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At least 307 records · Page 17
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DOE OSTI2015

ON THE BINARY FREQUENCY OF THE LOWEST MASS MEMBERS OF THE PLEIADES WITH HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3

We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) imaging survey of 11 of the lowest mass brown dwarfs in the Pleiades known (25–40 M{sub Jup}). These objects represent the predecessors to T dwarfs in the field. Using a semi-empirical binary point-spread function (PSF)-fitting technique, we are able to probe to 0.″ 03 (0.75 pixel), better than 2x the WFC3/UVIS diffraction limit. We did not find any companions to our targets. From extensive testing of our PSF-fitting method on simulated binaries, we compute detection limits which rule out companions to our targets with mass ratios of ≳0.7 and separations ≳4 AU. Thus, our survey is the first to attain the high angular resolution needed to resolve brown dwarf binaries in the Pleiades at separations that are most common in the field population. We constrain the binary frequency over this range of separation and mass ratio of 25–40 M{sub Jup} Pleiades brown dwarfs to be <11% for 1σ (<26% at 2σ). This binary frequency is consistent with both younger and older brown dwarfs in this mass range.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The sizes of z ∼ 6–8 lensed galaxies from the Hubble Frontier Fields Abell 2744 data

We investigate the sizes of z ∼ 6–8 dropout galaxies using the complete data of the Abell 2744 cluster and parallel fields in the Hubble Frontier Fields program. By directly fitting light profiles of observed galaxies with lensing-distorted Sérsic profiles on the image plane with the glafic software, we accurately measure intrinsic sizes of 31 z ∼ 6–7 and 8 z∼8 galaxies, including those as faint as M{sub UV}≃−16.6. We find that half-light radii r{sub e} positively correlates with UV luminosity at each redshift, although the correlation is not very tight. The largest (r{sub e}>0.8 kpc) galaxies are mostly red in UV color while the smallest (r{sub e}<0.08 kpc) ones tend to be blue. We also find that galaxies with multiple cores tend to be brighter. Combined with previous results at 2.5≲z≲12, our result confirms that the average r{sub e} of bright ((0.3–1)L{sub z=3}{sup ∗}) galaxies scales as r{sub e}∝(1+z){sup −m} with m=1.24±0.1. We find that the ratio of r{sub e} to virial radius is virtually constant at 3.3 ± 0.1% over a wide redshift range, where the virial radii of hosting dark matter halos are derived based on the abundance matching. This constant ratio is consistent with the disk formation model by Mo et al. with j{sub d}∼m{sub d}, where j{sub d} and m{sub d} are the fractions of the angular momentum and mass within halos confined in the disks. A comparison with various types of local galaxies indicates that our galaxies are most similar to circumnuclear star-forming regions of barred galaxies in the sense that a sizable amount of stars are forming in a very small area.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SPECTROSCOPY OF BROWN DWARFS DISCOVERED WITH THE WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY EXPLORER

We present a sample of brown dwarfs identified with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) for which we have obtained Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) near-infrared grism spectroscopy. The sample (22 in total) was observed with the G141 grism covering 1.10–1.70 μm, while 15 were also observed with the G102 grism, which covers 0.90–1.10 μm. The additional wavelength coverage provided by the G102 grism allows us to (1) search for spectroscopic features predicted to emerge at low effective temperatures (e.g.,ammonia bands) and (2) construct a smooth spectral sequence across the T/Y boundary. We find no evidence of absorption due to ammonia in the G102 spectra. Six of these brown dwarfs are new discoveries, three of which are found to have spectral types of T8 or T9. The remaining three, WISE J082507.35+280548.5 (Y0.5), WISE J120604.38+840110.6 (Y0), and WISE J235402.77+024015.0 (Y1), are the 19th, 20th, and 21st spectroscopically confirmed Y dwarfs to date. We also present HST grism spectroscopy and reevaluate the spectral types of five brown dwarfs for which spectral types have been determined previously using other instruments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Space Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping Project. I. Ultraviolet observations of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 with the cosmic origins spectrograph on Hubble Space Telescope

We describe the first results from a six-month long reverberation-mapping experiment in the ultraviolet based on 171 observations of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. Significant correlated variability is found in the continuum and broad emission lines, with amplitudes ranging from ∼30% to a factor of two in the emission lines and a factor of three in the continuum. The variations of all the strong emission lines lag behind those of the continuum, with He ii λ1640 lagging behind the continuum by ∼2.5 days and Lyα λ1215, C iv λ1550, and Si iv λ1400 lagging by ∼5–6 days. The relationship between the continuum and emission lines is complex. In particular, during the second half of the campaign, all emission-line lags increased by a factor of 1.3–2 and differences appear in the detailed structure of the continuum and emission-line light curves. Velocity-resolved cross-correlation analysis shows coherent structure in lag versus line of sight velocity for the emission lines; the high-velocity wings of C iv respond to continuum variations more rapidly than the line core, probably indicating higher velocity broad-line region clouds at smaller distances from the central engine. The velocity-dependent response of Lyα, however, is more complex and will require further analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

hubble space telescope observations of sub-damped Lyα absorbers at z < 0.5, and implications for galaxy chemical evolution

We report observations of four sub-damped Lyα (sub-DLA) quasar absorbers at z<0.5 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. We measure the available neutrals or ions of C, N, O, Si, P, S, Ar, Mn, Fe, and/or Ni. Our data have doubled the sub-DLA metallicity samples at z<0.5 and improved constraints on sub-DLA chemical evolution. All four of our sub-DLAs are consistent with near-solar or super-solar metallicities and relatively modest ionization corrections; observations of more lines and detailed modeling will help to verify this. Combining our data with measurements from the literature, we confirm previous suggestions that the N(H i)-weighted mean metallicity of sub-DLAs exceeds that of DLAs at all redshifts studied, even after making ionization corrections for sub-DLAs. The absorber toward PHL 1598 shows significant dust depletion. The absorbers toward PHL 1226 and PKS 0439-433 show the S/P ratio consistent with solar, i.e., they lack a profound odd–even effect. The absorber toward Q0439-433 shows super-solar Mn/Fe. For several sub-DLAs at z<0.5, [N/S] is below the level expected for secondary N production, suggesting a delay in the release of the secondary N or a tertiary N production mechanism. We constrain the electron density using Si ii* and C ii* absorption. We also report different metallicity versus ΔV{sub 90} relations for sub-DLAs and DLAs. For two sub-DLAs with detections of emission lines from the underlying galaxies, our measurements of the absorption-line metallicities are consistent with the emission-line metallicities, suggesting that metallicity gradients are not significant in these galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Major mergers host the most-luminous red quasars at z ∼ 2: A Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/IR study

We used the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) near-infrared camera to image the host galaxies of a sample of 11 luminous, dust-reddened quasars at z∼2—the peak epoch of black hole growth and star formation in the universe—to test the merger-driven picture for the coevolution of galaxies and their nuclear black holes. The red quasars come from the FIRST+2MASS red quasar survey and a newer, deeper, UKIDSS+FIRST sample. These dust-reddened quasars are the most intrinsically luminous quasars in the universe at all redshifts, and they may represent the dust-clearing transitional phase in the merger-driven black hole growth scenario. Probing the host galaxies in rest-frame visible light, the HST images reveal that 8/10 of these quasars have actively merging hosts, whereas one source is reddened by an intervening lower-redshift galaxy along the line of sight. We study the morphological properties of the quasar hosts using parametric Sérsic fits, as well as nonparametric estimators (Gini coefficient, M{sub 20}, and asymmetry). Their properties are heterogeneous but broadly consistent with the most extreme morphologies of local merging systems such as ultraluminous infrared galaxies. The red quasars have a luminosity range of log(L{sub bol})=47.8−48.3 (erg s{sup −1}), and the merger fraction of their hosts is consistent with merger-driven models of luminous active galactic nuclei activity at z = 2, which supports the picture in which luminous quasars and galaxies coevolve through major mergers that trigger both star formation and black hole growth.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope study of apparent Lyman continuum leakers at z ∼ 3

We present U{sub 336}V{sub 606}J{sub 125}H{sub 160} follow-up Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of 16 z ∼ 3 candidate Lyman continuum (LyC) emitters in the HS1549+1919 field. With these data, we obtain high spatial-resolution photometric redshifts of all sub-arcsecond components of the LyC candidates in order to eliminate foreground contamination and identify robust candidates for leaking LyC emission. Of the 16 candidates, we find one object with a robust LyC detection that is not due to foreground contamination. This object (MD5) resolves into two components; we refer to the LyC-emitting component as MD5b. MD5b has an observed 1500 Å to 900 Å flux-density ratio of (F{sub UV}/F{sub LyC}){sub obs}=4.0±2.0, compatible with predictions from stellar population synthesis models. Assuming minimal IGM absorption, this ratio corresponds to a relative (absolute) escape fraction of f{sub esc,rel}{sup MD5b} = 75%–100% (f{sub esc,abs}{sup MD5b} = 14%–19%). The stellar population fit to MD5b indicates an age of ≲50 Myr, which is in the youngest 10% of the HST sample and the youngest third of typical z ∼ 3 Lyman break galaxies, and may be a contributing factor to its LyC detection. We obtain a revised, contamination-free estimate for the comoving specific ionizing emissivity at z = 2.85, indicating (with large uncertainties) that star-forming galaxies provide roughly the same contribution as QSOs to the ionizing background at this redshift. Our results show that foreground contamination prevents ground-based LyC studies from obtaining a full understanding of LyC emission from z ∼ 3 star-forming galaxies. Future progress in direct LyC searches is contingent upon the elimination of foreground contaminants through high spatial-resolution observations, and upon acquisition of sufficiently deep LyC imaging to probe ionizing radiation in high-redshift galaxies.

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DOE OSTI2015

Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project. II. The star-formation history of the starburst region NGC 2070 in 30 Doradus

We present a study of the recent star formation (SF) of 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using the panchromatic imaging survey Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project. In this paper we focus on the stars within 20 pc of the center of 30 Doradus, the starburst region NGC 2070. We recovered the SF history by comparing deep optical and near-infrared color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) with state-of-the-art synthetic CMDs generated with the latest PAdova and TRieste Stellar Evolution Code (PARSEC) models, which include all stellar phases from pre-main-sequence to post-main-sequence. For the first time in this region we are able to measure the SF using intermediate- and low-mass stars simultaneously. Our results suggest that NGC 2070 experienced prolonged activity. In particular, we find that the SF in the region (1) exceeded the average LMC rate ≈ 20 Myr ago, (2) accelerated dramatically ≈ 7 Myr ago, and (3) reached a peak value 1–3 Myr ago. We did not find significant deviations from a Kroupa initial mass function down to 0.5 M{sub ⊙}. The average internal reddening E(B−V) is found to be between 0.3 and 0.4 mag.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE EXTRAGALACTIC BACKGROUND LIGHT, THE HUBBLE CONSTANT, AND ANOMALIES: CONCLUSIONS FROM 20 YEARS OF TeV GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS

Ground-based observatories have been collecting 0.2–20 TeV gamma-rays from blazars for about twenty years. These gamma-rays can experience absorption along the line of sight due to interactions with the extragalactic background light (EBL). In this paper, we show that the gamma-ray optical depth can be reduced to the convolution product of an EBL kernel with the EBL intensity, assuming a particular form for the EBL evolution. We extract the absorption signal from the most extensive set of TeV spectra from blazars collected so far and unveil a broadband EBL spectrum from mid-ultraviolet to far-infrared. This spectrum is in good agreement with the accumulated emission of galaxies, constraining unresolved populations of sources. We propose a data-driven estimate of the Hubble constant based on the comparison of local and gamma-ray measurements of the EBL. After setting stringent upper-limits on the redshift of four TeV blazars, we investigate the 106 gamma-ray spectra in our sample and find no significant evidence for anomalies. The intrinsic TeV spectra are not harder than their GeV counterpart, and no spectral upturn is visible at the highest optical depths. Finally, we investigate a modification of the pair-creation threshold due to Lorentz invariance violation. A mild excess prevents us from ruling out an effect at the Planck energy, and we constrain for the first time the energy scale of the modification to values larger than 60% of the Planck energy.

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DOE OSTI2015

Hubble Space Telescope near-ultraviolet spectroscopy of bright CEMP-s stars

We present an elemental-abundance analysis, in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectral range, for the bright carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars HD 196944 (V=8.40, [Fe/H] = −2.41) and HD 201626 (V=8.16, [Fe/H] = −1.51), based on data acquired with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. Both of these stars belong to the sub-class CEMP-s, and exhibit clear over-abundances of heavy elements associated with production by the slow neutron-capture process. HD 196944 has been well-studied in the optical region, but we add abundance results for six species (Ge, Nb, Mo, Lu, Pt, and Au) that are only accessible in the NUV. In addition, we provide the first determination of its orbital period, P = 1325 days. HD 201626 has only a limited number of abundance results based on previous optical work—here we add five new species from the NUV, including Pb. We compare these results with models of binary-system evolution and s-process element production in stars on the asymptotic giant branch, with the goal of explaining their origin and evolution. Our best-fitting models for HD 196944 (M{sub 1,i}=0.9M{sub ⊙}, M{sub 2,i}=0.86M{sub ⊙}, for [Fe/H] = −2.2), and HD 201626 (M{sub 1,i}=0.9M{sub ⊙}, M{sub 2,i}=0.76M{sub ⊙}, for [Fe/H] = −2.2; M{sub 1,i}=1.6M{sub ⊙}, M{sub 2,i}=0.59M{sub ⊙}, for [Fe/H] = −1.5) are consistent with the current accepted scenario for the formation of CEMP-s stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE ASTROMETRY OF THE PROCYON SYSTEM

The nearby star Procyon is a visual binary containing the F5 IV-V subgiant Procyon A, orbited in a 40.84-year period by the faint DQZ white dwarf (WD) Procyon B. Using images obtained over two decades with the Hubble Space Telescope, and historical measurements back to the 19th century, we have determined precise orbital elements. Combined with measurements of the parallax and the motion of the A component, these elements yield dynamical masses of 1.478 ± 0.012 M{sub ⊙} and 0.592 ± 0.006 M{sub ⊙} for A and B, respectively. The mass of Procyon A agrees well with theoretical predictions based on asteroseismology and its temperature and luminosity. Use of a standard core-overshoot model agrees best for a surprisingly high amount of core overshoot. Under these modeling assumptions, Procyon A’s age is ∼2.7 Gyr. Procyon B’s location in the H-R diagram is in excellent agreement with theoretical cooling tracks for WDs of its dynamical mass. Its position in the mass–radius plane is also consistent with theory, assuming a carbon–oxygen core and a helium-dominated atmosphere. Its progenitor’s mass was 1.9–2.2 M{sub ⊙}, depending on its amount of core overshoot. Several astrophysical puzzles remain. In the progenitor system, the stars at periastron were separated by only ∼5 AU, which might have led to tidal interactions and even mass transfer; yet there is no direct evidence that these have occurred. Moreover the orbital eccentricity has remained high (∼0.40). The mass of Procyon B is somewhat lower than anticipated from the initial-to-final-mass relation seen in open clusters. The presence of heavy elements in its atmosphere requires ongoing accretion, but the place of origin is uncertain.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE PANCHROMATIC HUBBLE ANDROMEDA TREASURY. VIII. A WIDE-AREA, HIGH-RESOLUTION MAP OF DUST EXTINCTION IN M31

We map the distribution of dust in M31 at 25 pc resolution using stellar photometry from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury survey. The map is derived with a new technique that models the near-infrared color–magnitude diagram (CMD) of red giant branch (RGB) stars. The model CMDs combine an unreddened foreground of RGB stars with a reddened background population viewed through a log-normal column density distribution of dust. Fits to the model constrain the median extinction, the width of the extinction distribution, and the fraction of reddened stars in each 25 pc cell. The resulting extinction map has a factor of ≳4 times better resolution than maps of dust emission, while providing a more direct measurement of the dust column. There is superb morphological agreement between the new map and maps of the extinction inferred from dust emission by Draine et al. However, the widely used Draine and Li dust models overpredict the observed extinction by a factor of ∼2.5, suggesting that M31's true dust mass is lower and that dust grains are significantly more emissive than assumed in Draine et al. The observed factor of ∼2.5 discrepancy is consistent with similar findings in the Milky Way by the Plank Collaboration et al., but we find a more complex dependence on parameters from the Draine and Li dust models. We also show that the the discrepancy with the Draine et al. map is lowest where the current interstellar radiation field has a harder spectrum than average. We discuss possible improvements to the CMD dust mapping technique, and explore further applications in both M31 and other galaxies.

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DOE OSTI2015

A Hubble diagram for quasars

We present a new method to test the ΛCDM cosmological model and to estimate cosmological parameters based on the nonlinear relation between the ultraviolet and X-ray luminosities of quasars. We built a data set of 1138 quasars by merging several samples from the literature with X-ray measurements at 2 keV and SDSS photometry, which was used to estimate the extinction-corrected 2500 Å flux. We obtained three main results: (1) we checked the nonlinear relation between X-ray and UV luminosities in small redshift bins up to z∼6, confirming that the relation holds at all redshifts with the same slope; (2) we built a Hubble diagram for quasars up to z∼6, which is well matched to that of supernovae in the common z = 0–1.4 redshift interval and extends the test of the cosmological model up to z∼6; and (3) we showed that this nonlinear relation is a powerful tool for estimating cosmological parameters. Using the present data and assuming a ΛCDM model, we obtain Ω{sub M} = 0.22{sub −0.08}{sup +0.10} and Ω{sub Λ} = 0.92{sub −0.30}{sup +0.18} (Ω{sub M} = 0.28 ± 0.04 and Ω{sub Λ} = 0.73 ± 0.08 from a joint quasar-SNe fit). Much more precise measurements will be achieved with future surveys. A few thousand SDSS quasars already have serendipitous X-ray observations from Chandra or XMM-Newton, and at least 100,000 quasars with UV and X-ray data will be made available by the extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array all-sky survey in a few years. The Euclid, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, and Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics surveys will further increase the sample size to at least several hundred thousand. Our simulations show that these samples will provide tight constraints on the cosmological parameters and will allow us to test for possible deviations from the standard model with higher precision than is possible today.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE TREASURY PROGRAM ON THE ORION NEBULA CLUSTER {sup ,}

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Treasury Program on the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) has used 104 orbits of HST time to image the Great Orion Nebula region with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), the Wide-Field/Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), and the Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph (NICMOS) instrument in 11 filters ranging from the U band to the H band equivalent of HST. The program has been intended to perform the definitive study of the stellar component of the ONC at visible wavelengths, addressing key questions like the cluster initial mass function, age spread, mass accretion, binarity, and cirumstellar disk evolution. The scanning pattern allowed us to cover a contiguous field of approximately 600 arcmin{sup 2} with both ACS and WFPC2, with a typical exposure time of approximately 11 minutes per ACS filter, corresponding to a point source depth AB(F435W) = 25.8 and AB(F775W) = 25.2 with 0.2 mag of photometric error. We describe the observations, data reduction, and data products, including images, source catalogs, and tools for quick look preview. In particular, we provide ACS photometry for 3399 stars, most of them detected at multiple epochs; WFPC2 photometry for 1643 stars, 1021 of them detected in the U band; and NICMOS JH photometry for 2116 stars. We summarize the early science results that have been presented in a number of papers. The final set of images and the photometric catalogs are publicly available through the archive as High Level Science Products at the STScI Multimission Archive hosted by the Space Telescope Science Institute.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

PHOTOMETRIC REDSHIFTS IN THE HAWAII-HUBBLE DEEP FIELD-NORTH (H-HDF-N)

We derive photometric redshifts (z {sub phot}) for sources in the entire (∼0.4 deg{sup 2}) Hawaii-Hubble Deep Field-North (H-HDF-N) field with the EAzY code, based on point-spread-function-matched photometry of 15 broad bands from the ultraviolet (U band) to mid-infrared (IRAC 4.5 μm). Our catalog consists of a total of 131,678 sources. We evaluate the z {sub phot} quality by comparing z {sub phot} with spectroscopic redshifts (z {sub spec}) when available, and find a value of normalized median absolute deviation σ{sub NMAD} = 0.029 and an outlier fraction of 5.5% (outliers are defined as sources having |z{sub phot} – z{sub spec} |/(1 + z{sub spec} ) > 0.15) for non-X-ray sources. More specifically, we obtain σ{sub NMAD} = 0.024 with 2.7% outliers for sources brighter than R = 23 mag, σ{sub NMAD} = 0.035 with 7.4% outliers for sources fainter than R = 23 mag, σ{sub NMAD} = 0.026 with 3.9% outliers for sources having z < 1, and σ{sub NMAD} = 0.034 with 9.0% outliers for sources having z > 1. Our z {sub phot} quality shows an overall improvement over an earlier z {sub phot} work that focused only on the central H-HDF-N area. We also classify each object as a star or galaxy through template spectral energy distribution fitting and complementary morphological parameterization, resulting in 4959 stars and 126,719 galaxies. Furthermore, we match our catalog with the 2 Ms Chandra Deep Field-North main X-ray catalog. For the 462 matched non-stellar X-ray sources (281 having z {sub spec}), we improve their z {sub phot} quality by adding three additional active galactic nucleus templates, achieving σ{sub NMAD} = 0.035 and an outlier fraction of 12.5%. We make our catalog publicly available presenting both photometry and z {sub phot}, and provide guidance on how to make use of our catalog.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The high-z quasar Hubble Diagram

Two recent discoveries have made it possible for us to begin using high-z quasars as standard candles to construct a Hubble Diagram (HD) at z > 6. These are (1) the recognition from reverberation mapping that a relationship exists between the optical/UV luminosity and the distance of line-emitting gas from the central ionizing source. Thus, together with a measurement of the velocity of the line-emitting gas, e.g., via the width of BLR lines, such as Mg II, a single observation can therefore in principle provide a determination of the black hole's mass; and (2) the identification of quasar ULAS J1120+0641 at z = 7.085, which has significantly extended the redshift range of these sources, providing essential leverage when fitting theoretical luminosity distances to the data. In this paper, we use the observed fluxes and Mg II line-widths of these sources to show that one may reasonably test the predicted high-z distance versus redshift relationship, and we assemble a sample of 20 currently available high-z quasars for this exercise. We find a good match between theory and observations, suggesting that a more complete, high-quality survey may indeed eventually produce an HD to complement the highly-detailed study already underway (e.g., with Type Ia SNe, GRBs, and cosmic chronometers) at lower redshifts. With the modest sample we have here, we show that the R{sub h} = ct Universe and ΛCDM both fit the data quite well, though the smaller number of free parameters in the former produces a more favorable outcome when we calculate likelihoods using the Akaike, Kullback, and Bayes Information Criteria. These three statistical tools result in similar probabilities, indicating that the R{sub h} = ct Universe is more likely than ΛCDM to be correct, by a ratio of about 85% to 15%.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

On the local variation of the Hubble constant

We have carefully studied how local measurements of the Hubble constant, H{sub 0}, can be influenced by a variety of different parameters related to survey depth, size, and fraction of the sky observed, as well as observer position in space. Our study is based on N-body simulations of structure in the standard ΛCDM model and our conclusion is that the expected variance in measurements of H{sub 0} is far too small to explain the current discrepancy between the low value of H{sub 0} inferred from measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by the Planck collaboration and the value measured directly in the local universe by use of Type Ia supernovae. This conclusion is very robust and does not change with different assumptions about effective sky coverage and depth of the survey or observer position in space.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A 6% measurement of the Hubble parameter at z ∼0.45: direct evidence of the epoch of cosmic re-acceleration

Deriving the expansion history of the Universe is a major goal of modern cosmology. To date, the most accurate measurements have been obtained with Type Ia Supernovae (SNe) and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), providing evidence for the existence of a transition epoch at which the expansion rate changes from decelerated to accelerated. However, these results have been obtained within the framework of specific cosmological models that must be implicitly or explicitly assumed in the measurement. It is therefore crucial to obtain measurements of the accelerated expansion of the Universe independently of assumptions on cosmological models. Here we exploit the unprecedented statistics provided by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS, [1-3]) Data Release 9 to provide new constraints on the Hubble parameter H ( z ) using the cosmic chronometers approach. We extract a sample of more than 130000 of the most massive and passively evolving galaxies, obtaining five new cosmology-independent H ( z ) measurements in the redshift range 0.3 < z < 0.5, with an accuracy of ∼11–16% incorporating both statistical and systematic errors. Once combined, these measurements yield a 6% accuracy constraint of H ( z = 0.4293) = 91.8 ± 5.3 km/s/Mpc. The new data are crucial to provide the first cosmology-independent determination of the transition redshift at high statistical significance, measuring z {sub t} = 0.4 ± 0.1, and to significantly disfavor the null hypothesis of no transition between decelerated and accelerated expansion at 99.9% confidence level. This analysis highlights the wide potential of the cosmic chronometers approach: it permits to derive constraints on the expansion history of the Universe with results competitive with standard probes, and most importantly, being the estimates independent of the cosmological model, it can constrain cosmologies beyond—and including—the ΛCDM model.

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