540 research outputs found
Properties of the circumgalactic medium in cosmic ray-dominated galaxy haloes
We investigate the impact of cosmic rays (CRs) on the circumgalactic medium (CGM) in FIRE-2 simulations, for ultra-faint dwarf through Milky Way (MW)-mass haloes hosting star-forming (SF) galaxies. Our CR treatment includes injection by supernovae, anisotropic streaming and diffusion along magnetic field lines, and collisional and streaming losses, with constant parallel diffusivity κ∼3×10²⁹ cm² s⁻¹ chosen to match γ-ray observations. With this, CRs become more important at larger halo masses and lower redshifts, and dominate the pressure in the CGM in MW-mass haloes at z ≲ 1–2. The gas in these ‘CR-dominated’ haloes differs significantly from runs without CRs: the gas is primarily cool (a few ∼10⁴), and the cool phase is volume-filling and has a thermal pressure below that needed for virial or local thermal pressure balance. Ionization of the ‘low’ and ‘mid’ ions in this diffuse cool gas is dominated by photoionization, with O VI columns ≳10^(14.5) cm⁻² at distances ≳150kpc. CR and thermal gas pressure are locally anticorrelated, maintaining total pressure balance, and the CGM gas density profile is determined by the balance of CR pressure gradients and gravity. Neglecting CRs, the same haloes are primarily warm/hot (T≳10⁵) with thermal pressure balancing gravity, collisional ionization dominates, O VI columns are lower and Ne VIII higher, and the cool phase is confined to dense filaments in local thermal pressure equilibrium with the hot phase
Constraining reionization using 21 cm observations in combination with CMB and Lyman-alpha forest data
In this paper, we explore the constraints on the reionization history that
are provided by current observations of the Lyman-alpha forest and the CMB.
Rather than using a particular semi-analytic model, we take the novel approach
of parametrizing the ionizing sources with arbitrary functions, and perform
likelihood analyses to constrain possible reionization histories. We find model
independent conclusions that reionization is likely to be mostly complete by
z=8 and that the IGM was 50% ionized at z=9-10. Upcoming low-frequency
observations of the redshifted 21 cm line of neutral hydrogen are expected to
place significantly better constraints on the hydrogen neutral fraction at
6<z<12. We use our constraints on the reionization history to predict the
likely amplitude of the 21 cm power spectrum and show that observations with
the highest signal-to-noise ratio will most likely be made at frequencies
corresponding to z=9-10. This result provides an important guide to the
upcoming 21 cm observations. Finally, we assess the impact that measurement of
the neutral fraction will have on our knowledge of reionization and the early
source population. Our results show that a single measurement of the neutral
fraction mid-way through the reionization era will significantly enhance our
knowledge of the entire reionization history.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, submitted to MNRA
A Proper Motion for the Pulsar Wind Nebula G359.23-0.82, "the Mouse," Associated with the Energetic Radio Pulsar J1747-2958
The "Mouse" (PWN G359.23-0.82) is a spectacular bow shock pulsar wind nebula,
powered by the radio pulsar J1747-2958. The pulsar and its nebula are presumed
to have a high space velocity, but their proper motions have not been directly
measured. Here we present 8.5 GHz interferometric observations of the Mouse
nebula with the Very Large Array, spanning a time baseline of 12 yr. We measure
eastward proper motion for PWN G359.23-0.82 (and hence indirectly for PSR
J1747-2958) of 12.9+/-1.8 mas/yr, which at an assumed distance of 5 kpc
corresponds to a transverse space velocity of 306+/-43 km/s. Considering
pressure balance at the apex of the bow shock, we calculate an in situ hydrogen
number density of approximately 1.0(-0.2)(+0.4) cm^(-3) for the interstellar
medium through which the system is traveling. A lower age limit for PSR
J1747-2958 of 163(-20)(+28) kyr is calculated by considering its potential
birth site. The large discrepancy with the pulsar's spin-down age of 25 kyr is
possibly explained by surface dipole magnetic field growth on a timescale ~15
kyr, suggesting possible future evolution of PSR J1747-2958 to a different
class of neutron star. We also argue that the adjacent supernova remnant
G359.1-0.5 is not physically associated with the Mouse system but is rather an
unrelated object along the line of sight.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, emulateapj format. Accepted for publication in
The Astrophysical Journa
Highly Ionized Collimated Outflow from HE 0238 - 1904
We present a detailed analysis of a highly ionized, multiphased and
collimated outflowing gas detected through O V, O VI, Ne VIII and Mg X
absorption associated with the QSO HE 0238 - 1904 (z_em ~ 0.629). Based on the
similarities in the absorption line profiles and estimated covering fractions,
we find that the O VI and Ne VIII absorption trace the same phase of the
absorbing gas. Simple photoionization models can reproduce the observed N(Ne
VIII), N(O VI) and N(Mg X) from a single phase whereas the low ionization
species (e.g. N III, N IV, O IV) originate from a different phase. The measured
N(Ne VIII)/N(O VI) ratio is found to be remarkably similar (within a factor of
~ 2) in several individual absorption components kinematically spread over ~
1800 km/s. Under photoionization this requires a fine tuning between hydrogen
density (nH) and the distance of the absorbing gas from the QSO. Alternatively
this can also be explained by collisional ionization in hot gas with T >
10^{5.7} K. Long-term stability favors the absorbing gas being located outside
the broad line region (BLR). We speculate that the collimated flow of such a
hot gas could possibly be triggered by the radio jet interaction.Comment: Minor revision (accepted for publication in MNRAS letter
Pulsar science with the Five hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope
With a collecting area of 70 000 m^2, the Five hundred metre Aperture
Spherical Telescope (FAST) will allow for great advances in pulsar astronomy.
We have performed simulations to estimate the number of previously unknown
pulsars FAST will find with its 19-beam or possibly 100-beam receivers for
different survey strategies. With the 19-beam receiver, a total of 5200
previously unknown pulsars could be discovered in the Galactic plane, including
about 460 millisecond pulsars (MSPs). Such a survey would take just over 200
days with eight hours survey time per day. We also estimate that, with about 80
six-hour days, a survey of M31 and M33 could yield 50--100 extra-Galactic
pulsars. A 19-beam receiver would produce just under 500 MB of data per second
and requires about 9 tera-ops to perform the major part of a real time
analysis. We also simulate the logistics of high-precision timing of MSPs with
FAST. Timing of the 50 brightest MSPs to a signal-to-noise of 500 would take
about 24 hours per epoch.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures; accepted for publication in A&
The High Time Resolution Universe Survey VI: An Artificial Neural Network and Timing of 75 Pulsars
We present 75 pulsars discovered in the mid-latitude portion of the High Time
Resolution Universe survey, 54 of which have full timing solutions. All the
pulsars have spin periods greater than 100 ms, and none of those with timing
solutions are in binaries. Two display particularly interesting behaviour; PSR
J1054-5944 is found to be an intermittent pulsar, and PSR J1809-0119 has
glitched twice since its discovery.
In the second half of the paper we discuss the development and application of
an artificial neural network in the data-processing pipeline for the survey. We
discuss the tests that were used to generate scores and find that our neural
network was able to reject over 99% of the candidates produced in the data
processing, and able to blindly detect 85% of pulsars. We suggest that
improvements to the accuracy should be possible if further care is taken when
training an artificial neural network; for example ensuring that a
representative sample of the pulsar population is used during the training
process, or the use of different artificial neural networks for the detection
of different types of pulsars.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
Properties of the circumgalactic medium in cosmic ray-dominated galaxy haloes
We investigate the impact of cosmic rays (CRs) on the circumgalactic medium (CGM) in FIRE-2 simulations, for ultra-faint dwarf through Milky Way (MW)-mass haloes hosting star-forming (SF) galaxies. Our CR treatment includes injection by supernovae, anisotropic streaming and diffusion along magnetic field lines, and collisional and streaming losses, with constant parallel diffusivity κ∼3×10²⁹ cm² s⁻¹ chosen to match γ-ray observations. With this, CRs become more important at larger halo masses and lower redshifts, and dominate the pressure in the CGM in MW-mass haloes at z ≲ 1–2. The gas in these ‘CR-dominated’ haloes differs significantly from runs without CRs: the gas is primarily cool (a few ∼10⁴), and the cool phase is volume-filling and has a thermal pressure below that needed for virial or local thermal pressure balance. Ionization of the ‘low’ and ‘mid’ ions in this diffuse cool gas is dominated by photoionization, with O VI columns ≳10^(14.5) cm⁻² at distances ≳150kpc. CR and thermal gas pressure are locally anticorrelated, maintaining total pressure balance, and the CGM gas density profile is determined by the balance of CR pressure gradients and gravity. Neglecting CRs, the same haloes are primarily warm/hot (T≳10⁵) with thermal pressure balancing gravity, collisional ionization dominates, O VI columns are lower and Ne VIII higher, and the cool phase is confined to dense filaments in local thermal pressure equilibrium with the hot phase
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