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At least 289 records · Page 16

High Resolution IRAS Maps and IR Emission of M31 -- II. Diffuse Component and Interstellar Dust

Large-scale dust heating and cooling in the diffuse medium of M31 is studied using the high resolution (HiRes) IRAS maps in conjunction with UV, optical (UBV), and the HI maps. A dust heating/cooling model is developed based on a radiative transfer model which assumes a 'Sandwich' configuration of dust and stars takes account of the effect of dust grain scattering.

infrared astronomy galaxies interstellar grains ph↗

Extremely Red Objects in the Lockman Hole

We investigate extremely red objects (EROs) using near- and mid-infrared observations in five passbands (3.6 to 24 microns) obtained from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and deep ground-based R and K imaging. The great sensitivity of the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) camera allows us to detect 64 EROs (a surface density of 2.90 +/- 0.36 arcmin(exp -2); [3.6](sub AB) is less than 23.7) in only 12 minutes of IRAC exposure time, by means of an R - [3.6] color cut (analogous to the traditional red R - K cut). A pure infrared K - [3.6] red cut detects a somewhat different population and may be more effective at selecting z greater than 1.3 EROs. We find approximately 17% of all galaxies detected by IRAC at 3.6 or 4.5 microns to be EROs. These percentages rise to about 40% at 5.8 microns, and about 60% at 8.0 microns. We utilize the spectral bump at 1.6 microns to divide the EROs into broad redshift slices using only near-infrared colors (2.2/3.6/4.5 microns). We conclude that two-thirds of all EROs lie at redshift z greater than 1.3. Detections at 24 microns imply that at least 11% of 0.6 less than z and less than 1.3 EROs and at least 22% of z greater than 1.3 EROs are dusty star-forming galaxies.

galaxies↗

Characterizing Exoplanet Atmospheres with the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will have numerous modes for acquiring photometry and spectra of stars, planets, galaxies, and other astronomical objects over wavelengths of 0.6 - 28 microns. Several of these modes are well-suited for observing atomic and molecular features in the atmospheres of transiting or spatially resolved exoplanets. I will present basic information on JWST capabilities, highlight modes that are well-suited for observing exoplanets, and give examples of what may be learned from JWST observations. This will include simulated spectra and expected retrieved chemical abundance, composition, equilibrium, and thermal information and uncertainties. JWST Cycle 1 general observer proposals are expected to be due in March 2018 with launch in October 2018, and the greater scientific community is encouraged to propose investigations to study exoplanet atmospheres and other topics.

space telescopes↗

The chronology of the formation of the Galaxy

Recent advances in our understanding of horizontal-branch (HB) stars and in precision CCD photometry make it possible to establish a chronology of the formation of the Galaxy from the fossil record. The Lee et al. HB evolutionary models and the inferred age-metallicity relation of the Galactic globular-cluster system are now strengthened by many pieces of supporting evidence. This provides valuable information regarding the formation chronology of the halo and disk. Moreover, there is strong evidence from RR Lyrae stars that the radial variation in HB morphology observed in the halo continues to the very center of the Galaxy, which suggests that the formation of the bulge and halo was an inside-out process. These two crucial pieces of information are combined to extend the Searle and Zinn picture of halo formation to include the formation of the bulge and disk. The emerging picture is consistent with the idea that galaxies formed as clusters and mergers of many small gas-rich subsystems, rather than by the rapid collapse of single large protogalactic clouds.

Lee, Young-Wook↗

`SkyPy`: A package for modelling the Universe

SkyPy is an open-source Python package for simulating the astrophysical sky. It comprises a library of physical and empirical models across a range of observables and a command-line script to run end-to-end simulations. The library provides functions that sample realisations of sources and their associated properties from probability distributions. Simulation pipelines are constructed from these models using a YAML-based configuration syntax, while task scheduling and data dependencies are handled internally and the modular design allows users to interface with external software. SkyPy is developed and maintained by a diverse community of domain experts with a focus on software sustainability and interoperability. By fostering development, it provides a framework for correlated simulations of a range of cosmological probes including galaxy populations, large scale structure, the cosmic microwave background, supernovae and gravitational waves. Version 0.4 implements functions that model various properties of galaxies including luminosity functions, redshift distributions and optical photometry from spectral energy distribution templates. Future releases will provide additional modules, for example, to simulate populations of dark matter halos and model the galaxy-halo connection, making use of existing software packages from the astrophysics community where appropriate.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Near-IR imaging of moderate redshift galaxy clusters

We have obtained near-IR imaging of 3 moderate-z clusters on the 1.3 m at KPNO with SQIID, a new camera offering wide-field (5.5 arcmin) simultaneous JHK band imaging. Our photometry on a sample of approximately 100 likely member galaxies in one of the clusters, Abell 370 at z = 0.37, shows that we can obtain magnitudes good to 20 percent down to K = 18, considerably below the estimated K* = 16.5 at this redshift. These data indicate that there are no systematic problems in obtaining photometry at faint levels with SQIID. With the development of larger arrays, the field is open to progress. The resulting J, H, and K data for three clusters are combined with previously obtained multiband optical photometry. We present an investigation of the spectral properties and evolution of the dominant cold stellar populations by comparing optical-to-IR colors and color-magnitude diagrams to predictions from population synthesis models and galaxy spectral evolution codes.

Stanford, S. A.↗

Star formation in blue galaxies. I - Ultraviolet, optical, and infrared observations of NGC 4214 and NGC 4670

NGC 4214 and NGC 4760 have been observed between 1150 A and 1950 A with the IUE satellite, and new infrared and optical broad-band photometry have been obtained. The spectra of both galaxies are dominated by O stars, and, in the spectrum of NGC 4214, the C IV 1550 A line exhibits a P Cygni profile indicative of hot stars with large mass-loss rates. Although the optical spectra of both galaxies are dominated by strong narrow emission lines, no strong emission lines are seen in the UV (the observed Ly-alpha flux is dominated by geocoronal emission). Both galaxies contain giant H II region complexes in which the energy (in particular, the H-beta luminosity and the ultraviolet continuum) is provided by several hundred O stars. The comparison of the observed UVOIR energy distributions with evolutionary population models indicates that the regions observed consist of young 'bursts' of star formation superposed on an underlying old population. The initial mass function for this epoch of star formation is constrained to be similar in slope to or flatter than the Salpeter function.

Geller, M. J.↗

REQUIEM-2D Methodology: Spatially Resolved Stellar Populations of Massive Lensed Quiescent Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope 2D Grism Spectroscopy

We present a novel Bayesian methodology to jointly model photometry and deep Hubble Space Telescope 2D grism spectroscopy of high-redshift galaxies. Our requiem2d code measures both unresolved and resolved stellar populations, ages, and star formation histories (SFHs) for the ongoing REsolving QUIEscent Magnified (REQUIEM) Galaxies Survey, which targets strong gravitationally lensed quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 2. We test the accuracy of requiem2d using a simulated sample of massive galaxies at z ∼ 2 from the Illustris cosmological simulation and find that we recover the general trends in SFH and median stellar ages. We further present a pilot study for the REQUIEM Galaxies Survey: MRG-S0851, a quintuply imaged, massive (log M ⁎ / M ʘ = 11.02 ± 0.04) red galaxy at z = 1.883 ± 0.001. With an estimated gravitational magnification of µ = 5.7 - 0.2 + 0.4, we sample the stellar populations on 0.6 kpc physical size bins. The global mass-weighted median age is constrained to be 1.8 - 0.2 + 0.3 Gyr, and our spatially resolved analysis reveals that MRG-S0851 has a flat age gradient in the inner 3 kpc core after taking into account the subtle effects of dust and metallicity on age measurements, favoring an early formation scenario. The analysis for the full REQUIEM-2D sample will be presented in a forthcoming paper with a beta release of the requiem2d code.

Strong gravitational lensing↗

Using host galaxy spectroscopy to explore systematics in the standardization of Type Ia supernovae

We use stacked spectra of the host galaxies of photometrically identified Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) to search for correlations between Hubble diagram residuals and the spectral properties of the host galaxies. Utilizing full spectrum fitting techniques on stacked spectra binned by Hubble residual, we find no evidence for trends between Hubble residuals and properties of the host galaxies that rely on spectral absorption features (<1.3σ), such as stellar population age, metallicity, and mass-to-light ratio. However, we find significant trends between the Hubble residuals and the strengths of [O ii] (4.4σ) and the Balmer emission lines (3σ). These trends are weaker than the well-known trend between Hubble residuals and host galaxy stellar mass (7.2σ) that is derived from broad-band photometry. After light-curve corrections, we see fainter SNe Ia residing in galaxies with larger line strengths. We also find a trend (3σ) between Hubble residual and the Balmer decrement (a measure of reddening by dust) using H β and H γ. The trend, quantified by correlation coefficients, is slightly more significant in the redder SNe Ia, suggesting that the bluer SNe Ia are relatively unaffected by dust in the interstellar medium of the host and that dust contributes to current Hubble diagram scatter impacting the measurement of cosmological parameters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Far-ultraviolet Variable Sources in M31

The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on board the AstroSat observatory has imaged the Andromeda galaxy (M31) from 2017 to 2019 in the far- and near-UV (FUV and NUV) with the high spatial resolution of ≃1″. The survey covered the large sky area of M31 with a set of observations (Fields), each 28′ in diameter. Field 1 was observed in two epochs with the F148W filter, separated by ≃1133 days (≃3.10 yr). The 6.4 kpc diameter Field 1 (at the distance of M31) includes a substantial part of the inner spiral arms of the galaxy. We identify UVIT sources in both epochs of Field 1 and obtain catalogs of sources that are variable in FUV at >3σ and >5σ confidence level. The fraction of FUV-variable sources is higher for brighter sources, and the fraction is higher in the two main spiral arms compared to other areas. This is evidence that a significant fraction of the FUV variables are associated with hot young stars. Source counterparts are found for 42 of the 86 >5σ FUV variables using existing catalogs. The counterparts include 10 star clusters, 6 H II regions, 5 regular or semiregular variables, 6 other variables, and 6 nova or nova candidates. The UVIT FUV–NUV and FUV–FUV color–magnitude diagrams confirm the association of most of the FUV variables with hot young stars. A catalog of UVIT photometry for the variable sources is presented.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Velocity mapping and models of the elliptical galaxies NGC 720, NGC 1052, and NGC 4697

CCD surface photometry and extensive long-slit spectroscopy are used to construct detailed models of the flattened ellipticals NGC 720, 1052, and 4697. The models are combined with the Jeans equations to yield predicted fields of line-of-sight velocity dispersion and streaming velocity. By comparing these fields with observed velocities, it is concluded that none of these systems can have isotropic velocity dispersion tensors, and diminishing the assumed inclination of any given galaxy tends to decrease the line-of-sight velocity dispersion and, counterintuitively, to increase the line-of-sight rotation speeds. The ratio of the line-of-sight velocity dispersion along the minor axis to that along the major axis is found to be a sensitive diagnostic of the importance of a third integral for the galaxy's structure.

Binney, J. J.↗

A photometric determination of twists in three early-type galaxies

Detailed photometric data have been obtained for three early-type galaxies by using the Cerro Tololo 1.5-m telescope and an SEC television camera. The aim of this photometry is to gain further accurate information on the occurrence of twists in such galaxies; i.e., on any variations with radius of the position angle of the major axes of the isophotes. The results of the photometry are: (1) the finding of no detectable twist within the bulge of the S0 galaxy NGC 5102; (2) confirmation of a substantial twist (about 10 deg) in the inner portion of the E3 galaxy IC 1459; and (3) determination of a moderate twist (about 5 deg) within the E4 galaxy NGC 4697, possibly too small to have been previously detected. If such moderate twists should turn out to be common in elliptical galaxies, the suspicion of triaxiality for most such galaxies would be enhanced.

Williams, T. B.↗

Nature of the diffuse emission sources in the H i supershell in the galaxy IC 1613

ABSTRACT We present a study of the nearby low-metallicity dwarf galaxy IC 1613, focusing on the search for massive stars and related feedback processes, as well as for faint supernova remnants (SNR) in late stages of evolution. We obtained the deepest images of IC 1613 in the narrow-band H α, He ii and [S ii] emission lines and new long-slit spectroscopy observations using several facilities (6-m BTA, 2.5m SAI MSU, and 150RTT telescopes), in combination with the multiwavelength archival data from MUSE/VLT, VLA, XMM–Newton, and Swift/XRT. Our deep narrow-band photometry identifies several faint shells in the galaxy, and we further investigate their physical characteristics with the new long-slit spectroscopy observations and the archival multiwavelength data. Based on energy balance calculations and assumptions about their possible nature, we propose that one of the shells is a possible remnant of a supernova explosion. We study five out of eight Wolf–Rayet (WR) star candidates previously published for this galaxy using the He ii emission line mapping, MUSE/VLT archival spectra, and new long-slit spectra. Our analysis discards the considered WR candidates and finds no new ones. We found P Cyg profiles in H α line in two stars, which we classify as Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) star candidates. Overall, the galaxy IC 1613 may have a lower rate of WR star formation than previously suggested.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Host galaxy and environment of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0548-322: Observations with subarcsecond resolution

We report on direct, subarcsecond resolution imaging of the nebulosity and spectroscopy of galaxies in the field of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0548-322. Surface photometry of the nebulosity is used to derive the properties of the host galaxy (M(sub V) = -23.4), which exhibits signs of interaction with a close companion galaxy at approximately 25 kpc. The radial brightness profile of the nebulosity is well fitted by the contribution of a bulge (r(exp 1/4)) plus a point source and a small internal disk. An analysis of the galaxies in the field shows that the source is located in a rich cluster of galaxies. Spectra of five galaxies in the field indicate that they are at the same redshift as the BL Lac object, thus supporting the imaging result of a surrounding cluster associated with the BL Lac. This cluster is most likely Abell S0549.

Falomo, Renato↗

GAINN: The Galaxy Assembly and Interaction Neural Networks for High-redshift JWST Observations

We present the Galaxy Assembly and Interaction Neural Networks (Gainn), a series of artificial neural networks for predicting the redshift, stellar mass, halo mass, and mass-weighted age of simulated galaxies based on James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) photometry. Our goal is to determine the best neural network for predicting these variables at 11 < z < 15. The parameters of the optimal neural network can then be used to estimate these variables for real, observed galaxies. The inputs of the neural networks are JWST filter magnitudes of a subset of five broadband filters (F150W, F200W, F277W, F356W, and F444W) and two medium-band filters (F162M and F182M). We compare the performance of the neural networks using different combinations of these filters, as well as different activation functions and numbers of layers. The best neural network predicted redshift with a normalized rms error of $0.010^{+0.003}_{-0.001}$, stellar mass with rms = $0.089^{+0.044}_{-0.022}$, halo mass with a mean-squared error of $0.022^{+0.014}_{-0.008}$, and mass-weighted age with rms = $12.466^{+5.065}_{-2.408}$. We also test the performance of Gainn on real data from MACS0647JD, an object observed by JWST. Predictions from Gainn for the first projection of the object (JD1) have normalized bias $\langle$Δz$\rangle$ < 0.00228, which is significantly smaller than found with template-fitting methods. We find that the optimal filter combination is F277W, F356W, F162M, and F200W when considering both theoretical accuracy and observational resources from JWST.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗