Cosmology with galaxy clusters

A number of different ways of using galaxy clusters to provide information concerning fundamental cosmological parameters are considered. Using the observed local cluster X-ray temperature function in conjunction with the Press-Schechter formalism, the normalisation of a CDM power spectrum is found to be σ(_8) = (0.52 ± 0.04)Ω(_o)(^-0.46+0.10Ωo) if Ʌ(_o) = 0 or σ(_8) = (0.52 ± 0.04)Ω(_o)(^-0.52+0.13Ωo) if Ʌ(_o) = 1 — Ω(_0). This result is employed to provide detailed predictions for the abundance of clusters at high redshift, and the differences between predictions for various cosmologies are emphasised. New tests using available high-redshift cluster data are presented. For the adopted power spectrum normalisation, it is found that an Ω(_o) = 0.3, Ʌ(_o) = 0 cosmology vastly overpredicts the number of clusters that were actually found with 0.4 < z < 0.6 in the Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey. The rapid variation in the expected abundance with both σ(_8) and the assumed scatter in the L(_x) – T_x) relation limits the significance of this result, but this model is still ruled out at the ~ 95% confidence level. Order statistics are utilised to calculate the probability of finding extremely massive clusters at high redshifts. With presently available observations, no interesting upper limit can yet be placed on Ω(_o). Systematic variations in the cluster-cluster correlation length calculated using numerical simulations and resulting from the definition of clusters, the chosen σ(_8), the mean intercluster separation and whether or not redshift space distortions are included, are found to exceed the statistical errors on the measurements. Although the uncertainty in ε(_cc) derived from an ensemble of 10 Standard CDM simulations is not sufficient at large separations to remove the discrepancy between this model and results from the APM Cluster Survey, this does suggest that the level at which such a scenario has previously been rejected using ε(_cc) should be significantly reduced. Details and a few tests of a procedure for improving mass and spatial resolution in cosmological simulations are presented. After showing that a coarse-sampling technique can be used to represent the large-scale forces sufficiently accurately, the method is then used to perform ten simulations of clusters forming in an Ω(_o) = 0.3, Ʌ(_o) = 0.7 CDM cosmology. To incorporate non-radiative gas, an SPH code adapted to work on a GRAPEsupercomputer is used. The resulting clusters are found to have virial radii in good agreement with the predictions of the spherical collapse model, dark matter density profiles well described by the 'NFW formula and isothermal central gas components, with temperatures dropping by a factor of ~ 2 near the virial radius. The evolution of these properties is studied as well as that of the bulk quantities describing the clusters, with particular reference to the β parameters relating cluster gas temperatures with virial mass or velocity dispersion. Slightly greater evolution in the luminosity is seen than in previous Ω(_o) = 1 simulations, suggesting that the improved resolution is important. The β parameter relevant to the normalisation of the mass fluctuation spectrum is found to be 0.98 ± 0.07

Comparative economic evaluation of the options for transporting the Alaska North Slope stranded gas

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2006The most effective economic parameter often considered in feasibility analysis is the Return On Investment (ROI). Any Alaskan gas pipeline project is expected to have a high return on investment to be considered economic. A Comparative Economic (CE) model was used in this study to analyze the gas pipeline project options. These options are: The Alaskan Canadian (AlCan) Highway stand alone gas pipeline project, the AlCan Highway gas pipeline with an instate spurline to southern Alaska, the All-Alaskan Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project, the All- Alaskan LNG project with a spur line to southern Alaska, and the Gas-To-Liquid (GTL) project. The CE model makes use of the Crystal Ball and some input parameters like cost, taxes, tariffs and price to determine the economic feasibility of each option based on the ROI, payout period and total revenue accrued from each project. It was shown from the analysis that the AlCan Highway stand-alone pipeline project had the highest return on investment of 33%. This was followed by the AlCan Highway gas pipeline with an instate spurline to southern Alaska with return on investment of 32.6%. The all-Alaskan LNG projects proved feasible but with less return on investment compared to other options

On the Spatial Correlations of Lyman Break Galaxies

Motivated by the observed discrepancy between the strong spatial correlations of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) and their velocity dispersions, we consider a theoretical model in which these starbursting galaxies are associated with dark matter halos that experience appreciable infall of material. We show using numerical simulation that selecting halos that substantially increase in mass within a fixed time interval introduces a ``temporal bias'' which boosts their clustering above that of the underlying population. If time intervals consistent with the observed LBGs star formation rates of 50 solar masses per year are chosen, then spatial correlations are enhanced by up to a factor of two. These values roughly correspond to the geometrical bias of objects three times as massive. Thus, it is clear that temporal biasing must be taken into account when interpreting the properties of Lyman break galaxies.Comment: 5 Pages, 2 Figures, Accepted for Publication in ApJ Letter

Forming Clusters of Galaxies as the Origin of Unidentified GeV Gamma-Ray Sources

Over half of GeV gamma-ray sources observed by the EGRET experiment have not yet been identified as known astronomical objects. There is an isotropic component of such unidentified sources, whose number is about 60 in the whole sky. Here we calculate the expected number of dynamically forming clusters of galaxies emitting gamma-rays by high energy electrons accelerated in the shock wave when they form, in the framework of the standard theory of structure formation. We find that a few tens of such forming clusters should be detectable by EGRET and hence a considerable fraction of the isotropic unidentified sources can be accounted for, if about 5% of the shock energy is going into electron acceleration. We argue that these clusters are very difficult to detect in x-ray or optical surveys compared with the conventional clusters, because of their extended angular size of about 1 degree. Hence they define a new population of ``gamma-ray clusters''. If this hypothesis is true, the next generation gamma-ray telescopes such as GLAST will detect more than a few thousands of gamma-ray clusters. It would provide a new tracer of dynamically evolving structures in the universe, in contrast to the x-ray clusters as a tracer of hydrodynamically stabilized systems. We also derive the strength of magnetic field required for the extragalactic gamma-ray background by structure formation to extend up to 100 GeV as observed, that is about 10^{-5} of the shock-heated baryon energy density.Comment: Accepted by ApJ after minor revisions. Received May 9, Accepted August 3. 8 pages including 2 figure

Diffuse gamma-ray background and cosmic-ray positrons from annihilating dark matter

We study the annihilating dark matter contribution to the extra-galactic diffuse gamma-ray background spectrum, motivated by the recent observations of cosmic-ray positron/electron anomalies. The observed diffuse gamma-ray flux provides stringent constraint on dark matter models and we present upper bounds on the annihilation cross section of the dark matter. It is found that for the case of cored dark matter halo profile, the diffuse gamma-rays give more stringent bound compared with gamma-rays from the Galactic center. The Fermi satellite will make the bound stronger.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures; references added; to appear in PR

Cosmological Implications of the Fundamental Relations of X-ray Clusters

Based on the two-parameter family nature of X-ray clusters of galaxies obtained in a separate paper, we discuss the formation history of clusters and cosmological parameters of the universe. Utilizing the spherical collapse model of cluster formation, and assuming that the cluster X-ray core radius is proportional to the virial radius at the time of the cluster collapse, the observed relations among the density, radius, and temperature of clusters imply that cluster formation occurs in a wide range of redshift. The observed relations favor the low-density universe. Moreover, we find that the model of $n\sim -1$ is preferable.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. To be published in ApJ Letter

Confronting cold dark matter cosmologies with strong clustering of Lyman break galaxies at z∼3z\sim3

We perform a detailed analysis of the statistical significance of a concentration of Lyman break galaxies at $z \sim 3$ recently discovered by Steidel et al. (1997), using a series of N-body simulations with $N=256^3$ particles in a (100\himpc)^3 comoving box. While the observed number density of Lyman break galaxies at $z\sim3$ implies that they correspond to systems with dark matter halos of \simlt 10^{12}M_\odot, the resulting clustering of such objects on average is not strong enough to be reconciled with the concentration if it is fairly common; we predict one similar concentration approximately per ($6\sim 10$) fields in three representative cold dark matter models. Considering the current observational uncertainty of the frequency of such clustering at $z\sim3$, it would be premature to rule out the models, but the future spectroscopic surveys in a dozen fields could definitely challenge all the existing cosmological models a posteriori fitted to the $z=0$ universe.Comment: the final version which matchs that published in ApJ Letters (Feb 1998); compared with the previous versions, the predictions for the SCDM model are slightly changed; Latex, 11 pages, including 3 ps figure

Dwarf Dark Matter Halos

We study properties of dark matter halos at high redshifts z=2-10 for a vast range of masses with the emphasis on dwarf halos with masses 10^7-10^9 Msun/h. We find that the density profiles of relaxed dwarf halos are well fitted by the NFW profile and do not have cores. We compute the halo mass function and the halo spin parameter distribution and find that the former is very well reproduced by the Sheth & Tormen model while the latter is well fitted by a lognormal distribution with lambda_0 = 0.042 and sigma_lambda = 0.63. We estimate the distribution of concentrations for halos in mass range that covers six orders of magnitude from 10^7 Msun/h to 10^13} Msun/h, and find that the data are well reproduced by the model of Bullock et al. The extrapolation of our results to z = 0 predicts that present-day isolated dwarf halos should have a very large median concentration of ~ 35. We measure the subhalo circular velocity functions for halos with masses that range from 4.6 x 10^9 Msun/h to 10^13 Msun/h and find that they are similar when normalized to the circular velocity of the parent halo. Dwarf halos studied in this paper are many orders of magnitude smaller than well-studied cluster- and Milky Way-sized halos. Yet, in all respects the dwarfs are just down-scaled versions of the large halos. They are cuspy and, as expected, more concentrated. They have the same spin parameter distribution and follow the same mass function that was measured for large halos.Comment: Accepted to be pusblished by ApJ, 12 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX (documentclass preprint2). Differences with respect to the previous submission are: (i) abstract was modified slightly to make it more transparent to the reader, (ii) an extra figure has been added, and (3) some minor modifications to the main text were also don

Heating of the IGM

Using the cosmic virial theorem, Press-Schechter analysis and numerical simulations, we compute the expected X-ray background (XRB) from the diffuse IGM with the clumping factor expected from gravitational shock heating. The predicted fluxes and temperatures are excluded from the observed XRB. The predicted clumping can be reduced by entropy injection. The required energy is computed from the two-point correlation function, as well as from Press-Schechter formalisms. The minimal energy injection of 1 keV/nucleon excludes radiative or gravitational heating as a primary energy source. We argue that the intergalactic medium (IGM) must have been heated through violent processes such as massive supernova bursts. If the heating proceeded through supernova explosions, it likely proceeded in bursts which may be observable in high redshift supernova searches. Within our model we reproduce the observed cluster luminosity-temperature relation with energy injection of 1 keV/nucleon if this injection is assumed to be uncorrelated with the local density. These parameters predict that the diffuse IGM soft XRB has a temperature of ~1 keV with a flux near 10 keV/cm^2 s str keV, which may be detectable in the near future.Comment: to appear in ApJ Lett., 11 pages incl 1 figur