5 research outputs found
Simulated Dark-Matter Halos as a Test of Nonextensive Statistical Mechanics
In the framework of nonextensive statistical mechanics, the equilibrium
structures of astrophysical self-gravitating systems are stellar polytropes,
parameterized by the polytropic index n. By careful comparison to the
structures of simulated dark-matter halos we find that the density profiles, as
well as other fundamental properties, of stellar polytropes are inconsistent
with simulations for any value of n. This result suggests the need to
reconsider the applicability of nonextensive statistical mechanics (in its
simplest form) to equilibrium self-gravitating systems.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review
A search for disk-galaxy lenses in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
We present the first automated spectroscopic search for disk-galaxy lenses,
using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database. We follow up eight gravitational
lens candidates, selected among a sample of ~40000 candidate massive disk
galaxies, using a combination of ground-based imaging and long-slit
spectroscopy. We confirm two gravitational lens systems: one probable disk
galaxy, and one probable S0 galaxy. The remaining systems are four promising
disk-galaxy lens candidates, as well as two probable gravitational lenses whose
lens galaxy might be an S0 galaxy. The redshifts of the lenses are z_lens ~
0.1. The redshift range of the background sources is z_source ~ 0.3 - 0.7. The
systems presented here are (confirmed or candidate) galaxy-galaxy lensing
systems, that is, systems where the multiple images are faint and extended,
allowing an accurate determination of the lens galaxy mass and light
distributions without contamination from the background galaxy. Moreover, the
low redshift of the (confirmed or candidates) lens galaxies is favorable for
measuring rotation points to complement the lensing study. We estimate the
rest-frame total mass-to-light ratio within the Einstein radius for the two
confirmed lenses: we find M_tot/L_I = 5.4 +- 1.5 within 3.9 +- 0.9 kpc for SDSS
J081230.30+543650.9, and M_tot/L_I = 1.5 +- 0.9 within 1.4 +- 0.8 kpc for SDSS
J145543.55+530441.2 (all in solar units). Hubble Space Telescope or Adaptive
Optics imaging is needed to further study the systems.Comment: ApJ, accepte