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At least 451 records · Page 25

Galaxy Clusters Selected via the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich Effect in the SPTpol 100-square-degree Survey

In this work, we present a catalog of galaxy cluster candidates detected in 100 square degrees surveyed with the SPTpol receiver on the South Pole Telescope. The catalog contains 89 candidates detected with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 4.6. The candidates are selected using the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect at 95 and 150 GHz. Using both space- and ground-based optical and infrared telescopes, we have confirmed 81 candidates as galaxy clusters. We use these follow-up images and archival images to estimate photometric redshifts for 66 galaxy clusters and spectroscopic observations to obtain redshifts for 13 systems. An additional two galaxy clusters are confirmed using the overdensity of near-infrared galaxies only and are presented without redshifts. We find that 15 candidates (18% of the total sample) are at redshift z ≥ 1.0, with a maximum confirmed redshift of ${z}_{\max }=1.38\pm 0.10$. We expect this catalog to contain every galaxy cluster with ${M}_{500c}\gt 2.6\times {10}^{14}{M}_{\odot }{{h}}_{70}^{-1}$ and z > 0.25 in the survey area. The mass threshold is approximately constant above z = 0.25, and the complete catalog has a median mass of approximately ${M}_{500c}=2.7\times {10}^{14}{M}_{\odot }{{h}}_{70}^{-1}$. Compared to previous SPT works, the increased depth of the millimeter-wave data (11.2 and 6.5 μK-arcmin at 95 and 150 GHz, respectively) makes it possible to find more galaxy clusters at high redshift and lower mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Enhanced star formation and infrared emission in the centers of galaxies

The IR properties of galaxies with star-formation-dominated central IR luminosity are discussed, summarizing the results of recent observational investigations. Consideration is given to the constituents of star-forming galaxies (dust in emission, photoionized gas, and shock-heated gas), the IR morphology (IR luminosity and young stars and NIR mapping to see beyond dust), the relationship between IR and radio emission, M82 as a typical object, and the implications of the observations for theoretical models of star formation. It is concluded that star formation in these galaxies will exhaust the available gas supply in much less than a Hubble time. Diagrams, graphs, sample images, and tables of numerical data are provided.

Telesco, Charles M.↗

Star-formation rates, molecular clouds, and the origin of the far-infrared luminosity of isolated and interacting galaxies

The CO luminosities of 93 galaxies have been determined and are compared with their IRAS FIR luminosities. Strongly interacting/merging galaxies have L(FIR)/L(CO) substantially higher than that of isolated galaxies or galactic giant molecular clouds (GMCs). Galaxies with tidal tails/bridges are the most extreme type with L(FIR)/L(CO) nine times as high as isolated galaxies. Interactions between close pairs of galaxies do not have much effect on the molecular content and global star-formation rate. If the high ratio L(FIR)/L(CO) in strongly interacting galaxies is due to star formation then the efficiency of this process is higher than that of any galactic GMC. Isolated galaxies, distant pairs, and close pairs have an FIR/CO luminosity ratio which is within a factor of two of galactic GMCs with H II regions. The CO luminosities of FIR-luminous galaxies are among the highest observed for any spiral galaxies.

Solomon, P. M.↗

Infrared and radio emission from S0 galaxies

Far-IR data are presented on 74 early-type S0 galaxies that were selected on the basis of the availability of radio-continuum measurements. Most of the galaxies are detected at IR wavelengths with IRAS, indicating the presence of a cold interstellar medium (ISM) in these galaxies. The mass of gas in these systems is estimated to lie in the range of 10 to the 7th to 10 to the 10th solar. The most massive ISM in some S0s approaches that found in some spirals. The brighter IR-emitting galaxies all lie close to a relationship established for gas-rich spiral galaxies. None of these galaxies have large ratio fluxes, suggesting that strong nuclear radio sources or extended radio lobes and jets are absent or suppressed. Strong radio emission is found among those galaxies that are either faint or not detected at IR wavelengths. The absence of an ISM suggests that these galaxies are of an earlier type that those that have large IR fluxes.

Bally, John↗

Infrared images of distant 3C radio galaxies

J (1.2-micron) and K (2.2 micron) images have been obtained for eight 3CR radio galaxies with redshifts from 0.7 to 1.8. Most of the objects were known to have extended asymmetric optical continuum or line emission aligned with the radio lobe axis. In general, the IR morphologies of these galaxies are just as peculiar as their optical morphologies. For all the galaxies, when asymmetric structure is present in the optical, structure with the same orientation is seen in the IR and must be accounted for in any model to explain the alignment of optical and radio emission.

Eisenhardt, Peter↗

The 60 micron to 20 centimeter infrared-to-radio ratio within spiral galaxies

A detailed comparison is presented of the distribution of 60 micron IR and 20 cm radio continuum emission within 25 galaxies, mostly disk spirals. Local maxima in the thermal IR and nonthermal radio emission are found to be spatially coincident on scales of less than about 0.4 kpc in the nearest sample galaxies. The IR-red disk in normal spirals appears to be characterized by a shorter scale length than that of the radio continuum disk, suggesting that the IR-to-radio ratio should decrease as a function of radius. A model that successfully accounts for the observations is introduced which is based on the assumptions of steady-state star formation activity within the disk on kpc scales and a tight coupling between the origins of the dust-heating radiation and the radio-emitting cosmic-ray electrons. The underlying source is described as an exponential disk. The results also suggest that a random walk process cannot by itself describe the temporal evolution of cosmic rays.

Bicay, M. D.↗

The joint far-infrared-optical luminosity function for spiral galaxies and data for the Abell 400 and Cancer clusters

Visual and IRAS data for an optically selected sample of 183 late-type galaxies are compiled in tables and graphs and analyzed in detail to determine the joint FIR-optical luminosity function Psi from the FIR/blue luminosity ratio, r = L(FIR)/L(B). It is found that Psi can be approximated by a function of a single variable psi(r-prime), where r-prime is defined as r times L(B)/L(asterisk) exp -delta, with L(asterisk) a constant and delta = about 0.08. A lognormal curve peaking at r-prime = 0.35 and with dispersion of 0.28 is shown to give a good fit to psi(r-prime). From a lack of galaxies with very low r-prime in the present sample it is inferred that there are few spiral galaxies with low interstellar-dust abundances. Also included are data on the distribution function of r-prime for the more distant clusters Abell 400 and Cancer.

Corbelli, Edvige↗

The infrared properties of quasars and radio galaxies - Testing the unification schemes

The IRAS data base is used to compare the mid-FIR properties of two classes of radio-loud AGN whose LF radio emission arises in large-scale radio lobes. The two primary samples consist of 42 quasars and 75 narrow-line radio galaxies selected on the basis of their 178 MHz radio flux density from the 3 CR catalog and having redshifts of not less than 0.3 and Galactic latitudes of not less than 20 deg. The mid-FIR emission was found to be about four times stronger on average in the quasars than in the radio galaxies. Even though the radio galaxies are systematically weaker mid-FIR sources than the quasars, they are still exceptionally luminous (about 10 exp 12 solar luminosities) in the mid-FIR. These powerful radio galaxies contain potent sources of radiation that are either hidden or energetically unimportant at shorter wavelengths.

Heckman, Timothy M.↗

The genesis of starbursts and infrared emission in the centers of galaxies

We present 10.8-micron maps of the central regions of 21 IR-luminous galaxies. Each map, obtained using the NASA MSFC bolometer array at the IRTF, has a resolution of about 4 arcsec and spans typically 25 x 20 arcsec. Some of the galaxies have also been mapped at 12.5, 19.2, and 30/microns. The sample consists primarily of starburst galaxies but includes several Seyferts and LINERs. On average, the flux detected in each map is about 58 percent of that detected at 12 microns by IRAS. We see a variety of morphologies, including compact and elongated sources and more complex distributions exhibiting such features as kiloparsec-size rings and double lobes. The mid-IR radiation is emitted by dust particles, and for two of the galaxies we see spatial color variations attributable to the presence of very small grains and consistent with their depletion in the starbursts. The mid-IR emission traces the dust heated by the youngest stars. Comparison of the distributions of intense star formation and the dense neutral interstellar medium for eight of these galaxies demonstrates that the two are intimately linked.

Telesco, C. M.↗

The far-infrared distribution in the Dusty Hand Galaxy NGC 2146

Our high spatial resolution 50 and 100 micro m observations of the peculiar galaxy NGC 2146 show that the FIR emission arises in a 21 arc-sec x is less than 16 arc-sec (1.5 kpc x is less than 1.1 kpc) region (FWHM) elongated along the major axis. This size limit is similar to that of the radio continuum, the (12)CO (1 - 0), and the H alpha. From an investigation of the energetics in this galaxy, we conclude that young massive stars are largely responsible for powering the FIR luminosity of this galaxy. The FIR and CO (1 - 0) distributions differ from the extinction morphology as seen in optical images and in the Br gamma/H alpha ratio. The starlight and the ionized gas are most highly reddened at the prominent dust lane 15 arc-sec to the west of the nucleus, while the CO and FIR emission peak near the nucleus. This result can be explained by either a high proportion of cold dust and gas at the dust lane, or a geometry in which the dust lane lies in front of the main body of the galaxy.

Smith, Beverly J.↗

Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) Interim Report

The New Worlds, New Horizons (NWNH) in Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Decadal Survey prioritized the community consensus for ground-based and space-based observatories. Recognizing that many of the community s key questions could be answered with a wide-field infrared survey telescope in space, and that the decade would be one of budget austerity, WFIRST was top ranked in the large space mission category. In addition to the powerful new science that could be accomplished with a wide-field infrared telescope, the WFIRST mission was determined to be both technologically ready and only a small fraction of the cost of previous flagship missions, such as HST or JWST. In response to the top ranking by the community, NASA formed the WFIRST Science Definition Team (SDT) and Project Office. The SDT was charged with fleshing out the NWNH scientific requirements to a greater level of detail. NWNH evaluated the risk and cost of the JDEM-Omega mission design, as submitted by NASA, and stated that it should serve as the basis for the WFIRST mission. The SDT and Project Office were charged with developing a mission optimized for achieving the science goals laid out by the NWNH re-port. The SDT and Project Office opted to use the JDEM-Omega hardware configuration as an initial start-ing point for the hardware implementation. JDEM-Omega and WFIRST both have an infrared imager with a filter wheel, as well as counter-dispersed moderate resolution spectrometers. The primary advantage of space observations is being above the Earth's atmosphere, which absorbs, scatters, warps and emits light. Observing from above the atmosphere enables WFIRST to obtain precision infrared measurements of the shapes of galaxies for weak lensing, infrared light-curves of supernovae and exoplanet microlensing events with low systematic errors, and infrared measurements of the H hydrogen line to be cleanly detected in the 1<z<2 redshift range important for baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) dark energy measurements. The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), Herschel, Spitzer, and Wide-field Infrared Sur-vey Explorer (WISE) are all space missions that have produced stunning new scientific advances by going to space to observe in the infrared. This interim report describes progress as of June 2011 on developing a requirements flowdown and an evaluation of scientific performance. An Interim Design Reference Mission (IDRM) configuration is presented that is based on the specifications of NWNH with some refinements to optimize the design in accordance with the new scientific requirements. Analysis of this WFIRST IDRM concept is in progress to ensure the capability of the observatory is compatible with the science requirements. The SDT and Project will continue to refine the mission concept over the coming year as design, analysis and simulation work are completed, resulting in the SDT s WFIRST Design Reference Mission (DRM) by the end of 2012.

Green, J.↗

The Contribution of Ionizing Starts to the Far-Infrared and Radio Emission in the Milky Way: Evidence for a Swept-up Shell and Diffuse Ionized Halo Around the W4 Chimney/Supershell

Normandeau have proposed that W4 is a galactic chimney, the only chimney to-date identified in our Galaxy. Using the recent approx. 1 min resolution IGA (Infrared Galaxy Atlas) and DRAO (Dominion Royal Astrophysical Observatory) CGPS (Canadian Galactic Plane Survey) galactic plane surveys we analyze the far-infrared and radio structure of the W 4 chimney/supershell. We show W4 has a swept-up partially ionized shell of gas and dust which is powered by the OCl 352 star cluster. Analysis of the dust column density establishes there is dense interstellar material below the shell, directly showing the dense material which caused the lower shell expansion to stall. Due to much lower densities above the Galactic plane, the upper W4 shell achieved 'breakout' to form a Galactic chimney. Although the shell appears ionization bounded, it is very inhomogenous and an ionized halo provides evidence of significant Lyman continuum leakage. A large fraction of the OCl 352 cluster photons escape to large distances and are available to ionize the WIM (warm ionized medium) component of the interstellar medium.

Terebey, Susan↗