282 research outputs found
A Compact Millimeter-Wavelength Fourier-Transform Spectrometer
We have constructed a Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) operating between
50 and 330 GHz with minimum volume (355 x260 x64 mm) and weight (13 lbs) while
maximizing optical throughput (100 sr) and optimizing the
spectral resolution (4 GHz). This FTS is designed as a polarizing
Martin-Puplett interferometer with unobstructed input and output in which both
input polarizations undergo interference. The instrument construction is simple
with mirrors milled on the box walls and one motorized stage as the single
moving element. We characterize the performance of the FTS, compare the
measurements to an optical simulation, and discuss features that relate to
details of the FTS design. The simulation is also used to determine the
tolerance of optical alignments for the required specifications. We detail the
FTS mechanical design and provide the control software as well as the analysis
code online.Comment: Submitted to Applied Optics. [Copyright 2019 Optical Society of
America]. Users may use, reuse, and build upon the article, or use the
article for text or data mining, so long as such uses are for non-commercial
purposes and appropriate attribution is maintained. All other rights are
reserve
Comparison of Instantaneous and Constant-Rate Stream Tracer Experiments Through Parametric Analysis of Residence Time Distributions
Artificial tracers are frequently employed to characterize solute residence times in stream systems and infer the nature of water retention. When the duration of tracer application is different between experiments, tracer breakthrough curves at downstream locations are difficult to compare directly. We explore methods for deriving stream solute residence time distributions (RTD) from tracer test data, allowing direct, non-parametric comparison of results from experiments of different durations. Paired short- and long-duration field experiments were performed using instantaneous and constant-rate tracer releases, respectively. The experiments were conducted in two study reaches that were morphologically distinct in channel structure and substrate size. Frequency- and time domain deconvolution techniques were used to derive RTDs from the resulting tracer concentrations. Comparisons of results between experiments of different duration demonstrated few differences in hydrologic retention characteristics inferred from short- and long-term tracer tests. Because non-parametric RTD analysis does not presume any shape of the distribution, it is useful for comparisons across tracer experiments with variable inputs and for validations of fundamental transport model assumptions
Velocity Segregation and Systematic Biases In Velocity Dispersion Estimates With the SPT-GMOS Spectroscopic Survey
The velocity distribution of galaxies in clusters is not universal; rather,
galaxies are segregated according to their spectral type and relative
luminosity. We examine the velocity distributions of different populations of
galaxies within 89 Sunyaev Zel'dovich (SZ) selected galaxy clusters spanning . Our sample is primarily draw from the SPT-GMOS spectroscopic
survey, supplemented by additional published spectroscopy, resulting in a final
spectroscopic sample of 4148 galaxy spectra---2868 cluster members. The
velocity dispersion of star-forming cluster galaxies is % greater than
that of passive cluster galaxies, and the velocity dispersion of bright () cluster galaxies is % lower than the velocity dispersion of
our total member population. We find good agreement with simulations regarding
the shape of the relationship between the measured velocity dispersion and the
fraction of passive vs. star-forming galaxies used to measure it, but we find a
small offset between this relationship as measured in data and simulations in
which suggests that our dispersions are systematically low by as much as 3\%
relative to simulations. We argue that this offset could be interpreted as a
measurement of the effective velocity bias that describes the ratio of our
observed velocity dispersions and the intrinsic velocity dispersion of dark
matter particles in a published simulation result. Measuring velocity bias in
this way suggests that large spectroscopic surveys can improve dispersion-based
mass-observable scaling relations for cosmology even in the face of velocity
biases, by quantifying and ultimately calibrating them out.Comment: Accepted to ApJ; 21 pages, 11 figures, 5 table
Discovery of a Powerful >1061 erg AGN Outburst in the Distant Galaxy Cluster SPT-CLJ0528-5300
We present ~103 ks of Chandra observations of the galaxy cluster SPT-CLJ0528-5300 (SPT0528, z = 0.768). This cluster harbors the most radio-loud (L 1.4GHz = 1.01 × 1033 erg s−1 Hz−1) central active galactic nucleus (AGN) of any cluster in the South Pole Telescope (SPT) Sunyaev–Zeldovich survey with available X-ray data. We find evidence of AGN-inflated cavities in the X-ray emission, which are consistent with the orientation of the jet direction revealed by Australia Telescope Compact Array radio data. The combined probability that two such depressions—each at ~1.4–1.8σ significance, oriented ~180° apart and aligned with the jet axis—would occur by chance is 0.1%. At gsim1061 erg, the outburst in SPT0528 is among the most energetic known in the universe, and certainly the most powerful known at z > 0.25. This work demonstrates that such powerful outbursts can be detected even in shallow X-ray exposures out to relatively high redshifts (z ~ 0.8), providing an avenue for studying the evolution of extreme AGN feedback. The ratio of the cavity power ( erg s−1) to the cooling luminosity (L cool = (1.5 ± 0.5) × 1044 erg s−1) for SPT0528 is among the highest measured to date. If, in the future, additional systems are discovered at similar redshifts with equally high P cav/L cool ratios, it would imply that the feedback/cooling cycle was not as gentle at high redshifts as in the low-redshift universe
Forecasting ground-based sensitivity to the Rayleigh scattering of the CMB in the presence of astrophysical foregrounds
The Rayleigh scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons off the
neutral hydrogen produced during recombination effectively creates an
additional scattering surface after recombination that encodes new cosmological
information, including the expansion and ionization history of the universe. A
first detection of Rayleigh scattering is a tantalizing target for
next-generation CMB experiments. We have developed a Rayleigh scattering
forecasting pipeline that includes instrumental effects, atmospheric noise, and
astrophysical foregrounds (e.g., Galactic dust, cosmic infrared background, or
CIB, and the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect). We forecast the Rayleigh
scattering detection significance for several upcoming ground-based
experiments, including SPT-3G+, Simons Observatory, CCAT-prime, and CMB-S4, and
examine the limitations from atmospheric and astrophysical foregrounds as well
as potential mitigation strategies. When combined with Planck data, we estimate
that the ground-based experiments will detect Rayleigh scattering with a
significance between 1.6 and 3.7, primarily limited by atmospheric noise and
the CIB.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures (v2 additional author added
Characterization of MKIDs for CMB observation at 220 GHz with the South Pole Telescope
We present an updated design of the 220 GHz microwave kinetic inductance
detector (MKID) pixel for SPT-3G+, the next-generation camera for the South
Pole Telescope. We show results of the dark testing of a 63-pixel array with
mean inductor quality factor , aluminum inductor
transition temperature K, and kinetic inductance fraction
. We optically characterize both the microstrip-coupled and
CPW-coupled resonators, and find both have a spectral response close to
prediction with an optical efficiency of . However, we find
slightly lower optical response on the lower edge of the band than predicted,
with neighboring dark detectors showing more response in this region, though at
level consistent with less than 5\% frequency shift relative to the optical
detectors. The detectors show polarized response consistent with expectations,
with a cross-polar response of for both detector orientations.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, ASC 2022 proceeding
SPT 0538-50: Physical conditions in the ISM of a strongly lensed dusty star-forming galaxy at z=2.8
We present observations of SPT-S J053816-5030.8, a gravitationally-lensed
dusty star forming galaxy (DSFG) at z = 2.7817, first discovered at millimeter
wavelengths by the South Pole Telescope. SPT 0538-50 is typical of the
brightest sources found by wide-field millimeter-wavelength surveys, being
lensed by an intervening galaxy at moderate redshift (in this instance, at z =
0.441). We present a wide array of multi-wavelength spectroscopic and
photometric data on SPT 0538-50, including data from ALMA, Herschel PACS and
SPIRE, Hubble, Spitzer, VLT, ATCA, APEX, and the SMA. We use high resolution
imaging from HST to de-blend SPT 0538-50, separating DSFG emission from that of
the foreground lens. Combined with a source model derived from ALMA imaging
(which suggests a magnification factor of 21 +/- 4), we derive the intrinsic
properties of SPT 0538-50, including the stellar mass, far-IR luminosity, star
formation rate, molecular gas mass, and - using molecular line fluxes - the
excitation conditions within the ISM. The derived physical properties argue
that we are witnessing compact, merger-driven star formation in SPT 0538-50,
similar to local starburst galaxies, and unlike that seen in some other DSFGs
at this epoch.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Compact millimeter-wavelength Fourier-transform spectrometer
We have constructed a Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) operating between 50 GHz and 330 GHz with minimum volume (355×260×64  mm) and weight (5.9 kg) while maximizing optical throughput (100  mm^2 sr) and optimizing the spectral resolution (4 GHz). This FTS is designed as a polarizing Martin–Puplett interferometer with unobstructed input and output in which both input polarizations undergo interference. The instrument construction is simple with mirrors milled on the box walls and one motorized stage as the single moving element. We characterize the performance of the FTS, compare the measurements to an optical simulation, and discuss features that relate to details of the FTS design. The simulation is also used to determine the tolerance of optical alignments for the required specifications. We detail the FTS mechanical design and provide the control software as well as the analysis code online
- …