1,017 research outputs found
Constraining the Warm Dark Matter Particle Mass through Ultra-Deep UV Luminosity Functions at z=2
We compute the mass function of galactic dark matter halos for different
values of the Warm Dark Matter (WDM) particle mass m_X and compare it with the
abundance of ultra-faint galaxies derived from the deepest UV luminosity
function available so far at redshift z~2. The magnitude limit M_UV=-13 reached
by such observations allows us to probe the WDM mass functions down to scales
close to or smaller than the half-mass mode mass scale ~10^9 M_sun. This
allowed for an efficient discrimination among predictions for different m_X
which turn out to be independent of the star formation efficiency adopted to
associate the observed UV luminosities of galaxies to the corresponding dark
matter masses. Adopting a conservative approach to take into account the
existing theoretical uncertainties in the galaxy halo mass function, we derive
a robust limit m_X>1.8 keV for the mass of thermal relic WDM particles when
comparing with the measured abundance of the faintest galaxies, while m_X>1.5
keV is obtained when we compare with the Schechter fit to the observed
luminosity function. The corresponding lower limit for sterile neutrinos
depends on the modeling of the production mechanism; for instance m_sterile > 4
keV holds for the Shi-Fuller mechanism. We discuss the impact of observational
uncertainties on the above bound on m_X. As a baseline for comparison with
forthcoming observations from the HST Frontier Field, we provide predictions
for the abundance of faint galaxies with M_UV=-13 for different values of m_X
and of the star formation efficiency, valid up to z~4.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Observing the very low-surface brightness dwarfs in a deep field in the VIRGO cluster: constraints on Dark Matter scenarios
We report the discovery of 11 very faint (r< 23), low surface brightness
({\mu}_r< 27 mag/arcsec^2) dwarf galaxies in one deep field in the Virgo
cluster, obtained by the prime focus cameras (LBC) at the Large Binocular
Telescope (LBT). These extend our previous sample to reach a total number of 27
galaxies in a field of just of 0.17 deg^2 located at a median distance of 390
kpc from the cluster center. Their association with the Virgo cluster is
supported by their separate position in the central surface brightness - total
magnitude plane with respect to the background galaxies of similar total
magnitude. For a significant fraction (26\%) of the sample the association to
the cluster is confirmed by spectroscopic follow-up. We show that the mere
abundance of satellite galaxies corresponding to our observed number in the
target field provides extremely tight constraints on Dark Matter models with
suppressed power spectrum compared to the Cold Dark Matter case, independently
of the galaxy luminosity distribution. In particular, requiring the observed
number of satellite galaxies not to exceed the predicted abundance of Dark
Matter sub-halos yields a limit m_X >3 keV at 1-{\sigma} and m_X > 2.3 keV at
2-{\sigma} confidence level for the mass of thermal Warm Dark Matter particles.
Such a limit is competitive with other limits set by the abundance of
ultra-faint satellite galaxies in the Milky Way, is completely independent of
baryon physics involved in galaxy formation, and has the potentiality for
appreciable improvements with next observations. We extend our analysis to Dark
Matter models based on sterile neutrinos, showing that our observations set
tight constraints on the combination of sterile neutrino mass m_{\nu} and
mixing parameter sin^2(2{\theta}). We discuss the robustness of our results
with respect to systematics.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
A high space density of L* Active Galactic Nuclei at z~4 in the COSMOS field
Identifying the source population of ionizing radiation, responsible for the
reionization of the universe, is currently a hotly debated subject with
conflicting results. Studies of faint, high-redshift star-forming galaxies, in
most cases, fail to detect enough escaping ionizing radiation to sustain the
process. Recently, the capacity of bright quasi-stellar objects to ionize their
surrounding medium has been confirmed also for faint active galactic nuclei
(AGNs), which were found to display an escaping fraction of ~74% at z~4. Such
levels of escaping radiation could sustain the required UV background, given
the number density of faint AGNs is adequate. Thus, it is mandatory to
accurately measure the luminosity function of faint AGNs (L~L*) in the same
redshift range. For this reason we have conducted a spectroscopic survey, using
the wide field spectrograph IMACS at the 6.5m Baade Telescope, to determine the
nature of our sample of faint AGN candidates in the COSMOS field. This sample
was assembled using photometric redshifts, color, and X-ray information. We
ended up with 16 spectroscopically confirmed AGNs at 3.6<z<4.2 down to a
magnitude of i=23.0 for an area of 1.73 deg. This leads to an AGN
space density of ~1.6 (corrected) at z~4 for an
absolute magnitude of M=-23.5. This is higher than previous
measurements and seems to indicate that AGNs could make a substantial
contribution to the ionizing background at z~4. Assuming that AGN physical
parameters remain unchanged at higher redshifts and fainter luminosities, these
sources could be regarded as the main drivers of cosmic reionization.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication by Ap
The detection of ultra-faint low surface brightness dwarf galaxies in the Virgo Cluster: a Probe of Dark Matter and Baryonic Physics
We have discovered 11 ultra-faint () low surface brightness
(LSB, central surface brightness ) dwarf galaxy
candidates in one deep Virgo field of just arcmin obtained by the
Large Binocular Camera (LBC) at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). Their
association with the Virgo cluster is supported by their distinct position in
the central surface brightness - total magnitude plane with respect to the
background galaxies of similar total magnitude. They have typical absolute
magnitudes and scale sizes, if at the distance of Virgo, in the range
and pc,
respectively. Their colors are consistent with a gradually declining star
formation history with a specific star formation rate of the order of
yr, i.e. 10 times lower than that of main sequence star
forming galaxies. They are older than the cluster formation age and appear
regular in morphology. They represent the faintest extremes of the population
of low luminosity LSB dwarfs that has been recently detected in wider surveys
of the Virgo cluster. Thanks to the depth of our observations we are able to
extend the Virgo luminosity function down to (corresponding to
total masses M), finding an average faint-end slope
. This relatively steep slope puts interesting constraints
on the nature of the Dark Matter and in particular on warm Dark Matter (WDM)
often invoked to solve the overprediction of the dwarf number density by the
standard CDM scenario. We derive a lower limit on the WDM particle mass
keV.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ, 13 pages, 6 figure
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