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DOE OSTI2025

Selection function of clusters in Dark Energy Survey year 3 data from cross-matching with South Pole Telescope detections

Context. Galaxy clusters selected based on overdensities of galaxies in photometric surveys provide the largest cluster samples. However, modeling the selection function of such samples is complicated by noncluster members projected along the line of sight (projection effects) and the potential detection of unvirialized objects (contamination). Aims. We empirically constrained the magnitude of these effects by cross-matching galaxy clusters selected in the Dark Energy Survey data with the redMaPPer algorithm with significant detections in three South Pole Telescope surveys (SZ, pol-ECS, pol-500d). Methods. For matched clusters, we augmented the redMaPPer catalog with the SPT detection significance. For unmatched objects we used the SPT detection threshold as an upper limit on the SZe signature. Using a Bayesian population model applied to the collected multiwavelength data, we explored various physically motivated models to describe the relationship between observed richness and halo mass. Results. Our analysis reveals a clear preference for models with an additional skewed scatter component associated with projection effects over a purely log-normal scatter model. We rule out significant contamination by unvirialized objects at the high-richness end of the sample. While dedicated simulations offer a well-fitting calibration of projection effects, our findings suggest the presence of redshift-dependent trends that these simulations may not have captured. Our findings highlight that modeling the selection function of optically detected clusters remains a complicated challenge that requires a combination of simulation and data-driven approaches.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Dark Energy Survey Year 6 results: Intra-cluster light from redshift 0.2 to 0.5

Using the full 6 years of imaging data from the Dark Energy Survey, we study the surface brightness profiles of galaxy cluster central galaxies and intra-cluster light. We apply a ‘stacking’ method to over 4000 galaxy clusters identified by the redMaPPer cluster finder in the redshift range of 0.2−0.5. This yields high-signal-to-noise circularly averaged profile measurements of the central galaxy and intra-cluster light out to 1 Mpc from the cluster centre. Using redMaPPer richness as a cluster mass indicator, we find that the brightness of the intra-cluster light has a strong mass dependence throughout the 0.2−0.5 redshift range, and this dependence grows stronger at a larger radius. In terms of redshift evolution, we find some evidence that the central galaxy, as well as the diffuse light within the transition region between the cluster central galaxy and intra-cluster light within 80 kpc from the centre, may be growing over time. At larger radii, more than 80 kpc away from the cluster centre, we do not detect evidence of additional redshift evolution beyond the cluster mass dependence, consistent with the findings from the IllustrisTNG hydrodynamic simulation. We speculate that the major driver of intra-cluster light growth, especially at large radii, is associated with cluster mass growth. Finally, we find that the colour of the cluster central galaxy and intra-cluster light displays a radial gradient that becomes bluer at a larger radius, which is consistent with a stellar stripping and disruption origin of intra-cluster light as suggested by simulation studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Copacabana: a probabilistic membership assignment method for galaxy clusters

Cosmological analyses using galaxy clusters in optical/near-infrared photometric surveys require robust characterization of their galaxy content. Precisely determining which galaxies belong to a cluster is crucial. In this paper, we present the COlor Probabilistic Assignment of Clusters And BAyesiaN Analysis (Copacabana) algorithm. Copacabana computes membership probabilities for all galaxies within an aperture centred on the cluster using photometric redshifts, colours, and projected radial probability density functions. We use simulations to validate Copacabana and we show that it achieves up to 89 per cent membership accuracy with a mild dependence on photometric redshift uncertainties and choice of aperture size. We find that the precision of the photometric redshifts has the largest impact on the determination of the membership probabilities followed by the choice of the cluster aperture size. We also quantify how much these uncertainties in the membership probabilities affect the stellar mass–cluster mass scaling relation, a relation that directly impacts cosmology. Using the sum of the stellar masses weighted by membership probabilities (⁠μ * ⁠) as the observable, we find that Copacabana can reach an accuracy of 0.06 dex in the measurement of the scaling relation at low redshift for a Legacy Survey of Space and Time type survey. These results indicate the potential of Copacabana and μ * to be used in cosmological analyses of optically selected clusters in the future.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

FLAMINGO: combining kinetic SZ effect and galaxy–galaxy lensing measurements to gauge the impact of feedback on large-scale structure

Energetic feedback processes associated with accreting supermassive black holes can expel gas from massive haloes and significantly alter various measures of clustering on $\sim$Mpc scales, potentially biasing the values of cosmological parameters inferred from analyses of large-scale structure (LSS) if not modelled accurately. Here, we use the state-of-the-art FLAMINGO suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations to gauge the impact of feedback on large-scale structure by comparing to Planck + ACT stacking measurements of the kinetic Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (kSZ) effect of SDSS BOSS galaxies. We make careful like-with-like comparisons to the observations, aided by high precision KiDS and DES galaxy–galaxy lensing measurements of the BOSS galaxies to inform the selection of the simulated galaxies. In qualitative agreement with several recent studies using dark matter only simulations corrected for baryonic effects, we find that the kSZ effect measurements prefer stronger feedback than predicted by simulations which have been calibrated to reproduce the gas fractions of low redshift X-ray-selected groups and clusters. We find that the increased feedback can help to reduce the so-called $S_8$ tension between the observed and CMB-predicted clustering on small scales as probed by cosmic shear (although at the expense of agreement with the X-ray group measurements). However, the increased feedback is only marginally effective at reducing the reported offsets between the predicted and observed clustering as probed by the thermal SZ (tSZ) effect power spectrum and tSZ effect – weak lensing cross-spectrum, both of which are sensitive to higher halo masses than cosmic shear.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2016

A Strong Merger Shock in Abell 665

Deep (103 ks) Chandra observations of Abell 665 have revealed rich structures in this merging galaxy cluster, including a strong shock and two cold fronts. The newly discovered shock has a Mach number of M =3.0 +/- 0.6, propagating in front of a cold disrupted cloud. This makes Abell 665 the second cluster, after the Bullet cluster, where a strong merger shock of M is approximately 3 has been detected. The shock velocity from jump conditions is consistent with (2.7 +/- 0.7) × 10(exp 3) km s(exp −1). The new data also reveal a prominent southern cold front with potentially heated gas ahead of it. Abell 665 also hosts a giant radio halo. There is a hint of diffuse radio emission extending to the shock at the north, which needs to be examined with better radio data. This new strong shock provides a great opportunity to study the reacceleration model with the X-ray and radio data combined.

galaxies: clusters: general- galaxies: clisters; i↗

NASA NTRS1992

Gamma ray bursts from extragalactic sources

The properties of gamma ray bursts of classical type are found to be explicable in terms of high speed collisions between stars. A model is proposed in which the frequency of such collisions can be calculated. The model is then applied to the nuclei of galaxies in general on the basis that galaxies, or at least some fraction of them, originate in the expulsion of stars from creation centers. Evidence that low level activity of this kind is also taking place at the center of our own Galaxy is discussed. The implications for galactic evolution are discussed and a negative view of black holes is taken.

Hoyle, Fred↗

NASA NTRS2011

High Resolution Rapid Response Observations of Compact Radio Sources with the Ceduna Hobart Interferometer (CHI)

Context. Frequent, simultaneous observations across the electromagnetic spectrum are essential to the study of a range of astrophysical phenomena including Active Galactic Nuclei. A key tool of such studies is the ability to observe an object when it flares i.e. exhibits a rapid and significant increase in its flux density. Aims. We describe the specific observational procedures and the calibration techniques that have been developed and tested to create a single baseline radio interferometer. that can rapidly observe a flaring object. This is the only facility that is dedicated to rapid high resolution radio observations of an object south of -30 degrees declination. An immediate application is to provide rapid contemporaneous radio coverage of AGN flaring at y-ray frequencies detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Methods. A single baseline interferometer was formed with radio telescopes in Hobart, Tasmania and Ceduna, South Australia. A software correlator was set up at the University of Tasmania to correlate these data. Results. Measurements of the flux densities of flaring objects can be made using our observing strategy within half an hour of a triggering event. These observations can be calibrated with amplitude errors better than 20%. Lower limits to the brightness temperatures of the sources can also be calculated using CHI. Key words. instrumentation:interferometers - galaxies:active - galaxies:jets - galaxies:nuclei quasars:general gamma rays:galaxies- 1.

Blanchard, Jay M.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Spectral energy distributions of nuclei of peculiar galaxies.

Consideration of galaxies of the types described by Seyfert, Zwicky, Markarian and others. Quasars are discussed in terms of their similarities to the nuclei of peculiar galaxies. The data discussed were obtained almost exclusively with photoelectric spectrometers. Peculiar galaxies have a wide range of properties insofar as their spectra are concerned. Many have very strong emission lines. Sources of continuous radiation, and distance scale problems and selection effects are discussed. Data are presented which are representative of spectrophotometric observational results for 12 Markarian galaxies, 14 Zwicky compact objects, and 16 radio galaxies. The general properties of spectral energy distributions of peculiar galaxies and quasars are discussed.

Oke, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Cooling Flow Spectra in Ginga Galaxy Clusters

The primary focus of this research project has been a joint analysis of Ginga LAC and Einstein SSS X-ray spectra of the hot gas in galaxy clusters with cooling flows is reported. We studied four clusters (A496, A1795, A2142 & A2199) and found their central temperatures to be cooler than in the exterior, which is expected from their having cooling flows. More interestingly, we found central metal abundance enhancements in two of the clusters, A496 and A2142. We have been assessing whether the abundance gradients (or lack thereof) in intracluster gas is correlated with galaxy morphological gradients in the host clusters. In rich, dense galaxy clusters, elliptical and SO galaxies are generally found in the cluster cores, while spiral galaxies are found in the outskirts. If the metals observed in clusters came from proto-ellipticals and proto-S0s blowing winds, then the metal distribution in intracluster gas may still reflect the distribution of their former host galaxies. In a research project which was inspired by the success of the Ginga LAC/Einstein SSS work, we analyzed X-ray spectra from the HEAO-A2 MED and the Einstein SSS to look for temperature gradients in cluster gas. The HEAO-A2 MED was also a non-imaging detector with a large field of view compared to the SSS, so we used the differing fields of view of the two instruments to extract spatial information. We found some evidence of cool gas in the outskirts of clusters, which may indicate that the nominally isothermal mass density distributions in these clusters are steepening in the outer parts of these clusters.

White, Raymond E., III↗

NASA NTRS1990

Disk mass densities in edge-on spiral galaxies

Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the neutral hydrogen (HI) gas in two nearby edge-on spirals (NGC 4565 and NGC 891) successfully resolve the thickness of the gas layers in both disks over a wide range in radii. The combination of B, C, and D array data produces a 4 arcsec (approx. 200 pc) beam and 21 km s(exp -1) velocity resolution, combined with sensitivity to structures as large as 18 arcmin (approx. 54 kpc). These observations directly constrain the mid-plane disk mass densities, under the assumption of an equilibrium between the thermal pressure of the gas and the gravitational attraction of the disk. The results of a preliminary analysis are given regarding the z-velocity dispersion of the gas, the mass-to-light ratio of the disk in NGC 4565, and the roles of atomic and molecular gases. The data also allow a detailed study of the HI in these galaxies; in general their brightness temperature distributions seem similar to that in the Milky Way. Both galaxies show asymmetric HI extensions beyond the optical disk. In NGC 4565 the extension is a surprisingly abrupt warp, which may bend back to parallel the galactic plane; the velocity structure implies the warp is continuous around the disk.

Rupen, Michael P.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Disk-driven hydromagnetic winds as a key ingredient of active galactic nuclei unification schemes

Centrifugally driven winds from the surfaces of magnetized accretion disks have been recognized as an attractive mechanism of removing the angular momentum of the accreted matter and of producing the bipolar outflows and jets that are often associated with compact astronomical objects. As previously suggested in the context of young stellar objects, such winds have unique observational manifestations stemming from their highly stratified density and velocity structure and from their exposure to the strong continuum radiation field of the compact object. We have applied this scenario to active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and investigated the properties of hydromagnetic outflows that originate within approximately 10(M(sub 8)) pc of the central 10(exp 8)(M(sub 8)) solar mass black hole. On the basis of our results, we propose that hydromagnetic disk-driven winds may underlie the classification of broad-line and narrow-line AGNs (e.g., the Seyfert 1/Seyfert 2 dichotomy) as well as the apparent dearth of luminous Seyfert 2 galaxies. More generally, we demonstrate that such winds could strongly influence the spectral characteristics of Seyfert galaxies, QSOs, and BL Lac objects (BLOs). In our picture, the torus is identified with the outer regions of the wind where dust uplifted from the disk surfaces by gas-grain collisions is embedded in the outflow. Using an efficient radiative transfer code, we show that the infrared emission of Seyfert galaxies and QSOs can be attributed to the reprocessing of the UV/soft X-ray AGN continuum by the dust in the wind and the disk. We demonstrate that the radiation pressure force flattens the dust distribution in objects with comparatively high (but possibly sub-Eddington) bolometric luminosities, and we propose this as one likely reason for the apparent paucity of narrow-line objects among certain high-luminosity AGNs. Using the XSTAR photoionization code, we show that the inner regions of the wind could naturally account for the warm (greater than or approximately equal to 10(exp 5) K) and hot (greater than or approximately equal to 10(exp 6) K) gas components that have been inferred to exist on scales less than or approximately equal to 10(exp 2) pc in several Seyfert galaxies. We suggest that the partially ionized gas in the inner regions of the wind, rather than the dusty, neutral outflow that originates further out in the disk, could account for the bulk of the X-ray absorption in Seyferts observed at relatively small angles to their symmetry axes. Finally, we discuss the application of this model to the interpretation of the approximately 0.6 keV X-ray absorption feature reported in several BLOs.

Konigl, Arieh↗

NASA NTRS1994

The Morphology of Low Surface Brightness Disk Galaxies

Images of a sample of low surface brightness (LSB) disk galaxies are presented. These galaxies are generally late types; however, they are not dwarfs, being intrinsically large and luminous. The morphology of LSB galaxies is discussed in terms of the physical interpretation of the Hubble sequence, the stages of which are found to be nonlinear in the sense that smaller physical differences separate mid to early type spirals than late types.

extragalactic astronomy↗

NASA NTRS1993

Infrared fine-structure line diagnostics of shrouded active galactic nuclei

Far-infrared spectroscopy of celestial objects will improve dramatically in the coming decade, allowing astronomers to use fine-structure line emission to probe photoionized regions obscured in the optical band by thick clouds of dust. The ultraluminous far-IR galaxies revealed by IRAS, quasar-like in luminosity but smothered in molecular gas, probably conceal either immense starbursts or luminous active nuclei. In both scenarios, these objects ought to produce copious infrared fine-structure emission with several lines comparable to H(beta) in luminosity. This paper shows how these lines, if detected, can be used to determine the electron densities and far-IR obscurations of shrouded photoionized regions and to constrain the shape and ionization parameter of the ionizing spectra. The presence of (Ne V) emission in particular will distinguish shrouded AGN's from shrouded starbursts. Since all active galaxies photoionize at least some surrounding material, these diagnostics can also be applied to active galaxies in general and will aid in studying how an active nucleus interacts with the interstellar medium of its host galaxy.

Voit, G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Infrared fine-structure line diagnostics of shrouded active galactic nuclei

The ultraluminous far-IR galaxies revealed by IRAS, quasar-like in luminosity but smothered in molecular gas, probably conceal either immense starbursts or luminous active nuclei. In both scenarios, these objects ought to produce copious infrared fine-structure emission with several lines comparable to H-beta in luminosity. We show how these lines, if detected, can be used to determine the electron densities and far-IR obscurations of shrouded photoionized regions and to constrain the shape and ionization parameter of the ionizing spectra. The presence of Ne v emission in particular will distinguish shrouded AGNs from shrouded starbursts. Since all active galaxies photoionize at least some surrounding material, these diagnostics can also be applied to active galaxies in general and will aid in studying how an active nucleus interacts with the interstellar medium of its host galaxy.

Voit, G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Ginga observations of Seyfert galaxies

We observed twenty-eight Seyfert 2 galaxies with the Japanese X-ray satellite, Ginga, and found Seyfert 2 galaxies, in general, have the X-ray spectral characteristics of obscured Seyfert 1 nuclei. This results agrees with the predictions from the Unified Seyfert model proposed by Antonucci and Miller. However, among the observed Seyfert 2 galaxies, there are a few galaxies with no evidence of an obscuration, contrary to the general predictions of the unified model. We note that type 2 active galactic nuclei (AGN) will contribute to the Cosmic Diffuse X-ray Background, if the unified Seyfert model can be extended to the far distant AGN such as quasars.

Awaki, H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

IRAS galaxies and the large-scale structure in the CfA slice

The spatial distributions of the IRAS and the optical galaxies in the first CfA slice are compared. The IRAS galaxies are generally less clustered than optical ones, but their distribution is essentially identical to that of late-type optical galaxies. The discrepancy between the clustering properties of the IRAS and optical samples in the CfA slice region is found to be entirely due to the paucity of IRAS galaxies in the core of the Coma cluster. The spatial distributions of the IRAS and the optical galaxies, both late and early types, outside the dense core of the Coma cluster are entirely consistent with each other. This conflicts with the prediction of the linear biasing scenario.

Babul, Arif↗

NASA NTRS1978

On the rotation of elliptical galaxies

The tensor virial theorem is applied to models of early-type galaxies. First the theorem is applied to rotating elliptical galaxies whose constant-density surfaces are similar ellipsoids. A relationship is obtained between the observed rotations and the forms of generally triaxial galaxies. By applying the results of Robert (1962) to the evaluation of the components of the Chandrasekhar tensor which occurs in this relationship, it is found that the form of a galaxy that lacks global velocity anisotropy uniquely determines the ratio of its rotational and random kinetic energies independently of the radial density profile of that galaxy. A distribution of three-dimensional prolate spheroids is derived which accounts for the observed distribution of ellipticities reported by Sandage, Freeman, and Stokes (1970). This is then used to derive curves giving the expected frequency of occurrence of galaxies of given rotational velocities for each of a number of different apparent elongations on the sky. It is found that if elliptical galaxies are prolate, there should be little correlation between apparent ellipticity and rotation velocity.

Binney, J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Integrated far-infrared background from galaxies

The integrated radiation from galaxies is calculated at far-IR and submillimeter wavelengths. The peak of the far-IR background radiation is 100-130 microns, and its total energy content is 0.5-6 percent of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). At wavelengths longward of 400 microns, the CMB dominates over the far-IR radiation from galaxies in intensity. The autocorrelation of fluctuations from the average angle of the far-IR background of galaxies is calculated. The contribution of galaxies to the anisotropy of the background radiation at wavelengths longer than about 400 microns where the CMB is predominant is obtained. It is found that, in general, earlier galaxy formation predicts stronger far-IR background radiation. The prompt initial enrichment model for the chemical evolution of disk galaxies, in particular those with an exponential star formation rate, produces much larger intensity of the integrated radiation than the accretion model.

Wang, Boqi↗