Impulse approximation in the n p --> d pi^0 reaction reexamined

The impulse approximation (one-body operator) in the n p --> d pi^0 reaction is reexamined with emphasis on the issues of reducibility and recoil corrections. An inconsistency when one pion exchange is included in the production operator is demonstrated and then resolved via the introduction of "wave function corrections" which nearly vanish for static nucleon propagators. Inclusion of the recoil corrections to the nucleon propagators is found to change the magnitude and sign of the impulse production amplitude, worsening agreement with the experimental cross section by approximately 30%. A cutoff is used to account for the phenomenological nature of the external wave functions, and is found to have a significant impact up to approximately 2.5 GeV.Comment: Published versio

Inference of the Cold Dark Matter substructure mass function at z=0.2 using strong gravitational lenses

We present the results of a search for galaxy substructures in a sample of 11 gravitational lens galaxies from the Sloan Lens ACS Survey. We find no significant detection of mass clumps, except for a luminous satellite in the system SDSS J0956+5110. We use these non-detections, in combination with a previous detection in the system SDSS J0946+1006, to derive constraints on the substructure mass function in massive early-type host galaxies with an average redshift z ~ 0.2 and an average velocity dispersion of 270 km/s. We perform a Bayesian inference on the substructure mass function, within a median region of about 32 kpc squared around the Einstein radius (~4.2 kpc). We infer a mean projected substructure mass fraction $f = 0.0076^{+0.0208}_{-0.0052}$ at the 68 percent confidence level and a substructure mass function slope $\alpha$ < 2.93 at the 95 percent confidence level for a uniform prior probability density on alpha. For a Gaussian prior based on Cold Dark Matter (CDM) simulations, we infer $f = 0 .0064^{+0.0080}_{-0.0042}$ and a slope of $\alpha$ = 1.90$^{+0.098}_{-0.098}$ at the 68 percent confidence level. Since only one substructure was detected in the full sample, we have little information on the mass function slope, which is therefore poorly constrained (i.e. the Bayes factor shows no positive preference for any of the two models).The inferred fraction is consistent with the expectations from CDM simulations and with inference from flux ratio anomalies at the 68 percent confidence level.Comment: Accepted for publication on MNRAS, some typos corrected and some important references adde

The Structure & Dynamics of Massive Early-type Galaxies: On Homology, Isothermality and Isotropy inside one Effective Radius

Based on 58 SLACS strong-lens early-type galaxies with direct total-mass and stellar-velocity dispersion measurements, we find that inside one effective radius massive elliptical galaxies with M_eff >= 3x10^10 M_sun are well-approximated by a power-law ellipsoid with an average logaritmic density slope of = -dlog(rho_tot)/dlog(r)=2.085^{+0.025}_{-0.018} (random error on mean) for isotropic orbits with beta_r=0, +-0.1 (syst.) and sigma_gamma' <= 0.20^{+0.04}_{-0.02} intrinsic scatter (all errors indicate the 68 percent CL). We find no correlation of gamma'_LD with galaxy mass (M_eff), rescaled radius (i.e. R_einst/R_eff) or redshift, despite intrinsic differences in density-slope between galaxies. Based on scaling relations, the average logarithmic density slope can be derived in an alternative manner, fully independent from dynamics, yielding =1.959 +- 0.077. Agreement between the two values is reached for =0.45 +- 0.25, consistent with mild radial anisotropy. This agreement supports the robustness of our results, despite the increase in mass-to-light ratio with total galaxy mass: M_eff ~ L_{V,eff}^(1.363+-0.056). We conclude that massive early-type galaxies are structurally close-to homologous with close-to isothermal total density profiles (<=10 percent intrinsic scatter) and have at most some mild radial anisotropy. Our results provide new observational limits on galaxy formation and evolution scenarios, covering four Gyr look-back time.Comment: Accepted for publication by ApJL; 4 pages, 2 figure

The Sloan Lens ACS Survey. IX. Colors, Lensing and Stellar Masses of Early-type Galaxies

We present the current photometric dataset for the Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) Survey, including HST photometry from ACS, WFPC2, and NICMOS. These data have enabled the confirmation of an additional 15 grade `A' (certain) lens systems, bringing the number of SLACS grade `A' lenses to 85; including 13 grade `B' (likely) systems, SLACS has identified nearly 100 lenses and lens candidates. Approximately 80% of the grade `A' systems have elliptical morphologies while ~10% show spiral structure; the remaining lenses have lenticular morphologies. Spectroscopic redshifts for the lens and source are available for every system, making SLACS the largest homogeneous dataset of galaxy-scale lenses to date. We have developed a novel Bayesian stellar population analysis code to determine robust stellar masses with accurate error estimates. We apply this code to deep, high-resolution HST imaging and determine stellar masses with typical statistical errors of 0.1 dex; we find that these stellar masses are unbiased compared to estimates obtained using SDSS photometry, provided that informative priors are used. The stellar masses range from 10^10.5 to 10^11.8 M$_\odot$ and the typical stellar mass fraction within the Einstein radius is 0.4, assuming a Chabrier IMF. The ensemble properties of the SLACS lens galaxies, e.g. stellar masses and projected ellipticities, appear to be indistinguishable from other SDSS galaxies with similar stellar velocity dispersions. This further supports that SLACS lenses are representative of the overall population of massive early-type galaxies with M* >~ 10^11 M$_\odot$, and are therefore an ideal dataset to investigate the kpc-scale distribution of luminous and dark matter in galaxies out to z ~ 0.5.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, 5 tables, published in Ap

Detecting the Rise and Fall of 21 cm Fluctuations with the Murchison Widefield Array

We forecast the sensitivity with which the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) can measure the 21 cm power spectrum of cosmic hydrogen, using radiative transfer simulations to model reionization and the 21 cm signal. The MWA is sensitive to roughly a decade in scale (wavenumbers of k ~ 0.1 - 1 h Mpc^{-1}), with foreground contamination precluding measurements on larger scales, and thermal detector noise limiting the small scale sensitivity. This amounts primarily to constraints on two numbers: the amplitude and slope of the 21 cm power spectrum on the scales probed. We find, however, that the redshift evolution in these quantities can yield important information about reionization. Although the power spectrum differs substantially across plausible models, a generic prediction is that the amplitude of the 21 cm power spectrum on MWA scales peaks near the epoch when the intergalactic medium (IGM) is ~ 50% ionized. Moreover, the slope of the 21 cm power spectrum on MWA scales flattens as the ionization fraction increases and the sizes of the HII regions grow. Considering detection sensitivity, we show that the optimal MWA antenna configuration for power spectrum measurements would pack all 500 antenna tiles as close as possible in a compact core. The MWA is sensitive enough in its optimal configuration to measure redshift evolution in the slope and amplitude of the 21 cm power spectrum. Detecting the characteristic redshift evolution of our models will confirm that observed 21 cm fluctuations originate from the IGM, and not from foregrounds, and provide an indirect constraint on the volume-filling factor of HII regions during reionization. After two years of observations under favorable conditions, the MWA can constrain the filling factor at an epoch when ~ 0.5 to within roughly +/- 0.1 at 2-sigma.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Ap

The X-shooter Lens Survey - II. Sample presentation and spatially resolved kinematics

We present the X-shooter Lens Survey (XLENS) data. The main goal of XLENS is to disentangle the stellar and dark matter content of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs), through combined strong gravitational lensing, dynamics and spectroscopic stellar population studies. The sample consists of 11 lens galaxies covering the redshift range from $0.1$ to $0.45$ and having stellar velocity dispersions between $250$ and $380\,\mathrm{km}\,\mathrm{s}^{-1}$. All galaxies have multi-band, high-quality HST imaging. We have obtained long-slit spectra of the lens galaxies with X-shooter on the VLT. We are able to disentangle the dark and luminous mass components by combining lensing and extended kinematics data-sets, and we are also able to precisely constrain stellar mass-to-light ratios and infer the value of the low-mass cut-off of the IMF, by adding spectroscopic stellar population information. Our goal is to correlate these IMF parameters with ETG masses and investigate the relation between baryonic and non-baryonic matter during the mass assembly and structure formation processes. In this paper we provide an overview of the survey, highlighting its scientific motivations, main goals and techniques. We present the current sample, briefly describing the data reduction and analysis process, and we present the first results on spatially resolved kinematics.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

The Interiors of Giant Planets: Models and Outstanding Questions

We know that giant planets played a crucial role in the making of our Solar System. The discovery of giant planets orbiting other stars is a formidable opportunity to learn more about these objects, what is their composition, how various processes influence their structure and evolution, and most importantly how they form. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune can be studied in detail, mostly from close spacecraft flybys. We can infer that they are all enriched in heavy elements compared to the Sun, with the relative global enrichments increasing with distance to the Sun. We can also infer that they possess dense cores of varied masses. The intercomparison of presently caracterised extrasolar giant planets show that they are also mainly made of hydrogen and helium, but that they either have significantly different amounts of heavy elements, or have had different orbital evolutions, or both. Hence, many questions remain and are to be answered for significant progresses on the origins of planets.Comment: 43 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables. To appear in Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, vol 33, (2005

Predicting animal behaviour using deep learning: GPS data alone accurately predict diving in seabirds

1.:To prevent further global declines in biodiversity, identifying and understanding key habitats is crucial for successful conservation strategies. For example, globally, seabird populations are under threat and animal movement data can identify key at‐sea areas and provide valuable information on the state of marine ecosystems. To date, in order to locate these areas, studies have used global positioning system (GPS) to record position and are sometimes combined with time–depth recorder (TDR) devices to identify diving activity associated with foraging, a crucial aspect of at‐sea behaviour. However, the use of additional devices such as TDRs can be expensive, logistically difficult and may adversely affect the animal. Alternatively, behaviours may be resolved from measurements derived from the movement data alone. However, this behavioural analysis frequently lacks validation data for locations predicted as foraging (or other behaviours). 2.: Here, we address these issues using a combined GPS and TDR dataset from 108 individuals by training deep learning models to predict diving in European shags, common guillemots and razorbills. We validate our predictions using withheld data, producing quantitative assessment of predictive accuracy. The variables used to train these models are those recorded solely by the GPS device: variation in longitude and latitude, altitude and coverage ratio (proportion of possible fixes acquired within a set window of time). 3.: Different combinations of these variables were used to explore the qualities of different models, with the optimum models for all species predicting non‐diving and diving behaviour correctly over 94% and 80% of the time, respectively. We also demonstrate the superior predictive ability of these supervised deep learning models over other commonly used behavioural prediction methods such as hidden Markov models. 4.: Mapping these predictions provides useful insights into the foraging activity of a range of seabird species, highlighting important at sea locations. These models have the potential to be used to analyse historic GPS datasets and further our understanding of how environmental changes have affected these seabirds over time

The Sloan Lens ACS Survey. VIII. The relation between environment and internal structure of early-type galaxies

We study the relation between the internal structure of early-type galaxies and their environment using 70 strong gravitational lenses from the Sloan ACS Lens Survey. The Sloan database is used to determine two measures of overdensity of galaxies around each lens: the projected number density of galaxies inside the tenth nearest neighbor (\Sigma_{10}) and within a cone of radius one h^{-1} Mpc (D_1). Our main results are: 1) The average overdensity is somewhat larger than unity, consistent with lenses preferring overdense environments as expected for massive early-type galaxies (12/70 lenses are in known groups/clusters). 2) The distribution of overdensities is indistinguishable from that of "twin" non-lens galaxies selected from SDSS to have the same redshift and stellar velocity dispersion \sigma_*. Thus, within our errors, lens galaxies are an unbiased population, and the SLACS results can be generalized to the overall population of early-type galaxies. 3) Typical contributions from external mass distribution are no more than a few per cent, reaching 10-20% (~0.05-0.10 external convergence) only in the most extreme overdensities. 4) No significant correlation between overdensity and slope of the mass density profile of the lens is found. 5) Satellite galaxies (those with a more luminous companion) have marginally steeper mass density profiles than central galaxies (those without). This result suggests that tidal stripping may affect the mass structure of early-type galaxies down to kpc scales probed by strong lensing, when they fall into larger structures [ABRIDGED].Comment: ApJ, in press; minor changes with respect to v