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DOE OSTI2012

RELATIVISTIC SHOCK BREAKOUTS-A VARIETY OF GAMMA-RAY FLARES: FROM LOW-LUMINOSITY GAMMA-RAY BURSTS TO TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

The light from a shock breakout of stellar explosions, which carries a wealth of information, strongly depends on the shock velocity at the time of the breakout. The emission from Newtonian breakouts, typical in regular core-collapse supernovae (SNe), has been explored extensively. However, a large variety of explosions result in mildly or ultrarelativistic breakouts, where the observed signature is unknown. Here we calculate the luminosity and spectrum produced by relativistic breakouts. In order to do so, we improve the analytic description of relativistic radiation-mediated shocks and follow the system from the breakout itself, through the planar phase and into the spherical phase. We limit our calculation to cases where the post-breakout acceleration of the gas ends during the planar phase (i.e., the final gas Lorentz factor {approx}< 30). We find that spherical relativistic breakouts produce a flash of gamma rays with energy, E{sub bo}, temperature, T{sub bo}, and duration, t{sup obs} b{sub o}, that provide the breakout radius ( Almost-Equal-To 5 R{sub Sun }(t{sup obs}{sub bo}/10 s)(T{sub bo}/50 keV){sup 2}) and the Lorentz factor ( Almost-Equal-To T{sub bo}/50 keV). They also always satisfy a relativistic breakout relation (t{sup obs}{sub bo}/20 s) {approx} (E{sub bo}/10{sup 46} erg){sup 1/2}(T{sub bo}/50 keV){sup -2.68}. The breakout flare is typically followed, on longer timescales, by X-rays that carry a comparable energy. We apply our model to a variety of explosions, including Type Ia and .Ia SNe, accretion-induced collapse, energetic SNe, and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We find that all these events produce detectable gamma-ray signals, some of which may have already been seen. Some particular examples are: (1) relativistic shock breakouts provide a natural explanation to the energy, temperature, and timescales of low-luminosity GRBs. Indeed, all observed low-luminosity GRBs satisfy the relativistic breakout relation. (2) Nearby broad-line Type Ib/c (like SN 2002ap) may produce a detectable {gamma}-ray signal. (3) Galactic Type Ia SNe may produce detectable {gamma}-ray flares. We conclude that relativistic shock breakouts provide a generic process for the production of gamma-ray flares.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE LONG-TERM EVOLUTION OF DOUBLE WHITE DWARF MERGERS

In this paper, we present a model for the long-term evolution of the merger of two unequal mass C/O white dwarfs (WDs). After the dynamical phase of the merger, magnetic stresses rapidly redistribute angular momentum, leading to nearly solid-body rotation on a viscous timescale of 10{sup -4}-1 yr, long before significant cooling can occur. Due to heating during the dynamical and viscous phases, the less massive WD is transformed into a hot, slowly rotating, and radially extended envelope supported by thermal pressure. Following the viscous phase of evolution, the maximum temperature near the envelope base may already be high enough to begin off-center convective carbon burning. If not, Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction of the inner region of the envelope on a thermal timescale of 10{sup 3}-10{sup 4} yr compresses the base of the envelope, again yielding off-center burning. As a result, the long-term evolution of the merger remnant is similar to that seen in previous calculations: the burning shell diffuses inward over {approx}10{sup 4} yr, eventually yielding a high-mass O/Ne WD or a collapse to a neutron star, rather than a Type Ia supernova. During the cooling and shell-burning phases, the merger remnant radiates near the Eddington limit. Given the double WD merger rate of a few per 1000 yr, a few dozen of these {approx}10{sup 38} erg s{sup -1} sources should exist in a Milky Way type galaxy. While the end result is similar to that of previous studies, the physical picture and the dynamical state of the matter in our model differ from previous work. Furthermore, substantial remaining uncertainties related to the convective structure near the photosphere and mass loss during the thermal evolution may significantly affect our conclusions. Thus, future work within the context of the physical model presented here is required to better address the eventual fate of double WD mergers, including those for which one or both of the components is a He WD.

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DOE OSTI2012

THE CONTRIBUTION OF TP-AGB AND RHeB STARS TO THE NEAR-IR LUMINOSITY OF LOCAL GALAXIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR STELLAR MASS MEASUREMENTS OF HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES

Using high spatial resolution Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging of resolved stellar populations, we constrain the contribution of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stars and red helium burning (RHeB) stars to the 1.6 {mu}m near-infrared (NIR) luminosities of 23 nearby galaxies, including dwarfs and spirals. The TP-AGB phase contributes as much as 17% of the integrated F160W flux, even when the red giant branch is well populated. The RHeB population contribution can match or even exceed the TP-AGB contribution, providing as much as 21% (18% after a statistical correction for foreground) of the integrated F160W light. We estimate that these two short-lived phases may account for up to 70% of the rest-frame NIR flux at higher redshift. The NIR mass-to-light (M/L) ratio should therefore be expected to vary significantly due to fluctuations in the star formation rate (SFR) over timescales from 25 Myr to several Gyr, an effect that may be responsible for some of the lingering scatter in NIR galaxy scaling relations such as the Tully-Fisher and metallicity-luminosity relations. We compare our observational results to predictions based on optically derived star formation histories and stellar population synthesis (SPS) models, including models based on the 2008 Padova isochrones (used in popular SPS programs) and the updated 2010 Padova isochrones, which shorten the lifetimes of low-mass (old) low-metallicity TP-AGB populations. The updated (2010) SPS models generally reproduce the expected numbers of TP-AGB stars in the sample; indeed, for 65% of the galaxies, the discrepancy between modeled and observed numbers is smaller than the measurement uncertainties. The weighted mean model/data number ratio for TP-AGB stars is 1.5 (1.4 with outliers removed) with a standard deviation of 0.5. The same SPS models, however, give a larger discrepancy in the F160W flux contribution from the TP-AGB stars, overpredicting the flux by a weighted mean factor of 2.3 (2.2 with outliers removed) with a standard deviation of 0.8. This larger offset is driven by the prediction of modest numbers of high-luminosity TP-AGB stars at young (<300 Myr) ages. The best-fit SPS models simultaneously tend to underpredict the numbers and fluxes of stars on the RHeB sequence, typically by a factor of 2.0 {+-} 0.6 for galaxies with significant numbers of RHeBs. Possible explanations for both the TP-AGB and RHeB model results include (1) difficulties with measuring the SFHs of galaxies especially on the short timescales over which these stars evolve (several Myr), (2) issues with the way the SPS codes populate the color-magnitude diagrams (e.g., how they handle pulsations or self-extinction), and/or (3) lingering issues with the lifetimes of these stars in the stellar evolution codes. Coincidentally these two competing discrepancies-overprediction of the TP-AGB and underprediction of the RHeBs-result in a predicted NIR M/L ratio largely unchanged for a rapid SFR, after correcting for these effects. However, the NIR-to-optical flux ratio of galaxies could be significantly smaller than AGB-rich models would predict, an outcome that has been observed in some intermediate-redshift post-starburst galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE TORQUING OF CIRCUMNUCLEAR ACCRETION DISKS BY STARS AND THE EVOLUTION OF MASSIVE BLACK HOLES

An accreting massive black hole (MBH) in a galactic nucleus is surrounded by a dense stellar cluster. We analyze and simulate numerically the evolution of a thin accretion disk due to its internal viscous torques, due to the frame-dragging torques of a spinning MBH (the Bardeen-Petterson effect), and due to the orbit-averaged gravitational torques by the stars (resonant relaxation). We show that the evolution of the MBH mass accretion rate, the MBH spin growth rate, and the covering fraction of the disk relative to the central ionizing continuum source, are all strongly coupled to the stochastic fluctuations of the stellar potential via the warps that the stellar torques excite in the disk. These lead to fluctuations by factors of up to a few in these quantities over a wide range of timescales, with most of the power on timescales {approx}> (M{sub .}/M{sub d} )P(R{sub d} ), where M{sub .} and M{sub d} are the masses of the MBH and disk, and P is the orbital period at the disk's mass-weighted mean radius R{sub d}. The response of the disk is stronger the lighter it is and the more centrally concentrated the stellar cusp. As proof of concept, we simulate the evolution of the low-mass maser disk in NGC 4258 and show that its observed O(10 Degree-Sign ) warp can be driven by the stellar torques. We also show that the frame dragging of a massive active galactic nucleus disk couples the stochastic stellar torques to the MBH spin and can excite a jitter of a few degrees in its direction relative to that of the disk's outer regions.

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DOE OSTI2012

THE DYNAMICS OF THE SOLAR MAGNETIC FIELD: POLARITY REVERSALS, BUTTERFLY DIAGRAM, AND QUASI-BIENNIAL OSCILLATIONS

The spatio-temporal dynamics of the solar magnetic field has been investigated by using NSO/Kitt Peak magnetic synoptic maps covering the period 1976 August-2003 September. The field radial component, for each heliographic latitude, has been decomposed in intrinsic mode functions through the Empirical Mode Decomposition in order to investigate the time evolution of the various characteristic oscillating modes at different latitudes. The same technique has also been applied on synoptic maps of the meridional and east-west components, which were derived from the observed line-of-sight projection of the field by using the differential rotation. Results obtained for the {approx}22 yr cycle, related to the polarity inversions of the large-scale dipolar field, show an antisymmetric behavior with respect to the equator in all the field components and a marked poleward flux migration in the radial and meridional components (from about -35 Degree-Sign and +35 Degree-Sign in the southern and northern hemispheres, respectively). The quasi-biennial oscillations (QBOs) are also identified as a fundamental timescale of variability of the magnetic field and associated with poleward magnetic flux migration from low latitudes around the maximum and descending phase of the solar cycle. Moreover, signs of an equatorward drift, at a {approx}2 yr rate, seem to appear in the radial and toroidal components. Hence, the QBO patterns suggest a link to a dynamo action. Finally, the high-frequency component of the magnetic field, at timescales less than 1 yr, provides the most energetic contribution and it is associated with the outbreaks of the bipolar regions on the solar surface.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

JETS FROM TIDAL DISRUPTIONS OF STARS BY BLACK HOLES

Tidal disruption of main-sequence stars by black holes has generally been thought to lead to a signal dominated by UV emission. If, however, the black hole spins rapidly and the poloidal magnetic field intensity on the black hole horizon is comparable to the inner accretion disk pressure, a powerful jet may form whose luminosity can easily exceed the thermal UV luminosity. When the jet beam points at Earth, its non-thermal luminosity can dominate the emitted spectrum. The thermal and non-thermal components decay differently with time. In particular, the thermal emission should remain roughly constant for a significant time after the period of maximum accretion, beginning to diminish only after a delay, whereas after the peak accretion rate, the non-thermal jet emission decays, but then reaches a plateau. Both transitions are tied to a characteristic timescale t{sub Edd} at which the accretion rate falls below Eddington. Making use of this timescale in a new parameter-inference formalism for tidal disruption events with significant emission from a jet, we analyze the recent flare source Swift J2058. It is consistent with an event in which a main-sequence solar-type star is disrupted by a black hole of mass {approx}4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 7} M{sub Sun }. The beginning of the flat phase in the non-thermal emission from this source can possibly be seen in the late-time light curve. Optical photometry over the first {approx_equal} 40 days of this flare is also consistent with this picture, but is only weakly constraining because the bolometric correction is very uncertain. We suggest that future searches for main-sequence tidal disruptions use methods sensitive to jet radiation as well as to thermal UV radiation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

CONSTRAINTS ON THE LIFETIMES OF DISKS RESULTING FROM TIDALLY DESTROYED ROCKY PLANETARY BODIES

Spitzer IRAC observations of 15 metal-polluted white dwarfs reveal infrared excesses in the spectral energy distributions of HE 0110-5630, GD 61, and HE 1349-2305. All three of these stars have helium-dominated atmospheres, and their infrared emissions are consistent with warm dust produced by the tidal destruction of (minor) planetary bodies. This study brings the number of metal-polluted, helium and hydrogen atmosphere white dwarfs surveyed with IRAC to 53 and 38, respectively. It also nearly doubles the number of metal-polluted helium-rich white dwarfs found to have closely orbiting dust by Spitzer. From the increased statistics for both atmospheric types with circumstellar dust, we derive a typical disk lifetime of log [t{sub disk}(yr)] = 5.6 {+-} 1.1 (ranging from 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} to 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 6} yr). This assumes a relatively constant rate of accretion over the timescale where dust persists, which is uncertain. We find that the fraction of highly metal-polluted helium-rich white dwarfs that have an infrared excess detected by Spitzer is only 23%, compared to 48% for metal-polluted hydrogen-rich white dwarfs, and we conclude from this difference that the typical lifetime of dusty disks is somewhat shorter than the diffusion timescales of helium-rich white dwarf. We also find evidence for higher time-averaged accretion rates onto helium-rich stars compared to the instantaneous accretion rates onto hydrogen-rich stars; this is an indication that our picture of evolved star-planetary system interactions is incomplete. We discuss some speculative scenarios that can explain the observations.

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PHYSICS OF THE GALACTIC CENTER CLOUD G2, ON ITS WAY TOWARD THE SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

We investigate the origin, structure, and evolution of the small gas cloud G2, which is on an orbit almost straight into the Galactic central supermassive black hole (SMBH). G2 is a sensitive probe of the hot accretion zone of Sgr A*, requiring gas temperatures and densities that agree well with models of captured shock-heated stellar winds. Its mass is equal to the critical mass below which cold clumps would be destroyed quickly by evaporation. Its mass is also constrained by the fact that at apocenter its sound crossing timescale was equal to its infall timescale. Our numerical simulations show that the observed structure and evolution of G2 can be well reproduced if it forms in pressure equilibrium with its surroundings in 1995 at a distance from the SMBH of 7.6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 16} cm. If the cloud had formed at apocenter in the 'clockwise' stellar disk as expected from its orbit, it would be torn into a very elongated spaghetti-like filament by 2011, which is not observed. This problem can be solved if G2 is the head of a larger, shell-like structure that formed at apocenter. Our numerical simulations show that this scenario explains not only G2's observed kinematical and geometrical properties but also the Br{gamma} observations of a low surface brightness gas tail that trails the cloud. In 2013, while passing the SMBH, G2 will break up into a string of droplets that within the next 30 years will mix with the surrounding hot gas and trigger cycles of active galactic nucleus activity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

LARGE-AMPLITUDE VARIATIONS OF AN L/T TRANSITION BROWN DWARF: MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF PATCHY, HIGH-CONTRAST CLOUD FEATURES

We present multiple-epoch photometric monitoring in the J, H, and K{sub s} bands of the T1.5 dwarf 2MASS J21392676+0220226 (2M2139), revealing persistent, periodic (P = 7.721 {+-} 0.005 hr) variability with a peak-to-peak amplitude as high as 26% in the J band. The light curve shape varies on a timescale of days, suggesting that evolving atmospheric cloud features are responsible. Using interpolations between model atmospheres with differing cloud thicknesses to represent a heterogeneous surface, we find that the multi-wavelength variations and the near-infrared spectrum of 2M2139 can be reproduced by either (1) cool, thick cloud features sitting above a thinner cloud layer, or (2) warm regions of low condensate opacity in an otherwise cloudy atmosphere, possibly indicating the presence of holes or breaks in the cloud layer. We find that temperature contrasts between thick and thin cloud patches must be greater than 175 K and as high as 425 K. We also consider whether the observed variability could arise from an interacting binary system, but this scenario is ruled out. 2M2139 joins the T2.5 dwarf SIMP0136 discovered by Artigau and coworkers as the second L/T transition brown dwarf to display large-amplitude variability on rotational timescales, suggesting that the fragmentation of dust clouds at the L/T transition may contribute to the abrupt decline in condensate opacity and J-band brightening observed to occur over this regime.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

TRANSIT TIMING OBSERVATIONS FROM KEPLER. IV. CONFIRMATION OF FOUR MULTIPLE-PLANET SYSTEMS BY SIMPLE PHYSICAL MODELS

Eighty planetary systems of two or more planets are known to orbit stars other than the Sun. For most, the data can be sufficiently explained by non-interacting Keplerian orbits, so the dynamical interactions of these systems have not been observed. Here we present four sets of light curves from the Kepler spacecraft, each which of shows multiple planets transiting the same star. Departure of the timing of these transits from strict periodicity indicates that the planets are perturbing each other: the observed timing variations match the forcing frequency of the other planet. This confirms that these objects are in the same system. Next we limit their masses to the planetary regime by requiring the system remain stable for astronomical timescales. Finally, we report dynamical fits to the transit times, yielding possible values for the planets' masses and eccentricities. As the timespan of timing data increases, dynamical fits may allow detailed constraints on the systems' architectures, even in cases for which high-precision Doppler follow-up is impractical.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

EMPIRICAL DETERMINATION OF CONVECTION PARAMETERS IN WHITE DWARFS. I. WHOLE EARTH TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF EC14012-1446

We report on an analysis of 308.3 hr of high-speed photometry targeting the pulsating DA white dwarf EC14012-1446. The data were acquired with the Whole Earth Telescope during the 2008 international observing run XCOV26. The Fourier transform of the light curve contains 19 independent frequencies and numerous combination frequencies. The dominant peaks are 1633.907, 1887.404, and 2504.897 {mu}Hz. Our analysis of the combination amplitudes reveals that the parent frequencies are consistent with modes of spherical degree l = 1. The combination amplitudes also provide m identifications for the largest amplitude parent frequencies. Our seismology analysis, which includes 2004-2007 archival data, confirms these identifications, provides constraints on additional frequencies, and finds an average period spacing of 41 s. Building on this foundation, we present nonlinear fits to high signal-to-noise light curves from the SOAR 4.1 m, McDonald 2.1 m, and KPNO 2 m telescopes. The fits indicate a time-averaged convective response timescale of {tau}{sub 0} = 99.4 {+-} 17 s, a temperature exponent N = 85 {+-} 6.2, and an inclination angle of {theta}{sub i} = 32.{sup 0}9 {+-} 3.{sup 0}2. We present our current empirical map of the convective response timescale across the DA instability strip.

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THE COSMOLOGICAL IMPACT OF LUMINOUS TeV BLAZARS. III. IMPLICATIONS FOR GALAXY CLUSTERS AND THE FORMATION OF DWARF GALAXIES

A subset of blazars are powerful TeV emitters, dominating the extragalactic component of the very high energy gamma-ray universe (E {approx}> 100 GeV). These TeV gamma rays generate ultrarelativistic electron-positron pairs via pair production with the extragalactic background light. While it has generally been assumed that the kinetic energy of these pairs cascades to GeV gamma rays via inverse Compton scattering, we have argued in Broderick et al. (Paper I in this series) that plasma beam instabilities are capable of dissipating the pairs' energy locally on timescales short in comparison to the inverse Compton cooling time, heating the intergalactic medium (IGM) with a rate that is independent of density. This dramatically increases the entropy of the IGM after redshift z {approx} 2, with a number of important implications for structure formation: (1) this suggests a scenario for the origin of the cool core (CC)/non-cool core (NCC) bimodality in galaxy clusters and groups. Early-forming galaxy groups are unaffected because they can efficiently radiate the additional entropy, developing a CC. However, late-forming groups do not have sufficient time to cool before the entropy is gravitationally reprocessed through successive mergers-counteracting cooling and potentially raising the core entropy further. This may result in a population of X-ray dim groups/clusters, consistent with X-ray stacking analyses of optically selected samples. Hence, blazar heating works differently than feedback by active galactic nuclei, which we show can balance radiative cooling but is unable to transform CC into NCC clusters on the buoyancy timescale due to the weak coupling between the mechanical energy to the cluster gas. (2) We predict a suppression of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) power spectrum template on angular scales smaller than 5' due to the globally reduced central pressure of groups and clusters forming after z {approx} 1. This allows for a larger rms amplitude of the density power spectrum, {sigma}{sub 8}, and may reconcile SZ-inferred values with those by other cosmological probes even after allowing for a contribution due to patchy reionization. (3) Our redshift-dependent entropy floor increases the characteristic halo mass below which dwarf galaxies cannot form by a factor of approximately 10 (50) at mean density (in voids) over that found in models that include photoionization alone. This prevents the formation of late-forming dwarf galaxies (z {approx}< 2) with masses ranging from 10{sup 10} to 10{sup 11} M{sub Sun} for redshifts z {approx} 2 to 0, respectively. This may help resolve the 'missing satellite problem' in the Milky Way of the low observed abundances of dwarf satellites compared to cold dark matter simulations and may bring the observed early star formation histories into agreement with galaxy formation models. At the same time, it explains the 'void phenomenon' by suppressing the formation of galaxies within existing dwarf halos of masses <3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun} with a maximum circular velocity <60 km s{sup -1} for z {approx}< 2, hence reconciling the number of dwarfs in low-density regions in simulations and the paucity of those in observations.

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EVOLUTION OF THE GALAXY-DARK MATTER CONNECTION AND THE ASSEMBLY OF GALAXIES IN DARK MATTER HALOS

We present a new model to describe the galaxy-dark matter connection across cosmic time, which unlike the popular subhalo abundance-matching technique is self-consistent in that it takes account of the facts that (1) subhalos are accreted at different times and (2) the properties of satellite galaxies may evolve after accretion. Using observations of galaxy stellar mass functions (SMFs) out to z {approx} 4, the conditional SMF at z {approx} 0.1 obtained from Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxy group catalogs, and the two-point correlation function (2PCF) of galaxies at z {approx} 0.1 as a function of stellar mass, we constrain the relation between galaxies and dark matter halos over the entire cosmic history from z {approx} 4 to the present. This relation is then used to predict the median assembly histories of different stellar mass components within dark matter halos (central galaxies, satellite galaxies, and halo stars). We also make predictions for the 2PCFs of high-z galaxies as function of stellar mass. Our main findings are the following: (1) Our model reasonably fits all data within the observational uncertainties, indicating that the {Lambda}CDM concordance cosmology is consistent with a wide variety of data regarding the galaxy population across cosmic time. (2) At low-z, the stellar mass of central galaxies increases with halo mass as M{sup 0.3} and M{sup {approx}>4.0} at the massive and low-mass ends, respectively. The ratio M{sub *,c}/M reveals a maximum of {approx}0.03 at a halo mass M {approx} 10{sup 11.8} h{sup -1} M{sub Sun }, much lower than the universal baryon fraction ({approx}0.17). At higher redshifts the maximum in M{sub *,c}/M remains close to {approx}0.03, but shifts to higher halo mass. (3) The inferred timescale for the disruption of satellite galaxies is about the same as the dynamical friction timescale of their subhalos. (4) The stellar mass assembly history of central galaxies is completely decoupled from the assembly history of its host halo; the ratio M{sub *,c}/M initially increases rapidly with time until the halo mass reaches {approx}10{sup 12} h{sup -1} M{sub Sun }, at which point M{sub *,c}/M {approx} 0.03. Once M {approx}> 10{sup 12} h{sup -1} M{sub Sun }, there is little growth in M{sub *,c}, causing the ratio M{sub *,c}/M to decline. In Milky Way (MW)-sized halos more than half of the central stellar mass is assembled at z {approx}< 0.5. (5) In low-mass halos, the accretion of satellite galaxies contributes little to the formation of their central galaxies, indicating that most of their stars must have formed in situ. In massive halos more than half of the stellar mass of the central galaxy has to be formed in situ, and the accretion of satellites can only become significant at z {approx}< 2. (6) The total mass in halo stars is more than twice that of the central galaxy in massive halos, but less than 10% of M{sub *,c} in MW-sized halos. (7) The 2PCFs of galaxies on small scales hold important information regarding the evolution of satellite galaxies, which at high-z is predicted to be much steeper than at low-z, especially for more massive galaxies. We discuss various implications of our findings regarding the formation and evolution of galaxies in a {Lambda}CDM cosmology.

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DOE OSTI2012

DEBRIS DISKS IN KEPLER EXOPLANET SYSTEMS

The Kepler mission recently identified 997 systems hosting candidate extrasolar planets, many of which are super-Earths. Realizing these planetary systems are candidates to host extrasolar asteroid belts, we use mid-infrared data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to search for emission from dust in these systems. We find excesses around eight stars, indicating the presence of warm to hot dust ({approx}100-500 K), corresponding to orbital distances of 0.1-10 AU for these solar-type stars. The strongest detection, KOI 1099, demands {approx}500 K dust interior to the orbit of its exoplanet candidate. One star, KOI 904, may host very hot dust ({approx}1200 K, corresponding to 0.02 AU). Although the fraction of these exoplanet-bearing stars with detectable warm excesses ({approx}3%) is similar to that found by Spitzer surveys of solar-type field stars, the excesses detectable in the WISE data have much higher fractional luminosities (L{sub dust}/L{sub *}) than most known debris disks, implying that the fraction with debris disks of comparable luminosity may actually be significantly higher. It is difficult to explain the presence of dust so close to the host stars, generally corresponding to dust rings at radii <0.3 AU; both the collisional and Poynting-Robertson drag timescales to remove dust from the system are hundreds of years or less at these distances. Assuming a steady state for these systems implies large mass consumption rates with these short removal timescales, meaning that the dust production mechanism in these systems must almost certainly be episodic in nature.

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HEATING OF FLARE LOOPS WITH OBSERVATIONALLY CONSTRAINED HEATING FUNCTIONS

We analyze high-cadence high-resolution observations of a C3.2 flare obtained by AIA/SDO on 2010 August 1. The flare is a long-duration event with soft X-ray and EUV radiation lasting for over 4 hr. Analysis suggests that magnetic reconnection and formation of new loops continue for more than 2 hr. Furthermore, the UV 1600 Angstrom-Sign observations show that each of the individual pixels at the feet of flare loops is brightened instantaneously with a timescale of a few minutes, and decays over a much longer timescale of more than 30 minutes. We use these spatially resolved UV light curves during the rise phase to construct empirical heating functions for individual flare loops, and model heating of coronal plasmas in these loops. The total coronal radiation of these flare loops are compared with soft X-ray and EUV radiation fluxes measured by GOES and AIA. This study presents a method to observationally infer heating functions in numerous flare loops that are formed and heated sequentially by reconnection throughout the flare, and provides a very useful constraint to coronal heating models.

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EVOLUTION IN THE DUST LANE FRACTION OF EDGE-ON L*{sub V} SPIRAL GALAXIES SINCE z = 0.8

The presence of a well-defined and narrow dust lane in an edge-on spiral galaxy is the observational signature of a thin and dense molecular disk, in which gravitational collapse has overcome turbulence. Using a sample of galaxies out to z {approx} 1 extracted from the COSMOS survey, we identify the fraction of massive (L*{sub V}) disks that display a dust lane. Our goal is to explore the evolution in the stability of the molecular interstellar medium (ISM) disks in spiral galaxies over a cosmic timescale. We check the reliability of our morphological classifications against changes in rest-frame wavelength, resolution, and cosmic dimming with (artificially redshifted) images of local galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that the fraction of L*{sub V} disks with dust lanes in COSMOS is consistent with the local fraction ( Almost-Equal-To 80%) out to z {approx} 0.7. At z = 0.8, the dust lane fraction is only slightly lower. A somewhat lower dust lane fraction in starbursting galaxies tentatively supports the notion that a high specific star formation rate can efficiently destroy or inhibit a dense molecular disk. A small subsample of higher redshift COSMOS galaxies display low internal reddening (E[B - V]), as well as a low incidence of dust lanes. These may be disks in which the growth of the dusty ISM disk lags behind that of the stellar disk. We note that at z = 0.8, the most massive galaxies display a lower dust lane fraction than lower mass galaxies. A small contribution of recent mergers or starbursts to this most massive population may be responsible. The fact that the fraction of galaxies with dust lanes in COSMOS is consistent with little or no evolution implies that models to explain the spectral energy distribution or the host galaxy dust extinction of supernovae based on local galaxies are still applicable to higher redshift spirals. It also suggests that dust lanes are long-lived phenomena or can be reformed over very short timescales.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A DESCRIPTION OF QUASAR VARIABILITY MEASURED USING REPEATED SDSS AND POSS IMAGING

We provide a quantitative description and statistical interpretation of the optical continuum variability of quasars. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has obtained repeated imaging in five UV-to-IR photometric bands for 33,881 spectroscopically confirmed quasars. About 10,000 quasars have an average of 60 observations in each band obtained over a decade along Stripe 82 (S82), whereas the remaining {approx}25,000 have 2-3 observations due to scan overlaps. The observed time lags span the range from a day to almost 10 years, and constrain quasar variability at rest-frame time lags of up to 4 years, and at rest-frame wavelengths from 1000 A to 6000 A. We publicly release a user-friendly catalog of quasars from the SDSS Data Release 7 that have been observed at least twice in SDSS or once in both SDSS and the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, and we use it to analyze the ensemble properties of quasar variability. Based on a damped random walk (DRW) model defined by a characteristic timescale and an asymptotic variability amplitude that scale with the luminosity, black hole mass, and rest wavelength for individual quasars calibrated in S82, we can fully explain the ensemble variability statistics of the non-S82 quasars such as the exponential distribution of large magnitude changes. All available data are consistent with the DRW model as a viable description of the optical continuum variability of quasars on timescales of {approx}5-2000 days in the rest frame. We use these models to predict the incidence of quasar contamination in transient surveys such as those from the Palomar Transient Factory and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

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DOE OSTI2012

RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY IN PARTIALLY IONIZED COMPRESSIBLE PLASMAS

We study the modification of the classical criterion for the linear onset and growing rate of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) in a partially ionized plasma in the two-fluid description. The plasma is composed of a neutral fluid and an electron-ion fluid, coupled by means of particle collisions. The governing linear equations and appropriate boundary conditions, including gravitational terms, are derived and applied to the case of the RTI in a single interface between two partially ionized plasmas. The limits of collisionless, no gravity, and incompressible fluids are checked before addressing the general case. We find that both compressibility and ion-neutral collisions lower the linear growth rate, but do not affect the critical threshold of the onset of the RTI. The configuration is always unstable when a lighter plasma is below a heavier plasma regardless the value of the magnetic field strength, the ionization degree, and the ion-neutral collision frequency. However, ion-neutral collisions have a strong impact on the RTI growth rate, which can be decreased by an order of magnitude compared to the value in the collisionless case. Ion-neutral collisions are necessary to accurately describe the evolution of the RTI in partially ionized plasmas such as prominences. The timescale for the development of the instability is much longer than in the classical incompressible fully ionized case. This result may explain the existence of prominence fine structures with life times of the order of 30 minutes. The timescales derived from the classical theory are about one order of magnitude shorter and incompatible with the observed life times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗