1,130 research outputs found
The Cepheid distance to the maser-host galaxy NGC 4258: Studying systematics with the Large Binocular Telescope
We identify and phase a sample of 81 Cepheids in the maser-host galaxy NGC
4258 using the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), and obtain calibrated mean
magnitudes in up to 4 filters for a subset of 43 Cepheids using archival HST
data. We employ 3 models to study the systematic effects of extinction, the
assumed extinction law, and metallicity on the Cepheid distance to NGC 4258. We
find a correction to the Cepheid colors consistent with a grayer extinction law
in NGC 4258 compared to the Milky Way (), although we believe this is
indicative of other systematic effects. If we combine our Cepheid sample with
previously known Cepheids, we find a significant metallicity adjustment to the
distance modulus of mag/dex, for the Zaritsky et
al. (1994) metallicity scale, as well as a weak trend of Cepheid colors with
metallicity. Conclusions about the absolute effect of metallicity on Cepheid
mean magnitudes appear to be limited by the available data on the metallicity
gradient in NGC 4258, but our Cepheid data require at least some metallicity
adjustment to make the Cepheid distance consistent with independent distances
to the LMC and NGC 4258. From our ensemble of models and the geometric maser
distance of NGC 4258 ( mag), we estimate
mag ( kpc).Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 28 pages, 13 figures, 11 tables. A
brief video summarizing the key results of this paper can be found at
http://youtu.be/ICTTNyxZ89
Kiloparsec-scale Spatial Offsets in Double-peaked Narrow-line Active Galactic Nuclei. I. Markers for Selection of Compelling Dual Active Galactic Nucleus Candidates
Merger-remnant galaxies with kpc-scale separation dual active galactic nuclei
(AGNs) should be widespread as a consequence of galaxy mergers and triggered
gas accretion onto supermassive black holes, yet very few dual AGNs have been
observed. Galaxies with double-peaked narrow AGN emission lines in the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey are plausible dual AGN candidates, but their double-peaked
profiles could also be the result of gas kinematics or AGN-driven outflows and
jets on small or large scales. To help distinguish between these scenarios, we
have obtained spatial profiles of the AGN emission via follow-up long-slit
spectroscopy of 81 double-peaked narrow-line AGNs in SDSS at 0.03 < z < 0.36
using Lick, Palomar, and MMT Observatories. We find that all 81 systems exhibit
double AGN emission components with ~kpc projected spatial separations on the
sky, which suggests that they are produced by kpc-scale dual AGNs or kpc-scale
outflows, jets, or rotating gaseous disks. In addition, we find that the
subsample (58%) of the objects with spatially compact emission components may
be preferentially produced by dual AGNs, while the subsample (42%) with
spatially extended emission components may be preferentially produced by AGN
outflows. We also find that for 32% of the sample the two AGN emission
components are preferentially aligned with the host galaxy major axis, as
expected for dual AGNs orbiting in the host galaxy potential. Our results both
narrow the list of possible physical mechanisms producing the double AGN
components, and suggest several observational criteria for selecting the most
promising dual AGN candidates from the full sample of double-peaked narrow-line
AGNs. Using these criteria, we determine the 17 most compelling dual AGN
candidates in our sample.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, published in ApJ. Modified from original version
to reflect referee's comment
The Efficacy of Galaxy Shape Parameters in Photometric Redshift Estimation: A Neural Network Approach
We present a determination of the effects of including galaxy morphological parameters in photometric redshift estimation with an artificial neural network method. Neural networks, which recognize patterns in the information content of data in an unbiased way, can be a useful estimator of the additional information contained in extra parameters, such as those describing morphology, if the input data are treated on an equal footing. We use imaging and five band photometric magnitudes from the All-wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey. It is shown that certain principal components of the morphology information are correlated with galaxy type. However, we find that for the data used the inclusion of morphological information does not have a statistically significant benefit for photometric redshift estimation with the techniques employed here. The inclusion of these parameters may result in a trade-off between extra information and additional noise, with the additional noise becoming more dominant as more parameters are added
The search for failed supernovae with the Large Binocular Telescope: constraints from 7 yr of data
We report updated results for the first 7 yr of our programme to monitor 27 galaxies within 10 Mpc using the Large Binocular Telescope to search for failed supernovae (SNe) – core collapses of massive stars that form black holes without luminous SNe. In the new data, we identify no new compelling candidates and confirm the existing candidate. Given the six successful core-collapse SNe in the sample and one likely failed SN, the implied fraction of core collapses that result in failed SNe is f=0.14^(+0.33)_(−0.10) at 90 per cent confidence. If the current candidate is a failed SN, the fraction of failed SN naturally explains the missing high-mass red supergiants SN progenitors and the black hole mass function. If the current candidate is ultimately rejected, the data imply a 90 per cent confidence upper limit on the failed SN fraction of f < 0.35
The Mid-IR Contribution Of Dust Enshrouded Stars In Six Nearby Galaxies
We measure the integrated contributions of dusty AGB stars and other luminous
red mid-IR sources to the mid-IR luminosities of 6 galaxies (M81, NGC 2403, NGC
300, M33 and the Magellanic Clouds). We find the dusty AGB stars whose mid-IR
fluxes are dominated by dust rather than photospheric emission contribute from
0.6% (M81) to 5.6% (SMC) of the 3.6 micron flux and 1.0% (M81) to 10.1% (SMC)
of the 4.5 micron flux. We find a trend of decreasing AGB contribution with
increasing galaxy metallicity, luminosity and mass and decreasing SSFR.
However, these galaxy properties are strongly correlated in our sample and the
simplest explanation of the trend is galaxy metallicity. Bright, red sources
other than dusty AGB stars represent a smaller fraction of the luminosity,
~1.2% at 3.6 microns, however their dust is likely cooler and their
contributions are likely larger at longer wavelengths. Excluding the SMC, the
contribution from these red sources correlates with the specific star formation
rate as we would expect for massive stars. In total, after correcting for dust
emission at other wavelengths, the dust around AGB stars radiates 0.1-0.8% of
the bolometric luminosities of the galaxies. Thus, hot dust emission from AGB
and other luminous dusty stars represent a small fraction of the total
luminosities of the galaxies but a significant fraction of their mid-IR
emissions.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, published in ApJ. For a brief video explaining
the key results of this paper, see http://www.youtube.com/user/OSUAstronom
The search for failed supernovae with the Large Binocular Telescope: confirmation of a disappearing star
We present Hubble Space Telescope imaging confirming the optical disappearance of the failed supernova (SN) candidate identified by Gerke, Kochanek & Stanek. This ∼25 M⊙ red supergiant experienced a weak ∼10^6 L⊙ optical outburst in 2009 and is now at least 5 mag fainter than the progenitor in the optical. The mid-IR flux has slowly decreased to the lowest levels since the first measurements in 2004. There is faint (2000–3000 L⊙) near-IR emission likely associated with the source. We find the late-time evolution of the source to be inconsistent with obscuration from an ejected, dusty shell. Models of the spectral energy distribution indicate that the remaining bolometric luminosity is >6 times fainter than that of the progenitor and is decreasing as ∼t^(−4/3). We conclude that the transient is unlikely to be an SN impostor or stellar merger. The event is consistent with the ejection of the envelope of a red supergiant in a failed SN and the late-time emission could be powered by fallback accretion on to a newly formed black hole. Future IR and X-ray observations are needed to confirm this interpretation of the fate for the star
Discovery of Variability of the Progenitor of SN 2011dh in M51 Using the Large Binocular Telescope
We show that the candidate progenitor of the core-collapse SN 2011dh in M51
(8 Mpc away) was fading by 0.039 +- 0.006 mag/year during the three years prior
to the supernova, and that this level of variability is moderately unusual for
other similar stars in M 51. While there are uncertainties about whether the
true progenitor was a blue companion to this candidate, the result illustrates
that there are no technical challenges to obtaining fairly high precision light
curves of supernova progenitors using ground based observations of nearby (<10
Mpc) galaxies with wide field cameras on 8m-class telescopes. While other
sources of variability may dominate, it is even possible to reach into the
range of evolution rates required by the quasi-static evolution of the stellar
envelope. For M 81, where we have many more epochs and a slightly longer time
baseline, our formal 3 sigma sensitivity to slow changes is presently 3
millimag/year for a M_V ~= -8 mag star. In short, there is no observational
barrier to determining whether the variability properties of stars in their
last phases of evolution (post Carbon ignition) are different from earlier
phases.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Ap
The anatomy of tubercles: A corrosion study in a fresh water estuary
The structure and mineralogy of corrosion products formed on carbon steel coupons exposed in Duluth Superior Harbor (DSH, USA), were investigated and compared with corrosion products on similar substrata from other locations. Corrosion products in DSH form within a few months each year and are removed by ice scour and reform. The corrosion products formed in DSH are tubercles with an outer surface, an inner shell of magnetite, and a core of iron(III) oxyhydroxides, goethite, and lepidocrocite, in association with stalks produced by bacteria. In general, the tubercles formed in DSH are similar in morphology and mineralogy to corrosion products described for carbon steel and cast iron exposed to treated waters in decades-old drinking water and cooling water systems. DSH tubercles are unique in several structural details. DSH tubercles increase areal coverage of the substratum by consolidation of tubercles. Furthermore, the core material extends into the pit and is an exact replica of the pit profile
X-Ray Groups of Galaxies in the Aegis Deep and Wide Fields
We present the results of a search for extended X-ray sources and their
corresponding galaxy groups from 800-ks Chandra coverage of the All-wavelength
Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS). This yields one of the
largest X-ray selected galaxy group catalogs from a blind survey to date. The
red-sequence technique and spectroscopic redshifts allow us to identify 100
of reliable sources, leading to a catalog of 52 galaxy groups. The groups span
the redshift range and virial mass range
. For the 49 extended
sources which lie within DEEP2 and DEEP3 Galaxy Redshift Survey coverage, we
identify spectroscopic counterparts and determine velocity dispersions. We
select member galaxies by applying different cuts along the line of sight or in
projected spatial coordinates. A constant cut along the line of sight can cause
a large scatter in scaling relations in low-mass or high-mass systems depending
on the size of cut. A velocity dispersion based virial radius can more
overestimate velocity dispersion in comparison to X-ray based virial radius for
low mass systems. There is no significant difference between these two radial
cuts for more massive systems. Independent of radial cut, overestimation of
velocity dispersion can be created in case of existence of significant
substructure and also compactness in X-ray emission which mostly occur in low
mass systems. We also present a comparison between X-ray galaxy groups and
optical galaxy groups detected using the Voronoi-Delaunay method (VDM) for
DEEP2 data in this field.Comment: Accepted for publication in AP
AEGIS: Chandra Observation of DEEP2 Galaxy Groups and Clusters
We present a 200 ksec Chandra observation of seven spectroscopically
selected, high redshift (0.75 < z < 1.03) galaxy groups and clusters discovered
by the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS). X-ray
emission at the locations of these systems is consistent with background. The
3-sigma upper limits on the bolometric X-ray luminosities (L_X) of these
systems put a strong constraint on the relation between L_X and the velocity
dispersion of member galaxies sigma_gal at z~1; the DEEP2 systems have lower
luminosity than would be predicted by the local relation. Our result is
consistent with recent findings that at high redshift, optically selected
clusters tend to be X-ray underluminous. A comparison with mock catalogs
indicates that it is unlikely that this effect is entirely caused by a
measurement bias between sigma_gal and the dark matter velocity dispersion.
Physically, the DEEP2 systems may still be in the process of forming and hence
not fully virialized, or they may be deficient in hot gas compared to local
systems. We find only one possibly extended source in this Chandra field, which
happens to lie outside the DEEP2 coverage.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in AEGIS ApJ Letters
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