Accurate masses and radii of normal stars: modern results and applications

This paper presents and discusses a critical compilation of accurate, fundamental determinations of stellar masses and radii. We have identified 95 detached binary systems containing 190 stars (94 eclipsing systems, and alpha Centauri) that satisfy our criterion that the mass and radius of both stars be known to 3% or better. To these we add interstellar reddening, effective temperature, metal abundance, rotational velocity and apsidal motion determinations when available, and we compute a number of other physical parameters, notably luminosity and distance. We discuss the use of this information for testing models of stellar evolution. The amount and quality of the data also allow us to analyse the tidal evolution of the systems in considerable depth, testing prescriptions of rotational synchronisation and orbital circularisation in greater detail than possible before. The new data also enable us to derive empirical calibrations of M and R for single (post-) main-sequence stars above 0.6 M(Sun). Simple, polynomial functions of T(eff), log g and [Fe/H] yield M and R with errors of 6% and 3%, respectively. Excellent agreement is found with independent determinations for host stars of transiting extrasolar planets, and good agreement with determinations of M and R from stellar models as constrained by trigonometric parallaxes and spectroscopic values of T(eff) and [Fe/H]. Finally, we list a set of 23 interferometric binaries with masses known to better than 3%, but without fundamental radius determinations (except alpha Aur). We discuss the prospects for improving these and other stellar parameters in the near future.Comment: 56 pages including figures and tables. To appear in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review. Ascii versions of the tables will appear in the online version of the articl

RC J0311+0507: A Candidate for Superpowerful Radio Galaxies in the Early Universe at Redshift z=4.514

A strong emission line at 6703A has been detected in the optical spectrum for the host galaxy (R=23.1) of the radio source RC J0311+0507 (4C+04.11). This radio galaxy, with a spectral index of 1.31 in the frequency range 365-4850 MHz, is one of the ultrasteep spectrum objects from the deep survey of a sky strip conducted with RATAN-600 in 1980-1981. We present arguments in favor of the identification of this line with Ly\alpha at redshift z=4.514. In this case, the object belongs to the group of extremely distant radio galaxies of ultrahigh radio luminosity (P_{1400}=1.3 x 10^{29}W Hz^{-1}). Such power can be provided only by a fairly massive black hole (~10^9M_\sun}) that formed in a time less than the age of the Universe at the observed z(1.3 Gyr) or had a primordial origin.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Identifying Luminous AGN in Deep Surveys: Revised IRAC Selection Criteria

Spitzer IRAC selection is a powerful tool for identifying luminous AGN. For deep IRAC data, however, the AGN selection wedges currently in use are heavily contaminated by star-forming galaxies, especially at high redshift. Using the large samples of luminous AGN and high-redshift star-forming galaxies in COSMOS, we redefine the AGN selection criteria for use in deep IRAC surveys. The new IRAC criteria are designed to be both highly complete and reliable, and incorporate the best aspects of the current AGN selection wedges and of infrared power-law selection while excluding high redshift star-forming galaxies selected via the BzK, DRG, LBG, and SMG criteria. At QSO-luminosities of log L(2-10 keV) (ergs/s) > 44, the new IRAC criteria recover 75% of the hard X-ray and IRAC-detected XMM-COSMOS sample, yet only 38% of the IRAC AGN candidates have X-ray counterparts, a fraction that rises to 52% in regions with Chandra exposures of 50-160 ks. X-ray stacking of the individually X-ray non-detected AGN candidates leads to a hard X-ray signal indicative of heavily obscured to mildly Compton-thick obscuration (log N_H (cm^-2) = 23.5 +/- 0.4). While IRAC selection recovers a substantial fraction of luminous unobscured and obscured AGN, it is incomplete to low-luminosity and host-dominated AGN.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, full resolution version available at http://www.stsci.edu/~donley/iragn_paper

Spitzer Observations of High Redshift Radio Galaxies

We present the results of a comprehensive Spitzer survey of 70 radio galaxies across 1 < z < 5.2. Using IRAC, IRS and MIPS imaging we determine the rest-frame AGN contribution to the stellar emission peak at 1.6μm. The stellar luminosities are found to be consistent with that of a giant elliptical with a stellar mass of 10^(11−12)M_⊙. The mean stellar mass remains constant at 10^(11.5)M_⊙ up to z = 3 indicating that the upper end of the mass function is already in place at redshift 3. The mid-IR luminosities imply bolometric IR luminosities that would classify most sources as ULIRGs. The mid-IR to radio luminosity generally correlate implying a common origin for these emissions. The ratio is higher than that found for lower redshift, i.e. z < 1, radio galaxies

Deep observations of CO line emission from star-forming galaxies in a cluster candidate at z=1.5

We report results from a deep Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) search for CO 1-0 line emission from galaxies in a candidate galaxy cluster at z~1.55 in the COSMOS field. We target 4 galaxies with optical spectroscopic redshifts in the range z=1.47-1.59. Two of these 4 galaxies, ID51613 and ID51813, are nominally detected in CO line emission at the 3-4 sigma level. We find CO luminosities of 2.4x10^10 K km/s pc^2 and 1.3x10^10 K km/s pc^2, respectively. Taking advantage from the clustering and 2-GHz bandwidth of the JVLA, we perform a search for emission lines in the proximity of optical sources within the field of view of our observations. We limit our search to galaxies with K<23.5 (AB) and z_phot=1.2-1.8. We find 2 bright optical galaxies to be associated with significant emission line peaks (>4 sigma) in the data cube, which we identify with the CO line emission. To test the reliability of the line peaks found, we performed a parallel search for line peaks using a Bayesian inference method. Monte Carlo simulations show that such associations are statistically significant, with probabilities of chance association of 3.5% and 10.7% for ID 51207 and ID 51380, respectively. Modeling of their optical/IR SEDs indicates that the CO detected galaxies and candidates have stellar masses and SFRs in the range (0.3-1.1)x10^11 M_sun and 60-160 M_sun/yr, with SFEs comparable to that found in other star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts. By comparing the space density of CO emitters derived from our observations with the space density derived from previous CO detections at z~1.5, and with semi-analytic predictions for the CO luminosity function, we suggest that the latter tend to underestimate the number of CO galaxies detected at high-redshift. Finally, we argue about the benefits of future blind CO searches in clustered fields with upcoming submm/radio facilities.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Abstract has been slightly shortened compared to original pdf versio

Supermassive Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei: Past, Present and Future Research

This review discusses the current status of supermassive black hole research, as seen from a purely observational standpoint. Since the early '90s, rapid technological advances, most notably the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the commissioning of the VLBA and improvements in near-infrared speckle imaging techniques, have not only given us incontrovertible proof of the existence of supermassive black holes, but have unveiled fundamental connections between the mass of the central singularity and the global properties of the host galaxy. It is thanks to these observations that we are now, for the first time, in a position to understand the origin, evolution and cosmic relevance of these fascinating objects.Comment: Invited Review, 114 pages. Because of space requirements, this version contains low resolution figures. The full resolution version can be downloaded from http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~lff/publications.htm

Herschel-HIFI observations of high-J CO lines in the NGC 1333 low-mass star-forming region

Herschel-HIFI observations of high-J lines (up to J_u=10) of 12CO, 13CO and C18O are presented toward three deeply embedded low-mass protostars, NGC 1333 IRAS 2A, IRAS 4A, and IRAS 4B, obtained as part of the Water In Star-forming regions with Herschel (WISH) key program. The spectrally-resolved HIFI data are complemented by ground-based observations of lower-J CO and isotopologue lines. The 12CO 10-9 profiles are dominated by broad (FWHM 25-30 km s^-1) emission. Radiative transfer models are used to constrain the temperature of this shocked gas to 100-200 K. Several CO and 13CO line profiles also reveal a medium-broad component (FWHM 5-10 km s^-1), seen prominently in H2O lines. Column densities for both components are presented, providing a reference for determining abundances of other molecules in the same gas. The narrow C18O 9-8 lines probe the warmer part of the quiescent envelope. Their intensities require a jump in the CO abundance at an evaporation temperature around 25 K, thus providing new direct evidence for a CO ice evaporation zone around low-mass protostars.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure

Very Cold Gas and Dark Matter

We have recently proposed a new candidate for baryonic dark matter: very cold molecular gas, in near-isothermal equilibrium with the cosmic background radiation at 2.73 K. The cold gas, of quasi-primordial abundances, is condensed in a fractal structure, resembling the hierarchical structure of the detected interstellar medium. We present some perspectives of detecting this very cold gas, either directly or indirectly. The H$_2$ molecule has an "ultrafine" structure, due to the interaction between the rotation-induced magnetic moment and the nuclear spins. But the lines fall in the km domain, and are very weak. The best opportunity might be the UV absorption of H$_2$ in front of quasars. The unexpected cold dust component, revealed by the COBE/FIRAS submillimetric results, could also be due to this very cold H$_2$ gas, through collision-induced radiation, or solid H$_2$ grains or snowflakes. The $\gamma$-ray distribution, much more radially extended than the supernovae at the origin of cosmic rays acceleration, also points towards and extended gas distribution.Comment: 16 pages, Latex pages, crckapb macro, 3 postscript figures, uuencoded compressed tar file. To be published in the proceeedings of the "Dust-Morphology" conference, Johannesburg, 22-26 January, 1996, D. Block (ed.), (Kluwer Dordrecht

An Overview of the 2014 ALMA Long Baseline Campaign

A major goal of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is to make accurate images with resolutions of tens of milliarcseconds, which at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths requires baselines up to ~15 km. To develop and test this capability, a Long Baseline Campaign (LBC) was carried out from September to late November 2014, culminating in end-to-end observations, calibrations, and imaging of selected Science Verification (SV) targets. This paper presents an overview of the campaign and its main results, including an investigation of the short-term coherence properties and systematic phase errors over the long baselines at the ALMA site, a summary of the SV targets and observations, and recommendations for science observing strategies at long baselines. Deep ALMA images of the quasar 3C138 at 97 and 241 GHz are also compared to VLA 43 GHz results, demonstrating an agreement at a level of a few percent. As a result of the extensive program of LBC testing, the highly successful SV imaging at long baselines achieved angular resolutions as fine as 19 mas at ~350 GHz. Observing with ALMA on baselines of up to 15 km is now possible, and opens up new parameter space for submm astronomy.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters; this version with small changes to affiliation

Physical Conditions in the Ionized Gas of 30 Doradus

We present a mid-infrared spectroscopic data cube of the central part of 30 Doradus, observed with Spitzer's IRS and MIPS/SED mode. Aromatic dust emission features and emission lines from molecular and atomic hydrogen are detected but not particularly strong. The dominant spectral features are emission lines from moderately ionized species of argon, neon, and sulphur, which are used to determine the physical conditions in the ionized gas. The ionized gas excitation shows strong variations on parsec scales, some of which can plausibly be associated with individual hot stars. We fit the ionic line strengths with photoionization and shock models, and find that photoionization dominates in the region. The ionization parameter U traces the rim of the central bubble, as well as highlighting isolated sources of ionization, and at least one quiescent clump. The hardness of the ionizing radiation field T_rad reveals several "hot spots" that are either the result of individual very hot stars or trace the propagation of the diffuse ionizing field through the surrounding neutral cloud. Consistent with other measurements of giant molecular hydrogen regions, log(U) ranges between -3 and -0.75, and T_rad between 30000 and 85000K.Comment: 32 pages, 26 figures, ApJ accepted. A version with high-resolution images can be found at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~ged3j/indebetouw20090125.pd