Browsing by Subject "astrophysics"
Now showing 1 - 20 of 25
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemOpen AccessA high-dispersion molecular gas component in nearby galaxies(2013) Caldú-Primo, Anahi; Schruba, Andreas; Walter, Fabian; Leroy, Adam; Sandstrom, Karin; de Blok, W J G; Ianjamasimanana, R; Mogotsi, K MWe present a comprehensive study of the velocity dispersion of the atomic (H I) and molecular (H2) gas components in the disks (R R 25) of a sample of 12 nearby spiral galaxies with moderate inclinations. Our analysis is based on sensitive high-resolution data from the THINGS (atomic gas) and HERACLES (molecular gas) surveys. To obtain reliable measurements of the velocity dispersion, we stack regions several kiloparsecs in size, after accounting for intrinsic velocity shifts due to galactic rotation and large-scale motions. We stack using various parameters: the galactocentric distance, star formation rate surface density, H I surface density, H2 surface density, and total gas surface density. We fit single Gaussian components to the stacked spectra and measure median velocity dispersions for H I of 11.9 ± 3.1 km s–1 and for CO of 12.0 ± 3.9 km s–1. The CO velocity dispersions are thus, surprisingly, very similar to the corresponding ones of H I, with an average ratio of σH I /σCO= 1.0 ± 0.2 irrespective of the stacking parameter. The measured CO velocity dispersions are significantly higher (factor of ~2) than the traditional picture of a cold molecular gas disk associated with star formation. The high dispersion implies an additional thick molecular gas disk (possibly as thick as the H I disk). Our finding is in agreement with recent sensitive measurements in individual edge-on and face-on galaxies and points toward the general existence of a thick disk of molecular gas, in addition to the well-known thin disk in nearby spiral galaxies.
- ItemOpen AccessA more general model for the intrinsic scatter in type Ia supernova distance moduli(2011) Marriner, John; Bernstein, J P; Kessler, Richard; Lampeitl, Hubert; Miquel, Ramon; Mosher, Jennifer; Nichol, Robert C; Sako, Masao; Schneider, Donald P; Smith, MathewWe describe a new formalism to fit the parameters {alpha} and {beta} that are used in the SALT2 model to determine the standard magnitudes of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The new formalism describes the intrinsic scatter in SNe Ia by a covariance matrix in place of the single parameter normally used. We have applied this formalism to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Supernova Survey (SDSS-II) data and conclude that the data are best described by {alpha} = 0.135{sup +.033} - .017 and {beta} = 3.19{sup +0.14} - 0.24, where the error is dominated by the uncertainty in the form of the intrinsic scatter matrix. Our result depends on the introduction of a more general form for the intrinsic scatter of the distance moduli of SNe Ia than is conventional, resulting in a larger value of {beta} and a larger uncertainty than the conventional approach. Although this analysis results in a larger value of {beta} and a larger error, the SDSS data differ (at a 98% confidence level) from {beta} = 4.1, the value expected for extinction by the type of dust found in the Milky Way. We have modeled the distribution of SNe Ia in terms of their colormore » and conclude that there is strong evidence that variation in color is a significant contributor to the scatter of SNe Ia around their standard candle magnitude.« less
- ItemOpen AccessCharacterization of the nearby L/T binary brown dwarf wise J104915.57–531906.1 at 2 pc from the sun(2013) Kniazev, A Y; Väisänen, P; Mužić, K; Mehner, A; Boffin, H M J; Kurtev, R; Melo, C; Ivanov, V D; Girard, J; Mawet, D; Schmidtobreick, L; Huelamo, N; Borissova, J; Minniti, D; Ishibashi, K; Potter, S B; Beletsky, Y; Buckley, D A H; Crawford, S; Gulbis, A A S; Kotze, P; Miszalski, B; Pickering, T E; Romero-Colmenero, E; Williams, T BWISE J104915.57$-$531906.1 is a L/T brown dwarf binary located 2pc from the Sun. The pair contains the closest known brown dwarfs and is the third closest known system, stellar or sub-stellar. We report comprehensive follow-up observations of this newly uncovered system. We have determined the spectral types of both components (L8+/-1, for the primary, agreeing with the discovery paper; T1.5+/-2 for the secondary, which was lacking spectroscopic type determination in the discovery paper) and, for the first time, their radial velocities (V_rad~23.1, 19.5 km/s) using optical spectra obtained at the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) and other facilities located at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). The relative radial velocity of the two components is smaller than the range of orbital velocities for theoretically predicted masses, implying that they form a gravitationally bound system. We report resolved near-infrared JHK_S photometry from the IRSF telescope at the SAAO which yields colors consistent with the spectroscopically derived spectral types. The available kinematic and photometric information excludes the possibility that the object belongs to any of the known nearby young moving groups or associations. Simultaneous optical polarimetry observations taken at the SAAO 1.9-m give a non-detection with an upper limit of 0.07%. For the given spectral types and absolute magnitudes, 1Gyr theoretical models predict masses of 0.04--0.05 M_odot for the primary, and 0.03--0.05 M_odot for the secondary.
- ItemOpen AccessDEGREE OF POLARIZATION AND SOURCE COUNTS OF FAINT RADIO SOURCES FROM STACKING POLARIZED INTENSITY(2014) Stil, J M; Keller, B W; George, S J; Taylor, A RWe present stacking polarized intensity as a means to study the polarization of sources that are too faint to be detected individually in surveys of polarized radio sources. Stacking offers not only high sensitivity to the median signal of a class of radio sources, but also avoids a detection threshold in polarized intensity, and therefore an arbitrary exclusion of source with a low percentage of polarization. Correction for polarization bias is done through a Monte Carlo analysis and tested on a simulated survey. We show that the non-linear relation between the real polarized signal and the detected signal requires knowledge of the shape of the distribution of fractional polarization, which we constrain using the ratio of the upper quartile to the lower quartile of the distribution of stacked polarized intensities. Stacking polarized intensity for NVSS sources down to the detection limit in Stokes I, we find a gradual increase in median fractional polarization that is consistent with a trend that was noticed before for bright NVSS sources, but is much more gradual than found by previous deep surveys of radio polarization. Consequently, the polarized radio source counts derived from our stacking experiment predict fewer polarized radio sources for future surveys with the Square Kilometre Array and its pathfinders.
- ItemOpen AccessEvidence for a clumpy, rotating gas disk in a submillimeter galaxy at z = 4(2012) Hodge, J A; Carilli, C L; Walter, F; de Blok, W J G; Riechers, D; Daddi, E; Lentati, LWe present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array observations of the CO(2-1) emission in the z = 4.05 submillimeter galaxy (SMG) GN20. These high-resolution data allow us to image the molecular gas at 1.3 kpc resolution just 1.6 Gyr after the big bang. The data reveal a clumpy, extended gas reservoir, 14 {+-} 4 kpc in diameter, in unprecedented detail. A dynamical analysis shows that the data are consistent with a rotating disk of total dynamical mass 5.4 {+-} 2.4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} M {sub Sun }. We use this dynamical mass estimate to constrain the CO-to-H{sub 2} mass conversion factor ({alpha}{sub CO}), finding {alpha}{sub CO} = 1.1 {+-} 0.6 M {sub Sun }(K km s{sup -1} pc{sup 2}){sup -1}. We identify five distinct molecular gas clumps in the disk of GN20 with masses a few percent of the total gas mass, brightness temperatures of 16-31K, and surface densities of >3200-4500 Multiplication-Sign ({alpha}{sub CO}/0.8) M {sub Sun} pc{sup -2}. Virial mass estimates indicate they could be self-gravitating, and we constrain their CO-to-H{sub 2} mass conversion factor to be <0.2-0.7 M {sub Sun }(K km s{sup -1} pc{sup 2}){sup -1}. A multiwavelength comparison demonstrates that the molecular gas is concentrated in a region of the galaxy that is heavily obscured in the rest-frame UV/optical. We investigate the spatially resolved gas excitation and find that the CO(6-5)/CO(2-1) ratio is constant with radius, consistent with star formation occurring over a large portion of the disk. We discuss the implications of our results in the context of different fueling scenarios for SMGs.
- ItemOpen AccessFIRST-YEAR SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY-II (SDSS-II) SUPERNOVA RESULTS: CONSTRAINTS ON NONSTANDARD COSMOLOGICAL MODELS(2009) Sollerman, J; Mörtsell, E; Davis, T M; Blomqvist, M; Bassett, B; Becker, A C; Cinabro, D; Filippenko, A V; Foley, R J; Frieman, J; Garnavich, P; Lampeitl, H; Marriner, J; Miquel, R; Nichol, R C; Richmond, M W; Sako, M; Schneider, D P; Smith, M; VanderPlas, J T; Wheeler, J CWe use the new Type Ia supernovae discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II supernova survey, together with additional supernova data sets as well as observations of the cosmic microwave backgr ...
- ItemOpen AccessGyromagnetic factors and atomic clock constraints on the variation of fundamental constants(2011) Luo, Feng; Olive, Keith A; Uzan, Jean-PhilippeWe consider the effect of the coupled variations of fundamental constants on the nucleon magnetic moment. The nucleon g-factor enters into the interpretation of the measurements of variations in the fine-structure constant, alpha, in both the laboratory (through atomic clock measurements) and in astrophysical systems (e.g. through measurements of the 21 cm transitions). A null result can be translated into a limit on the variation of a set of fundamental constants, that is usually reduced to alpha. However, in specific models, particularly unification models, changes in alpha are always accompanied by corresponding changes in other fundamental quantities such as the QCD scale, Lambda_QCD. This work tracks the changes in the nucleon g-factors induced from changes in Lambda_QCD and the light quark masses. In principle, these coupled variations can improve the bounds on the variation of alpha by an order of magnitude from existing atomic clock and astrophysical measurements. Unfortunately, the calculation of the dependence of g-factors on fundamental parameters is notoriously model-dependent.
- ItemOpen AccessImproved constraints on type Ia supernova host galaxy properties using multi-wavelength photometry and their correlations with supernova properties(2011) Gupta, Ravi R; D’Andrea, Chris B; Sako, Masao; Conroy, Charlie; Smith, Mathew; Bassett, Bruce; Frieman, Joshua A; Garnavich, Peter M; Jha, Saurabh W; Kessler, Richard; Lampeitl, Hubert; Marriner, John; Nichol, Robert C; Schneider, Donald PWe improve estimates of the stellar mass and mass-weighted average age of Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) host galaxies by combining UV and near-IR photometry with optical photometry in our analysis. Using 206 SNe Ia drawn from the full three-year Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-II) Supernova Survey (median redshift of z 0.2) and multi-wavelength host-galaxy photometry from SDSS, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey, we present evidence of a correlation (1.9σ confidence level) between the residuals of SNe Ia about the best-fit Hubble relation and the mass-weighted average age of their host galaxies. The trend is such that older galaxies host SNe Ia that are brighter than average after standard light-curve corrections are made. We also confirm, at the 3.0σ level, the trend seen by previous studies that more massive galaxies often host brighter SNe Ia after light-curve correction.
- ItemOpen AccessImproved cosmological constraints from a joint analysis of the SDSS-II and SNLS supernova samples(2014) Betoule, M; Kessler, R; Guy, J; Mosher, J; Hardin, D; Biswas, R; Astier, P; El-Hage, P; Konig, M; Kuhlmann, S; Marriner, J; Pain, R; Regnault, N; Balland, C; Bassett, B A; Brown, P J; Campbell, H; Carlberg, R G; Cellier-Holzem, F; Cinabro, D; Conley, A; D’Andrea, C B; DePoy, D L; Doi, M; Ellis, R S; Fabbro, S; Filippenko, A V; Foley, R J; Frieman, J A; Fouchez, D; Galbany, L; Goobar, AAims. We present cosmological constraints from a joint analysis of type Ia supernova (SN Ia) observations obtained by the SDSS-II and SNLS collaborations. The dataset includes several low-redshift samples (z < 0:1), all three seasons from the SDSS-II (0:05 < z < 0:4), and three years from SNLS (0:2 < z < 1), and it totals 740 spectroscopically confirmed type Ia supernovae with high-quality light curves. Methods. We followed the methods and assumptions of the SNLS three-year data analysis except for the following important improvements: 1) the addition of the full SDSS-II spectroscopically-confirmed SN Ia sample in both the training of the SALT2 light-curve model and in the Hubble diagram analysis (374 SNe); 2) intercalibration of the SNLS and SDSS surveys and reduced systematic uncertainties in the photometric calibration, performed blindly with respect to the cosmology analysis; and 3) a thorough investigation of systematic errors associated with the SALT2 modeling of SN Ia light curves. Results. We produce recalibrated SN Ia light curves and associated distances for the SDSS-II and SNLS samples. The large SDSS-II sample provides an eective, independent, low-z anchor for the Hubble diagram and reduces the systematic error from calibration systematics in the low-z SN sample. For a flat CDM cosmology, we find m = 0:295 0:034 (stat+sys), a value consistent with the most recent cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurement from the Planck and WMAP experiments. Our result is 1:8 (stat+sys) dierent than the previously published result of SNLS three-year data. The change is due primarily to improvements in the SNLS photometric calibration. When combined with CMB constraints, we measure a constant dark-energy equation of state parameter w = ?1:018 0:057 (stat+sys) for a flat universe. Adding baryon acoustic oscillation distance measurements gives similar constraints: w = ?1:0270:055. Our supernova measurements provide the most stringent constraints to date on the nature of dark energy.
- ItemOpen AccessMid-infrared selection of active galactic nuclei with the wide-field infrared survey explorer. II. properties of wise -selected active galactic nuclei in the NDWFS Boötes field(2013) Assef, R J; Stern, D; Kochanek, C S; Blain, A W; Brodwin, M; Brown, M J I; Donoso, E; Eisenhardt, P R M; Jannuzi, B T; Jarrett, T H; Stanford, S A; Tsai, C W; Wu, J; Yan, LStern et al. presented a study of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) selection of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the 2 deg2 COSMOS field, finding that a simple criterion W1-W2 ≥ 0.8 provides a highly reliable and complete AGN sample for W2 < 15.05, where the W1 and W2 passbands are centered at 3.4 μm and 4.6 μm, respectively. Here we extend this study using the larger 9 deg2 NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Boötes field which also has considerably deeper WISE observations than the COSMOS field, and find that this simple color cut significantly loses reliability at fainter fluxes. We define a modified selection criterion combining the W1–W2 color and the W2 magnitude to provide highly reliable or highly complete AGN samples for fainter WISE sources. In particular, we define a color-magnitude cut that finds 130 ± 4 deg–2 AGN candidates for W2 < 17.11 with 90% reliability. Using the extensive UV through mid-IR broadband photometry available in this field, we study the spectral energy distributions of WISE AGN candidates. We find that, as expected, the WISE AGN selection can identify highly obscured AGNs, but that it is biased toward objects where the AGN dominates the bolometric luminosity output. We study the distribution of reddening in the AGN sample and discuss a formalism to account for sample incompleteness based on the step-wise maximum-likelihood method of Efstathiou et al. The resulting dust obscuration distributions depend strongly on AGN luminosity, consistent with the trend expected for a receding torus. At L AGN ~ 3 × 1044 erg s–1, 29% ± 7% of AGNs are observed as Type 1, while at ~4 × 1045 erg s–1 the fraction is 64% ± 13%. The distribution of obscuration values suggests that dust in the torus is present as both a diffuse medium and in optically thick clouds.
- ItemOpen AccessOPTICAL DISCOVERY OF PROBABLE STELLAR TIDAL DISRUPTION FLARES(2011) van Velzen, Sjoert; Farrar, Glennys R; Gezari, Suvi; Morrell, Nidia; Zaritsky, Dennis; Östman, Linda; Smith, Mathew; Gelfand, Joseph; Drake, Andrew JUsing archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) multi-epoch imaging data (Stripe 82), we have searched for the tidal disruption of stars by supermassive black holes in non-active galaxies. Two candidate tidal disruption events (TDEs) are identified. The TDE flares have optical blackbody temperatures of 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} K and observed peak luminosities of M{sub g} = -18.3 and -20.4 ({nu}L{sub {nu}} = 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 42}, 4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 43} erg s{sup -1}, in the rest frame); their cooling rates are very low, qualitatively consistent with expectations for tidal disruption flares. The properties of the TDE candidates are examined using (1) SDSS imaging to compare them to other flares observed in the search, (2) UV emission measured by GALEX, and (3) spectra of the hosts and of one of the flares. Our pipeline excludes optically identifiable AGN hosts, and our variability monitoring over nine years provides strong evidence that these are not flares in hidden AGNs. The spectra and color evolution of the flares are unlike any SN observed to date, their strong late-time UV emission is particularly distinctive, and they are nuclear at high resolution arguing against these being first cases of a previously unobserved class of SNemore » or more extreme examples of known SN types. Taken together, the observed properties are difficult to reconcile with an SN or an AGN-flare explanation, although an entirely new process specific to the inner few hundred parsecs of non-active galaxies cannot be excluded. Based on our observed rate, we infer that hundreds or thousands of TDEs will be present in current and next-generation optical synoptic surveys. Using the approach outlined here, a TDE candidate sample with O(1) purity can be selected using geometric resolution and host and flare color alone, demonstrating that a campaign to create a large sample of TDEs, with immediate and detailed multi-wavelength follow-up, is feasible. A by-product of this work is quantification of the power spectrum of extreme flares in AGNs.« less
- ItemOpen AccessPHOTOMETRIC ESTIMATES OF REDSHIFTS AND DISTANCE MODULI FOR TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE(2010) Kessler, Richard; Cinabro, David; Bassett, Bruce; Dilday, Benjamin; Frieman, Joshua A; Garnavich, Peter M; Jha, Saurabh; Marriner, John; Nichol, Robert C; Sako, Masao; Smith, Mathew; Bernstein, Joseph P; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Goobar, Ariel; Kuhlmann, Stephen; Schneider, Donald P; Stritzinger, MaximilianLarge planned photometric surveys will discover hundreds of thousands of supernovae (SNe), outstripping the resources available for spectroscopic follow-up and necessitating the development of pure ...
- ItemOpen AccessPHOTOMETRIC TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA CANDIDATES FROM THE THREE-YEAR SDSS-II SN SURVEY DATA(2011) Sako, Masao; Bassett, Bruce; Connolly, Brian; Dilday, Benjamin; Cambell, Heather; Frieman, Joshua A; Gladney, Larry; Kessler, Richard; Lampeitl, Hubert; Marriner, John; Miquel, Ramon; Nichol, Robert C; Schneider, Donald P; Smith, Mathew; Sollerman, JesperWe analyze the three-year Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS-II) Supernova (SN) Survey data and identify a sample of 1070 photometric Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) candidates based on their multiband li ...
- ItemOpen AccessSpectroscopic properties of star-forming host galaxies and type Ia supernova hubble residuals in a nearly unbiased sample(2011) D\'Andrea, Chris B; Gupta, Ravi R; Sako, Masao; Morris, Matt; Nichol, Robert C; Brown, Peter J; Campbell, Heather; Olmstead, Matthew D; Frieman, Joshua A; Garnavich, Peter; Jha, Saurabh W; Kessler, Richard; Lampeitl, Hubert; Marriner, John; Schneider, Donald P; Smith, MathewWe examine the correlation between supernova (SN) host-galaxy properties and their residuals in the Hubble diagram. We use SNe discovered during the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Survey, and focus on objects at a redshift of z < 0.15, where the selection effects of the survey are known to yield a complete Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) sample. To minimize the bias in our analysis with respect to measured host-galaxy properties, spectra were obtained for nearly all hosts, spanning a range in magnitude of -23 < M{sub r} < -17. In contrast to previous works that use photometric estimates of host mass as a proxy for global metallicity, we analyze host-galaxy spectra to obtain gas-phase metallicities and star formation rates (SFRs) from host galaxies with active star formation. From a final sample of {approx}40 emission-line galaxies, we find that light-curve-corrected SNe Ia are {approx}0.1 mag brighter in high-metallicity hosts than in low-metallicity hosts. We also find a significant (>3{sigma}) correlation between the Hubble Residuals of SNe Ia and the specific SFR of the host galaxy. We comment on the importance of SN/host-galaxy correlations as a source of systematic bias in future deep SN surveys.
- ItemOpen AccessSPIRITS: Uncovering Unusual Infrared Transients with Spitzer(2017) Kasliwal, Mansi M; Bally, John; Masci, Frank; Cody, Ann Marie; Bond, Howard E; Jencson, Jacob E; Cao, Yi; Boyer, Martha; Cantiello, Matteo; Cook, David; Hsiao, Eric; Khan, Rubab M; Milne, Peter; Morrell, Nidia; Ofek, Eran O; Perley, Daniel A; Phillips, Mark; Prince, Thomas A; Shenoy, Dinesh; Surace, Jason; Dyk, Schuyler D Van; Whitelock, Patricia A; Williams, RobertWe present an ongoing, five-year systematic search for extragalactic infrared transients, dubbed SPIRITS—SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey. In the first year, using Spitzer /IRAC, we searched 190 nearby galaxies with cadence baselines of one month and six months. We discovered over 1958 variables and 43 transients. Here, we describe the survey design and highlight 14 unusual infrared transients with no optical counterparts to deep limits, which we refer to as SPRITEs (eSPecially Red Intermediate-luminosity Transient Events). SPRITEs are in the infrared luminosity gap between novae and supernovae, with [4.5] absolute magnitudes between −11 and −14 (Vega-mag) and [3.6]–[4.5] colors between 0.3 mag and 1.6 mag. The photometric evolution of SPRITEs is diverse, ranging from <0.1 mag yr{sup −1} to >7 mag yr{sup −1}. SPRITEs occur in star-forming galaxies. We present an in-depth study of one of them, SPIRITS 14ajc in Messier 83, which shows shock-excited molecular hydrogen emission. This shock may have been triggered by the dynamic decay of a non-hierarchical system of massive stars that led to either the formation of a binary or a protostellar merger.
- ItemOpen AccessTHE CENTRAL SLOPE OF DARK MATTER CORES IN DWARF GALAXIES: SIMULATIONS VERSUS THINGS(2011) Oh, Se-Heon; Brook, Chris; Governato, Fabio; Brinks, Elias; Mayer, Lucio; de Blok, W J G; Brooks, Alyson; Walter, FabianWe make a direct comparison of the derived dark matter (DM) distributions between hydrodynamical simulations of dwarf galaxies assuming ACDM cosmology and the observed dwarf galaxies sample from the THINGS survey in terms of (1) the rotation curve shape and (2) the logarithmic inner density slope a of mass density profiles. The simulations, which include the effect of baryonic feedback processes, such as gas cooling, star formation, cosmic UV background heating, and most importantly, physically motivated gas outflows driven by supernovae, form bulgeless galaxies with DM cores. We show that the stellar and baryonic mass is similar to that inferred from photometric and kinematic methods for galaxies of similar circular velocity. Analyzing the simulations in exactly the same way as the observational sample allows us to address directly the so-called cusp/core problem in the ACDM model. We show that the rotation curves of the simulated dwarf galaxies rise less steeply than cold dark matter rotation curves and are consistent with those of the THINGS dwarf galaxies. The mean value of the logarithmic inner density slopes alpha of the simulated galaxies' DM density profiles is similar to-0.4 +/- 0.1, which shows good agreement with alpha = -0.29 +/- 0.07 of the THINGS dwarf galaxies. The effect of non-circular motions is not significant enough to affect the results. This confirms that the baryonic feedback processes included in the simulations are efficiently able to make the initial cusps with alpha similar to-1.0 to -1.5 predicted by DM-only simulations shallower and induce DM halos with a central mass distribution similar to that observed in nearby dwarf galaxies.
- ItemOpen AccessThe effect of peculiar velocities on supernova cosmology(2011) Davis, Tamara M; Hui, Lam; Frieman, Joshua A; Haugbølle, Troels; Kessler, Richard; Sinclair, Benjamin; Sollerman, Jesper; Bassett, Bruce; Marriner, John; Mörtsell, Edvard; Nichol, Robert C; Richmond, Michael W; Sako, Masao; Schneider, Donald P; Smith, MathewWe analyze the effect that peculiar velocities have on the cosmological inferences we make using luminosity distance indicators, such as Type Ia supernovae. In particular we study the corrections r ...
- ItemOpen AccessTHE EFFECT OF WEAK LENSING ON DISTANCE ESTIMATES FROM SUPERNOVAE(2014) Smith, Mathew; Bacon, David J; Nichol, Robert C; Campbell, Heather; Clarkson, Chris; Maartens, Roy; D\'Andrea, Chris B; Bassett, Bruce A; Cinabro, David; Finley, David A; Frieman, Joshua A; Galbany, LluÃs; Garnavich, Peter M; Olmstead, Matthew D; Schneider, Donald P; Shapiro, Charles; Sollerman, JesperUsing a sample of 608 Type Ia supernovae from the SDSS-II and BOSS surveys, combined with a sample of foreground galaxies from SDSS-II, we estimate the weak lensing convergence for each supernova l ...
- ItemOpen AccessThe impact of the gas distribution on the determination of dynamical masses of galaxies using unresolved observations(2014) de Blok, W J G; Walter, FabianDynamical mass (M dyn) is a key property of any galaxy, yet a determination of M dyn is not straightforward if spatially resolved measurements are not available. This situation occurs in single-dish H I observations of the local universe, but also frequently in high-redshift observations. M dyn measurements in high-redshift galaxies are commonly obtained through observations of the CO line, the most abundant tracer of the molecular medium. Even though in most cases the CO line width can be determined with reasonable accuracy, a measurement of the size of the emitting region is typically challenging given current facilities. We show how the integrated spectra ("global profiles") of a variety of galaxy models depend on the spatial distribution of the tracer gas as well as its velocity dispersion. We demonstrate that the choice of tracer emission line (e.g., H I tracing extended, "flat," emission versus CO tracing more compact, "exponential," emission) significantly affects the shape of the global profiles. In particular, in the case of high (~50 km s–1) velocity dispersions, compact tracers (such as CO) result in Gaussian-like (non-double-horned) profiles, as is indeed frequently seen in high-redshift observations. This leads to significantly different determinations of M dyn if different distributions of the tracer material ("flat" versus "exponential") are considered. We determine at which radii the rotation curve reaches the rotation velocity corresponding to the velocity width, and find that for each tracer this happens at a well-defined radius: H I velocity widths typically originate at ~5 optical scale lengths, while CO velocity widths trace the rotation velocity at ~2 scale lengths. We additionally explore other distributions to take into account that CO distributions at high redshift likely differ from those at low redshift. Our models, while not trying to reproduce individual galaxies, define characteristic radii that can be used in conjunction with the measured velocity widths in order to define dynamical masses consistent with the assumed gas distribution.
- ItemOpen AccessTHE SDSS-II SUPERNOVA SURVEY: PARAMETERIZING THE TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA RATE AS A FUNCTION OF HOST GALAXY PROPERTIES(2012) Smith, Mathew; Nichol, Robert C; Dilday, Benjamin; Marriner, John; Kessler, Richard; Bassett, Bruce; Cinabro, David; Frieman, Joshua; Garnavich, Peter; Jha, Saurabh W; Lampeitl, Hubert; Sako, Masao; Schneider, Donald P; Sollerman, JesperUsing data from the Sloan Digital Sky Supernova Survey-II (SDSS-II SN Survey), we measure the rate of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) as a function of galaxy properties at intermediate redshift. A samp ...