evidence for galaxy-wide star formation in distant, blank-field-selected main-sequence SFGs. The typical galactic-average SFR surface density is 2.5 M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$kpc$^{-2}$, sufficiently high to drive outflows. In X-ray-selected AGN where radio emission is enhanced over the level associated with star formation, the radio excess pinpoints the AGN, which are found to be co-spatial with star formation. The median extinction-independent size of main-sequence SFGs is two times larger than those of bright submillimeter galaxies whose SFRs are $3-8$ times larger, providing a constraint on the characteristic SFR ($\sim300$ M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$) above which a significant population of more compact star-forming galaxies appears to emerge.
We present digital tables for the radiative terms that appear in the energy and momentum equations used to simulate the accretion onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the center of galaxies. Cooling and heating rates and radiative accelerations are calculated with two different Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs). One SED is composed of an accretion disk + [X-ray]-powerlaw, while the other is made of an accretion disk + [Corona]-bremsstrahlung with T_X=1.16 x 10^8 K, where precomputed conditions of adiabatic expansion are included. Quantification of different physical mechanisms at operation are presented, showing discrepancies and similarities between both SEDs in different ranges of fundamental physical parameters (i.e., ionization parameter, density, and temperature). With the recent discovery of outflows originating at sub-parsec scales, these tables may provide a useful tool to model gas accretion processes onto a SMBH.
We present mid-infrared photometry of the Orion Bar obtained with FORCAST aboard SOFIA at 6.4, 6.6, 7.7, 19.7, 31.5 and 37.1 \um. By complementing this observations with archival FORCAST and \emph{Herschel}/PACS images we are able to construct a complete infrared spectral energy distribution of the Huygens region in the Orion nebula By comparing the infrared images with gas tracers, we find that PACS maps trace the molecular cloud, while the FORCAST data trace the photodissociation region (PDR) and HII region. Analysis of the energetics of the region reveal that the PDR extends for 0.28~pc along the line-of-sight and that the Bar is inclined at an angle of $4\degr$. The infrared and submillimeter images reveal that the Orion Bar represents a swept up shell with a thickness of 0.1~pc. The mass of the shell implies a shock velocity of $\simeq 3$ km/s and an age of $\simeq 10^5$ yr for the HII region. Our analysis shows that the UV and infrared dust opacities in the HII region and the PDR are a factor 5 to 10 lower than in the diffuse interstellar medium. In the ionized gas, Ly$\alpha$ photons are a major source of dust heating at distances larger than $\simeq0.06$~pc from \toc. Dust temperatures can be explained if the size of the grains is between 0.1 to 1~\um. We derive the photo-electric heating efficiency of the atomic gas in the Orion Bar. The results are in good qualitative agreement with models and The quantitative differences indicate a decreased PAH abundance in this region.
Investigations into the substructure of massive star forming regions are
essential for understanding the observed relationships between core mass
distributions and mass distributions in stellar clusters, differentiating
between proposed mechanisms of massive star formation. We study the
substructure in the two largest fragments (i.e. cores) MM1 and MM2, in the
infrared dark cloud complex SDC13. As MM1 appears to be in a later stage of
evolution than MM2, comparing their substructure provides an insight in to the
early evolution of massive clumps. We report the results of high resolution SMA
dust continuum observations towards MM1 and MM2. Combining these data with
Herschel observations, we carry out RADMC-3D radiative transfer modelling to
characterise the observed substructure.
SMA continuum data indicates 4 sub-fragments in the SDC13 region. The nature
of the second brightest sub-fragment (B) is uncertain as it does not appear as
prominent at the lower MAMBO resolution or at radio wavelengths. Statistical
analysis indicates that it is unlikely to be a background source, an AGB star,
or the free-free emission of a HII region. It is plausible that B is a runaway
object ejected from MM1. MM1, which is actively forming stars, consists of two
sub-fragments A and C. This is confirmed by 70 micron Herschel data. While MM1
and MM2 appear quite similar in previous low resolution observations, at high
resolution, the sub-fragment at the centre of MM2 (D) is much fainter than
sub-fragment at the centre of MM1 (A). RADMC-3D models of MM1 and MM2 are able
to reproduce these results, modelling MM2 with a steeper density profile and
higher mass than is required for MM1. The relatively steep density profile of
MM2 depends on a significant temperature decrease in its centre, justified by
the lack of star formation in MM2. A final stellar population for MM1 was
extrapolated, indicating a ...
We report the detection of a $78.1\pm0.5$ day period in the X-ray lightcurve of the extreme ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5907 ULX1 ($L_{\rm{X,peak}}\sim5\times10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$), discovered during an extensive monitoring program with Swift. These periodic variations are strong, with the observed flux changing by a factor of $\sim$3-4 between the peaks and the troughs of the cycle; our simulations suggest that the observed periodicity is detected comfortably in excess of 3$\sigma$ significance. We discuss possible origins for this X-ray period, but conclude that at the current time we cannot robustly distinguish between orbital and super-orbital variations.
We report $Suzaku$ X-ray observations of the dark subhalo associated with the merging group of NGC 4839 in the Coma cluster. The X-ray image exhibits an elongated tail toward the southwest. The X-ray peak shifts approximately $1'$ away from the weak-lensing mass center toward the opposite direction of the Coma cluster center. We investigated the temperature, normalization, pressure, and entropy distributions around the subhalo. Excluding the X-ray tail, the temperature beyond the truncation radius is 8-10$~\rm keV$, which is two times higher than that of the subhalo and the X-ray tail. The pressure is nearly uniform excluding southern part of the subhalo at two times of the truncation radius. We computed the gas mass within the truncation radius and the X-ray tail. While the gas fraction within the truncation radius is about 5 times smaller than that of regular groups, the gas mass in the subhalo and the X-ray tail to weak-lensing mass ratio is consistent with that of regular groups. Assuming the infall velocity, $2000~\rm km~s^{-1}$, the ram pressure is 1.4 times greater than gravitational force per unit area. Assuming the Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, the total lost mass is approximately $3\times10^{11}~M_{\odot}$. If this gas had originally been within the truncation radius, the gas mass fraction of the subhalo would have been comparable with those of regular groups before infalling to the Coma cluster.
Pulsars are the only cosmic radio sources known to be sufficiently compact to show diffractive interstellar scintillations. Images of the variance of radio signals in both time and frequency can be used to detect pulsars in large-scale continuum surveys using the next generation of synthesis radio telescopes. This technique allows a search over the full field of view while avoiding the need for expensive pixel-by-pixel high time resolution searches. We investigate the sensitivity of detecting pulsars in variance images. We show that variance images are most sensitive to pulsars whose scintillation time-scales and bandwidths are close to the subintegration time and channel bandwidth. Therefore, in order to maximise the detection of pulsars for a given radio continuum survey, it is essential to retain a high time and frequency resolution, allowing us to make variance images sensitive to pulsars with different scintillation properties. We demonstrate the technique with Murchision Widefield Array data and show that variance images can indeed lead to the detection of pulsars by distinguishing them from other radio sources.
We present a detailed analysis of the ionization and thermal structure of the intergalactic medium (IGM) around a high-redshift QSO using a large suite of cosmological, multi-frequency radiative transfer (RT) simulations, exploring the contribution from galaxies as well as the QSO, and the effect of X-rays and secondary ionization. We show that in high-z QSO environments both the central QSO and the surrounding galaxies concertedly control the reionization morphology of hydrogen and helium and have a non-linear impact on the thermal structure of the IGM. A QSO imprints a distinctive morphology on H II regions if its total ionizing photon budget exceeds that of the surrounding galaxies since the onset of hydrogen reionization; otherwise, the morphology shows little difference from that of H II regions produced only by galaxies. In addition, the spectral shape of the collective radiation field from galaxies and QSOs controls the thickness of the I-fronts. While a UV-obscured QSO can broaden the I-front, the contribution from other UV sources, either galaxies or unobscured QSO, is sufficient to maintain a sharp I-front. X-rays photons from the QSO are responsible for a prominent extended tail of partial ionization ahead of the I-front. QSOs leave a unique imprint on the morphology of He II / He III regions. We suggest that, while the physical state of the IGM is modified by QSOs, the most direct test to understand the role of galaxies and QSOs during reionization is to perform galaxy surveys in a region of sky imaged by 21 cm tomography.
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We present the Cosmic Web Detachment (CWD) model, a conceptual framework to
interpret galaxy evolution in a cosmological context, providing a direct link
between the star formation history of galaxies and the cosmic web. The CWD
model unifies several mechanism known to disrupt or stop star formation into
one single physical process and provides a natural explanation for a wide range
of galaxy properties. Galaxies begin accreting star-forming gas at early times
via a network of primordial highly coherent filaments. The efficient star
formation phase ends when non-linear interactions with other galaxies or
elements of the cosmic web detach the galaxy from its network of primordial
filaments, thus ending the efficient accretion of cold gas. The stripping of
the filamentary web around galaxies is the physical process responsible of star
formation quenching in gas stripping, harassment, strangulation and starvation.
Being a purely gravitational/mechanical process CWD acts at a more fundamental
level than internal feedback processes.
We introduce a simple and efficient formalism to identify CWD events in
N-body simulations. With it we reproduce and explain, in the context of CWD,
several key observations including downsizing, the cosmic star formation rate
history, the galaxy mass-color diagram and the dependence of the fraction of
red galaxies with mass and local density.
We introduce a new set of eight Milky Way-sized cosmological simulations performed using the AMR code ART + Hydrodynamics in a LCDM cosmology. The set of zoom-in simulations covers present-day virial masses in the 0.83-1.56 x 10^12 msun range and is carried out with our simple but effective deterministic star formation (SF) and ``explosive' stellar feedback prescriptions. The work is focused on showing the goodness of the simulated set of ``field' Milky Way-sized galaxies. Our results are as follows. (a) The circular velocity curves of our simulated galaxies are nearly flat. (b) Runs ending with a significant disk component, for their stellar masses, have V_max, radius, SF rate, gas fraction, and specific angular momentum values consistent with observations of late-type galaxies. (C) The two most spheroid-dominated galaxies formed in halos with late active merger histories, but other run that ends also as spheroid-dominated, never had major mergers. (d) Our simulations are consistent with the empirical stellar-to-halo mass correlation, and those that end as disk-dominated, evolve mostly along the low-mass branch of this correlation. (e) Moreover, since the last 6.5-10 Gyr, the baryonic/stellar and halo mass growth histories are proportional. (f) Within Rvir ~ 25-50% of the baryons are missed. (g) The z ~ 0 gas velocity dispersion profiles, sigma_z(r), are nearly flat and can be mostly explained by the kinetic energy injected by stars. (h) The average values of sigma_z increase at higher redshifts, following roughly the shape of the SF history.
We present 31.5 micron imaging photometry of 11 nearby Seyfert galaxies observed from the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) using the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST). We tentatively detect extended 31 micron emission for the first time in our sample. In combination with this new data set, subarcsecond resolution 1-18 micron imaging and 7.5-13 micron spectroscopic observations were used to compute the nuclear spectral energy distribution (SED) of each galaxy. We found that the turnover of the torus emission does not occur at wavelengths <31.5 micron, which we interpret as a lower-limit for the wavelength of peak emission. We used CLUMPY torus models to fit the nuclear infrared (IR) SED and infer trends in the physical parameters of the AGN torus for the galaxies in the sample. Including the 31.5 micron nuclear flux in the SED 1) reduces the number of clumpy torus models compatible with the data, and 2) modifies the model output for the outer radial extent of the torus for 10 of the 11 objects. Specifically, six (60%) objects show a decrease in radial extent while four (40%) show an increase. We find torus outer radii ranging from <1pc to 8.4 pc
We measure the star formation quenching efficiency and timescale in cluster environments. Our method uses N-body simulations to estimate the probability distribution of possible orbits for a sample of observed SDSS galaxies in and around clusters based on their position and velocity offsets from their host cluster. We study the relationship between their star formation rates and their likely orbital histories via a simple model in which star formation is quenched once a delay time after infall has elapsed. Our orbit library method is designed to isolate the environmental effect on the star formation rate due to a galaxy's present-day host cluster from `pre-processing' in previous group hosts. We find that quenching of satellite galaxies of all stellar masses in our sample ($10^{9}-10^{11.5}\,{\rm M}_\odot$) by massive ($> 10^{13}\,{\rm M}_\odot$) clusters is essentially $100$ per cent efficient. Our fits show that all galaxies quench on their first infall, approximately at or within a Gyr of their first pericentric passage. There is little variation in the onset of quenching from galaxy-to-galaxy: the spread in this time is at most $\sim 2$ Gyr at fixed $M_*$. Higher mass satellites quench earlier, with very little dependence on host cluster mass in the range probed by our sample.
We conducted a deep narrow-band imaging survey with the Subaru Prime Focus Camera on the Subaru Telescope and constructed a sample of Ly$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) at z=2.53 in the UDS-CANDELS field where a sample of H$\alpha$ emitters (HAEs) at the same redshift is already obtained from our previous narrow-band observation at NIR. The deep narrow-band and multi broadband data allow us to find LAEs of stellar masses and star-formation rates (SFRs) down to $\gtrsim$$10^8$ M$_\odot$ and $\gtrsim$0.2 M$_\odot$/yr, respectively. We show that the LAEs are located along the same mass-SFR sequence traced by normal star-forming galaxies such as HAEs, but towards a significantly lower mass regime. Likewise, LAEs seem to share the same mass--size relation with typical star-forming galaxies, except for the massive LAEs, which tend to show significantly compact sizes. We identify a vigorous mass growth in the central part of LAEs: the stellar mass density in the central region of LAEs increases as their total galaxy mass grows. On the other hand, we see no Ly$\alpha$ line in emission for most of the HAEs. Rather, we find that the Ly$\alpha$ feature is either absent or in absorption (Ly$\alpha$ absorbers; LAAs), and its absorption strength may increase with reddening of the UV continuum slope. We demonstrate that a deep Ly$\alpha$ narrow-band imaging like this study is able to search for not only LAEs but also LAAs in a certain redshift slice. This work suggests that LAEs trace normal star-forming galaxies in the low-mass regime, while they remain as a unique population because the majority of HAEs are not LAEs.
We present simultaneous mappings of J=1-0 emission of 12CO, 13CO, and C18O molecules toward the whole disk (8' x 5' or 20.8 kpc x 13.0 kpc) of the nearby barred spiral galaxy NGC 2903 with the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45-m telescope at an effective angular resolution of 20" (or 870 pc). We detected 12CO(J=1-0) emission over the disk of NGC 2903. In addition, significant 13CO(J=1-0) emission was found at the center and bar-ends, whereas we could not detect any significant C18O(J=1-0) emission. In order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of CO emission and to obtain accurate line ratios of 12CO(J=2-1)/12CO(J=1-0) ($R_{2-1/1-0}$) and 13CO(J=1-0)/12CO(J=1-0) ($R_{13/12}$), we performed the stacking analysis for our 12CO(J=1-0), 13CO(J=1-0), and archival 12CO(J=2-1) spectra with velocity-axis alignment in nine representative regions of NGC 2903. We successfully obtained the stacked spectra of the three CO lines, and could measure averaged $R_{2-1/1-0}$ and $R_{13/12}$ with high significance for all the regions. We found that both $R_{2-1/1-0}$ and $R_{13/12}$ differ according to the regions, which reflects the difference in the physical properties of molecular gas; i.e., density ($n_{\rm H_2}$) and kinetic temperature ($T_K$). We determined $n_{\rm H_2}$ and $T_K$ using $R_{2-1/1-0}$ and $R_{13/12}$ based on the large velocity gradient approximation. The derived $n_{\rm H_2}$ ranges from ~ 1000 cm$^{-3}$ (in the bar, bar-ends, and spiral arms) to 3700 cm$^{-3}$ (at the center) and the derived $T_K$ ranges from 10 K (in the bar and spiral arms) to 30 K (at the center). We examined the dependence of star formation efficiencies (SFEs) on $n_{\rm H_2}$ and $T_K$, and found the positive correlation between SFE and $n_{\rm H_2}$ with the correlation coefficient for the least-square power-law fit $R^2$ of 0.50. This suggests that molecular gas density governs the spatial variations in SFEs.
Robust knowledge of molecular gas mass is critical for understanding star formation in galaxies. The H$_{2}$ molecule does not emit efficiently in the cold interstellar medium, hence the molecular gas content of galaxies is typically inferred using indirect tracers. At low metallicity and in other extreme environments, these tracers can be subject to substantial biases. We present a new method of estimating total molecular gas mass in galaxies directly from pure mid-infrared rotational H$_{2}$ emission. By assuming a power-law distribution of H$_{2}$ rotational temperatures, we can accurately model H$_{2}$ excitation and reliably obtain warm ($T\!\gtrsim\!100$ K) H$_{2}$ gas masses by varying only the power law's slope. With sensitivities typical of Spitzer/IRS, we are able to directly probe the H$_{2}$ content via rotational emission down to ~80 K, accounting for ~15% of the total molecular gas mass in a galaxy. By extrapolating the fitted power law temperature distributions to a calibrated \emph{single} lower cutoff temperature, the model also recovers the total molecular content within a factor of ~2.2 in a diverse sample of galaxies, and a subset of broken power law models performs similarly well. In ULIRGs, the fraction of warm H$_{2}$ gas rises with dust temperature, with some dependency on $\alpha_\mathrm{CO}$. In a sample of five low metallicity galaxies ranging down to 12+log[O/H]=7.8, the model yields molecular masses up to ~100 times larger than implied by CO, in good agreement with other methods based on dust mass and star formation depletion timescale. This technique offers real promise for assessing molecular content in the early universe where CO and dust-based methods may fail.
Three three-component (bulge, disk, halo) model Galactic gravitational
potentials differing by the expression for the dark matter halo are considered.
The central (bulge) and disk components are described by the Miyamoto-Nagai
expressions. The Allen-Santill'an (I), Wilkinson-Evans (II), and
Navarro-Frenk-White (III) models are used to describe the halo. A set of
present-day observational data in the range of Galactocentric distances R from
0 to 200 kpc is used to refine the parameters of these models. The model
rotation curves have been fitted to the observed velocities by taking into
account the constraints on the local matter density \rho_\odotand the force
K_{z=1.1} acting perpendicularly to the Galactic plane. The Galactic mass
within a sphere of radius 50 kpc,
M_G (R<=50 kpc)=(0.41+/-0.12)x10^12 M_\odot, is shown to satisfy all three
models. The differences between the models become increasingly significant with
increasing radius R. In model I, the Galactic mass within a sphere of radius
200 kpc turns out to be greatest among the models considered,
M_G (R<=200 kpc)=(1.45+/-0.30)x10^12 M_\odot, and the smallest value has been
found in model II,
M_G (R<=200 kpc)=(0.61+/-0.12)x10^{12} M_\odot.
In our view, model III is the best one among those considered, because it
ensures the smallest residual between the data and the constructed model
rotation curve provided that the constraints on the local parameters hold with
a high accuracy. Here, the Galactic mass is
M_G (R<=200 kpc)=(0.75+/-0.19)x10^12 M_\odot.
A comparative analysis with the models by Irrgang et al. (2013), including
those using the integration of orbits for the two globular clusters NGC 104 and
NGC 1851 as an example, has been performed. The third model is shown to have
subjected to a significant improvement.
NGC 5548 is the best-observed reverberation-mapped active galactic nucleus with long-term, intensive monitoring. Here we report results from a new observational campaign between January and July, 2015. We measure the centroid time lag of the broad H$\beta$ emission line with respect to the 5100 \AA continuum and obtain $\tau_{\rm cent} = 7.20^{+1.33}_{-0.35}$ days in the rest frame. This yields a black hole mass of $M_{\bullet}=8.71^{+3.21}_{-2.61} $x$ 10^{7}M_{\odot}$ using a broad H$\beta$ line dispersion of $3124\pm302$ km s$^{-1}$ and a virial factor of $f_{_{\rm BLR}}=6.3\pm1.5$ for the broad-line region (BLR), consistent with the mass measurements from previous H$\beta$ campaigns. The high-quality data allow us to construct a velocity-binned delay map for the broad H$\beta$ line, which shows a symmetric response pattern around the line center, a plausible kinematic signature of virialized motion of the BLR. Combining all the available measurements of H$\beta$ time lags and the associated mean 5100 {\AA} luminosities over 18 campaigns between 1989 and 2015, we find that the H$\beta$ BLR size varies with the mean optical luminosity, but, interestingly, with a possible delay of $2.35_{-1.25}^{+3.47}$ yrs. This delay coincides with the typical BLR dynamical timescale of NGC 5548, indicating that the BLR undergoes dynamical changes, possibly driven by radiation pressure.
The 70-month Swift/BAT catalogue provides a sensitive view of the extragalactic X-ray sky at hard energies (>10 keV) containing about 800 Active Galactic Nuclei. We explore its content in heavily obscured, Compton-thick AGN by combining the BAT (14-195 keV) with the lower energy XRT (0.3-10 keV) data. We apply a Bayesian methodology using Markov chains to estimate the exact probability distribution of the column density for each source. We find 54 possible Compton-thick sources (with probability 3 to 100%) translating to a ~7% fraction of the AGN in our sample. We derive the first parametric luminosity function of Compton-thick AGN. The unabsorbed luminosity function can be represented by a double power-law with a break at $L_{\star} 2 \times 10^{42}$ $\rm ergs~s^{-1}$ in the 20-40 keV band.
We used Planck data to study the M33 galaxy and find a substantial temperature asymmetry with respect to its minor axis projected onto the sky plane. This temperature asymmetry correlates well with the HI velocity field at 21 cm, at least within a galactocentric distance of 0.5 degree, and it is found to extend up to about 3 degrees from the galaxy center. We conclude that the revealed effect, that is, the temperature asymmetry and its extension, implies that we detected the differential rotation of the M33 galaxy and of its extended baryonic halo.
Gas plays a major role in the dynamical evolution of young stellar objects. Its interaction with the dust is the key to our understanding planet formation later on in the protoplanetary disc stage. Studying the gas content is a crucial step towards understanding YSO and planet formation. Such a study can be made through spectroscopic observations of emission lines in the far-infrared, where some of the most important gas coolants emit. We provide a compilation of observations of far-IR lines in 362 young stellar objects covering all evolutionary stages, from Class 0 to Class III with debris discs. In the present paper we focus on [OI] and o-H2O emission at 63 microns. We have retrieved all the available Herschel -PACS spectroscopic observations at 63 microns that used the dominant observing mode, the chop-nod technique. We provide measurements of line fluxes for the [OI] 3P1-3P2 and o-H2O 808-717 transitions at 63 microns computed using different methods. We check for spatially extended emission and further study the presence of multiple dynamical components in line emission. The final compilation consists of line and continuum fluxes at 63 microns for a total of 362 young stellar objects (YSOs). We detected [OI] line emission at 63 microns in 194 sources out of 362, and line absorption in another five sources. o-H2O was detected in 42 sources. We find evidence of extended [OI] emission in 77 sources, and detect 3sigma residual emission in 71 of them. We also looked for different components contributing to the line emission, and found evidence for multiple components in 30 sources. We explored correlations between line emission and continuum emission and find a clear correlation between WISE fluxes from 4.6 to 22 microns and [OI] line emission. We conclude that the observed emission is typically a combination of disc/envelope and jet emission.
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We present evidence of bar-induced secular evolution in galactic discs using 3.6 ${\mu m}$ images of nearby galaxies from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G). We find that among massive galaxies ($M_{star}/M_{sun}> 10^{10}$), longer bars tend to reside in inner discs having a flatter radial profile. Such galaxies show a light deficit in the disc surrounding the bar, within the bar radius and often show a $\Theta$-shaped morphology. We quantify this deficit and find that among all galaxies explored in this study (with $10^{9}<M_{star}/M_{sun}< 10^{11}$), galaxies with a stronger bar (i.e. longer and/or with a higher Bar/T) show a more pronounced deficit. We also examine simulation snapshots to confirm and extend results by Athanassoula and Misiriotis, showing that as bars evolve they become longer, while the light deficit in the disc becomes more pronounced. Theoretical studies have predicted that, as a barred galaxy evolves, the bar captures disc stars in its immediate neighbourhood so as to make the bar longer, stronger and thinner. Hence, we claim that the light deficit in the inner disc is produced by bars, which thus take part in shaping the mass distribution of their host galaxies.
The fraction of galaxies with strong Ly$\alpha$ emission has been observed to decrease rapidly with redshift at $z \ge 6$, after a gradual increase at $z< 6$. This has been interpreted as a hint of the reionization of the intergalactic medium (IGM): the emitted Ly$\alpha$ photons would be scattered by an increasingly neutral IGM at $z>6$. We study this effect by modeling the ionization and Ly$\alpha$ radiative transfer in the infall region and the IGM around a Ly$\alpha$ emitting galaxy (LAE), for a spherical halo model with the mean density and radial velocity profiles in the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmological scenario. We find that the expected fast increase of the ionizing background intensity toward the end of the reionization epoch implies a rapid evolution of halo infall regions from being self-shielded against the external ionizing background to being mostly ionized. Whereas self-shielded infall regions can scatter the Ly$\alpha$ photons over a much larger area than the commonly used apertures for observing LAEs, the same infalling gas is no longer optically thick to the Ly$\alpha$ emission line after it is ionized by the external background, making the Ly$\alpha$ emission more compact and brighter within the observed apertures. Based on this simple model, we show that the observed drop in the abundance of LAEs at $z>6$ does not imply a rapid increase with redshift of the fraction of the whole IGM volume that is atomic, but is accounted for by a rapid increase of the neutral fraction in the infall regions around galaxy host halos.
We investigate the temperature distribution of CO-dark molecular hydrogen (H2) in a series of disk galaxies simulated using the AREPO moving-mesh code. In conditions similar to those in the Milky Way, we find that H2 has a flat temperature distribution ranging from 10 - 100 K. At $T < 30$ K the gas is almost fully molecular and has a high CO content, whereas at $T > 30$ K, the H2 fraction spans a broader range and the CO content is small, allowing us to classify gas in these two regimes as CO-bright and CO-dark, respectively. The mean sound speed in the CO-dark H2 is 0.64 km/s, significantly lower than the value in the cold atomic gas (1.15 km/s), implying that the CO-dark molecular phase is more susceptible to turbulent compression and gravitational collapse than its atomic counterpart. We further show that the temperature of the CO-dark H2 is highly sensitive to the strength of the interstellar radiation field, but that conditions in the CO-bright H2 remain largely unchanged. Finally, we examine the usefulness of the [CII] and [OI] fine structure lines as tracers of the CO-dark gas. We show that in Milky Way-like conditions, diffuse [CII] emission from this gas should be detectable. However, it is a problematic tracer of this gas, as there is only a weak correlation between the brightness of the emission and the H2 surface density. The situation is even worse for the [OI] line, which shows no correlation with the H2 surface density.
A fading radio source, coincident in time and position with the fast radio burst FRB150418, has been associated with the galaxy WISE J071634.59-190039.2. Subsequent observations of this galaxy have revealed that it contains a persistent, but variable, radio source. We present e-MERLIN, VLBA, and ATCA radio observations and Subaru optical observations of WISE J071634.59-190039.2 and find that the persistent radio source is unresolved and must be compact (<0.01 kpc), and that its location is consistent with the optical centre of the galaxy. We conclude that it is likely that WISE J071634.59-190039.2 contains a weak radio AGN.
We describe the dynamical evolution of a unique type of dark star cluster model in which the majority of the cluster mass at Hubble time is dominated by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). We analyzed results from about 2000 star cluster models (Survey Database I) simulated using the Monte-Carlo code MOCCA and identified these dark star cluster models. Taking one of these models, we apply the method of simulating realistic "mock observations" by utilizing the COCOA and SISCO codes to obtain the photometric and kinematic observational properties of the dark star cluster model at 12 Gyr. We find that the perplexing Galactic globular cluster NGC 6535 closely matches the observational photometric and kinematic properties of the dark star cluster model presented in this paper. Based on our analysis and currently observed properties of NGC 6535, we suggest that this globular cluster could potentially harbour an IMBH. If it exists, the presence of this IMBH can be detected robustly with proposed kinematic observations of NGC 6535.
We describe a new phenomenon of `bar damping' that may have played an important role in shaping the Milky Way bar and bulge as well as its spiral structure. We use a collisionless N-body simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy initially composed of a dark matter halo and an exponential disk with Toomre parameter slightly above unity. In this configuration, dominated by the disk in the center, a bar forms relatively quickly, after 1 Gyr of evolution. This is immediately followed by the formation of two manifold-driven spiral arms and the outflow of stars that modifies the potential in the vicinity of the bar, apparently shifting the position of the L_1/L_2 Lagrange points. This modification leads to the shortening of the bar and the creation of a next generation of manifold-driven spiral arms at a smaller radius. The process repeats itself a few times over the next 0.5 Gyr resulting in further substantial weakening and shortening of the bar. The time when the damping comes to an end coincides with the first buckling episode in the bar which rebuilds the orbital structure so that no more new spiral arms are formed. The morphology of the bar and the spiral structure at this time show remarkable similarity to the present properties of the Milky Way. Later on, the bar starts to grow rather steadily again, weakened only by subsequent buckling episodes occurring at more distant parts of the disk.
We know that our Galaxy is permeated by tenuous, hot, metal-rich gas. However much remains unknown about its origin, the portion of the Galaxy that it permeates, its total mass, as any role it may play in regulating activity in the Galaxy. In a Letter currently in the press with the ApJ, we show that this hot gas permeates both the disk of the Galaxy and a large spherical volume, centered on the Galactic nucleus, and extending out to distances of at least 60-200 kpc from the center. This gas displays a peculiar density distribution that peaks about 6 kpc from the Galaxy's center, likely witnessing a period of strong activity of the central super-massive black hole of the Milky Way that occurred 6 Myrs ago. With our study we are also able to update the total baryonic mass of the Galaxy to Mb = (0.8-4)x1e11 Solar Masses, sufficient to close the Galaxy's baryon census.
We very briefly discuss proposed in the literature possible scenarios for intermediate mass black holes (IMBH) formation in globular clusters. We also discuss the results of the MOCCA simulations of about 2000 models (BigSurvey) regarding the distribution of events connected with electromagnetic and gravitational radiations, namely: mass transfer on IMBH, collisions and mergers with IMBH and mergers with IMBH due to gravitational radiation. The rates of these events are very small, so their observation is very improbable.
We present the identification of 634 variable stars in the Milky Way dSph satellite Sculptor based on archival ground-based optical observations spanning $\sim$24 years and covering $\sim$ 2.5 deg$^2$. We employed the same methodologies as the "Homogeneous Photometry" series published by Stetson. In particular, we have identified and characterized the largest (536) RR Lyrae sample so far in a Milky Way dSph satellite. We have also detected four Anomalous Cepheids, 23 SX~Phoenicis stars, five eclipsing binaries, three field variable stars, three \textit{peculiar} variable stars located above the horizontal branch -- near to the locus of BL~Herculis -- that we are unable to classify properly. Additionally we identify 37 Long Period Variables plus 23 probable variable stars, for which the current data do not allow us to determine the period. We report positions and finding charts for all the variable stars, and basic properties (period, amplitude, mean magnitude) and light curves for 574 of them. We discuss the properties of the RR Lyrae stars in the Bailey diagram, which supports the coexistence of subpopulations with different chemical compositions. We estimate the mean mass of Anomalous Cepheids ($\sim$1.5M$_{\odot}$) and SX Phoenicis stars ($\sim$1M$_{\odot}$). We discuss in detail the nature of the former. The connections between the properties of the different families of variable stars are discussed in the context of the star formation history of the Sculptor dSph galaxy.
I start by providing an updated summary of the penalized pixel-fitting (pPXF) method, which is used to extract the stellar and gas kinematics, as well as the stellar population of galaxies, via full spectrum fitting. I then focus on the problem of extracting the kinematics when the velocity dispersion $\sigma$ is smaller than the velocity sampling $\Delta v$, which is generally close to the instrumental resolution $\sigma_{\rm inst}$, by design. The same situation arises when measuring line-of-sight velocities of individual stars. The standard approach is mathematically equivalent to convolving with a discretized kernel, via direct summation, while fitting for the kernel parameters. However, this approach obviously becomes seriously inaccurate when $\sigma<\Delta v/2$, due to undersampling. Oversampling can be used to prevent this, but it has drawbacks. Here I present a better alternative, which is not only more accurate and efficient, but even simpler to implement. It consists of avoiding the evaluation of the under-sampled kernel, and instead directly computing its well-sampled analytic Fourier transform, for use with the convolution theorem. A simple analytic transform exits when the kernel is described by the standard Gauss-Hermite parametrization (of which the Gaussian is a special case) for the line-of-sight velocity distribution. I describe how this idea was implemented in a significant upgrade to the publicly available pPXF software. As expected, the proposed approach recovers accurate kinematics irrespective of $\sigma$. Gaussian convolution algorithms used in today's popular software packages also suffer from undersampling, when $\sigma$ is smaller than the pixel size. They could all be easily fixed as proposed here.
We present a deep near-infrared (NIR) photometric catalogue of sources from the Parkes HI Zone of Avoidance (HIZOA) survey, which forms the basis for an investigation of the matter distribution in the Zone of Avoidance. Observations were conducted between 2006 and 2013 using the Infrared Survey Facility (IRSF), a 1.4-m telescope situated at the South African Astronomical Observatory site in Sutherland. The images cover all 1108 HIZOA detections and yield 915 galaxies. An additional 105 bright 2MASS galaxies in the southern ZOA were imaged with the IRSF, resulting in 129 galaxies. The average $K_s$-band seeing and sky background for the survey are 1.38 arcsec and 20.1 mag, respectively. The detection rate as a function of stellar density and dust extinction is found to depend mainly on the HI mass of the HI detected galaxies, which in principal correlates with the NIR brightness of the spiral galaxies. The measured isophotal magnitudes are of sufficient accuracy (errors $\sim$ 0.02 mag) to be used in a Tully-Fisher analysis. In the final NIR catalogue, 285 galaxies have both IRSF and 2MASS photometry (180 HIZOA plus 105 bright 2MASX galaxies). The $K_s$-band isophotal magnitudes presented in this paper agree, within the uncertainties, with those reported in the 2MASX catalogue. Another 30 galaxies, from the HIZOA northern extension, are also covered by UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey (GPS) images, which are one magnitude deeper than our IRSF images. A modified version of our photometry pipeline was used to derive the photometric parameters of these UKIDSS galaxies. Good agreement was found between the respective $K_s$-band isophotal magnitudes. These comparisons confirm the robustness of the isophotal parameters and demonstrate that the IRSF images do not suffer from foreground contamination, after star removal, nor under-estimate the isophotal fluxes of ZoA galaxies.
S0 galaxies are known to host classical bulges with a broad range of size and
mass, while some such S0s are barred and some not. The origin of the bars has
remained as a long-standing problem -- what made bar formation possible in
certain S0s?
By analysing a large sample of S0s with classical bulges observed by the
Spitzer space telescope, we find that most of our barred S0s host comparatively
low-mass classical bulges, typically with bulge-to-total ratio ($B/T$) less
than $0.5$; whereas S0s with more massive classical bulges than these do not
host any bar. Furthermore, we find that amongst the barred S0s, there is a
trend for the longer and massive bars to be associated with comparatively
bigger and massive classical bulges -- possibly suggesting bar growth being
facilitated by these classical bulges. In addition, we find that the bulge
effective radius is always less than the bar effective radius --indicating an
interesting synergy between the host classical bulge and bars being maintained
while bar growth occurred in these S0s.
By revisiting the Suzaku and XMM-Newton data of the North Polar Spur, we discovered that the spectra are inconsistent with the traditional model consisting of pure thermal emission and neutral absorption. The most prominent discrepancies are the enhanced O VII and Ne IX forbidden-to-resonance ratios, and a high O VIII Ly$\beta$ line relative to other Lyman series. A collisionally ionized absorption model can naturally explain both features, while a charge exchange component can only account for the former. By including the additional ionized absorption, the plasma in the North Polar Spur can be described by a single-phase CIE component with temperature of 0.25 keV, and nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, and iron abundances of $0.4-0.8$ solar. The abundance pattern of the North Polar Spur is well in line with those of the Galactic halo stars. The high nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio reported in previous studies can be migrated to the large transmission of the O VIII Ly$\alpha$ line. The ionized absorber is characterized by a balance temperature of $0.17-0.20$ keV and a column density of $3-5 \times 10^{19}$ cm$^{-2}$. Based on the derived abundances and absorption, we speculate that the North Polar Spur is a structure in the Galactic halo, so that the emission is mostly absorbed by Galactic ISM in the line of sight.
We use the BAHAMAS and MACSIS hydrodynamic simulations to quantify the impact of baryons on the mass distribution and dynamics of massive galaxy clusters, as well as the bias in X-ray and weak lensing mass estimates. These simulations use the sub-grid physics models calibrated in the BAHAMAS project, which include feedback from both supernovae and active galactic nuclei. They form a cluster population covering almost two orders of magnitude in mass, with more than 250 clusters with masses greater than $10^{15}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ at $z=0$. We start by characterising the clusters in terms of their spin, shape and density profile, before considering the bias in both weak lensing and hydrostatic mass estimates. Whilst including baryonic effects leads to more spherical, centrally concentrated clusters, the median weak lensing mass bias is unaffected by the presence of baryons. In both the dark matter only and hydrodynamic simulations, the weak lensing measurements underestimate cluster masses by ${\approx}10\%$ for clusters with $M_{200}{\leq}10^{15}\mathrm{M}_\odot$ and this bias tends to zero at higher masses. We also consider the hydrostatic bias when using both the true density and temperature profiles, and those derived from X-ray spectroscopy. When using spectroscopic temperatures and densities, the hydrostatic bias decreases as a function of mass, leading to a bias of ${\approx}40\%$ for clusters with $M_{500}{\geq}10^{15}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$. This is due to the presence of cooler gas in the cluster outskirts. Using mass weighted temperatures and the true density profile reduces this bias to $5{-}15\%$.
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