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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Development and Performance of Tungsten-Coated Graphitic Foam for Plasma-Facing Components

High-density graphitic foam is an ideal low-Z plasma-facing material for deuterium-deuterium plasma experiments where tritium codeposition is not an issue. However, like all carbon, graphitic foam suffers from a precipitous drop in thermal conductivity at high temperatures, >600°C. To mitigate these problems, functionally graded layers of tungsten can be deposited to a thickness of 2 to 4 mm onto the plasma side of the foam using chemical vapor deposition. The graphitic foam then acts as a high-conductivity heat sink at temperatures below 600°C for the thin high-Z armor coating. The overall component weighs 18 times less than a comparable volume of tungsten and lacks the coefficient of thermal expansion joining issues between the CuCrZr tubing and the tungsten. This paper discusses the coating development and characterization and presents the results of recent plasma exposures in W7-X. It also reports on computational fluid dynamics heat transfer modeling and preparations for high heat flux testing of mock-ups. This hybrid plasma-facing component (PFC) consisting of innovative engineered materials may be a cost-effective, actively cooled solution for the divertors and other PFCs in long-pulse machines like W7-X and WEST.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Overview of Liquid-Metal PFC R&D at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The design and implementation of future flowing liquid-lithium plasma-facing components (LLPFCs) will be dependent on several factors. Of course, one of the most important is the need to be able to deal with high heat fluxes incident on the surface of the LLPFCs, but there are also several other important liquid-metal behaviors that have been identified for their critical impact on the feasibility of a LLPFC. One of these is the ability to constantly wet 100% of the plasma-facing component area and the best way to achieve that. Another key point is knowing and understanding the erosion and corrosion of the surfaces subject to a flowing liquid-lithium system and the ability for hydrogen and helium uptake by the system. The Center for Plasma Material Interactions (CPMI) has been tasked with looking at these various issues. The Mock-up Entry module for EAST device was used to investigate wetting and erosion effects and to design a suitable distribution and collection system with a liquid-lithium loop. The vapor shielding effects of lithium on the surface were also modeled and studied. A model coupling CRANE, an open-source global reaction network solver, and Zapdos, a plasma transport solver, is being developed to better understand the dynamics of the vapor cloud. Experiments on the Magnum-PSI at the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research have been carried out to study the vapor shielding effect and obtain experimental benchmarks to verify the model. Also, initial experiments using the Hybrid Illinois Device for Research and Applications have been performed to understand the pumping effects of lithium on helium. Experiments with a drop of liquid lithium (~100 mg) into a helium plasma have shown the ability of lithium to take out the cold recycling helium gas as well as hydrogen and oxygen impurity gases. The improvement in plasma performance was significant, and further understanding of this effect will have impacts on how future LLPFCs will be designed. Further investigation into the exact mechanism for helium pumping by lithium needs to be performed in the future. Finally, this paper presents a summary of the results obtained at the CPMI.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Relative Contributions of sc-DER, mel-DER, Color Rendition, Chromaticity, and Illuminance to Spatial Brightness Perception

An experiment was conducted to examine spectrally based factors that contribute to the visual perception of interior environments, with a focus on brightness perception. Thirty-two participants evaluated 60 different lighting scenes in a mock office. The lighting spectral power distributions varied systematically in illuminance, chromaticity (CCT and Duv), s cone opic daylight efficacy ratio (sc-DER), melanopic daylight efficacy ratio (mel-DER), and color rendition (R f , R g , and R cs,h1 ). At the operationalized levels of these variables, illuminance had the largest effect on brightness perception. Notably, the second largest effect was due to changes in red chroma (R cs,h1 ). The effect of sc-DER was also statistically significant but was a tertiary effect. The effects of mel-DER, CCT, and Duv were not statistically significant. This large effect of red chroma is consistent with the existing understanding that changes in color perception are often perceived when illuminance changes. In conclusion, with appropriate changes in color rendition and other factors held constant, spatial brightness perception was preserved through a decrease from 500 lux to 250 lux.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

The relationship between stellar mass, gas metallicity, and star formation rate for Hα-selected galaxies at z ≈ 0.8 from the NewHα survey

Using a sample of 299 Hα-selected galaxies at z≈0.8, we study the relationship between galaxy stellar mass, gas-phase metallicity, and star formation rate (SFR), and compare to previous results. We use deep optical spectra obtained with the IMACS spectrograph at the Magellan telescope to measure strong oxygen lines. We combine these spectra and metallicities with (1) rest-frame UV-to-optical imaging, which allows us to determine stellar masses and dust attenuation corrections, and (2) Hα narrowband imaging, which provides a robust measurement of the instantaneous SFR. Our sample spans stellar masses of ∼10{sup 9}–6 × 10{sup 11} M{sub ⊙}, SFRs of 0.4–270 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, and metal abundances of 12+log(O/H)≈8.3–9.1 (≈0.4–2.6 Z{sub ⊙}). The correlations that we find between the Hα-based SFR and stellar mass (i.e., the star-forming “main sequence”) and between the stellar mass and metallicity are both consistent with previous z∼1 studies of star-forming galaxies. We then study the relationship between the three properties using various plane-fitting techniques and a curve-fitting projection. In all cases, we exclude strong dependence of the M{sub ⋆}–Z relation on SFR, but are unable to distinguish between moderate and no dependence. Our results are consistent with previous mass–metallicity–SFR studies. We check whether data set limitations may obscure a strong dependence on the SFR by using mock samples drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These experiments reveal that the adopted signal-to-noise ratio cuts may have a significant effect on the measured dependence. Further work is needed to investigate these results, and to test whether a “fundamental metallicity relation” or a “fundamental plane” describes star-forming galaxies across cosmic time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

PRESENT-DAY DESCENDANTS OF z = 3 Ly{alpha}-EMITTING GALAXIES IN THE MILLENNIUM-II HALO MERGER TREES

Using the Millennium-II Simulation dark matter sub-halo merger histories, we created mock catalogs of Ly{alpha}-emitting (LAE) galaxies at z = 3.1 to study the properties of their descendants. Several models were created by selecting the sub-halos to match the number density and typical dark matter mass determined from observations of these galaxies. We used mass-based and age-based selection criteria to study their effects on descendant populations at z {approx_equal} 2, 1, and 0. For the models that best represent LAEs at z = 3.1, the z = 0 descendants have a median dark matter halo mass of 10{sup 12.7} M{sub Sun }, with a wide scatter in masses (50% between 10{sup 11.8} and 10{sup 13.7} M{sub Sun }). Our study differentiated between central and satellite sub-halos and found that {approx}55% of z = 0 descendants are central sub-halos with M{sub Median} {approx} 10{sup 12}. This confirms that central z = 0 descendants of z = 3.1 LAEs have halo masses typical of L*-type galaxies. The satellite sub-halos reside in group/cluster environments with dark matter masses around 10{sup 14} M{sub Sun }. The median descendant mass is robust to various methods of age determination, but it could vary by a factor of five due to current observational uncertainties in the clustering of LAEs used to determine their typical z = 3.1 dark matter mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

PHOTOMETRIC SUPERNOVA COSMOLOGY WITH BEAMS AND SDSS-II

Supernova (SN) cosmology without spectroscopic confirmation is an exciting new frontier, which we address here with the Bayesian Estimation Applied to Multiple Species (BEAMS) algorithm and the full three years of data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II Supernova Survey (SDSS-II SN). BEAMS is a Bayesian framework for using data from multiple species in statistical inference when one has the probability that each data point belongs to a given species, corresponding in this context to different types of SNe with their probabilities derived from their multi-band light curves. We run the BEAMS algorithm on both Gaussian and more realistic SNANA simulations with of order 10{sup 4} SNe, testing the algorithm against various pitfalls one might expect in the new and somewhat uncharted territory of photometric SN cosmology. We compare the performance of BEAMS to that of both mock spectroscopic surveys and photometric samples that have been cut using typical selection criteria. The latter typically either are biased due to contamination or have significantly larger contours in the cosmological parameters due to small data sets. We then apply BEAMS to the 792 SDSS-II photometric SNe with host spectroscopic redshifts. In this case, BEAMS reduces the area of the {Omega}{sub m}, {Omega}{sub {Lambda}} contours by a factor of three relative to the case where only spectroscopically confirmed data are used (297 SNe). In the case of flatness, the constraints obtained on the matter density applying BEAMS to the photometric SDSS-II data are {Omega}{sup BEAMS}{sub m} = 0.194 {+-} 0.07. This illustrates the potential power of BEAMS for future large photometric SN surveys such as Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SYSTEMATIC CONTINUUM ERRORS IN THE Ly{alpha} FOREST AND THE MEASURED TEMPERATURE-DENSITY RELATION

Continuum fitting uncertainties are a major source of error in estimates of the temperature-density relation (usually parameterized as a power-law, T {proportional_to} {Delta}{sup {gamma}-1}) of the intergalactic medium through the flux probability distribution function (PDF) of the Ly{alpha} forest. Using a simple order-of-magnitude calculation, we show that few percent-level systematic errors in the placement of the quasar continuum due to, e.g., a uniform low-absorption Gunn-Peterson component could lead to errors in {gamma} of the order of unity. This is quantified further using a simple semi-analytic model of the Ly{alpha} forest flux PDF. We find that under(over)estimates in the continuum level can lead to a lower (higher) measured value of {gamma}. By fitting models to mock data realizations generated with current observational errors, we find that continuum errors can cause a systematic bias in the estimated temperature-density relation of ({delta}({gamma})) Almost-Equal-To -0.1, while the error is increased to {sigma}{sub {gamma}} Almost-Equal-To 0.2 compared to {sigma}{sub {gamma}} Almost-Equal-To 0.1 in the absence of continuum errors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

PRECISION COSMOGRAPHY WITH STACKED VOIDS

We present a purely geometrical method for probing the expansion history of the universe from the observation of the shape of stacked voids in spectroscopic redshift surveys. Our method is an Alcock-Paczynski (AP) test based on the average sphericity of voids posited on the local isotropy of the universe. It works by comparing the temporal extent of cosmic voids along the line of sight with their angular, spatial extent. We describe the algorithm that we use to detect and stack voids in redshift shells on the light cone and test it on mock light cones produced from N-body simulations. We establish a robust statistical model for estimating the average stretching of voids in redshift space and quantify the contamination by peculiar velocities. Finally, assuming that the void statistics that we derive from N-body simulations is preserved when considering galaxy surveys, we assess the capability of this approach to constrain dark energy parameters. We report this assessment in terms of the figure of merit (FoM) of the dark energy task force and in particular of the proposed Euclid mission which is particularly suited for this technique since it is a spectroscopic survey. The FoM due to stacked voids from the Euclid wide survey may double that of all other dark energy probes derived from Euclid data alone (combined with Planck priors). In particular, voids seem to outperform baryon acoustic oscillations by an order of magnitude. This result is consistent with simple estimates based on mode counting. The AP test based on stacked voids may be a significant addition to the portfolio of major dark energy probes and its potentialities must be studied in detail.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

TESTING FOR A LARGE LOCAL VOID BY INVESTIGATING THE NEAR-INFRARED GALAXY LUMINOSITY FUNCTION

Recent cosmological modeling efforts have shown that a local underdensity on scales of a few hundred Mpc (out to z {approx} 0.1) could produce the apparent acceleration of the expansion of the universe observed via Type Ia supernovae. Several studies of galaxy counts in the near-infrared (NIR) have found that the local universe appears underdense by {approx}25%-50% compared with regions a few hundred Mpc distant. Galaxy counts at low redshifts sample primarily L {approx} L* galaxies. Thus, if the local universe is underdense, then the normalization of the NIR galaxy luminosity function (LF) at z > 0.1 should be higher than that measured for z < 0.1. Here we present a highly complete (>90%) spectroscopic sample of 1436 galaxies selected in the H band (1.6 {mu}m) to study the normalization of the NIR LF at 0.1 < z < 0.3 and address the question of whether or not we reside in a large local underdensity. Our survey sample consists of all galaxies brighter than 18th magnitude in the H band drawn from six widely separated fields at high Galactic latitudes, which cover a total of {approx}2 deg{sup 2} on the sky. We find that for the combination of our six fields, the product {phi}*L* at 0.1 < z < 0.3 is {approx}30% higher than that measured at lower redshifts. While our statistical errors in this measurement are on the {approx}10% level, we find the systematics due to cosmic variance may be larger still. We investigate the effects of cosmic variance on our measurement using the COSMOS cone mock catalogs from the Millennium Simulation and recent empirical estimates of cosmic variance. We find that our survey is subject to systematic uncertainties due to cosmic variance at the 15% level (1{sigma}), representing an improvement by a factor of {approx}2 over previous studies in this redshift range. We conclude that observations cannot yet rule out the possibility that the local universe is underdense at z < 0.1. The fields studied in this work have a large amount of publicly available ancillary data and we make available the images and catalogs used here.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

DISENTANGLING CONFUSED STARS AT THE GALACTIC CENTER WITH LONG-BASELINE INFRARED INTERFEROMETRY

We present simulations of Keck Interferometer ASTRA and VLTI GRAVITY observations of mock star fields in orbit within {approx}50 mas of Sgr A*. Dual-field phase referencing techniques, as implemented on ASTRA and planned for GRAVITY, will provide the sensitivity to observe Sgr A* with long-baseline infrared interferometers. Our results show an improvement in the confusion noise limit over current astrometric surveys, opening a window to study stellar sources in the region. Since the Keck Interferometer has only a single baseline, the improvement in the confusion limit depends on source position angles. The GRAVITY instrument will yield a more compact and symmetric point-spread function, providing an improvement in confusion noise which will not depend as strongly on position angle. Our Keck results show the ability to characterize the star field as containing zero, few, or many bright stellar sources. We are also able to detect and track a source down to m{sub K} {approx} 18 through the least confused regions of our field of view at a precision of {approx}200 {mu}as along the baseline direction. This level of precision improves with source brightness. Our GRAVITY results show the potential to detect and track multiple sources in the field. GRAVITY will perform {approx}10 {mu}as astrometry on an m{sub K} = 16.3 source and {approx}200 {mu}as astrometry on an m{sub K} = 18.8 source in 6 hr of monitoring a crowded field. Monitoring the orbits of several stars will provide the ability to distinguish between multiple post-Newtonian orbital effects, including those due to an extended mass distribution around Sgr A* and to low-order general relativistic effects. ASTRA and GRAVITY both have the potential to detect and monitor sources very close to Sgr A*. Early characterizations of the field by ASTRA, including the possibility of a precise source detection, could provide valuable information for future GRAVITY implementation and observation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE LIFETIME AND POWERS OF FR IIs IN GALAXY CLUSTERS

We have identified and studied a sample of 151 FR IIs found in brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in the MaxBCG cluster catalog with data from FIRST and NVSS. We have compared the radio luminosities and projected lengths of these FR IIs to the projected length distribution of a range of mock catalogs generated by an FR II model and estimate the FR II lifetime to be 1.9 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 8} yr. The uncertainty in the lifetime calculation is a factor of two, primarily due to uncertainties in the intracluster medium (ICM) density and the FR II axial ratio. We furthermore measure the jet power distribution of FR IIs in BCGs and find that it is well described by a log-normal distribution with a median power of 1.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 37} W and a coefficient of variation of 2.2. These jet powers are nearly linearly related to the observed luminosities, and this relation is steeper than many other estimates, although it is dependent on the jet model. We investigate correlations between FR II and cluster properties and find that galaxy luminosity is correlated with jet power. This implies that jet power is also correlated with black hole mass, as the stellar luminosity of a BCG should be a good proxy for its spheroid mass and therefore the black hole mass. Jet power, however, is not correlated with cluster richness, nor is FR II lifetime strongly correlated with any cluster properties. We calculate the enthalpy of the lobes to examine the impact of the FR IIs on the ICM and find that heating due to adiabatic expansion is too small to offset radiative cooling by a factor of at least six. In contrast, the jet power is approximately an order of magnitude larger than required to counteract cooling. We conclude that if feedback from FR IIs offsets cooling of the ICM, then heating must be primarily due to another mechanism associated with FR II expansion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A NEW METHOD TO CORRECT FOR FIBER COLLISIONS IN GALAXY TWO-POINT STATISTICS

In fiber-fed galaxy redshift surveys, the finite size of the fiber plugs prevents two fibers from being placed too close to one another, limiting the ability to study galaxy clustering on all scales. We present a new method for correcting such fiber collision effects in galaxy clustering statistics based on spectroscopic observations. The target galaxy sample is divided into two distinct populations according to the targeting algorithm of fiber placement, one free of fiber collisions and the other consisting of collided galaxies. The clustering statistics are a combination of the contributions from these two populations. Our method makes use of observations in tile overlap regions to measure the contributions from the collided population, and to therefore recover the full clustering statistics. The method is rooted in solid theoretical ground and is tested extensively on mock galaxy catalogs. We demonstrate that our method can well recover the projected and the full three-dimensional (3D) redshift-space two-point correlation functions (2PCFs) on scales both below and above the fiber collision scale, superior to the commonly used nearest neighbor and angular correction methods. We discuss potential systematic effects in our method. The statistical correction accuracy of our method is only limited by sample variance, which scales down with (the square root of) the volume probed. For a sample similar to the final SDSS-III BOSS galaxy sample, the statistical correction error is expected to be at the level of 1% on scales {approx}0.1-30 h {sup -1} Mpc for the 2PCFs. The systematic error only occurs on small scales, caused by imperfect correction of collision multiplets, and its magnitude is expected to be smaller than 5%. Our correction method, which can be generalized to other clustering statistics as well, enables more accurate measurements of full 3D galaxy clustering on all scales with galaxy redshift surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

NEW NEUTRINO MASS BOUNDS FROM SDSS-III DATA RELEASE 8 PHOTOMETRIC LUMINOUS GALAXIES

We present neutrino mass bounds using 900,000 luminous galaxies with photometric redshifts measured from Sloan Digital Sky Survey III Data Release 8. The galaxies have photometric redshifts between z = 0.45 and z = 0.65 and cover 10,000 deg{sup 2}, thus probing a volume of 3 h {sup -3} Gpc{sup 3} and enabling tight constraints to be derived on the amount of dark matter in the form of massive neutrinos. A new bound on the sum of neutrino masses {Sigma}m{sub {nu}} < 0.27 eV, at the 95% confidence level (CL), is obtained after combining our sample of galaxies, which we call ''CMASS'', with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) seven-year cosmic microwave background data and the most recent measurement of the Hubble parameter from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This constraint is obtained with a conservative multipole range of 30 < l < 200 in order to minimize nonlinearities, and a free bias parameter in each of the four redshift bins. We study the impact of assuming this linear galaxy bias model using mock catalogs and find that this model causes a small ({approx}1{sigma}-1.5{sigma}) bias in {Omega}{sub DM} h {sup 2}. For this reason, we also quote neutrino bounds based on a conservative galaxy bias model containing additional, shot-noise-like free parameters. In this conservative case, the bounds are significantly weakened, e.g., {Sigma}m{sub {nu}} < 0.38 eV (95% CL) for WMAP+HST+CMASS (l{sub max} = 200). We also study the dependence of the neutrino bound on the multipole range (l{sub max} = 150 versus l{sub max} = 200) and on which combination of data sets is included as a prior. The addition of supernova and/or baryon acoustic oscillation data does not significantly improve the neutrino mass bound once the HST prior is included. A companion paper describes the construction of the angular power spectra in detail and derives constraints on a general cosmological model, including the dark energy equation of state w and the spatial curvature {Omega}{sub K}, while a second companion paper presents a measurement of the scale of baryon acoustic oscillations from the same data set. All three works are based on the catalog by Ross et al.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE SDSS CO-ADD: COSMIC SHEAR MEASUREMENT

Stripe 82 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey was observed multiple times, allowing deeper images to be constructed by co-adding the data. Here, we analyze the ellipticities of background galaxies in this 275 deg{sup 2} region, searching for evidence of distortions due to cosmic shear. We do so using measurements of both the shear-shear correlation function and power spectrum, with the latter determined using both ''quadratic'' and ''pseudo'' estimation techniques. We show how we verified these methods using mock catalogs. We also describe our methods for modeling and correcting for the effects of the point-spread function (PSF) in our shape measurements, and we also describe our prescription for estimating photometric redshifts (photo-z's) for our galaxy sample. In particular, we assess the impact of potential systematic effects due to the PSF and to photo-z's, and show that these are under control in our analysis. We find consistent correlation function and power spectrum results, where the E-mode cosmic shear signal is detected in both real and Fourier space with >5{sigma} significance on degree scales, while the B-mode is consistent with zero as expected. The amplitude of the signal constrains the combination of the matter density {Omega}{sub m} and fluctuation amplitude {sigma}{sub 8} to be {Omega}{sup 0.7}{sub m}{sigma}{sub 8} = 0.252{sup +0.032}{sub -{sub 0.052}}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS IN THE INTERACTION AND MERGING OF GALAXIES IN zCOSMOS

We analyze the environments and galactic properties (morphologies and star formation histories) of a sample of 153 close kinematic pairs in the redshift range 0.2 < z < 1 identified in the zCOSMOS-bright 10 k spectroscopic sample of galaxies. Correcting for projection effects, the fraction of close kinematic pairs is three times higher in the top density quartile than in the lowest one. This translates to a three times higher merger rate because the merger timescales are shown, from mock catalogs based on the Millennium simulation, to be largely independent of environment once the same corrections for projection are applied. We then examine the morphologies and stellar populations of galaxies in the pairs, comparing them to control samples that are carefully matched in environment so as to remove as much of the well-known effects of environment on the properties of the parent population of galaxies as possible. Once the environment is properly taken into account in this way, we find that the early-late morphology mix is the same as for the parent population, but that the fraction of irregular galaxies is boosted by 50%-75%, with a disproportionate increase in the number of irregular-irregular pairs (factor of 4-8 times), due to the disturbance of disk galaxies. Future dry mergers, involving elliptical galaxies comprise less than 5% of all close kinematic pairs. In the closest pairs, there is a boost in the specific star formation rates of star-forming galaxies of a factor of 2-4, and there is also evidence for an increased incidence of post-starburst galaxies. Although significant for the galaxies involved, the 'excess' star formation associated with pairs represents only about 5% of the integrated star formation activity in the parent sample. Although most pair galaxies are in dense environments, the effects of interaction appear to be largest in the lower density environments. By preferentially bringing more pairs into the sample in lower density environments, this could dilute the dependence of pair fraction on environment and may introduce other biases into the observational study of mergers, especially those based on morphological criteria.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE PANCHROMATIC HUBBLE ANDROMEDA TREASURY. IV. A PROBABILISTIC APPROACH TO INFERRING THE HIGH-MASS STELLAR INITIAL MASS FUNCTION AND OTHER POWER-LAW FUNCTIONS

We present a probabilistic approach for inferring the parameters of the present-day power-law stellar mass function (MF) of a resolved young star cluster. This technique (1) fully exploits the information content of a given data set; (2) can account for observational uncertainties in a straightforward way; (3) assigns meaningful uncertainties to the inferred parameters; (4) avoids the pitfalls associated with binning data; and (5) can be applied to virtually any resolved young cluster, laying the groundwork for a systematic study of the high-mass stellar MF (M {approx}> 1 M {sub Sun }). Using simulated clusters and Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling of the probability distribution functions, we show that estimates of the MF slope, {alpha}, are unbiased and that the uncertainty, {Delta}{alpha}, depends primarily on the number of observed stars and on the range of stellar masses they span, assuming that the uncertainties on individual masses and the completeness are both well characterized. Using idealized mock data, we compute the theoretical precision, i.e., lower limits, on {alpha}, and provide an analytic approximation for {Delta}{alpha} as a function of the observed number of stars and mass range. Comparison with literature studies shows that {approx}3/4 of quoted uncertainties are smaller than the theoretical lower limit. By correcting these uncertainties to the theoretical lower limits, we find that the literature studies yield ({alpha}) = 2.46, with a 1{sigma} dispersion of 0.35 dex. We verify that it is impossible for a power-law MF to obtain meaningful constraints on the upper mass limit of the initial mass function, beyond the lower bound of the most massive star actually observed. We show that avoiding substantial biases in the MF slope requires (1) including the MF as a prior when deriving individual stellar mass estimates, (2) modeling the uncertainties in the individual stellar masses, and (3) fully characterizing and then explicitly modeling the completeness for stars of a given mass. The precision on MF slope recovery in this paper are lower limits, as we do not explicitly consider all possible sources of uncertainty, including dynamical effects (e.g., mass segregation), unresolved binaries, and non-coeval populations. We briefly discuss how each of these effects can be incorporated into extensions of the present framework. Finally, we emphasize that the technique and lessons learned are applicable to more general problems involving power-law fitting.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A SIMPLE MODEL FOR QUASAR DEMOGRAPHICS

We present a simple model for the relationship between quasars, galaxies, and dark matter halos from 0.5 < z < 6. In the model, black hole (BH) mass is linearly related to galaxy mass, and galaxies are connected to dark matter halos via empirically constrained relations. A simple 'scattered' light bulb model for quasars is adopted, wherein BHs shine at a fixed fraction of the Eddington luminosity during accretion episodes, and Eddington ratios are drawn from a lognormal distribution that is redshift independent. This model has two free, physically meaningful parameters at each redshift: the normalization of the M {sub BH}-M {sub gal} relation and the quasar duty cycle; these parameters are fit to the observed quasar luminosity function (LF) over the interval 0.5 < z < 6. This simple model provides an excellent fit to the LF at all epochs and also successfully predicts the observed projected two-point correlation of quasars from 0.5 < z < 2.5. It is significant that a single quasar duty cycle at each redshift is capable of reproducing the extant observations. The data are therefore consistent with a scenario wherein quasars are equally likely to exist in galaxies, and therefore dark matter halos, over a wide range in masses. The knee in the quasar LF is a reflection of the knee in the stellar-mass-halo-mass relation. Future constraints on the quasar LF and quasar clustering at high redshift will provide strong constraints on the model. In the model, the autocorrelation function of quasars becomes a strong function of luminosity only at the very highest luminosities and will be difficult to observe because such quasars are so rare. Cross-correlation techniques may provide useful constraints on the bias of such rare objects. The simplicity of the model allows for rapid generation of quasar mock catalogs from N-body simulations that match the observed LF and clustering to high redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

PROTO-GROUPS AT 1.8 < z < 3 IN THE zCOSMOS-DEEP SAMPLE

We identify 42 ''candidate groups'' lying between 1.8 < z < 3.0 from a sample of 3502 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the zCOSMOS-deep redshift survey within this same redshift interval. These systems contain three to five spectroscopic galaxies that lie within 500 kpc in projected distance (in physical space) and within 700 km s{sup -1} in velocity. Based on extensive analysis of mock catalogs that have been generated from the Millennium simulation, we examine the likely nature of these systems at the time of observation, and what they will evolve into down to the present epoch. Although few of the ''member'' galaxies are likely to reside in the same halo at the epoch we observe them, 50% of the systems will have, by the present epoch, all of the member galaxies in the same halo, and almost all (93%) will have at least some of the potential members in the same halo. Most of the candidate groups can therefore be described as ''proto-groups''. A crude estimate of the overdensities of these structures is also consistent with the idea that these systems are being seen as they assemble. We also examine present-day halos and ask whether their progenitors would have been seen among our candidate groups. For present-day halos between 10{sup 14} and 10{sup 15} M{sub Sun} h {sup -1}, 35% should have appeared among our candidate groups, and this would have risen to 70% if our survey had been fully sampled, so we can conclude that our sample can be taken as representative of a large fraction of such systems. There is a clear excess of massive galaxies above 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun} around the locations of the candidate groups in a large independent COSMOS photo-z sample, but we see no evidence in this latter data for any color differentiation with respect to the field. This is, however, consistent with the idea that such differentiation arises in satellite galaxies, as indicated at z < 1, if the candidate groups are indeed only starting to be assembled.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗