THE OVERDENSITY AND MASSES OF THE FRIENDS-OF-FRIENDS HALOS AND UNIVERSALITY OF HALO MASS FUNCTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

More, Surhud; Kravtsov, Andrey V.; Dalal, Neal; Gottloeber, Stefan

2011-01-01

The friends-of-friends algorithm (hereafter FOF) is a percolation algorithm which is routinely used to identify dark matter halos from N-body simulations. We use results from percolation theory to show that the boundary of FOF halos does not correspond to a single density threshold but to a range of densities close to a critical value that depends upon the linking length parameter, b. We show that for the commonly used choice of b = 0.2, this critical density is equal to 81.62 times the mean matter density. Consequently, halos identified by the FOF algorithm enclose an average overdensity which depends on their density profile (concentration) and therefore changes with halo mass, contrary to the popular belief that the average overdensity is ∼180. We derive an analytical expression for the overdensity as a function of the linking length parameter b and the concentration of the halo. Results of tests carried out using simulated and actual FOF halos identified in cosmological simulations show excellent agreement with our analytical prediction. We also find that the mass of the halo that the FOF algorithm selects crucially depends upon mass resolution. We find a percolation-theory-motivated formula that is able to accurately correct for the dependence on number of particles for the mock realizations of spherical and triaxial Navarro-Frenk-White halos. However, we show that this correction breaks down when applied to the real cosmological FOF halos due to the presence of substructures. Given that abundance of substructure depends on redshift and cosmology, we expect that the resolution effects due to substructure on the FOF mass and halo mass function will also depend on redshift and cosmology and will be difficult to correct for in general. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for the universality of the mass function.

A machine learning approach to galaxy-LSS classification - I. Imprints on halo merger trees

Science.gov (United States)

Hui, Jianan; Aragon, Miguel; Cui, Xinping; Flegal, James M.

2018-04-01

The cosmic web plays a major role in the formation and evolution of galaxies and defines, to a large extent, their properties. However, the relation between galaxies and environment is still not well understood. Here, we present a machine learning approach to study imprints of environmental effects on the mass assembly of haloes. We present a galaxy-LSS machine learning classifier based on galaxy properties sensitive to the environment. We then use the classifier to assess the relevance of each property. Correlations between galaxy properties and their cosmic environment can be used to predict galaxy membership to void/wall or filament/cluster with an accuracy of 93 per cent. Our study unveils environmental information encoded in properties of haloes not normally considered directly dependent on the cosmic environment such as merger history and complexity. Understanding the physical mechanism by which the cosmic web is imprinted in a halo can lead to significant improvements in galaxy formation models. This is accomplished by extracting features from galaxy properties and merger trees, computing feature scores for each feature and then applying support vector machine (SVM) to different feature sets. To this end, we have discovered that the shape and depth of the merger tree, formation time, and density of the galaxy are strongly associated with the cosmic environment. We describe a significant improvement in the original classification algorithm by performing LU decomposition of the distance matrix computed by the feature vectors and then using the output of the decomposition as input vectors for SVM.

MERGERS AND BULGE FORMATION IN ΛCDM: WHICH MERGERS MATTER?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopkins, Philip F.; Bundy, Kevin; Wetzel, Andrew; Croton, Darren; Hernquist, Lars; Keres, Dusan; Younger, Joshua D.; Khochfar, Sadegh; Stewart, Kyle

2010-01-01

We use a suite of semi-empirical models to predict the galaxy-galaxy merger rate and relative contributions to bulge growth as a function of mass (both halo and stellar), redshift, and mass ratio. The models use empirical constraints on the halo occupation distribution, evolved forward in time, to robustly identify where and when galaxy mergers occur. Together with the results of high-resolution merger simulations, this allows us to quantify the relative contributions of mergers with different properties (e.g., mass ratios, gas fractions, redshifts) to the bulge population. We compare with observational constraints, and find good agreement. We also provide useful fitting functions and make public a code to reproduce the predicted merger rates and contributions to bulge mass growth. We identify several robust conclusions. (1) Major mergers dominate the formation and assembly of ∼L * bulges and the total spheroid mass density, but minor mergers contribute a non-negligible ∼30%. (2) This is mass dependent: bulge formation and assembly is dominated by more minor mergers in lower-mass systems. In higher-mass systems, most bulges originally form in major mergers near ∼L * , but assemble in increasingly minor mergers. (3) The minor/major contribution is also morphology dependent: higher B/T systems preferentially form in more major mergers, with B/T roughly tracing the mass ratio of the largest recent merger; lower B/T systems preferentially form in situ from minor mergers. (4) Low-mass galaxies, being gas-rich, require more mergers to reach the same B/T as high-mass systems. Gas-richness dramatically suppresses the absolute efficiency of bulge formation, but does not strongly influence the relative contribution of major versus minor mergers. (5) Absolute merger rates at fixed mass ratio increase with galaxy mass. (6) Predicted merger rates agree well with those observed in pair and morphology-selected samples, but there is evidence that some morphology

The Exceptional Soft X-Ray Halo of the Galaxy Merger NGC 6240

Science.gov (United States)

Nardini, E.; Wang, Junfeng; Fabbiano, G.; Elvis, M.; Pellegrini, S.; Risaliti, G.; Karovska, M.; Zezas, A.

2013-03-01

We report on a recent ~150 ks long Chandra observation of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy merger NGC 6240, which allows a detailed investigation of the diffuse galactic halo. Extended soft X-ray emission is detected at the 3σ confidence level over a diamond-shaped region with projected physical size of ~110 × 80 kpc, and a single-component thermal model provides a reasonably good fit to the observed X-ray spectrum. The hot gas has a temperature of ~7.5 million K, an estimated density of 2.5 × 10-3 cm-3, and a total mass of ~1010 M ⊙, resulting in an intrinsic 0.4-2.5 keV luminosity of 4 × 1041 erg s-1. The average temperature of 0.65 keV is quite high to be obviously related to either the binding energy in the dark-matter gravitational potential of the system or the energy dissipation and shocks following the galactic collision, yet the spatially resolved spectral analysis reveals limited variations across the halo. The relative abundance of the main α-elements with respect to iron is several times the solar value, and nearly constant as well, implying a uniform enrichment by type II supernovae out to the largest scales. Taken as a whole, the observational evidence is not compatible with a superwind originated by a recent, nuclear starburst, but rather hints at widespread, enhanced star formation proceeding at a steady rate over the entire dynamical timescale (~200 Myr). The preferred scenario is that of a starburst-processed gas component gently expanding into, and mixing with, a pre-existing halo medium of lower metallicity (Z ~ 0.1 solar) and temperature (kT ~ 0.25 keV). This picture cannot be probed more extensively with the present data, and the ultimate fate of the diffuse, hot gas remains uncertain. Under some favorable conditions, at least a fraction of it might be retained after the merger completion, and evolve into the hot halo of a young elliptical galaxy.

Stellar Mass-gap as a Probe of Halo Assembly History and Concentration: Youth Hidden among Old Fossils

Science.gov (United States)

Deason, A. J.; Conroy, C.; Wetzel, A. R.; Tinker, J. L.

2013-11-01

We investigate the use of the halo mass-gap statistic—defined as the logarithmic difference in mass between the host halo and its most massive satellite subhalo—as a probe of halo age and concentration. A cosmological N-body simulation is used to study N ~ 25, 000 group/cluster-sized halos in the mass range 1012.5 time and concentration. On average, older and more highly concentrated halos have larger halo mass-gaps, and this trend is stronger than the mass-concentration relation over a similar dynamic range. However, there is a large amount of scatter owing to the transitory nature of the satellite subhalo population, which limits the use of the halo mass-gap statistic on an object-by-object basis. For example, we find that 20% of very large halo mass-gap systems (akin to "fossil groups") are young and have likely experienced a recent merger between a massive satellite subhalo and the central subhalo. We relate halo mass-gap to the observable stellar mass-gap via abundance matching. Using a galaxy group catalog constructed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, we find that the star formation and structural properties of galaxies at fixed mass show no trend with stellar mass-gap. This is despite a variation in halo age of ≈2.5 Gyr over ≈1.2 dex in stellar mass-gap. Thus, we find no evidence to suggest that the halo formation history significantly affects galaxy properties.

Gas-Rich Mergers in LCDM: Disk Survivability and the Baryonic Assembly of Galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, K.

2009-01-01

We use N-body simulations and observationally-normalized relations between dark matter halo mass, stellar mass, and cold gas mass to derive robust expectations about the baryonic content of major mergers out to redshift z ∼ 2. First, we find that the majority of major mergers (m/M > 0.3) experienced by Milky Way size dark matter halos should have been gas-rich, and that gas-rich mergers are increasingly common at high redshift. Though the frequency of major mergers into galaxy halos in our simulations greatly exceeds the observed late-type galaxy fraction, the frequency of gas-poor major mergers is consistent with the observed fraction of bulge-dominated galaxies across the halo mass range M DM ∼ 10 11 - 10 13 M · . These results lend support to the conjecture that mergers with high baryonic gas fractions play an important role in building and/or preserving disk galaxies in the universe. Secondly, we find that there is a transition mass below which a galaxy's past major mergers were primarily gas-rich and above which they were gas poor. The associated stellar mass scale corresponds closely to that marking the observed bimodal division between blue, star-forming, disk-dominated systems and red, bulge-dominated systems with old populations. Finally, we find that the overall fraction of a galaxy's cold baryons deposited directly via major mergers is substantial. Approximately 30% of the cold baryonic material in M star ∼ 10 10 M · (M DM ∼ 10 11.5 M · ) galaxies is accreted as cold gas in major mergers. For more massive galaxies with M star ∼ 10 11 M · (M DM ∼ 10 13 M · the fraction of baryons amassed in mergers is even higher, ∼ 50%, but most of these accreted baryons are delivered directly in the form of stars. This baryonic mass deposition is almost unavoidable, and provides a limit on the fraction of a galaxy's cold baryons that can originate in cold flows or from hot halo cooling

Halo Profiles and the Concentration–Mass Relation for a ΛCDM Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Child, Hillary L.; Habib, Salman; Heitmann, Katrin; Frontiere, Nicholas; Finkel, Hal; Pope, Adrian; Morozov, Vitali

2018-05-01

Profiles of dark matter-dominated halos at the group and cluster scales play an important role in modern cosmology. Using results from two very large cosmological N-body simulations, which increase the available volume at their mass resolution by roughly two orders of magnitude, we robustly determine the halo concentration–mass (c‑M) relation over a wide range of masses, employing multiple methods of concentration measurement. We characterize individual halo profiles, as well as stacked profiles, relevant for galaxy–galaxy lensing and next-generation cluster surveys; the redshift range covered is 0 ≤ z ≤ 4, with a minimum halo mass of M 200c ∼ 2 × 1011 M ⊙. Despite the complexity of a proper description of a halo (environmental effects, merger history, nonsphericity, relaxation state), when the mass is scaled by the nonlinear mass scale M ⋆(z), we find that a simple non-power-law form for the c–M/M ⋆ relation provides an excellent description of our simulation results across eight decades in M/M ⋆ and for 0 ≤ z ≤ 4. Over the mass range covered, the c–M relation has two asymptotic forms: an approximate power law below a mass threshold M/M ⋆ ∼ 500–1000, transitioning to a constant value, c 0 ∼ 3 at higher masses. The relaxed halo fraction decreases with mass, transitioning to a constant value of ∼0.5 above the same mass threshold. We compare Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) and Einasto fits to stacked profiles in narrow mass bins at different redshifts; as expected, the Einasto profile provides a better description of the simulation results. At cluster scales at low redshift, however, both NFW and Einasto profiles are in very good agreement with the simulation results, consistent with recent weak lensing observations.

Enrichment of r-Process Elements by Neutron Star Mergers through the Sub-Halo Clustering

Science.gov (United States)

Ishimaru, Yuhri; Ojima, Takuya; Wanajo, Shinya; Prantzos, Nikos

Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are suggested to be the most plausible site of r-process by nucleosynthesis studies, while previous chemical evolution models pointed out that the long lifetimes of NS binaries are in conflict with the observed [r/Fe] of the Galactic halo stars. We attempt to solve this problem, assuming the Galactic halo was formed from merging sub-halos. We find that [r/Fe] start increasing at [Fe/H] < -3, if the star formation efficiencies are smaller for less massive sub-halos. We also show that small numbers of NSMs for least massive sub-halos could cause the large enhancement of [r/Fe]. Our results support NSMs as the major site of r-process.

On the absence of radio haloes in clusters with double relics

Science.gov (United States)

Bonafede, A.; Cassano, R.; Brüggen, M.; Ogrean, G. A.; Riseley, C. J.; Cuciti, V.; de Gasperin, F.; Golovich, N.; Kale, R.; Venturi, T.; van Weeren, R. J.; Wik, D. R.; Wittman, D.

2017-09-01

Pairs of radio relics are believed to form during cluster mergers, and are best observed when the merger occurs in the plane of the sky. Mergers can also produce radio haloes, through complex processes likely linked to turbulent re-acceleration of cosmic ray electrons. However, only some clusters with double relics also show a radio halo. Here, we present a novel method to derive upper limits on the radio halo emission, and analyse archival X-ray Chandra data, as well as galaxy velocity dispersions and lensing data, in order to understand the key parameter that switches on radio halo emission. We place upper limits on the halo power below the P1.4 GHz-M500 correlation for some clusters, confirming that clusters with double relics have different radio properties. Computing X-ray morphological indicators, we find that clusters with double relics are associated with the most disturbed clusters. We also investigate the role of different mass-ratios and time-since-merger. Data do not indicate that the merger mass-ratio has an impact on the presence or absence of radio haloes (the null hypothesis that the clusters belong to the same group cannot be rejected). However, the data suggest that the absence of radio haloes could be associated with early and late mergers, but the sample is too small to perform a statistical test. Our study is limited by the small number of clusters with double relics. Future surveys with LOFAR, ASKAP, MeerKat and SKA will provide larger samples to better address this issue.

THE EXCEPTIONAL SOFT X-RAY HALO OF THE GALAXY MERGER NGC 6240

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nardini, E.; Wang Junfeng; Fabbiano, G.; Elvis, M.; Risaliti, G.; Karovska, M.; Zezas, A. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Pellegrini, S., E-mail: e.nardini@keele.ac.uk [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Universita di Bologna, v.le Berti Pichat 6/2, I-40127 Bologna (Italy)

2013-03-10

We report on a recent {approx}150 ks long Chandra observation of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy merger NGC 6240, which allows a detailed investigation of the diffuse galactic halo. Extended soft X-ray emission is detected at the 3{sigma} confidence level over a diamond-shaped region with projected physical size of {approx}110 Multiplication-Sign 80 kpc, and a single-component thermal model provides a reasonably good fit to the observed X-ray spectrum. The hot gas has a temperature of {approx}7.5 million K, an estimated density of 2.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} cm{sup -3}, and a total mass of {approx}10{sup 10} M{sub Sun }, resulting in an intrinsic 0.4-2.5 keV luminosity of 4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 41} erg s{sup -1}. The average temperature of 0.65 keV is quite high to be obviously related to either the binding energy in the dark-matter gravitational potential of the system or the energy dissipation and shocks following the galactic collision, yet the spatially resolved spectral analysis reveals limited variations across the halo. The relative abundance of the main {alpha}-elements with respect to iron is several times the solar value, and nearly constant as well, implying a uniform enrichment by type II supernovae out to the largest scales. Taken as a whole, the observational evidence is not compatible with a superwind originated by a recent, nuclear starburst, but rather hints at widespread, enhanced star formation proceeding at a steady rate over the entire dynamical timescale ({approx}200 Myr). The preferred scenario is that of a starburst-processed gas component gently expanding into, and mixing with, a pre-existing halo medium of lower metallicity (Z {approx} 0.1 solar) and temperature (kT {approx} 0.25 keV). This picture cannot be probed more extensively with the present data, and the ultimate fate of the diffuse, hot gas remains uncertain. Under some favorable conditions, at least a fraction of it might be retained after the merger completion

THE EXCEPTIONAL SOFT X-RAY HALO OF THE GALAXY MERGER NGC 6240

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nardini, E.; Wang Junfeng; Fabbiano, G.; Elvis, M.; Risaliti, G.; Karovska, M.; Zezas, A.; Pellegrini, S.

2013-01-01

We report on a recent ∼150 ks long Chandra observation of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy merger NGC 6240, which allows a detailed investigation of the diffuse galactic halo. Extended soft X-ray emission is detected at the 3σ confidence level over a diamond-shaped region with projected physical size of ∼110 × 80 kpc, and a single-component thermal model provides a reasonably good fit to the observed X-ray spectrum. The hot gas has a temperature of ∼7.5 million K, an estimated density of 2.5 × 10 –3 cm –3 , and a total mass of ∼10 10 M ☉ , resulting in an intrinsic 0.4-2.5 keV luminosity of 4 × 10 41 erg s –1 . The average temperature of 0.65 keV is quite high to be obviously related to either the binding energy in the dark-matter gravitational potential of the system or the energy dissipation and shocks following the galactic collision, yet the spatially resolved spectral analysis reveals limited variations across the halo. The relative abundance of the main α-elements with respect to iron is several times the solar value, and nearly constant as well, implying a uniform enrichment by type II supernovae out to the largest scales. Taken as a whole, the observational evidence is not compatible with a superwind originated by a recent, nuclear starburst, but rather hints at widespread, enhanced star formation proceeding at a steady rate over the entire dynamical timescale (∼200 Myr). The preferred scenario is that of a starburst-processed gas component gently expanding into, and mixing with, a pre-existing halo medium of lower metallicity (Z ∼ 0.1 solar) and temperature (kT ∼ 0.25 keV). This picture cannot be probed more extensively with the present data, and the ultimate fate of the diffuse, hot gas remains uncertain. Under some favorable conditions, at least a fraction of it might be retained after the merger completion, and evolve into the hot halo of a young elliptical galaxy.

Gas-Rich Mergers in LCDM: Disk Survivability and the Baryonic Assembly of Galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stewart, Kyle R.; Bullock, James S.; /UC, Irvine; Wechsler, Risa H.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /SLAC; Maller, Ariyeh H.; /New York City Coll. Tech.

2009-08-03

We use N-body simulations and observationally-normalized relations between dark matter halo mass, stellar mass, and cold gas mass to derive robust expectations about the baryonic content of major mergers out to redshift z {approx} 2. First, we find that the majority of major mergers (m/M > 0.3) experienced by Milky Way size dark matter halos should have been gas-rich, and that gas-rich mergers are increasingly common at high redshift. Though the frequency of major mergers into galaxy halos in our simulations greatly exceeds the observed late-type galaxy fraction, the frequency of gas-poor major mergers is consistent with the observed fraction of bulge-dominated galaxies across the halo mass range M{sub DM} {approx} 10{sup 11} - 10{sup 13} M{sub {circle_dot}}. These results lend support to the conjecture that mergers with high baryonic gas fractions play an important role in building and/or preserving disk galaxies in the universe. Secondly, we find that there is a transition mass below which a galaxy's past major mergers were primarily gas-rich and above which they were gas poor. The associated stellar mass scale corresponds closely to that marking the observed bimodal division between blue, star-forming, disk-dominated systems and red, bulge-dominated systems with old populations. Finally, we find that the overall fraction of a galaxy's cold baryons deposited directly via major mergers is substantial. Approximately 30% of the cold baryonic material in M{sub star} {approx} 10{sup 10} M{sub {circle_dot}} (M{sub DM} {approx} 10{sup 11.5} M{sub {circle_dot}}) galaxies is accreted as cold gas in major mergers. For more massive galaxies with M{sub star} {approx} 10{sup 11} M{sub {circle_dot}} (M{sub DM} {approx} 10{sup 13} M{sub {circle_dot}} the fraction of baryons amassed in mergers is even higher, {approx} 50%, but most of these accreted baryons are delivered directly in the form of stars. This baryonic mass deposition is almost unavoidable, and provides a

THE PSEUDO-EVOLUTION OF HALO MASS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diemer, Benedikt; Kravtsov, Andrey V.; More, Surhud

2013-01-01

A dark matter halo is commonly defined as a spherical overdensity of matter with respect to a reference density, such as the critical density or the mean matter density of the universe. Such definitions can lead to a spurious pseudo-evolution of halo mass simply due to redshift evolution of the reference density, even if its physical density profile remains constant over time. We estimate the amount of such pseudo-evolution of mass between z = 1 and 0 for halos identified in a large N-body simulation, and show that it accounts for almost the entire mass evolution of the majority of halos with M 200ρ-bar ≲ 10 12 h -1 M ☉ and can be a significant fraction of the apparent mass growth even for cluster-sized halos. We estimate the magnitude of the pseudo-evolution assuming that halo density profiles remain static in physical coordinates, and show that this simple model predicts the pseudo-evolution of halos identified in numerical simulations to good accuracy, albeit with significant scatter. We discuss the impact of pseudo-evolution on the evolution of the halo mass function and show that the non-evolution of the low-mass end of the halo mass function is the result of a fortuitous cancellation between pseudo-evolution and the absorption of small halos into larger hosts. We also show that the evolution of the low-mass end of the concentration-mass relation observed in simulations is almost entirely due to the pseudo-evolution of mass. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for the interpretation of the evolution of various scaling relations between the observable properties of galaxies and galaxy clusters and their halo masses.

The Mass and Absorption Columns of Galactic Gaseous Halos

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Zhijie; Bregman, Joel N.

2018-01-01

The gaseous halo surrounding the galaxy is a reservoir for the gas on the galaxy disk, supplying materials for the star formation. We developed a gaseous halo model connecting the galactic disk and the gaseous halo by assuming the star formation rate is equal to the radiative cooling rate. Besides the single-phase collisional gaseous halo, we also consider the photoionization effect and a time-independent cooling model that assumes the mass cooling rate is constant over all temperatures. The photoionization dominates the low mass galaxy and the outskirts of the massive galaxy due to the low-temperature or low-density nature. The multi-phase cooling model dominates the denser region within the cooling radius, where the efficient radiative cooling must be included. Applying these two improvements, our model can reproduce the most of observed high ionization state ions (i.e., O VI, O VII, Ne VIII and Mg X). Our models show that the O VI column density is almost a constant of around 10^14 cm^-2 over a wide stellar mass from M_\\star ~10^8 M_Sun to 10^11 M_Sun, which is constant with current observations. This model also implies the O VI is photoionized for the galaxy with a halo mass fraction function of the EAGLE simulation. Finally, our model predicts plateaus of the Ne VIII and the Mg X column densities above the sub-L^* galaxy, and the possibly detectable O VII and O VIII column densities for low-mass galaxies, which help to determine the required detection limit for the future observations and missions.

Satellite dwarf galaxies in a hierarchical universe: the prevalence of dwarf-dwarf major mergers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deason, Alis; Wetzel, Andrew; Garrison-Kimmel, Shea

2014-01-01

Mergers are a common phenomenon in hierarchical structure formation, especially for massive galaxies and clusters, but their importance for dwarf galaxies in the Local Group remains poorly understood. We investigate the frequency of major mergers between dwarf galaxies in the Local Group using the ELVIS suite of cosmological zoom-in dissipationless simulations of Milky Way- and M31-like host halos. We find that ∼10% of satellite dwarf galaxies with M star > 10 6 M ☉ that are within the host virial radius experienced a major merger of stellar mass ratio closer than 0.1 since z = 1, with a lower fraction for lower mass dwarf galaxies. Recent merger remnants are biased toward larger radial distance and more recent virial infall times, because most recent mergers occurred shortly before crossing within the virial radius of the host halo. Satellite-satellite mergers also occur within the host halo after virial infall, catalyzed by the large fraction of dwarf galaxies that fell in as part of a group. The merger fraction doubles for dwarf galaxies outside of the host virial radius, so the most distant dwarf galaxies in the Local Group are the most likely to have experienced a recent major merger. We discuss the implications of these results on observable dwarf merger remnants, their star formation histories, the gas content of mergers, and massive black holes in dwarf galaxies.

ACCURATE UNIVERSAL MODELS FOR THE MASS ACCRETION HISTORIES AND CONCENTRATIONS OF DARK MATTER HALOS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, D. H.; Jing, Y. P.; Mo, H. J.; Boerner, G.

2009-01-01

cosmological parameters and the power index of the initial density fluctuation spectrum have changed dramatically. Our model predictions also match the PINOCCHIO mass accretion histories very well, which are much independent of our numerical simulations and our definitions of halo merger trees. These models are also simple and easy to implement, making them very useful in modeling the growth and structure of dark matter halos. We provide appendices describing the step-by-step implementation of our models. A calculator which allows one to interactively generate data for any given cosmological model is provided on the Web, together with a user-friendly code to make the relevant calculations and some tables listing the expected concentration as a function of halo mass and redshift in several popular cosmological models. We explain why ΛCDM and open CDM halos on nearly all mass scales show two distinct phases in their mass growth histories. We discuss implications of the universal relations we find in connection to the formation of dark matter halos in the cosmic density field.

The Excursion Set Theory of Halo Mass Functions, Halo Clustering, and Halo Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Zentner, Andrew R.

I review the excursion set theory with particular attention toward applications to cold dark matter halo formation and growth, halo abundance, and halo clustering. After a brief introduction to notation and conventions, I begin by recounting the heuristic argument leading to the mass function of bound objects given by Press and Schechter. I then review the more formal derivation of the Press-Schechter halo mass function that makes use of excursion sets of the density field. The excursion set formalism is powerful and can be applied to numerous other problems. I review the excursion set formalism for describing both halo clustering and bias and the properties of void regions. As one of the most enduring legacies of the excursion set approach and one of its most common applications, I spend considerable time reviewing the excursion set theory of halo growth. This section of the review culminates with the description of two Monte Carlo methods for generating ensembles of halo mass accretion histories. In the last section, I emphasize that the standard excursion set approach is the result of several simplifying assumptions. Dropping these assumptions can lead to more faithful predictions and open excursion set theory to new applications. One such assumption is that the height of the barriers that define collapsed objects is a constant function of scale. I illustrate the implementation of the excursion set approach for barriers of arbitrary shape. One such application is the now well-known improvement of the excursion set mass function derived from the "moving" barrier for ellipsoidal collapse. I also emphasize that the statement that halo accretion histories are independent of halo environment in the excursion set approach is not a general prediction of the theory. It is a simplifying assumption. I review the method for constructing correlated random walks of the density field in the more general case. I construct a simple toy model to illustrate that excursion set

HBT+: an improved code for finding subhaloes and building merger trees in cosmological simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jiaxin; Cole, Shaun; Frenk, Carlos S.; Benitez-Llambay, Alejandro; Helly, John

2018-02-01

Dark matter subhalos are the remnants of (incomplete) halo mergers. Identifying them and establishing their evolutionary links in the form of merger trees is one of the most important applications of cosmological simulations. The HBT (Hierachical Bound-Tracing) code identifies haloes as they form and tracks their evolution as they merge, simultaneously detecting subhaloes and building their merger trees. Here we present a new implementation of this approach, HBT+ , that is much faster, more user friendly, and more physically complete than the original code. Applying HBT+ to cosmological simulations, we show that both the subhalo mass function and the peak-mass function are well fitted by similar double-Schechter functions. The ratio between the two is highest at the high-mass end, reflecting the resilience of massive subhaloes that experience substantial dynamical friction but limited tidal stripping. The radial distribution of the most-massive subhaloes is more concentrated than the universal radial distribution of lower mass subhaloes. Subhalo finders that work in configuration space tend to underestimate the masses of massive subhaloes, an effect that is stronger in the host centre. This may explain, at least in part, the excess of massive subhaloes in galaxy cluster centres inferred from recent lensing observations. We demonstrate that the peak-mass function is a powerful diagnostic of merger tree defects, and the merger trees constructed using HBT+ do not suffer from the missing or switched links that tend to afflict merger trees constructed from more conventional halo finders. We make the HBT+ code publicly available.

Merger of binary neutron stars of unequal mass in full general relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Masaru; Taniguchi, Keisuke; Uryu-bar, Ko-barji

2003-01-01

We present results of three dimensional numerical simulations of the merger of unequal-mass binary neutron stars in full general relativity. A Γ-law equation of state P=(Γ-1)ρε is adopted, where P, ρ, ε, and Γ are the pressure, rest mass density, specific internal energy, and the adiabatic constant, respectively. We take Γ=2 and the baryon rest-mass ratio Q M to be in the range 0.85-1. The typical grid size is (633,633,317) for (x,y,z). We improve several implementations since the latest work. In the present code, the radiation reaction of gravitational waves is taken into account with a good accuracy. This fact enables us to follow the coalescence all the way from the late inspiral phase through the merger phase for which the transition is triggered by the radiation reaction. It is found that if the total rest mass of the system is more than ∼1.7 times of the maximum allowed rest mass of spherical neutron stars, a black hole is formed after the merger, irrespective of the mass ratios. The gravitational waveforms and outcomes in the merger of unequal-mass binaries are compared with those in equal-mass binaries. It is found that the disk mass around the so formed black holes increases with decreasing rest-mass ratios and decreases with increasing compactness of neutron stars. The merger process and the gravitational waveforms also depend strongly on the rest-mass ratios even for the range Q M =0.85-1

Satellite dwarf galaxies in a hierarchical universe: the prevalence of dwarf-dwarf major mergers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deason, Alis [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA (United States); Wetzel, Andrew [TAPIR, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (United States); Garrison-Kimmel, Shea, E-mail: alis@ucolick.org [Center for Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

2014-10-20

Mergers are a common phenomenon in hierarchical structure formation, especially for massive galaxies and clusters, but their importance for dwarf galaxies in the Local Group remains poorly understood. We investigate the frequency of major mergers between dwarf galaxies in the Local Group using the ELVIS suite of cosmological zoom-in dissipationless simulations of Milky Way- and M31-like host halos. We find that ∼10% of satellite dwarf galaxies with M {sub star} > 10{sup 6} M {sub ☉} that are within the host virial radius experienced a major merger of stellar mass ratio closer than 0.1 since z = 1, with a lower fraction for lower mass dwarf galaxies. Recent merger remnants are biased toward larger radial distance and more recent virial infall times, because most recent mergers occurred shortly before crossing within the virial radius of the host halo. Satellite-satellite mergers also occur within the host halo after virial infall, catalyzed by the large fraction of dwarf galaxies that fell in as part of a group. The merger fraction doubles for dwarf galaxies outside of the host virial radius, so the most distant dwarf galaxies in the Local Group are the most likely to have experienced a recent major merger. We discuss the implications of these results on observable dwarf merger remnants, their star formation histories, the gas content of mergers, and massive black holes in dwarf galaxies.

Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): halo formation times and halo assembly bias on the cosmic web

Science.gov (United States)

Tojeiro, Rita; Eardley, Elizabeth; Peacock, John A.; Norberg, Peder; Alpaslan, Mehmet; Driver, Simon P.; Henriques, Bruno; Hopkins, Andrew M.; Kafle, Prajwal R.; Robotham, Aaron S. G.; Thomas, Peter; Tonini, Chiara; Wild, Vivienne

2017-09-01

We present evidence for halo assembly bias as a function of geometric environment (GE). By classifying Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) galaxy groups as residing in voids, sheets, filaments or knots using a tidal tensor method, we find that low-mass haloes that reside in knots are older than haloes of the same mass that reside in voids. This result provides direct support to theories that link strong halo tidal interactions with halo assembly times. The trend with GE is reversed at large halo mass, with haloes in knots being younger than haloes of the same mass in voids. We find a clear signal of halo downsizing - more massive haloes host galaxies that assembled their stars earlier. This overall trend holds independently of GE. We support our analysis with an in-depth exploration of the L-Galaxies semi-analytic model, used here to correlate several galaxy properties with three different definitions of halo formation time. We find a complex relationship between halo formation time and galaxy properties, with significant scatter. We confirm that stellar mass to halo mass ratio, specific star formation rate (SFR) and mass-weighed age are reasonable proxies of halo formation time, especially at low halo masses. Instantaneous SFR is a poor indicator at all halo masses. Using the same semi-analytic model, we create mock spectral observations using complex star formation and chemical enrichment histories, which approximately mimic GAMA's typical signal-to-noise ratio and wavelength range. We use these mocks to assert how well potential proxies of halo formation time may be recovered from GAMA-like spectroscopic data.

WHAT DO DARK MATTER HALO PROPERTIES TELL US ABOUT THEIR MASS ASSEMBLY HISTORIES?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, Anson W. C.; Taylor, James E.

2012-01-01

Individual dark matter halos in cosmological simulations vary widely in their detailed structural properties, properties such as concentration, shape, spin, and degree of internal relaxation. Recent non-parametric (principal component) analyses suggest that a few principal components explain a large fraction of the scatter in these structural properties. The main principal component is closely aligned with concentration, which in turn is known to be related to the mass accretion history (MAH) of the halo, as described by its merger tree. Here, we examine more generally the connection between the MAH and structural parameters. The space of mass accretion histories has principal components of its own. The strongest, accounting for almost 60% of the scatter between individual histories, can be interpreted as the age of the system. We give an analytic fit for this first component, which provides a rigorous way of defining the dynamical age of a halo. The second strongest component, representing acceleration or deceleration of growth at late times, accounts for 25% of the scatter. Relating structural parameters to formation history, we find that concentration correlates strongly with the early history of the halo, while shape and degree of relaxation or dynamical equilibrium correlate with the later history. We examine the inferences about formation history that can be drawn by splitting halos into sub-samples based on observable properties such as concentration and shape. Applications include the definition young and old samples of galaxy clusters in a quantitative way, or empirical tests of environmental processing rates in clusters.

Reionization histories of Milky Way mass halos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tony Y.; Wechsler, Risa H.; Abel, Tom; Alvarez, Marcelo A.

2014-01-01

We investigate the connection between the reionization era and the present-day universe by examining the mass reionization histories of z = 0 dark matter halos. In a 600 3 Mpc 3 volume, we combine a dark matter N-body simulation with a three-dimensional seminumerical reionization model. This tags each particle with a reionization redshift, so that individual present-day halos can be connected to their reionization histories and environments. We find that the vast majority of present-day halos with masses larger than ∼ few × 10 11 M ☉ reionize earlier than the rest of the universe. We also find significant halo-to-halo diversity in mass reionization histories, and find that in realistic inhomogeneous models, the material within a given halo is not expected to reionize at the same time. In particular, the scatter in reionization times within individual halos is typically larger than the scatter among halos. From our fiducial reionization model, we find that the typical 68% scatter in reionization times within halos is ∼115 Myr for 10 12±0.25 M ☉ halos, decreasing slightly to ∼95 Myr for 10 15±0.25 M ☉ halos. We find a mild correlation between reionization history and environment: halos with shorter reionization histories are typically in more clustered environments, with the strongest trend on a scale of ∼20 Mpc. Material in Milky Way mass halos with short reionization histories is preferentially reionized in relatively large H II regions, implying reionization mostly by sources external to the progenitors of the present-day halo. We investigate the impact on our results of varying the reionization model parameters, which span a range of reionization scenarios with varying timing and morphology.

The Peculiar Behavior of Halo Coronal Mass Ejections in Solar Cycle 24

Science.gov (United States)

Gopalswamy, N.; Xie, H.; Akiyama, S.; Makela, P.; Yashiro, S.; Michalek, G.

2015-01-01

We report on the remarkable finding that the halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in cycle 24 are more abundant than in cycle 23, although the sunspot number in cycle 24 has dropped by approx. 40%. We also find that the distribution of halo-CME source locations is different in cycle 24: the longitude distribution of halos is much flatter with the number of halos originating at a central meridian distance greater than or equal to 60deg twice as large as that in cycle 23. On the other hand, the average speed and associated soft X-ray flare size are the same in both cycles, suggesting that the ambient medium into which the CMEs are ejected is significantly different. We suggest that both the higher abundance and larger central meridian longitudes of halo CMEs can be explained as a consequence of the diminished total pressure in the heliosphere in cycle 24. The reduced total pressure allows CMEs to expand more than usual making them appear as halos.

The origin of the mass, disk-to-halo mass ratio, and L-V relation of spiral galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashman, K.M.

1990-01-01

A model is presented in which spiral galaxies only form when t(c) is roughly equal to t(f) in a hot component of the protogalactic gas. This assumption, along with a disk stability criterion, predicts a range of spiral galaxy masses roughly consistent with observation. The nature of the cooling function for a primordial plasma implies that in less massive galaxies, more gas must fragment in the halo to preserve t(c) roughly equal to t(f). Consequently, less gas survives to form the disk, so that the disk-to-halo mass ratio increases with disk mass and hence galaxy luminosity. The canonical L proportional to V exp 4 relation can be reproduced by the model, and the apparent change in the slope of this relation also arises naturally. In the hierarchical clustering scenario, the model requires that all spirals formed at about the same epoch. These results support earlier claims that much of the dark matter observed in the universe is baryonic and probably formed during protogalactic collapse. 38 refs

Accurate mass and velocity functions of dark matter haloes

Science.gov (United States)

Comparat, Johan; Prada, Francisco; Yepes, Gustavo; Klypin, Anatoly

2017-08-01

N-body cosmological simulations are an essential tool to understand the observed distribution of galaxies. We use the MultiDark simulation suite, run with the Planck cosmological parameters, to revisit the mass and velocity functions. At redshift z = 0, the simulations cover four orders of magnitude in halo mass from ˜1011M⊙ with 8783 874 distinct haloes and 532 533 subhaloes. The total volume used is ˜515 Gpc3, more than eight times larger than in previous studies. We measure and model the halo mass function, its covariance matrix w.r.t halo mass and the large-scale halo bias. With the formalism of the excursion-set mass function, we explicit the tight interconnection between the covariance matrix, bias and halo mass function. We obtain a very accurate (function. We also model the subhalo mass function and its relation to the distinct halo mass function. The set of models obtained provides a complete and precise framework for the description of haloes in the concordance Planck cosmology. Finally, we provide precise analytical fits of the Vmax maximum velocity function up to redshift z publicly available in the Skies and Universes data base.

Halo statistics analysis within medium volume cosmological N-body simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martinović N.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present halo statistics analysis of a ΛCDM N body cosmological simulation (from first halo formation until z = 0. We study mean major merger rate as a function of time, where for time we consider both per redshift and per Gyr dependence. For latter we find that it scales as the well known power law (1 + zn for which we obtain n = 2.4. The halo mass function and halo growth function are derived and compared both with analytical and empirical fits. We analyse halo growth through out entire simulation, making it possible to continuously monitor evolution of halo number density within given mass ranges. The halo formation redshift is studied exploring possibility for a new simple preliminary analysis during the simulation run. Visualization of the simulation is portrayed as well. At redshifts z = 0−7 halos from simulation have good statistics for further analysis especially in mass range of 1011 − 1014 M./h. [176021 ’Visible and invisible matter in nearby galaxies: theory and observations

THE H I MASS DENSITY IN GALACTIC HALOS, WINDS, AND COLD ACCRETION AS TRACED BY Mg II ABSORPTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kacprzak, Glenn G. [Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria 3122 (Australia); Churchill, Christopher W., E-mail: gkacprzak@astro.swin.edu.au, E-mail: cwc@nmsu.edu [New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003 (United States)

2011-12-20

It is well established that Mg II absorption lines detected in background quasar spectra arise from gas structures associated with foreground galaxies. The degree to which galaxy evolution is driven by the gas cycling through halos is highly uncertain because their gas mass density is poorly constrained. Fitting the Mg II equivalent width (W) distribution with a Schechter function and applying the N(H I)-W correlation of Menard and Chelouche, we computed {Omega}(H I){sub MgII} {identical_to} {Omega}(H I){sub halo} = 1.41{sup +0.75}{sub -0.44} Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} for 0.4 {<=} z {<=} 1.4. We exclude damped Ly{alpha}'s (DLAs) from our calculations so that {Omega}(H I){sub halo} comprises accreting and/or outflowing halo gas not locked up in cold neutral clouds. We deduce that the cosmic H I gas mass density fraction in galactic halos traced by Mg II absorption is {Omega}(H I){sub halo}/{Omega}(H I){sub DLA} {approx_equal} 15% and {Omega}(H I){sub halo}/{Omega}{sub b} {approx_equal} 0.3%. Citing several lines of evidence, we propose that infall/accretion material is sampled by small W whereas outflow/winds are sampled by large W, and find that {Omega}(H I){sub infall} is consistent with {Omega}(H I){sub outflow} for bifurcation at W = 1.23{sup +0.15}{sub -0.28} Angstrom-Sign ; cold accretion would then comprise no more than {approx}7% of the total H I mass density. We discuss evidence that (1) the total H I mass cycling through halos remains fairly constant with cosmic time and that the accretion of H I gas sustains galaxy winds, and (2) evolution in the cosmic star formation rate depends primarily on the rate at which cool H I gas cycles through halos.

Halo-independent direct detection analyses without mass assumptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, Adam J.; Fox, Patrick J.; Kahn, Yonatan; McCullough, Matthew

2015-01-01

Results from direct detection experiments are typically interpreted by employing an assumption about the dark matter velocity distribution, with results presented in the m χ −σ n plane. Recently methods which are independent of the DM halo velocity distribution have been developed which present results in the v min −g-tilde plane, but these in turn require an assumption on the dark matter mass. Here we present an extension of these halo-independent methods for dark matter direct detection which does not require a fiducial choice of the dark matter mass. With a change of variables from v min to nuclear recoil momentum (p R ), the full halo-independent content of an experimental result for any dark matter mass can be condensed into a single plot as a function of a new halo integral variable, which we call h-til-tilde(p R ). The entire family of conventional halo-independent g-tilde(v min ) plots for all DM masses are directly found from the single h-tilde(p R ) plot through a simple rescaling of axes. By considering results in h-tilde(p R ) space, one can determine if two experiments are inconsistent for all masses and all physically possible halos, or for what range of dark matter masses the results are inconsistent for all halos, without the necessity of multiple g-tilde(v min ) plots for different DM masses. We conduct a sample analysis comparing the CDMS II Si events to the null results from LUX, XENON10, and SuperCDMS using our method and discuss how the results can be strengthened by imposing the physically reasonable requirement of a finite halo escape velocity

Hierarchical formation of dark matter halos and the free streaming scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishiyama, Tomoaki

2014-01-01

The smallest dark matter halos are formed first in the early universe. According to recent studies, the central density cusp is much steeper in these halos than in larger halos and scales as ρ∝r –(1.5-1.3) . We present the results of very large cosmological N-body simulations of the hierarchical formation and evolution of halos over a wide mass range, beginning from the formation of the smallest halos. We confirmed early studies that the inner density cusps are steeper in halos at the free streaming scale. The cusp slope gradually becomes shallower as the halo mass increases. The slope of halos 50 times more massive than the smallest halo is approximately –1.3. No strong correlation exists between the inner slope and the collapse epoch. The cusp slope of halos above the free streaming scale seems to be reduced primarily due to major merger processes. The concentration, estimated at the present universe, is predicted to be 60-70, consistent with theoretical models and earlier simulations, and ruling out simple power law mass-concentration relations. Microhalos could still exist in the present universe with the same steep density profiles.

MAJOR-MERGER GALAXY PAIRS IN THE COSMOS FIELD—MASS-DEPENDENT MERGER RATE EVOLUTION SINCE z = 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, C. Kevin; Zhao, Yinghe; Gao, Y.; Scoville, N.; Capak, P.; Drory, N.

2012-01-01

We present results of a statistical study of the cosmic evolution of the mass-dependent major-merger rate since z = 1. A stellar mass limited sample of close major-merger pairs (the CPAIR sample) was selected from the archive of the COSMOS survey. Pair fractions at different redshifts derived using the CPAIR sample and a local K-band-selected pair sample show no significant variations with stellar mass. The pair fraction exhibits moderately strong cosmic evolution, with the best-fitting function of f pair = 10 –1.88(±0.03) (1 + z) 2.2(±0.2) . The best-fitting function for the merger rate is R mg (Gyr –1 ) = 0.053 × (M star /10 10.7 M ☉ ) 0.3 (1 + z) 2.2 /(1 + z/8). This rate implies that galaxies of M star ∼ 10 10 -10 11.5 M ☉ have undergone ∼0.5-1.5 major mergers since z = 1. Our results show that, for massive galaxies (M star ≥ 10 10.5 M ☉ ) at z ≤ 1, major mergers involving star-forming galaxies (i.e., wet and mixed mergers) can account for the formation of both ellipticals and red quiescent galaxies (RQGs). On the other hand, major mergers cannot be responsible for the formation of most low mass ellipticals and RQGs of M star ∼ 10.3 M ☉ . Our quantitative estimates indicate that major mergers have significant impact on the stellar mass assembly of the most massive galaxies (M star ≥ 10 11.3 M ☉ ), but for less massive galaxies the stellar mass assembly is dominated by the star formation. Comparison with the mass-dependent (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRG) rates suggests that the frequency of major-merger events is comparable to or higher than that of (U)LIRGs.

Stellar-to-halo mass relation of cluster galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemiec, Anna; Jullo, Eric; Limousin, Marceau; Giocoli, Carlo

2017-01-01

In the formation of galaxy groups and clusters, the dark matter haloes containing satellite galaxies are expected to be tidally stripped in gravitational interactions with the host. We use galaxy-galaxy weak lensing to measure the average mass of dark matter haloes of satellite galaxies as a function of projected distance to the centre of the host, since stripping is expected to be greater for satellites closer to the centre of the cluster. We further classify the satellites according to their stellar mass: assuming that the stellar component of the galaxy is less disrupted by tidal stripping, stellar mass can be used as a proxy of the infall mass. We study the stellar to halo mass relation of satellites as a function of the cluster-centric distance to measure tidal stripping. We use the shear catalogues of the DES science veri cation archive, the CFHTLenS and the CFHT Stripe 82 surveys, and we select satellites from the redMaPPer catalogue of clusters. For galaxies located in the outskirts of clusters, we nd a stellar to halo mass relation in good agreement with the theoretical expectations from Moster, Naab & White (2013) for central galaxies. In the centre of the cluster, we nd that this relation is shifted to smaller halo mass for a given stellar mass. We interpret this nding as further evidence for tidal stripping of dark matter haloes in high density environments.

The Magellanic Analog Dwarf Companions and Stellar Halos (MADCASH) Survey: Near-Field Cosmology with Resolved Stellar Populations Around Local Volume LMC Stellar-Mass Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Sand, David J.; Willman, Beth; Brodie, Jean P.; Crnojevic, Denija; Peter, Annika; Price, Paul A.; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Spekkens, Kristine; Strader, Jay

2017-01-01

We discuss the first results of our observational program to comprehensively map nearly the entire virial volumes of roughly LMC stellar mass galaxies at distances of ~2-4 Mpc. The MADCASH (Magellanic Analog Dwarf Companions And Stellar Halos) survey will deliver the first census of the dwarf satellite populations and stellar halo properties within LMC-like environments in the Local Volume. These will inform our understanding of the recent DES discoveries of dwarf satellites tentatively affiliated with the LMC/SMC system. We will detail our discovery of the faintest known dwarf galaxy satellite of an LMC stellar-mass host beyond the Local Group, based on deep Subaru+HyperSuprimeCam imaging reaching ~2 magnitudes below its TRGB. We will summarize the survey results and status to date, highlighting some challenges encountered and lessons learned as we process the data for this program through a prototype LSST pipeline. Our program will examine whether LMC stellar mass dwarfs have extended stellar halos, allowing us to assess the relative contributions of in-situ stars vs. merger debris to their stellar populations and halo density profiles. We outline the constraints on galaxy formation models that will be provided by our observations of low-mass galaxy halos and their satellites.

Observing Mergers of Non-Spinning Black-Hole Binaries

Science.gov (United States)

McWilliams, Sean T.; Boggs, William D.; Baker, John G.; Kelly, Bernard J.

2010-01-01

Advances in the field of numerical relativity now make it possible to calculate the final, most powerful merger phase of binary black-hole coalescence for generic binaries. The state of the art has advanced well beyond the equal-mass case into the unequal-mass and spinning regions of parameter space. We present a study of the nonspinning portion of parameter space, primarily using an analytic waveform model tuned to available numerical data, with an emphasis on observational implications. We investigate the impact of varied m8BS ratio on merger signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) for several detectors, and compare our results with expectations from the test-mass limit. We note a striking similarity of the waveform phasing of the merger waveform across the available mass ratios. Motivated by this, we calculate the match between our equal-mass and 4:1 mass-ratio waveforms during the merger as a function of location on the source sky, using a new formalism for the match that accounts for higher harmonics. This is an indicator of the amount of degeneracy in mass ratio for mergers of moderate mass ratio systems.

The f ( R ) halo mass function in the cosmic web

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Braun-Bates, F. von; Winther, H.A.; Alonso, D.; Devriendt, J., E-mail: francesca.vonbraun-bates@physics.ox.ac.uk, E-mail: hans.a.winther@physics.ox.ac.uk, E-mail: david.alonso@physics.ox.ac.uk, E-mail: julien.devriendt@physics.ox.ac.uk [Astrophysics, University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom)

2017-03-01

An important indicator of modified gravity is the effect of the local environment on halo properties. This paper examines the influence of the local tidal structure on the halo mass function, the halo orientation, spin and the concentration-mass relation. We use the excursion set formalism to produce a halo mass function conditional on large-scale structure. Our simple model agrees well with simulations on large scales at which the density field is linear or weakly non-linear. Beyond this, our principal result is that f ( R ) does affect halo abundances, the halo spin parameter and the concentration-mass relationship in an environment-independent way, whereas we find no appreciable deviation from \\text(ΛCDM) for the mass function with fixed environment density, nor the alignment of the orientation and spin vectors of the halo to the eigenvectors of the local cosmic web. There is a general trend for greater deviation from \\text(ΛCDM) in underdense environments and for high-mass haloes, as expected from chameleon screening.

The globular cluster-dark matter halo connection

Science.gov (United States)

Boylan-Kolchin, Michael

2017-12-01

I present a simple phenomenological model for the observed linear scaling of the stellar mass in old globular clusters (GCs) with z = 0 halo mass in which the stellar mass in GCs scales linearly with progenitor halo mass at z = 6 above a minimum halo mass for GC formation. This model reproduces the observed MGCs-Mhalo relation at z = 0 and results in a prediction for the minimum halo mass at z = 6 required for hosting one GC: Mmin(z = 6) = 1.07 × 109 M⊙. Translated to z = 0, the mean threshold mass is Mhalo(z = 0) ≈ 2 × 1010 M⊙. I explore the observability of GCs in the reionization era and their contribution to cosmic reionization, both of which depend sensitively on the (unknown) ratio of GC birth mass to present-day stellar mass, ξ. Based on current detections of z ≳ 6 objects with M1500 10 are strongly disfavoured; this, in turn, has potentially important implications for GC formation scenarios. Even for low values of ξ, some observed high-z galaxies may actually be GCs, complicating estimates of reionization-era galaxy ultraviolet luminosity functions and constraints on dark matter models. GCs are likely important reionization sources if 5 ≲ ξ ≲ 10. I also explore predictions for the fraction of accreted versus in situ GCs in the local Universe and for descendants of systems at the halo mass threshold of GC formation (dwarf galaxies). An appealing feature of the model presented here is the ability to make predictions for GC properties based solely on dark matter halo merger trees.

Cultural clashes in a "merger of equals" : The case of high-tech start-ups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Drori, Israel; Wrzesniewski, Amy; Ellis, Shmuel

Mergers of equals are often considered simply symbolic. Whereas existing literature on the topic views equality as underscoring the importance of distributive justice, power, or identity, the role of culture remains relatively obscure. In this study, the authors explore equality as a dynamic

Halo-Independent Direct Detection Analyses Without Mass Assumptions

CERN Document Server

Anderson, Adam J.; Kahn, Yonatan; McCullough, Matthew

2015-10-06

Results from direct detection experiments are typically interpreted by employing an assumption about the dark matter velocity distribution, with results presented in the $m_\\chi-\\sigma_n$ plane. Recently methods which are independent of the DM halo velocity distribution have been developed which present results in the $v_{min}-\\tilde{g}$ plane, but these in turn require an assumption on the dark matter mass. Here we present an extension of these halo-independent methods for dark matter direct detection which does not require a fiducial choice of the dark matter mass. With a change of variables from $v_{min}$ to nuclear recoil momentum ($p_R$), the full halo-independent content of an experimental result for any dark matter mass can be condensed into a single plot as a function of a new halo integral variable, which we call $\\tilde{h}(p_R)$. The entire family of conventional halo-independent $\\tilde{g}(v_{min})$ plots for all DM masses are directly found from the single $\\tilde{h}(p_R)$ plot through a simple re...

The role of neutron star mergers in the chemical evolution of the Galactic halo

Science.gov (United States)

Cescutti, G.; Romano, D.; Matteucci, F.; Chiappini, C.; Hirschi, R.

2015-05-01

Context. The dominant astrophysical production site of the r-process elements has not yet been unambiguously identified. The suggested main r-process sites are core-collapse supernovae and merging neutron stars. Aims: We explore the problem of the production site of Eu. We also use the information present in the observed spread in the Eu abundances in the early Galaxy, and not only its average trend. Moreover, we extend our investigations to other heavy elements (Ba, Sr, Rb, Zr) to provide additional constraints on our results. Methods: We adopt a stochastic chemical evolution model that takes inhomogeneous mixing into account. The adopted yields of Eu from merging neutron stars and from core-collapse supernovae are those that are able to explain the average [Eu/Fe]-[Fe/H] trend observed for solar neighbourhood stars, the solar abundance of Eu, and the present-day abundance gradient of Eu along the Galactic disc in the framework of a well-tested homogeneous model for the chemical evolution of the Milky Way. Rb, Sr, Zr, and Ba are produced by both the s- and r-processes. The r-process yields were obtained by scaling the Eu yields described above according to the abundance ratios observed in r-process rich stars. The s-process contribution by spinstars is the same as in our previous papers. Results: Neutron star binaries that merge in less than 10 Myr or neutron star mergers combined with a source of r-process generated by massive stars can explain the spread of [Eu/Fe] in the Galactic halo. The combination of r-process production by neutron star mergers and s-process production by spinstars is able to reproduce the available observational data for Sr, Zr, and Ba. We also show the first predictions for Rb in the Galactic halo. Conclusions: We confirm previous results that either neutron star mergers on a very short timescale or both neutron star mergers and at least a fraction of Type II supernovae have contributed to the synthesis of Eu in the Galaxy. The r

ENVIRONMENTAL DEPENDENCE OF THE GALAXY MERGER RATE IN A ΛCDM UNIVERSE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jian, Hung-Yu; Chiueh, Tzihong; Lin Lihwai

2012-01-01

We make use of four galaxy catalogs based on four different semi-analytical models (SAMs) implemented in the Millennium Simulation to study the environmental effects and the model dependence of the galaxy merger rate. We begin the analyses by finding that the galaxy merger rate in SAMs has a mild redshift evolution with luminosity-selected samples in the evolution-corrected B-band magnitude range,–21 ≤ M e B ≤ –19, consistent with the results of previous works. To study the environmental dependence of the galaxy merger rate, we adopt two estimators, the local overdensity (1 + δ n ), defined as the surface density from the nth nearest neighbor (n = 6 is chosen in this study), and the host halo mass M h . We find that the galaxy merger rate F mg shows a strong dependence on the local overdensity (1 + δ n ) and the dependence is similar at all redshifts. For the overdensity estimator, the merger rate F mg is found to be about twenty times larger in the densest regions than in underdense ones in two of the four SAMs, while it is roughly four times higher in the other two. In other words, the discrepancies of the merger rate difference between the two extremes can differ by a factor of ∼5 depending on the SAMs adopted. On the other hand, for the halo mass estimator, F mg does not monotonically increase with the host halo mass M h but peaks in the M h range between 10 12 and 10 13 h –1 M ☉ , which corresponds to group environments. The high merger rate in high local density regions corresponds primarily to the high merger rate in group environments. In addition, we also study the merger probability of 'close pairs' identified using the projected separation and the line-of-sight velocity difference C mg and the merger timescale T mg ; these are two important quantities for observations to convert the pair fraction N c into the galaxy merger rate. We discover that T mg has a weak dependence on environment and different SAMs, and is about 2 Gyr old at z �

Merger rate of primordial black-hole binaries

Science.gov (United States)

Ali-Haïmoud, Yacine; Kovetz, Ely D.; Kamionkowski, Marc

2017-12-01

Primordial black holes (PBHs) have long been a candidate for the elusive dark matter (DM), and remain poorly constrained in the ˜20 - 100 M⊙ mass range. PBH binaries were recently suggested as the possible source of LIGO's first detections. In this paper, we thoroughly revisit existing estimates of the merger rate of PBH binaries. We compute the probability distribution of orbital parameters for PBH binaries formed in the early Universe, accounting for tidal torquing by all other PBHs, as well as standard large-scale adiabatic perturbations. We then check whether the orbital parameters of PBH binaries formed in the early Universe can be significantly affected between formation and merger. Our analytic estimates indicate that the tidal field of halos and interactions with other PBHs, as well as dynamical friction by unbound standard DM particles, do not do significant work on nor torque PBH binaries. We estimate the torque due to baryon accretion to be much weaker than previous calculations, albeit possibly large enough to significantly affect the eccentricity of typical PBH binaries. We also revisit the PBH-binary merger rate resulting from gravitational capture in present-day halos, accounting for Poisson fluctuations. If binaries formed in the early Universe survive to the present time, as suggested by our analytic estimates, they dominate the total PBH merger rate. Moreover, this merger rate would be orders of magnitude larger than LIGO's current upper limits if PBHs make a significant fraction of the dark matter. As a consequence, LIGO would constrain ˜10 - 300 M⊙ PBHs to constitute no more than ˜1 % of the dark matter. To make this conclusion fully robust, though, numerical study of several complex astrophysical processes—such as the formation of the first PBH halos and how they may affect PBH binaries, as well as the accretion of gas onto an extremely eccentric binary—is needed.

EVOLUTION OF THE MERGER-INDUCED HYDROSTATIC MASS BIAS IN GALAXY CLUSTERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, Kaylea; Nagai, Daisuke; Rudd, Douglas H.; Shaw, Laurie

2012-01-01

In this work, we examine the effects of mergers on the hydrostatic mass estimate of galaxy clusters using high-resolution Eulerian cosmological simulations. We utilize merger trees to isolate the last merger for each cluster in our sample and follow the time evolution of the hydrostatic mass bias as the systems relax. We find that during a merger, a shock propagates outward from the parent cluster, resulting in an overestimate in the hydrostatic mass bias. After the merger, as a cluster relaxes, the bias in hydrostatic mass estimate decreases but remains at a level of –5%-10% with 15%-20% scatter within r 500 . We also investigate the post-merger evolution of the pressure support from bulk motions, a dominant cause of this residual mass bias. At r 500 , the contribution from random motions peaks at 30% of the total pressure during the merger and quickly decays to ∼10%-15% as a cluster relaxes. Additionally, we use a measure of the random motion pressure to correct the hydrostatic mass estimate. We discover that 4 Gyr after mergers, the direct effects of the merger event on the hydrostatic mass bias have become negligible. Thereafter, the mass bias is primarily due to residual bulk motions in the gas which are not accounted for in the hydrostatic equilibrium equation. We present a hydrostatic mass bias correction method that can recover the unbiased cluster mass for relaxed clusters with 9% scatter at r 500 and 11% scatter in the outskirts, within r 200 .

The dependence of halo mass on galaxy size at fixed stellar mass using weak lensing

Science.gov (United States)

Charlton, Paul J. L.; Hudson, Michael J.; Balogh, Michael L.; Khatri, Sumeet

2017-12-01

Stellar mass has been shown to correlate with halo mass, with non-negligible scatter. The stellar mass-size and luminosity-size relationships of galaxies also show significant scatter in galaxy size at fixed stellar mass. It is possible that, at fixed stellar mass and galaxy colour, the halo mass is correlated with galaxy size. Galaxy-galaxy lensing allows us to measure the mean masses of dark matter haloes for stacked samples of galaxies. We extend the analysis of the galaxies in the CFHTLenS catalogue by fitting single Sérsic surface brightness profiles to the lens galaxies in order to recover half-light radius values, allowing us to determine halo masses for lenses according to their size. Comparing our halo masses and sizes to baselines for that stellar mass yields a differential measurement of the halo mass-galaxy size relationship at fixed stellar mass, defined as Mh(M_{*}) ∝ r_{eff}^{η }(M_{*}). We find that, on average, our lens galaxies have an η = 0.42 ± 0.12, i.e. larger galaxies live in more massive dark matter haloes. The η is strongest for high-mass luminous red galaxies. Investigation of this relationship in hydrodynamical simulations suggests that, at a fixed M*, satellite galaxies have a larger η and greater scatter in the Mh and reff relationship compared to central galaxies.

Halo Intrinsic Alignment: Dependence on Mass, Formation Time, and Environment

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Xia, Qianli; Kang, Xi; Wang, Peng; Luo, Yu [Purple Mountain Observatory, the Partner Group of MPI für Astronomie, 2 West Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008 (China); Yang, Xiaohu; Jing, Yipeng [Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Wang, Huiyuan [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Mo, Houjun, E-mail: kangxi@pmo.ac.cn [Astronomy Department and Center for Astrophysics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084 (China)

2017-10-10

In this paper we use high-resolution cosmological simulations to study halo intrinsic alignment and its dependence on mass, formation time, and large-scale environment. In agreement with previous studies using N -body simulations, it is found that massive halos have stronger alignment. For the first time, we find that for a given halo mass older halos have stronger alignment and halos in cluster regions also have stronger alignment than those in filaments. To model these dependencies, we extend the linear alignment model with inclusion of halo bias and find that the halo alignment with its mass and formation time dependence can be explained by halo bias. However, the model cannot account for the environment dependence, as it is found that halo bias is lower in clusters and higher in filaments. Our results suggest that halo bias and environment are independent factors in determining halo alignment. We also study the halo alignment correlation function and find that halos are strongly clustered along their major axes and less clustered along the minor axes. The correlated halo alignment can extend to scales as large as 100 h {sup −1} Mpc, where its feature is mainly driven by the baryon acoustic oscillation effect.

Exploring the cosmic evolution of habitability with galaxy merger trees

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Stanway, E. R.; Hoskin, M. J.; Lane, M. A.; Brown, G. C.; Childs, H. J. T.; Greis, S. M. L.; Levan, A. J.

2018-04-01

We combine inferred galaxy properties from a semi-analytic galaxy evolution model incorporating dark matter halo merger trees with new estimates of supernova and gamma-ray burst rates as a function of metallicity from stellar population synthesis models incorporating binary interactions. We use these to explore the stellar-mass fraction of galaxies irradiated by energetic astrophysical transients and its evolution over cosmic time, and thus the fraction which is potentially habitable by life like our own. We find that 18 per cent of the stellar mass in the Universe is likely to have been irradiated within the last 260 Myr, with GRBs dominating that fraction. We do not see a strong dependence of irradiated stellar-mass fraction on stellar mass or richness of the galaxy environment. We consider a representative merger tree as a Local Group analogue, and find that there are galaxies at all masses which have retained a high habitable fraction (>40 per cent) over the last 6 Gyr, but also that there are galaxies at all masses where the merger history and associated star formation have rendered galaxies effectively uninhabitable. This illustrates the need to consider detailed merger trees when evaluating the cosmic evolution of habitability.

The relative role of galaxy mergers and cosmic flows in feeding black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellovary, Jillian; Brooks, Alyson; Volonteri, Marta; Governato, Fabio; Quinn, Thomas; Wadsley, James

2013-01-01

Using a set of zoomed-in cosmological simulations of high-redshift progenitors of massive galaxies, we isolate and trace the history of gas that is accreted by central supermassive black holes. We determine the origins of the accreted gas, in terms of whether it entered the galaxy during a merger event or was smoothly accreted. Furthermore, we designate whether the smoothly accreted gas is accreted via a cold flow or is shocked upon entry into the halo. For moderate-mass (10 6 -10 7 M ☉ ) black holes at z ∼ 4, there is a preference to accrete cold flow gas as opposed to gas of shocked or merger origin. However, this result is a consequence of the fact that the entire galaxy has a higher fraction of gas from cold flows. In general, each black hole tends to accrete the same fractions of smooth- and merger-accreted gas as is contained in its host galaxy, suggesting that once gas enters a halo it becomes well-mixed, and its origins are erased. We find that the angular momentum of the gas upon halo entry is a more important factor; black holes preferentially accrete gas that had low angular momentum when it entered the galaxy, regardless of whether it was accreted smoothly or through mergers.

THE ROLE OF DRY MERGERS FOR THE FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXIES

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Ruszkowski, M.; Springel, V.

2009-01-01

Using a resimulation technique, we perform high-resolution cosmological simulations of dry mergers in a massive (10 15 M sun ) galaxy cluster identified in the Millennium Run. Our initial conditions include well resolved compound galaxy models consisting of dark matter halos and stellar bulges that are used to replace the most massive cluster progenitor halos at redshift z = 3, allowing us to follow the subsequent dry merger processes that build up the cluster galaxies in a self-consistent cosmological setting. By construction, our galaxy models obey the stellar mass-size relation initially. Also, we study both galaxy models with adiabatically contracted and uncompressed halos. We demonstrate that the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) evolves away from the Kormendy relation as defined by the smaller mass galaxies (i.e., the relation bends). This is accompanied by a significantly faster dark matter mass growth within the half-light radius of the BCG compared to the increase in the stellar mass inside the same radius. As a result of the comparatively large number of mergers the BCG experiences, its total mass-to-light ratio becomes significantly higher than in typical elliptical galaxies. We also show that the mixing processes between dark matter and stars lead to a small but numerically robust tilt in the fundamental plane and that the BCG lies on the tilted plane. Our model is consistent with the observed steepening of the logarithmic mass-to-light gradient as a function of the stellar mass. As we have not included effects from gas dynamics or star formation, these trends are exclusively due to N-body and stellar dynamical effects. Surprisingly, we find only tentative weak distortion in the Faber-Jackson relation that depends on the aperture size, unlike expected based on studies of isolated merger simulations. This may be due to differences in the distribution of galaxy orbits, which is given in our approach directly by the cosmological context while it has to be

Gas infall into atomic cooling haloes: on the formation of protogalactic disks and supermassive black holes at z > 10

CERN Document Server

Prieto, Joaquin; Haiman, Zoltan

2013-01-01

We have performed cosmo-hydro simulations using the RAMSES code to study atomic cooling (ACHs) haloes at z=10 with masses 5E7Msun10 to date. We examine the morphology, angular momentum (AM), thermodynamic, and turbulence of these haloes, in order to assess the prevalence of disks and supermassive black holes (SMBHs). We find no correlation between either the magnitude or the direction of the AM of the gas and its parent DM halo. Only 3 haloes form rotationally supported cores. Two of the most massive haloes form massive, compact overdense blobs. These blobs have an accretion rate ~0.5 Msun/yr (at a distance of 100 pc), and are possible sites of SMBH formation. Our results suggest that the degree of rotational support and the fate of the gas in a halo is determined by its large-scale environment and merger history. In particular, the two haloes forming blobs are located at knots of the cosmic web, cooled early on, and experienced many mergers. The gas in these haloes is lumpy and highly turbulent, with Mach N....

CONSTRAINTS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STELLAR MASS AND HALO MASS AT LOW AND HIGH REDSHIFT

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Moster, Benjamin P.; Somerville, Rachel S.; Maulbetsch, Christian; Van den Bosch, Frank C.; Maccio, Andrea V.; Naab, Thorsten; Oser, Ludwig

2010-01-01

We use a statistical approach to determine the relationship between the stellar masses of galaxies and the masses of the dark matter halos in which they reside. We obtain a parameterized stellar-to-halo mass (SHM) relation by populating halos and subhalos in an N-body simulation with galaxies and requiring that the observed stellar mass function be reproduced. We find good agreement with constraints from galaxy-galaxy lensing and predictions of semi-analytic models. Using this mapping, and the positions of the halos and subhalos obtained from the simulation, we find that our model predictions for the galaxy two-point correlation function (CF) as a function of stellar mass are in excellent agreement with the observed clustering properties in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at z = 0. We show that the clustering data do not provide additional strong constraints on the SHM function and conclude that our model can therefore predict clustering as a function of stellar mass. We compute the conditional mass function, which yields the average number of galaxies with stellar masses in the range m ± dm/2 that reside in a halo of mass M. We study the redshift dependence of the SHM relation and show that, for low-mass halos, the SHM ratio is lower at higher redshift. The derived SHM relation is used to predict the stellar mass dependent galaxy CF and bias at high redshift. Our model predicts that not only are massive galaxies more biased than low-mass galaxies at all redshifts, but also the bias increases more rapidly with increasing redshift for massive galaxies than for low-mass ones. We present convenient fitting functions for the SHM relation as a function of redshift, the conditional mass function, and the bias as a function of stellar mass and redshift.

The Greater Impact of Mergers on the Growth of Massive Galaxies: Implications for Mass Assembly and Evolution since z sime 1

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Bundy, Kevin; Fukugita, Masataka; Ellis, Richard S.; Targett, Thomas A.; Belli, Sirio; Kodama, Tadayuki

2009-06-01

Using deep infrared observations conducted with the MOIRCS imager on the Subaru Telescope in the northern GOODS field combined with public surveys in GOODS-S, we investigate the dependence on stellar mass, M *, and galaxy type of the close pair fraction (5 h -1 kpc implied merger rate. In terms of combined depth and survey area, our publicly available mass-limited sample represents a significant improvement over earlier infrared surveys used for this purpose. In common with some recent studies, we find that the fraction of paired systems that could result in major mergers is low (~4%) and does not increase significantly with redshift to z ≈ 1.2, with vprop(1 + z)1.6±1.6. Our key finding is that massive galaxies with M *>1011 M sun are more likely to host merging companions than less massive systems (M * ~ 1010 M sun). We find evidence for a higher pair fraction for red, spheroidal hosts compared to blue, late-type systems, in line with expectations based on clustering at small scales. The so-called "dry" mergers between early-type galaxies devoid of star formation (SF) represent nearly 50% of close pairs with M *>3 × 1010 M sun at z ~ 0.5, but less than 30% at z ~ 1. This result can be explained by the increasing abundance of red, early-type galaxies at these masses. We compare the volumetric merger rate of galaxies with different masses to mass-dependent trends in galaxy evolution. Our results reaffirm the conclusion of Bundy et al. that major mergers do not fully account for the formation of spheroidal galaxies since z ~ 1. In terms of mass assembly, major mergers contribute little to galaxy growth below M * ~ 3 × 1010 M sun but play a more significant role among galaxies with M * gsim 1011 M sun ~ 30% of which have undergone mostly dry mergers over the observed redshift range. Overall, the relatively rapid and recent coalescence of high-mass galaxies mirrors the expected hierarchical growth of halos and is consistent with recent model predictions, even if

PAIRING OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN UNEQUAL-MASS GALAXY MERGERS

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Callegari, Simone; Mayer, Lucio; Kazantzidis, Stelios; Colpi, Monica; Governato, Fabio; Quinn, Thomas; Wadsley, James

2009-01-01

We examine the pairing process of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) down to scales of 20-100 pc using a set of N-body/SPH simulations of binary mergers of disk galaxies with mass ratios of 1:4 and 1:10. Our numerical experiments are designed to represent merger events occurring at various cosmic epochs. The initial conditions of the encounters are consistent with the ΛCDM paradigm of structure formation, and the simulations include the effects of radiative cooling, star formation (SF), and supernovae feedback. We find that the pairing of SMBHs depends sensitively on the amount of baryonic mass preserved in the center of the companion galaxies during the last phases of the merger. In particular, due to the combination of gasdynamics and SF, we find that a pair of SMBHs can form efficiently in 1:10 minor mergers, provided that galaxies are relatively gas-rich (gas fractions of 30% of the disk mass) and that the mergers occur at relatively high redshift (z ∼ 3), when dynamical friction timescales are shorter. Since 1:10 mergers are most common events during the assembly of galaxies, and mergers are more frequent at high redshift when galaxies are also more gas-rich, our results have positive implications for future gravitational wave experiments such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.

Pushing down the low-mass halo concentration frontier with the Lomonosov cosmological simulations

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Pilipenko, Sergey V.; Sánchez-Conde, Miguel A.; Prada, Francisco; Yepes, Gustavo

2017-12-01

We introduce the Lomonosov suite of high-resolution N-body cosmological simulations covering a full box of size 32 h-1 Mpc with low-mass resolution particles (2 × 107 h-1 M⊙) and three zoom-in simulations of overdense, underdense and mean density regions at much higher particle resolution (4 × 104 h-1 M⊙). The main purpose of this simulation suite is to extend the concentration-mass relation of dark matter haloes down to masses below those typically available in large cosmological simulations. The three different density regions available at higher resolution provide a better understanding of the effect of the local environment on halo concentration, known to be potentially important for small simulation boxes and small halo masses. Yet, we find the correction to be small in comparison with the scatter of halo concentrations. We conclude that zoom simulations, despite their limited representativity of the volume of the Universe, can be effectively used for the measurement of halo concentrations at least at the halo masses probed by our simulations. In any case, after a precise characterization of this effect, we develop a robust technique to extrapolate the concentration values found in zoom simulations to larger volumes with greater accuracy. Altogether, Lomonosov provides a measure of the concentration-mass relation in the halo mass range 107-1010 h-1 M⊙ with superb halo statistics. This work represents a first important step to measure halo concentrations at intermediate, yet vastly unexplored halo mass scales, down to the smallest ones. All Lomonosov data and files are public for community's use.

The warm dark matter halo mass function below the cut-off scale

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Angulo, Raul E.; Hahn, Oliver; Abel, Tom

2013-10-01

Warm dark matter (WDM) cosmologies are a viable alternative to the cold dark matter (CDM) scenario. Unfortunately, an accurate scrutiny of the WDM predictions with N-body simulations has proven difficult due to numerical artefacts. Here, we report on cosmological simulations that, for the first time, are devoid of those problems, and thus are able to accurately resolve the WDM halo mass function well below the cut-off. We discover a complex picture, with perturbations at different evolutionary stages populating different ranges in the halo mass function. On the smallest mass scales we can resolve, identified objects are typically centres of filaments that are starting to collapse. On intermediate mass scales, objects typically correspond to fluctuations that have collapsed and are in the process of relaxation, whereas the high-mass end is dominated by objects similar to haloes identified in CDM simulations. We then explicitly show how the formation of low-mass haloes is suppressed, which translates into a strong cut-off in the halo mass function. This disfavours some analytic formulations that predict a halo mass function that would extend well below the free streaming mass. We argue for a more detailed exploration of the formation of the smallest structures expected to form in a given cosmology, which, we foresee, will advance our overall understanding of structure formation.

POST-MERGER SIGNATURES OF RED-SEQUENCE GALAXIES IN RICH ABELL CLUSTERS AT z ∼< 0.1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheen, Yun-Kyeong; Yi, Sukyoung K.; Lee, Jaehyun; Ree, Chang H.

2012-01-01

We have investigated the post-merger signatures of red-sequence galaxies in rich Abell clusters at z ∼ r < –20) cluster red-sequence galaxies show post-merger signatures in four clusters consistently. Most (∼71%) of the featured galaxies were found to be bulge dominated, and for the subsample of bulge-dominated red-sequence galaxies, the post-merger fraction rises to ∼38%. We also found that roughly 4% of bulge-dominated red-sequence galaxies interact (ongoing merger). A total of 42% (38% post-merger, 4% ongoing merger) of galaxies show merger-related features. Compared to a field galaxy study with a similar limiting magnitude by van Dokkum in 2005, our cluster study presents a similar post-merger fraction but a markedly lower ongoing merger fraction. The merger fraction derived is surprisingly high for the high density of our clusters, where the fast internal motions of galaxies are thought to play a negative role in galaxy mergers. The fraction of post-merger and ongoing merger galaxies can be explained as follows. Most of the post-merger galaxies may have carried over their merger features from their previous halo environment, whereas interacting galaxies interact in the current cluster in situ. According to our semi-analytic calculation, massive cluster halos may very well have experienced tens of halo mergers over the last 4-5 Gyr; post-merger features last that long, allowing these features to be detected in our clusters today. The apparent lack of dependence of the merger fraction on the clustocentric distance is naturally explained this way. In this scenario, the galaxy morphology and properties can be properly interpreted only when the halo evolution characteristics are understood first.

THE BLACK HOLE MASS, STELLAR MASS-TO-LIGHT RATIO, AND DARK HALO IN M87

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gebhardt, Karl; Thomas, Jens

2009-01-01

We model the dynamical structure of M87 (NGC4486) using high spatial resolution long-slit observations of stellar light in the central regions, two-dimensional stellar light kinematics out to half of the effective radius, and globular cluster velocities out to eight effective radii. We simultaneously fit for four parameters: black hole mass, dark halo core radius, dark halo circular velocity, and stellar mass-to-light (M/L) ratio. We find a black hole mass of 6.4(±0.5) x 10 9 M sun (the uncertainty is 68% confidence marginalized over the other parameters). The stellar M/L V = 6.3 ± 0.8. The best-fit dark halo core radius is 14 ± 2 kpc, assuming a cored logarithmic potential. The best-fit dark halo circular velocity is 715 ± 15 km s -1 . Our black hole mass is over a factor of 2 larger than previous stellar dynamical measures, and our derived stellar M/L ratio is two times lower than previous dynamical measures. When we do not include a dark halo, we measure a black hole mass and stellar M/L ratio that is consistent with previous measures, implying that the major difference is in the model assumptions. The stellar M/L ratio from our models is very similar to that derived from stellar population models of M87. The reason for the difference in the black hole mass is because we allow the M/L ratio to change with radius. The dark halo is degenerate with the stellar M/L ratio, which is subsequently degenerate with the black hole mass. We argue that dynamical models of galaxies that do not include the contribution from a dark halo may produce a biased result for the black hole mass. This bias is especially large for a galaxy with a shallow light profile such as M87, and may not be as severe in galaxies with steeper light profiles unless they have a large stellar population change with radius.

THE AVERAGE STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF GALAXIES IN DARK MATTER HALOS FROM z = 0-8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behroozi, Peter S.; Wechsler, Risa H.; Conroy, Charlie

2013-01-01

We present a robust method to constrain average galaxy star formation rates (SFRs), star formation histories (SFHs), and the intracluster light (ICL) as a function of halo mass. Our results are consistent with observed galaxy stellar mass functions, specific star formation rates (SSFRs), and cosmic star formation rates (CSFRs) from z = 0 to z = 8. We consider the effects of a wide range of uncertainties on our results, including those affecting stellar masses, SFRs, and the halo mass function at the heart of our analysis. As they are relevant to our method, we also present new calibrations of the dark matter halo mass function, halo mass accretion histories, and halo-subhalo merger rates out to z = 8. We also provide new compilations of CSFRs and SSFRs; more recent measurements are now consistent with the buildup of the cosmic stellar mass density at all redshifts. Implications of our work include: halos near 10 12 M ☉ are the most efficient at forming stars at all redshifts, the baryon conversion efficiency of massive halos drops markedly after z ∼ 2.5 (consistent with theories of cold-mode accretion), the ICL for massive galaxies is expected to be significant out to at least z ∼ 1-1.5, and dwarf galaxies at low redshifts have higher stellar mass to halo mass ratios than previous expectations and form later than in most theoretical models. Finally, we provide new fitting formulae for SFHs that are more accurate than the standard declining tau model. Our approach places a wide variety of observations relating to the SFH of galaxies into a self-consistent framework based on the modern understanding of structure formation in ΛCDM. Constraints on the stellar mass-halo mass relationship and SFRs are available for download online.

The Average Star Formation Histories of Galaxies in Dark Matter Halos from z = 0-8

Science.gov (United States)

Behroozi, Peter S.; Wechsler, Risa H.; Conroy, Charlie

2013-06-01

We present a robust method to constrain average galaxy star formation rates (SFRs), star formation histories (SFHs), and the intracluster light (ICL) as a function of halo mass. Our results are consistent with observed galaxy stellar mass functions, specific star formation rates (SSFRs), and cosmic star formation rates (CSFRs) from z = 0 to z = 8. We consider the effects of a wide range of uncertainties on our results, including those affecting stellar masses, SFRs, and the halo mass function at the heart of our analysis. As they are relevant to our method, we also present new calibrations of the dark matter halo mass function, halo mass accretion histories, and halo-subhalo merger rates out to z = 8. We also provide new compilations of CSFRs and SSFRs; more recent measurements are now consistent with the buildup of the cosmic stellar mass density at all redshifts. Implications of our work include: halos near 1012 M ⊙ are the most efficient at forming stars at all redshifts, the baryon conversion efficiency of massive halos drops markedly after z ~ 2.5 (consistent with theories of cold-mode accretion), the ICL for massive galaxies is expected to be significant out to at least z ~ 1-1.5, and dwarf galaxies at low redshifts have higher stellar mass to halo mass ratios than previous expectations and form later than in most theoretical models. Finally, we provide new fitting formulae for SFHs that are more accurate than the standard declining tau model. Our approach places a wide variety of observations relating to the SFH of galaxies into a self-consistent framework based on the modern understanding of structure formation in ΛCDM. Constraints on the stellar mass-halo mass relationship and SFRs are available for download online.

THE STELLAR MASS–HALO MASS RELATION FOR LOW-MASS X-RAY GROUPS AT 0.5< z< 1 IN THE CDFS WITH CSI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, Shannon G.; Kelson, Daniel D.; Williams, Rik J.; Mulchaey, John S.; Dressler, Alan; McCarthy, Patrick J.; Shectman, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

Since z∼1, the stellar mass density locked in low-mass groups and clusters has grown by a factor of ∼8. Here, we make the first statistical measurements of the stellar mass content of low-mass X-ray groups at 0.5halo mass scales for wide-field optical and infrared surveys. Groups are selected from combined Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations in the Chandra Deep Field South. These ultra-deep observations allow us to identify bona fide low-mass groups at high redshift and enable measurements of their total halo masses. We compute aggregate stellar masses for these halos using galaxies from the Carnegie-Spitzer-IMACS (CSI) spectroscopic redshift survey. Stars comprise ∼3%–4% of the total mass of group halos with masses 10 12.8 mass of Fornax and one-fiftieth the mass of Virgo). Complementing our sample with higher mass halos at these redshifts, we find that the stellar-to-halo mass ratio decreases toward higher halo masses, consistent with other work in the local and high redshift universe. The observed scatter about the stellar–halo mass relation is σ∼0.25 dex, which is relatively small and suggests that total group stellar mass can serve as a rough proxy for halo mass. We find no evidence for any significant evolution in the stellar–halo mass relation since z≲1. Quantifying the stellar content in groups since this epoch is critical given that hierarchical assembly leads to such halos growing in number density and hosting increasing shares of quiescent galaxies

Bimodal Formation Time Distribution for Infall Dark Matter Halos

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Shi, Jingjing; Wang, Huiyuan; Mo, H. J.; Xie, Lizhi; Wang, Xiaoyu; Lapi, Andrea; Sheth, Ravi K.

2018-04-01

We use a 200 {h}-1 {Mpc} a-side N-body simulation to study the mass accretion history (MAH) of dark matter halos to be accreted by larger halos, which we call infall halos. We define a quantity {a}nf}\\equiv (1+{z}{{f}})/(1+{z}peak}) to characterize the MAH of infall halos, where {z}peak} and {z}{{f}} are the accretion and formation redshifts, respectively. We find that, at given {z}peak}, their MAH is bimodal. Infall halos are dominated by a young population at high redshift and by an old population at low redshift. For the young population, the {a}nf} distribution is narrow and peaks at about 1.2, independent of {z}peak}, while for the old population, the peak position and width of the {a}nf} distribution both increase with decreasing {z}peak} and are both larger than those of the young population. This bimodal distribution is found to be closely connected to the two phases in the MAHs of halos. While members of the young population are still in the fast accretion phase at z peak, those of the old population have already entered the slow accretion phase at {z}peak}. This bimodal distribution is not found for the whole halo population, nor is it seen in halo merger trees generated with the extended Press–Schechter formalism. The infall halo population at {z}peak} are, on average, younger than the whole halo population of similar masses identified at the same redshift. We discuss the implications of our findings in connection to the bimodal color distribution of observed galaxies and to the link between central and satellite galaxies.

General Relativistic Simulations of Low-Mass Magnetized Binary Neutron Star Mergers

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Giacomazzo, Bruno

2017-01-01

We will present general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of binary neutron star (BNS) systems that produce long-lived neutron stars (NSs) after merger. While the standard scenario for short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) requires the formation after merger of a spinning black hole surrounded by an accretion disk, other theoretical models, such as the time-reversal scenario, predict the formation of a long-lived magnetar. The formation of a long-lived magnetar could in particular explain the X-ray plateaus that have been observed in some SGRBs. Moreover, observations of NSs with masses of 2 solar masses indicate that the equation of state of NS matter should support masses larger than that. Therefore a significant fraction of BNS mergers will produce long-lived NSs. This has important consequences both on the emission of gravitational wave signals and on their electromagnetic counterparts. We will discuss GRMHD simulations of ``low-mass'' magnetized BNS systems with different equations of state and mass ratios. We will describe the properties of their post-merger remnants and of their gravitational and electromagnetic emission.

ZOMG - III. The effect of halo assembly on the satellite population

Science.gov (United States)

Garaldi, Enrico; Romano-Díaz, Emilio; Borzyszkowski, Mikolaj; Porciani, Cristiano

2018-01-01

We use zoom hydrodynamical simulations to investigate the properties of satellites within galaxy-sized dark-matter haloes with different assembly histories. We consider two classes of haloes at redshift z = 0: 'stalled' haloes that assembled at z > 1 and 'accreting' ones that are still forming nowadays. Previously, we showed that the stalled haloes are embedded within thick filaments of the cosmic web, while the accreting ones lie where multiple thin filaments converge. We find that satellites in the two classes have both similar and different properties. Their mass spectra, radial count profiles, baryonic and stellar content, and the amount of material they shed are indistinguishable. However, the mass fraction locked in satellites is substantially larger for the accreting haloes as they experience more mergers at late times. The largest difference is found in the satellite kinematics. Substructures fall towards the accreting haloes along quasi-radial trajectories whereas an important tangential velocity component is developed, before accretion, while orbiting the filament that surrounds the stalled haloes. Thus, the velocity anisotropy parameter of the satellites (β) is positive for the accreting haloes and negative for the stalled ones. This signature enables us to tentatively categorize the Milky Way halo as stalled based on a recent measurement of β. Half of our haloes contain clusters of satellites with aligned orbital angular momenta corresponding to flattened structures in space. These features are not driven by baryonic physics and are only found in haloes hosting grand-design spiral galaxies, independently of their assembly history.

On the consequences of low-mass white dwarf mergers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iben, I. Jr.

1990-01-01

The theory of binary star evolution suggests that about 10 percent of all main-sequence binary systems should evolve into a close pair of light white dwarfs which merge within a Hubble time. This paper explores the consequences of such mergers on the assumption that a merger can be approximated by a mass-transfer event which occurs on a time scale shorter than that given by the Eddington accretion limit. The evolution of He + He mergers and of CO + He and of hybrid + He mergers are discussed. The birthrate of helium degenerate pairs which merge in less than a Hubble time is estimated, and the space density of low-luminosity merger products currently present in the Galaxy is predicted. It is shown that the evolutionary tracks of models of simulated mergers pass through the region in the H-R diagram occupied by subdwarfs, but that the predicted space density of merger products exceeds by over a factor of three the space density of subdwarf estimated form the known sample of such stars. 61 refs

The dependence of cosmic ray-driven galactic winds on halo mass

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, Svenja; Pakmor, Rüdiger; Simpson, Christine M.; Springel, Volker; Pfrommer, Christoph

2018-03-01

Galactic winds regulate star formation in disc galaxies and help to enrich the circum-galactic medium. They are therefore crucial for galaxy formation, but their driving mechanism is still poorly understood. Recent studies have demonstrated that cosmic rays (CRs) can drive outflows if active CR transport is taken into account. Using hydrodynamical simulations of isolated galaxies with virial masses between 1010 and 1013 M⊙, we study how the properties of CR-driven winds depend on halo mass. CRs are treated in a two-fluid approximation and their transport is modelled through isotropic or anisotropic diffusion. We find that CRs are only able to drive mass-loaded winds beyond the virial radius in haloes with masses below 1012 M⊙. For our lowest examined halo mass, the wind is roughly spherical and has velocities of ˜20 km s-1. With increasing halo mass, the wind becomes biconical and can reach 10 times higher velocities. The mass loading factor drops rapidly with virial mass, a dependence that approximately follows a power law with a slope between -1 and -2. This scaling is slightly steeper than observational inferences, and also steeper than commonly used prescriptions for wind feedback in cosmological simulations. The slope is quite robust to variations of the CR injection efficiency or the CR diffusion coefficient. In contrast to the mass loading, the energy loading shows no significant dependence on halo mass. While these scalings are close to successful heuristic models of wind feedback, the CR-driven winds in our present models are not yet powerful enough to fully account for the required feedback strength.

The Extended Baryonic Halo of NGC 3923

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bryan W. Miller

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Galaxy halos and their globular cluster systems build up over time by the accretion of small satellites. We can learn about this process in detail by observing systems with ongoing accretion events and comparing the data with simulations. Elliptical shell galaxies are systems that are thought to be due to ongoing or recent minor mergers. We present preliminary results of an investigation of the baryonic halo—light profile, globular clusters, and shells/streams—of the shell galaxy NGC 3923 from deep Dark Energy Camera (DECam g and i-band imaging. We present the 2D and radial distributions of the globular cluster candidates out to a projected radius of about 185 kpc, or ∼ 37 R e , making this one of the most extended cluster systems studied. The total number of clusters implies a halo mass of M h ∼ 3 × 10 13 M ⊙ . Previous studies had identified between 22 and 42 shells, making NGC 3923 the system with the largest number of shells. We identify 23 strong shells and 11 that are uncertain. Future work will measure the halo mass and mass profile from the radial distributions of the shell, N-body models, and line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD measurements of the shells using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE.

Strong bimodality in the host halo mass of central galaxies from galaxy-galaxy lensing

Science.gov (United States)

Mandelbaum, Rachel; Wang, Wenting; Zu, Ying; White, Simon; Henriques, Bruno; More, Surhud

2016-04-01

We use galaxy-galaxy lensing to study the dark matter haloes surrounding a sample of locally brightest galaxies (LBGs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We measure mean halo mass as a function of the stellar mass and colour of the central galaxy. Mock catalogues constructed from semi-analytic galaxy formation simulations demonstrate that most LBGs are the central objects of their haloes, greatly reducing interpretation uncertainties due to satellite contributions to the lensing signal. Over the full stellar mass range, 10.3 10.7. Tests using the mock catalogues and on the data themselves clarify the effects of LBG selection and show that it cannot artificially induce a systematic dependence of halo mass on LBG colour. The bimodality in halo mass at fixed stellar mass is reproduced by the astrophysical model underlying our mock catalogue, but the sign of the effect is inconsistent with recent, nearly parameter-free age-matching models. The sign and magnitude of the effect can, however, be reproduced by halo occupation distribution models with a simple (few-parameter) prescription for type dependence.

Accurate evolutions of inspiralling and magnetized neutron stars: Equal-mass binaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giacomazzo, Bruno; Rezzolla, Luciano; Baiotti, Luca

2011-01-01

By performing new, long and numerically accurate general-relativistic simulations of magnetized, equal-mass neutron-star binaries, we investigate the role that realistic magnetic fields may have in the evolution of these systems. In particular, we study the evolution of the magnetic fields and show that they can influence the survival of the hypermassive neutron star produced at the merger by accelerating its collapse to a black hole. We also provide evidence that, even if purely poloidal initially, the magnetic fields produced in the tori surrounding the black hole have toroidal and poloidal components of equivalent strength. When estimating the possibility that magnetic fields could have an impact on the gravitational-wave signals emitted by these systems either during the inspiral or after the merger, we conclude that for realistic magnetic-field strengths B 12 G such effects could be detected, but only marginally, by detectors such as advanced LIGO or advanced Virgo. However, magnetically induced modifications could become detectable in the case of small-mass binaries and with the development of gravitational-wave detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope, with much higher sensitivities at frequencies larger than ≅2 kHz.

Using Black Hole Mergers to Explore Structure Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Alicea-Munoz, E.; Miller, M. Coleman

2009-01-01

Observations of gravitational waves from massive black hole mergers will open a new window into the era of structure formation in the early universe. Past efforts have concentrated on calculating merger rates using different physical assumptions, resulting in merger rate estimates that span a wide range (0.1 - 10(exp 4) mergers/year). We develop a semi-analytical, phenomenological model of massive black hole mergers that includes plausible combinations of several physical parameters, which we then turn around to determine how well observations with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be able to enhance our understanding of the universe during the critical z approximately equal to 5-30 epoch. Our approach involves generating synthetic LISA observable data (total BH masses, BH mass ratios, redshifts, merger rates), which are then analyzed using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, thus finding constraints for the physical parameters of the mergers. We find that our method works well at estimating merger parameters and that the number of merger events is a key discriminant among models, therefore making our method robust against observational uncertainties. Our approach can also be extended to more physically-driven models and more general problems in cosmology. This work is supported in part by the Cooperative Education Program at NASA/GSFC.

RESOLVE AND ECO: THE HALO MASS-DEPENDENT SHAPE OF GALAXY STELLAR AND BARYONIC MASS FUNCTIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eckert, Kathleen D.; Kannappan, Sheila J.; Stark, David V.; Moffett, Amanda J.; Norris, Mark A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, 141 Chapman Hall CB 3255, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (United States); Berlind, Andreas A., E-mail: keckert@physics.unc.edu [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)

2016-06-20

In this work, we present galaxy stellar and baryonic (stars plus cold gas) mass functions (SMF and BMF) and their halo mass dependence for two volume-limited data sets. The first, RESOLVE-B, coincides with the Stripe 82 footprint and is extremely complete down to baryonic mass M {sub bary} ∼ 10{sup 9.1} M {sub ⊙}, probing the gas-rich dwarf regime below M {sub bary} ∼ 10{sup 10} M {sub ⊙}. The second, ECO, covers a ∼40× larger volume (containing RESOLVE-A) and is complete to M {sub bary} ∼ 10{sup 9.4} M {sub ⊙}. To construct the SMF and BMF we implement a new “cross-bin sampling” technique with Monte Carlo sampling from the full likelihood distributions of stellar or baryonic mass. Our SMFs exhibit the “plateau” feature starting below M {sub star} ∼ 10{sup 10} M {sub ⊙} that has been described in prior work. However, the BMF fills in this feature and rises as a straight power law below ∼10{sup 10} M {sub ⊙}, as gas-dominated galaxies become the majority of the population. Nonetheless, the low-mass slope of the BMF is not as steep as that of the theoretical dark matter halo MF. Moreover, we assign group halo masses by abundance matching, finding that the SMF and BMF, separated into four physically motivated halo mass regimes, reveal complex structure underlying the simple shape of the overall MFs. In particular, the satellite MFs are depressed below the central galaxy MF “humps” in groups with mass <10{sup 13.5} M {sub ⊙} yet rise steeply in clusters. Our results suggest that satellite destruction and stripping are active from the point of nascent group formation. We show that the key role of groups in shaping MFs enables reconstruction of a given survey’s SMF or BMF based on its group halo mass distribution.

Mass measurement of halo nuclides and beam cooling with the mass spectrometer Mistral

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bachelet, C.

2004-12-01

Halo nuclides are a spectacular drip-line phenomenon and their description pushes nuclear theories to their limits. The most critical input parameter is the nuclear binding energy; a quantity that requires excellent measurement precision, since the two-neutron separation energy is small at the drip-line by definition. Moreover halo nuclides are typically very short-lived. Thus, a high accuracy instrument using a quick method of measurement is necessary. MISTRAL is such an instrument; it is a radiofrequency transmission mass spectrometer located at ISOLDE/CERN. In July 2003 we measured the mass of the Li 11 , a two-neutron halo nuclide. Our measurement improves the precision by a factor 6, with an error of 5 keV. Moreover the measurement gives a two-neutron separation energy 20% higher than the previous value. This measurement has an impact on the radius of the nucleus, and on the state of the two valence neutrons. At the same time, a measurement of the Be 11 was performed with an uncertainty of 4 keV, in excellent agreement with previous measurements. In order to measure the mass of the two-neutron halo nuclide Be 14 , an ion beam cooling system is presently under development which will increase the sensitivity of the spectrometer. The second part of this work presents the development of this beam cooler using a gas-filled Paul trap. (author)

Mergers of black-hole binaries with aligned spins: Waveform characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, Bernard J.; Baker, John G.; Centrella, Joan; Boggs, William D.; McWilliams, Sean T.

2011-01-01

We conduct a descriptive analysis of the multipolar structure of gravitational-radiation waveforms from equal-mass aligned-spin mergers, following an approach first presented in the complementary context of nonspinning black holes of varying mass ratio [J. G. Baker et al., Phys. Rev. D 78, 044046 (2008).]. We find that, as with the nonspinning mergers, the dominant waveform mode phases evolve together in lock-step through inspiral and merger, supporting the previous waveform description in terms of an adiabatically rigid rotator driving gravitational-wave emission--an implicit rotating source. We further apply the late-time merger-ringdown model for the rotational frequency introduced in [J. G. Baker et al., Phys. Rev. D 78, 044046 (2008).], along with an improved amplitude model appropriate for the dominant (2, ±2) modes. This provides a quantitative description of the merger-ringdown waveforms, and suggests that the major features of these waveforms can be described with reference only to the intrinsic parameters associated with the state of the final black hole formed in the merger. We provide an explicit model for the merger-ringdown radiation, and demonstrate that this model agrees to fitting factors better than 95% with the original numerical waveforms for system masses above ∼150M · . This model may be directly applicable to gravitational-wave detection of intermediate-mass black-hole mergers.

Evolution models of helium white dwarf--main-sequence star merger remnants: the mass distribution of single low-mass white dwarfs

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Xianfei; Hall, Philip D.; Jeffery, C. Simon; Bi, Shaolan

2017-01-01

It is not known how single white dwarfs with masses less than 0.5Msolar -- low-mass white dwarfs -- are formed. One way in which such a white dwarf might be formed is after the merger of a helium-core white dwarf with a main-sequence star that produces a red giant branch star and fails to ignite helium. We use a stellar-evolution code to compute models of the remnants of these mergers and find a relation between the pre-merger masses and the final white dwarf mass. Combining our results with ...

Feedback Limits to Maximum Seed Masses of Black Holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacucci, Fabio; Natarajan, Priyamvada; Ferrara, Andrea

2017-01-01

The most massive black holes observed in the universe weigh up to ∼10 10 M ⊙ , nearly independent of redshift. Reaching these final masses likely required copious accretion and several major mergers. Employing a dynamical approach that rests on the role played by a new, relevant physical scale—the transition radius—we provide a theoretical calculation of the maximum mass achievable by a black hole seed that forms in an isolated halo, one that scarcely merged. Incorporating effects at the transition radius and their impact on the evolution of accretion in isolated halos, we are able to obtain new limits for permitted growth. We find that large black hole seeds ( M • ≳ 10 4 M ⊙ ) hosted in small isolated halos ( M h ≲ 10 9 M ⊙ ) accreting with relatively small radiative efficiencies ( ϵ ≲ 0.1) grow optimally in these circumstances. Moreover, we show that the standard M • – σ relation observed at z ∼ 0 cannot be established in isolated halos at high- z , but requires the occurrence of mergers. Since the average limiting mass of black holes formed at z ≳ 10 is in the range 10 4–6 M ⊙ , we expect to observe them in local galaxies as intermediate-mass black holes, when hosted in the rare halos that experienced only minor or no merging events. Such ancient black holes, formed in isolation with subsequent scant growth, could survive, almost unchanged, until present.

ZOMG - II. Does the halo assembly history influence central galaxies and gas accretion?

Science.gov (United States)

Romano-Díaz, Emilio; Garaldi, Enrico; Borzyszkowski, Mikolaj; Porciani, Cristiano

2017-08-01

The growth rate and the internal dynamics of galaxy-sized dark-matter haloes depend on their location within the cosmic web. Haloes that sit at the nodes grow in mass till the present time and are dominated by radial orbits. Conversely, haloes embedded in prominent filaments do not change much in size and are dominated by tangential orbits. Using zoom hydrodynamical simulations including star formation and feedback, we study how gas accretes on to these different classes of objects, which, for simplicity, we dub 'accreting' and 'stalled' haloes. We find that all haloes get a fresh supply of newly accreted gas in their inner regions, although this slowly decreases with time, in particular for the stalled haloes. The inflow of new gas is always higher than (but comparable with) that of recycled material. Overall, the cold-gas fraction increases (decreases) with time for the accreting (stalled) haloes. In all cases, a stellar disc and a bulge form at the centre of the simulated haloes. The total stellar mass is in excellent agreement with expectations based on the abundance-matching technique. Many properties of the central galaxies do not seem to correlate with the large-scale environment in which the haloes reside. However, there are two notable exceptions that characterize stalled haloes with respect to their accreting counterparts: (I) The galaxy disc contains much older stellar populations. (II) Its vertical scaleheight is larger by a factor of 2 or more. This thickening is likely due to the heating of the long-lived discs by mergers and close flybys.

The Insignificance of Major Mergers in Driving Star Formation at z approximately equal to 2

Science.gov (United States)

Kaviraj, S.; Cohen, S.; Windhorst, R. A.; Silk, J.; O'Connell, R. W.; Dopita, M. A.; Dekel, A.; Hathi, N. P.; Straughn, A.; Rutkowski, M.

2012-01-01

We study the significance of major mergers in driving star formation in the early Universe, by quantifying the contribution of this process to the total star formation budget in 80 massive (M(*) > 10(exp 10) Solar M) galaxies at z approx = 2. Employing visually-classified morphologies from rest-frame V-band HST imaging, we find that 55(exp +/-14)% of the star formation budget is hosted by non-interacting late-types, with 27(exp +/-18% in major mergers and 18(exp +/- 6)% in spheroids. Given that a system undergoing a major merger continues to experience star formation driven by other processes at this epoch (e.g. cold accretion, minor mergers), approx 27% is a likely upper limit for the major-merger contribution to star formation activity at this epoch. The ratio of the average specific star formation rate in major mergers to that in the non-interacting late-types is approx 2.2:1, suggesting that the typical enhancement of star formation due to major merging is modest and that just under half the star formation in systems experiencing major mergers is unrelated to the merger itself. Taking this into account, we estimate that the actual major-merger contribution to the star formation budget may be as low as approx 15%. While our study does not preclude a major-merger-dominated. era in the very early Universe, if the major-merger contribution to star formation does not evolve significantly into larger look-back times, then this process has a relatively insignificant role in driving stellar mass assembly over cosmic time.

Loops formed by tidal tails as fossil records of a major merger

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J.; Hammer, F.; Athanassoula, E.; Puech, M.; Yang, Y.; Flores, H.

2012-02-01

Context. Many haloes of nearby disc galaxies contain faint and extended features, including loops, which are often interpreted as relics of satellite infall in the main galaxy's potential well. In most cases, however, the residual nucleus of the satellite is not seen, although it is predicted by numerical simulations. Aims: We test whether such faint and extended features can be associated to gas-rich, major mergers, which may also lead to disc rebuilding and thus be a corner stone for the formation of spiral galaxies. Our goal is to test whether the major merger scenario can provide a good model for a particularly difficult case, that of NGC 5907, and to compare to the scenario of a satellite infall. Methods: Using the TreeSPH code GADGET-2, we model the formation of an almost bulge-less galaxy similar to NGC 5907 (B/T ≲ 0.2) after a gas-rich major merger. First, we trace tidal tail particles captured by the galaxy gravitational potential to verify whether they can form loops similar to those discovered in the galactic haloes. Results: We indeed find that 3:1 major mergers can form features similar to the loops found in many galactic haloes, including in NGC 5907, and can reproduce an extended thin disc, a bulge, as well as the pronounced warp of the gaseous disc. Relatively small bulge fractions can be reproduced by a large gas fraction in the progenitors, as well as appropriate orbital parameters. Conclusions: Even though it remains difficult to fully cover the large volume of free parameters, the present modelling of the loops in NGC 5907 proves that they could well be the result of a major merger. It has many advantages over the satellite infall scenario; e.g., it solves the problem of the visibility of the satellite remnant, and it may explain some additional features in the NGC 5907 halo, as well as some gas properties of this system. For orbital parameters derived from cosmological simulations, the loops in NGC 5907 can be reproduced by major mergers (3

Strong orientation dependence of surface mass density profiles of dark haloes at large scales

Science.gov (United States)

Osato, Ken; Nishimichi, Takahiro; Oguri, Masamune; Takada, Masahiro; Okumura, Teppei

2018-06-01

We study the dependence of surface mass density profiles, which can be directly measured by weak gravitational lensing, on the orientation of haloes with respect to the line-of-sight direction, using a suite of N-body simulations. We find that, when major axes of haloes are aligned with the line-of-sight direction, surface mass density profiles have higher amplitudes than those averaged over all halo orientations, over all scales from 0.1 to 100 Mpc h-1 we studied. While the orientation dependence at small scales is ascribed to the halo triaxiality, our results indicate even stronger orientation dependence in the so-called two-halo regime, up to 100 Mpc h-1. The orientation dependence for the two-halo term is well approximated by a multiplicative shift of the amplitude and therefore a shift in the halo bias parameter value. The halo bias from the two-halo term can be overestimated or underestimated by up to {˜ } 30 per cent depending on the viewing angle, which translates into the bias in estimated halo masses by up to a factor of 2 from halo bias measurements. The orientation dependence at large scales originates from the anisotropic halo-matter correlation function, which has an elliptical shape with the axis ratio of ˜0.55 up to 100 Mpc h-1. We discuss potential impacts of halo orientation bias on other observables such as optically selected cluster samples and a clustering analysis of large-scale structure tracers such as quasars.

Evolution models of helium white dwarf-main-sequence star merger remnants: the mass distribution of single low-mass white dwarfs

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xianfei; Hall, Philip D.; Jeffery, C. Simon; Bi, Shaolan

2018-02-01

It is not known how single white dwarfs with masses less than 0.5Msolar -- low-mass white dwarfs -- are formed. One way in which such a white dwarf might be formed is after the merger of a helium-core white dwarf with a main-sequence star that produces a red giant branch star and fails to ignite helium. We use a stellar-evolution code to compute models of the remnants of these mergers and find a relation between the pre-merger masses and the final white dwarf mass. Combining our results with a model population, we predict that the mass distribution of single low-mass white dwarfs formed through this channel spans the range 0.37 to 0.5Msolar and peaks between 0.45 and 0.46Msolar. Helium white dwarf--main-sequence star mergers can also lead to the formation of single helium white dwarfs with masses up to 0.51Msolar. In our model the Galactic formation rate of single low-mass white dwarfs through this channel is about 8.7X10^-3yr^-1. Comparing our models with observations, we find that the majority of single low-mass white dwarfs (<0.5Msolar) are formed from helium white dwarf--main-sequence star mergers, at a rate which is about $2$ per cent of the total white dwarf formation rate.

Halo mass dependence of H I and O VI absorption: evidence for differential kinematics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mathes, Nigel L.; Churchill, Christopher W.; Nielsen, Nikole M.; Trujillo-Gomez, Sebastian [New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003 (United States); Kacprzak, Glenn G. [Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria 3122 (Australia); Charlton, Jane; Muzahid, Sowgat [The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

2014-09-10

We studied a sample of 14 galaxies (0.1 < z < 0.7) using HST/WFPC2 imaging and high-resolution HST/COS or HST/STIS quasar spectroscopy of Lyα, Lyβ, and O VI λλ1031, 1037 absorption. The galaxies, having 10.8 ≤ log (M {sub h}/M {sub ☉}) ≤ 12.2, lie within D = 300 kpc of quasar sightlines, probing out to D/R {sub vir} = 3. When the full range of M {sub h} and D/R {sub vir} of the sample are examined, ∼40% of the H I absorbing clouds can be inferred to be escaping their host halo. The fraction of bound clouds decreases as D/R {sub vir} increases such that the escaping fraction is ∼15% for D/R {sub vir} < 1, ∼45% for 1 ≤ D/R {sub vir} < 2, and ∼90% for 2 ≤ D/R {sub vir} < 3. Adopting the median mass log M {sub h}/M {sub ☉} = 11.5 to divide the sample into 'higher' and 'lower' mass galaxies, we find a mass dependency for the hot circumgalactic medium kinematics. To our survey limits, O VI absorption is found in only ∼40% of the H I clouds in and around lower mass halos as compared to ∼85% around higher mass halos. For D/R {sub vir} < 1, lower mass halos have an escape fraction of ∼65%, whereas higher mass halos have an escape fraction of ∼5%. For 1 ≤ D/R {sub vir} < 2, the escape fractions are ∼55% and ∼35% for lower mass and higher mass halos, respectively. For 2 ≤ D/R {sub vir} < 3, the escape fraction for lower mass halos is ∼90%. We show that it is highly likely that the absorbing clouds reside within 4R {sub vir} of their host galaxies and that the kinematics are dominated by outflows. Our finding of 'differential kinematics' is consistent with the scenario of 'differential wind recycling' proposed by Oppenheimer et al. We discuss the implications for galaxy evolution, the stellar to halo mass function, and the mass-metallicity relationship of galaxies.

Mass measurement of halo nuclides and beam cooling with the mass spectrometer Mistral; Mesure de masse de noyaux a halo et refroidissement de faisceaux avec l'experience MISTRAL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bachelet, C

2004-12-01

Halo nuclides are a spectacular drip-line phenomenon and their description pushes nuclear theories to their limits. The most critical input parameter is the nuclear binding energy; a quantity that requires excellent measurement precision, since the two-neutron separation energy is small at the drip-line by definition. Moreover halo nuclides are typically very short-lived. Thus, a high accuracy instrument using a quick method of measurement is necessary. MISTRAL is such an instrument; it is a radiofrequency transmission mass spectrometer located at ISOLDE/CERN. In July 2003 we measured the mass of the Li{sup 11}, a two-neutron halo nuclide. Our measurement improves the precision by a factor 6, with an error of 5 keV. Moreover the measurement gives a two-neutron separation energy 20% higher than the previous value. This measurement has an impact on the radius of the nucleus, and on the state of the two valence neutrons. At the same time, a measurement of the Be{sup 11} was performed with an uncertainty of 4 keV, in excellent agreement with previous measurements. In order to measure the mass of the two-neutron halo nuclide Be{sup 14}, an ion beam cooling system is presently under development which will increase the sensitivity of the spectrometer. The second part of this work presents the development of this beam cooler using a gas-filled Paul trap. (author)

Rapid Mergers in a Mixed System of Black Holes and Neutron Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Tagawa, Hiromichi; Umemura, Masayuki

Recently, it has been argued that r-process elements in galaxies primarily originate from the mergers of double neutron stars (NSs) and black hole (BH)-NS. However, there is a momentous problem that the merger timescale is estimated to be much longer than the production timescale of r-process elements inferred from metal poor stars in the Galactic halo. To solve this problem, we propose the rapid merger processes in gas-rich first-generation objects in a high redshift epoch. In such an era, it is expected that the dynamical friction by dense gas effectively promotes the merger of compact objects. To explore the possibility of mergers in a system composed of multiple NSs as well as BHs, we perform post Newtonian N-body simulations, incorporating the gas dynamical friction, the gas accretion, and the gravitational wave emission including the recoil kick. As a result, we find that NS-NS or NS-BH can merge within 10 Myr in first-generation objects. Furthermore, to satisfy the condition of the mass ejection of r-process elements, the gas accretion rate need to be lower than 0.1 Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion rate. These results imply that the mergers in early cosmic epochs may reconcile the conflict on the timescale of NS mergers.

Giant Radio Halos in Galaxy Clusters as Probes of Particle ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-01-27

Jan 27, 2016 ... Giant radio halos in galaxy clusters probe mechanisms of particle acceleration connected with cluster merger events. Shocks and turbulence are driven in the inter-galactic medium (IGM) during clusters mergers and may have a deep impact on the non-thermal properties of galaxy clusters. Models of ...

Null Environmental Effects of the Cosmic Web on Dark Matter Halo Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Goh, Tze; Primack, Joel; Aragon-Calvo, Miguel; Hellinger, Doug; Rodriguez-Puebla, Aldo; Lee, Christoph; Eckleholm, Elliot; Johnston, Kathryn

2018-01-01

We study the effects of the cosmic web environment (filaments, voids and walls) and environmental density on key properties of dark matter halos at redshift z = 0 using the Bolshoi-Planck ΛCDM. The z=0 Bolshoi-Planck simulation is analysed into filaments, voids and walls using the SpineWeb method, as well as VIDE method, both of which use Voronoi tessellation and the watershed transform. The key halo properties that we study are the mass accretion rate, spin parameter, concentration, prolateness, scale factor of the last major merger, and scale factor when the halo had half of its z=0 mass. For all these properties, we find that there is no discernible difference between the halo properties in filaments, walls or voids when compared at the same environmental density. As a result, we conclude that environmental density is the core attribute that affects these properties. This conclusion is in line with recent findings that properties of galaxies in redshift surveys are independent of their cosmic web environment at the same environmental density. We also find that the local web environment of the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy near the centre of a cosmic wall does not appear to have any effect on the key properties of these galaxies' dark matter halos, although we find that it is rather rare to have such massive halos near the centre of a relatively small cosmic wall.

Feedback Limits to Maximum Seed Masses of Black Holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pacucci, Fabio; Natarajan, Priyamvada [Department of Physics, Yale University, P.O. Box 208121, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Ferrara, Andrea [Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, I-56126 Pisa (Italy)

2017-02-01

The most massive black holes observed in the universe weigh up to ∼10{sup 10} M {sub ⊙}, nearly independent of redshift. Reaching these final masses likely required copious accretion and several major mergers. Employing a dynamical approach that rests on the role played by a new, relevant physical scale—the transition radius—we provide a theoretical calculation of the maximum mass achievable by a black hole seed that forms in an isolated halo, one that scarcely merged. Incorporating effects at the transition radius and their impact on the evolution of accretion in isolated halos, we are able to obtain new limits for permitted growth. We find that large black hole seeds ( M {sub •} ≳ 10{sup 4} M {sub ⊙}) hosted in small isolated halos ( M {sub h} ≲ 10{sup 9} M {sub ⊙}) accreting with relatively small radiative efficiencies ( ϵ ≲ 0.1) grow optimally in these circumstances. Moreover, we show that the standard M {sub •}– σ relation observed at z ∼ 0 cannot be established in isolated halos at high- z , but requires the occurrence of mergers. Since the average limiting mass of black holes formed at z ≳ 10 is in the range 10{sup 4–6} M {sub ⊙}, we expect to observe them in local galaxies as intermediate-mass black holes, when hosted in the rare halos that experienced only minor or no merging events. Such ancient black holes, formed in isolation with subsequent scant growth, could survive, almost unchanged, until present.

Mass models for disk and halo components in spiral galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Athanassoula, E.; Bosma, A.

1987-01-01

The mass distribution in spiral galaxies is investigated by means of numerical simulations, summarizing the results reported by Athanassoula et al. (1986). Details of the modeling technique employed are given, including bulge-disk decomposition; computation of bulge and disk rotation curves (assuming constant mass/light ratios for each); and determination (for spherical symmetry) of the total halo mass out to the optical radius, the concentration indices, the halo-density power law, the core radius, the central density, and the velocity dispersion. Also discussed are the procedures for incorporating galactic gas and checking the spiral structure extent. It is found that structural constraints limit disk mass/light ratios to a range of 0.3 dex, and that the most likely models are maximum-disk models with m = 1 disturbances inhibited. 19 references

Mergers of Black-Hole Binaries with Aligned Spins: Waveform Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Bernard J.; Baker, John G.; vanMeter, James R.; Boggs, William D.; McWilliams, Sean T.; Centrella, Joan

2011-01-01

"We apply our gravitational-waveform analysis techniques, first presented in the context of nonspinning black holes of varying mass ratio [1], to the complementary case of equal-mass spinning black-hole binary systems. We find that, as with the nonspinning mergers, the dominant waveform modes phases evolve together in lock-step through inspiral and merger, supporting the previous model of the binary system as an adiabatically rigid rotator driving gravitational-wave emission - an implicit rotating source (IRS). We further apply the late-merger model for the rotational frequency introduced in [1], along with a new mode amplitude model appropriate for the dominant (2, plus or minus 2) modes. We demonstrate that this seven-parameter model performs well in matches with the original numerical waveform for system masses above - 150 solar mass, both when the parameters are freely fit, and when they are almost completely constrained by physical considerations."

UNDERSTANDING BLACK HOLE MASS ASSEMBLY VIA ACCRETION AND MERGERS AT LATE TIMES IN COSMOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulier, Andrea; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.; Lackner, Claire N.; Cen, Renyue; Natarajan, Priyamvada

2015-01-01

Accretion is thought to primarily contribute to the mass accumulation history of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) throughout cosmic time. While this may be true at high redshifts, at lower redshifts and for the most massive black holes (BHs) mergers themselves might add significantly to the mass budget. We explore this in two disparate environments—a massive cluster and a void region. We evolve SMBHs from 4 > z > 0 using merger trees derived from hydrodynamical cosmological simulations of these two regions, scaled to the observed value of the stellar mass fraction to account for overcooling. Mass gains from gas accretion proportional to bulge growth and BH-BH mergers are tracked, as are BHs that remain ''orbiting'' due to insufficient dynamical friction in a merger remnant, as well as those that are ejected due to gravitational recoil. We find that gas accretion remains the dominant source of mass accumulation in almost all SMBHs; mergers contribute 2.5% ± 0.1% for all SMBHs in the cluster and 1.0% ± 0.1% in the void since z = 4. However, mergers are significant for massive SMBHs. The fraction of mass accumulated from mergers for central BHs generally increases for larger values of the host bulge mass: in the void, the fraction is 2% at M *, bul = 10 10 M ☉ , increasing to 4% at M *, bul ≳ 10 11 M ☉ , and in the cluster it is 4% at M *, bul = 10 10 M ☉ and 23% at 10 12 M ☉ . We also find that the total mass in orbiting SMBHs is negligible in the void, but significant in the cluster, in which a potentially detectable 40% of SMBHs and ≈8% of the total SMBH mass (where the total includes central, orbiting, and ejected SMBHs) is found orbiting at z = 0. The existence of orbiting and ejected SMBHs requires modification of the Soltan argument. We estimate this correction to the integrated accreted mass density of SMBHs to be in the range 6%-21%, with a mean value of 11% ± 3%. Quantifying the growth due to mergers at these late times

Galaxies Grow Their Bulges and Black Holes in Diverse Ways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bell, Eric F.; Harmsen, Benjamin; D’Souza, Richard [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 1085 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107 (United States); Monachesi, Antonela [Max Planck Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, Postfach 1317, D-85741 Garching (Germany); Jong, Roelof S. de [Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482 Potsdam (Germany); Bailin, Jeremy [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Box 870324, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0324 (United States); Radburn-Smith, David J. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, 3910 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Holwerda, Benne W., E-mail: ericbell@umich.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Louisville, 102 Natural Science Building, Louisville, KY 40292 (United States)

2017-03-01

Galaxies with Milky Way–like stellar masses have a wide range of bulge and black hole masses; in turn, these correlate with other properties such as star formation history. While many processes may drive bulge formation, major and minor mergers are expected to play a crucial role. Stellar halos offer a novel and robust measurement of galactic merger history; cosmologically motivated models predict that mergers with larger satellites produce more massive, higher-metallicity stellar halos, reproducing the recently observed stellar halo metallicity–mass relation. We quantify the relationship between stellar halo mass and bulge or black hole prominence using a sample of 18 Milky Way-mass galaxies with newly available measurements of (or limits on) stellar halo properties. There is an order of magnitude range in bulge mass, and two orders of magnitude in black hole mass, at a given stellar halo mass (or, equivalently, merger history). Galaxies with low-mass bulges show a wide range of quiet merger histories, implying formation mechanisms that do not require intense merging activity. Galaxies with massive “classical” bulges and central black holes also show a wide range of merger histories. While three of these galaxies have massive stellar halos consistent with a merger origin, two do not—merging appears to have had little impact on making these two massive “classical” bulges. Such galaxies may be ideal laboratories to study massive bulge formation through pathways such as early gas-rich accretion, violent disk instabilities, or misaligned infall of gas throughout cosmic time.

Late-stage galaxy mergers in cosmos to z ∼ 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lackner, C. N.; Silverman, J. D.; Salvato, M.; Kampczyk, P.; Kartaltepe, J. S.; Sanders, D.; Lee, N.; Capak, P.; Scoville, N.; Civano, F.; Halliday, C.; Ilbert, O.; Le Fèvre, O.; Jahnke, K.; Koekemoer, A. M.; Liu, C. T.; Sheth, K.; Toft, S.

2014-01-01

The role of major mergers in galaxy and black hole formation is not well-constrained. To help address this, we develop an automated method to identify late-stage galaxy mergers before coalescence of the galactic cores. The resulting sample of mergers is distinct from those obtained using pair-finding and morphological indicators. Our method relies on median-filtering of high-resolution images to distinguish two concentrated galaxy nuclei at small separations. This method does not rely on low surface brightness features to identify mergers, and is therefore reliable to high redshift. Using mock images, we derive statistical contamination and incompleteness corrections for the fraction of late-stage mergers. The mock images show that our method returns an uncontaminated (<10%) sample of mergers with projected separations between 2.2 and 8 kpc out to z∼1. We apply our new method to a magnitude-limited (m FW 814 <23) sample of 44,164 galaxies from the COSMOS HST/ACS catalog. Using a mass-complete sample with logM ∗ /M ⊙ >10.6 and 0.25mergers. Correcting for incompleteness and contamination, the fractional merger rate increases strongly with redshift as r merge ∝(1+z) 3.8±0.9 , in agreement both with earlier studies and with dark matter halo merger rates. Separating the sample into star-forming and quiescent galaxies shows that the merger rate for star-forming galaxies increases strongly with redshift, (1+z) 4.5±1.3 , while the merger rate for quiescent galaxies is consistent with no evolution, (1+z) 1.1±1.2 . The merger rate also becomes steeper with decreasing stellar mass. Limiting our sample to galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts from zCOSMOS, we find that the star formation rates and X-ray selected active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity in likely late-stage mergers are higher by factors of ∼2 relative to those of a control sample. Combining our sample with more widely separated pairs, we find that 8�

A GIANT RADIO HALO IN THE MASSIVE AND MERGING CLUSTER ABELL 1351

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giacintucci, S.; Venturi, T.; Cassano, R.; Dallacasa, D.; Brunetti, G.

2009-01-01

We report on the detection of diffuse radio emission in the X-ray luminous and massive galaxy cluster A 1351 (z = 0.322) using archival Very Large Array data at 1.4 GHz. Given its central location, morphology, and Mpc-scale extent, we classify the diffuse source as a giant radio halo. X-ray and weak lensing studies show A 1351 to be a system undergoing a major merger. The halo is associated with the most massive substructure. The presence of this source is explained assuming that merger-driven turbulence may re-accelerate high-energy particles in the intracluster medium and generate diffuse radio emission on the cluster scale. The position of A 1351 in the log P 1.4GHz -log L X plane is consistent with that of all other radio-halo clusters known to date, supporting a causal connection between the unrelaxed dynamical state of massive (>10 15 M sun ) clusters and the presence of giant radio halos.

Halo assembly bias and the tidal anisotropy of the local halo environment

Science.gov (United States)

Paranjape, Aseem; Hahn, Oliver; Sheth, Ravi K.

2018-05-01

We study the role of the local tidal environment in determining the assembly bias of dark matter haloes. Previous results suggest that the anisotropy of a halo's environment (i.e. whether it lies in a filament or in a more isotropic region) can play a significant role in determining the eventual mass and age of the halo. We statistically isolate this effect, using correlations between the large-scale and small-scale environments of simulated haloes at z = 0 with masses between 1011.6 ≲ (m/h-1 M⊙) ≲ 1014.9. We probe the large-scale environment, using a novel halo-by-halo estimator of linear bias. For the small-scale environment, we identify a variable αR that captures the tidal anisotropy in a region of radius R = 4R200b around the halo and correlates strongly with halo bias at fixed mass. Segregating haloes by αR reveals two distinct populations. Haloes in highly isotropic local environments (αR ≲ 0.2) behave as expected from the simplest, spherically averaged analytical models of structure formation, showing a negative correlation between their concentration and large-scale bias at all masses. In contrast, haloes in anisotropic, filament-like environments (αR ≳ 0.5) tend to show a positive correlation between bias and concentration at any mass. Our multiscale analysis cleanly demonstrates how the overall assembly bias trend across halo mass emerges as an average over these different halo populations, and provides valuable insights towards building analytical models that correctly incorporate assembly bias. We also discuss potential implications for the nature and detectability of galaxy assembly bias.

The radio relics and halo of El Gordo, a massive z = 0.870 cluster merger

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindner, Robert R.; Baker, Andrew J.; Hughes, John P. [Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019 (United States); Battaglia, Nick [McWilliams Center for Cosmology, Wean Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Gupta, Neeraj [ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo (Netherlands); Knowles, Kenda; Moodley, Kavilan [Astrophysics and Cosmology Research Unit, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041 (South Africa); Marriage, Tobias A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-2686 (United States); Menanteau, Felipe [National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Reese, Erik D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, 209 South 33rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Srianand, Raghunathan, E-mail: rlindner@astro.wisc.edu [IUCAA, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007 (India)

2014-05-01

We present 610 MHz and 2.1 GHz imaging of the massive Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect selected z = 0.870 cluster merger ACT-CL J0102–4915 ({sup E}l Gordo{sup )}, obtained with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), respectively. We detect two complexes of radio relics separated by 3.'4 (1.6 Mpc) along the system's northwest-to-southeast collision axis that have high integrated polarization fractions (33%) and steep spectral indices (α between 1 and 2; S {sub ν}∝ν{sup –α}), consistent with creation via Fermi acceleration by shocks in the intracluster medium triggered by the cluster collision. From the spectral index of the relics, we compute a Mach number M=2.5{sub −0.3}{sup +0.7} and shock speed of 2500{sub −300}{sup +400} km s{sup −1}. With our wide-bandwidth, full-polarization ATCA data, we compute the Faraday depth φ across the northwest relic and find a range of values spanning Δφ = 30 rad m{sup –2}, with a mean value of (φ) = 11 rad m{sup –2} and standard deviation σ{sub φ} = 6 rad m{sup –2}. With the integrated line-of-sight gas density derived from new Chandra X-ray observations, our Faraday depth measurement implies B {sub ∥} ∼ 0.01 μG in the cluster outskirts. The extremely narrow shock widths in the relics (d {sub shock} ≤ 23 kpc), caused by the short synchrotron cooling timescale of relativistic electrons at z = 0.870, prevent us from placing a meaningful constraint on the magnetic field strength B using cooling time arguments. In addition to the relics, we detect a large (r {sub H} ≅ 1.1 Mpc radius), powerful (log (L {sub 1.4}/W Hz{sup –1}) = 25.66 ± 0.12) radio halo with a shape similar to El Gordo's 'bullet'-like X-ray morphology. The spatially resolved spectral-index map of the halo shows the synchrotron spectrum is flattest near the relics, along the system's collision axis, and in regions of high T {sub gas}, all locations associated

GW170817: a neutron star merger in a mass-transferring triple system

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Philip; Murray, Norman

2018-02-01

The light curve of GW170817 is surprisingly blue and bright. Assuming that the event is a binary neutron star merger, we argue that blueness and brightness of the light curve is the result of ejecta that contains an substantial amount of thermal energy. To achieve this, the ejecta must be reheated at a substantial distance (1-2000 solar radii) from the merger to avoid losing the energy to adiabatic cooling. We show that this reheating can occur if the merger occurs in a hierarchical triple system where the outer star has evolved and filled its Roche lobe. The outer star feeds mass to the inner binary, forming a circumbinary disc, driving the inner binary to merge. Because the outer star fills its Roche lobe, a substantial fraction of the dynamical ejecta collides with the evolved star, reheating the ejecta in the process. We suggest that the process of mass transfer in hierarchical triples tends to form coplanar triple systems such as PSR J0337+1715, and may provide electromagnetic counterparts to binary black hole mergers.

DOES M31 RESULT FROM AN ANCIENT MAJOR MERGER?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammer, F.; Wang, J. L.; Puech, M.; Flores, H.; Fouquet, S.; Yang, Y. B.

2010-01-01

The M31 haunted halo is likely associated with a rich merger history, currently assumed to be caused by multiple minor mergers. Here we use the GADGET2 simulation code to test whether M31 could have experienced a major merger in its past history. Our results indicate that a (3 ± 0.5):1 gaseous-rich merger with r pericenter = 25 ± 5 kpc and a polar orbit can explain many properties of M31 and of its halo. The interaction and fusion may have begun 8.75 ± 0.35 and 5.5 ± 0.5 Gyr ago, respectively. Observed fractions of the bulge and the thin and thick disks can be retrieved for a star formation history that is almost quiescent before the fusion. This also accords well with the observed relative fractions of intermediate age and old stars in both the thick disk and the Giant Stream. In this model, the Giant Stream is caused by returning stars from a tidal tail which contains material previously stripped from the satellite prior to the fusion. These returning stars are trapped into elliptical orbits or loops for long periods of time which can reach a Hubble time, and belong to a plane that is 45 0 offset from the M31 disk position angle. Because these streams of stars are permanently fed by new infalling stars with high energy from the tidal tail, we predict large loops which scale rather well with the features recently discovered in the M31 outskirts. We demonstrate that a single merger could explain first-order (intensity and size), morphological, and kinematical properties of the disk, thick disk, bulge, and streams in the halo of M31, as well as the observed distribution of stellar ages, and perhaps metallicities. This challenges the current scenarios assuming that each feature in the disk (the 10 kpc ring) or in its outskirts (thick disk, the Giant Stream, and the numerous streams) is associated with an equivalent number of minor mergers. Given the large number of parameters, further constraints are certainly required to better render the complexity of M31 and

Simulations of isolated dwarf galaxies formed in dark matter halos with different mass assembly histories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González-Samaniego, A.; Avila-Reese, V.; Rodríguez-Puebla, A.; Valenzuela, O.; Colín, P.

2014-01-01

We present zoom-in N-body/hydrodynamics resimulations of dwarf galaxies formed in isolated cold dark matter (CDM) halos with the same virial mass (M v ≈ 2.5 × 10 10 M ☉ ) at redshift z = 0. Our goals are to (1) study the mass assembly histories (MAHs) of the halo, stellar, and gaseous components; and (2) explore the effects of the halo MAHs on the stellar/baryonic assembly of simulated dwarfs. Overall, the dwarfs are roughly consistent with observations. More specific results include: (1) the stellar-to-halo mass ratio remains roughly constant since z ∼ 1, i.e., the stellar MAHs closely follow halo MAHs. (2) The evolution of the galaxy gas fractions, f g , are episodic, showing that the supernova-driven outflows play an important role in regulating f g —and hence, the star formation rate (SFR)—however, in most cases, a large fraction of the gas is ejected from the halo. (3) The star formation histories are episodic with changes in the SFRs, measured every 100 Myr, of factors of 2-10 on average. (4) Although the dwarfs formed in late assembled halos show more extended SF histories, their z = 0 specific SFRs are still below observations. (5) The inclusion of baryons most of the time reduces the virial mass by 10%-20% with respect to pure N-body simulations. Our results suggest that rather than increasing the strength of the supernova-driven outflows, processes that reduce the star formation efficiency could help to solve the potential issues faced by CDM-based simulations of dwarfs, such as low values of the specific SFR and high stellar masses.

Simulations of isolated dwarf galaxies formed in dark matter halos with different mass assembly histories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

González-Samaniego, A.; Avila-Reese, V.; Rodríguez-Puebla, A.; Valenzuela, O. [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70-264, 04510 México D. F. (Mexico); Colín, P. [Centro de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 72-3 (Xangari), Morelia, Michoacán 58089 (Mexico)

2014-04-10

We present zoom-in N-body/hydrodynamics resimulations of dwarf galaxies formed in isolated cold dark matter (CDM) halos with the same virial mass (M{sub v} ≈ 2.5 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉}) at redshift z = 0. Our goals are to (1) study the mass assembly histories (MAHs) of the halo, stellar, and gaseous components; and (2) explore the effects of the halo MAHs on the stellar/baryonic assembly of simulated dwarfs. Overall, the dwarfs are roughly consistent with observations. More specific results include: (1) the stellar-to-halo mass ratio remains roughly constant since z ∼ 1, i.e., the stellar MAHs closely follow halo MAHs. (2) The evolution of the galaxy gas fractions, f{sub g} , are episodic, showing that the supernova-driven outflows play an important role in regulating f{sub g} —and hence, the star formation rate (SFR)—however, in most cases, a large fraction of the gas is ejected from the halo. (3) The star formation histories are episodic with changes in the SFRs, measured every 100 Myr, of factors of 2-10 on average. (4) Although the dwarfs formed in late assembled halos show more extended SF histories, their z = 0 specific SFRs are still below observations. (5) The inclusion of baryons most of the time reduces the virial mass by 10%-20% with respect to pure N-body simulations. Our results suggest that rather than increasing the strength of the supernova-driven outflows, processes that reduce the star formation efficiency could help to solve the potential issues faced by CDM-based simulations of dwarfs, such as low values of the specific SFR and high stellar masses.

Evolution of the Black Hole Mass Function in Star Clusters from Multiple Mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Christian, Pierre; Mocz, Philip; Loeb, Abraham

2018-05-01

We investigate the effects of black hole (BH) mergers in star clusters on the black hole mass function (BHMF). As BHs are not produced in pair-instability supernovae, it is suggested that there is a dearth of high-mass stellar BHs. This dearth generates a gap in the upper end of the BHMF. Meanwhile, parameter fitting of X-ray binaries suggests the existence of a gap in the mass function under 5 solar masses. We show, through evolving a coagulation equation, that BH mergers can appreciably fill the upper mass gap, and that the lower mass gap generates potentially observable features at larger mass scales. We also explore the importance of ejections in such systems and whether dynamical clusters can be formation sites of intermediate-mass BH seeds.

BINARY BLACK HOLES, GAS SLOSHING, AND COLD FRONTS IN THE X-RAY HALO HOSTING 4C+37.11

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrade-Santos, Felipe; Bogdán, Ákos; Forman, William R.; Jones, Christine; Murray, Stephen S. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Romani, Roger W. [Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-4060 (United States); Taylor, Greg B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 (United States); Zavala, Robert T. [US Naval Observatory, Flagstaff Station, 10391 W. Naval Observatory Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (United States)

2016-07-20

We analyzed deep Chandra ACIS-I exposures of the cluster-scale X-ray halo surrounding the radio source 4C+37.11. This remarkable system hosts the closest resolved pair of super-massive black holes and an exceptionally luminous elliptical galaxy, the likely product of a series of past mergers. We characterize the halo with r {sub 500} ∼ 0.95 Mpc, M {sub 500} = 2.5 ± 0.2 × 10{sup 14} M {sub ⊙}, kT = 4.6 ± 0.2 keV, and a gas mass of M {sub g,500} = 2.2 ± 0.1 × 10{sup 13} M {sub ⊙}. The gas mass fraction within r {sub 500} is f {sub g} = 0.09 ± 0.01. The entropy profile shows large non-gravitational heating in the central regions. We see several surface brightness jumps, associated with substantial temperature and density changes but approximate pressure equilibrium, implying that these are sloshing structures driven by a recent merger. A residual intensity image shows a core spiral structure closely matching that seen in the Perseus cluster, although at z = 0.055 the spiral pattern is less distinct. We infer that the most recent merger occurred 1–2 Gyr ago and that the event that brought the two observed super-massive black holes to the system core is even older. Under this interpretation, the black hole binary pair has, unusually, remained at a parsec-scale separation for more than 2 Gyr.

No Assembly Required: Mergers are Mostly Irrelevant for the Growth of Low-mass Dwarf Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Fitts, Alex; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Bullock, James S.; Weisz, Daniel R.; El-Badry, Kareem; Wheeler, Coral; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André; Quataert, Eliot; Hopkins, Philip F.; Kereš, Dušan; Wetzel, Andrew; Hayward, Christopher C.

2018-06-01

We investigate the merger histories of isolated dwarf galaxies based on a suite of 15 high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations, all with masses of Mhalo ≈ 1010 M⊙ (and M⋆ ˜ 105 - 107 M⊙) at z = 0, from the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. The stellar populations of these dwarf galaxies at z = 0 are formed essentially entirely "in situ": over 90% of the stellar mass is formed in the main progenitor in all but two cases, and all 15 of the galaxies have >70% of their stellar mass formed in situ. Virtually all galaxy mergers occur prior to z ˜ 3, meaning that accreted stellar populations are ancient. On average, our simulated dwarfs undergo 5 galaxy mergers in their lifetimes, with typical pre-merger galaxy mass ratios that are less than 1:10. This merger frequency is generally comparable to what has been found in dissipationless simulations when coupled with abundance matching. Two of the simulated dwarfs have a luminous satellite companion at z = 0. These ultra-faint dwarfs lie at or below current detectability thresholds but are intriguing targets for next-generation facilities. The small contribution of accreted stars make it extremely difficult to discern the effects of mergers in the vast majority of dwarfs either photometrically or using resolved-star color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). The important implication for near-field cosmology is that star formation histories of comparably massive galaxies derived from resolved CMDs should trace the build-up of stellar mass in one main system across cosmic time as opposed to reflecting the contributions of many individual star formation histories of merged dwarfs.

MERGER SIGNATURES IN THE DYNAMICS OF STAR-FORMING GAS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, Chao-Ling; Sanders, D. B.; Hayward, Christopher C.; Smith, Howard A.; Ashby, Matthew L. N.; Martínez-Galarza, Juan R.; Zezas, Andreas; Lanz, Lauranne

2016-01-01

The recent advent of integral field spectrographs and millimeter interferometers has revealed the internal dynamics of many hundreds of star-forming galaxies. Spatially resolved kinematics have been used to determine the dynamical status of star-forming galaxies with ambiguous morphologies, and constrain the importance of galaxy interactions during the assembly of galaxies. However, measuring the importance of interactions or galaxy merger rates requires knowledge of the systematics in kinematic diagnostics and the visible time with merger indicators. We analyze the dynamics of star-forming gas in a set of binary merger hydrodynamic simulations with stellar mass ratios of 1:1 and 1:4. We find that the evolution of kinematic asymmetries traced by star-forming gas mirrors morphological asymmetries derived from mock optical images, in which both merger indicators show the largest deviation from isolated disks during strong interaction phases. Based on a series of simulations with various initial disk orientations, orbital parameters, gas fractions, and mass ratios, we find that the merger signatures are visible for ∼0.2–0.4 Gyr with kinematic merger indicators but can be approximately twice as long for equal-mass mergers of massive gas-rich disk galaxies designed to be analogs of z ∼ 2–3 submillimeter galaxies. Merger signatures are most apparent after the second passage and before the black holes coalescence, but in some cases they persist up to several hundred Myr after coalescence. About 20%–60% of the simulated galaxies are not identified as mergers during the strong interaction phase, implying that galaxies undergoing violent merging process do not necessarily exhibit highly asymmetric kinematics in their star-forming gas. The lack of identifiable merger signatures in this population can lead to an underestimation of merger abundances in star-forming galaxies, and including them in samples of star-forming disks may bias the measurements of disk

The cosmic baryon cycle and galaxy mass assembly in the FIRE simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Anglés-Alcázar, Daniel; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André; Kereš, Dušan; Hopkins, Philip F.; Quataert, Eliot; Murray, Norman

2017-10-01

We use cosmological simulations from the FIRE (Feedback In Realistic Environments) project to study the baryon cycle and galaxy mass assembly for central galaxies in the halo mass range Mhalo ˜ 1010-1013 M⊙. By tracing cosmic inflows, galactic outflows, gas recycling and merger histories, we quantify the contribution of physically distinct sources of material to galaxy growth. We show that in situ star formation fuelled by fresh accretion dominates the early growth of galaxies of all masses, while the re-accretion of gas previously ejected in galactic winds often dominates the gas supply for a large portion of every galaxy's evolution. Externally processed material contributes increasingly to the growth of central galaxies at lower redshifts. This includes stars formed ex situ and gas delivered by mergers, as well as smooth intergalactic transfer of gas from other galaxies, an important but previously underappreciated growth mode. By z = 0, wind transfer, I.e. the exchange of gas between galaxies via winds, can dominate gas accretion on to ˜L* galaxies over fresh accretion and standard wind recycling. Galaxies of all masses re-accrete ≳50 per cent of the gas ejected in winds and recurrent recycling is common. The total mass deposited in the intergalactic medium per unit stellar mass formed increases in lower mass galaxies. Re-accretion of wind ejecta occurs over a broad range of time-scales, with median recycling times (˜100-350 Myr) shorter than previously found. Wind recycling typically occurs at the scale radius of the halo, independent of halo mass and redshift, suggesting a characteristic recycling zone around galaxies that scales with the size of the inner halo and the galaxy's stellar component.

The Eating Habits of Milky Way-mass Halos: Destroyed Dwarf Satellites and the Metallicity Distribution of Accreted Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Deason, Alis J.; Mao, Yao-Yuan; Wechsler, Risa H.

2016-04-01

We study the mass spectrum of destroyed dwarfs that contribute to the accreted stellar mass of Milky Way (MW)-mass (Mvir ˜ 1012.1 M⊙) halos using a suite of 45 zoom-in dissipationless simulations. Empirical models are employed to relate (peak) subhalo mass to dwarf stellar mass, and we use constraints from z = 0 observations and hydrodynamical simulations to estimate the metallicity distribution of the accreted stellar material. The dominant contributors to the accreted stellar mass are relatively massive dwarfs with Mstar ˜ 108-1010M⊙. Halos with more quiescent accretion histories tend to have lower mass progenitors (108-109 M⊙), and lower overall accreted stellar masses. Ultra-faint mass (Mstar 108 M⊙ can contribute a considerable fraction (˜20%-60%) of metal-poor stars if their metallicity distributions have significant metal-poor tails. Finally, we find that the generic assumption of a quiescent assembly history for the MW halo seems to be in tension with the mass spectrum of its surviving dwarfs. We suggest that the MW could be a “transient fossil” a quiescent halo with a recent accretion event(s) that disguises the preceding formation history of the halo.

The clustering of QSOs and the dark matter halos that host them

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Dong-Yao; Yan, Chang-Shuo; Lu, Youjun

2013-10-01

The spatial clustering of QSOs is an important measurable quantity which can be used to infer the properties of dark matter halos that host them. We construct a simple QSO model to explain the linear bias of QSOs measured by recent observations and explore the properties of dark matter halos that host a QSO. We assume that major mergers of dark matter halos can lead to the triggering of QSO phenomena, and the evolution of luminosity for a QSO generally shows two accretion phases, i.e., initially having a constant Eddington ratio due to the self-regulation of the accretion process when supply is sufficient, and then declining in rate with time as a power law due to either diminished supply or long term disk evolution. Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, the model parameters are constrained by fitting the observationally determined QSO luminosity functions (LFs) in the hard X-ray and in the optical band simultaneously. Adopting the model parameters that best fit the QSO LFs, the linear bias of QSOs can be predicted and then compared with the observational measurements by accounting for various selection effects in different QSO surveys. We find that the latest measurements of the linear bias of QSOs from both the SDSS and BOSS QSO surveys can be well reproduced. The typical mass of SDSS QSOs at redshift 1.5 < z < 4.5 is ~ (3 - 6) × 1012 h-1 Msolar and the typical mass of BOSS QSOs at z ~ 2.4 is ~ 2 × 1012 h-1 Msolar. For relatively faint QSOs, the mass distribution of their host dark matter halos is wider than that of bright QSOs because faint QSOs can be hosted in both big halos and smaller halos, but bright QSOs are only hosted in big halos, which is part of the reason for the predicted weak dependence of the linear biases on the QSO luminosity.

The clustering of QSOs and the dark matter halos that host them

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Dong-Yao; Yan Chang-Shuo; Lu Youjun

2013-01-01

The spatial clustering of QSOs is an important measurable quantity which can be used to infer the properties of dark matter halos that host them. We construct a simple QSO model to explain the linear bias of QSOs measured by recent observations and explore the properties of dark matter halos that host a QSO. We assume that major mergers of dark matter halos can lead to the triggering of QSO phenomena, and the evolution of luminosity for a QSO generally shows two accretion phases, i.e., initially having a constant Eddington ratio due to the self-regulation of the accretion process when supply is sufficient, and then declining in rate with time as a power law due to either diminished supply or long term disk evolution. Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, the model parameters are constrained by fitting the observationally determined QSO luminosity functions (LFs) in the hard X-ray and in the optical band simultaneously. Adopting the model parameters that best fit the QSO LFs, the linear bias of QSOs can be predicted and then compared with the observational measurements by accounting for various selection effects in different QSO surveys. We find that the latest measurements of the linear bias of QSOs from both the SDSS and BOSS QSO surveys can be well reproduced. The typical mass of SDSS QSOs at redshift 1.5 12 h −1 M s un and the typical mass of BOSS QSOs at z ∼ 2.4 is ∼ 2 × 10 12 h −1 M s un. For relatively faint QSOs, the mass distribution of their host dark matter halos is wider than that of bright QSOs because faint QSOs can be hosted in both big halos and smaller halos, but bright QSOs are only hosted in big halos, which is part of the reason for the predicted weak dependence of the linear biases on the QSO luminosity

Driving the growth of the earliest supermassive black holes with major mergers of host galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Takamitsu L

2014-01-01

The formation mechanism of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in general, and of ∼10 9  m ⊙ SMBHs observed as luminous quasars at redshifts z>6 in particular, remains an open fundamental question. The presence of such massive BHs at such early times, when the Universe was less than a billion years old, implies that they grew via either super-Eddington accretion, or nearly uninterrupted gas accretion near the Eddington limit; the latter, at first glance, is at odds with empirical trends at lower redshifts, where quasar episodes associated with rapid BH growth are rare and brief. In this work, I examine whether and to what extent the growth of the z>6 quasar SMBHs can be explained within the standard quasar paradigm, in which major mergers of host galaxies trigger episodes of rapid gas accretion below or near the Eddington limit. Using a suite of Monte Carlo merger tree simulations of the assembly histories of 40 likely z>6 quasar host halos, I investigate (i) their growth and major merger rates out to z∼40, and (ii) how long the feeding episodes induced by host mergers must last in order to explain the observed z≳6 quasar population without super-Eddington accretion. The halo major merger rate scales roughly as ∝ (1+z) 5/2 , consistent with cosmological simulations at lower redshifts, with quasar hosts typically experiencing ≳10 major mergers between 15>z>6 (≈650 Myr), compared to ∼1 for typical massive galaxies at 3>z>0 (≈11 Gyr). The high rate of major mergers allows for nearly continuous SMBH growth if (for example) a merger triggers feeding for a duration comparable to the halo dynamical time. These findings suggest that the growth mechanisms of the earliest quasar SMBHs need not have been drastically different from their counterparts at lower redshifts. (paper)

Galaxy formation with BECDM - I. Turbulence and relaxation of idealized haloes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mocz, Philip; Vogelsberger, Mark; Robles, Victor H; Zavala, Jesús; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Fialkov, Anastasia; Hernquist, Lars

2017-11-01

We present a theoretical analysis of some unexplored aspects of relaxed Bose-Einstein condensate dark matter (BECDM) haloes. This type of ultralight bosonic scalar field dark matter is a viable alternative to the standard cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm, as it makes the same large-scale predictions as CDM and potentially overcomes CDM's small-scale problems via a galaxy-scale de Broglie wavelength. We simulate BECDM halo formation through mergers, evolved under the Schrödinger-Poisson equations. The formed haloes consist of a soliton core supported against gravitational collapse by the quantum pressure tensor and an asymptotic r -3 NFW-like profile. We find a fundamental relation of the core-to-halo mass with the dimensionless invariant Ξ ≡ | E |/ M 3 /( Gm/ħ ) 2 or M c / M ≃ 2.6Ξ 1/3 , linking the soliton to global halo properties. For r ≥ 3.5 r c core radii, we find equipartition between potential, classical kinetic and quantum gradient energies. The haloes also exhibit a conspicuous turbulent behaviour driven by the continuous reconnection of vortex lines due to wave interference. We analyse the turbulence 1D velocity power spectrum and find a k -1.1 power law. This suggests that the vorticity in BECDM haloes is homogeneous, similar to thermally-driven counterflow BEC systems from condensed matter physics, in contrast to a k -5/3 Kolmogorov power law seen in mechanically-driven quantum systems. The mode where the power spectrum peaks is approximately the soliton width, implying that the soliton-sized granules carry most of the turbulent energy in BECDM haloes.

Giant Radio Halos in Galaxy Clusters as Probes of Particle ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

scenario still remain poorly understood. ... to test models with future observations. ... A popular scenario for the origin of radio halos assumes that relativis- ..... based on particle acceleration by merger-driven turbulence in galaxy clusters shows.

The Disk Mass Project: breaking the disk-halo degeneracy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verheijen, Marc A. W.; Bershady, Matthew A.; Swaters, Rob A.; Andersen, David R.; Westfall, Kyle B.; DE JONG, R. S.

2007-01-01

Little is known about the content and distribution of dark matter in spiral galaxies. To break the degeneracy in galaxy rotation curve decompositions, which allows a wide range of dark matter halo density profiles, an independent measure of the mass surface density of stellar disks is needed. Here,

The dwarfs beyond: The stellar-to-halo mass relation for a new sample of intermediate redshift low-mass galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, Sarah H.; Ellis, Richard S.; Newman, Andrew B. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Benson, Andrew, E-mail: smiller@astro.caltech.edu [Carnegie Observatories, 813 Santa Barbara St, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)

2014-02-20

A number of recent challenges to the standard ΛCDM paradigm relate to discrepancies that arise in comparing the abundance and kinematics of local dwarf galaxies with the predictions of numerical simulations. Such arguments rely heavily on the assumption that the Local Volume's dwarf and satellite galaxies form a representative distribution in terms of their stellar-to-halo mass ratios. To address this question, we present new, deep spectroscopy using DEIMOS on Keck for 82 low-mass (10{sup 7}-10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}), star-forming galaxies at intermediate redshift (0.2 < z < 1). For 50% of these we are able to determine resolved rotation curves using nebular emission lines and thereby construct the stellar mass Tully-Fisher relation to masses as low as 10{sup 7} M {sub ☉}. Using scaling relations determined from weak lensing data, we convert this to a stellar-to-halo mass relation for comparison with abundance matching predictions. We find a discrepancy between our observations and the predictions from abundance matching in the sense that we observe 3-12 times more stellar mass at a given halo mass. We suggest possible reasons for this discrepancy, as well as improved tests for the future.

HOBBY-EBERLY TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF THE DARK HALO IN NGC 821

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forestell, Amy D.; Gebhardt, Karl

2010-01-01

We present stellar line-of-sight velocity distributions (LOSVDs) of elliptical galaxy NGC 821 obtained to approximately 100'' (over two effective radii) with long-slit spectroscopy from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Our measured stellar LOSVDs are larger than the planetary nebulae measurements at similar radii. We fit axisymmetric orbit-superposition models with a range of dark halo density profiles, including two-dimensional kinematics at smaller radii from SAURON data. Within our assumptions, the best-fitted model gives a total enclosed mass of 2.0 x 10 11 M sun within 100'', with an accuracy of 2%; this mass is equally divided between halo and stars. At 1 R e , the best-fitted dark matter halo accounts for 13% of the total mass in the galaxy. This dark halo is inconsistent with previous claims of little to no dark matter halo in this galaxy from planetary nebula measurements. We find that a power-law dark halo with a slope 0.1 is the best-fitted model; both the no dark halo and Navarro-Frenk-White models are worse fits at a greater than 99% confidence level. NGC 821 does not appear to have the expected dark halo density profile. The internal moments of the stellar velocity distribution show that the model with no dark halo is radially anisotropic at small radii and tangentially isotropic at large radii, while the best-fitted halo models are slightly radially anisotropic at all radii. We test the potential effects of model smoothing and find that there are no effects on our results within the errors. Finally, we run models using the planetary nebula kinematics and assuming our best-fitted halos and find that the planetary nebulae require radial orbits throughout the galaxy.

Halo mass and weak galaxy-galaxy lensing profiles in rescaled cosmological N-body simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Renneby, Malin; Hilbert, Stefan; Angulo, Raúl E.

2018-05-01

We investigate 3D density and weak lensing profiles of dark matter haloes predicted by a cosmology-rescaling algorithm for N-body simulations. We extend the rescaling method of Angulo & White (2010) and Angulo & Hilbert (2015) to improve its performance on intra-halo scales by using models for the concentration-mass-redshift relation based on excursion set theory. The accuracy of the method is tested with numerical simulations carried out with different cosmological parameters. We find that predictions for median density profiles are more accurate than ˜5 % for haloes with masses of 1012.0 - 1014.5h-1 M⊙ for radii 0.05 baryons, are likely required for interpreting future (dark energy task force stage IV) experiments.

The rise and fall of stellar across the peak of cosmic star formation history: effects of mergers versus diffuse stellar mass acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

Welker, C.; Dubois, Y.; Devriendt, J.; Pichon, C.; Kaviraj, S.; Peirani, S.

2017-02-01

Building galaxy merger trees from a state-of-the-art cosmological hydrodynamical simulation, Horizon-AGN, we perform a statistical study of how mergers and diffuse stellar mass acquisition processes drive galaxy morphologic properties above z > 1. By diffuse mass acquisition here, we mean both accretion of stars by unresolved mergers (relative stellar mass growth smaller than 4.5 per cent) as well as in situ star formation when no resolved mergers are detected along the main progenitor branch of a galaxy. We investigate how stellar densities, galaxy sizes and galaxy morphologies (defined via shape parameters derived from the inertia tensor of the stellar density) depend on mergers of different mass ratios. We investigate how stellar densities, effective radii and shape parameters derived from the inertia tensor depend on mergers of different mass ratios. We find strong evidence that diffuse stellar accretion and in situ formation tend to flatten small galaxies over cosmic time, leading to the formation of discs. On the other hand, mergers, and not only the major ones, exhibit a propensity to puff up and destroy stellar discs, confirming the origin of elliptical galaxies. We confirm that mergers grow galaxy sizes more efficiently than diffuse processes (r_{0.5}∝ M_s^{0.85} and r_{0.5}∝ M_s^{0.1} on average, respectively) and we also find that elliptical galaxies are more susceptible to grow in size through mergers than disc galaxies with a size-mass evolution r_{0.5}∝ M_s^{1.2} instead of r_{0.5}∝ M_s^{-0.5}-M^{0.5} for discs depending on the merger mass ratio. The gas content drives the size-mass evolution due to merger with a faster size growth for gas-poor galaxies r_{0.5}∝ M_s2 than for gas-rich galaxies r0.5 ∝ Ms.

Host galaxy properties of mergers of stellar binary black holes and their implications for advanced LIGO gravitational wave sources

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Liang; Lu, Youjun; Zhao, Yuetong

2018-03-01

Understanding the host galaxy properties of stellar binary black hole (SBBH) mergers is important for revealing the origin of the SBBH gravitational wave sources detected by advanced LIGO and helpful for identifying their electromagnetic counterparts. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the host galaxy properties of SBBHs by implementing semi-analytical recipes for SBBH formation and merger into cosmological galaxy formation model. If the time delay between SBBH formation and merger ranges from ≲ Gyr to the Hubble time, SBBH mergers at redshift z ≲ 0.3 occur preferentially in big galaxies with stellar mass M* ≳ 2 × 1010 M⊙ and metallicities Z peaking at ˜0.6 Z⊙. However, the host galaxy stellar mass distribution of heavy SBBH mergers (M•• ≳ 50 M⊙) is bimodal with one peak at ˜109 M⊙ and the other peak at ˜2 × 1010 M⊙. The contribution fraction from host galaxies with Z ≲ 0.2 Z⊙ to heavy mergers is much larger than that to less heavy mergers. If SBBHs were formed in the early Universe (e.g. z > 6), their mergers detected at z ≲ 0.3 occur preferentially in even more massive galaxies with M* > 3 × 1010 M⊙ and in galaxies with metallicities mostly ≳ 0.2 Z⊙ and peaking at Z ˜ 0.6 Z⊙, due to later cosmic assembly and enrichment of their host galaxies. SBBH mergers at z ≲ 0.3 mainly occur in spiral galaxies, but the fraction of SBBH mergers that occur in elliptical galaxies can be significant if those SBBHs were formed in the early Universe; and about two-thirds of those mergers occur in the central galaxies of dark matter haloes. We also present results on the host galaxy properties of SBBH mergers at higher redshift.

Beyond assembly bias: exploring secondary halo biases for cluster-size haloes

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Yao-Yuan; Zentner, Andrew R.; Wechsler, Risa H.

2018-03-01

Secondary halo bias, commonly known as `assembly bias', is the dependence of halo clustering on a halo property other than mass. This prediction of the Λ Cold Dark Matter cosmology is essential to modelling the galaxy distribution to high precision and interpreting clustering measurements. As the name suggests, different manifestations of secondary halo bias have been thought to originate from halo assembly histories. We show conclusively that this is incorrect for cluster-size haloes. We present an up-to-date summary of secondary halo biases of high-mass haloes due to various halo properties including concentration, spin, several proxies of assembly history, and subhalo properties. While concentration, spin, and the abundance and radial distribution of subhaloes exhibit significant secondary biases, properties that directly quantify halo assembly history do not. In fact, the entire assembly histories of haloes in pairs are nearly identical to those of isolated haloes. In general, a global correlation between two halo properties does not predict whether or not these two properties exhibit similar secondary biases. For example, assembly history and concentration (or subhalo abundance) are correlated for both paired and isolated haloes, but follow slightly different conditional distributions in these two cases. This results in a secondary halo bias due to concentration (or subhalo abundance), despite the lack of assembly bias in the strict sense for cluster-size haloes. Due to this complexity, caution must be exercised in using any one halo property as a proxy to study the secondary bias due to another property.

CHARACTERIZING THE FORMATION HISTORY OF MILKY WAY LIKE STELLAR HALOS WITH MODEL EMULATORS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gómez, Facundo A.; O'Shea, Brian W.; Coleman-Smith, Christopher E.; Tumlinson, Jason; Wolpert, Robert L.

2012-01-01

We use the semi-analytic model ChemTreeN, coupled to cosmological N-body simulations, to explore how different galaxy formation histories can affect observational properties of Milky Way like galaxies' stellar halos and their satellite populations. Gaussian processes are used to generate model emulators that allow one to statistically estimate a desired set of model outputs at any location of a p-dimensional input parameter space. This enables one to explore the full input parameter space orders of magnitude faster than could be done otherwise. Using mock observational data sets generated by ChemTreeN itself, we show that it is possible to successfully recover the input parameter vectors used to generate the mock observables if the merger history of the host halo is known. However, our results indicate that for a given observational data set, the determination of 'best-fit' parameters is highly susceptible to the particular merger history of the host. Very different halo merger histories can reproduce the same observational data set, if the 'best-fit' parameters are allowed to vary from history to history. Thus, attempts to characterize the formation history of the Milky Way using these kind of techniques must be performed statistically, analyzing large samples of high-resolution N-body simulations.

Penning Trap Experiments with the Most Exotic Nuclei on Earth: Precision Mass Measurements of Halo Nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

Brodeur, M.; Brunner, T.; Ettenauer, S.; Lapierre, A.; Ringle, R.; Delheij, P.; Dilling, J.

2009-05-01

Exotic nuclei are characterized with an extremely unbalanced protons-neutrons ratio (p/n) where for instance, the halo isotopes of He and Li have up to 3X more n than p (compared to p/n = 1 in ^12C). The properties of these exotic halo nuclei have long been recognized as the most stringent tests of our understanding of the strong force. ^11Li belongs to a special category of halos called Borromean, bound as a three-body family, while the two-body siblings, ^10Li and 2 n, are unbound as separate entities. Last year, a first mass measurement of the radioisotope ^11Li using a Penning trap spectrometer was carried out at the TITAN (Triumf's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science) facility at TRIUMF-ISAC. Penning traps are proven to be the most precise device to make mass measurements, yet until now they were unable to reach these nuclei. At TRIUMF we managed to measure the mass of ^11Li to an unprecedented precision of dm/m = 60 ppb, which is remarkable since it has a half-life of only 8.8 ms which it the shortest-lived nuclide to be measured with this technique. Furthermore, new and improved masses for the 2 and 4 n halo ^6,8He, as well has the 1 n halo ^11Be have been performed. An overview of the TITAN mass measurement program and its impact in understanding the most exotic nuclei will be given.

REVISITING SCALING RELATIONS FOR GIANT RADIO HALOS IN GALAXY CLUSTERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cassano, R.; Brunetti, G.; Venturi, T.; Kale, R. [INAF/IRA, via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Ettori, S. [INAF/Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Giacintucci, S. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States); Pratt, G. W. [Laboratoire AIM, IRFU/Service dAstrophysique-CEA/DSM-CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, Bât. 709, CEA-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Dolag, K. [University Observatory Munich, Scheinerstr. 1, D-81679 Munich (Germany); Markevitch, M. [Astrophysics Science Division, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2013-11-10

Many galaxy clusters host megaparsec-scale radio halos, generated by ultrarelativistic electrons in the magnetized intracluster medium. Correlations between the synchrotron power of radio halos and the thermal properties of the hosting clusters were established in the last decade, including the connection between the presence of a halo and cluster mergers. The X-ray luminosity and redshift-limited Extended GMRT Radio Halo Survey provides a rich and unique dataset for statistical studies of the halos. We uniformly analyze the radio and X-ray data for the GMRT cluster sample, and use the new Planck Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) catalog to revisit the correlations between the power of radio halos and the thermal properties of galaxy clusters. We find that the radio power at 1.4 GHz scales with the cluster X-ray (0.1-2.4 keV) luminosity computed within R{sub 500} as P{sub 1.4}∼L{sup 2.1±0.2}{sub 500}. Our bigger and more homogenous sample confirms that the X-ray luminous (L{sub 500} > 5 × 10{sup 44} erg s{sup –1}) clusters branch into two populations—radio halos lie on the correlation, while clusters without radio halos have their radio upper limits well below that correlation. This bimodality remains if we excise cool cores from the X-ray luminosities. We also find that P{sub 1.4} scales with the cluster integrated SZ signal within R{sub 500}, measured by Planck, as P{sub 1.4}∼Y{sup 2.05±0.28}{sub 500}, in line with previous findings. However, contrary to previous studies that were limited by incompleteness and small sample size, we find that 'SZ-luminous' Y{sub 500} > 6 × 10{sup –5} Mpc{sup 2} clusters show a bimodal behavior for the presence of radio halos, similar to that in the radio-X-ray diagram. Bimodality of both correlations can be traced to clusters dynamics, with radio halos found exclusively in merging clusters. These results confirm the key role of mergers for the origin of giant radio halos, suggesting that they trigger the

The incidence of stellar mergers and mass gainers among massive stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Mink, S. E.; Sana, H.; Langer, N.; Izzard, R. G.; Schneider, F. R. N.

2014-01-01

Because the majority of massive stars are born as members of close binary systems, populations of massive main-sequence stars contain stellar mergers and products of binary mass transfer. We simulate populations of massive stars accounting for all major binary evolution effects based on the most recent binary parameter statistics and extensively evaluate the effect of model uncertainties. Assuming constant star formation, we find that 8 −4 +9 % of a sample of early-type stars are the products of a merger resulting from a close binary system. In total we find that 30 −15 +10 % of massive main-sequence stars are the products of binary interaction. We show that the commonly adopted approach to minimize the effects of binaries on an observed sample by excluding systems detected as binaries through radial velocity campaigns can be counterproductive. Systems with significant radial velocity variations are mostly pre-interaction systems. Excluding them substantially enhances the relative incidence of mergers and binary products in the non-radial velocity variable sample. This poses a challenge for testing single stellar evolutionary models. It also raises the question of whether certain peculiar classes of stars, such as magnetic O stars, are the result of binary interaction and it emphasizes the need to further study the effect of binarity on the diagnostics that are used to derive the fundamental properties (star-formation history, initial mass function, mass-to-light ratio) of stellar populations nearby and at high redshift.

Using velocity dispersion to estimate halo mass: Is the Local Group in tension with ΛCDM?

Science.gov (United States)

Elahi, Pascal J.; Power, Chris; Lagos, Claudia del P.; Poulton, Rhys; Robotham, Aaron S. G.

2018-06-01

Satellite galaxies are commonly used as tracers to measure the line-of-sight (LOS)velocity dispersion (σLOS) of the dark matter halo associated with their central galaxy, and thereby to estimate the halo's mass. Recent observational dispersion estimates of the Local Group, including the Milky Way and M31, suggest σ ˜50 km s-1, which is surprisingly low when compared to the theoretical expectation of σ ˜100 km s-1 for systems of their mass. Does this pose a problem for Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM)? We explore this tension using the SURFS suite of N-body simulations, containing over 10000 (sub)haloes with well tracked orbits. We test how well a central galaxy's host halo velocity dispersion can be recovered by sampling σLOS of subhaloes and surrounding haloes. Our results demonstrate that σLOS is biased mass proxy. We define an optimal window in vLOS and projected distance (Dp) - 0.5 ≲ Dp/Rvir ≲ 1.0 and vLOS ≲ 0.5Vesc, where Rvir is the virial radius and Vesc is the escape velocity - such that the scatter in LOS to halo dispersion is minimized - σLOS = (0.5 ± 0.1)σv, H. We argue that this window should be used to measure LOS dispersions as a proxy for mass, as it minimises scatter in the σLOS-Mvir relation. This bias also naturally explains the results from McConnachie (2012), who used similar cuts when estimating σLOS, LG, producing a bias of σLG = (0.44 ± 0.14)σv, H. We conclude that the Local Group's velocity dispersion does not pose a problem for ΛCDM and has a mass of log M_{LG, vir}/M_{⊙}=12.0^{+0.8}_{-2.0}.

Investigating the Wave Nature of the Outer Envelope of Halo Coronal Mass Ejections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Ryun-Young [College of Science, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 (United States); Vourlidas, Angelos, E-mail: rkwon@gmu.edu [The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723 (United States)

2017-02-20

We investigate the nature of the outer envelope of halo coronal mass ejections (H-CMEs) using multi-viewpoint observations from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A , -B , and SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory coronagraphs. The 3D structure and kinematics of the halo envelopes and the driving CMEs are derived separately using a forward modeling method. We analyze three H-CMEs with peak speeds from 1355 to 2157 km s{sup −1}; sufficiently fast to drive shocks in the corona. We find that the angular widths of the halos range from 192° to 252°, while those of the flux ropes range between only 58° and 91°, indicating that the halos are waves propagating away from the CMEs. The halo widths are in agreement with widths of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) waves in the low corona further demonstrating the common origin of these structures. To further investigate the wave nature of the halos, we model their 3D kinematic properties with a linear fast magnetosonic wave model. The model is able to reproduce the position of the halo flanks with realistic coronal medium assumptions but fails closer to the CME nose. The CME halo envelope seems to arise from a driven wave (or shock) close to the CME nose, but it is gradually becoming a freely propagating fast magnetosonic wave at the flanks. This interpretation provides a simple unifying picture for CME halos, EUV waves, and the large longitudinal spread of solar energetic particles.

A 2-3 billion year old major merger paradigm for the Andromeda galaxy and its outskirts

Science.gov (United States)

Hammer, F.; Yang, Y. B.; Wang, J. L.; Ibata, R.; Flores, H.; Puech, M.

2018-04-01

Recent observations of our neighbouring galaxy M31 have revealed that its disc was shaped by widespread events. The evidence for this includes the high dispersion (V/σ ≤ 3) of stars older than 2 Gyr, and a global star formation episode, 2-4 Gyr ago. Using the modern hydrodynamical code, GIZMO, we have performed 300 high-resolution simulations to explore the extent to which these observed properties can be explained by a single merger. We find that the observed M31 disc resembles models having experienced a 4:1 merger, in which the nuclei coalesced 1.8-3 Gyr ago, and where the first passage took place 7-10 Gyr ago at a large pericentre distance (32 kpc). We also show that within a family of orbital parameters, the Giant Stream (GS) can be formed with various merger mass ratios, from 2:1 to 300:1. A recent major merger may be the only way to create the very unusual age-dispersion relation in the disc. It reproduces and explains the long-lived 10 kpc ring, the widespread and recent star formation event, the absence of a remnant of the GS progenitor, the apparent complexity of the 3D spatial distribution of the GS, the NE and G Clumps and their formation process, and the observed slope of the halo profile. These modelling successes lead us to propose that the bulk of the substructure in the M31 halo, as well as the complexity of the inner galaxy, may be attributable to a single major interaction with a galaxy that has now fully coalesced with Andromeda.

The mass dependence of satellite quenching in Milky Way-like haloes

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, John I.; Wheeler, Coral; Cooper, Michael C.; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Bullock, James S.; Tollerud, Erik

2015-02-01

Using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we examine the quenching of satellite galaxies around isolated Milky Way-like hosts in the local Universe. We find that the efficiency of satellite quenching around isolated galaxies is low and roughly constant over two orders of magnitude in satellite stellar mass (M⋆ = 108.5-1010.5 M⊙), with only ˜20 per cent of systems quenched as a result of environmental processes. While largely independent of satellite stellar mass, satellite quenching does exhibit clear dependence on the properties of the host. We show that satellites of passive hosts are substantially more likely to be quenched than those of star-forming hosts, and we present evidence that more massive haloes quench their satellites more efficiently. These results extend trends seen previously in more massive host haloes and for higher satellite masses. Taken together, it appears that galaxies with stellar masses larger than about 108 M⊙ are uniformly resistant to environmental quenching, with the relative harshness of the host environment likely serving as the primary driver of satellite quenching. At lower stellar masses (<108 M⊙), however, observations of the Local Group suggest that the vast majority of satellite galaxies are quenched, potentially pointing towards a characteristic satellite mass scale below which quenching efficiency increases dramatically.

The white dwarf luminosity function - A possible probe of the galactic halo

Science.gov (United States)

Tamanaha, Christopher M.; Silk, Joseph; Wood, M. A.; Winget, D. E.

1990-01-01

The dynamically inferred dark halo mass density, amounting to above 0.01 solar masses/cu pc at the sun's Galactocentric radius, can be composed of faint white dwarfs provided that the halo formed in a sufficiently early burst of star formation. The model is constrained by the observed disk white dwarf luminosity function which falls off below log (L/solar L) = -4.4, due to the onset of star formation in the disk. By using a narrow range for the initial mass function and an exponentially decaying halo star formation rate with an e-folding time equal to the free-fall time, all the halo dark matter is allowed to be in cool white dwarfs which lie beyond the falloff in the disk luminosity function. Although it is unlikely that all the dark matter is in these dim white dwarfs, a definite signature in the low-luminosity end of the white dwarf luminosity function is predicted even if they comprise only 1 percent of the dark matter. Current CCD surveys should answer the question of the existence of this population within the next few years.

Wide-field kinematic structure of early-type galaxy halos

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Jacob Antony

2013-12-01

The stellar halos of nearby galaxies bare the signatures of the mass-assembly processes that have driven galaxy evolution over the last ˜10 Gyr. Finding and interpreting these relict clues in galaxies within and beyond the local group offers one of the most promising avenues for understanding how galaxies accumulate their stars over time. To tackle this problem we have performed a systematic study of the wide-field kinematic structure of nearby (Dspectroscopy out to several effective radii (˜3 R e). The 22 galaxies presented here span a range of environments (field, group, and cluster), intrinsic luminosities (-22.4 infrared Calcium II triplet. For each spectrum, we parameterize the line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD) as a truncated Gauss-Hermite series convolved with an optimally weighted combination of stellar templates. These kinematic measurements (V, sigma, h3, and h4) are combined with literature values to construct spatially resolved maps of large-scale kinematic structure. A variety of kinematic behaviors are observed beyond ~1 Re, potentially reflecting the stochastic and chaotic assembly of stellar bulges and halos in early-type galaxies. Next, we describe a global analysis (out to 5 Re) of kinematics and metallicity in the nearest S0 galaxy, NGC 3115, along with implications for its assembly history. The data include high-quality wide-field imaging and multi-slit spectra of the field stars and globular clusters (GCs). Within two effective radii, the bulge (as traced by the stars and metal-rich GCs) is flattened and rotates rapidly. At larger radii, the rotation declines dramatically, while the characteristic GC metallicities also decrease with radius. We argue that this pattern is not naturally explained by a binary major merger, but instead by a two-phase assembly process where the inner regions have formed in an early violent, dissipative phase, followed by the protracted growth of the outer parts via minor mergers. To test this hypothesis

THE ELM SURVEY. III. A SUCCESSFUL TARGETED SURVEY FOR EXTREMELY LOW MASS WHITE DWARFS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Warren R.; Kenyon, Scott J.; Kilic, Mukremin; Allende Prieto, Carlos

2012-01-01

Extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs) with masses ☉ are rare objects that result from compact binary evolution. Here, we present a targeted spectroscopic survey of ELM WD candidates selected by color. The survey is 71% complete and has uncovered 18 new ELM WDs. Of the seven ELM WDs with follow-up observations, six are short-period binaries and four have merger times less than 5 Gyr. The most intriguing object, J1741+6526, likely has either a pulsar companion or a massive WD companion making the system a possible supernova Type Ia or an Ia progenitor. The overall ELM survey has now identified 19 double degenerate binaries with <10 Gyr merger times. The significant absence of short orbital period ELM WDs at cool temperatures suggests that common envelope evolution creates ELM WDs directly in short period systems. At least one-third of the merging systems are halo objects, thus ELM WD binaries continue to form and merge in both the disk and the halo.

Simulating neutron star mergers as r-process sources in ultrafaint dwarf galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Safarzadeh, Mohammadtaher; Scannapieco, Evan

2017-10-01

To explain the high observed abundances of r-process elements in local ultrafaint dwarf (UFD) galaxies, we perform cosmological zoom simulations that include r-process production from neutron star mergers (NSMs). We model star formation stochastically and simulate two different haloes with total masses ≈108 M⊙ at z = 6. We find that the final distribution of [Eu/H] versus [Fe/H] is relatively insensitive to the energy by which the r-process material is ejected into the interstellar medium, but strongly sensitive to the environment in which the NSM event occurs. In one halo, the NSM event takes place at the centre of the stellar distribution, leading to high levels of r-process enrichment such as seen in a local UFD, Reticulum II (Ret II). In a second halo, the NSM event takes place outside of the densest part of the galaxy, leading to a more extended r-process distribution. The subsequent star formation occurs in an interstellar medium with shallow levels of r-process enrichment that results in stars with low levels of [Eu/H] compared to Ret II stars even when the maximum possible r-process mass is assumed to be ejected. This suggests that the natal kicks of neutron stars may also play an important role in determining the r-process abundances in UFD galaxies, a topic that warrants further theoretical investigation.

Change commitment in low-status merger partners: The role of information processing, relative ingroup prototypicality, and merger patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Miriam; Kavanagh, Eithne; Kounov, Pavel; Jarosz, Sywlia; Waldzus, Sven; Collins, Elizabeth C; Giessner, Steffen

2017-09-01

Merger announcements cause stress among employees, often leading to low change commitment, especially among employees from the lower-status merger partner. Such stress influences how deeply employees process merger-relevant information. Previous research examined how merger patterns that preserve versus change status differences impact merger support, but did not address how employees' information processing may influence this relationship. The current research addresses this gap through a scenario experiment, focusing on the low-status merger partner. The interplay between merger patterns and information processing was examined regarding employees' prototypicality claims in relation to merger support. Results suggest that an integration-equality merger pattern increases change commitment via prototypicality claims in the new organization, conditional to employees' systematic information processing. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Cluster abundance in chameleon f ( R ) gravity I: toward an accurate halo mass function prediction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cataneo, Matteo; Rapetti, David [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Lombriser, Lucas [Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Li, Baojiu, E-mail: matteoc@dark-cosmology.dk, E-mail: drapetti@dark-cosmology.dk, E-mail: llo@roe.ac.uk, E-mail: baojiu.li@durham.ac.uk [Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2016-12-01

We refine the mass and environment dependent spherical collapse model of chameleon f ( R ) gravity by calibrating a phenomenological correction inspired by the parameterized post-Friedmann framework against high-resolution N -body simulations. We employ our method to predict the corresponding modified halo mass function, and provide fitting formulas to calculate the enhancement of the f ( R ) halo abundance with respect to that of General Relativity (GR) within a precision of ∼< 5% from the results obtained in the simulations. Similar accuracy can be achieved for the full f ( R ) mass function on the condition that the modeling of the reference GR abundance of halos is accurate at the percent level. We use our fits to forecast constraints on the additional scalar degree of freedom of the theory, finding that upper bounds competitive with current Solar System tests are within reach of cluster number count analyses from ongoing and upcoming surveys at much larger scales. Importantly, the flexibility of our method allows also for this to be applied to other scalar-tensor theories characterized by a mass and environment dependent spherical collapse.

DARK MATTER CORES IN THE FORNAX AND SCULPTOR DWARF GALAXIES: JOINING HALO ASSEMBLY AND DETAILED STAR FORMATION HISTORIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amorisco, N. C.; Zavala, J.; De Boer, T. J. L.

2014-01-01

We combine the detailed star formation histories of the Fornax and Sculptor dwarf spheroidals with the mass assembly history of their dark matter (DM) halo progenitors to estimate if the energy deposited by Type II supernovae (SNe II) is sufficient to create a substantial DM core. Assuming the efficiency of energy injection of the SNe II into DM particles is ε gc = 0.05, we find that a single early episode, z ≳ z infall , that combines the energy of all SNe II due to explode over 0.5 Gyr is sufficient to create a core of several hundred parsecs in both Sculptor and Fornax. Therefore, our results suggest that it is energetically plausible to form cores in cold dark matter (CDM) halos via early episodic gas outflows triggered by SNe II. Furthermore, based on CDM merger rates and phase-space density considerations, we argue that the probability of a subsequent complete regeneration of the cusp is small for a substantial fraction of dwarf-size halos

The frequency of very young galaxies in the local Universe: I. A test for galaxy formation and cosmological models

Science.gov (United States)

Tweed, D. P.; Mamon, G. A.; Thuan, T. X.; Cattaneo, A.; Dekel, A.; Menci, N.; Calura, F.; Silk, J.

2018-06-01

In the local Universe, the existence of very young galaxies (VYGs), having formed at least half their stellar mass in the last 1 Gyr, is debated. We predict the present-day fraction of VYGs among central galaxies as a function of galaxy stellar mass. For this, we apply to high mass resolution Monte Carlo halo merger trees (MCHMTs) three (one) analytical models of galaxy formation, where the ratio of stellar to halo mass (mass growth rate) is a function of halo mass and redshift. Galaxy merging is delayed until orbital decay by dynamical friction. With starbursts associated with halo mergers, our models predict typically 1 per cent of VYGs up to galaxy masses of m = 1010 M⊙, falling rapidly at higher masses, and VYGs are usually associated with recent major mergers of their haloes. Without these starbursts, two of the models have VYG fractions reduced by 1 or 2 dex at low or intermediate stellar masses, and VYGs are rarely associated with major halo mergers. In comparison, the state-of-the-art semi-analytical model (SAM) of Henriques et al. produces only 0.01 per cent of VYGs at intermediate masses. Finally, the Menci et al. SAM run on MCHMTs with Warm Dark Matter cosmology generates 10 times more VYGs at m < 108 M⊙ than when run with Cold Dark Matter. The wide range in these VYG fractions illustrates the usefulness of VYGs to constrain both galaxy formation and cosmological models.

THE EATING HABITS OF MILKY WAY-MASS HALOS: DESTROYED DWARF SATELLITES AND THE METALLICITY DISTRIBUTION OF ACCRETED STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deason, Alis J.; Mao, Yao-Yuan; Wechsler, Risa H.

2016-01-01

We study the mass spectrum of destroyed dwarfs that contribute to the accreted stellar mass of Milky Way (MW)-mass (M vir  ∼ 10 12.1 M ⊙ ) halos using a suite of 45 zoom-in dissipationless simulations. Empirical models are employed to relate (peak) subhalo mass to dwarf stellar mass, and we use constraints from z = 0 observations and hydrodynamical simulations to estimate the metallicity distribution of the accreted stellar material. The dominant contributors to the accreted stellar mass are relatively massive dwarfs with M star  ∼ 10 8 –10 10 M ⊙ . Halos with more quiescent accretion histories tend to have lower mass progenitors (10 8 –10 9 M ⊙ ), and lower overall accreted stellar masses. Ultra-faint mass (M star  < 10 5 M ⊙ ) dwarfs contribute a negligible amount (≪1%) to the accreted stellar mass and, despite having low average metallicities, supply a small fraction (∼2%–5%) of the very metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] < −2. Dwarfs with masses 10 5  < M star /M ⊙  < 10 8 provide a substantial amount of the very metal-poor stellar material (∼40%–80%), and even relatively metal-rich dwarfs with M star  > 10 8 M ⊙ can contribute a considerable fraction (∼20%–60%) of metal-poor stars if their metallicity distributions have significant metal-poor tails. Finally, we find that the generic assumption of a quiescent assembly history for the MW halo seems to be in tension with the mass spectrum of its surviving dwarfs. We suggest that the MW could be a “transient fossil”; a quiescent halo with a recent accretion event(s) that disguises the preceding formation history of the halo

Updating the MACHO fraction of the Milky Way dark halo with improved mass models

Science.gov (United States)

Calcino, Josh; García-Bellido, Juan; Davis, Tamara M.

2018-05-01

Recent interest in primordial black holes as a possible dark matter candidate has motivated the reanalysis of previous methods for constraining massive astrophysical compact objects in the Milky Way halo and beyond. In order to derive these constraints, a model for the dark matter distribution around the Milky Way must be used. Previous microlensing searches have assumed a semi-isothermal density sphere for this task. We show this model is no longer consistent with data from the Milky Way rotation curve, and test two replacement models, namely NFW and power-law. The power-law model is the most flexible as it can break spherical symmetry, and best fits the data. Thus, we recommend the power-law model as a replacement, although it still lacks the flexibility to fully encapsulate all possible shapes of the Milky Way halo. We then use the power-law model to rederive some previous microlensing constraints in the literature, while propagating the primary halo-shape uncertainties through to our final constraints. Our analysis reveals that the microlensing constraints towards the Large Magellanic Cloud weaken somewhat for MACHO masses around 10 M⊙ when this uncertainty is taken into account, but the constraints tighten at lower masses. Exploring some of the simplifying assumptions of previous constraints we also study the effect of wide mass distributions of compact halo objects, as well as the effect of spatial clustering on microlensing constraints. We find that both effects induce a shift in the constraints towards smaller masses, and can effectively remove the microlensing constraints from M ˜ 1 - 10M⊙ for certain MACHO populations.

Is Sextans dwarf galaxy in a scalar field dark matter halo?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lora, V.; Magaña, Juan

2014-01-01

The Bose-Einstein condensate/scalar field dark matter model, considers that the dark matter is composed by spinless-ultra-light particles which can be described by a scalar field. This model is an alternative model to the Λ-cold dark matter paradigm, and therefore should be studied at galactic and cosmological scales. Dwarf spheroidal galaxies have been very useful when studying any dark matter theory, because the dark matter dominates their dynamics. In this paper we study the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy, embedded in a scalar field dark matter halo. We explore how the dissolution time-scale of the stellar substructures in Sextans, constrain the mass, and the self-interacting parameter of the scalar field dark matter boson. We find that for masses in the range (0.12< m φ <8) ×10 -22 eV, scalar field dark halos without self-interaction would have cores large enough to explain the longevity of the stellar substructures in Sextans, and small enough mass to be compatible with dynamical limits. If the self-interacting parameter is distinct to zero, then the mass of the boson could be as high as m φ ≈2×10 -21 eV, but it would correspond to an unrealistic low mass for the Sextans dark matter halo . Therefore, the Sextans dwarf galaxy could be embedded in a scalar field/BEC dark matter halo with a preferred self-interacting parameter equal to zero

Gravitational-wave localization alone can probe origin of stellar-mass black hole mergers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartos, I; Haiman, Z; Marka, Z; Metzger, B D; Stone, N C; Marka, S

2017-10-10

The recent discovery of gravitational waves from stellar-mass binary black hole mergers by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory opened the door to alternative probes of stellar and galactic evolution, cosmology and fundamental physics. Probing the origin of binary black hole mergers will be difficult due to the expected lack of electromagnetic emission and limited localization accuracy. Associations with rare host galaxy types-such as active galactic nuclei-can nevertheless be identified statistically through spatial correlation. Here we establish the feasibility of statistically proving the connection between binary black hole mergers and active galactic nuclei as hosts, even if only a sub-population of mergers originate from active galactic nuclei. Our results are the demonstration that the limited localization of gravitational waves, previously written off as not useful to distinguish progenitor channels, can in fact contribute key information, broadening the range of astrophysical questions probed by binary black hole observations.Binary black hole mergers have recently been observed through the detection of gravitational wave signatures. The authors demonstrate that their association with active galactic nuclei can be made through a statistical spatial correlation.

THE XMM-NEWTON WIDE FIELD SURVEY IN THE COSMOS FIELD: REDSHIFT EVOLUTION OF AGN BIAS AND SUBDOMINANT ROLE OF MERGERS IN TRIGGERING MODERATE-LUMINOSITY AGNs AT REDSHIFTS UP TO 2.2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allevato, V.; Hasinger, G.; Salvato, M.; Finoguenov, A.; Brusa, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Merloni, A.; Cappelluti, N.; Miyaji, T.; Gilli, R.; Zamorani, G.; Comastri, A.; Shankar, F.; James, J. B.; Peacock, J. A.; McCracken, H. J.; Silverman, J.

2011-01-01

We present a study of the redshift evolution of the projected correlation function of 593 X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with I AB 2 XMM- Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). We introduce a method to estimate the average bias of the AGN sample and the mass of AGN hosting halos, solving the sample variance using the halo model and taking into account the growth of the structure over time. We find evidence of a redshift evolution of the bias factor for the total population of XMM-COSMOS AGNs from b-bar ( z-bar =0.92)=2.30±0.11 to b-bar ( z-bar =1.94)=4.37±0.27 with an average mass of the hosting dark matter (DM) halos log M 0 (h -1 M sun ) ∼ 13.12 ± 0.12 that remains constant at all z 0 (h -1 M sun ) ∼ 13.28 ± 0.07 and log M 0 (h -1 M sun ) ∼ 13.00 ± 0.06 for BL/X-ray unobscured AGNs and NL/X-ray obscured AGNs, respectively. The theoretical models, which assume a quasar phase triggered by major mergers, cannot reproduce the high bias factors and DM halo masses found for X-ray selected BL AGNs with L BOL ∼ 2 x 10 45 erg s -1 . Our work extends up to z ∼ 2.2 the z ∼< 1 statement that, for moderate-luminosity X-ray selected BL AGNs, the contribution from major mergers is outnumbered by other processes, possibly secular ones such as tidal disruptions or disk instabilities.

Revealing the Cosmic Web-dependent Halo Bias

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaohu; Zhang, Youcai; Lu, Tianhuan; Wang, Huiyuan; Shi, Feng; Tweed, Dylan; Li, Shijie; Luo, Wentao; Lu, Yi; Yang, Lei

2017-10-01

Halo bias is the one of the key ingredients of the halo models. It was shown at a given redshift to be only dependent, to the first order, on the halo mass. In this study, four types of cosmic web environments—clusters, filaments, sheets, and voids—are defined within a state-of-the-art high-resolution N-body simulation. Within these environments, we use both halo-dark matter cross correlation and halo-halo autocorrelation functions to probe the clustering properties of halos. The nature of the halo bias differs strongly between the four different cosmic web environments described here. With respect to the overall population, halos in clusters have significantly lower biases in the {10}11.0˜ {10}13.5 {h}-1 {M}⊙ mass range. In other environments, however, halos show extremely enhanced biases up to a factor 10 in voids for halos of mass ˜ {10}12.0 {h}-1 {M}⊙ . Such a strong cosmic web environment dependence in the halo bias may play an important role in future cosmological and galaxy formation studies. Within this cosmic web framework, the age dependency of halo bias is found to be only significant in clusters and filaments for relatively small halos ≲ {10}12.5 {h}-1 {M}⊙ .

THE EATING HABITS OF MILKY WAY-MASS HALOS: DESTROYED DWARF SATELLITES AND THE METALLICITY DISTRIBUTION OF ACCRETED STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deason, Alis J.; Mao, Yao-Yuan; Wechsler, Risa H., E-mail: adeason@stanford.edu [Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology and Physics Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)

2016-04-10

We study the mass spectrum of destroyed dwarfs that contribute to the accreted stellar mass of Milky Way (MW)-mass (M{sub vir} ∼ 10{sup 12.1} M{sub ⊙}) halos using a suite of 45 zoom-in dissipationless simulations. Empirical models are employed to relate (peak) subhalo mass to dwarf stellar mass, and we use constraints from z = 0 observations and hydrodynamical simulations to estimate the metallicity distribution of the accreted stellar material. The dominant contributors to the accreted stellar mass are relatively massive dwarfs with M{sub star} ∼ 10{sup 8}–10{sup 10}M{sub ⊙}. Halos with more quiescent accretion histories tend to have lower mass progenitors (10{sup 8}–10{sup 9} M{sub ⊙}), and lower overall accreted stellar masses. Ultra-faint mass (M{sub star} < 10{sup 5} M{sub ⊙}) dwarfs contribute a negligible amount (≪1%) to the accreted stellar mass and, despite having low average metallicities, supply a small fraction (∼2%–5%) of the very metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] < −2. Dwarfs with masses 10{sup 5} < M{sub star}/M{sub ⊙} < 10{sup 8} provide a substantial amount of the very metal-poor stellar material (∼40%–80%), and even relatively metal-rich dwarfs with M{sub star} > 10{sup 8} M{sub ⊙} can contribute a considerable fraction (∼20%–60%) of metal-poor stars if their metallicity distributions have significant metal-poor tails. Finally, we find that the generic assumption of a quiescent assembly history for the MW halo seems to be in tension with the mass spectrum of its surviving dwarfs. We suggest that the MW could be a “transient fossil”; a quiescent halo with a recent accretion event(s) that disguises the preceding formation history of the halo.

Non-Gaussian halo assembly bias

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, Beth A.; Verde, Licia; Dolag, Klaus; Matarrese, Sabino; Moscardini, Lauro

2010-01-01

The strong dependence of the large-scale dark matter halo bias on the (local) non-Gaussianity parameter, f NL , offers a promising avenue towards constraining primordial non-Gaussianity with large-scale structure surveys. In this paper, we present the first detection of the dependence of the non-Gaussian halo bias on halo formation history using N-body simulations. We also present an analytic derivation of the expected signal based on the extended Press-Schechter formalism. In excellent agreement with our analytic prediction, we find that the halo formation history-dependent contribution to the non-Gaussian halo bias (which we call non-Gaussian halo assembly bias) can be factorized in a form approximately independent of redshift and halo mass. The correction to the non-Gaussian halo bias due to the halo formation history can be as large as 100%, with a suppression of the signal for recently formed halos and enhancement for old halos. This could in principle be a problem for realistic galaxy surveys if observational selection effects were to pick galaxies occupying only recently formed halos. Current semi-analytic galaxy formation models, for example, imply an enhancement in the expected signal of ∼ 23% and ∼ 48% for galaxies at z = 1 selected by stellar mass and star formation rate, respectively

Weighing halo nuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lunney, D.

2009-01-01

Weak binding energy is one of the fundamental criteria characterizing the unique properties of nuclear halos. As such, it must be known with great accuracy and is best obtained through direct mass measurements. The global mass market is now a competitive one. Of the many investment vehicles, the Penning trap has emerged as providing the best rate of return and reliability. We examine mass-market trends, highlighting the recent cases of interest. We also hazard a prediction for the halo futures market. (author)

Numerical Convergence in the Dark Matter Halos Properties Using Cosmological Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Mosquera-Escobar, X. E.; Muñoz-Cuartas, J. C.

2017-07-01

Nowadays, the accepted cosmological model is the so called -Cold Dark Matter (CDM). In such model, the universe is considered to be homogeneous and isotropic, composed of diverse components as the dark matter and dark energy, where the latter is the most abundant one. Dark matter plays an important role because it is responsible for the generation of gravitational potential wells, commonly called dark matter halos. At the end, dark matter halos are characterized by a set of parameters (mass, radius, concentration, spin parameter), these parameters provide valuable information for different studies, such as galaxy formation, gravitational lensing, etc. In this work we use the publicly available code Gadget2 to perform cosmological simulations to find to what extent the numerical parameters of the simu- lations, such as gravitational softening, integration time step and force calculation accuracy affect the physical properties of the dark matter halos. We ran a suite of simulations where these parameters were varied in a systematic way in order to explore accurately their impact on the structural parameters of dark matter halos. We show that the variations on the numerical parameters affect the structural pa- rameters of dark matter halos, such as concentration, virial radius, and concentration. We show that these modifications emerged when structures become non- linear (at redshift 2) for the scale of our simulations, such that these variations affected the formation and evolution structure of halos mainly at later cosmic times. As a quantitative result, we propose which would be the most appropriate values for the numerical parameters of the simulations, such that they do not affect the halo properties that are formed. For force calculation accuracy we suggest values smaller or equal to 0.0001, integration time step smaller o equal to 0.005 and for gravitational softening we propose equal to 1/60th of the mean interparticle distance, these values, correspond to the

Brown dwarfs as dark galactic halos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, F.C.; Walker, T.P.

1990-01-01

The possibility that the dark matter in galactic halos can consist of brown dwarf stars is considered. The radiative signature for such halos consisting solely of brown dwarfs is calculated, and the allowed range of brown dwarf masses, the initial mass function (IMF), the stellar properties, and the density distribution of the galactic halo are discussed. The prediction emission from the halo is compared with existing observations. It is found that, for any IMF of brown dwarfs below the deuterium burning limit, brown dwarf halos are consistent with observations. Brown dwarf halos cannot, however, explain the recently observed near-IR background. It is shown that future satellite missions will either detect brown dwarf halos or place tight constraints on the allowed range of the IMF. 30 refs

Near-Field Cosmology with Resolved Stellar Populations Around Local Volume LMC Stellar-Mass Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Sand, David J.; Willman, Beth; Brodie, Jean P.; Crnojevic, Denija; Forbes, Duncan; Hargis, Jonathan R.; Peter, Annika; Pucha, Ragadeepika; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Spekkens, Kristine; Strader, Jay

2018-06-01

We discuss our ongoing observational program to comprehensively map the entire virial volumes of roughly LMC stellar mass galaxies at distances of ~2-4 Mpc. The MADCASH (Magellanic Analog Dwarf Companions And Stellar Halos) survey will deliver the first census of the dwarf satellite populations and stellar halo properties within LMC-like environments in the Local Volume. Our results will inform our understanding of the recent DES discoveries of dwarf satellites tentatively affiliated with the LMC/SMC system. This program has already yielded the discovery of the faintest known dwarf galaxy satellite of an LMC stellar-mass host beyond the Local Group, based on deep Subaru+HyperSuprimeCam imaging reaching ~2 magnitudes below its TRGB, and at least two additional candidate satellites. We will summarize the survey results and status to date, highlighting some challenges encountered and lessons learned as we process the data for this program through a prototype LSST pipeline. Our program will examine whether LMC stellar mass dwarfs have extended stellar halos, allowing us to assess the relative contributions of in-situ stars vs. merger debris to their stellar populations and halo density profiles. We outline the constraints on galaxy formation models that will be provided by our observations of low-mass galaxy halos and their satellites.

High-accuracy waveforms for binary black hole inspiral, merger, and ringdown

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheel, Mark A.; Boyle, Michael; Chu, Tony; Matthews, Keith D.; Pfeiffer, Harald P.; Kidder, Lawrence E.

2009-01-01

The first spectral numerical simulations of 16 orbits, merger, and ringdown of an equal-mass nonspinning binary black hole system are presented. Gravitational waveforms from these simulations have accumulated numerical phase errors through ringdown of f /M=0.951 62±0.000 02, and the final black hole spin is S f /M f 2 =0.686 46±0.000 04.

THE ELM SURVEY. III. A SUCCESSFUL TARGETED SURVEY FOR EXTREMELY LOW MASS WHITE DWARFS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Warren R.; Kenyon, Scott J. [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Kilic, Mukremin [Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks St., Norman, OK 73019 (United States); Allende Prieto, Carlos, E-mail: wbrown@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: skenyon@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: kilic@ou.edu, E-mail: callende@iac.es [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38205, La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain)

2012-01-10

Extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs) with masses < 0.25 M{sub Sun} are rare objects that result from compact binary evolution. Here, we present a targeted spectroscopic survey of ELM WD candidates selected by color. The survey is 71% complete and has uncovered 18 new ELM WDs. Of the seven ELM WDs with follow-up observations, six are short-period binaries and four have merger times less than 5 Gyr. The most intriguing object, J1741+6526, likely has either a pulsar companion or a massive WD companion making the system a possible supernova Type Ia or an Ia progenitor. The overall ELM survey has now identified 19 double degenerate binaries with <10 Gyr merger times. The significant absence of short orbital period ELM WDs at cool temperatures suggests that common envelope evolution creates ELM WDs directly in short period systems. At least one-third of the merging systems are halo objects, thus ELM WD binaries continue to form and merge in both the disk and the halo.

GW170817 and the Prospect of Forming Supramassive Remnants in Neutron Star Mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Peng-Xiong; Jiang, Jin-Liang; Wang, Hao; Jin, Zhi-Ping; Fan, Yi-Zhong; Wei, Da-Ming

2018-05-01

The gravitational wave data of GW170817 favor the equation of state (EoS) models that predict compact neutron stars (NSs), consistent with the radius constraints from X-ray observations. Motivated by such remarkable progress, we examine the fate of the remnants formed in NS mergers and focus on the roles of the angular momentum and the mass distribution of the binary NSs. In the mass-shedding limit (for which the dimensionless angular momentum equals the Keplerian value, i.e., j = j Kep), the adopted seven EoS models, except for H4 and ALF2, yield supramassive NSs in more than half of the mergers. However, for j ≲ 0.7 j Kep, the presence or absence of a non-negligible fraction of supramassive NSs formed in the mergers depends sensitively on both the EoS and the mass distribution of the binary systems. The NS mergers with a total gravitational mass ≤ 2.6 M ⊙ are found to be able to shed valuable light on both the EoS model and the angular momentum of the remnants if supramassive NSs are still absent. We have also discussed the uncertainty on estimating the maximum gravitational mass of nonrotating NSs (M max) due to the unknown j of the precollapse remnants. With the data of GW170817 and the assumption of the mass loss of 0.03 M ⊙, we have M max < (2.19, 2.32) M ⊙ (90% confidence level) for j = (1.0, 0.8) j Kep, respectively.

Projection Of The Stellar To Halo Mass Relation Into The Scaling Relations Of A Disc Galaxy Population

Science.gov (United States)

Mancillas, Brisa; Ávila-Reese, Vladimir; Rodríguez-Puebla, Aldo; Valls-Gabaud, David

2017-06-01

Several pieces of evidence suggest that disk formation is the generic process of assembly of galaxies, while the spheroidal component arises from the merging/interactions of disks as well as from their secular evolution. To understand galaxy formation and evolution, a cosmological framework is required. The current cosmological paradigm is summarized in the so-called Λ-cold dark matter model (ΛCDM). The statistical connection between the masses of the observed galaxies and those of the simulated CDM halos in large volumes leads us to the galaxy-halo mass relation, which summarizes the main astrophysical processes of galaxy formation and evolution (gas heating and cooling, SF, SN- and AGN-driven feedback, etc.). An important question is how this relation constrained by semi-empirical methods (e.g., Rodriguez-Puebla et al. 2014) is "projected" into the disk galaxy scaling relations and other galaxy correlations. To explore this question, we generate a synthetic catalog of thousands of disk/halo systems by means of an extended Mo, Mao & White (1998) model, and by using as input the baryonic-to-halo mass relation, fbar(Mh), of local disk galaxy as recently constrained by Calette et al. (2015).

Halo modelling in chameleon theories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lombriser, Lucas; Koyama, Kazuya [Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, PO1 3FX (United Kingdom); Li, Baojiu, E-mail: lucas.lombriser@port.ac.uk, E-mail: kazuya.koyama@port.ac.uk, E-mail: baojiu.li@durham.ac.uk [Institute for Computational Cosmology, Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, Department of Physics, University of Durham, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2014-03-01

We analyse modelling techniques for the large-scale structure formed in scalar-tensor theories of constant Brans-Dicke parameter which match the concordance model background expansion history and produce a chameleon suppression of the gravitational modification in high-density regions. Thereby, we use a mass and environment dependent chameleon spherical collapse model, the Sheth-Tormen halo mass function and linear halo bias, the Navarro-Frenk-White halo density profile, and the halo model. Furthermore, using the spherical collapse model, we extrapolate a chameleon mass-concentration scaling relation from a ΛCDM prescription calibrated to N-body simulations. We also provide constraints on the model parameters to ensure viability on local scales. We test our description of the halo mass function and nonlinear matter power spectrum against the respective observables extracted from large-volume and high-resolution N-body simulations in the limiting case of f(R) gravity, corresponding to a vanishing Brans-Dicke parameter. We find good agreement between the two; the halo model provides a good qualitative description of the shape of the relative enhancement of the f(R) matter power spectrum with respect to ΛCDM caused by the extra attractive gravitational force but fails to recover the correct amplitude. Introducing an effective linear power spectrum in the computation of the two-halo term to account for an underestimation of the chameleon suppression at intermediate scales in our approach, we accurately reproduce the measurements from the N-body simulations.

Halo modelling in chameleon theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lombriser, Lucas; Koyama, Kazuya; Li, Baojiu

2014-01-01

We analyse modelling techniques for the large-scale structure formed in scalar-tensor theories of constant Brans-Dicke parameter which match the concordance model background expansion history and produce a chameleon suppression of the gravitational modification in high-density regions. Thereby, we use a mass and environment dependent chameleon spherical collapse model, the Sheth-Tormen halo mass function and linear halo bias, the Navarro-Frenk-White halo density profile, and the halo model. Furthermore, using the spherical collapse model, we extrapolate a chameleon mass-concentration scaling relation from a ΛCDM prescription calibrated to N-body simulations. We also provide constraints on the model parameters to ensure viability on local scales. We test our description of the halo mass function and nonlinear matter power spectrum against the respective observables extracted from large-volume and high-resolution N-body simulations in the limiting case of f(R) gravity, corresponding to a vanishing Brans-Dicke parameter. We find good agreement between the two; the halo model provides a good qualitative description of the shape of the relative enhancement of the f(R) matter power spectrum with respect to ΛCDM caused by the extra attractive gravitational force but fails to recover the correct amplitude. Introducing an effective linear power spectrum in the computation of the two-halo term to account for an underestimation of the chameleon suppression at intermediate scales in our approach, we accurately reproduce the measurements from the N-body simulations

Planck Intermediate Results. XI: The gas content of dark matter halos: the Sunyaev-Zeldovich-stellar mass relation for locally brightest galaxies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Planck Collaboration,; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.

2013-01-01

We present the scaling relation between Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) signal and stellar mass for almost 260,000 locally brightest galaxies (LBGs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). These are predominantly the central galaxies of their dark matter halos. We calibrate the stellar-to-halo ......We present the scaling relation between Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) signal and stellar mass for almost 260,000 locally brightest galaxies (LBGs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). These are predominantly the central galaxies of their dark matter halos. We calibrate the stellar...... range extending from rich clusters down to $M_{500}\\sim 2\\times 10^{13} \\Msolar$, and there is a clear indication of signal down to $M_{500}\\sim 4\\times 10^{12} \\Msolar$. Planck's SZ detections in such low-mass halos imply that about a quarter of all baryons have now been seen in the form of hot halo...... gas, and that this gas must be less concentrated than the dark matter in such halos in order to remain consistent with X-ray observations. At the high-mass end, the measured SZ signal is 20% lower than found from observations of X-ray clusters, a difference consistent with Malmquist bias effects...

Probing the shape and internal structure of dark matter haloes with the halo-shear-shear three-point correlation function

Science.gov (United States)

Shirasaki, Masato; Yoshida, Naoki

2018-04-01

Weak lensing three-point statistics are powerful probes of the structure of dark matter haloes. We propose to use the correlation of the positions of galaxies with the shapes of background galaxy pairs, known as the halo-shear-shear correlation (HSSC), to measure the mean halo ellipticity and the abundance of subhaloes in a statistical manner. We run high-resolution cosmological N-body simulations and use the outputs to measure the HSSC for galaxy haloes and cluster haloes. Non-spherical haloes cause a characteristic azimuthal variation of the HSSC, and massive subhaloes in the outer region near the virial radius contribute to ˜ 10 per cent of the HSSC amplitude. Using the HSSC and its covariance estimated from our N-body simulations, we make forecast for constraining the internal structure of dark matter haloes with future galaxy surveys. With 1000 galaxy groups with mass greater than 1013.5 h-1M⊙, the average halo ellipticity can be measured with an accuracy of 10 percent. A spherical, smooth mass distribution can be ruled out at a ˜5σ significance level. The existence of subhaloes whose masses are in 1-10 percent of the main halo mass can be detected with ˜104 galaxies/clusters. We conclude that the HSSC provides valuable information on the structure of dark haloes and hence on the nature of dark matter.

Merger types forming the Virgo cluster in recent gigayears

Science.gov (United States)

Olchanski, M.; Sorce, J. G.

2018-06-01

Context. As our closest cluster-neighbor, the Virgo cluster of galaxies is intensely studied by observers to unravel the mysteries of galaxy evolution within clusters. At this stage, cosmological numerical simulations of the cluster are useful to efficiently test theories and calibrate models. However, it is not trivial to select the perfect simulacrum of the Virgo cluster to fairly compare in detail its observed and simulated galaxy populations that are affected by the type and history of the cluster. Aims: Determining precisely the properties of Virgo for a later selection of simulated clusters becomes essential. It is still not clear how to access some of these properties, such as the past history of the Virgo cluster from current observations. Therefore, directly producing effective simulacra of the Virgo cluster is inevitable. Methods: Efficient simulacra of the Virgo cluster can be obtained via simulations that resemble the local Universe down to the cluster scale. In such simulations, Virgo-like halos form in the proper local environment and permit assessing the most probable formation history of the cluster. Studies based on these simulations have already revealed that the Virgo cluster has had a quiet merging history over the last seven gigayears and that the cluster accretes matter along a preferential direction. Results: This paper reveals that in addition such Virgo halos have had on average only one merger larger than about a tenth of their mass at redshift zero within the last four gigayears. This second branch (by opposition to main branch) formed in a given sub-region and merged recently (within the last gigayear). These properties are not shared with a set of random halos within the same mass range. Conclusions: This study extends the validity of the scheme used to produce the Virgo simulacra down to the largest sub-halos of the Virgo cluster. It opens up great prospects for detailed comparisons with observations, including substructures and

The “Building Blocks” of Stellar Halos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyle A. Oman

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The stellar halos of galaxies encode their accretion histories. In particular, the median metallicity of a halo is determined primarily by the mass of the most massive accreted object. We use hydrodynamical cosmological simulations from the apostle project to study the connection between the stellar mass, the metallicity distribution, and the stellar age distribution of a halo and the identity of its most massive progenitor. We find that the stellar populations in an accreted halo typically resemble the old stellar populations in a present-day dwarf galaxy with a stellar mass ∼0.2–0.5 dex greater than that of the stellar halo. This suggests that had they not been accreted, the primary progenitors of stellar halos would have evolved to resemble typical nearby dwarf irregulars.

EROS and MACHO combined limits on planetary-mass dark matter in the galactic halo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alcock, C; Allsman, RA; Alves, D; Ansari, R; Aubourg, E; Axelrod, TS; Bareyre, P; Beaulieu, JP; Becker, AC; Bennett, DP; Brehin, S; Cavalier, F; Char, S; Cook, KH; Ferlet, R; Fernandez, J; Freeman, KC; Griest, K; Grison, P; Gros, M; Gry, C; Guibert, J; Lachieze-Rey, M; Laurent, B; Lehner, MJ; Lesquoy, E; Magneville, C; Marshall, SL; Maurice, E; Milsztajn, A; Minniti, D; Moniez, M; Moreau, O; Moscoso, L; Palanque-Delabrouille, N; Peterson, BA; Pratt, MR; Prevot, L; Queinnec, F; Quinn, PJ; Renault, C; Rich, J; Spiro, M; Stubbs, CW; Sutherland, W; Tomaney, A; Vandehei, T; Vidal-Madjar, A; Vigroux, L; Zylberajch, S

1998-01-01

The EROS and MACHO collaborations have each published upper limits on the amount of planetary-mass dark matter in the Galactic halo obtained from gravitational microlensing searches. In this Letter, the two limits are combined to give a much stronger constraint on the abundance of low-mass MACHOs.

The Splashback Radius of Halos from Particle Dynamics. II. Dependence on Mass, Accretion Rate, Redshift, and Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Diemer, Benedikt; Mansfield, Philip; Kravtsov, Andrey V.; More, Surhud

2017-07-01

The splashback radius R sp, the apocentric radius of particles on their first orbit after falling into a dark matter halo, has recently been suggested to be a physically motivated halo boundary that separates accreting from orbiting material. Using the Sparta code presented in Paper I, we analyze the orbits of billions of particles in cosmological simulations of structure formation and measure R sp for a large sample of halos that span a mass range from dwarf galaxy to massive cluster halos, reach redshift 8, and include WMAP, Planck, and self-similar cosmologies. We analyze the dependence of R sp/R 200m and M sp/M 200m on the mass accretion rate Γ, halo mass, redshift, and cosmology. The scatter in these relations varies between 0.02 and 0.1 dex. While we confirm the known trend that R sp/R 200m decreases with Γ, the relationships turn out to be more complex than previously thought, demonstrating that R sp is an independent definition of the halo boundary that cannot trivially be reconstructed from spherical overdensity definitions. We present fitting functions for R sp/R 200m and M sp/M 200m as a function of accretion rate, peak height, and redshift, achieving an accuracy of 5% or better everywhere in the parameter space explored. We discuss the physical meaning of the distribution of particle apocenters and show that the previously proposed definition of R sp as the radius of the steepest logarithmic density slope encloses roughly three-quarters of the apocenters. Finally, we conclude that no analytical model presented thus far can fully explain our results.

Minimizing the stochasticity of halos in large-scale structure surveys

Science.gov (United States)

Hamaus, Nico; Seljak, Uroš; Desjacques, Vincent; Smith, Robert E.; Baldauf, Tobias

2010-08-01

In recent work (Seljak, Hamaus, and Desjacques 2009) it was found that weighting central halo galaxies by halo mass can significantly suppress their stochasticity relative to the dark matter, well below the Poisson model expectation. This is useful for constraining relations between galaxies and the dark matter, such as the galaxy bias, especially in situations where sampling variance errors can be eliminated. In this paper we extend this study with the goal of finding the optimal mass-dependent halo weighting. We use N-body simulations to perform a general analysis of halo stochasticity and its dependence on halo mass. We investigate the stochasticity matrix, defined as Cij≡⟨(δi-biδm)(δj-bjδm)⟩, where δm is the dark matter overdensity in Fourier space, δi the halo overdensity of the i-th halo mass bin, and bi the corresponding halo bias. In contrast to the Poisson model predictions we detect nonvanishing correlations between different mass bins. We also find the diagonal terms to be sub-Poissonian for the highest-mass halos. The diagonalization of this matrix results in one large and one low eigenvalue, with the remaining eigenvalues close to the Poisson prediction 1/n¯, where n¯ is the mean halo number density. The eigenmode with the lowest eigenvalue contains most of the information and the corresponding eigenvector provides an optimal weighting function to minimize the stochasticity between halos and dark matter. We find this optimal weighting function to match linear mass weighting at high masses, while at the low-mass end the weights approach a constant whose value depends on the low-mass cut in the halo mass function. This weighting further suppresses the stochasticity as compared to the previously explored mass weighting. Finally, we employ the halo model to derive the stochasticity matrix and the scale-dependent bias from an analytical perspective. It is remarkably successful in reproducing our numerical results and predicts that the

The outskirts of spiral galaxies: touching stellar halos at z˜0 and z˜1

Science.gov (United States)

Bakos, J.; Trujillo, I.

Taking advantage of ultra-deep imaging of SDSS Stripe82 and the Hubble Ultra Deep Field by HST, we explore the properties of stellar halos at two relevant epochs of cosmic history. At z˜0 we find that the radial surface brightness profiles of disks have a smooth continuation into the stellar halo that starts to affect the surface brightness profiles at mu r'˜28 {mag arcsec-2}, and at a radial distance of gtrsim 4-10 inner scale-lengths. The light contribution of the stellar halo to the total galaxy light varies from ˜1% to ˜5%, but in case of ongoing mergers, the halo light fraction can be as high as ˜10%. The integrated (g'-r') color of the stellar halo of our galaxies range from ˜0.4 to ˜1.2. By confronting these colors with model predictions, these halos can be attributed to moderately aged and metal-poor populations, however the extreme red colors (˜1) cannot be explained by populations of conventional IMFs. Very red halo colors can be attributed to stellar populations dominated by very low mass stars of low to intermediate metallicity produced by bottom-heavy IMFs. At z˜1 stellar halos appear to be ˜2 magnitudes brighter than their local counterparts, meanwhile they exhibit bluer colors ((g'-r')≲0.3 mag), as well. The stellar populations corresponding to these colors are compatible with having ages ≲1 Gyr. This latter observation strongly suggests the possibility that these halos were formed between z˜1 and z˜2. This result matches very well the theoretical predictions that locate most of the formation of the stellar halos at those early epochs. A pure passive evolutionary scenario, where the stellar populations of our high-z haloes simply fade to match the stellar halo properties found in the local universe, is consistent with our data.

What sets the central structure of dark matter haloes?

Science.gov (United States)

Ogiya, Go; Hahn, Oliver

2018-02-01

Dark matter (DM) haloes forming near the thermal cut-off scale of the density perturbations are unique, since they are the smallest objects and form through monolithic gravitational collapse, while larger haloes contrastingly have experienced mergers. While standard cold dark matter (CDM) simulations readily produce haloes that follow the universal Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) density profile with an inner slope, ρ ∝ r-α, with α = 1, recent simulations have found that when the free-streaming cut-off expected for the CDM model is resolved, the resulting haloes follow nearly power-law density profiles of α ∼ 1.5. In this paper, we study the formation of density cusps in haloes using idealized N-body simulations of the collapse of proto-haloes. When the proto-halo profile is initially cored due to particle free-streaming at high redshift, we universally find ∼r-1.5 profiles irrespective of the proto-halo profile slope outside the core and large-scale non-spherical perturbations. Quite in contrast, when the proto-halo has a power-law profile, then we obtain profiles compatible with the NFW shape when the density slope of the proto-halo patch is shallower than a critical value, αini ∼ 0.3, while the final slope can be steeper for αini ≳ 0.3. We further demonstrate that the r-1.5 profiles are sensitive to small-scale noise, which gradually drives them towards an inner slope of -1, where they become resilient to such perturbations. We demonstrate that the r-1.5 solutions are in hydrostatic equilibrium, largely consistent with a simple analytic model, and provide arguments that angular momentum appears to determine the inner slope.

The influence of the merger history of dwarf galaxies in a reionized universe

Science.gov (United States)

Verbeke, Robbert; Vandenbroucke, Bert; De Rijcke, Sven; Koleva, Mina

2015-08-01

In the ΛCDM model, cosmic structure forms in a hierarchical fashion. According to this paradigm, even low-mass dwarf galaxies grow via smooth accretion and mergers. Given the low masses of dwarf galaxies and their even smaller progenitors, the UV background is expected to have a significant influence on their gas content and, consequently, their star formation histories. Generally, cosmological simulations predict that most dwarf systems with circular velocities below ~30 km/s should not be able to form significant amounts of stars or contain gas and be, in effect, "dark" galaxies (Sawala et al. 2013, 2014; Hopkins et al. 2014; Shen et al. 2014). This is in contradiction with the recent discovery of low-mass yet gas-rich dwarf galaxies, such as Leo P (Skillman et al. 2013), Pisces A (Tollerud et al. 2014), and SECCO 1 (Bellazzini et al. 2015). Moreover, Tollerud et al. (2014) point out that most isolated dark-matter halos down to circular velocities of ~15 km/s contain neutral gas, in contradiction with the predictions of current simulations.Based on a suite of simulations of the formation and evolution of dwarf galaxies we show that, by reducing the first peak of star formation by including Pop-III stars in the simulations, the resulting dwarf galaxies have severely suppressed SFRs and can hold on to their gas reservoirs. Moreover, we show that the majority of the zero-metallicity stars are ejected during mergers, resulting in an extended, low-metallicity stellar halo. This results in a marked difference between a galaxy's "total" star-formation history and the one read from the stars in the center of the galaxy at z=0. This mechanism leads to the formation of realistic low-mass, gas-rich dwarfs with a broad range of SFHs and which adhere to the observed scaling relations, such as the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation.In short, the simulations presented here are for the first time able to reproduce the observed properties of low-mass, gas-rich dwarfs such as DDO 210

GALAXY ENVIRONMENTS OVER COSMIC TIME: THE NON-EVOLVING RADIAL GALAXY DISTRIBUTIONS AROUND MASSIVE GALAXIES SINCE z = 1.6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tal, Tomer; Van Dokkum, Pieter G.; Leja, Joel; Franx, Marijn; Wake, David A.; Whitaker, Katherine E.

2013-01-01

We present a statistical study of the environments of massive galaxies in four redshift bins between z = 0.04 and z = 1.6, using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the NEWFIRM Medium Band Survey. We measure the projected radial distribution of galaxies in cylinders around a constant number density selected sample of massive galaxies and utilize a statistical subtraction of contaminating sources. Our analysis shows that massive primary galaxies typically live in group halos and are surrounded by 2-3 satellites with masses more than one-tenth of the primary galaxy mass. The cumulative stellar mass in these satellites roughly equals the mass of the primary galaxy itself. We further find that the radial number density profile of galaxies around massive primaries has not evolved significantly in either slope or overall normalization in the past 9.5 Gyr. A simplistic interpretation of this result can be taken as evidence for a lack of mergers in the studied groups and as support for a static evolution model of halos containing massive primaries. Alternatively, there exists a tight balance between mergers and accretion of new satellites such that the overall distribution of galaxies in and around the halo is preserved. The latter interpretation is supported by a comparison to a semi-analytic model, which shows a similar constant average satellite distribution over the same redshift range.

Unbound particles in dark matter halos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Behroozi, Peter S.; Loeb, Abraham; Wechsler, Risa H.

2013-06-13

We investigate unbound dark matter particles in halos by tracing particle trajectories in a simulation run to the far future (a = 100). We find that the traditional sum of kinetic and potential energies is a very poor predictor of which dark matter particles will eventually become unbound from halos. We also study the mass fraction of unbound particles, which increases strongly towards the edges of halos, and decreases significantly at higher redshifts. We discuss implications for dark matter detection experiments, precision calibrations of the halo mass function, the use of baryon fractions to constrain dark energy, and searches for intergalactic supernovae.

Major Mergers in CANDELS up to z=3: Calibrating the Close-Pair Method Using Semi-Analytic Models and Baryonic Mass Ratio Estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Mantha, Kameswara; McIntosh, Daniel H.; Conselice, Christopher; Cook, Joshua S.; Croton, Darren J.; Dekel, Avishai; Ferguson, Henry C.; Hathi, Nimish; Kodra, Dritan; Koo, David C.; Lotz, Jennifer M.; Newman, Jeffrey A.; Popping, Gergo; Rafelski, Marc; Rodriguez-Gomez, Vicente; Simmons, Brooke D.; Somerville, Rachel; Straughn, Amber N.; Snyder, Gregory; Wuyts, Stijn; Yu, Lu; Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) Team

2018-01-01

Cosmological simulations predict that the rate of merging between similar-mass massive galaxies should increase towards early cosmic-time. We study the incidence of major (stellar mass ratio SMR 10.3 galaxies spanning 01.5 in strong disagreement with theoretical merger rate predictions. On the other hand, if we compare to a simulation-tuned, evolving timescale prescription from Snyder et al., 2017, we find that the merger rate evolution agrees with theory out to z=3. These results highlight the need for robust calibrations on the complex and presumably redshift-dependent pair-to-merger-rate conversion factors to improve constraints of the empirical merger history. To address this, we use a unique compilation of mock datasets produced by three independent state-of-the-art Semi-Analytic Models (SAMs). We present preliminary calibrations of the close-pair observability timescale and outlier fraction as a function of redshift, stellar-mass, mass-ratio, and local over-density. Furthermore, to verify the hypothesis by previous empirical studies that SMR-selection of major pairs may be biased, we present a new analysis of the baryonic (gas+stars) mass ratios of a subset of close pairs in our sample. For the first time, our preliminary analysis highlights that a noticeable fraction of SMR-selected minor pairs (SMR>4) have major baryonic-mass ratios (BMR<4), which indicate that merger rates based on SMR selection may be under-estimated.

SATELLITE DWARF GALAXIES IN A HIERARCHICAL UNIVERSE: THE PREVALENCE OF DWARF-DWARF MAJOR MERGERS

OpenAIRE

Deason, A; Wetzel, A; Garrison-Kimmel, S

2014-01-01

Mergers are a common phenomenon in hierarchical structure formation, especially for massive galaxies and clusters, but their importance for dwarf galaxies in the Local Group remains poorly understood. We investigate the frequency of major mergers between dwarf galaxies in the Local Group using the ELVIS suite of cosmological zoom-in dissipationless simulations of Milky Way- and M31-like host halos. We find that ~10% of satellite dwarf galaxies with M_star > 10^6 M_sun that are within the host...

EVOLUTION OF SHOCKS AND TURBULENCE IN MAJOR CLUSTER MERGERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, S.; Mannheim, K.; Iapichino, L.; Miniati, F.; Bagchi, J.

2011-01-01

We performed a set of cosmological simulations of major mergers in galaxy clusters, in order to study the evolution of merger shocks and the subsequent injection of turbulence in the post-shock region and in the intra-cluster medium (ICM). The computations have been performed with the grid-based, adaptive mesh refinement hydrodynamical code Enzo, using a refinement criterion especially designed for refining turbulent flows in the vicinity of shocks. When a major merger event occurs, a substantial amount of turbulence energy is injected in the ICM of the newly formed cluster. Our simulations show that the shock launched after a major merger develops an ellipsoidal shape and gets broken by the interaction with the filamentary cosmic web around the merging cluster. The size of the post-shock region along the direction of shock propagation is of the order of 300 kpc h -1 , and the turbulent velocity dispersion in this region is larger than 100 km s -1 . We performed a scaling analysis of the turbulence energy within our cluster sample. The best fit for the scaling of the turbulence energy with the cluster mass is consistent with M 5/3 , which is also the scaling law for the thermal energy in the self-similar cluster model. This clearly indicates the close relation between virialization and injection of turbulence in the cluster evolution. As for the turbulence in the cluster core, we found that within 2 Gyr after the major merger (the timescale for the shock propagation in the ICM), the ratio of the turbulent to total pressure is larger than 10%, and after about 4 Gyr it is still larger than 5%, a typical value for nearly relaxed clusters. Turbulence at the cluster center is thus sustained for several gigayears, which is substantially longer than typically assumed in the turbulent re-acceleration models, invoked to explain the statistics of observed radio halos. Striking similarities in the morphology and other physical parameters between our simulations and the

Development of a Full Ice-cream Cone Model for Halo Coronal Mass Ejections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Na, Hyeonock; Moon, Y.-J.; Lee, Harim, E-mail: nho0512@khu.ac.kr, E-mail: moonyj@khu.ac.kr [School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2017-04-20

It is essential to determine three-dimensional parameters (e.g., radial speed, angular width, and source location) of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) for the space weather forecast. In this study, we investigate which cone type represents a halo CME morphology using 29 CMEs (12 Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) /Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) halo CMEs and 17 Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory ( STEREO )/Sun–Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation COR2 halo CMEs) from 2010 December to 2011 June. These CMEs are identified as halo CMEs by one spacecraft ( SOHO or one of STEREO A and B ) and limb ones by the other spacecraft (One of STEREO A and B or SOHO ). From cone shape parameters of these CMEs, such as their front curvature, we find that the CME observational structures are much closer to a full ice-cream cone type than a shallow ice-cream cone type. Thus, we develop a full ice-cream cone model based on a new methodology that the full ice-cream cone consists of many flat cones with different heights and angular widths to estimate the three-dimensional parameters of the halo CMEs. This model is constructed by carrying out the following steps: (1) construct a cone for a given height and angular width, (2) project the cone onto the sky plane, (3) select points comprising the outer boundary, and (4) minimize the difference between the estimated projection speeds with the observed ones. By applying this model to 12 SOHO /LASCO halo CMEs, we find that 3D parameters from our method are similar to those from other stereoscopic methods (i.e., a triangulation method and a Graduated Cylindrical Shell model).

Development of a Full Ice-cream Cone Model for Halo Coronal Mass Ejections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Na, Hyeonock; Moon, Y.-J.; Lee, Harim

2017-01-01

It is essential to determine three-dimensional parameters (e.g., radial speed, angular width, and source location) of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) for the space weather forecast. In this study, we investigate which cone type represents a halo CME morphology using 29 CMEs (12 Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) /Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) halo CMEs and 17 Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory ( STEREO )/Sun–Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation COR2 halo CMEs) from 2010 December to 2011 June. These CMEs are identified as halo CMEs by one spacecraft ( SOHO or one of STEREO A and B ) and limb ones by the other spacecraft (One of STEREO A and B or SOHO ). From cone shape parameters of these CMEs, such as their front curvature, we find that the CME observational structures are much closer to a full ice-cream cone type than a shallow ice-cream cone type. Thus, we develop a full ice-cream cone model based on a new methodology that the full ice-cream cone consists of many flat cones with different heights and angular widths to estimate the three-dimensional parameters of the halo CMEs. This model is constructed by carrying out the following steps: (1) construct a cone for a given height and angular width, (2) project the cone onto the sky plane, (3) select points comprising the outer boundary, and (4) minimize the difference between the estimated projection speeds with the observed ones. By applying this model to 12 SOHO /LASCO halo CMEs, we find that 3D parameters from our method are similar to those from other stereoscopic methods (i.e., a triangulation method and a Graduated Cylindrical Shell model).

Development of a Full Ice-cream Cone Model for Halo Coronal Mass Ejections

Science.gov (United States)

Na, Hyeonock; Moon, Y.-J.; Lee, Harim

2017-04-01

It is essential to determine three-dimensional parameters (e.g., radial speed, angular width, and source location) of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) for the space weather forecast. In this study, we investigate which cone type represents a halo CME morphology using 29 CMEs (12 Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) halo CMEs and 17 Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)/Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation COR2 halo CMEs) from 2010 December to 2011 June. These CMEs are identified as halo CMEs by one spacecraft (SOHO or one of STEREO A and B) and limb ones by the other spacecraft (One of STEREO A and B or SOHO). From cone shape parameters of these CMEs, such as their front curvature, we find that the CME observational structures are much closer to a full ice-cream cone type than a shallow ice-cream cone type. Thus, we develop a full ice-cream cone model based on a new methodology that the full ice-cream cone consists of many flat cones with different heights and angular widths to estimate the three-dimensional parameters of the halo CMEs. This model is constructed by carrying out the following steps: (1) construct a cone for a given height and angular width, (2) project the cone onto the sky plane, (3) select points comprising the outer boundary, and (4) minimize the difference between the estimated projection speeds with the observed ones. By applying this model to 12 SOHO/LASCO halo CMEs, we find that 3D parameters from our method are similar to those from other stereoscopic methods (I.e., a triangulation method and a Graduated Cylindrical Shell model).

Subhalo demographics in the Illustris simulation: effects of baryons and halo-to-halo variation

Science.gov (United States)

Chua, Kun Ting Eddie; Pillepich, Annalisa; Rodriguez-Gomez, Vicente; Vogelsberger, Mark; Bird, Simeon; Hernquist, Lars

2017-12-01

We study the abundance of subhaloes in the hydrodynamical cosmological simulation Illustris, which includes both baryons and dark matter in a cold dark matter volume 106.5 Mpc a side. We compare Illustris to its dark-matter only (DMO) analogue, Illustris-Dark and quantify the effects of baryonic processes on the demographics of subhaloes in the host mass range 1011-3 × 1014 M⊙. We focus on both the evolved (z = 0) subhalo cumulative mass functions (SHMF) and the statistics of subhaloes ever accreted, i.e. infall SHMF. We quantify the variance in subhalo abundance at fixed host mass and investigate the physical reasons responsible for such scatter. We find that in Illustris, baryonic physics impacts both the infall and z = 0 subhalo abundance by tilting the DMO function and suppressing the abundance of low-mass subhaloes. The breaking of self-similarity in the subhalo abundance at z = 0 is enhanced by the inclusion of baryonic physics. The non-monotonic alteration of the evolved subhalo abundances can be explained by the modification of the concentration-mass relation of Illustris hosts compared to Illustris-Dark. Interestingly, the baryonic implementation in Illustris does not lead to an increase in the halo-to-halo variation compared to Illustris-Dark. In both cases, the normalized intrinsic scatter today is larger for Milky Way-like haloes than for cluster-sized objects. For Milky Way-like haloes, it increases from about eight per cent at infall to about 25 per cent at the current epoch. In both runs, haloes of fixed mass formed later host more subhaloes than early formers.

The immitigable nature of assembly bias: the impact of halo definition on assembly bias

Science.gov (United States)

Villarreal, Antonio S.; Zentner, Andrew R.; Mao, Yao-Yuan; Purcell, Chris W.; van den Bosch, Frank C.; Diemer, Benedikt; Lange, Johannes U.; Wang, Kuan; Campbell, Duncan

2017-11-01

Dark matter halo clustering depends not only on halo mass, but also on other properties such as concentration and shape. This phenomenon is known broadly as assembly bias. We explore the dependence of assembly bias on halo definition, parametrized by spherical overdensity parameter, Δ. We summarize the strength of concentration-, shape-, and spin-dependent halo clustering as a function of halo mass and halo definition. Concentration-dependent clustering depends strongly on mass at all Δ. For conventional halo definitions (Δ ∼ 200 - 600 m), concentration-dependent clustering at low mass is driven by a population of haloes that is altered through interactions with neighbouring haloes. Concentration-dependent clustering can be greatly reduced through a mass-dependent halo definition with Δ ∼ 20 - 40 m for haloes with M200 m ≲ 1012 h-1M⊙. Smaller Δ implies larger radii and mitigates assembly bias at low mass by subsuming altered, so-called backsplash haloes into now larger host haloes. At higher masses (M200 m ≳ 1013 h-1M⊙) larger overdensities, Δ ≳ 600 m, are necessary. Shape- and spin-dependent clustering are significant for all halo definitions that we explore and exhibit a relatively weaker mass dependence. Generally, both the strength and the sense of assembly bias depend on halo definition, varying significantly even among common definitions. We identify no halo definition that mitigates all manifestations of assembly bias. A halo definition that mitigates assembly bias based on one halo property (e.g. concentration) must be mass dependent. The halo definitions that best mitigate concentration-dependent halo clustering do not coincide with the expected average splashback radii at fixed halo mass.

Characterizing Black Hole Mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, John; Boggs, William Darian; Kelly, Bernard

2010-01-01

Binary black hole mergers are a promising source of gravitational waves for interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Recent advances in numerical relativity have revealed the predictions of General Relativity for the strong burst of radiation generated in the final moments of binary coalescence. We explore features in the merger radiation which characterize the final moments of merger and ringdown. Interpreting the waveforms in terms of an rotating implicit radiation source allows a unified phenomenological description of the system from inspiral through ringdown. Common features in the waveforms allow quantitative description of the merger signal which may provide insights for observations large-mass black hole binaries.

Using Dark Matter Haloes to Learn about Cosmic Acceleration: A New Proposal for a Universal Mass Function

Science.gov (United States)

Prescod-Weinstein, Chanda; Afshordi, Niayesh

2011-01-01

Structure formation provides a strong test of any cosmic acceleration model because a successful dark energy model must not inhibit or overpredict the development of observed large-scale structures. Traditional approaches to studies of structure formation in the presence of dark energy or a modified gravity implement a modified Press-Schechter formalism, which relates the linear overdensities to the abundance of dark matter haloes at the same time. We critically examine the universality of the Press-Schechter formalism for different cosmologies, and show that the halo abundance is best correlated with spherical linear overdensity at 94% of collapse (or observation) time. We then extend this argument to ellipsoidal collapse (which decreases the fractional time of best correlation for small haloes), and show that our results agree with deviations from modified Press-Schechter formalism seen in simulated mass functions. This provides a novel universal prescription to measure linear density evolution, based on current and future observations of cluster (or dark matter) halo mass function. In particular, even observations of cluster abundance in a single epoch will constrain the entire history of linear growth of cosmological of perturbations.

Chandra Observations of Galaxy Zoo Mergers: Frequency of Binary Active Nuclei in Massive Mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Stacy H.; Schawinski, Kevin; Urry, C. Megan; Darg, Dan W.; Kaviraj, Sugata; Oh, Kyuseok; Bonning, Erin W.; Cardamone, Carolin N.; Keel, William C.; Lintott, Chris J.;

Discriminating strange star mergers from neutron star mergers by gravitational-wave measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauswein, A.; Oechslin, R.; Janka, H.-T.

2010-01-01

We perform three-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamical simulations of the coalescence of strange stars and explore the possibility to decide on the strange matter hypothesis by means of gravitational-wave measurements. Self-binding of strange quark matter and the generally more compact stars yield features that clearly distinguish strange star from neutron star mergers, e.g. hampering tidal disruption during the plunge of quark stars. Furthermore, instead of forming dilute halo structures around the remnant as in the case of neutron star mergers, the coalescence of strange stars results in a differentially rotating hypermassive object with a sharp surface layer surrounded by a geometrically thin, clumpy high-density strange quark matter disk. We also investigate the importance of including nonzero temperature equations of state in neutron star and strange star merger simulations. In both cases we find a crucial sensitivity of the dynamics and outcome of the coalescence to thermal effects, e.g. the outer remnant structure and the delay time of the dense remnant core to black hole collapse depend on the inclusion of nonzero temperature effects. For comparing and classifying the gravitational-wave signals, we use a number of characteristic quantities like the maximum frequency during inspiral or the dominant frequency of oscillations of the postmerger remnant. In general, these frequencies are higher for strange star mergers. Only for particular choices of the equation of state the frequencies of neutron star and strange star mergers are similar. In such cases additional features of the gravitational-wave luminosity spectrum like the ratio of energy emitted during the inspiral phase to the energy radiated away in the postmerger stage may help to discriminate coalescence events of the different types. If such characteristic quantities could be extracted from gravitational-wave signals, for instance with the upcoming gravitational-wave detectors, a decision on the

The COS-Halos survey: physical conditions and baryonic mass in the low-redshift circumgalactic medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werk, Jessica K.; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Tejos, Nicolas; Tumlinson, Jason; Peeples, Molly S.; Fox, Andrew J.; Thom, Christopher; Bordoloi, Rongmon; Tripp, Todd M.; Katz, Neal; Lehner, Nicolas; O'Meara, John M.; Ford, Amanda Brady; Oppenheimer, Benjamin D.; Davé, Romeel; Weinberg, David H.

2014-01-01

We analyze the physical conditions of the cool, photoionized (T ∼10 4 K) circumgalactic medium (CGM) using the COS-Halos suite of gas column density measurements for 44 gaseous halos within 160 kpc of L ∼ L* galaxies at z ∼ 0.2. These data are well described by simple photoionization models, with the gas highly ionized (n H II /n H ≳ 99%) by the extragalactic ultraviolet background. Scaling by estimates for the virial radius, R vir , we show that the ionization state (tracked by the dimensionless ionization parameter, U) increases with distance from the host galaxy. The ionization parameters imply a decreasing volume density profile n H = (10 –4.2±0.25 )(R/R vir ) –0.8±0.3 . Our derived gas volume densities are several orders of magnitude lower than predictions from standard two-phase models with a cool medium in pressure equilibrium with a hot, coronal medium expected in virialized halos at this mass scale. Applying the ionization corrections to the H I column densities, we estimate a lower limit to the cool gas mass M CGM cool >6.5×10 10 M ☉ for the volume within R < R vir . Allowing for an additional warm-hot, O VI-traced phase, the CGM accounts for at least half of the baryons purported to be missing from dark matter halos at the 10 12 M ☉ scale.

GALAXY HALO TRUNCATION AND GIANT ARC SURFACE BRIGHTNESS RECONSTRUCTION IN THE CLUSTER MACSJ1206.2-0847

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eichner, Thomas; Seitz, Stella; Monna, Anna [Universitaets-Sternwarte Muenchen, Scheinerstr. 1, D-81679 Muenchen (Germany); Suyu, Sherry H. [Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Halkola, Aleksi [Institute of Medical Engineering, University of Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160 23562 Luebeck (Germany); Umetsu, Keiichi [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Zitrin, Adi [Institut fuer Theoretische Astrophysik, ZAH, Albert-Ueberle-Strasse 2, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Coe, Dan; Postman, Marc; Koekemoer, Anton; Bradley, Larry [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21208 (United States); Rosati, Piero [ESO-European Southern Observatory, D-85748 Garching bei Muenchen (Germany); Grillo, Claudio; Host, Ole [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Balestra, Italo [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Zheng, Wei; Lemze, Doron [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Broadhurst, Tom [Department of Theoretical Physics, University of the Basque Country, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao (Spain); Moustakas, Leonidas [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 169-327, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Molino, Alberto [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), C/Camino Bajo de Huetor 24, Granada E-18008 (Spain); and others

2013-09-10

In this work, we analyze the mass distribution of MACSJ1206.2-0847, particularly focusing on the halo properties of its cluster members. The cluster appears relaxed in its X-ray emission, but has a significant amount of intracluster light that is not centrally concentrated, suggesting that galaxy-scale interactions are still ongoing despite the overall relaxed state. The cluster lenses 12 background galaxies into multiple images and one galaxy at z = 1.033 into a giant arc and its counterimage. The multiple image positions and the surface brightness (SFB) distribution of the arc, which is bent around several cluster members, are sensitive to the cluster galaxy halo properties. We model the cluster mass distribution with a Navarro-Frenk-White profile and the galaxy halos with two parameters for the mass normalization and the extent of a reference halo assuming scalings with their observed near-infrared light. We match the multiple image positions at an rms level of 0.''85 and can reconstruct the SFB distribution of the arc in several filters to a remarkable accuracy based on this cluster model. The length scale where the enclosed galaxy halo mass is best constrained is about 5 effective radii-a scale in between those accessible to dynamical and field strong-lensing mass estimates on the one hand and galaxy-galaxy weak-lensing results on the other hand. The velocity dispersion and halo size of a galaxy with m{sub 160W,AB} = 19.2 and M{sub B,Vega} = -20.7 are {sigma} = 150 km s{sup -1} and r Almost-Equal-To 26 {+-} 6 kpc, respectively, indicating that the halos of the cluster galaxies are tidally stripped. We also reconstruct the unlensed source, which is smaller by a factor of {approx}5.8 in area, demonstrating the increase in morphological information due to lensing. We conclude that this galaxy likely has star-forming spiral arms with a red (older) central component.

Dark-ages reionization and galaxy formation simulation-XI. Clustering and halo masses of high redshift galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jaehong; Kim, Han-Seek; Liu, Chuanwu; Trenti, Michele; Duffy, Alan R.; Geil, Paul M.; Mutch, Simon J.; Poole, Gregory B.; Mesinger, Andrei; Wyithe, J. Stuart B.

2017-12-01

We investigate the clustering properties of Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) at z ∼ 6 - 8. Using the semi-analytical model MERAXES constructed as part of the dark-ages reionization and galaxy-formation observables from numerical simulation (DRAGONS) project, we predict the angular correlation function (ACF) of LBGs at z ∼ 6 - 8. Overall, we find that the predicted ACFs are in good agreement with recent measurements at z ∼ 6 and z ∼ 7.2 from observations consisting of the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and cosmic sssembly near-infrared deep extragalactic legacy survey field. We confirm the dependence of clustering on luminosity, with more massive dark matter haloes hosting brighter galaxies, remains valid at high redshift. The predicted galaxy bias at fixed luminosity is found to increase with redshift, in agreement with observations. We find that LBGs of magnitude MAB(1600) < -19.4 at 6 ≲ z ≲ 8 reside in dark matter haloes of mean mass ∼1011.0-1011.5 M⊙, and this dark matter halo mass does not evolve significantly during reionisation.

THE HALO MASS FUNCTION FROM EXCURSION SET THEORY. I. GAUSSIAN FLUCTUATIONS WITH NON-MARKOVIAN DEPENDENCE ON THE SMOOTHING SCALE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maggiore, Michele; Riotto, Antonio

2010-01-01

A classic method for computing the mass function of dark matter halos is provided by excursion set theory, where density perturbations evolve stochastically with the smoothing scale, and the problem of computing the probability of halo formation is mapped into the so-called first-passage time problem in the presence of a barrier. While the full dynamical complexity of halo formation can only be revealed through N-body simulations, excursion set theory provides a simple analytic framework for understanding various aspects of this complex process. In this series of papers we propose improvements of both technical and conceptual aspects of excursion set theory, and we explore up to which point the method can reproduce quantitatively the data from N-body simulations. In Paper I of the series, we show how to derive excursion set theory from a path integral formulation. This allows us both to derive rigorously the absorbing barrier boundary condition, that in the usual formulation is just postulated, and to deal analytically with the non-Markovian nature of the random walk. Such a non-Markovian dynamics inevitably enters when either the density is smoothed with filters such as the top-hat filter in coordinate space (which is the only filter associated with a well-defined halo mass) or when one considers non-Gaussian fluctuations. In these cases, beside 'Markovian' terms, we find 'memory' terms that reflect the non-Markovianity of the evolution with the smoothing scale. We develop a general formalism for evaluating perturbatively these non-Markovian corrections, and in this paper we perform explicitly the computation of the halo mass function for Gaussian fluctuations, to first order in the non-Markovian corrections due to the use of a top-hat filter in coordinate space. In Paper II of this series we propose to extend excursion set theory by treating the critical threshold for collapse as a stochastic variable, which better captures some of the dynamical complexity of the

Mass Ejection from the Remnant of a Binary Neutron Star Merger: Viscous-radiation Hydrodynamics Study

Science.gov (United States)

Fujibayashi, Sho; Kiuchi, Kenta; Nishimura, Nobuya; Sekiguchi, Yuichiro; Shibata, Masaru

2018-06-01

We perform long-term general relativistic neutrino radiation hydrodynamics simulations (in axisymmetry) for a massive neutron star (MNS) surrounded by a torus, which is a canonical remnant formed after the binary neutron star merger. We take into account the effects of viscosity, which is likely to arise in the merger remnant due to magnetohydrodynamical turbulence. The viscous effect plays key roles for the mass ejection from the remnant in two phases of the evolution. In the first t ≲ 10 ms, a differential rotation state of the MNS is changed to a rigidly rotating state. A shock wave caused by the variation of its quasi-equilibrium state induces significant mass ejection of mass ∼(0.5–2.0) × {10}-2 {M}ȯ for the α-viscosity parameter of 0.01–0.04. For the longer-term evolution with ∼0.1–10 s, a significant fraction of the torus material is ejected. We find that the total mass of the viscosity-driven ejecta (≳ {10}-2 {M}ȯ ) could dominate over that of the dynamical ejecta (≲ {10}-2 {M}ȯ ). The electron fraction, Y e , of the ejecta is always high enough (Y e ≳ 0.25) that this post-merger ejecta is lanthanide-poor; hence, the opacity of the ejecta is likely to be ∼10–100 times lower than that of the dynamical ejecta. This indicates that the electromagnetic signal from the ejecta would be rapidly evolving, bright, and blue if it is observed from a small viewing angle (≲45°) for which the effect of the dynamical ejecta is minor.

Hangup effect in unequal mass binary black hole mergers and further studies of their gravitational radiation and remnant properties

Science.gov (United States)

Healy, James; Lousto, Carlos O.

2018-04-01

We present the results of 74 new simulations of nonprecessing spinning black hole binaries with mass ratios q =m1/m2 in the range 1 /7 ≤q ≤1 and individual spins covering the parameter space -0.95 ≤α1 ,2≤0.95 . We supplement those runs with 107 previous simulations to study the hangup effect in black hole mergers, i.e. the delay or prompt merger of spinning holes with respect to nonspinning binaries. We perform the numerical evolution for typically the last ten orbits before the merger and down to the formation of the final remnant black hole. This allows us to study the hangup effect for unequal mass binaries leading us to identify the spin variable that controls the number of orbits before merger as S→ hu.L ^ , where S→ hu=(1 +1/2 m/2 m1 )S→ 1+(1 +1/2 m/1 m2 )S→ 2 . We also combine the total results of those 181 simulations to obtain improved fitting formulas for the remnant final black hole mass, spin and recoil velocity as well as for the peak luminosity and peak frequency of the gravitational strain, and find new correlations among them. This accurate new set of simulations enhances the number of available numerical relativity waveforms available for parameter estimation of gravitational wave observations.

REPRODUCING THE OBSERVED ABUNDANCES IN RCB AND HdC STARS WITH POST-DOUBLE-DEGENERATE MERGER MODELS-CONSTRAINTS ON MERGER AND POST-MERGER SIMULATIONS AND PHYSICS PROCESSES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menon, Athira; Herwig, Falk; Denissenkov, Pavel A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P5C2 (Canada); Clayton, Geoffrey C.; Staff, Jan [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Tower Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4001 (United States); Pignatari, Marco [Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, CH-4056 Basel (Switzerland); Paxton, Bill [Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and Department of Physics, Kohn Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)

2013-07-20

The R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars are hydrogen-deficient, variable stars that are most likely the result of He-CO WD mergers. They display extremely low oxygen isotopic ratios, {sup 16}O/{sup 18}O {approx_equal} 1-10, {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C {>=} 100, and enhancements up to 2.6 dex in F and in s-process elements from Zn to La, compared to solar. These abundances provide stringent constraints on the physical processes during and after the double-degenerate merger. As shown previously, O-isotopic ratios observed in RCB stars cannot result from the dynamic double-degenerate merger phase, and we now investigate the role of the long-term one-dimensional spherical post-merger evolution and nucleosynthesis based on realistic hydrodynamic merger progenitor models. We adopt a model for extra envelope mixing to represent processes driven by rotation originating in the dynamical merger. Comprehensive nucleosynthesis post-processing simulations for these stellar evolution models reproduce, for the first time, the full range of the observed abundances for almost all the elements measured in RCB stars: {sup 16}O/{sup 18}O ratios between 9 and 15, C-isotopic ratios above 100, and {approx}1.4-2.35 dex F enhancements, along with enrichments in s-process elements. The nucleosynthesis processes in our models constrain the length and temperature in the dynamic merger shell-of-fire feature as well as the envelope mixing in the post-merger phase. s-process elements originate either in the shell-of-fire merger feature or during the post-merger evolution, but the contribution from the asymptotic giant branch progenitors is negligible. The post-merger envelope mixing must eventually cease {approx}10{sup 6} yr after the dynamic merger phase before the star enters the RCB phase.

LOFAR discovery of a double radio halo system in Abell 1758 and radio/X-ray study of the cluster pair

Science.gov (United States)

Botteon, A.; Shimwell, T. W.; Bonafede, A.; Dallacasa, D.; Brunetti, G.; Mandal, S.; van Weeren, R. J.; Brüggen, M.; Cassano, R.; de Gasperin, F.; Hoang, D. N.; Hoeft, M.; Röttgering, H. J. A.; Savini, F.; White, G. J.; Wilber, A.; Venturi, T.

2018-05-01

Radio halos and radio relics are diffuse synchrotron sources that extend over Mpc-scales and are found in a number of merger galaxy clusters. They are believed to form as a consequence of the energy that is dissipated by turbulence and shocks in the intra-cluster medium (ICM). However, the precise physical processes that generate these steep synchrotron spectrum sources are still poorly constrained. We present a new LOFAR observation of the double galaxy cluster Abell 1758. This system is composed of A1758N, a massive cluster hosting a known giant radio halo, and A1758S, which is a less massive cluster whose diffuse radio emission is confirmed here for the first time. Our observations have revealed a radio halo and a candidate radio relic in A1758S, and a suggestion of emission along the bridge connecting the two systems which deserves confirmation. We combined the LOFAR data with archival VLA and GMRT observations to constrain the spectral properties of the diffuse emission. We also analyzed a deep archival Chandra observation and used this to provide evidence that A1758N and A1758S are in a pre-merger phase. The ICM temperature across the bridge that connects the two systems shows a jump which might indicate the presence of a transversal shock generated in the initial stage of the merger.

On physical scales of dark matter halos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zemp, Marcel

2014-01-01

It is common practice to describe formal size and mass scales of dark matter halos as spherical overdensities with respect to an evolving density threshold. Here, we critically investigate the evolutionary effects of several such commonly used definitions and compare them to the halo evolution within fixed physical scales as well as to the evolution of other intrinsic physical properties of dark matter halos. It is shown that, in general, the traditional way of characterizing sizes and masses of halos dramatically overpredicts the degree of evolution in the last 10 Gyr, especially for low-mass halos. This pseudo-evolution leads to the illusion of growth even though there are no major changes within fixed physical scales. Such formal size definitions also serve as proxies for the virialized region of a halo in the literature. In general, those spherical overdensity scales do not coincide with the virialized region. A physically more precise nomenclature would be to simply characterize them by their very definition instead of calling such formal size and mass definitions 'virial'. In general, we find a discrepancy between the evolution of the underlying physical structure of dark matter halos seen in cosmological structure formation simulations and pseudo-evolving formal virial quantities. We question the importance of the role of formal virial quantities currently ubiquitously used in descriptions, models, and relations that involve properties of dark matter structures. Concepts and relations based on pseudo-evolving formal virial quantities do not properly reflect the actual evolution of dark matter halos and lead to an inaccurate picture of the physical evolution of our universe.

Population II brown dwarfs and dark haloes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinnecker, H.

1986-01-01

Opacity-limited fragmentation is investigated as a function of the dust-to-gas ratio and it is found that the characteristic protostellar mass Msub(*) is metallicity-dependent. This dependence is such that, for the low metallicity gas out of which the stars of Population II formed in the halo, Msub(*) is less than 0.1 M solar mass. If applicable, these theoretical considerations would predict that substellar masses have formed more frequently under the metal-poor conditions in the early Galaxy (Population II brown dwarfs). Thus the missing mass in the Galactic halo and in the dark haloes around other spirals may well reside in these metal-poor Population II brown dwarfs. (author)

The COS-Halos survey: physical conditions and baryonic mass in the low-redshift circumgalactic medium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werk, Jessica K.; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Tejos, Nicolas [UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States); Tumlinson, Jason; Peeples, Molly S.; Fox, Andrew J.; Thom, Christopher; Bordoloi, Rongmon [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD (United States); Tripp, Todd M.; Katz, Neal [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); Lehner, Nicolas [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN (United States); O' Meara, John M. [Department of Chemistry and Physics, Saint Michael' s College, Colchester, VT (United States); Ford, Amanda Brady [Astronomy Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Oppenheimer, Benjamin D. [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, NL-2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands); Davé, Romeel [University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town 7535 (South Africa); Weinberg, David H., E-mail: jwerk@ucolick.org [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)

2014-09-01

We analyze the physical conditions of the cool, photoionized (T ∼10{sup 4} K) circumgalactic medium (CGM) using the COS-Halos suite of gas column density measurements for 44 gaseous halos within 160 kpc of L ∼ L* galaxies at z ∼ 0.2. These data are well described by simple photoionization models, with the gas highly ionized (n {sub H} {sub II}/n {sub H} ≳ 99%) by the extragalactic ultraviolet background. Scaling by estimates for the virial radius, R {sub vir}, we show that the ionization state (tracked by the dimensionless ionization parameter, U) increases with distance from the host galaxy. The ionization parameters imply a decreasing volume density profile n {sub H} = (10{sup –4.2±0.25})(R/R {sub vir}){sup –0.8±0.3}. Our derived gas volume densities are several orders of magnitude lower than predictions from standard two-phase models with a cool medium in pressure equilibrium with a hot, coronal medium expected in virialized halos at this mass scale. Applying the ionization corrections to the H I column densities, we estimate a lower limit to the cool gas mass M{sub CGM}{sup cool}>6.5×10{sup 10} M {sub ☉} for the volume within R < R {sub vir}. Allowing for an additional warm-hot, O VI-traced phase, the CGM accounts for at least half of the baryons purported to be missing from dark matter halos at the 10{sup 12} M {sub ☉} scale.

Stellar Velocity Dispersion: Linking Quiescent Galaxies to Their Dark Matter Halos

Science.gov (United States)

Zahid, H. Jabran; Sohn, Jubee; Geller, Margaret J.

2018-06-01

We analyze the Illustris-1 hydrodynamical cosmological simulation to explore the stellar velocity dispersion of quiescent galaxies as an observational probe of dark matter halo velocity dispersion and mass. Stellar velocity dispersion is proportional to dark matter halo velocity dispersion for both central and satellite galaxies. The dark matter halos of central galaxies are in virial equilibrium and thus the stellar velocity dispersion is also proportional to dark matter halo mass. This proportionality holds even when a line-of-sight aperture dispersion is calculated in analogy to observations. In contrast, at a given stellar velocity dispersion, the dark matter halo mass of satellite galaxies is smaller than virial equilibrium expectations. This deviation from virial equilibrium probably results from tidal stripping of the outer dark matter halo. Stellar velocity dispersion appears insensitive to tidal effects and thus reflects the correlation between stellar velocity dispersion and dark matter halo mass prior to infall. There is a tight relation (≲0.2 dex scatter) between line-of-sight aperture stellar velocity dispersion and dark matter halo mass suggesting that the dark matter halo mass may be estimated from the measured stellar velocity dispersion for both central and satellite galaxies. We evaluate the impact of treating all objects as central galaxies if the relation we derive is applied to a statistical ensemble. A large fraction (≳2/3) of massive quiescent galaxies are central galaxies and systematic uncertainty in the inferred dark matter halo mass is ≲0.1 dex thus simplifying application of the simulation results to currently available observations.

RECOILING MASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN GAS-RICH GALAXY MERGERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guedes, Javiera; Madau, Piero; Mayer, Lucio; Callegari, Simone

2011-01-01

The asymmetric emission of gravitational waves produced during the coalescence of a massive black hole (MBH) binary imparts a velocity 'kick' to the system that can displace the hole from the center of its host. Here, we study the trajectories and observability of MBHs recoiling in three (one major, two minor) gas-rich galaxy merger remnants that were previously simulated at high resolution, and in which the pairing of the MBHs had been shown to be successful. We run new simulations of MBHs recoiling in the major merger remnant with Mach numbers in the range 1≤M≤6 and use simulation data to construct a semi-analytical model for the orbital evolution of MBHs in gas-rich systems. We show the following. (1) In major merger remnants the energy deposited by the moving hole into the rotationally supported, turbulent medium makes a negligible contribution to the thermodynamics of the gas. This contribution becomes significant in minor merger remnants, potentially allowing for an electromagnetic signature of MBH recoil. (2) In major merger remnants, the combination of both deeper central potential well and drag from high-density gas confines even MBHs with kick velocities as high as 1200 km s -1 within 1 kpc from the host's center. (3) Kinematically offset nuclei may be observable for timescales of a few Myr in major merger remnants in the case of recoil velocities in the range 700-1000 km s -1 . (4) In minor merger remnants the effect of gas drag is weaker, and MBHs with recoil speeds in the range 300-600 km s -1 will wander through the host halo for longer timescales. When accounting for the probability distribution of kick velocities, however, we find that the likelihood of observing recoiling MBHs in gas-rich galaxy mergers is very low even in the best-case scenario.

Merger Strategy, Cross-Cultural Involvement, and Polyphony

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svane, Marita; Boje, David

2014-01-01

to the learning from the experience. By storytelling we mean the dynamic interplay between grander narratives of the past and more emergent living stories of participants. Living story is ontological in its Being-in-the-world, its aliveness primordially in lived-life from birth to death. In this case...... (Aristotle, 350 BCE: 1450b: 25, p. 233). Design: We present a dialogic performance of the cross-cultural dynamics of a merger. The context is a two-year old merger. The merger was strategically a good decision that takes into the consideration that the market is highly competitive with a decreasing number...... of customers and many competitors. The industry is therefore characterised by a high degree of mergers and acquisitions. Despite the strategic advantages the idea of the merger was not equally attractive to both of the organisations. They had a history of being competitors with a good deal of hostility. One...

Halo vest effect on balance.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, J K; Ross, A D; Riley, B; Rhodes, R L

2000-03-01

To determine the effect of a halo vest, a cervical orthosis, on clinically relevant balance parameters. Subjects performed unipedal stance (with eyes open and closed, on both firm and soft surfaces) and functional reach, with and without the application of a halo vest. A convenience sample of 12 healthy young subjects, with an equal number of men and women. Seconds for unipedal stance (maximum 45); inches for functional reach. Both unipedal stance times and functional reach (mean +/- standard deviation) were significantly decreased with the halo vest as compared to without it (29.1+/-5.8 vs. 32.8+/-6.4 seconds, p = .002; 12.9+/-1.4 vs. 15.1+/-2.1 inches, prisk for a fall, which could have devastating consequences.

GAS REGULATION OF GALAXIES: THE EVOLUTION OF THE COSMIC SPECIFIC STAR FORMATION RATE, THE METALLICITY-MASS-STAR-FORMATION RATE RELATION, AND THE STELLAR CONTENT OF HALOS

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Lilly, Simon J.; Carollo, C. Marcella; Pipino, Antonio; Peng Yingjie [Institute for Astronomy, Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Renzini, Alvio [Department of Physics and Astronomy Galileo Galilei, Universita degli Studi di Padova, via Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy)

2013-08-01

A very simple physical model of galaxies is one in which the formation of stars is instantaneously regulated by the mass of gas in a reservoir with mass loss scaling with the star-formation rate (SFR). This model links together three different aspects of the evolving galaxy population: (1) the cosmic time evolution of the specific star-formation rate (sSFR) relative to the growth of halos, (2) the gas-phase metallicities across the galaxy population and over cosmic time, and (3) the ratio of the stellar to dark matter mass of halos. The gas regulator is defined by the gas consumption timescale ({epsilon}{sup -1}) and the mass loading {lambda} of the wind outflow {lambda}{center_dot}SFR. The simplest regulator, in which {epsilon} and {lambda} are constant, sets the sSFR equal to exactly the specific accretion rate of the galaxy; more realistic situations lead to an sSFR that is perturbed from this precise relation. Because the gas consumption timescale is shorter than the timescale on which the system evolves, the metallicity Z is set primarily by the instantaneous operation of the regulator system rather than by the past history of the system. The metallicity of the gas reservoir depends on {epsilon}, {lambda}, and sSFR, and the regulator system therefore naturally produces a Z(m{sub star}, SFR) relation if {epsilon} and {lambda} depend on the stellar mass m{sub star}. Furthermore, this relation will be the same at all epochs unless the parameters {epsilon} and {lambda} themselves change with time. A so-called fundamental metallicity relation is naturally produced by these conditions. The overall mass-metallicity relation Z(m{sub star}) directly provides the fraction f{sub star}(m{sub star}) of incoming baryons that are being transformed into stars. The observed Z(m{sub star}) relation of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) galaxies implies a strong dependence of stellar mass on halo mass that reconciles the different faint-end slopes of the stellar and halo mass

Bose-Einstein condensate haloes embedded in dark energy

Science.gov (United States)

Membrado, M.; Pacheco, A. F.

2018-04-01

Context. We have studied clusters of self-gravitating collisionless Newtonian bosons in their ground state and in the presence of the cosmological constant to model dark haloes of dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. Aim. We aim to analyse the influence of the cosmological constant on the structure of these systems. Observational data of Milky Way dSph galaxies allow us to estimate the boson mass. Methods: We obtained the energy of the ground state of the cluster in the Hartree approximation by solving a variational problem in the particle density. We have also developed and applied the virial theorem. Dark halo models were tested in a sample of 19 galaxies. Galaxy radii, 3D deprojected half-light radii, mass enclosed within them, and luminosity-weighted averages of the square of line-of-sight velocity dispersions are used to estimate the particle mass. Results: Cosmological constant repulsive effects are embedded in one parameter ξ. They are appreciable for ξ > 10-5. Bound structures appear for ξ ≤ ξc = 1.65 × 10-4, what imposes a lower bound for cluster masses as a function of the particle mass. In principle, these systems present tunnelling through a potential barrier; however, after estimating their mean lifes, we realize that their existence is not affected by the age of the Universe. When Milky Way dSph galaxies are used to test the model, we obtain 3.5-1.0+1.3 × 10-22 eV for the particle mass and a lower limit of 5.1-2.8+2.2 × 106 M⊙ for bound haloes. Conclusions: Our estimation for the boson mass is in agreement with other recent results which use different methods. From our particle mass estimation, the treated dSph galaxies would present dark halo masses 5-11 ×107 M⊙. With these values, they would not be affected by the cosmological constant (ξ 10-5) would already feel their effects. Our model that includes dark energy allows us to deal with these dark haloes. Assuming quantities averaged in the sample of galaxies, 10-5 < ξ ≤ ξc dark

2MASS J06562998+3002455: Not a Cool White Dwarf Candidate, but a Population II Halo Star

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de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl; de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos

2018-06-01

2MASS J06562998+3002455 or PSS 309-6 is a high proper-motion star that was discovered during a survey with the 2.1 m telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Here, we reevaluate the status of this interesting star using Gaia DR2. Our results strongly suggest that PSS 309-6 could be a Population II star as the value of its V component is close to -220 km/s, which is typical for halo stars in the immediate solar neighborhood. Kapteyn's star is the nearest known halo star and PSS 309-6 exhibits similar kinematic and photometric signatures. Its properties also resemble those of 2MASS J15484023-3544254, which was once thought to be the nearest cool white dwarf but was later reclassified as K-type subdwarf. Although it is virtually certain that PSS 309-6 is not a nearby white dwarf but a more distant Population II subdwarf, further spectroscopic information, including radial velocity measurements, is necessary to fully characterize this probable member of the Galactic halo.

Can galaxy growth be sustained through HI-rich minor mergers?

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Lehnert, M. D.; van Driel, W.; Minchin, R.

2016-05-01

Local galaxies with specific star-formation rates (star-formation rate per unit mass; sSFR ~ 0.2-10 Gyr-1) that are as high as distant galaxies (z ≈ 1-3), are very rich in Hi. Those with low stellar masses, M⋆ = 108-9 M⊙, for example, have MHI/M⋆ ≈ 5-30. Using continuity arguments, whereby the specific merger rate is hypothesized to be proportional to the specific star-formation rate, along with Hi gas mass measurements for local galaxies with high sSFR, we estimate that moderate-mass galaxies, M⋆ = 109-10.5 M⊙, can acquire enough gas through minor mergers (stellar mass ratios ~4-100) to sustain their star formation rates at z ~ 2. The relative fraction of the gas accreted through minor mergers declines with increasing stellar mass, and for the most massive galaxies considered, M⋆ = 1010.5-11 M⊙, this accretion rate is insufficient to sustain their star formation. We checked our minor merger hypothesis at z = 0 using the same methodology, but now with relations for local normal galaxies, and find that minor mergers cannot account for their specific growth rates, in agreement with observations of Hi-rich satellites around nearby spirals. We discuss a number of attractive features, such as a natural downsizing effect, in using minor mergers with extended Hi disks to support star formation at high redshift. The answer to the question posed by the title, "Can galaxy growth be sustained through Hi-rich minor mergers?", is "maybe", but only for relatively low-mass galaxies and at high redshift.

Quantifying the impact of mergers on the angular momentum of simulated galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Lagos, Claudia del P.; Stevens, Adam R. H.; Bower, Richard G.; Davis, Timothy A.; Contreras, Sergio; Padilla, Nelson D.; Obreschkow, Danail; Croton, Darren; Trayford, James W.; Welker, Charlotte; Theuns, Tom

2018-02-01

We use EAGLE to quantify the effect galaxy mergers have on the stellar specific angular momentum of galaxies, jstars. We split mergers into dry (gas-poor)/wet (gas-rich), major/minor and different spin alignments and orbital parameters. Wet (dry) mergers have an average neutral gas-to-stellar mass ratio of 1.1 (0.02), while major (minor) mergers are those with stellar mass ratios ≥0.3 (0.1-0.3). We correlate the positions of galaxies in the jstars-stellar mass plane at z = 0 with their merger history, and find that galaxies of low spins suffered dry mergers, while galaxies of normal/high spins suffered predominantly wet mergers, if any. The radial jstars profiles of galaxies that went through dry mergers are deficient by ≈0.3 dex at r ≲ 10 r50 (with r50 being the half-stellar mass radius), compared to galaxies that went through wet mergers. Studying the merger remnants reveals that dry mergers reduce jstars by ≈30 per cent, while wet mergers increase it by ≈10 per cent, on average. The latter is connected to the build-up of the bulge by newly formed stars of high rotational speed. Moving from minor to major mergers accentuates these effects. When the spin vectors of the galaxies prior to the dry merger are misaligned, jstars decreases by a greater magnitude, while in wet mergers corotation and high orbital angular momentum efficiently spun-up galaxies. We predict what would be the observational signatures in the jstars profiles driven by dry mergers: (i) shallow radial profiles and (ii) profiles that rise beyond ≈10 r50, both of which are significantly different from spiral galaxies.

How do stars affect ψDM halos?

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Chan, James H. H.; Schive, Hsi-Yu; Woo, Tak-Pong; Chiueh, Tzihong

2018-04-01

Wave dark matter (ψDM) predicts a compact soliton core and a granular halo in every galaxy. This work presents the first simulation study of an elliptical galaxy by including both stars and ψDM, focusing on the systematic changes of the central soliton and halo granules. With the addition of stars in the inner halo, we find the soliton core consistently becomes more prominent by absorbing mass from the host halo than that without stars, and the halo granules become "non-isothermal", "hotter" in the inner halo and "cooler" in the outer halo, as opposed to the isothermal halo in pure ψDM cosmological simulations. Moreover, the composite (star+ψDM) mass density is found to follow a r-2 isothermal profile near the half-light radius in most cases. Most striking is the velocity dispersion of halo stars that increases rapidly toward the galactic center by a factor of at least 2 inside the half-light radius caused by the deepened soliton gravitational potential, a result that compares favorably with observations of elliptical galaxies and bulges in spiral galaxies. However in some rare situations we find a phase segregation turning a compact distribution of stars into two distinct populations with high and very low velocity dispersions; while the high-velocity component mostly resides in the halo, the very low-velocity component is bound to the interior of the soliton core, resembling stars in faint dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

The first all-sky view of the Milky Way stellar halo with Gaia+2MASS RR Lyrae

Science.gov (United States)

Iorio, G.; Belokurov, V.; Erkal, D.; Koposov, S. E.; Nipoti, C.; Fraternali, F.

2018-02-01

We exploit the first Gaia data release to study the properties of the Galactic stellar halo as traced by RR Lyrae. We demonstrate that it is possible to select a pure sample of RR Lyrae using only photometric information available in the Gaia+2MASS catalogue. The final sample contains about 21 600 RR Lyrae covering an unprecedented fraction ( ˜ 60 per cent) of the volume of the Galactic inner halo (R < 28 kpc). We study the morphology of the stellar halo by analysing the RR Lyrae distribution with parametric and non-parametric techniques. Taking advantage of the uniform all-sky coverage, we test halo models more sophisticated than usually considered in the literature, such as those with varying flattening, tilts and/or offset of the halo with respect to the Galactic disc. A consistent picture emerges: the inner halo is well reproduced by a smooth distribution of stars settled on triaxial density ellipsoids. The shortest axis is perpendicular to the Milky Way's disc, while the longest axis forms an angle of ˜70° with the axis connecting the Sun and the Galactic Centre. The elongation along the major axis is mild (p = 1.27), and the vertical flattening is shown to evolve from a squashed state with q ≈ 0.57 in the centre to a more spherical q ≈ 0.75 at the outer edge of our data set. Within the radial range probed, the density profile of the stellar halo is well approximated by a single power law with exponent α = -2.96. We do not find evidence of tilt or offset of the halo with respect to the Galaxy's disc.

La abundancia de galaxias y halos de materia oscura en el universo CDM

Science.gov (United States)

Abadi, M. G.; Benítez-Llambay, A.; Ferrero, I.

A long-standing puzzle of CDM cosmological model concerns to the different shape of the galaxy stellar mass function and the halo mass function on dwarf galaxy scales. Dwarf galaxies are much less numerous than halos massive enough to host them; suggesting a complex non-linear relation between the mass of a galaxy and the mass of its surrounding halo. Usually; this is reconciled by appealing to baryonic processes that can reduce the efficiency of galaxy formation in low-mass halos. Recent work applying the abundance matching technique require that virtually no dwarf galaxies form in halos with virial mass below . We use rotation curves of dwarf galaxies compiled from the literature to explore whether their total enclosed mass is consistent with these constraints. Almost one-half of the dwarfs in our sample are at odds with this restriction; they are in halos with masses substantially below . Using a cosmological simulation of the formation of the Local Group of galaxies we found that ram-pressure stripping against the cosmic web removes baryons from low-mass halos without appealing to feedback or reionization. This mechanism may help to explain the scarcity of dwarf galaxies compared with the numerous low-mass halos expected in CDM and the large diversity of star formation histories and morphologies characteristic of faint galaxies. FULL TEXT IN SPANISH

Universality of dark matter haloes shape over six decades in mass: insights from the Millennium XXL and SBARBINE simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Bonamigo, Mario; Despali, Giulia; Limousin, Marceau; Angulo, Raul; Giocoli, Carlo; Soucail, Geneviève

2015-05-01

For the last 30 yr many observational and theoretical evidences have shown that galaxy clusters are not spherical objects, and that their shape is much better described by a triaxial geometry. With the advent of multiwavelength data of increasing quality, triaxial investigations of galaxy clusters is gathering a growing interest from the community, especially in the time of `precision cosmology'. In this work, we aim to provide the first statistically significant predictions in the unexplored mass range above 3 × 1014 M⊙h-1, using haloes from two redshift snapshots (z = 0 and z = 1) of the Millennium XXL simulation. The size of this cosmological dark matter-only simulation (4.1 Gpc) allows the formation of a statistically significant number of massive cluster scale haloes (≈500 with M > 2× 1015 M⊙ h-1, and 780 000 with M > 1014 M⊙ h-1). Besides, we aim to extend this investigation to lower masses in order to look for universal predictions across nearly six orders of magnitude in mass, from 1010 to almost 1016 M⊙ h-1. For this purpose we use the SBARBINE simulations, allowing us to model haloes of masses starting from ≈1010 M⊙ h-1. We use an elliptical overdensity method to select haloes and compute the shapes of the unimodal ones (approximately 50 per cent), while we discard the more unrelaxed. The minor to major and intermediate to major axis ratio distributions are found to be well described by simple universal functional forms that do not depend on cosmology or redshift. Our results extend the findings of Jing & Suto to a higher precision and a wider range of mass. This `recipe' is made available to the community in this paper and in a dedicated web page.

High Accuracy mass Measurement of the very Short-Lived Halo Nuclide $^{11}$Li

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Le scornet, G

2002-01-01

The archetypal halo nuclide $^{11}$Li has now attracted a wealth of experimental and theoretical attention. The most outstanding property of this nuclide, its extended radius that makes it as big as $^{48}$Ca, is highly dependent on the binding energy of the two neutrons forming the halo. New generation experiments using radioactive beams with elastic proton scattering, knock-out and transfer reactions, together with $\\textit{ab initio}$ calculations require the tightening of the constraint on the binding energy. Good metrology also requires confirmation of the sole existing precision result to guard against a possible systematic deviation (or mistake). We propose a high accuracy mass determintation of $^{11}$Li, a particularly challenging task due to its very short half-life of 8.6 ms, but one perfectly suiting the MISTRAL spectrometer, now commissioned at ISOLDE. We request 15 shifts of beam time.

Galaxy halo occupation at high redshift

Science.gov (United States)

Bullock, James S.; Wechsler, Risa H.; Somerville, Rachel S.

2002-01-01

We discuss how current and future data on the clustering and number density of z~3 Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) can be used to constrain their relationship to dark matter haloes. We explore a three-parameter model in which the number of LBGs per dark halo scales like a power law in the halo mass: N(M)=(M/M1)S for M>Mmin. Here, Mmin is the minimum mass halo that can host an LBG, M1 is a normalization parameter, associated with the mass above which haloes host more than one observed LBG, and S determines the strength of the mass-dependence. We show how these three parameters are constrained by three observable properties of LBGs: the number density, the large-scale bias and the fraction of objects in close pairs. Given these three quantities, the three unknown model parameters may be estimated analytically, allowing a full exploration of parameter space. As an example, we assume a ΛCDM cosmology and consider the observed properties of a recent sample of spectroscopically confirmed LBGs. We find that the favoured range for our model parameters is Mmin~=(0.4-8)×1010h- 1Msolar, M1~=(6-10)×1012h- 1Msolar, and 0.9acceptable if the allowed range of bg is permitted to span all recent observational estimates. We also discuss how the observed clustering of LBGs as a function of luminosity can be used to constrain halo occupation, although because of current observational uncertainties we are unable to reach any strong conclusions. Our methods and results can be used to constrain more realistic models that aim to derive the occupation function N(M) from first principles, and offer insight into how basic physical properties affect the observed properties of LBGs.

THE HALO OCCUPATION DISTRIBUTION OF SDSS QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richardson, Jonathan; Chatterjee, Suchetana; Nagai, Daisuke; Zheng Zheng; Shen Yue

2012-01-01

We present an estimate of the projected two-point correlation function (2PCF) of quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) over the full range of one- and two-halo scales, 0.02 h –1 Mpc p –1 Mpc. This was achieved by combining data from SDSS DR7 on large scales and Hennawi et al. (with appropriate statistical corrections) on small scales. Our combined clustering sample is the largest spectroscopic quasar clustering sample to date, containing ∼48, 000 quasars in the redshift range 0.4 ∼ sat = (7.4 ± 1.4) × 10 –4 , be satellites in dark matter halos. At z ∼ 1.4, the median masses of the host halos of central and satellite quasars are constrained to be M cen = 4.1 +0.3 –0.4 × 10 12 h –1 M ☉ and M sat = 3.6 +0.8 –1.0 × 10 14 h –1 M ☉ , respectively. To investigate the redshift evolution of the quasar-halo relationship, we also perform HOD modeling of the projected 2PCF measured by Shen et al. for SDSS quasars with median redshift 3.2. We find tentative evidence for an increase in the mass scale of quasar host halos—the inferred median mass of halos hosting central quasars at z ∼ 3.2 is M cen = 14.1 +5.8 –6.9 × 10 12 h –1 M ☉ . The cutoff profiles of the mean occupation functions of central quasars reveal that quasar luminosity is more tightly correlated with halo mass at higher redshifts. The average quasar duty cycle around the median host halo mass is inferred to be f q = 7.3 +0.6 –1.5 × 10 –4 at z ∼ 1.4 and f q = 8.6 +20.4 –7.2 × 10 –2 at z ∼ 3.2. We discuss the implications of our results for quasar evolution and quasar-galaxy co-evolution.

Search for Gravitational Wave Ringdowns from Perturbed Intermediate Mass Black Holes in LIGO-Virgo Data from 2005-2010

Science.gov (United States)

Aasi, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Blackburn, Lindy L.; Camp, J. B.; Gehrels, N.; Graff, P. B.

2014-01-01

We report results from a search for gravitational waves produced by perturbed intermediate mass black holes (IMBH) in data collected by LIGO and Virgo between 2005 and 2010. The search was sensitive to astrophysical sources that produced damped sinusoid gravitational wave signals, also known as ringdowns, with frequency 50 less than or equal to italic f0/Hz less than or equal to 2000 and decay timescale 0.0001 approximately less than t/s approximately less than 0.1 characteristic of those produced in mergers of IMBH pairs. No significant gravitational wave candidate was detected. We report upper limits on the astrophysical coalescence rates of IMBHs with total binary mass 50 less than or equal to M/solar mass less than or equal to 450 and component mass ratios of either 1:1 or 4:1. For systems with total mass 100 less than or equal to M/solar mass 150, we report a 90%-confidence upper limit on the rate of binary IMBH mergers with non-spinning and equal mass components of 6:9 x 10(exp 8) Mpc(exp -3)yr(exp -1). We also report a rate upper limit for ringdown waveforms from perturbed IMBHs, radiating 1% of their mass as gravitational waves in the fundamental, l=m=2, oscillation mode, that is nearly three orders of magnitude more stringent than previous results.

Halo histories versus Galaxy properties at z = 0 - I. The quenching of star formation

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Tinker, Jeremy L.; Wetzel, Andrew R.; Conroy, Charlie; Mao, Yao-Yuan

2017-12-01

We test whether halo age and galaxy age are correlated at fixed halo and galaxy mass. The formation histories, and thus ages, of dark matter haloes correlate with their large-scale density ρ, an effect known as assembly bias. We test whether this correlation extends to galaxies by measuring the dependence of galaxy stellar age on ρ. To clarify the comparison between theory and observation, and to remove the strong environmental effects on satellites, we use galaxy group catalogues to identify central galaxies and measure their quenched fraction, fQ, as a function of large-scale environment. Models that match halo age to central galaxy age predict a strong positive correlation between fQ and ρ. However, we show that the amplitude of this effect depends on the definition of halo age: assembly bias is significantly reduced when removing the effects of splashback haloes - those haloes that are central but have passed through a larger halo or experienced strong tidal encounters. Defining age using halo mass at its peak value rather than current mass removes these effects. In Sloan Digital Sky Survey data, at M* ≳ 1010 M⊙ h-2, there is a ∼5 per cent increase in fQ from low-to-high densities, which is in agreement with predictions of dark matter haloes using peak halo mass. At lower stellar mass there is little to no correlation of fQ with ρ. For these galaxies, age matching is inconsistent with the data across the range of halo formation metrics that we tested. This implies that halo formation history has a small but statistically significant impact on quenching of star formation at high masses, while the quenching process in low-mass central galaxies is uncorrelated with halo formation history.

Galactic r-process enrichment by neutron star mergers in cosmological simulations of a Milky Way-mass galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

van de Voort, Freeke; Quataert, Eliot; Hopkins, Philip F.; Kereš, Dušan; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André

2015-02-01

We quantify the stellar abundances of neutron-rich r-process nuclei in cosmological zoom-in simulations of a Milky Way-mass galaxy from the Feedback In Realistic Environments project. The galaxy is enriched with r-process elements by binary neutron star (NS) mergers and with iron and other metals by supernovae. These calculations include key hydrodynamic mixing processes not present in standard semi-analytic chemical evolution models, such as galactic winds and hydrodynamic flows associated with structure formation. We explore a range of models for the rate and delay time of NS mergers, intended to roughly bracket the wide range of models consistent with current observational constraints. We show that NS mergers can produce [r-process/Fe] abundance ratios and scatter that appear reasonably consistent with observational constraints. At low metallicity, [Fe/H] ≲ -2, we predict there is a wide range of stellar r-process abundance ratios, with both supersolar and subsolar abundances. Low-metallicity stars or stars that are outliers in their r-process abundance ratios are, on average, formed at high redshift and located at large galactocentric radius. Because NS mergers are rare, our results are not fully converged with respect to resolution, particularly at low metallicity. However, the uncertain rate and delay time distribution of NS mergers introduce an uncertainty in the r-process abundances comparable to that due to finite numerical resolution. Overall, our results are consistent with NS mergers being the source of most of the r-process nuclei in the Universe.

FASHIONABLY LATE? BUILDING UP THE MILKY WAY'S INNER HALO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, Heather L.; Harding, Paul; Helmi, Amina

2009-01-01

Using a sample of 246 metal-poor stars (RR Lyraes, red giants, and red horizontal branch stars) which is remarkable for the accuracy of its six-dimensional kinematical data, we find, by examining the distribution of stellar orbital angular momenta, a new component for the local halo which has an axial ratio c/a ∼ 0.2, a similar flattening to the thick disk. It has a small prograde rotation but is supported by velocity anisotropy, and contains more intermediate-metallicity stars (with -1.5 < [Fe/H] < -1.0) than the rest of our sample. We suggest that this component was formed quite late, during or after the formation of the disk. It formed either from the gas that was accreted by the last major mergers experienced by the Galaxy, or by dynamical friction of massive infalling satellite(s) with the halo and possibly the stellar disk or thick disk. The remainder of the halo stars in our sample, which are less closely confined to the disk plane, exhibit a clumpy distribution in energy and angular momentum, suggesting that the early, chaotic conditions under which the inner halo formed were not violent enough to erase the record of their origins. The clumpy structure suggests that a relatively small number of progenitors were responsible for building up the inner halo, in line with theoretical expectations. We find a difference in mean binding energy between the RR Lyrae variables and the red giants in our sample, suggesting that more of the RR Lyraes in the sample belong to the outer halo, and that the outer halo may be somewhat younger, as first suggested by Searle and Zinn. We also find that the RR Lyrae mean rotation is more negative than the red giants, which is consistent with the recent result of Carollo et al. that the outer halo has a retrograde rotation and with the difference in kinematics seen between RR Lyraes and blue horizontal branch stars by Kinman et al. (2007).

Electromagnetic Signals Following Stellar-mass Black Hole Mergers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mink, S. E. de; King, A., E-mail: S.E.deMink@uva.nl, E-mail: ark@leicester.ac.uk [Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2017-04-10

It is often assumed that gravitational-wave (GW) events resulting from the merger of stellar-mass black holes are unlikely to produce electromagnetic (EM) counterparts. We point out that the progenitor binary has probably shed a mass ≳10 M {sub ⊙} during its prior evolution. If even a tiny fraction of this gas is retained in a circumbinary disk, the sudden mass loss and recoil of the merged black hole shocks and heats it within hours of the GW event. Whether the resulting EM signal is detectable is uncertain. The optical depth through the disk is likely to be high enough that the prompt emission consists only of photons from its optically thin skin, while the majority may take years to emerge. However, if some mechanism can release more photons in a time comparable to the few-hour energy production time, the peak luminosity of the EM signal could be detectable. For a disk retaining only ∼10{sup −3} of the mass shed in the earlier binary evolution, medium-energy X-rays to infrared emission would be observable hours after the GW event for source distances of ∼500 Mpc. Events like this may already have been observed, but ascribed to unidentified active galactic nuclei. Improved sky localization should eventually allow identification based on spatial coincidence. A detection would provide unique constraints on formation scenarios and potentially offer tests of strong-field general relativity. Accordingly, we argue that the high scientific payoff of an EM detection fully justifies search campaigns.

Phase models of galaxies consisting of disk and halo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osipkov, L.P.; Kutuzov, S.A.

1987-01-01

A method of finding the phase density of a two-component model of mass distribution is developed. The equipotential surfaces and the potential law are given. The equipotentials are lenslike surfaces with a sharp edge in the equatorial plane, which provides the existence of an imbedded thin disk in halo. The equidensity surfaces of the halo coincide with the equipotentials. Phase models for the halo and the disk are constructed separately on the basis of spatial and surface mass densities by solving the corresponding integral equations. In particular the models for the halo with finite dimensions can be constructed. The even part of the phase density in respect to velocities is only found. For the halo it depends on the energy integral as a single argument

Are baryonic galactic halos possible

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olive, K.A.; Hegyi, D.J.

1986-01-01

There is little doubt from the rotation curves of spiral galaxies that galactic halos must contain large amounts of dark matter. In this contribution, the authors review arguments which indicate that it is very unlikely that galactic halos contain substantial amounts of baryonic matter. While the authors would like to be able to present a single argument which would rule out baryonic matter, at the present time they are only able to present a collection of arguments each of which argues against one form of baryonic matter. These include: 1) snowballs; 2) gas; 3) low mass stars and Jupiters; 4) high mass stars; and 5) high metalicity objects such as rooks or dust. Black holes, which do not have a well defined baryon number, are also a possible candidate for halo matter. They briefly discuss black holes

Sky Localization of Complete Inspiral-Merger-Ringdown Signals for Nonspinning Black Hole Binaries with LISA

Science.gov (United States)

McWilliams, Sean T.; Lang, Ryan N.; Baker, John G.; Thorpe, James Ira

2011-01-01

We investigate the capability of LISA to measure the sky position of equal-mass, nonspinning black hole binaries, including for the first time the entire inspiral-merger-ringdown signal, the effect of the LISA orbits, and the complete three-channel LISA response. For an ensemble of systems near the peak of LISA's sensitivity band, with total rest mass of 2 x l0(exp 6) Stellar Mass at a redshift of z = 1 with random orientations and sky positions, we find median sky localization errors of approximately approx. 3 arcminutes. This is comparable to the field of view of powerful electromagnetic telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, that could be used to search for electromagnetic signals associated with merging black holes. We investigate the way in which parameter errors decrease with measurement time, focusing specifically on the additional information provided during the merger-ringdown segment of the signal. We find that this information improves all parameter estimates directly, rather than through diminishing correlations with any subset of well-determined parameters.

THE BLACK HOLE–DARK MATTER HALO CONNECTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabra, Bassem M.; Saliba, Charbel; Akl, Maya Abi; Chahine, Gilbert

2015-01-01

We explore the connection between the central supermassive black holes (SMBH) in galaxies and the dark matter halo through the relation between the masses of the SMBHs and the maximum circular velocities of the host galaxies, as well as the relationship between stellar velocity dispersion of the spheroidal component and the circular velocity. Our assumption here is that the circular velocity is a proxy for the mass of the dark matter halo. We rely on a heterogeneous sample containing galaxies of all types. The only requirement is that the galaxy has a direct measurement of the mass of its SMBH and a direct measurement of its circular velocity and its velocity dispersion. Previous studies have analyzed the connection between the SMBH and dark matter halo through the relationship between the circular velocity and the bulge velocity dispersion, with the assumption that the bulge velocity dispersion stands in for the mass of the SMBH, via the well-established SMBH mass–bulge velocity dispersion relation. Using intermediate relations may be misleading when one is studying them to decipher the active ingredients of galaxy formation and evolution. We believe that our approach will provide a more direct probe of the SMBH and the dark matter halo connection. We find that the correlation between the mass of SMBHs and the circular velocities of the host galaxies is extremely weak, leading us to state the dark matter halo may not play a major role in regulating the black hole growth in the present Universe

THE BLACK HOLE–DARK MATTER HALO CONNECTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabra, Bassem M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Notre Dame University-Louaize, P.O. Box 72 Zouk Mikael, Zouk Mosbeh (Lebanon); Saliba, Charbel; Akl, Maya Abi; Chahine, Gilbert, E-mail: bsabra@ndu.edu.lb [Department of Physics, Lebanese University II, Fanar (Lebanon)

2015-04-10

We explore the connection between the central supermassive black holes (SMBH) in galaxies and the dark matter halo through the relation between the masses of the SMBHs and the maximum circular velocities of the host galaxies, as well as the relationship between stellar velocity dispersion of the spheroidal component and the circular velocity. Our assumption here is that the circular velocity is a proxy for the mass of the dark matter halo. We rely on a heterogeneous sample containing galaxies of all types. The only requirement is that the galaxy has a direct measurement of the mass of its SMBH and a direct measurement of its circular velocity and its velocity dispersion. Previous studies have analyzed the connection between the SMBH and dark matter halo through the relationship between the circular velocity and the bulge velocity dispersion, with the assumption that the bulge velocity dispersion stands in for the mass of the SMBH, via the well-established SMBH mass–bulge velocity dispersion relation. Using intermediate relations may be misleading when one is studying them to decipher the active ingredients of galaxy formation and evolution. We believe that our approach will provide a more direct probe of the SMBH and the dark matter halo connection. We find that the correlation between the mass of SMBHs and the circular velocities of the host galaxies is extremely weak, leading us to state the dark matter halo may not play a major role in regulating the black hole growth in the present Universe.

Stellar Velocity Dispersion: Linking Quiescent Galaxies to their Dark Matter Halos

OpenAIRE

Zahid, H. Jabran; Sohn, Jubee; Geller, Margaret J.

2018-01-01

We analyze the Illustris-1 hydrodynamical cosmological simulation to explore the stellar velocity dispersion of quiescent galaxies as an observational probe of dark matter halo velocity dispersion and mass. Stellar velocity dispersion is proportional to dark matter halo velocity dispersion for both central and satellite galaxies. The dark matter halos of central galaxies are in virial equilibrium and thus the stellar velocity dispersion is also proportional to dark matter halo mass. This prop...

The Local Group in LCDM - Shapes and masses of dark halos

Science.gov (United States)

Vera-Ciro, Carlos Andrés

2013-01-01

In dit proefschrift bestuderen we de eigenschappen van donkere materie halo's in het LCDM paradigma. Het eerste deel richt zich op de vorm van de massadistributie van dergelijke objecten. We hebben gevonden dat de vorm van ge"isoleerde Melkweg-achtige donkere materie halo's significant afwijkt van bolsymmetrie. De lokale omgeving heeft invloed op de halo's en deze worden daarbij sterk be"invloed door de manier waarop massa aangroeit. We hebben ook de structuur en de baanstructuur van de satellieten van dergelijke halo's in detail onderzocht. In het algemeen zijn deze objecten sferischer dan de halo's zelf. Ze vertonen ook duidelijke afdrukken van getijdenwerking in zowel hun geometrische vorm als in de baanstructuur. Daarna gebruiken we het aantal massieve objecten rond de Melkweg om limieten te zetten op de totale massa van de donkere materie halo van de Melkweg. De eigenschappen van de massaverdeling van de Melkweg worden verder onderzocht in het laatste hoofdstuk. Daar maken we gebruik van de Sagittarius sterstroom om de vorm van de galactische potentiaal beter te bepalen. We komen met een nieuw model dat rekening houdt met de galactische schijf en de invloed van satellietstelsels en die bovendien consistent is met het LCDM paradigma.

Reconciling mass functions with the star-forming main sequence via mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Steinhardt, Charles L.; Yurk, Dominic; Capak, Peter

2017-06-01

We combine star formation along the 'main sequence', quiescence and clustering and merging to produce an empirical model for the evolution of individual galaxies. Main-sequence star formation alone would significantly steepen the stellar mass function towards low redshift, in sharp conflict with observation. However, a combination of star formation and merging produces a consistent result for correct choice of the merger rate function. As a result, we are motivated to propose a model in which hierarchical merging is disconnected from environmentally independent star formation. This model can be tested via correlation functions and would produce new constraints on clustering and merging.

Binary neutron star mergers: Dependence on the nuclear equation of state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hotokezaka, Kenta; Kyutoku, Koutarou; Okawa, Hirotada; Shibata, Masaru; Kiuchi, Kenta

2011-01-01

We perform a numerical-relativity simulation for the merger of binary neutron stars with 6 nuclear-theory-based equations of states (EOSs) described by piecewise polytropes. Our purpose is to explore the dependence of the dynamical behavior of the binary neutron star merger and resulting gravitational waveforms on the EOS of the supernuclear-density matter. The numerical results show that the merger process and the first outcome are classified into three types: (i) a black hole is promptly formed, (ii) a short-lived hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) is formed, (iii) a long-lived HMNS is formed. The type of the merger depends strongly on the EOS and on the total mass of the binaries. For the EOS with which the maximum mass is larger than 2M · , the lifetime of the HMNS is longer than 10 ms for a total mass m 0 =2.7M · . A recent radio observation suggests that the maximum mass of spherical neutron stars is M max ≥1.97±0.04M · in one σ level. This fact and our results support the possible existence of a HMNS soon after the onset of the merger for a typical binary neutron star with m 0 =2.7M · . We also show that the torus mass surrounding the remnant black hole is correlated with the type of the merger process; the torus mass could be large, ≥0.1M · , in the case that a long-lived HMNS is formed. We also show that gravitational waves carry information of the merger process, the remnant, and the torus mass surrounding a black hole.

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): gas fuelling of spiral galaxies in the local Universe II. - direct measurement of the dependencies on redshift and host halo mass of stellar mass growth in central disc galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Grootes, M. W.; Dvornik, A.; Laureijs, R. J.; Tuffs, R. J.; Popescu, C. C.; Robotham, A. S. G.; Liske, J.; Brown, M. J. I.; Holwerda, B. W.; Wang, L.

2018-06-01

We present a detailed analysis of the specific star formation rate-stellar mass (sSFR-M*) of z ≤ 0.13 disc central galaxies using a morphologically selected mass-complete sample (M* ≥ 109.5 M⊙). Considering samples of grouped and ungrouped galaxies, we find the sSFR-M* relations of disc-dominated central galaxies to have no detectable dependence on host dark-matter halo (DMH) mass, even where weak-lensing measurements indicate a difference in halo mass of a factor ≳ 5. We further detect a gradual evolution of the sSFR-M* relation of non-grouped (field) central disc galaxies with redshift, even over a Δz ≈ 0.04 (≈5 × 108 yr) interval, while the scatter remains constant. This evolution is consistent with extrapolation of the `main sequence of star-forming-galaxies' from previous literature that uses larger redshift baselines and coarser sampling. Taken together, our results present new constraints on the paradigm under which the SFR of galaxies is determined by a self-regulated balance between gas inflows and outflows, and consumption of gas by star formation in discs, with the inflow being determined by the product of the cosmological accretion rate and a fuelling efficiency - \\dot{M}_{b,halo}ζ. In particular, maintaining the paradigm requires \\dot{M}_{b,halo}ζ to be independent of the mass Mhalo of the host DMH. Furthermore, it requires the fuelling efficiency ζ to have a strong redshift dependence (∝(1 + z)2.7 for M* = 1010.3 M⊙ over z = 0-0.13), even though no morphological transformation to spheroids can be invoked to explain this in our disc-dominated sample. The physical mechanisms capable of giving rise to such dependencies of ζ on Mhalo and z for discs are unclear.

Does the galaxy-halo connection vary with environment?

Science.gov (United States)

Dragomir, Radu; Rodríguez-Puebla, Aldo; Primack, Joel R.; Lee, Christoph T.

2018-05-01

(Sub)halo abundance matching (SHAM) assumes that one (sub) halo property, such as mass Mvir or peak circular velocity Vpeak, determines properties of the galaxy hosted in each (sub) halo such as its luminosity or stellar mass. This assumption implies that the dependence of galaxy luminosity functions (GLFs) and the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) on environmental density is determined by the corresponding halo density dependence. In this paper, we test this by determining from a Sloan Digital Sky Survey sample the observed dependence with environmental density of the ugriz GLFs and GSMF for all galaxies, and for central and satellite galaxies separately. We then show that the SHAM predictions are in remarkable agreement with these observations, even when the galaxy population is divided between central and satellite galaxies. However, we show that SHAM fails to reproduce the correct dependence between environmental density and g - r colour for all galaxies and central galaxies, although it better reproduces the colour dependence on environmental density of satellite galaxies.

The prolate dark matter halo of the Andromeda galaxy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayashi, Kohei; Chiba, Masashi, E-mail: k.hayasi@astr.tohoku.ac.jp, E-mail: chiba@astr.tohoku.ac.jp [Astronomical Institute, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan)

2014-07-01

We present new limits on the global shape of the dark matter halo in the Andromeda galaxy using and generalizing non-spherical mass models developed by Hayashi and Chiba and compare our results with theoretical predictions of cold dark matter (CDM) models. This is motivated by the fact that CDM models predict non-spherical virialized dark halos, which reflect the process of mass assembly in the galactic scale. Applying our models to the latest kinematic data of globular clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the Andromeda halo, we find that the most plausible cases for Andromeda yield a prolate shape for its dark halo, irrespective of assumed density profiles. We also find that this prolate dark halo in Andromeda is consistent with theoretical predictions in which the satellites are distributed anisotropically and preferentially located along major axes of their host halos. It is a reflection of the intimate connection between galactic dark matter halos and the cosmic web. Therefore, our result is profound in understanding internal dynamics of halo tracers in Andromeda, such as orbital evolutions of tidal stellar streams, which play important roles in extracting the abundance of CDM subhalos through their dynamical effects on stream structures.

The prolate dark matter halo of the Andromeda galaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Kohei; Chiba, Masashi

2014-01-01

We present new limits on the global shape of the dark matter halo in the Andromeda galaxy using and generalizing non-spherical mass models developed by Hayashi and Chiba and compare our results with theoretical predictions of cold dark matter (CDM) models. This is motivated by the fact that CDM models predict non-spherical virialized dark halos, which reflect the process of mass assembly in the galactic scale. Applying our models to the latest kinematic data of globular clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the Andromeda halo, we find that the most plausible cases for Andromeda yield a prolate shape for its dark halo, irrespective of assumed density profiles. We also find that this prolate dark halo in Andromeda is consistent with theoretical predictions in which the satellites are distributed anisotropically and preferentially located along major axes of their host halos. It is a reflection of the intimate connection between galactic dark matter halos and the cosmic web. Therefore, our result is profound in understanding internal dynamics of halo tracers in Andromeda, such as orbital evolutions of tidal stellar streams, which play important roles in extracting the abundance of CDM subhalos through their dynamical effects on stream structures.

Detection of Hot Halo Gets Theory Out of Hot Water

Science.gov (United States)

2006-02-01

intergalactic gas," said Jesper Rasmussen of the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom and a coauthor of the report. "What we found is in good agreement with computer simulations in which galaxies are built up gradually from the merger of smaller clouds of hot gas and dark matter." The computer simulations were done by Jesper Sommer-Larsen (also a coauthor of the report) and collaborators at the University of Copenhagen. The paper describing these results will be published in the April issue of the journal New Astronomy. Other researchers on this project were Sune Toft, Yale University; Andrew Benson, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; and Richard Bower, University of Durham, United Kingdom. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations from the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass. http://chandra.harvard.edu and http://chandra.nasa.gov

Dynamical Constraints On The Galaxy-Halo Connection

Science.gov (United States)

Desmond, Harry

2017-07-01

Dark matter halos comprise the bulk of the universe's mass, yet must be probed by the luminous galaxies that form within them. A key goal of modern astrophysics, therefore, is to robustly relate the visible and dark mass, which to first order means relating the properties of galaxies and halos. This may be expected not only to improve our knowledge of galaxy formation, but also to enable high-precision cosmological tests using galaxies and hence maximise the utility of future galaxy surveys. As halos are inaccessible to observations - as galaxies are to N-body simulations - this relation requires an additional modelling step.The aim of this thesis is to develop and evaluate models of the galaxy-halo connection using observations of galaxy dynamics. In particular, I build empirical models based on the technique of halo abundance matching for five key dynamical scaling relations of galaxies - the Tully-Fisher, Faber-Jackson, mass-size and mass discrepancy-acceleration relations, and Fundamental Plane - which relate their baryon distributions and rotation or velocity dispersion profiles. I then develop a statistical scheme based on approximate Bayesian computation to compare the predicted and measured values of a number of summary statistics describing the relations' important features. This not only provides quantitative constraints on the free parameters of the models, but also allows absolute goodness-of-fit measures to be formulated. I find some features to be naturally accounted for by an abundance matching approach and others to impose new constraints on the galaxy-halo connection; the remainder are challenging to account for and may imply galaxy-halo correlations beyond the scope of basic abundance matching.Besides providing concrete statistical tests of specific galaxy formation theories, these results will be of use for guiding the inputs of empirical and semi-analytic galaxy formation models, which require galaxy-halo correlations to be imposed by hand. As

INTERACTION BETWEEN DARK MATTER SUB-HALOS AND A GALACTIC GASEOUS DISK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kannan, Rahul; Macciò, Andrea V.; Walter, Fabian; Pasquali, Anna; Moster, Benjamin P.

2012-01-01

We investigate the idea that the interaction of dark matter (DM) sub-halos with the gaseous disks of galaxies can be the origin for the observed holes and shells found in their neutral hydrogen (H I) distributions. We use high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations to show that pure DM sub-halos impacting a galactic disk are not able to produce holes; on the contrary, they result in high-density regions in the disk. However, sub-halos containing a small amount of gas (a few percent of the total DM mass of the sub-halo) are able to displace the gas in the disk and form holes and shells. The sizes and lifetimes of these holes depend on the sub-halo gas mass, density, and impact velocity. A DM sub-halo, of mass 10 8 M ☉ and a gas mass fraction of ∼3%, is able to create a kiloparsec-scale hole with a lifetime similar to those observed in nearby galaxies. We also register an increase in the star formation rate at the rim of the hole, again in agreement with observations. Even though the properties of these simulated structures resemble those found in observations, we find that the number of predicted holes (based on mass and orbital distributions of DM halos derived from cosmological N-body simulations) falls short compared to the observations. Only a handful of holes are produced per gigayear. This leads us to conclude that DM halo impact is not the major channel through which these holes are formed.

Two-proton radioactivity with 2p halo in light mass nuclei A=18–34

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Saxena

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Two-proton radioactivity with 2p halo is reported theoretically in light mass nuclei A=18–34. We predict 19Mg, 22Si, 26S, 30Ar and 34Ca as promising candidates of ground state 2p-radioactivity with S2p0. Observation of extended tail of spatial charge density distribution, larger charge radius and study of proton single particle states, Fermi energy and the wave functions indicate 2p halo like structure which supports direct 2p emission. The Coulomb and centrifugal barriers in experimentally identified 2p unbound 22Si show a quasi-bound state that ensures enough life time for such experimental probes. Our predictions are in good accord with experimental and other theoretical data available so far. Keywords: Relativistic mean-field theory, Nilson Strutinsky approach, Two-proton radioactivity, One- and two-proton separation energy, Halo nuclei, Proton drip-lines

THE ROTATION RATES OF MASSIVE STARS: THE ROLE OF BINARY INTERACTION THROUGH TIDES, MASS TRANSFER, AND MERGERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Mink, S. E. [Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD (United States); Langer, N.; Izzard, R. G. [Argelander-Institut fuer Astronomie der Universitaet Bonn, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Sana, H.; De Koter, A. [Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2013-02-20

Rotation is thought to be a major factor in the evolution of massive stars-especially at low metallicity-with consequences for their chemical yields, ionizing flux, and final fate. Deriving the birth spin distribution is of high priority given its importance as a constraint on theories of massive star formation and as input for models of stellar populations in the local universe and at high redshift. Recently, it has become clear that the majority of massive stars interact with a binary companion before they die. We investigate how this affects the distribution of rotation rates, through stellar winds, expansion, tides, mass transfer, and mergers. For this purpose, we simulate a massive binary-star population typical for our Galaxy assuming continuous star formation. We find that, because of binary interaction, 20{sup +5} {sub -10}% of all massive main-sequence stars have projected rotational velocities in excess of 200 km s{sup -1}. We evaluate the effect of uncertain input distributions and physical processes and conclude that the main uncertainties are the mass transfer efficiency and the possible effect of magnetic braking, especially if magnetic fields are generated or amplified during mass accretion and stellar mergers. The fraction of rapid rotators we derive is similar to that observed. If indeed mass transfer and mergers are the main cause for rapid rotation in massive stars, little room remains for rapidly rotating stars that are born single. This implies that spin-down during star formation is even more efficient than previously thought. In addition, this raises questions about the interpretation of the surface abundances of rapidly rotating stars as evidence for rotational mixing. Furthermore, our results allow for the possibility that all early-type Be stars result from binary interactions and suggest that evidence for rotation in explosions, such as long gamma-ray bursts, points to a binary origin.

The impact of feedback and the hot halo on the rates of gas accretion onto galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Correa, Camila A.; Schaye, Joop; van de Voort, Freeke; Duffy, Alan R.; Wyithe, J. Stuart B.

2018-04-01

We investigate the physics that drives the gas accretion rates onto galaxies at the centers of dark matter haloes using the EAGLE suite of hydrodynamical cosmological simulations. We find that at redshifts z ≤ 2 the accretion rate onto the galaxy increases with halo mass in the halo mass range 1010 - 1011.7 M⊙, flattens between the halo masses 1011.7 - 1012.7 M⊙, and increases again for higher-mass haloes. However, the galaxy gas accretion does not flatten at intermediate halo masses when AGN feedback is switched off. To better understand these trends, we develop a physically motivated semi-analytic model of galaxy gas accretion. We show that the flattening is produced by the rate of gas cooling from the hot halo. The ratio of the cooling radius and the virial radius does not decrease continuously with increasing halo mass as generally thought. While it decreases up to ˜1013 M⊙ haloes, it increases for higher halo masses, causing an upturn in the galaxy gas accretion rate. This may indicate that in high-mass haloes AGN feedback is not sufficiently efficient. When there is no AGN feedback, the density of the hot halo is higher, the ratio of the cooling and virial radii does not decrease as much and the cooling rate is higher. Changes in the efficiency of stellar feedback can also increase or decrease the accretion rates onto galaxies. The trends can plausibly be explained by the re-accretion of gas ejected by progenitor galaxies and by the suppression of black hole growth, and hence AGN feedback, by stellar feedback.

An analytic distribution function for a mass-less cored stellar system in a cuspy dark-matter halo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Breddels, Maarten A.; Helmi, Amina

2013-01-01

We demonstrate the existence of a distribution function that can be used to represent spherical mass-less cored stellar systems having constant mildly tangential velocity anisotropy embedded in cuspy dark-matter halos. In particular, we derived analytically the functional form of the distribution

Blending bias impacts the host halo masses derived from a cross-correlation analysis of bright submillimetre galaxies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cowley, William I.; Lacey, Cedric G.; Baugh, Carlton M.; Cole, Shaun; Wilkinson, Aaron

2017-01-01

Placing bright submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) within the broader context of galaxy formation and evolution requires accurate measurements of their clustering, which can constrain the masses of their host dark matter haloes. Recent work has shown that the clustering measurements of these galaxies may

Two-halo term in stacked thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich measurements: Implications for self-similarity

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, J. Colin; Baxter, Eric J.; Lidz, Adam; Greco, Johnny P.; Jain, Bhuvnesh

2018-04-01

The relation between the mass and integrated electron pressure of galaxy group and cluster halos can be probed by stacking maps of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect. Perhaps surprisingly, recent observational results have indicated that the scaling relation between integrated pressure and mass follows the prediction of simple, self-similar models down to halo masses as low as 1 012.5 M⊙ . Hydrodynamical simulations that incorporate energetic feedback processes suggest that gas should be depleted from such low-mass halos, thus decreasing their tSZ signal relative to self-similar predictions. Here, we build on the modeling of V. Vikram, A. Lidz, and B. Jain, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 467, 2315 (2017), 10.1093/mnras/stw3311 to evaluate the bias in the interpretation of stacked tSZ measurements due to the signal from correlated halos (the "two-halo" term), which has generally been neglected in the literature. We fit theoretical models to a measurement of the tSZ-galaxy group cross-correlation function, accounting explicitly for the one- and two-halo contributions. We find moderate evidence of a deviation from self-similarity in the pressure-mass relation, even after marginalizing over conservative miscentering effects. We explore pressure-mass models with a break at 1 014 M⊙, as well as other variants. We discuss and test for sources of uncertainty in our analysis, in particular a possible bias in the halo mass estimates and the coarse resolution of the Planck beam. We compare our findings with earlier analyses by exploring the extent to which halo isolation criteria can reduce the two-halo contribution. Finally, we show that ongoing third-generation cosmic microwave background experiments will explicitly resolve the one-halo term in low-mass groups; our methodology can be applied to these upcoming data sets to obtain a clear answer to the question of self-similarity and an improved understanding of hot gas in low-mass halos.

SURFS: Riding the waves with Synthetic UniveRses For Surveys

Science.gov (United States)

Elahi, Pascal J.; Welker, Charlotte; Power, Chris; Lagos, Claudia del P.; Robotham, Aaron S. G.; Cañas, Rodrigo; Poulton, Rhys

2018-04-01

We present the Synthetic UniveRses For Surveys (SURFS) simulations, a set of N-body/Hydro simulations of the concordance Λ Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) cosmology. These simulations use Planck cosmology, contain up to 10 billion particles, and sample scales and halo masses down to 1 kpc and 108 M⊙. We identify and track haloes from z = 24 to today using a state-of-the-art 6D halo finder and merger tree builder. We demonstrate that certain properties of haloes merger trees are numerically converged for haloes composed of ≳100 particles. Haloes smoothly grow in mass, Vmax, with the mass history characterized by log M(a) ∝ exp [-(a/β)α], where a is the scale factor, α(M) ≈ 0.8 & β(M) ≈ 0.024, with these parameters decreasing with decreasing halo mass. Subhaloes follow power-law cumulative mass and velocity functions, i.e. n( > f) ∝ f-α with αM = 0.83 ± 0.01 and α _{V_max}=2.13± 0.03 for mass and velocity, respectively, independent of redshift, as seen in previous studies. The halo-to-halo scatter in amplitude is 0.9 dex. The number of subhaloes in a halo weakly correlates with a halo's concentration c and spin λ:haloes of high c and low λ have 60 per cent more subhaloes than similar mass haloes of low c and high λ. High cadence tracking shows subhaloes are dynamic residents, with 25 per cent leaving their host halo momentarily, becoming a backsplash subhalo, and another 20 per cent changing hosts entirely, in agreement with previous studies. In general, subhaloes have elliptical orbits, e ≈ 0.6, with periods of 2.3^{+2.1}_{-1.7} Gyrs. Subhaloes lose most of their mass at pericentric passage with mass loss rates of ˜ 40 per cent Gyr-1. These catalogues will be made publicly available.

The Impact of Assembly Bias on the Galaxy Content of Dark Matter Halos

Science.gov (United States)

Zehavi, Idit; Contreras, Sergio; Padilla, Nelson; Smith, Nicholas J.; Baugh, Carlton M.; Norberg, Peder

2018-01-01

We study the dependence of the galaxy content of dark matter halos on large-scale environment and halo formation time using semi-analytic galaxy models applied to the Millennium simulation. We analyze subsamples of halos at the extremes of these distributions and measure the occupation functions for the galaxies they host. We find distinct differences among these occupation functions. The main effect with environment is that central galaxies (and in one model, also the satellites) in denser regions start populating lower-mass halos. A similar, but significantly stronger, trend exists with halo age, where early-forming halos are more likely to host central galaxies at lower halo mass. We discuss the origin of these trends and the connection to the stellar mass–halo mass relation. We find that, at fixed halo mass, older halos and to some extent also halos in dense environments tend to host more massive galaxies. Additionally, we see a reverse trend for the occupation of satellite galaxies where early-forming halos have fewer satellites, likely due to having more time for them to merge with the central galaxy. We describe these occupancy variations in terms of the changes in the occupation function parameters, which can aid in constructing realistic mock galaxy samples. Finally, we study the corresponding galaxy auto- and cross-correlation functions of the different samples and elucidate the impact of assembly bias on galaxy clustering. Our results can inform theoretical modeling of galaxy assembly bias and attempts to detect it in the real universe.

Modeling the Complete Gravitational Wave Spectrum of Neutron Star Mergers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernuzzi, Sebastiano; Dietrich, Tim; Nagar, Alessandro

2015-08-28

In the context of neutron star mergers, we study the gravitational wave spectrum of the merger remnant using numerical relativity simulations. Postmerger spectra are characterized by a main peak frequency f2 related to the particular structure and dynamics of the remnant hot hypermassive neutron star. We show that f(2) is correlated with the tidal coupling constant κ(2)^T that characterizes the binary tidal interactions during the late-inspiral merger. The relation f(2)(κ(2)^T) depends very weakly on the binary total mass, mass ratio, equation of state, and thermal effects. This observation opens up the possibility of developing a model of the gravitational spectrum of every merger unifying the late-inspiral and postmerger descriptions.

Galactic warps and the shape of heavy halos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sparke, L.S.

1984-01-01

The outer disks of many spiral galaxies are bent away from the plane of the inner disk; the abundance of these warps suggests that they are long-lived. Isolated galactic disks have long been thought to have no discrete modes of vertical oscillation under their own gravity, and so to be incapable of sustaining persistent warps. However, the visible disk contains only a fraction of the galactic mass; an invisible galactic halo makes up the rest. This paper presents an investigation of vertical warping modes in self-gravitating disks, in the imposed potential due to an axisymmetric unseen massive halo. If the halo matter is distributed so that the free precession rate of a test particle decreases with radius near the edge of the disk, then the disk has a discrete mode of vibration; oblate halos which become rapidly more flattened at large radii, and uniformly prolate halos, satisfy this requirement. Otherwise, the disk has no discrete modes and so cannot maintain a long-lived warp, unless the edge is sharply truncated. Computed mode shapes which resemble the observed warps can be found for halo masses consistent with those inferred from galactic rotation curves

Painting galaxies into dark matter halos using machine learning

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Shankar; Davé, Romeel; Bassett, Bruce A.

2018-05-01

We develop a machine learning (ML) framework to populate large dark matter-only simulations with baryonic galaxies. Our ML framework takes input halo properties including halo mass, environment, spin, and recent growth history, and outputs central galaxy and halo baryonic properties including stellar mass (M*), star formation rate (SFR), metallicity (Z), neutral (H I) and molecular (H_2) hydrogen mass. We apply this to the MUFASA cosmological hydrodynamic simulation, and show that it recovers the mean trends of output quantities with halo mass highly accurately, including following the sharp drop in SFR and gas in quenched massive galaxies. However, the scatter around the mean relations is under-predicted. Examining galaxies individually, at z = 0 the stellar mass and metallicity are accurately recovered (σ ≲ 0.2 dex), but SFR and H I show larger scatter (σ ≳ 0.3 dex); these values improve somewhat at z = 1, 2. Remarkably, ML quantitatively recovers second parameter trends in galaxy properties, e.g. that galaxies with higher gas content and lower metallicity have higher SFR at a given M*. Testing various ML algorithms, we find that none perform significantly better than the others, nor does ensembling improve performance, likely because none of the algorithms reproduce the large observed scatter around the mean properties. For the random forest algorithm, we find that halo mass and nearby (˜200 kpc) environment are the most important predictive variables followed by growth history, while halo spin and ˜Mpc scale environment are not important. Finally we study the impact of additionally inputting key baryonic properties M*, SFR, and Z, as would be available e.g. from an equilibrium model, and show that particularly providing the SFR enables H I to be recovered substantially more accurately.

THE SPIN AND ORIENTATION OF DARK MATTER HALOS WITHIN COSMIC FILAMENTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Youcai; Yang Xiaohu; Lin Weipeng; Faltenbacher, Andreas; Springel, Volker; Wang Huiyuan

2009-01-01

Clusters, filaments, sheets, and voids are the building blocks of the cosmic web. Forming dark matter halos respond to these different large-scale environments, and this in turn affects the properties of galaxies hosted by the halos. It is therefore important to understand the systematic correlations of halo properties with the morphology of the cosmic web, as this informs both about galaxy formation physics and possible systematics of weak lensing studies. In this study, we present and compare two distinct algorithms for finding cosmic filaments and sheets, a task which is far less well established than the identification of dark matter halos or voids. One method is based on the smoothed dark matter density field and the other uses the halo distributions directly. We apply both techniques to one high-resolution N-body simulation and reconstruct the filamentary/sheet like network of the dark matter density field. We focus on investigating the properties of the dark matter halos inside these structures, in particular, on the directions of their spins and the orientation of their shapes with respect to the directions of the filaments and sheets. We find that both the spin and the major axes of filament halos with masses ∼ 13 h -1 M sun are preferentially aligned with the direction of the filaments. The spins and major axes of halos in sheets tend to lie parallel to the sheets. There is an opposite mass dependence of the alignment strength for the spin (negative) and major (positive) axes, i.e. with increasing halo mass the major axis tends to be more strongly aligned with the direction of the filament, whereas the alignment between halo spin and filament becomes weaker with increasing halo mass. The alignment strength as a function of the distance to the most massive node halo indicates that there is a transit large-scale environment impact: from the two-dimensional collapse phase of the filament to the three-dimensional collapse phase of the cluster/node halo at

The Spin and Orientation of Dark Matter Halos Within Cosmic Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Youcai; Yang, Xiaohu; Faltenbacher, Andreas; Springel, Volker; Lin, Weipeng; Wang, Huiyuan

2009-11-01

Clusters, filaments, sheets, and voids are the building blocks of the cosmic web. Forming dark matter halos respond to these different large-scale environments, and this in turn affects the properties of galaxies hosted by the halos. It is therefore important to understand the systematic correlations of halo properties with the morphology of the cosmic web, as this informs both about galaxy formation physics and possible systematics of weak lensing studies. In this study, we present and compare two distinct algorithms for finding cosmic filaments and sheets, a task which is far less well established than the identification of dark matter halos or voids. One method is based on the smoothed dark matter density field and the other uses the halo distributions directly. We apply both techniques to one high-resolution N-body simulation and reconstruct the filamentary/sheet like network of the dark matter density field. We focus on investigating the properties of the dark matter halos inside these structures, in particular, on the directions of their spins and the orientation of their shapes with respect to the directions of the filaments and sheets. We find that both the spin and the major axes of filament halos with masses lsim1013 h -1 M sun are preferentially aligned with the direction of the filaments. The spins and major axes of halos in sheets tend to lie parallel to the sheets. There is an opposite mass dependence of the alignment strength for the spin (negative) and major (positive) axes, i.e. with increasing halo mass the major axis tends to be more strongly aligned with the direction of the filament, whereas the alignment between halo spin and filament becomes weaker with increasing halo mass. The alignment strength as a function of the distance to the most massive node halo indicates that there is a transit large-scale environment impact: from the two-dimensional collapse phase of the filament to the three-dimensional collapse phase of the cluster/node halo at

Scale dependence of halo and galaxy bias: Effects in real space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Robert E.; Scoccimarro, Roman; Sheth, Ravi K.

2007-01-01

We examine the scale dependence of dark matter halo and galaxy clustering on very large scales (0.01 -1 ] -1 ] -1 ], and only show amplification on smaller scales, whereas low mass haloes show strong, ∼5%-10%, suppression over the range 0.05 -1 ]<0.15. These results were primarily established through the use of the cross-power spectrum of dark matter and haloes, which circumvents the thorny issue of shot-noise correction. The halo-halo power spectrum, however, is highly sensitive to the shot-noise correction; we show that halo exclusion effects make this sub-Poissonian and a new correction is presented. Our results have special relevance for studies of the baryon acoustic oscillation features in the halo power spectra. Nonlinear mode-mode coupling: (i) damps these features on progressively larger scales as halo mass increases; (ii) produces small shifts in the positions of the peaks and troughs which depend on halo mass. We show that these effects on halo clustering are important over the redshift range relevant to such studies (0< z<2), and so will need to be accounted for when extracting information from precision measurements of galaxy clustering. Our analytic model is described in the language of the ''halo model.'' The halo-halo clustering term is propagated into the nonlinear regime using ''1-loop'' perturbation theory and a nonlinear halo bias model. Galaxies are then inserted into haloes through the halo occupation distribution. We show that, with nonlinear bias parameters derived from simulations, this model produces predictions that are qualitatively in agreement with our numerical results. We then use it to show that the power spectra of red and blue galaxies depend differently on scale, thus underscoring the fact that proper modeling of nonlinear bias parameters will be crucial to derive reliable cosmological constraints. In addition to showing that the bias on very large scales is not simply linear, the model also shows that the halo-halo and halo

Localized massive halo properties in BAHAMAS and MACSIS simulations: scalings, log-normality, and covariance

Science.gov (United States)

Farahi, Arya; Evrard, August E.; McCarthy, Ian; Barnes, David J.; Kay, Scott T.

2018-05-01

Using tens of thousands of halos realized in the BAHAMAS and MACSIS simulations produced with a consistent astrophysics treatment that includes AGN feedback, we validate a multi-property statistical model for the stellar and hot gas mass behavior in halos hosting groups and clusters of galaxies. The large sample size allows us to extract fine-scale mass-property relations (MPRs) by performing local linear regression (LLR) on individual halo stellar mass (Mstar) and hot gas mass (Mgas) as a function of total halo mass (Mhalo). We find that: 1) both the local slope and variance of the MPRs run with mass (primarily) and redshift (secondarily); 2) the conditional likelihood, p(Mstar, Mgas| Mhalo, z) is accurately described by a multivariate, log-normal distribution, and; 3) the covariance of Mstar and Mgas at fixed Mhalo is generally negative, reflecting a partially closed baryon box model for high mass halos. We validate the analytical population model of Evrard et al. (2014), finding sub-percent accuracy in the log-mean halo mass selected at fixed property, ⟨ln Mhalo|Mgas⟩ or ⟨ln Mhalo|Mstar⟩, when scale-dependent MPR parameters are employed. This work highlights the potential importance of allowing for running in the slope and scatter of MPRs when modeling cluster counts for cosmological studies. We tabulate LLR fit parameters as a function of halo mass at z = 0, 0.5 and 1 for two popular mass conventions.

Finite temperature effects in Bose-Einstein condensed dark matter halos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harko, Tiberiu; Madarassy, Enikö J.M.

2012-01-01

Once the critical temperature of a cosmological boson gas is less than the critical temperature, a Bose-Einstein Condensation process can always take place during the cosmic history of the universe. Zero temperature condensed dark matter can be described as a non-relativistic, Newtonian gravitational condensate, whose density and pressure are related by a barotropic equation of state, with barotropic index equal to one. In the present paper we analyze the effects of the finite dark matter temperature on the properties of the dark matter halos. We formulate the basic equations describing the finite temperature condensate, representing a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation that takes into account the presence of the thermal cloud. The static condensate and thermal cloud in thermodynamic equilibrium is analyzed in detail, by using the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov and Thomas-Fermi approximations. The condensed dark matter and thermal cloud density and mass profiles at finite temperatures are explicitly obtained. Our results show that when the temperature of the condensate and of the thermal cloud are much smaller than the critical Bose-Einstein transition temperature, the zero temperature density and mass profiles give an excellent description of the dark matter halos. However, finite temperature effects may play an important role in the early stages of the cosmological evolution of the dark matter condensates

Galactic Angular Momentum in Cosmological Zoom-in Simulations. I. Disk and Bulge Components and the Galaxy-Halo Connection

Science.gov (United States)

Sokołowska, Aleksandra; Capelo, Pedro R.; Fall, S. Michael; Mayer, Lucio; Shen, Sijing; Bonoli, Silvia

2017-02-01

We investigate the angular momentum evolution of four disk galaxies residing in Milky-Way-sized halos formed in cosmological zoom-in simulations with various sub-grid physics and merging histories. We decompose these galaxies, kinematically and photometrically, into their disk and bulge components. The simulated galaxies and their components lie on the observed sequences in the j *-M * diagram, relating the specific angular momentum and mass of the stellar component. We find that galaxies in low-density environments follow the relation {j}* \\propto {M}* α past major mergers, with α ˜ 0.6 in the case of strong feedback, when bulge-to-disk ratios are relatively constant, and α ˜ 1.4 in the other cases, when secular processes operate on shorter timescales. We compute the retention factors (I.e., the ratio of the specific angular momenta of stars and dark matter) for both disks and bulges and show that they vary relatively slowly after averaging over numerous but brief fluctuations. For disks, the retention factors are usually close to unity, while for bulges, they are a few times smaller. Our simulations therefore indicate that galaxies and their halos grow in a quasi-homologous way.

CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS OF GALAXY ZOO MERGERS: FREQUENCY OF BINARY ACTIVE NUCLEI IN MASSIVE MERGERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teng, Stacy H. [Observational Cosmology Laboratory, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Schawinski, Kevin; Urry, C. Megan; Bonning, Erin W. [Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 (United States); Darg, Dan W.; Kaviraj, Sugata; Lintott, Chris J. [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Oh, Kyuseok [Department of Astronomy, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Cardamone, Carolin N. [Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, Brown University, P.O. Box 1912, Providence, RI 02912 (United States); Keel, William C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, 206 Gallalee Hall, 514 University Boulevard, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-034 (United States); Simmons, Brooke D. [Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Yale University, P.O. Box 208121, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Treister, Ezequiel, E-mail: stacy.h.teng@nasa.gov [Departamento de Astronomia, Universidad de Concepcion, Casilla 160-C, Concepcion (Chile)

2012-07-10

We present the results from a Chandra pilot study of 12 massive galaxy mergers selected from Galaxy Zoo. The sample includes major mergers down to a host galaxy mass of 10{sup 11} M{sub Sun} that already have optical active galactic nucleus (AGN) signatures in at least one of the progenitors. We find that the coincidences of optically selected active nuclei with mildly obscured (N{sub H} {approx}< 1.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 22} cm{sup -2}) X-ray nuclei are relatively common (8/12), but the detections are too faint (<40 counts per nucleus; f{sub 2-10keV} {approx}< 1.2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -13} erg s{sup -1} cm{sup -2}) to reliably separate starburst and nuclear activity as the origin of the X-ray emission. Only one merger is found to have confirmed binary X-ray nuclei, though the X-ray emission from its southern nucleus could be due solely to star formation. Thus, the occurrences of binary AGNs in these mergers are rare (0%-8%), unless most merger-induced active nuclei are very heavily obscured or Compton thick.

Large-scale assembly bias of dark matter halos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lazeyras, Titouan; Musso, Marcello; Schmidt, Fabian, E-mail: titouan@mpa-garching.mpg.de, E-mail: mmusso@sas.upenn.edu, E-mail: fabians@mpa-garching.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2017-03-01

We present precise measurements of the assembly bias of dark matter halos, i.e. the dependence of halo bias on other properties than the mass, using curved 'separate universe' N-body simulations which effectively incorporate an infinite-wavelength matter overdensity into the background density. This method measures the LIMD (local-in-matter-density) bias parameters b {sub n} in the large-scale limit. We focus on the dependence of the first two Eulerian biases b {sup E} {sup {sub 1}} and b {sup E} {sup {sub 2}} on four halo properties: the concentration, spin, mass accretion rate, and ellipticity. We quantitatively compare our results with previous works in which assembly bias was measured on fairly small scales. Despite this difference, our findings are in good agreement with previous results. We also look at the joint dependence of bias on two halo properties in addition to the mass. Finally, using the excursion set peaks model, we attempt to shed new insights on how assembly bias arises in this analytical model.

The build up of the correlation between halo spin and the large-scale structure

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Peng; Kang, Xi

2018-01-01

Both simulations and observations have confirmed that the spin of haloes/galaxies is correlated with the large-scale structure (LSS) with a mass dependence such that the spin of low-mass haloes/galaxies tend to be parallel with the LSS, while that of massive haloes/galaxies tend to be perpendicular with the LSS. It is still unclear how this mass dependence is built up over time. We use N-body simulations to trace the evolution of the halo spin-LSS correlation and find that at early times the spin of all halo progenitors is parallel with the LSS. As time goes on, mass collapsing around massive halo is more isotropic, especially the recent mass accretion along the slowest collapsing direction is significant and it brings the halo spin to be perpendicular with the LSS. Adopting the fractional anisotropy (FA) parameter to describe the degree of anisotropy of the large-scale environment, we find that the spin-LSS correlation is a strong function of the environment such that a higher FA (more anisotropic environment) leads to an aligned signal, and a lower anisotropy leads to a misaligned signal. In general, our results show that the spin-LSS correlation is a combined consequence of mass flow and halo growth within the cosmic web. Our predicted environmental dependence between spin and large-scale structure can be further tested using galaxy surveys.

DOUBLE QUASARS: PROBES OF BLACK HOLE SCALING RELATIONSHIPS AND MERGER SCENARIOS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foreman, G.; Volonteri, M.; Dotti, M.

2009-01-01

We analyze the available sample of double quasars, and investigate their physical properties. Our sample comprises 85 pairs, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We derive physical parameters for the engine and the host, and model the dynamical evolution of the pair. First, we compare different scaling relationships between massive black holes and their hosts (bulge mass, velocity dispersion, and their possible redshift dependences), and discuss their consistency. We then compute dynamical friction timescales for the double quasar systems to investigate their frequency and their agreement with the m erger drivenscenario for quasar triggering. In optical surveys, such as the SDSS, N double,qso /N qso ∼ 0.1%. Comparing typical merging timescales to expected quasar lifetimes, the fraction of double quasars should be roughly a factor of 10 larger than observed. Additionally, we find that, depending on the correlations between black holes and their hosts, the occurrence of double quasars could be redshift dependent. Comparison of our models to the SDSS quasar catalog suggests that double quasars should be more common at high redshift. We compare the typical separations at which double quasars are observed to the predictions of merger simulations. We find that the distribution of physical separations peaks at ∼30 kpc, with a tail at larger separations (∼100-200 kpc). The peak of the distribution is roughly consistent with the first episode of quasar activity found in equal mass mergers simulations. The tail of the quasar pairs distribution at large separations is instead inconsistent with any quasar activity predicted by published simulations. These large separation pairs are instead consistent with unequal mass mergers where gas is dynamically perturbed during the first pericentric passage, but the gas reaches the black hole only at the next apocenter, where the pair is observed.

THE ELM SURVEY. II. TWELVE BINARY WHITE DWARF MERGER SYSTEMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kilic, Mukremin; Brown, Warren R.; Kenyon, S. J.; Prieto, Carlos Allende; Agueeros, M. A.; Heinke, Craig

2011-01-01

We describe new radial velocity and X-ray observations of extremely low-mass white dwarfs (ELM WDs, ∼0.2 M sun ) in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 and the MMT Hypervelocity Star survey. We identify four new short period binaries, including two merger systems. These observations bring the total number of short period binary systems identified in our survey to 20. No main-sequence or neutron star companions are visible in the available optical photometry, radio, and X-ray data. Thus, the companions are most likely WDs. Twelve of these systems will merge within a Hubble time due to gravitational wave radiation. We have now tripled the number of known merging WD systems. We discuss the characteristics of this merger sample and potential links to underluminous supernovae, extreme helium stars, AM CVn systems, and other merger products. We provide new observational tests of the WD mass-period distribution and cooling models for ELM WDs. We also find evidence for a new formation channel for single low-mass WDs through binary mergers of two lower mass objects.

Disc-halo interactions in ΛCDM

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Jacob S.; Widrow, Lawrence M.; Erkal, Denis

2018-05-01

We present a new method for embedding a stellar disc in a cosmological dark matter halo and provide a worked example from a Λ cold dark matter zoom-in simulation. The disc is inserted into the halo at a redshift z = 3 as a zero-mass rigid body. Its mass and size are then increased adiabatically while its position, velocity, and orientation are determined from rigid-body dynamics. At z = 1, the rigid disc (RD) is replaced by an N-body disc whose particles sample a three-integral distribution function (DF). The simulation then proceeds to z = 0 with live disc (LD) and halo particles. By comparison, other methods assume one or more of the following: the centre of the RD during the growth phase is pinned to the minimum of the halo potential, the orientation of the RD is fixed, or the live N-body disc is constructed from a two rather than three-integral DF. In general, the presence of a disc makes the halo rounder, more centrally concentrated, and smoother, especially in the innermost regions. We find that methods in which the disc is pinned to the minimum of the halo potential tend to overestimate the amount of adiabatic contraction. Additionally, the effect of the disc on the subhalo distribution appears to be rather insensitive to the disc insertion method. The LD in our simulation develops a bar that is consistent with the bars seen in late-type spiral galaxies. In addition, particles from the disc are launched or `kicked up' to high galactic latitudes.

MODIFIED GRAVITY SPINS UP GALACTIC HALOS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jounghun [Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, FPRD, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of); Zhao, Gong-Bo [National Astronomy Observatories, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100012 (China); Li, Baojiu [Institute of Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Koyama, Kazuya, E-mail: jounghun@astro.snu.ac.kr [Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3FX (United Kingdom)

2013-01-20

We investigate the effect of modified gravity on the specific angular momentum of galactic halos by analyzing the halo catalogs at z = 0 from high-resolution N-body simulations for a f(R) gravity model that meets the solar-system constraint. It is shown that the galactic halos in the f(R) gravity model tend to acquire significantly higher specific angular momentum than those in the standard {Lambda}CDM model. The largest difference in the specific angular momentum distribution between these two models occurs for the case of isolated galactic halos with mass less than 10{sup 11} h {sup -1} M {sub Sun }, which are likely least shielded by the chameleon screening mechanism. As the specific angular momentum of galactic halos is rather insensitive to other cosmological parameters, it can in principle be an independent discriminator of modified gravity. We speculate a possibility of using the relative abundance of low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) as a test of general relativity given that the formation of the LSBGs occurs in fast spinning dark halos.

A NOVEL APPROACH TO CONSTRAIN THE MASS RATIO OF MINOR MERGERS IN ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES: APPLICATION TO NGC 4889, THE BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXY IN COMA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gu Meng; Huang Song [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Ho, Luis C. [Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Peng, Chien Y. [Giant Magellan Telescope Organization, 251 South Lake Avenue, Suite 300, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)

2013-08-10

Minor mergers are thought to be important for the buildup and structural evolution of massive elliptical galaxies. In this work, we report the discovery of a system of four shell features in NGC 4889, one of the brightest members of the Coma cluster, using optical images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The shells are well aligned with the major axis of the host and are likely to have been formed by the accretion of a small satellite galaxy. We have performed a detailed two-dimensional photometric decomposition of NGC 4889 and of the many overlapping nearby galaxies in its vicinity. This comprehensive model allows us not only to firmly detect the low-surface brightness shells, but, crucially, also to accurately measure their luminosities and colors. The shells are bluer than the underlying stars at the same radius in the main galaxy. We make use of the colors of the shells and the color-magnitude relation of the Coma cluster to infer the luminosity (or mass) of the progenitor galaxy. The shells in NGC 4889 appear to have been produced by the minor merger of a moderate-luminosity (M{sub I} Almost-Equal-To -18.7 mag) disk (S0 or spiral) galaxy with a luminosity (mass) ratio of {approx}90:1 with respect to the primary galaxy. The novel methodology presented in this work can be exploited to decode the fossil record imprinted in the photometric substructure of other nearby early-type galaxies.

THE SELF-SIMILARITY OF THE CIRCUMGALACTIC MEDIUM WITH GALAXY VIRIAL MASS: IMPLICATIONS FOR COLD-MODE ACCRETION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Churchill, Christopher W.; Nielsen, Nikole M.; Trujillo-Gomez, Sebastian [Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003 (United States); Kacprzak, Glenn G. [Center for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria 3122 (Australia)

2013-02-01

We apply halo abundance matching to obtain galaxy virial masses, M{sub h}, and radii, R{sub vir}, for 183 'isolated' galaxies from the 'Mg II Absorber-Galaxy Catalog'. All galaxies have spectroscopic redshifts (0.07 {<=} z {<=} 1.12) and their circumgalactic medium (CGM) is probed in Mg II absorption within projected galactocentric distances D {<=} 200 kpc. We examine the behavior of equivalent width, W{sub r} (2796), and covering fraction, f{sub c} , as a function of D, D/R{sub vir}, and M{sub h}. Bifurcating the sample at the median mass log M{sub h}/M{sub Sun} = 12, we find (1) systematic segregation of M{sub h} on the W{sub r} (2796)-D plane (4.0{sigma}); high-mass halos are found at higher D with larger W{sub r} (2796) compared to low-mass halos. On the W{sub r} (2796)-D/R{sub vir} plane, mass segregation vanishes and we find W{sub r} (2796){proportional_to}(D/R{sub vir}){sup -2} (8.9{sigma}). (2) High-mass halos have larger f{sub c} at a given D, whereas f{sub c} is independent of M{sub h} at all D/R{sub vir}. (3) f{sub c} is constant with M{sub h} over the range 10.7 {<=} log M{sub h}/M{sub Sun} {<=} 13.9 within a given D or D/R{sub vir}. The combined results suggest the Mg II absorbing CGM is self-similar with halo mass, even above log M{sub h}/M{sub Sun} {approx_equal} 12, where cold mode accretion is predicted to be quenched. If theory is correct, either outflows or sub-halos must contribute to absorption in high-mass halos such that low- and high-mass halos are observationally indistinguishable using Mg II absorption strength once impact parameter is scaled by halo mass. Alternatively, the data may indicate predictions of a universal shut down of cold-mode accretion in high-mass halos may require revision.

Non-Gaussian Halo Bias Re-examined: Mass-dependent Amplitude from the Peak-Background Split and Thresholding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desjacques, Vincent; Jeong, Donghui; Schmidt, Fabian

2011-01-01

Recent results of N-body simulations have shown that current theoretical models are not able to correctly predict the amplitude of the scale-dependent halo bias induced by primordial non-Gaussianity, for models going beyond the simplest, local quadratic case. Motivated by these discrepancies, we carefully examine three theoretical approaches based on (1) the statistics of thresholded regions, (2) a peak-background split method based on separation of scales, and (3) a peak-background split method using the conditional mass function. We first demonstrate that the statistics of thresholded regions, which is shown to be equivalent at leading order to a local bias expansion, cannot explain the mass-dependent deviation between theory and N-body simulations. In the two formulations of the peak-background split on the other hand, we identify an important, but previously overlooked, correction to the non-Gaussian bias that strongly depends on halo mass. This new term is in general significant for any primordial non-Gaussianity going beyond the simplest local f NL model. In a separate paper (to be published in PRD rapid communication), the authors compare these new theoretical predictions with N-body simulations, showing good agreement for all simulated types of non-Gaussianity.

A direct gravitational lensing test for 10 exp 6 solar masses black holes in halos of galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Wambsganss, Joachim; Paczynski, Bohdan

1992-01-01

We propose a method that will be able to detect or exclude the existence of 10 exp 6 solar masses black holes in the halos of galaxies. VLBA radio maps of two milliarcsecond jets of a gravitationally lensed quasar will show the signature of these black holes - if they exist. If there are no compact objects in this mass range along the line of sight, the two jets should be linear mappings of each other. If they are not, there must be compact objects of about 10 exp 6 solar masses in the halo of the galaxy that deform the images by gravitational deflection. We present numerical simulations for the two jets A and B of the double quasar 0957 + 561, but the method is valid for any gravitationally lensed quasar with structure on milliarcsecond scales. As a by-product from high-quality VLBA maps of jets A and B, one will be able to tell which features in the maps are intrinsic in the original jet and which are only an optical illusion, i.e., gravitational distortions by black holes along the line of sight.

Merger Activity and Radio Emission Within A2061

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Avery; Sarazin, Craig L.; Clarke, Tracy E.; Chatzikos, Marios; Hogge, Taylor; Wik, Daniel R.; Rudnick, Lawrence; Farnsworth, Damon; Van Weeren, Reinout J.; Brown, Shea

2015-01-01

Abell 2061 is a galaxy cluster located in the Corona Borealis Supercluster that boasts radio and X-ray structures indicative of a merger. A2061 is located at a redshift z = .0784, contains two brightest cluster galaxies, and has another cluster (A2067) about 2.5 Mpc to the NE, falling towards it. Within A2061, there exists an elongated structure of soft X-ray emission extending to the NE of cluster's center (referred to as the 'Plume') along with a hard X-ray shock region (the 'Shock') located just NE of the cluster's center. Previous observations in the radio have indicated the presence of a extended, central radio halo/relic accompanying the cluster's main X-ray emission but with slight NE displacement and further NE extension. Also emitting in the radio, to the SW of A2061, is a radio relic. The X-ray structures of A2061 were previously examined in 2009 by a Chandra observation. Here we present the results of an August 2013 XMM-Newton observation of the cluster. This XMM-Newton observation, imaged by three detectors, covers a greater field of view with a longer exposure (48.6 ks) than the previous Chandra observation. We will present images and spectra of various regions of the cluster. In addition, we will discuss the dynamics of the cluster, the nature of the Plume, Shock and other features, and origin of the central diffuse radio halo/relic and SW radio relic. These X-ray observations will also be compared to a numerical simulation from the Simulation Library of Astrophysics cluster Mergers (SLAM).

Stability of BEC galactic dark matter halos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guzmán, F.S.; Lora-Clavijo, F.D.; González-Avilés, J.J.; Rivera-Paleo, F.J., E-mail: guzman@ifm.umich.mx, E-mail: fadulora@ifm.umich.mx, E-mail: javiles@ifm.umich.mx, E-mail: friverap@ifm.umich.mx [Instituto de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edificio C-3, Cd. Universitaria, 58040 Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico)

2013-09-01

In this paper we show that spherically symmetric BEC dark matter halos, with the sin r/r density profile, that accurately fit galactic rotation curves and represent a potential solution to the cusp-core problem are unstable. We do this by introducing back the density profiles into the fully time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii-Poisson system of equations. Using numerical methods to track the evolution of the system, we found that these galactic halos lose mass at an approximate rate of half of its mass in a time scale of dozens of Myr. We consider this time scale is enough as to consider these halos are unstable and unlikely to be formed. We provide some arguments to show that this behavior is general and discuss some other drawbacks of the model that restrict its viability.

DARK MATTER SUB-HALO COUNTS VIA STAR STREAM CROSSINGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlberg, R. G.

2012-01-01

Dark matter sub-halos create gaps in the stellar streams orbiting in the halos of galaxies. We evaluate the sub-halo stream crossing integral with the guidance of simulations to find that the linear rate of gap creation, R U , in a typical cold dark matter (CDM) galactic halo at 100 kpc is R U ≅0.0066 M-hat 8 -0.35 kpc -1 Gyr -1 , where M-hat 8 (≡ M-hat /10 8 M ☉ ) is the minimum mass halo that creates a visible gap. The relation can be recast entirely in terms of observables, as R U ≅0.059w -0.85 kpc -1 Gyr -1 , for w in kpc, normalized at 100 kpc. Using published data, the density of gaps is estimated for M31's NW stream and the Milky Way Pal 5 stream, Orphan stream, and Eastern Banded Structure. The estimated rates of gap creation all have errors of 50% or more due to uncertain dynamical ages and the relatively noisy stream density measurements. The gap-rate-width data are in good agreement with the CDM-predicted relation. The high density of gaps in the narrow streams requires a total halo population of 10 5 sub-halos above a minimum mass of 10 5 M ☉ .

Exploring the liminality: properties of haloes and subhaloes in borderline f(R) gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Difu; Li, Baojiu; Han, Jiaxin; Gao, Liang; Hellwing, Wojciech A.

2015-09-01

We investigate the properties of dark matter haloes and subhaloes in an f(R) gravity model with |fR0| = 10-6, using a very-high-resolution N-body simulation. The model is a borderline between being cosmologically interesting and yet still consistent with current data. We find that the halo mass function in this model has a maximum 20 per cent enhancement compared with the Λ-cold-dark-matter (ΛCDM) predictions between z = 1 and 0. Because of the chameleon mechanism which screens the deviation from standard gravity in dense environments, haloes more massive than 1013 h-1 M⊙ in this f(R) model have very similar properties to haloes of similar mass in ΛCDM, while less massive haloes, such as that of the Milky Way, can have steeper inner density profiles and higher velocity dispersions due to their weaker screening. The halo concentration is remarkably enhanced for low-mass haloes in this model due to a deepening of the total gravitational potential. Contrary to the naive expectation, the halo formation time zf is later for low-mass haloes in this model, a consequence of these haloes growing faster than their counterparts in ΛCDM at late times and the definition of zf. Subhaloes, especially those less massive than 1011 h-1 M⊙, are substantially more abundant in this f(R) model for host haloes less massive than 1013 h-1 M⊙. We discuss the implications of these results for the Milky Way satellite abundance problem. Although the overall halo and subhalo properties in this borderline f(R) model are close to their ΛCDM predictions, our results suggest that studies of the Local Group and astrophysical systems, aided by high-resolution simulations, can be valuable for further tests of it.

Hydrogen in hot subdwarfs formed by double helium white dwarf mergers

OpenAIRE

Hall, Philip D.; Jeffery, C. Simon

2016-01-01

Isolated hot subdwarfs might be formed by the merging of two helium-core white dwarfs. Before merging, helium-core white dwarfs have hydrogen-rich envelopes and some of this hydrogen may survive the merger. We calculate the mass of hydrogen that is present at the start of such mergers and, with the assumption that hydrogen is mixed throughout the disrupted white dwarf in the merger process, estimate how much can survive. We find a hydrogen mass of up to about $2 \\times 10^{-3}\\,\\mathrm{M}_{\\o...

Dark energy and extended dark matter halos

Science.gov (United States)

Chernin, A. D.; Teerikorpi, P.; Valtonen, M. J.; Dolgachev, V. P.; Domozhilova, L. M.; Byrd, G. G.

2012-03-01

The cosmological mean matter (dark and baryonic) density measured in the units of the critical density is Ωm = 0.27. Independently, the local mean density is estimated to be Ωloc = 0.08-0.23 from recent data on galaxy groups at redshifts up to z = 0.01-0.03 (as published by Crook et al. 2007, ApJ, 655, 790 and Makarov & Karachentsev 2011, MNRAS, 412, 2498). If the lower values of Ωloc are reliable, as Makarov & Karachentsev and some other observers prefer, does this mean that the Local Universe of 100-300 Mpc across is an underdensity in the cosmic matter distribution? Or could it nevertheless be representative of the mean cosmic density or even be an overdensity due to the Local Supercluster therein. We focus on dark matter halos of groups of galaxies and check how much dark mass the invisible outer layers of the halos are able to host. The outer layers are usually devoid of bright galaxies and cannot be seen at large distances. The key factor which bounds the size of an isolated halo is the local antigravity produced by the omnipresent background of dark energy. A gravitationally bound halo does not extend beyond the zero-gravity surface where the gravity of matter and the antigravity of dark energy balance, thus defining a natural upper size of a system. We use our theory of local dynamical effects of dark energy to estimate the maximal sizes and masses of the extended dark halos. Using data from three recent catalogs of galaxy groups, we show that the calculated mass bounds conform with the assumption that a significant amount of dark matter is located in the invisible outer parts of the extended halos, sufficient to fill the gap between the observed and expected local matter density. Nearby groups of galaxies and the Virgo cluster have dark halos which seem to extend up to their zero-gravity surfaces. If the extended halo is a common feature of gravitationally bound systems on scales of galaxy groups and clusters, the Local Universe could be typical or even

X-ray surveys - Weighting the dark matter haloes of X-ray AGN: towards a physical description of the accretion history of the Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Georgakakis, Antonis; Mountrichas, G.; Fanidakis, N.; Finoguenov, A.; Aegis Collaboration

2012-09-01

The masses of the dark matter haloes in which AGN live is powerful diagnostic of the conditions under which supermassive black holes form and evolve across cosmic time. A new clustering estimation method will be presented which requires spectroscopy only for the AGN and uses photometric redshift probability density functions for galaxies to determine the projected real-space AGN/galaxy cross-correlation function. Our method is superior to traditional AGN clustering estimators (e.g. auto-correlation function) because (i) random errors are significantly suppressed when counting AGN/galaxy pairs, (ii) the impact of sample variance is minimized, and (iii) the requirements for spectroscopy are minimal; only spectroscopic redshift measurements for the AGN are needed. This method is applied to the combined AEGIS, COSMOS and ECDFS fields to infer the bias and dark matter halo mass of moderate luminosity (Lx~10^43 erg/s/cm^2) X-ray AGN at z~1 (total of 400). Predictions from the GALFORM semi-analytic model will be compared to the observations to show that a combination of hot and cold-gas accretion (the latter triggered by disk instabilities in spirals rather than mergers) reproduce well the clustering properties of X-ray AGN over a range of redshifts and luminosities.

Properties of Kilonovae from Dynamical and Post-merger Ejecta of Neutron Star Mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Masaomi; Kato, Daiji; Gaigalas, Gediminas; Rynkun, Pavel; Radžiūtė, Laima; Wanajo, Shinya; Sekiguchi, Yuichiro; Nakamura, Nobuyuki; Tanuma, Hajime; Murakami, Izumi; Sakaue, Hiroyuki A.

2018-01-01

Ejected material from neutron star mergers gives rise to electromagnetic emission powered by radioactive decays of r-process nuclei, the so-called kilonova or macronova. While properties of the emission are largely affected by opacities in the ejected material, available atomic data for r-process elements are still limited. We perform atomic structure calculations for r-process elements: Se (Z = 34), Ru (Z = 44), Te (Z = 52), Ba (Z = 56), Nd (Z = 60), and Er (Z = 68). We confirm that the opacities from bound–bound transitions of open f-shell, lanthanide elements (Nd and Er) are higher than those of the other elements over a wide wavelength range. The opacities of open s-shell (Ba), p-shell (Se and Te), and d-shell (Ru) elements are lower than those of open f-shell elements, and their transitions are concentrated in the ultraviolet and optical wavelengths. We show that the optical brightness can be different by > 2 mag depending on the element abundances in the ejecta such that post-merger, lanthanide-free ejecta produce brighter and bluer optical emission. Such blue emission from post-merger ejecta can be observed from the polar directions if the mass of the preceding dynamical ejecta in these regions is small. For the ejecta mass of 0.01 {M}ȯ , observed magnitudes of the blue emission will reach 21.0 mag (100 Mpc) and 22.5 mag (200 Mpc) in the g and r bands within a few days after the merger, which are detectable with 1 m or 2 m class telescopes.

Galaxy-Wide Shocks in the H$\\alpha$ Emission of Nearby Galaxy Mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Mortazavi, S. Alireza; Lotz, Jennifer M.

2018-01-01

We examine the properties of shocked gas produced as a result of binary galaxy interactions, using H$\\alpha$ emission in a sample 22 mergers observed with SparsePak Integral Field Unit (IFU) at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). Our sample consists of major and minor tidally interacting galaxies (mass ratio $1text{f}_\\text{shocked}$, and examine the spatial distribution of shocks. We find that close galaxy pairs have, on average, a higher shock fraction than wide pairs, and our coalesced mergers have the highest average $\\text{f}_\\text{shocked}$. Additionally, we find for the first time, correlations between mass ratio, mass of the companion, and $\\text{f}_\\text{shocked}$ in tidally interacting galaxy pairs. Among the non-coalesced systems in our sample, the galaxy pairs with more equal light ratio (stellar mass ratio) tend to have a higher average $\\text{f}_\\text{shocked}$. Also, the primary (more massive) companions are on average slightly more shocked than the secondary (less massive) ones. Utilizing dynamical models in the literature and this work, we inspect trends between $\\text{f}_\\text{shocked}$ and the reconstructed encounter parameters. In this very limited sample, we find that the orbital pericentric separation is correlated with shock fraction, consistent with shocks being produced by the chain of events caused by the tidal impulse during the first passage. These results lay a basis for furture analysis using the higher statistics provided by the on-going and future IFU galaxy surveys.

Spatial clustering and halo occupation distribution modelling of local AGN via cross-correlation measurements with 2MASS galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Krumpe, Mirko; Miyaji, Takamitsu; Coil, Alison L.; Aceves, Hector

2018-02-01

We present the clustering properties and halo occupation distribution (HOD) modelling of very low redshift, hard X-ray-detected active galactic nuclei (AGN) using cross-correlation function measurements with Two-Micron All Sky Survey galaxies. Spanning a redshift range of 0.007 2MASS galaxies.

MEASURING THE ULTIMATE HALO MASS OF GALAXY CLUSTERS: REDSHIFTS AND MASS PROFILES FROM THE HECTOSPEC CLUSTER SURVEY (HeCS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rines, Kenneth; Geller, Margaret J.; Kurtz, Michael J.; Diaferio, Antonaldo

2013-01-01

The infall regions of galaxy clusters represent the largest gravitationally bound structures in a ΛCDM universe. Measuring cluster mass profiles into the infall regions provides an estimate of the ultimate mass of these halos. We use the caustic technique to measure cluster mass profiles from galaxy redshifts obtained with the Hectospec Cluster Survey (HeCS), an extensive spectroscopic survey of galaxy clusters with MMT/Hectospec. We survey 58 clusters selected by X-ray flux at 0.1 200 , a new observational cosmological test in essential agreement with simulations. Summed profiles binned in M 200 and in L X demonstrate that the predicted Navarro-Frenk-White form of the density profile is a remarkably good representation of the data in agreement with weak lensing results extending to large radius. The concentration of these summed profiles is also consistent with theoretical predictions.

The Fate of Neutron Star Binary Mergers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piro, Anthony L. [The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Giacomazzo, Bruno [Physics Department, University of Trento, via Sommarive 14, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Perna, Rosalba, E-mail: piro@carnegiescience.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794 (United States)

2017-08-01

Following merger, a neutron star (NS) binary can produce roughly one of three different outcomes: (1) a stable NS, (2) a black hole (BH), or (3) a supramassive, rotationally supported NS, which then collapses to a BH following angular momentum losses. Which of these fates occur and in what proportion has important implications for the electromagnetic transient associated with the mergers and the expected gravitational wave (GW) signatures, which in turn depend on the high density equation of state (EOS). Here we combine relativistic calculations of NS masses using realistic EOSs with Monte Carlo population synthesis based on the mass distribution of NS binaries in our Galaxy to predict the distribution of fates expected. For many EOSs, a significant fraction of the remnants are NSs or supramassive NSs. This lends support to scenarios in which a quickly spinning, highly magnetized NS may be powering an electromagnetic transient. This also indicates that it will be important for future GW observatories to focus on high frequencies to study the post-merger GW emission. Even in cases where individual GW events are too low in signal to noise to study the post merger signature in detail, the statistics of how many mergers produce NSs versus BHs can be compared with our work to constrain the EOS. To match short gamma-ray-burst (SGRB) X-ray afterglow statistics, we find that the stiffest EOSs are ruled out. Furthermore, many popular EOSs require a significant fraction of ∼60%–70% of SGRBs to be from NS–BH mergers rather than just binary NSs.

THE X-RAY HALO OF CEN X-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, Thomas W. J.; Rothschild, Richard E.

2009-01-01

Using two Chandra observations, we have derived estimates of the dust distribution and distance to the eclipsing high-mass X-ray binary Cen X-3 using the energy-resolved dust-scattered X-ray halo. By comparing the observed X-ray halos in 200 eV bands from 2-5 keV to the halo profiles predicted by the Weingartner and Draine interstellar grain model, we find that the vast majority (∼ 70%) of the dust along the line of sight to the system is located within about 300 pc of the Sun, although the halo measurements are insensitive to dust very close to the source. One of the Chandra observations occurred during an egress from eclipse as the pulsar emerged from behind the mass-donating primary. By comparing model halo light curves during this transition to the halo measurements, a source distance of 5.7 ± 1.5 kpc (68% confidence level) is estimated, although we find this result depends on the distribution of dust on very small scales. Nevertheless, this value is marginally inconsistent with the commonly accepted distance to Cen X-3 of 8 kpc. We also find that the energy scaling of the scattering optical depth predicted by the Weingartner and Draine interstellar grain model does not accurately represent the results determined by X-ray halo studies of Cen X-3. Relative to the model, there appears to be less scattering at low energies or more scattering at high energies in Cen X-3.

CONNECTIONS BETWEEN GALAXY MERGERS AND STARBURST: EVIDENCE FROM THE LOCAL UNIVERSE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Wentao; Yang, Xiaohu; Zhang, Youcai

2014-01-01

Major mergers and interactions between gas-rich galaxies with comparable masses are thought to be the main triggers of starburst. In this work, we study, for a large stellar mass range, the interaction rate of the starburst galaxies in the local universe. We focus independently on central and satellite star forming galaxies extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Here the starburst galaxies are selected in the star formation rate (SFR) stellar mass plane with SFRs five times larger than the median value found for ''star forming'' galaxies of the same stellar mass. Through visual inspection of their images together with close companions determined using spectroscopic redshifts, we find that ∼50% of the ''starburst'' populations show evident merger features, i.e., tidal tails, bridges between galaxies, double cores, and close companions. In contrast, in the control sample we selected from the normal star forming galaxies, only ∼19% of galaxies are associated with evident mergers. The interaction rates may increase by ∼5% for the starburst sample and 2% for the control sample if close companions determined using photometric redshifts are considered. The contrast of the merger rate between the two samples strengthens the hypothesis that mergers and interactions are indeed the main causes of starburst

Impact of Mergers on USA Parameter Estimation for Nonspinning Black Hole Binaries

Science.gov (United States)

McWilliams, Sean T.; Thorpe, James Ira; Baker, John G.; Kelly, Bernard J.

2011-01-01

We investigate the precision with which the parameters describing the characteristics and location of nonspinning black hole binaries can be measured with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). By using complete waveforms including the inspiral, merger and ringdown portions of the signals, we find that LISA will have far greater precision than previous estimates for nonspinning mergers that ignored the merger and ringdown. Our analysis covers nonspinning waveforms with moderate mass ratios, q > or = 1/10, and total masses 10(exp 5) < M/M_{Sun} < 10(exp 7). We compare the parameter uncertainties using the Fisher matrix formalism, and establish the significance of mass asymmetry and higher-order content to the predicted parameter uncertainties resulting from inclusion of the merger. In real-time observations, the later parts of the signal lead to significant improvements in sky-position precision in the last hours and even the final minutes of observation. For comparable mass systems with total mass M/M_{Sun} = approx. 10(exp 6), we find that the increased precision resulting from including the merger is comparable to the increase in signal-to-noise ratio. For the most precise systems under investigation, half can be localized to within O(10 arcmin), and 18% can be localized to within O(1 arcmin).

Constraining dark matter halo profiles and galaxy formation models using spiral arm morphology. II. Dark and stellar mass concentrations for 13 nearby face-on galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seigar, Marc S.; Davis, Benjamin L.; Berrier, Joel; Kennefick, Daniel

2014-01-01

We investigate the use of spiral arm pitch angles as a probe of disk galaxy mass profiles. We confirm our previous result that spiral arm pitch angles (P) are well correlated with the rate of shear (S) in disk galaxy rotation curves. We use this correlation to argue that imaging data alone can provide a powerful probe of galactic mass distributions out to large look-back times. We then use a sample of 13 galaxies, with Spitzer 3.6 μm imaging data and observed Hα rotation curves, to demonstrate how an inferred shear rate coupled with a bulge-disk decomposition model and a Tully-Fisher-derived velocity normalization can be used to place constraints on a galaxy's baryon fraction and dark matter halo profile. Finally, we show that there appears to be a trend (albeit a weak correlation) between spiral arm pitch angle and halo concentration. We discuss implications for the suggested link between supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass and dark halo concentration, using pitch angle as a proxy for SMBH mass.

Radioactively powered emission from black hole-neutron star mergers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Masaomi; Wanajo, Shinya; Hotokezaka, Kenta; Kyutoku, Koutarou; Kiuchi, Kenta; Sekiguchi, Yuichiro; Shibata, Masaru

2014-01-01

Detection of the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave (GW) sources is important to unveil the nature of compact binary coalescences. We perform three-dimensional, time-dependent, multi-frequency radiative transfer simulations for radioactively powered emission from the ejecta of black hole (BH)-neutron star (NS) mergers. Depending on the BH to NS mass ratio, spin of the BH, and equations of state of dense matter, BH-NS mergers can eject more material than NS-NS mergers. In such cases, radioactively powered emission from the BH-NS merger ejecta can be more luminous than that from NS-NS mergers. We show that, in spite of the expected larger distances to BH-NS merger events, the observed brightness of BH-NS mergers can be comparable to or even higher than that of NS-NS mergers. We find that, when the tidally disrupted BH-NS merger ejecta are confined to a small solid angle, the emission from BH-NS merger ejecta tends to be bluer than that from NS-NS merger ejecta for a given total luminosity. Thanks to this property, we might be able to distinguish BH-NS merger events from NS-NS merger events by multi-band observations of the radioactively powered emission. In addition to the GW observations, such electromagnetic observations can potentially provide independent information on the progenitors of GW sources and the nature of compact binary coalescences.

Mass and environment as drivers of galaxy evolution. III. The constancy of the faint-end slope and the merging of galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, Ying-jie; Lilly, Simon J.; Carollo, Marcella [Institute of Astronomy, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Renzini, Alvio [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell' Osservatorio 5, I-35122 Padova (Italy)

2014-08-01

Using our continuity approach, we explore the underlying connections between the evolution of the faint-end slope α{sub s} of the stellar mass function of star-forming galaxies, the logarithmic slope β of the specific star formation rate (sSFR)-mass relation, and the merging of galaxies. We derive analytically the consequences of the observed constancy of α{sub s} since redshifts of at least z ∼ 2. If the logarithmic slope β of the sSFR-mass relation is negative, then the faint-end slope α{sub s} should quickly diverge due to the differential mass increase of galaxies on the star-forming main sequence, and this will also quickly destroy the Schechter form of the mass function. This problem can be solved by removing low-mass galaxies by merging them into more massive galaxies. We quantify this process by introducing the specific merger mass rate (sMMR) as the specific rate of mass added to a given galaxy through mergers. For a modest negative value of β ∼ –0.1, an average sMMR ∼ 0.1 sSFR across the population is required to keep α{sub s} constant with epoch, as observed. This in turn implies a merger rate of ∼0.2 sSFR for major mergers, which is consistent with the available observational estimates. More negative values of β require higher sMMR and higher merger rates, and the steepening of the mass function becomes impossible to control for β < –(α{sub s} + 2). The close link that is required between the in situ sSFR and the sMMR probably arises because both are closely linked to the buildup of dark matter halos. These new findings further develop the formalism for the evolving galaxy population that we introduced earlier and show how striking symmetries in the galaxy population can emerge as the result of deep links between the physical processes involved.

THE SCALING RELATIONS AND THE FUNDAMENTAL PLANE FOR RADIO HALOS AND RELICS OF GALAXY CLUSTERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Z. S.; Han, J. L.; Wen, Z. L.

2015-01-01

Diffuse radio emission in galaxy clusters is known to be related to cluster mass and cluster dynamical state. We collect the observed fluxes of radio halos, relics, and mini-halos for a sample of galaxy clusters from the literature, and calculate their radio powers. We then obtain the values of cluster mass or mass proxies from previous observations, and also obtain the various dynamical parameters of these galaxy clusters from optical and X-ray data. The radio powers of relics, halos, and mini-halos are correlated with the cluster masses or mass proxies, as found by previous authors, while the correlations concerning giant radio halos are in general the strongest. We found that the inclusion of dynamical parameters as the third dimension can significantly reduce the data scatter for the scaling relations, especially for radio halos. We therefore conclude that the substructures in X-ray images of galaxy clusters and the irregular distributions of optical brightness of member galaxies can be used to quantitatively characterize the shock waves and turbulence in the intracluster medium responsible for re-accelerating particles to generate the observed diffuse radio emission. The power of radio halos and relics is correlated with cluster mass proxies and dynamical parameters in the form of a fundamental plane

ZOMG - I. How the cosmic web inhibits halo growth and generates assembly bias

Science.gov (United States)

Borzyszkowski, Mikolaj; Porciani, Cristiano; Romano-Díaz, Emilio; Garaldi, Enrico

2017-07-01

The clustering of dark matter haloes with fixed mass depends on their formation history, an effect known as assembly bias. We use zoom N-body simulations to investigate the origin of this phenomenon. For each halo at redshift z = 0, we determine the time in which the physical volume containing its final mass becomes stable. We consider five examples for which this happens at z ˜ 1.5 and two that do not stabilize by z = 0. The zoom simulations show that early-collapsing haloes do not grow in mass at z = 0 while late-forming ones show a net inflow. The reason is that 'accreting' haloes are located at the nodes of a network of thin filaments feeding them. Conversely, each 'stalled' halo lies within a prominent filament that is thicker than the halo size. Infalling material from the surroundings becomes part of the filament while matter within it recedes from the halo. We conclude that assembly bias originates from quenching halo growth due to tidal forces following the formation of non-linear structures in the cosmic web, as previously conjectured in the literature. Also the internal dynamics of the haloes change: the velocity anisotropy profile is biased towards radial (tangential) orbits in accreting (stalled) haloes. Our findings reveal the cause of the yet unexplained dependence of halo clustering on the anisotropy. Finally, we extend the excursion-set theory to account for these effects. A simple criterion based on the ellipticity of the linear tidal field combined with the spherical-collapse model provides excellent predictions for both classes of haloes.

THE CLUSTERING OF ALFALFA GALAXIES: DEPENDENCE ON H I MASS, RELATIONSHIP WITH OPTICAL SAMPLES, AND CLUES OF HOST HALO PROPERTIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Papastergis, Emmanouil; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Haynes, Martha P.; Jones, Michael G. [Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Space Sciences Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Rodríguez-Puebla, Aldo, E-mail: papastergis@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: riccardo@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: haynes@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: jonesmg@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: apuebla@astro.unam.mx [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A. P. 70-264, 04510 México, D.F. (Mexico)

2013-10-10

We use a sample of ≈6000 galaxies detected by the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) 21 cm survey to measure the clustering properties of H I-selected galaxies. We find no convincing evidence for a dependence of clustering on galactic atomic hydrogen (H I) mass, over the range M{sub H{sub I}} ≈ 10{sup 8.5}-10{sup 10.5} M{sub ☉}. We show that previously reported results of weaker clustering for low H I mass galaxies are probably due to finite-volume effects. In addition, we compare the clustering of ALFALFA galaxies with optically selected samples drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We find that H I-selected galaxies cluster more weakly than even relatively optically faint galaxies, when no color selection is applied. Conversely, when SDSS galaxies are split based on their color, we find that the correlation function of blue optical galaxies is practically indistinguishable from that of H I-selected galaxies. At the same time, SDSS galaxies with red colors are found to cluster significantly more than H I-selected galaxies, a fact that is evident in both the projected as well as the full two-dimensional correlation function. A cross-correlation analysis further reveals that gas-rich galaxies 'avoid' being located within ≈3 Mpc of optical galaxies with red colors. Next, we consider the clustering properties of halo samples selected from the Bolshoi ΛCDM simulation. A comparison with the clustering of ALFALFA galaxies suggests that galactic H I mass is not tightly related to host halo mass and that a sizable fraction of subhalos do not host H I galaxies. Lastly, we find that we can recover fairly well the correlation function of H I galaxies by just excluding halos with low spin parameter. This finding lends support to the hypothesis that halo spin plays a key role in determining the gas content of galaxies.

Halo Histories vs. Galaxy Properties at z=0, III: The Properties of Star-Forming Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Tinker, Jeremy L.; Hahn, ChangHoon; Mao, Yao-Yuan; Wetzel, Andrew R.

2018-05-01

We measure how the properties of star-forming central galaxies correlate with large-scale environment, δ, measured on 10 h-1Mpc scales. We use galaxy group catalogs to isolate a robust sample of central galaxies with high purity and completeness. The galaxy properties we investigate are star formation rate (SFR), exponential disk scale length Rexp, and Sersic index of the galaxy light profile, nS. We find that, at all stellar masses, there is an inverse correlation between SFR and δ, meaning that above-average star forming centrals live in underdense regions. For nS and Rexp, there is no correlation with δ at M_\\ast ≲ 10^{10.5} M⊙, but at higher masses there are positive correlations; a weak correlation with Rexp and a strong correlation with nS. These data are evidence of assembly bias within the star-forming population. The results for SFR are consistent with a model in which SFR correlates with present-day halo accretion rate, \\dot{M}_h. In this model, galaxies are assigned to halos using the abundance matching ansatz, which maps galaxy stellar mass onto halo mass. At fixed halo mass, SFR is then assigned to galaxies using the same approach, but \\dot{M}_h is used to map onto SFR. The best-fit model requires some scatter in the \\dot{M}_h-SFR relation. The Rexp and nS measurements are consistent with a model in which both of these quantities are correlated with the spin parameter of the halo, λ. Halo spin does not correlate with δ at low halo masses, but for higher mass halos, high-spin halos live in higher density environments at fixed Mh. Put together with the earlier installments of this series, these data demonstrate that quenching processes have limited correlation with halo formation history, but the growth of active galaxies, as well as other detailed galaxies properties, are influenced by the details of halo assembly.

Can mergers make slowly rotating elliptical galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, S.D.M.

1979-01-01

The results of numerical experiments are used to guide an analytic discussion of hyperbolic mergers among an uncorrelated galaxy population. The expected merger rate is derived as a function of progenitor mass and relative angular momentum, and is used to predict the distribution of the parameter V/sub c//sigma 0 for merger products where V/sub c/ is the maximum observed rotation velocity in a galaxy and sigma 0 is its central velocity dispersion. The median value of this parameter for mergers between comparable galaxies is estimated to be 0.65 and is higher than the observed value in any of the 14 galaxies for which data are available. It seems unlikely that most elliptical galaxies are the result of single or multiple mergers between initially unbound stellar systems; further observational and theoretical work is suggested which should lead to a conclusive test of this picture. The present arguments cannot, however, exclude formation from low angular momentum elliptical orbits

THE NON-CAUSAL ORIGIN OF THE BLACK-HOLE-GALAXY SCALING RELATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahnke, Knud; Maccio, Andrea V.

2011-01-01

We show that the M BH -M bulge scaling relations observed from the local to the high-z universe can be largely or even entirely explained by a non-causal origin, i.e., they do not imply the need for any physically coupled growth of black hole (BH) and bulge mass, for example, through feedback by active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Provided some physics for the absolute normalization, the creation of the scaling relations can be fully explained by the hierarchical assembly of BH and stellar mass through galaxy merging, from an initially uncorrelated distribution of BH and stellar masses in the early universe. We show this with a suite of dark matter halo merger trees for which we make assumptions about (uncorrelated) BH and stellar mass values at early cosmic times. We then follow the halos in the presence of global star formation and BH accretion recipes that (1) work without any coupling of the two properties per individual galaxy and (2) correctly reproduce the observed star formation and BH accretion rate density in the universe. With disk-to-bulge conversion in mergers included, our simulations even create the observed slope of ∼1.1 for the M BH -M bulge relation at z = 0. This also implies that AGN feedback is not a required (though still a possible) ingredient in galaxy evolution. In light of this, other mechanisms that can be invoked to truncate star formation in massive galaxies are equally justified.

Evolution Models of Helium White Dwarf–Main-sequence Star Merger Remnants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xianfei; Bi, Shaolan; Hall, Philip D.; Jeffery, C. Simon

2017-01-01

It is predicted that orbital decay by gravitational-wave radiation and tidal interaction will cause some close binary stars to merge within a Hubble time. The merger of a helium-core white dwarf with a main-sequence (MS) star can produce a red giant branch star that has a low-mass hydrogen envelope when helium is ignited and thus become a hot subdwarf. Because detailed calculations have not been made, we compute post-merger models with a stellar evolution code. We find the evolutionary paths available to merger remnants and find the pre-merger conditions that lead to the formation of hot subdwarfs. We find that some such mergers result in the formation of stars with intermediate helium-rich surfaces. These stars later develop helium-poor surfaces owing to diffusion. Combining our results with a model population and comparing to observed stars, we find that some observed intermediate helium-rich hot subdwarfs can be explained as the remnants of the mergers of helium-core white dwarfs with low-mass MS stars.

Evolution Models of Helium White Dwarf–Main-sequence Star Merger Remnants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xianfei; Bi, Shaolan [Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 (China); Hall, Philip D.; Jeffery, C. Simon, E-mail: zxf@bnu.edu.cn [Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DG (United Kingdom)

2017-02-01

It is predicted that orbital decay by gravitational-wave radiation and tidal interaction will cause some close binary stars to merge within a Hubble time. The merger of a helium-core white dwarf with a main-sequence (MS) star can produce a red giant branch star that has a low-mass hydrogen envelope when helium is ignited and thus become a hot subdwarf. Because detailed calculations have not been made, we compute post-merger models with a stellar evolution code. We find the evolutionary paths available to merger remnants and find the pre-merger conditions that lead to the formation of hot subdwarfs. We find that some such mergers result in the formation of stars with intermediate helium-rich surfaces. These stars later develop helium-poor surfaces owing to diffusion. Combining our results with a model population and comparing to observed stars, we find that some observed intermediate helium-rich hot subdwarfs can be explained as the remnants of the mergers of helium-core white dwarfs with low-mass MS stars.

Modeling the formation of globular cluster systems in the Virgo cluster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Hui; Gnedin, Oleg Y.

2014-01-01

The mass distribution and chemical composition of globular cluster (GC) systems preserve fossil record of the early stages of galaxy formation. The observed distribution of GC colors within massive early-type galaxies in the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey (ACSVCS) reveals a multi-modal shape, which likely corresponds to a multi-modal metallicity distribution. We present a simple model for the formation and disruption of GCs that aims to match the ACSVCS data. This model tests the hypothesis that GCs are formed during major mergers of gas-rich galaxies and inherit the metallicity of their hosts. To trace merger events, we use halo merger trees extracted from a large cosmological N-body simulation. We select 20 halos in the mass range of 2 × 10 12 to 7 × 10 13 M ☉ and match them to 19 Virgo galaxies with K-band luminosity between 3 × 10 10 and 3 × 10 11 L ☉ . To set the [Fe/H] abundances, we use an empirical galaxy mass-metallicity relation. We find that a minimal merger ratio of 1:3 best matches the observed cluster metallicity distribution. A characteristic bimodal shape appears because metal-rich GCs are produced by late mergers between massive halos, while metal-poor GCs are produced by collective merger activities of less massive hosts at early times. The model outcome is robust to alternative prescriptions for cluster formation rate throughout cosmic time, but a gradual evolution of the mass-metallicity relation with redshift appears to be necessary to match the observed cluster metallicities. We also affirm the age-metallicity relation, predicted by an earlier model, in which metal-rich clusters are systematically several billion younger than their metal-poor counterparts.

Gravitational-Wave Luminosity of Binary Neutron Stars Mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Zappa, Francesco; Bernuzzi, Sebastiano; Radice, David; Perego, Albino; Dietrich, Tim

2018-03-01

We study the gravitational-wave peak luminosity and radiated energy of quasicircular neutron star mergers using a large sample of numerical relativity simulations with different binary parameters and input physics. The peak luminosity for all the binaries can be described in terms of the mass ratio and of the leading-order post-Newtonian tidal parameter solely. The mergers resulting in a prompt collapse to black hole have the largest peak luminosities. However, the largest amount of energy per unit mass is radiated by mergers that produce a hypermassive neutron star or a massive neutron star remnant. We quantify the gravitational-wave luminosity of binary neutron star merger events, and set upper limits on the radiated energy and the remnant angular momentum from these events. We find that there is an empirical universal relation connecting the total gravitational radiation and the angular momentum of the remnant. Our results constrain the final spin of the remnant black hole and also indicate that stable neutron star remnant forms with super-Keplerian angular momentum.

Gravitational-Wave Luminosity of Binary Neutron Stars Mergers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zappa, Francesco; Bernuzzi, Sebastiano; Radice, David; Perego, Albino; Dietrich, Tim

2018-03-16

We study the gravitational-wave peak luminosity and radiated energy of quasicircular neutron star mergers using a large sample of numerical relativity simulations with different binary parameters and input physics. The peak luminosity for all the binaries can be described in terms of the mass ratio and of the leading-order post-Newtonian tidal parameter solely. The mergers resulting in a prompt collapse to black hole have the largest peak luminosities. However, the largest amount of energy per unit mass is radiated by mergers that produce a hypermassive neutron star or a massive neutron star remnant. We quantify the gravitational-wave luminosity of binary neutron star merger events, and set upper limits on the radiated energy and the remnant angular momentum from these events. We find that there is an empirical universal relation connecting the total gravitational radiation and the angular momentum of the remnant. Our results constrain the final spin of the remnant black hole and also indicate that stable neutron star remnant forms with super-Keplerian angular momentum.

HOT GAS HALOS IN EARLY-TYPE FIELD GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulchaey, John S.; Jeltema, Tesla E.

2010-01-01

We use Chandra and XMM-Newton to study the hot gas content in a sample of field early-type galaxies. We find that the L X -L K relationship is steeper for field galaxies than for comparable galaxies in groups and clusters. The low hot gas content of field galaxies with L K ∼ * suggests that internal processes such as supernovae-driven winds or active galactic nucleus feedback expel hot gas from low-mass galaxies. Such mechanisms may be less effective in groups and clusters where the presence of an intragroup or intracluster medium can confine outflowing material. In addition, galaxies in groups and clusters may be able to accrete gas from the ambient medium. While there is a population of L K ∼ * galaxies in groups and clusters that retain hot gas halos, some galaxies in these rich environments, including brighter galaxies, are largely devoid of hot gas. In these cases, the hot gas halos have likely been removed via ram pressure stripping. This suggests a very complex interplay between the intragroup/intracluster medium and hot gas halos of galaxies in rich environments, with the ambient medium helping to confine or even enhance the halos in some cases and acting to remove gas in others. In contrast, the hot gas content of more isolated galaxies is largely a function of the mass of the galaxy, with more massive galaxies able to maintain their halos, while in lower mass systems the hot gas escapes in outflowing winds.

DARK MATTER HALOS IN GALAXIES AND GLOBULAR CLUSTER POPULATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hudson, Michael J.; Harris, Gretchen L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 (Canada); Harris, William E., E-mail: mjhudson@uwaterloo.ca [Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1 (Canada)

2014-05-20

We combine a new, comprehensive database for globular cluster populations in all types of galaxies with a new calibration of galaxy halo masses based entirely on weak lensing. Correlating these two sets of data, we find that the mass ratio η ≡ M {sub GCS}/M {sub h} (total mass in globular clusters, divided by halo mass) is essentially constant at (η) ∼ 4 × 10{sup –5}, strongly confirming earlier suggestions in the literature. Globular clusters are the only known stellar population that formed in essentially direct proportion to host galaxy halo mass. The intrinsic scatter in η appears to be at most 0.2 dex; we argue that some of this scatter is due to differing degrees of tidal stripping of the globular cluster systems between central and satellite galaxies. We suggest that this correlation can be understood if most globular clusters form at very early stages in galaxy evolution, largely avoiding the feedback processes that inhibited the bulk of field-star formation in their host galaxies. The actual mean value of η also suggests that about one-fourth of the initial gas mass present in protogalaxies collected into giant molecular clouds large enough to form massive, dense star clusters. Finally, our calibration of (η) indicates that the halo masses of the Milky Way and M31 are (1.2 ± 0.5) × 10{sup 12} M {sub ☉} and (3.9 ± 1.8) × 10{sup 12} M {sub ☉}, respectively.

The influence of massive black hole binaries on the morphology of merger remnants

Science.gov (United States)

Bortolas, E.; Gualandris, A.; Dotti, M.; Read, J. I.

2018-06-01

Massive black hole (MBH) binaries, formed as a result of galaxy mergers, are expected to harden by dynamical friction and three-body stellar scatterings, until emission of gravitational waves (GWs) leads to their final coalescence. According to recent simulations, MBH binaries can efficiently harden via stellar encounters only when the host geometry is triaxial, even if only modestly, as angular momentum diffusion allows an efficient repopulation of the binary loss cone. In this paper, we carry out a suite of N-body simulations of equal-mass galaxy collisions, varying the initial orbits and density profiles for the merging galaxies and running simulations both with and without central MBHs. We find that the presence of an MBH binary in the remnant makes the system nearly oblate, aligned with the galaxy merger plane, within a radius enclosing 100 MBH masses. We never find binary hosts to be prolate on any scale. The decaying MBHs slightly enhance the tangential anisotropy in the centre of the remnant due to angular momentum injection and the slingshot ejection of stars on nearly radial orbits. This latter effect results in about 1 per cent of the remnant stars being expelled from the galactic nucleus. Finally, we do not find any strong connection between the remnant morphology and the binary hardening rate, which depends only on the inner density slope of the remnant galaxy. Our results suggest that MBH binaries are able to coalesce within a few Gyr, even if the binary is found to partially erase the merger-induced triaxiality from the remnant.

Evolution of the major merger galaxy pair fraction at z < 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keenan, R. C.; Hsieh, B. C.; Lin, L.; Chou, R. C. Y.; Huang, S.; Lin, J. H.; Chang, K. H. [Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Foucaud, S. [Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); De Propris, R. [Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO (FINCA), University of Turku, Turku (Finland)

2014-11-10

We present a study of the largest available sample of near-infrared selected (i.e., stellar mass selected) dynamically close pairs of galaxies at low redshifts (z < 0.3). We combine this sample with new estimates of the major merger pair fraction for stellar mass selected galaxies at z < 0.8, from the Red Sequence Cluster Survey (RCS1). We construct our low-redshift K-band selected sample using photometry from the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) in the K band (∼2.2 μm). Combined with all available spectroscopy, our K-band selected sample contains ∼250, 000 galaxies and is >90% spectroscopically complete. The depth and large volume of this sample allow us to investigate the low-redshift pair fraction and merger rate of galaxies over a wide range in K-band luminosity. We find the major merger pair fraction to be flat at ∼2% as a function of K-band luminosity for galaxies in the range 10{sup 8}-10{sup 12} L {sub ☉}, in contrast to recent results from studies in the local group that find a substantially higher low-mass pair fraction. This low-redshift major merger pair fraction is ∼40%-50% higher than previous estimates drawn from K-band samples, which were based on 2MASS photometry alone. Combining with the RCS1 sample, we find a much flatter evolution (m = 0.7 ± 0.1) in the relation f {sub pair}∝(1 + z) {sup m} than indicated in many previous studies. These results indicate that a typical L ∼ L* galaxy has undergone ∼0.2-0.8 major mergers since z = 1 (depending on the assumptions of merger timescale and percentage of pairs that actually merge).

Evolution of the major merger galaxy pair fraction at z < 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keenan, R. C.; Hsieh, B. C.; Lin, L.; Chou, R. C. Y.; Huang, S.; Lin, J. H.; Chang, K. H.; Foucaud, S.; De Propris, R.

2014-01-01

We present a study of the largest available sample of near-infrared selected (i.e., stellar mass selected) dynamically close pairs of galaxies at low redshifts (z < 0.3). We combine this sample with new estimates of the major merger pair fraction for stellar mass selected galaxies at z < 0.8, from the Red Sequence Cluster Survey (RCS1). We construct our low-redshift K-band selected sample using photometry from the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) in the K band (∼2.2 μm). Combined with all available spectroscopy, our K-band selected sample contains ∼250, 000 galaxies and is >90% spectroscopically complete. The depth and large volume of this sample allow us to investigate the low-redshift pair fraction and merger rate of galaxies over a wide range in K-band luminosity. We find the major merger pair fraction to be flat at ∼2% as a function of K-band luminosity for galaxies in the range 10 8 -10 12 L ☉ , in contrast to recent results from studies in the local group that find a substantially higher low-mass pair fraction. This low-redshift major merger pair fraction is ∼40%-50% higher than previous estimates drawn from K-band samples, which were based on 2MASS photometry alone. Combining with the RCS1 sample, we find a much flatter evolution (m = 0.7 ± 0.1) in the relation f pair ∝(1 + z) m than indicated in many previous studies. These results indicate that a typical L ∼ L* galaxy has undergone ∼0.2-0.8 major mergers since z = 1 (depending on the assumptions of merger timescale and percentage of pairs that actually merge).

Halo Star Lithium Depletion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinsonneault, M. H.; Walker, T. P.; Steigman, G.; Narayanan, Vijay K.

1999-01-01

The depletion of lithium during the pre-main-sequence and main-sequence phases of stellar evolution plays a crucial role in the comparison of the predictions of big bang nucleosynthesis with the abundances observed in halo stars. Previous work has indicated a wide range of possible depletion factors, ranging from minimal in standard (nonrotating) stellar models to as much as an order of magnitude in models that include rotational mixing. Recent progress in the study of the angular momentum evolution of low-mass stars permits the construction of theoretical models capable of reproducing the angular momentum evolution of low-mass open cluster stars. The distribution of initial angular momenta can be inferred from stellar rotation data in young open clusters. In this paper we report on the application of these models to the study of lithium depletion in main-sequence halo stars. A range of initial angular momenta produces a range of lithium depletion factors on the main sequence. Using the distribution of initial conditions inferred from young open clusters leads to a well-defined halo lithium plateau with modest scatter and a small population of outliers. The mass-dependent angular momentum loss law inferred from open cluster studies produces a nearly flat plateau, unlike previous models that exhibited a downward curvature for hotter temperatures in the 7Li-Teff plane. The overall depletion factor for the plateau stars is sensitive primarily to the solar initial angular momentum used in the calibration for the mixing diffusion coefficients. Uncertainties remain in the treatment of the internal angular momentum transport in the models, and the potential impact of these uncertainties on our results is discussed. The 6Li/7Li depletion ratio is also examined. We find that the dispersion in the plateau and the 6Li/7Li depletion ratio scale with the absolute 7Li depletion in the plateau, and we use observational data to set bounds on the 7Li depletion in main-sequence halo

Using transfer learning to detect galaxy mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Ackermann, Sandro; Schawinksi, Kevin; Zhang, Ce; Weigel, Anna K.; Turp, M. Dennis

2018-05-01

We investigate the use of deep convolutional neural networks (deep CNNs) for automatic visual detection of galaxy mergers. Moreover, we investigate the use of transfer learning in conjunction with CNNs, by retraining networks first trained on pictures of everyday objects. We test the hypothesis that transfer learning is useful for improving classification performance for small training sets. This would make transfer learning useful for finding rare objects in astronomical imaging datasets. We find that these deep learning methods perform significantly better than current state-of-the-art merger detection methods based on nonparametric systems like CAS and GM20. Our method is end-to-end and robust to image noise and distortions; it can be applied directly without image preprocessing. We also find that transfer learning can act as a regulariser in some cases, leading to better overall classification accuracy (p = 0.02). Transfer learning on our full training set leads to a lowered error rate from 0.0381 down to 0.0321, a relative improvement of 15%. Finally, we perform a basic sanity-check by creating a merger sample with our method, and comparing with an already existing, manually created merger catalogue in terms of colour-mass distribution and stellar mass function.

An Excursion Set Model of the Cosmic Web: the Abundance of Sheets, Filaments And Halos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Jiajian; /Penn State U., Astron. Astrophys.; Abel, Tom; /KIPAC, Menlo Park; Mo, Houjun; /Massachusetts U., Amherst; Sheth, Ravi; /Pennsylvania U.

2006-01-11

We discuss an analytic approach for modeling structure formation in sheets, filaments and knots. This is accomplished by combining models of triaxial collapse with the excursion set approach: sheets are defined as objects which have collapsed along only one axis, filaments have collapsed along two axes, and halos are objects in which triaxial collapse is complete. In the simplest version of this approach, which we develop here, large scale structure shows a clear hierarchy of morphologies: the mass in large-scale sheets is partitioned up among lower mass filaments, which themselves are made-up of still lower mass halos. Our approach provides analytic estimates of the mass fraction in sheets, filaments and halos, and its evolution, for any background cosmological model and any initial fluctuation spectrum. In the currently popular {Lambda}CDM model, our analysis suggests that more than 99% of the mass in sheets, and 72% of the mass in filaments, is stored in objects more massive than 10{sup 10}M{sub {circle_dot}} at the present time. For halos, this number is only 46%. Our approach also provides analytic estimates of how halo abundances at any given time correlate with the morphology of the surrounding large-scale structure, and how halo evolution correlates with the morphology of large scale structure.

Phase models of galaxies consisting of a disk and halo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osipkov, L.P.; Kutuzov, S.A.

1988-01-01

A method is developed for finding the phase density of a two-component model of a distribution of masses. The equipotential surfaces and potential law are given. The equipotentials are lenslike surfaces with a sharp edge in the equatorial plane, this ensuring the existence of a vanishingly thin embedded disk. The equidensity surfaces of the halo coincide with the equipotentials. Phase models are constructed separately for the halo and for the disk on the basis of the spatial and surface mass densities by the solution of the corresponding integral equations. In particular, models with a halo having finite dimensions can be constructed. For both components, the part of the phase density even with respect to the velocities is found. For the halo, it depends only on the energy integral. Two examples, for which exact solutions are found, are considered

A new direction for dark matter research: intermediate-mass compact halo objects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chapline, George F. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, Livermore, CA (United States); Frampton, Paul H., E-mail: george.chapline@gmail.com, E-mail: paul.h.frampton@gmail.com [15 Summerheights, 29 Water Eaton Road, Oxford OX2 7PG (United Kingdom)

2016-11-01

The failure to find evidence for elementary particles that could serve as the constituents of dark matter brings to mind suggestions that dark matter might consist of massive compact objects (MACHOs). In particular, it has recently been argued that MACHOs with masses > 15 M {sub ⊙} may have been prolifically produced at the onset of the big bang. Although a variety of astrophysical signatures for primordial MACHOs with masses in this range have been discussed in the literature, we favor a strategy that uses the potential for magnification of stars outside our galaxy due to gravitational microlensing of these stars by MACHOs in the halo of our galaxy. We point out that the effect of the motion of the Earth on the shape of the micro-lensing brightening curves provides a promising approach to testing over the course of next several years the hypothesis that dark matter consists of massive compact objects.

THE MAJOR AND MINOR GALAXY MERGER RATES AT z < 1.5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lotz, Jennifer M.; Jonsson, Patrik; Cox, T. J.; Croton, Darren; Primack, Joel R.; Somerville, Rachel S.; Stewart, Kyle

2011-01-01

Calculating the galaxy merger rate requires both a census of galaxies identified as merger candidates and a cosmologically averaged 'observability' timescale (T obs (z)) for identifying galaxy mergers. While many have counted galaxy mergers using a variety of techniques, (T obs (z)) for these techniques have been poorly constrained. We address this problem by calibrating three merger rate estimators with a suite of hydrodynamic merger simulations and three galaxy formation models. We estimate (T obs (z)) for (1) close galaxy pairs with a range of projected separations, (2) the morphology indicator G – M 20 , and (3) the morphology indicator asymmetry A. Then, we apply these timescales to the observed merger fractions at z +3.0±1.1 ) than samples selected with constant stellar mass or passively evolving luminosity (∝(1 + z) +0.1±0.4 ). We calculate the minor merger rate (1:4 sat /M primary ∼ 20 . The implied minor merger rate is ∼3 times the major merger rate at z ∼ 0.7 and shows little evolution with redshift.

A Comparison of Grid-based and SPH Binary Mass-transfer and Merger Simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Motl, Patrick M. [Indiana University Kokomo, School of Sciences, P.O. Box 9003, Kokomo, IN 46903-9004 (United States); Frank, Juhan; Clayton, Geoffrey C.; Tohline, Joel E. [Louisiana State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4001 (United States); Staff, Jan [College of Science and Math, University of Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands 00802 (United States); Fryer, Christopher L.; Even, Wesley [Center for Theoretical Astrophysics/CCS-2, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Diehl, Steven, E-mail: pmotl@iuk.edu [TLT-Turbo GmbH, Gleiwitzstrasse 7, 66482 Zweibrücken (Germany)

2017-04-01

There is currently a great amount of interest in the outcomes and astrophysical implications of mergers of double degenerate binaries. In a commonly adopted approximation, the components of such binaries are represented by polytropes with an index of n  = 3/2. We present detailed comparisons of stellar mass-transfer and merger simulations of polytropic binaries that have been carried out using two very different numerical algorithms—a finite-volume “grid” code and a smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code. We find that there is agreement in both the ultimate outcomes of the evolutions and the intermediate stages if the initial conditions for each code are chosen to match as closely as possible. We find that even with closely matching initial setups, the time it takes to reach a concordant evolution differs between the two codes because the initial depth of contact cannot be matched exactly. There is a general tendency for SPH to yield higher mass transfer rates and faster evolution to the final outcome. We also present comparisons of simulations calculated from two different energy equations: in one series, we assume a polytropic equation of state and in the other series an ideal gas equation of state. In the latter series of simulations, an atmosphere forms around the accretor, which can exchange angular momentum and cause a more rapid loss of orbital angular momentum. In the simulations presented here, the effect of the ideal equation of state is to de-stabilize the binary in both SPH and grid simulations, but the effect is more pronounced in the grid code.

MODELS OF KILONOVA/MACRONOVA EMISSION FROM BLACK HOLE–NEUTRON STAR MERGERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawaguchi, Kyohei; Shibata, Masaru; Kyutoku, Koutarou; Tanaka, Masaomi

2016-01-01

Black hole–neutron star (BH–NS) mergers are among the most promising gravitational-wave sources for ground-based detectors, and gravitational waves from BH–NS mergers are expected to be detected in the next few years. The simultaneous detection of electromagnetic counterparts with gravitational waves would provide rich information about merger events. Among the possible electromagnetic counterparts from BH–NS mergers is the so-called kilonova/macronova, emission powered by the decay of radioactive r-process nuclei, which is one of the best targets for follow-up observations. We derive fitting formulas for the mass and the velocity of ejecta from a generic BH–NS merger based on recently performed numerical-relativity simulations. We combine these fitting formulas with a new semi-analytic model for a BH–NS kilonova/macronova lightcurve, which reproduces the results of radiation-transfer simulations. Specifically, the semi-analytic model reproduces the results of each band magnitude obtained by the previous radiation-transfer simulations within ∼1 mag. By using this semi-analytic model we found that, at 400 Mpc, the kilonova/macronova is as bright as 22–24 mag for cases with a small chirp mass and a high black hole spin, and >28 mag for a large chirp mass and a low black hole spin. We also apply our model to GRB 130603B as an illustration, and show that a BH–NS merger with a rapidly spinning black hole and a large neutron star radius is favored.

Dark matter haloes: a multistream view

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandra, Nesar S.; Shandarin, Sergei F.

2017-09-01

Mysterious dark matter constitutes about 85 per cent of all masses in the Universe. Clustering of dark matter plays a dominant role in the formation of all observed structures on scales from a fraction to a few hundreds of Mega-parsecs. Galaxies play a role of lights illuminating these structures so they can be observed. The observations in the last several decades have unveiled opulent geometry of these structures currently known as the cosmic web. Haloes are the highest concentrations of dark matter and host luminous galaxies. Currently the most accurate modelling of dark matter haloes is achieved in cosmological N-body simulations. Identifying the haloes from the distribution of particles in N-body simulations is one of the problems attracting both considerable interest and efforts. We propose a novel framework for detecting potential dark matter haloes using the field unique for dark matter-multistream field. The multistream field emerges at the non-linear stage of the growth of perturbations because the dark matter is collisionless. Counting the number of velocity streams in gravitational collapses supplements our knowledge of spatial clustering. We assume that the virialized haloes have convex boundaries. Closed and convex regions of the multistream field are hence isolated by imposing a positivity condition on all three eigenvalues of the Hessian estimated on the smoothed multistream field. In a single-scale analysis of high multistream field resolution and low softening length, the halo substructures with local multistream maxima are isolated as individual halo sites.

Contribution of High-Mass Black Holes to Mergers of Compact Binaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bethe, H.A.; Brown, G.E.

1999-01-01

We consider the merging of compact binaries consisting of a high-mass black hole and a neutron star. From stellar evolutionary calculations that include mass loss, we estimate that a zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) mass of approx-gt 80 M circle-dot is necessary before a high-mass black hole can result from a massive O star progenitor. We first consider how Cyg X-1, with its measured orbital radius of ∼17 R circle-dot , might evolve. Although this radius is substantially less than the initial distance of two O stars, it is still so large that the resulting compact objects will merge only if an eccentricity close to unity results from a high kick velocity of the neutron star in the final supernova explosion. We estimate the probability of the necessary eccentricity to be ∼1%; i.e., 99% of the time the explosion of a Cyg X-1 endash type object will end as a binary of compact stars, which will not merge in Hubble time (unless the orbit is tightened in common envelope evolution, which we discuss later). Although we predict ∼7 massive binaries of Cyg X-1 type, we argue that only Cyg X-1 is narrow enough to be observed, and that only Cyg X-1 has an appreciable chance of merging in Hubble time. This gives us a merging rate of ∼3x10 -8 yr -1 in the galaxy, the order of magnitude of the merging rate found by computer-driven population syntheses, if extrapolated to our mass limit of 80 M circle-dot ZAMS mass for high-mass black hole formation. Furthermore, in both our calculation and in those of population syntheses, almost all of the mergings involve an eccentricity close to unity in the final explosion of the O star. From this first part of our development we obtain only a negligible contribution to our final results for mergers, and it turns out to be irrelevant for our final results. In our main development, instead of relying on observed binaries, we consider the general evolution of binaries of massive stars. The critical stage is when the more massive star A has

Universal Dark Halo Scaling Relation for the Dwarf Spheroidal Satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Kohei; Ishiyama, Tomoaki; Ogiya, Go; Chiba, Masashi; Inoue, Shigeki; Mori, Masao

2017-07-01

Motivated by a recently found interesting property of the dark halo surface density within a radius, {r}\\max , giving the maximum circular velocity, {V}\\max , we investigate it for dark halos of the Milky Way’s and Andromeda’s dwarf satellites based on cosmological simulations. We select and analyze the simulated subhalos associated with Milky-Way-sized dark halos and find that the values of their surface densities, {{{Σ }}}{V\\max }, are in good agreement with those for the observed dwarf spheroidal satellites even without employing any fitting procedures. Moreover, all subhalos on the small scales of dwarf satellites are expected to obey the universal relation, irrespective of differences in their orbital evolutions, host halo properties, and observed redshifts. Therefore, we find that the universal scaling relation for dark halos on dwarf galaxy mass scales surely exists and provides us with important clues for understanding fundamental properties of dark halos. We also investigate orbital and dynamical evolutions of subhalos to understand the origin of this universal dark halo relation and find that most subhalos evolve generally along the {r}\\max \\propto {V}\\max sequence, even though these subhalos have undergone different histories of mass assembly and tidal stripping. This sequence, therefore, should be the key feature for understanding the nature of the universality of {{{Σ }}}{V\\max }.

The gamma-ray-flux PDF from galactic halo substructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Samuel K.; Ando, Shin'ichiro; Kamionkowski, Marc

2009-01-01

One of the targets of the recently launched Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is a diffuse gamma-ray background from dark-matter annihilation or decay in the Galactic halo. N-body simulations and theoretical arguments suggest that the dark matter in the Galactic halo may be clumped into substructure, rather than smoothly distributed. Here we propose the gamma-ray-flux probability distribution function (PDF) as a probe of substructure in the Galactic halo. We calculate this PDF for a phenomenological model of halo substructure and determine the regions of the substructure parameter space in which the PDF may be distinguished from the PDF for a smooth distribution of dark matter. In principle, the PDF allows a statistical detection of substructure, even if individual halos cannot be detected. It may also allow detection of substructure on the smallest microhalo mass scales, ∼ M ⊕ , for weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs). Furthermore, it may also provide a method to measure the substructure mass function. However, an analysis that assumes a typical halo substructure model and a conservative estimate of the diffuse background suggests that the substructure PDF may not be detectable in the lifespan of Fermi in the specific case that the WIMP is a neutralino. Nevertheless, for a large range of substructure, WIMP annihilation, and diffuse background models, PDF analysis may provide a clear signature of substructure

EVOLUTION OF THE GALAXY-DARK MATTER CONNECTION AND THE ASSEMBLY OF GALAXIES IN DARK MATTER HALOS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang Xiaohu; Zhang Youcai; Han Jiaxin [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Nandan Road 80, Shanghai 200030 (China); Mo, H. J. [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-9305 (United States); Van den Bosch, Frank C., E-mail: xhyang@shao.ac.cn [Astronomy Department, Yale University, P.O. Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101 (United States)

2012-06-10

We present a new model to describe the galaxy-dark matter connection across cosmic time, which unlike the popular subhalo abundance-matching technique is self-consistent in that it takes account of the facts that (1) subhalos are accreted at different times and (2) the properties of satellite galaxies may evolve after accretion. Using observations of galaxy stellar mass functions (SMFs) out to z {approx} 4, the conditional SMF at z {approx} 0.1 obtained from Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxy group catalogs, and the two-point correlation function (2PCF) of galaxies at z {approx} 0.1 as a function of stellar mass, we constrain the relation between galaxies and dark matter halos over the entire cosmic history from z {approx} 4 to the present. This relation is then used to predict the median assembly histories of different stellar mass components within dark matter halos (central galaxies, satellite galaxies, and halo stars). We also make predictions for the 2PCFs of high-z galaxies as function of stellar mass. Our main findings are the following: (1) Our model reasonably fits all data within the observational uncertainties, indicating that the {Lambda}CDM concordance cosmology is consistent with a wide variety of data regarding the galaxy population across cosmic time. (2) At low-z, the stellar mass of central galaxies increases with halo mass as M{sup 0.3} and M{sup {approx}>4.0} at the massive and low-mass ends, respectively. The ratio M{sub *,c}/M reveals a maximum of {approx}0.03 at a halo mass M {approx} 10{sup 11.8} h{sup -1} M{sub Sun }, much lower than the universal baryon fraction ({approx}0.17). At higher redshifts the maximum in M{sub *,c}/M remains close to {approx}0.03, but shifts to higher halo mass. (3) The inferred timescale for the disruption of satellite galaxies is about the same as the dynamical friction timescale of their subhalos. (4) The stellar mass assembly history of central galaxies is completely decoupled from the assembly history of its host

Testing DARKexp against energy and density distributions of Millennium-II halos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nolting, Chris; Williams, Liliya L.R. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55454 (United States); Boylan-Kolchin, Michael [Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400, Austin, TX, 78712 (United States); Hjorth, Jens, E-mail: nolting@astro.umn.edu, E-mail: llrw@astro.umn.edu, E-mail: mbk@astro.as.utexas.edu, E-mail: jens@dark-cosmology.dk [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, Copenhagen, DK-2100 Denmark (Denmark)

2016-09-01

We test the DARKexp model for relaxed, self-gravitating, collisionless systems against equilibrium dark matter halos from the Millennium-II simulation. While limited tests of DARKexp against simulations and observations have been carried out elsewhere, this is the first time the testing is done with a large sample of simulated halos spanning a factor of ∼ 50 in mass, and using independent fits to density and energy distributions. We show that DARKexp, a one shape parameter family, provides very good fits to the shapes of density profiles, ρ( r ), and differential energy distributions, N ( E ), of individual simulated halos. The best fit shape parameter φ{sub 0} obtained from the two types of fits are correlated, though with scatter. Our most important conclusions come from ρ( r ) and N ( E ) that have been averaged over many halos. These show that the bulk of the deviations between DARKexp and individual Millennium-II halos come from halo-to-halo fluctuations, likely driven by substructure, and other density perturbations. The average ρ( r ) and N ( E ) are quite smooth and follow DARKexp very closely. The only deviation that remains after averaging is small, and located at most bound energies for N ( E ) and smallest radii for ρ( r ). Since the deviation is confined to 3–4 smoothing lengths, and is larger for low mass halos, it is likely due to numerical resolution effects.

A general explanation on the correlation of dark matter halo spin with the large-scale environment

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Peng; Kang, Xi

2017-06-01

Both simulations and observations have found that the spin of halo/galaxy is correlated with the large-scale environment, and particularly the spin of halo flips in filament. A consistent picture of halo spin evolution in different environments is still lacked. Using N-body simulation, we find that halo spin with its environment evolves continuously from sheet to cluster, and the flip of halo spin happens both in filament and nodes. The flip in filament can be explained by halo formation time and migrating time when its environment changes from sheet to filament. For low-mass haloes, they form first in sheets and migrate into filaments later, so their mass and spin growth inside filament are lower, and the original spin is still parallel to filament. For high-mass haloes, they migrate into filaments first, and most of their mass and spin growth are obtained in filaments, so the resulted spin is perpendicular to filament. Our results well explain the overall evolution of cosmic web in the cold dark matter model and can be tested using high-redshift data. The scenario can also be tested against alternative models of dark matter, such as warm/hot dark matter, where the structure formation will proceed in a different way.

A BARYONIC EFFECT ON THE MERGER TIMESCALE OF GALAXY CLUSTERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Congyao; Yu, Qingjuan; Lu, Youjun

2016-01-01

Accurate estimation of the merger timescales of galaxy clusters is important for understanding the cluster merger process and further understanding the formation and evolution of the large-scale structure of the universe. In this paper, we explore a baryonic effect on the merger timescale of galaxy clusters by using hydrodynamical simulations. We find that the baryons play an important role in accelerating the merger process. The merger timescale decreases upon increasing the gas fraction of galaxy clusters. For example, the merger timescale is shortened by a factor of up to 3 for merging clusters with gas fractions of 0.15, compared with the timescale obtained with 0 gas fractions. The baryonic effect is significant for a wide range of merger parameters and is particularly more significant for nearly head-on mergers and high merging velocities. The baryonic effect on the merger timescale of galaxy clusters is expected to have an impact on the structure formation in the universe, such as the cluster mass function and massive substructures in galaxy clusters, and a bias of “no-gas” may exist in the results obtained from the dark matter-only cosmological simulations

Merger, Akusisi dan Konsolidasi dalam Perspektif Hukum Persaingan Usaha

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulus Aluk Fajar Dwi Santo

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Mergers, acquisitions and consolidation is a business strategy that is commonly used in the business world to be able to build competitive advantage company, which in time can enhance shareholder value while maximizing the prosperity of the company owners or shareholders. To achieve the above objective normative, policy-makers need a plan and steps of strategic and accurate information to avoid the risk of failure. However, the strategy of merger, acquisition and consolidation of certain potentially inhibit fair competition conditions, thus becoming one of the objects that need to be regulated in Law no. 5 Year 1999 concerning Prohibition of Monopolistic Practices and Unfair Business Competition. Market impact of mergers, acquisitions and consolidation is important for analysis because it can have significant legal consequences for businesses, so that the research method used is the juridical normative and empirical approaches. In practice of mergers, acquisitions and consolidation intersect with regulation in other sectors, especially banking and capital markets. That is, there should be equality of perception and interpretation among the institutions that issued the policy.

Analytic family of post-merger template waveforms

Science.gov (United States)

Del Pozzo, Walter; Nagar, Alessandro

2017-06-01

Building on the analytical description of the post-merger (ringdown) waveform of coalescing, nonprecessing, spinning binary black holes introduced by Damour and Nagar [Phys. Rev. D 90, 024054 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevD.90.024054], we propose an analytic, closed form, time-domain, representation of the ℓ=m =2 gravitational radiation mode emitted after merger. This expression is given as a function of the component masses and dimensionless spins (m1 ,2,χ1 ,2) of the two inspiraling objects, as well as of the mass MBH and (complex) frequency σ1 of the fundamental quasinormal mode of the remnant black hole. Our proposed template is obtained by fitting the post-merger waveform part of several publicly available numerical relativity simulations from the Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) catalog and then suitably interpolating over (symmetric) mass ratio and spins. We show that this analytic expression accurately reproduces (˜0.01 rad ) the phasing of the post-merger data of other data sets not used in its construction. This is notably the case of the spin-aligned run SXS:BBH:0305, whose intrinsic parameters are consistent with the 90% credible intervals reported in the parameter-estimation followup of GW150914 by B.P. Abbott et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 241102 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.241102]. Using SXS waveforms as "experimental" data, we further show that our template could be used on the actual GW150914 data to perform a new measure of the complex frequency of the fundamental quasinormal mode so as to exploit the complete (high signal-to-noise-ratio) post-merger waveform. We assess the usefulness of our proposed template by analyzing, in a realistic setting, SXS full inspiral-merger-ringdown waveforms and constructing posterior probability distribution functions for the central frequency damping time of the first overtone of the fundamental quasinormal mode as well as for the physical parameters of the systems. We also briefly explore the possibility

Double neutron stars: merger rates revisited

Science.gov (United States)

Chruslinska, Martyna; Belczynski, Krzysztof; Klencki, Jakub; Benacquista, Matthew

2018-03-01

We revisit double neutron star (DNS) formation in the classical binary evolution scenario in light of the recent Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo DNS detection (GW170817). The observationally estimated Galactic DNS merger rate of R_MW = 21^{+28}_{-14} Myr-1, based on three Galactic DNS systems, fully supports our standard input physics model with RMW = 24 Myr-1. This estimate for the Galaxy translates in a non-trivial way (due to cosmological evolution of progenitor stars in chemically evolving Universe) into a local (z ≈ 0) DNS merger rate density of Rlocal = 48 Gpc-3 yr-1, which is not consistent with the current LIGO/Virgo DNS merger rate estimate (1540^{+3200}_{-1220} Gpc-3 yr-1). Within our study of the parameter space, we find solutions that allow for DNS merger rates as high as R_local ≈ 600^{+600}_{-300} Gpc-3 yr-1 which are thus consistent with the LIGO/Virgo estimate. However, our corresponding BH-BH merger rates for the models with high DNS merger rates exceed the current LIGO/Virgo estimate of local BH-BH merger rate (12-213 Gpc-3 yr-1). Apart from being particularly sensitive to the common envelope treatment, DNS merger rates are rather robust against variations of several of the key factors probed in our study (e.g. mass transfer, angular momentum loss, and natal kicks). This might suggest that either common envelope development/survival works differently for DNS (˜10-20 M⊙ stars) than for BH-BH (˜40-100 M⊙ stars) progenitors, or high black hole (BH) natal kicks are needed to meet observational constraints for both types of binaries. Our conclusion is based on a limited number of (21) evolutionary models and is valid within this particular DNS and BH-BH isolated binary formation scenario.

THE EFFECTS OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM ON HALO PROFILES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lentz, Erik W; Rosenberg, Leslie J [Physics Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1580 (United States); Quinn, Thomas R, E-mail: lentze@phys.washington.edu, E-mail: ljrosenberg@phys.washington.edu, E-mail: trq@astro.washington.edu [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1580 (United States)

2016-05-10

The near universality of DM halo density profiles provided by N -body simulations proved to be robust against changes in total mass density, power spectrum, and some forms of initial velocity dispersion. Here we study the effects of coherently spinning up an isolated DM-only progenitor on halo structure. Halos with spins within several standard deviations of the simulated mean ( λ ≲ 0.20) produce profiles with negligible deviations from the universal form. Only when the spin becomes quite large ( λ ≳ 0.20) do departures become evident. The angular momentum distribution also exhibits a near universal form, which is also independent of halo spin up to λ ≲ 0.20. A correlation between these epidemic profiles and the presence of a strong bar in the virialized halo is also observed. These bar structures bear resemblance to the radial orbit instability in the rotationless limit.

Chameleon halo modeling in f(R) gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Yin; Hu, Wayne

2011-01-01

We model the chameleon effect on cosmological statistics for the modified gravity f(R) model of cosmic acceleration. The chameleon effect, required to make the model compatible with local tests of gravity, reduces force enhancement as a function of the depth of the gravitational potential wells of collapsed structure and so is readily incorporated into a halo model by including parameters for the chameleon mass threshold and rapidity of transition. We show that the abundance of halos around the chameleon mass threshold is enhanced by both the merging from below and the lack of merging to larger masses. This property also controls the power spectrum in the nonlinear regime and we provide a description of the transition to the linear regime that is valid for a wide range of f(R) models.

FRONTIER FIELDS CLUSTERS: DEEP CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS OF THE COMPLEX MERGER MACS J1149.6+2223

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogrean, G. A.; Weeren, R. J. van; Jones, C.; Forman, W.; Andrade-Santos, F.; Murray, S. S.; Nulsen, P.; Bulbul, E.; Kraft, R.; Randall, S. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Dawson, W. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Golovich, N. [University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Roediger, E. [Astronomy and Astrophysics Section, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 31 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2 (Ireland); Zitrin, A.; Sayers, J. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Goulding, A. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Umetsu, K. [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Mroczkowski, T. [U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Bonafede, A. [Hamburger Sternwarte, Universität Hamburg, Gojenbergsweg 112, D-21029 Hamburg (Germany); Churazov, E., E-mail: gogrean@cfa.harvard.edu [Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, D-85741, Garching (Germany); and others

2016-03-10

The Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields cluster MACS J1149.6+2223 is one of the most complex merging clusters, believed to consist of four dark matter halos. We present results from deep (365 ks) Chandra observations of the cluster, which reveal the most distant cold front (z  =  0.544) discovered to date. In the cluster outskirts, we also detect hints of a surface brightness edge that could be the bow shock preceding the cold front. The substructure analysis of the cluster identified several components with large relative radial velocities, thus indicating that at least some collisions occur almost along the line of sight. The inclination of the mergers with respect to the plane of the sky poses significant observational challenges at X-ray wavelengths. MACS J1149.6+2223 possibly hosts a steep-spectrum radio halo. If the steepness of the radio halo is confirmed, then the radio spectrum, combined with the relatively regular ICM morphology, could indicate that MACS J1149.6+2223 is an old merging cluster.

Gravitational waves from primordial black hole mergers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raidal, Martti; Vaskonen, Ville; Veermäe, Hardi, E-mail: martti.raidal@cern.ch, E-mail: ville.vaskonen@kbfi.ee, E-mail: hardi.veermae@cern.ch [NICPB, Rävala 10, 10143 Tallinn (Estonia)

2017-09-01

We study the production of primordial black hole (PBH) binaries and the resulting merger rate, accounting for an extended PBH mass function and the possibility of a clustered spatial distribution. Under the hypothesis that the gravitational wave events observed by LIGO were caused by PBH mergers, we show that it is possible to satisfy all present constraints on the PBH abundance, and find the viable parameter range for the lognormal PBH mass function. The non-observation of a gravitational wave background allows us to derive constraints on the fraction of dark matter in PBHs, which are stronger than any other current constraint in the PBH mass range 0.5−30 M {sub ⊙}. We show that the predicted gravitational wave background can be observed by the coming runs of LIGO, and its non-observation would indicate that the observed events are not of primordial origin. As the PBH mergers convert matter into radiation, they may have interesting cosmological implications, for example in the context of relieving the tension between high and low redshift measurements of the Hubble constant. However, we find that these effects are suppressed as, after recombination, no more that 1% of dark matter can be converted into gravitational waves.

The galaxy major merger fraction to {z} 1

Science.gov (United States)

López-Sanjuan, C.; Balcells, M.; Pérez-González, P. G.; Barro, G.; García-Dabó, C. E.; Gallego, J.; Zamorano, J.

2009-07-01

Aims: The importance of disc-disc major mergers in galaxy evolution remains uncertain. We study the major merger fraction in a SPITZER/IRAC-selected catalogue in the GOODS-S field up to z 1 for luminosity- and mass-limited samples. Methods: We select disc-disc merger remnants on the basis of morphological asymmetries/distortions, and address three main sources of systematic errors: (i) we explicitly apply morphological K-corrections; (ii) we measure asymmetries in galaxies artificially redshifted to zd = 1.0 to deal with loss of morphological information with redshift; and (iii) we take into account the observational errors in z and A, which tend to overestimate the merger fraction, though use of maximum likelihood techniques. Results: We obtain morphological merger fractions (f_m^mph) below 0.06 up to z 1. Parameterizing the merger fraction evolution with redshift as f_m^mph(z) = f_m^mph(0) (1+z)^m, we find that m = 1.8 ± 0.5 for MB ≤ -20 galaxies, while m = 5.4 ± 0.4 for Mstar ≥ 1010 M⊙ galaxies. When we translate our merger fractions to merger rates (Re_m^mph), their evolution, parameterized as Re_m^mph(z) = Re_m^mph(0) (1+z)^n, is quite similar in both cases: n = 3.3 ± 0.8 for MB ≤ -20 galaxies, and n = 3.5 ± 0.4 for Mstar ≥ 1010 M⊙ galaxies. Conclusions: Our results imply that only 8% of today's Mstar ≥ 1010 M⊙ galaxies have undergone a disc-disc major merger since z 1. In addition, 21% of Mstar ≥ 1010 M⊙ galaxies at z 1 have undergone one of these mergers since z 1.5. This suggests that disc-disc major mergers are not the dominant process in the evolution of Mstar ≥ 1010 M⊙ galaxies since z 1, with only 0.2 disc-disc major mergers per galaxy, but may be an important process at z > 1, with ˜1 merger per galaxy at 1 < z < 3.

GALAXIES IN X-RAY GROUPS. II. A WEAK LENSING STUDY OF HALO CENTERING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, Matthew R.; Ma, Chung-Pei [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Leauthaud, Alexie; Bundy, Kevin [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8583 (Japan); Finoguenov, Alexis [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Rykoff, Eli S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Tinker, Jeremy L. [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States); Wechsler, Risa H. [Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Massey, Richard [Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Mei, Simona, E-mail: mgeorge@astro.berkeley.edu [Bureau des Galaxies, Etoiles, Physique, Instrumentation (GEPI), University of Paris Denis Diderot, F-75205 Paris Cedex 13 (France)

2012-09-20

Locating the centers of dark matter halos is critical for understanding the mass profiles of halos, as well as the formation and evolution of the massive galaxies that they host. The task is observationally challenging because we cannot observe halos directly, and tracers such as bright galaxies or X-ray emission from hot plasma are imperfect. In this paper, we quantify the consequences of miscentering on the weak lensing signal from a sample of 129 X-ray-selected galaxy groups in the COSMOS field with redshifts 0 < z < 1 and halo masses in the range 10{sup 13}-10{sup 14} M{sub Sun }. By measuring the stacked lensing signal around eight different candidate centers (such as the brightest member galaxy, the mean position of all member galaxies, or the X-ray centroid), we determine which candidates best trace the center of mass in halos. In this sample of groups, we find that massive galaxies near the X-ray centroids trace the center of mass to {approx}< 75 kpc, while the X-ray position and centroids based on the mean position of member galaxies have larger offsets primarily due to the statistical uncertainties in their positions (typically {approx}50-150 kpc). Approximately 30% of groups in our sample have ambiguous centers with multiple bright or massive galaxies, and some of these groups show disturbed mass profiles that are not well fit by standard models, suggesting that they are merging systems. We find that halo mass estimates from stacked weak lensing can be biased low by 5%-30% if inaccurate centers are used and the issue of miscentering is not addressed.

Signatures of Heavy Element Production in Neutron Star Mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Jennifer

2018-06-01

Compact object mergers involving at least one neutron star have long been theorized to be sites of astrophysical nucleosynthesis via rapid neutron capture (the r-process). The observation in light and gravitational waves of the first neutron star merger (GW1701817) this past summer provided a stunning confirmation of this theory. Electromagnetic emission powered by the radioactive decay of freshly synthesized nuclei from mergers encodes information about the composition burned by the r-process, including whether a particular merger event synthesized the heaviest nuclei along the r-process path, or froze out at lower mass number. However, efforts to model the emission in detail must still contend with many uncertainties. For instance, the uncertain nuclear masses far from the valley of stability influence the final composition burned by the r-process, as will weak interactions operating in the merger’s immediate aftermath. This in turn can affect the color electromagnetic emission. Understanding the details of these transients’ spectra will also require a detailed accounting the electronic transitions of r-process elements and ions, in order to identify the strong transitions that underlie spectral formation. This talk will provide an overview of our current understanding of radioactive transients from mergers, with an emphasis on the role of experiment in providing critical inputs for models and reducing uncertainty.

Robustness of binary black hole mergers in the presence of spurious radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bode, Tanja; Shoemaker, Deirdre; Herrmann, Frank; Hinder, Ian

2008-01-01

We present an investigation into how sensitive the last orbits and merger of binary black hole systems are to the presence of spurious radiation in the initial data. Our numerical experiments consist of a binary black hole system starting the last couple of orbits before merger with additional spurious radiation centered at the origin and fixed initial angular momentum. As the energy in the added spurious radiation increases, the binary is invariably hardened for the cases we tested; i.e., the merger of the two black holes is hastened. The change in merger time becomes significant when the additional energy provided by the spurious radiation increases the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner mass of the spacetime by about 1%. While the final masses of the black holes increase due to partial absorption of the radiation, the final spins remain constant to within our numerical accuracy. We conjecture that the spurious radiation is primarily increasing the eccentricity of the orbit and secondarily increasing the mass of the black holes while propagating out to infinity

The Splashback Radius of Halos from Particle Dynamics. I. The SPARTA Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Diemer, Benedikt

2017-07-01

Motivated by the recent proposal of the splashback radius as a physical boundary of dark-matter halos, we present a parallel computer code for Subhalo and PARticle Trajectory Analysis (SPARTA). The code analyzes the orbits of all simulation particles in all host halos, billions of orbits in the case of typical cosmological N-body simulations. Within this general framework, we develop an algorithm that accurately extracts the location of the first apocenter of particles after infall into a halo, or splashback. We define the splashback radius of a halo as the smoothed average of the apocenter radii of individual particles. This definition allows us to reliably measure the splashback radii of 95% of host halos above a resolution limit of 1000 particles. We show that, on average, the splashback radius and mass are converged to better than 5% accuracy with respect to mass resolution, snapshot spacing, and all free parameters of the method.

A relationship of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon features with galaxy merger in star-forming galaxies at z < 0.2

Science.gov (United States)

Murata, Katsuhiro L.; Yamada, Rika; Oyabu, Shinki; Kaneda, Hidehiro; Ishihara, Daisuke; Yamagishi, Mitsuyoshi; Kokusho, Takuma; Takeuchi, Tsutomu T.

2017-11-01

Using the AKARI, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data, we investigated the relation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mass (MPAH), very small grain mass (MVSG), big grain mass (MBG) and stellar mass (Mstar) with galaxy merger for 55 star-forming galaxies at redshift z 0.1, we divided the galaxies into merger galaxies and non-merger galaxies with the morphological parameter asymmetry A, and quantified merging stages of galaxies based on the morphological indicators, the second-order momentum of the brightest 20 per cent region M20 and the Gini coefficient. We find that MPAH/MBG of merger galaxies tend to be lower than that of non-merger galaxies and there are no systematic differences of MVSG/MBG and MBG/Mstar between merger galaxies and non-merger galaxies. We find that galaxies with very low MPAH/MBG seem to be merger galaxies at late stages. These results suggest that PAHs are partly destroyed at late stages of merging processes. Furthermore, we investigated MPAH/MBG variations in radiation field intensity strength G0 and the emission line ratio of [O I] λ 6300/Hα that is a shock tracer for merger galaxies and find that MPAH/MBG decreases with increasing both G0 and [O I]/Hα. PAH destruction is likely to be caused by two processes: strong radiation fields and large-scale shocks during merging processes of galaxies.

NEUTRON-STAR MERGER EJECTA AS OBSTACLES TO NEUTRINO-POWERED JETS OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Just, O.; Janka, H.-T.; Schwarz, N. [Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Obergaulinger, M. [Departament d´Astronomia i Astrofísica, Universitat de València, Edifici d´Investigació Jeroni Muñoz, C/ Dr. Moliner, 50, E-46100 Burjassot (València) (Spain); Bauswein, A., E-mail: ojust@mpa-garching.mpg.de, E-mail: thj@mpa-garching.mpg.de [Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki (Greece)

2016-01-10

We present the first special relativistic, axisymmetric hydrodynamic simulations of black hole-torus systems (approximating general relativistic gravity) as remnants of binary-neutron star (NS–NS) and neutron star–black hole (NS–BH) mergers, in which the viscously driven evolution of the accretion torus is followed with self-consistent energy-dependent neutrino transport and the interaction with the cloud of dynamical ejecta expelled during the NS–NS merging is taken into account. The modeled torus masses, BH masses and spins, and the ejecta masses, velocities, and spatial distributions are adopted from relativistic merger simulations. We find that energy deposition by neutrino annihilation can accelerate outflows with initially high Lorentz factors along polar low-density funnels, but only in mergers with extremely low baryon pollution in the polar regions. NS–BH mergers, where polar mass ejection during the merging phase is absent, provide sufficiently baryon-poor environments to enable neutrino-powered, ultrarelativistic jets with terminal Lorentz factors above 100 and considerable dynamical collimation, favoring short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs), although their typical energies and durations might be too small to explain the majority of events. In the case of NS–NS mergers, however, neutrino emission of the accreting and viscously spreading torus is too short and too weak to yield enough energy for the outflows to break out from the surrounding ejecta shell as highly relativistic jets. We conclude that neutrino annihilation alone cannot power sGRBs from NS–NS mergers.

NEUTRON-STAR MERGER EJECTA AS OBSTACLES TO NEUTRINO-POWERED JETS OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Just, O.; Janka, H.-T.; Schwarz, N.; Obergaulinger, M.; Bauswein, A.

2016-01-01

We present the first special relativistic, axisymmetric hydrodynamic simulations of black hole-torus systems (approximating general relativistic gravity) as remnants of binary-neutron star (NS–NS) and neutron star–black hole (NS–BH) mergers, in which the viscously driven evolution of the accretion torus is followed with self-consistent energy-dependent neutrino transport and the interaction with the cloud of dynamical ejecta expelled during the NS–NS merging is taken into account. The modeled torus masses, BH masses and spins, and the ejecta masses, velocities, and spatial distributions are adopted from relativistic merger simulations. We find that energy deposition by neutrino annihilation can accelerate outflows with initially high Lorentz factors along polar low-density funnels, but only in mergers with extremely low baryon pollution in the polar regions. NS–BH mergers, where polar mass ejection during the merging phase is absent, provide sufficiently baryon-poor environments to enable neutrino-powered, ultrarelativistic jets with terminal Lorentz factors above 100 and considerable dynamical collimation, favoring short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs), although their typical energies and durations might be too small to explain the majority of events. In the case of NS–NS mergers, however, neutrino emission of the accreting and viscously spreading torus is too short and too weak to yield enough energy for the outflows to break out from the surrounding ejecta shell as highly relativistic jets. We conclude that neutrino annihilation alone cannot power sGRBs from NS–NS mergers

Galaxy spin as a formation probe: the stellar-to-halo specific angular momentum relation

Science.gov (United States)

Posti, Lorenzo; Pezzulli, Gabriele; Fraternali, Filippo; Di Teodoro, Enrico M.

2018-03-01

We derive the stellar-to-halo specific angular momentum relation (SHSAMR) of galaxies at z = 0 by combining (i) the standard Λcold dark matter tidal torque theory, (ii) the observed relation between stellar mass and specific angular momentum (the Fall relation), and (iii) various determinations of the stellar-to-halo mass relation (SHMR). We find that the ratio fj = j*/jh of the specific angular momentum of stars to that of the dark matter (i) varies with mass as a double power law, (ii) always has a peak in the mass range explored and iii) is three to five times larger for spirals than for ellipticals. The results have some dependence on the adopted SHMR and we provide fitting formulae in each case. For any choice of the SHMR, the peak of fj occurs at the same mass where the stellar-to-halo mass ratio f* = M*/Mh has a maximum. This is mostly driven by the straightness and tightness of the Fall relation, which requires fj and f* to be correlated with each other roughly as f_j∝ f_\\ast ^{2/3}, as expected if the outer and more angular momentum rich parts of a halo failed to accrete on to the central galaxy and form stars (biased collapse). We also confirm that the difference in the angular momentum of spirals and ellipticals at a given mass is too large to be ascribed only to different spins of the parent dark-matter haloes (spin bias).

The University of Johannesburg merger: Academics experience of the pre-merger phase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. A. Goldman

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose of the study: The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of the merger experiences academic staff were exposed to during the pre-merger phase of the University of Johannesburg merger. Of particular interest is how these experiences translate into acceptance of the merger amongst academic staff. The study was borne out of the transformation of the higher education landscape in South Africa, which is typified by a spate of mergers between higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach: As the purpose of the study was, inter alia, aimed at understanding the merger experiences of academic staff, the study was conducted according to an interpretive research paradigm, where interpretation of data calls for an insider perspective, in order to "see things through their eyes" as it were. In this regard, a qualitative methodology was employed. Findings: Findings indicate that academic staff members at the University of Johannesburg experience two distinct mental states during the pre-merger phase. Following the announcement of the merger, reaction and experience tend to be emotionally driven but as merging efforts become more concrete over time, this emotive state is replaced by a more rationally driven disposition. Implications: The distinction between an emotive and rational demeanour during the pre-merger phase of a merger affords managers and leaders the opportunity to plan change interventions in such a way that irrational, emotive responses and behaviour do not hamper progress in terms of merger implementation. In a more general sense, this study highlights the process of transition individual staff members pass through as they have to come to terms with the changes brought about by a merger. Originality / Value: The majority of merger literature, as well as change literature, focuses on the organisational context of change during a merger. Limited literature exists on the personal effects of a change event such as a

Special role of neutron-halo nucleus on the momentum dissipation in heavy ion collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xing Yongzhong; Tianshui Normal Univ., Tianshui; Liu Jianye; Tianshui Normal Univ., Tianshui; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou; Zuo Wei; Li Xiguo; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou

2005-01-01

The special role of neutron-halo nucleus 19 B on the momentum dissipation was investigated by using isospin dependent quantum molecular dynamics. In order to compare and protrude the special role of neutron-halo-nucleus 19 B, the momentum dissipation induced by a same mass stable nucleus 19 F was investigated under the same incident channel condition. It is found that the weak bound neutron-halo structure of 19 B weakens the momentum dissipation process compared to those induced by stable nucleus 19 F in the lower energy region. However the nuclear stopping of colliding system with the neutron-halo nucleus 19 B decreases gradually with the increasing beam energy. For all of mass targets and impact parameters the neutron-halo nucleus 19 B weakens the momentum dissipation process. (authors)

Unmixing the Galactic halo with RR Lyrae tagging

Science.gov (United States)

Belokurov, V.; Deason, A. J.; Koposov, S. E.; Catelan, M.; Erkal, D.; Drake, A. J.; Evans, N. W.

2018-06-01

We show that tagging RR Lyrae stars according to their location in the period-amplitude diagram can be used to shed light on the genesis of the Galactic stellar halo. The mixture of RR Lyrae of ab type, separated into classes along the lines suggested by Oosterhoff, displays a strong and coherent evolution with Galactocentric radius. The change in the RR Lyrae composition appears to coincide with the break in the halo's radial density profile at ˜25 kpc. Using simple models of the stellar halo, we establish that at least three different types of accretion events are necessary to explain the observed RRab behaviour. Given that there exists a correlation between the RRab class fraction and the total stellar content of a dwarf satellite, we hypothesize that the field halo RRab composition is controlled by the mass of the progenitor contributing the bulk of the stellar debris at the given radius. This idea is tested against a suite of cosmological zoom-in simulations of Milky Way-like stellar halo formation. Finally, we study some of the most prominent stellar streams in the Milky Way halo and demonstrate that their RRab class fractions follow the trends established previously.

Evolution of the atomic and molecular gas content of galaxies in dark matter haloes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Popping, Gergö; Behroozi, Peter S.; Peeples, Molly S.

We present a semi-empirical model to infer the atomic and molecular hydrogen content of galaxies as a function of halo mass and time. Our model combines the star formation rate (SFR)-halo mass-redshift relation (constrained by galaxy abundances) with inverted SFR-surface density relations to infer

Sensitivity of the halo nuclei-12C elastic scattering at incident nucleon energy 800 MeV to the halo density distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, M. A. M.; Nour El-Din, M. S. M.; Ellithi, A.; Hosny, H.; Salama, T. N. E.

2017-10-01

In the framework of Glauber optical limit approximation where Coulomb effect is taken into account, the elastic scattering differential cross section for halo nuclei with {}^{12}{C} at 800 MeV/N has been calculated. Its sensitivity to the halo densities and the root mean square of the core and halo is the main goal of the current study. The projectile nuclei are taken to be one-neutron and two-neutron halo. The calculations are carried out for Gaussian-Gaussian, Gaussian-Oscillator and Gaussian-2 s phenomenological densities for each considered projectile in the mass number range 6-29. Also included a comparison between the obtained results of phenomenological densities and the results within the microscopic densities LSSM of {}6{He} and {}^{11}{Li} and microscopic densities GCM of {}^{11}{Be} where the density of the target nucleus {}^{12}{C} obtained from electron-{}^{12}{C} scattering is used. The zero range approximation is considered in the calculations. We found that the sensitivity of elastic scattering differential cross section to the halo density is clear if the nucleus appears as two clear different clusters, core and halo.

When Supermassive Black Holes Wander

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2018-05-01

Are supermassive black holes found only at the centers of galaxies? Definitely not, according to a new study in fact, galaxies like the Milky Way may harbor several such monsters wandering through their midst.Collecting Black Holes Through MergersIts generally believed that galaxies are built up hierarchically, growing in size through repeated mergers over time. Each galaxy in a major merger likely hosts a supermassive black hole a black hole of millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun at its center. When a pair of galaxies merges, their supermassive black holes will often sink to the center of the merger via a process known as dynamical friction. There the supermassive black holes themselves will eventually merge in a burst of gravitational waves.Spatial distribution and velocities of wandering supermassive black holes in three of the authors simulated galaxies, shown in edge-on (left) and face-on (right) views of the galaxy disks. Click for a closer look. [Tremmel et al. 2018]But if a galaxy the size of the Milky Way was built through a history of many major galactic mergers, are we sure that all its accumulated supermassive black holes eventually merged at the galactic center? A new study suggests that some of these giants might have escaped such a fate and they now wander unseen on wide orbits through their galaxies.Black Holes in an Evolving UniverseLed by Michael Tremmel (Yale Center for Astronomy Astrophysics), a team of scientists has used data from a large-scale cosmological simulation, Romulus25, to explore the possibility of wandering supermassive black holes. The Romulus simulations are uniquely suited to track the formation and subsequent orbital motion of supermassive black holes as galactic halos are built up through mergers over the history of the universe.From these simulations, Tremmel and collaborators find an end total of 316 supermassive black holes residing within the bounds of 26 Milky-Way-mass halos. Of these, roughly a third are

The Structure and Dark Halo Core Properties of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Burkert, A.

2015-08-01

The structure and dark matter halo core properties of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are investigated. A double-isothermal (DIS) model of an isothermal, non-self-gravitating stellar system embedded in an isothermal dark halo core provides an excellent fit to the various observed stellar surface density distributions. The stellar core scale length a* is sensitive to the central dark matter density ρ0,d. The maximum stellar radius traces the dark halo core radius {r}c,d. The concentration c* of the stellar system, determined by a King profile fit, depends on the ratio of the stellar-to-dark-matter velocity dispersion {σ }*/{σ }d. Simple empirical relationships are derived that allow us to calculate the dark halo core parameters ρ0,d, {r}c,d, and σd given the observable stellar quantities σ*, a*, and c*. The DIS model is applied to the Milky Way’s dSphs. All dSphs closely follow the same universal dark halo scaling relations {ρ }0,d× {r}c,d={75}-45+85 M⊙ pc-2 that characterize the cores of more massive galaxies over a large range in masses. The dark halo core mass is a strong function of core radius, {M}c,d˜ {r}c,d2. Inside a fixed radius of ˜400 pc the total dark matter mass is, however, roughly constant with {M}d=2.6+/- 1.4× {10}7 M⊙, although outliers are expected. The dark halo core densities of the Galaxy’s dSphs are very high, with {ρ }0,d ≈ 0.2 M⊙ pc-3. dSphs should therefore be tidally undisturbed. Evidence for tidal effects might then provide a serious challenge for the CDM scenario.