348 research outputs found
A universal velocity distribution of relaxed collisionless structures
Several general trends have been identified for equilibrated,
self-gravitating collisionless systems, such as density or anisotropy profiles.
These are integrated quantities which naturally depend on the underlying
velocity distribution function (VDF) of the system. We study this VDF through a
set of numerical simulations, which allow us to extract both the radial and the
tangential VDF. We find that the shape of the VDF is universal, in the sense
that it depends only on two things namely the dispersion (radial or tangential)
and the local slope of the density. Both the radial and the tangential VDF's
are universal for a collection of simulations, including controlled collisions
with very different initial conditions, radial infall simulation, and
structures formed in cosmological simulations.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures; oversimplified analysis corrected; changed
abstract and conclusions; significantly extended discussio
Toward an accurate mass function for precision cosmology
Cosmological surveys aim to use the evolution of the abundance of galaxy
clusters to accurately constrain the cosmological model. In the context of
LCDM, we show that it is possible to achieve the required percent level
accuracy in the halo mass function with gravity-only cosmological simulations,
and we provide simulation start and run parameter guidelines for doing so. Some
previous works have had sufficient statistical precision, but lacked robust
verification of absolute accuracy. Convergence tests of the mass function with,
for example, simulation start redshift can exhibit false convergence of the
mass function due to counteracting errors, potentially misleading one to infer
overly optimistic estimations of simulation accuracy. Percent level accuracy is
possible if initial condition particle mapping uses second order Lagrangian
Perturbation Theory, and if the start epoch is between 10 and 50 expansion
factors before the epoch of halo formation of interest. The mass function for
halos with fewer than ~1000 particles is highly sensitive to simulation
parameters and start redshift, implying a practical minimum mass resolution
limit due to mass discreteness. The narrow range in converged start redshift
suggests that it is not presently possible for a single simulation to capture
accurately the cluster mass function while also starting early enough to model
accurately the numbers of reionisation era galaxies, whose baryon feedback
processes may affect later cluster properties. Ultimately, to fully exploit
current and future cosmological surveys will require accurate modeling of
baryon physics and observable properties, a formidable challenge for which
accurate gravity-only simulations are just an initial step.Comment: revised in response to referee suggestions, MNRAS accepte
Primordial Earth mantle heterogeneity caused by the Moon-forming giant impact
The giant impact hypothesis for Moon formation successfully explains the
dynamic properties of the Earth-Moon system but remains challenged by the
similarity of isotopic fingerprints of the terrestrial and lunar mantles.
Moreover, recent geochemical evidence suggests that the Earth's mantle
preserves ancient (or "primordial") heterogeneity that predates the
Moon-forming giant impact. Using a new hydrodynamical method, we here show that
Moon-forming giant impacts lead to a stratified starting condition for the
evolution of the terrestrial mantle. The upper layer of the Earth is
compositionally similar to the disk, out of which the Moon evolves, whereas the
lower layer preserves proto-Earth characteristics. As long as this predicted
compositional stratification can at least partially be preserved over the
subsequent billions of years of Earth mantle convection, the compositional
similarity between the Moon and the accessible Earth's mantle is a natural
outcome of realistic and high-probability Moon-forming impact scenarios. The
preservation of primordial heterogeneity in the modern Earth not only
reconciles geochemical constraints but is also consistent with recent
geophysical observations. Furthermore, for significant preservation of a
proto-Earth reservoir, the bulk composition of the Earth-Moon system may be
systematically shifted towards chondritic values.Comment: Comments are welcom
Estimating the Integrated Bispectrum from Weak Lensing Maps
We use a recently introduced statistic called {\em Integrated Bispectrum}
(IB) to probe the gravity-induced non-Gaussianity at the level of the
bispectrum from weak lensing convergence or maps. We generalize the
concept of the IB to spherical coordinates. This result is next connected to
the response function approach. Finally, we use the Euclid Flagship simulations
to compute the IB as a function of redshift and wave number. We also outline
how the IB can be computed using a variety of analytical approaches including
the ones based on Effective Field Theory (EFT), {\em Halo models} and models
based on the {\em Separate Universe approach} in projection or two-dimension
(2D). Comparing these results against simulations we find that the existing
theoretical models tend to over-predict the numerical value of the IB. We
emphasize the role of the finite volume effect in the numerical estimation of
the IB. We introduced the concept of squeezed and collapsed tripsectrum for 2D
maps. We derive the IB for many parameterized theories of modified
gravity including the Horndeskii and beyond-Horndeskii theories specifically
for the non-degenerate scenarios that are also known as the
Gleyzes-Langlois-Piazza-Venizzi or GPLV theories. In addition, the cosmological
models with clustering quintessence and models involving massive neutrinos are
also derived.Comment: 49 pages, 8 figures, To appear in JCA
The velocity anisotropy - density slope relation
One can solve the Jeans equation analytically for equilibrated dark matter
structures, once given two pieces of input from numerical simulations. These
inputs are 1) a connection between phase-space density and radius, and 2) a
connection between velocity anisotropy and density slope, the \alpha-\beta
relation. The first (phase-space density v.s. radius) has already been analysed
through several different simulations, however the second (\alpha-\beta
relation) has not been quantified yet. We perform a large set of numerical
experiments in order to quantify the slope and zero-point of the \alpha-\beta
relation. We find strong indication that the relation is indeed an attractor.
When combined with the assumption of phase-space being a power-law in radius,
this allows us to conclude that equilibrated dark matter structures indeed have
zero central velocity anisotropy \beta_0 = 0, central density slope of \alpha_0
= -0.8, and outer anisotropy of \beta_\infty = 0.5.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure
Density profiles and substructure of dark matter halos: converging results at ultra-high numerical resolution
Can N-body simulations reliably determine the structural properties of dark
matter halos? Focussing on a Virgo-sized galaxy cluster, we increase the
resolution of current ``high resolution simulations'' by almost an order of
magnitude to examine the convergence of the important physical quantities. We
have 4 million particles within the cluster and force resolution 0.5 kpc/h
(0.05% of the virial radius). The central density profile has a logarithmic
slope of -1.5, as found in lower resolution studies of the same halo,
indicating that the profile has converged to the ``physical'' limit down to
scales of a few kpc. Also the abundance of substructure is consistent with that
derived from lower resolution runs; on the scales explored, the mass and
circular velocity functions are close to power laws of exponents ~ -1.9 and -4.
Overmerging appears to be globally unimportant for suhalos with circular
velocities > 100 km/s. We can trace most of the cluster progenitors from z=3 to
the present; the central object (the dark matter analog of a cD galaxy)is
assembled between z=3 and 1 from the merging of a dozen halos with v_circ \sim
300 km/s. The mean circular velocity of the subhalos decreases by ~ 20% over 5
billion years, due to tidal mass loss. The velocity dispersions of halos and
dark matter globally agree within 10%, but the halos are spatially anti-biased,
and, in the very central region of the cluster, they show positive velocity
bias; however, this effect appears to depend on numerical resolution.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures, ApJ, in press. Text significantly clarifie
High precision spectra at large redshift for dynamical DE cosmologies
The next generation mass probes will investigate DE nature by measuring
non-linear power spectra at various z, and comparing them with high precision
simulations. Producing a complete set of them, taking into account baryon
physics and for any DE state equation w(z), would really be numerically
expensive. Regularities reducing such duty are essential. This paper presents
further n-body tests of a relation we found, linking models with DE state
parameter w(z) to const.-w models, and also tests the relation in hydro
simulations.Comment: PASCOS 2010, the 16th International Symposium on Particles, Strings
and Cosmology, Valencia (Spain), July 19th - 23rd, 201
Hormonal replacement therapy, prothrombotic mutations and the risk of venous thrombosis
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases the risk of venous thrombosis. We investigated whether this risk is affected by carriership of hereditary prothrombotic abnormalities. Therefore, we determined the two most common prothrombotic mutations, factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A in women who participated in a case-control study on venous thrombosis. Relative risks were expressed as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI95). Among 7 7 women aged 45-64 years with a first venous thrombosis, 51% were receiving HRT at the time of thrombosis, compared with 24% of control women (OR = 3.3, CI95 1.8-5.8). Among the patients, 23% had a prothrombotic defect, versus 7% among the control women (OR = 3.8, CI95 1.7- 8.5). Women who had factor V Leiden and used HRT had a 15-fold increased risk (OR = 15.5, CI95 3.1-77), which exceeded the expected joint odds ratio of 6.1 (under an additive model). We conclude that the thrombotic risk of HRT may particularly affect women with prothrombotic mutations. Efforts to avoid HRT in women with increased risk of thrombosis are advisable
Dynamical Dark Energy simulations: high accuracy Power Spectra at high redshift
Accurate predictions on non--linear power spectra, at various redshift z,
will be a basic tool to interpret cosmological data from next generation mass
probes, so obtaining key information on Dark Energy nature. This calls for high
precision simulations, covering the whole functional space of w(z) state
equations and taking also into account the admitted ranges of other
cosmological parameters; surely a difficult task. A procedure was however
suggested, able to match the spectra at z=0, up to k~3, hMpc^{-1}, in
cosmologies with an (almost) arbitrary w(z), by making recourse to the results
of N-body simulations with w = const. In this paper we extend such procedure to
high redshift and test our approach through a series of N-body gravitational
simulations of various models, including a model closely fitting WMAP5 and
complementary data. Our approach detects w= const. models, whose spectra meet
the requirement within 1% at z=0 and perform even better at higher redshift,
where they are close to a permil precision. Available Halofit expressions,
extended to (constant) w \neq -1 are unfortunately unsuitable to fit the
spectra of the physical models considered here. Their extension to cover the
desired range should be however feasible, and this will enable us to match
spectra from any DE state equation.Comment: method definitely improved in semplicity and efficacy,accepted for
publication on JCA
- …