302 research outputs found
Hydrodynamic Simulation of the Cosmological X-ray Background
(Abridged) We use a hydrodynamic simulation of a LambdaCDM model to predict
the extragalactic X-ray background (XRB), focussing on emission from the
intergalactic medium (IGM). We also include X-rays from point sources
associated with galaxies in the simulation, and make maps of the angular
distribution of the emission. We find that filaments in the maps are not
evident, being diluted by projection. In the soft (0.5-2 keV) band, the mean
intensity of radiation from intergalactic and cluster gas is 2.3*10^-12
ergdeg^-2cm^-2s^-1, 35% of the total soft band emission. This is compatible at
the ~1 sigma level with estimates of the unresolved soft background from ROSAT
and {\it Chandra}. Only 4% of the hard (2-10 keV) emission is associated with
the IGM. Relative to AGN flux, the IGM component peaks at a lower redshift
(median z~0.45) so its clustering makes an important contribution to that of
the total XRB. The angular correlations on 0.1-10 arcmin scales are
significant, with an amplitude roughly consistent with an extrapolation of
recent ROSAT results to small scales. A cross-correlation of the XRB against
nearby galaxies taken from a simulated redshift survey also yields a strong
signal from the IGM. Although some recent papers have argued that the expected
soft band intensity from gas in galaxy, group, and cluster halos would exceed
XRB limits unless much of the gas is expelled by supernova feedback, we obtain
reasonable compatibility with current observations in a simulation that
incorporates cooling, star formation, and only modest feedback. A prediction of
our model is that the unresolved portion of the soft XRB will remain mostly
unresolved.Comment: Improved referencing of related papers. Submitted to ApJ, 19 pages,
17 postscript figures, most reduced in resolution, emulateapj.sty, for full
resolution version, see http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~rcroft/xray.ps.g
Scaling Laws for Advection Dominated Flows: Applications to Low Luminosity Galactic Nuclei
We present analytical scaling laws for self-similar advection dominated
flows. The spectra from these systems range from 10 - 10 Hz, and
are determined by considering cooling of electrons through synchrotron,
bremsstrahlung, and Compton processes. We show that the spectra can be quite
accurately reproduced without detailed numerical calculations, and that there
is a strong testable correlation between the radio and X-ray fluxes from these
systems. We describe how different regions of the spectrum scale with the mass
of the accreting black hole, , the accretion rate of the gas, , and
the equilibrium temperature of the electrons, . We show that the universal
radio spectral index of 1/3 observed in most elliptical galaxies (Slee et al.
1994) is a natural consequence of self-absorbed synchrotron radiation from
these flows. We also give expressions for the total luminosity of these flows,
and the critical accretion rate, , above which the advection
solutions cease to exist. We find that for most cases of interest the
equilibrium electron temperature is fairly insensitive to , , and
parameters in the model. We apply these results to low luminosity black holes
in galactic nuclei. We show that the problem posed by Fabian & Canizares (1988)
of whether bright elliptical galaxies host dead quasars is resolved, as pointed
out recently by Fabian & Rees (1995), by considering advection-dominated flows.Comment: 30 pages, 5 postscript files. Accepted to ApJ. Also available
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~rohan/publications.htm
The Most Massive Black Holes in the Universe: Effects of Mergers in Massive Galaxy Clusters
Recent observations support the idea that nuclear black holes grew by gas
accretion while shining as luminous quasars at high redshift, and they
establish a relation of the black hole mass with the host galaxy's spheroidal
stellar system. We develop an analytic model to calculate the expected impact
of mergers on the masses of black holes in massive clusters of galaxies. We use
the extended Press-Schechter formalism to generate Monte Carlo merger histories
of halos with a mass 10^{15} h^{-1} Msun. We assume that the black hole mass
function at z=2 is similar to that inferred from observations at z=0 (since
quasar activity declines markedly at z<2), and we assign black holes to the
progenitor halos assuming a monotonic relation between halo mass and black hole
mass. We follow the dynamical evolution of subhalos within larger halos,
allowing for tidal stripping, the loss of orbital energy by dynamical friction,
and random orbital perturbations in gravitational encounters with subhalos, and
we assume that mergers of subhalos are followed by mergers of their central
black holes. Our analytic model reproduces numerical estimates of the subhalo
mass function. We find that the most massive black holes in massive clusters
typically grow by a factor ~ 2 by mergers after gas accretion has stopped. In
our ten realizations of 10^{15} h^{-1} Msun clusters, the highest initial (z=2)
black hole masses are 5-7 x 10^9 Msun, but four of the clusters contain black
holes in the range 1-1.5 x 10^{10} Msun at z=0. Satellite galaxies may host
black holes whose mass is comparable to, or even greater than, that of the
central galaxy. Thus, black hole mergers can significantly extend the very high
end of the black hole mass function.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Measuring Feedback Using the Intergalactic Medium State and Evolution Inferred from the Soft X-ray Background
We explore the intergalactic medium (IGM) as a potential source of the
unresolved soft X-ray background (XRB) and the feasibility to extract the IGM
state and evolution from XRB observations. We build two analytical models, the
continuum field model and the halo model, to calculate the IGM XRB mean flux,
angular auto correlation and cross correlation with galaxies. Our results
suggest that the IGM may contribute a significant fraction to the unresolved
soft XRB flux and correlations. We calibrated non-Gaussian errors estimated
against our moving mesh hydro simulation and estimate that the ROSAT
all sky survey plus Sloan galaxy photometric redshift survey would allow a
accuracy in the IGM XRB-galaxy cross correlation power spectrum
measurement for and a accuracy in the redshift resolved
X-ray emissivity-galaxy cross correlation power spectrum measurement for
. At small scales, non-gravitational heating, e.g. feedback,
dominates over gravity and leaves unique signatures in the IGM XRB, which
allows a comparable accuracy in the measurement of the amount of
non-gravitational heating and the length scales where non-gravitational energy
balances gravity.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Will appear on ApJ May issu
Artificial Production of Neutrons
It has been shown by Curie and Joliot that [alpha]-particles of energy as low as 1,300,000 electron-volts are capable of disintegrating beryllium with the production of neutrons, and that the efficiency of the excitation follows roughly that predicted on the basis of the Gamow theory. The present writers have constructed an apparatus for accelerating helium ions up to 1,000,000 volts, with the object in view of obtaining a strong artificial source of neutrons, and of investigating the fficiency of production of neutrons in the region below 1,000,000 volts. This region does not seem to be accessible with the available radioactive sources of [alpha]-particles, due to the low efficiency and consequent large number of [alpha]-particles which would be required to produce a measurable effect. Theoretically, the probability of a 1,000,000 volt [alpha]-particle penetrating the beryllium nucleus is about 10^-4 times that of a full range polonium [alpha]-particle. At 750,000 volts this factor becomes 10^-5, and at 500,000 volts it is 10^-7. It is therefore necessary in this energy range to have a positive ion current of the order of 10 or 100 microamperes to produce an appreciable effect
Production of neutrons by high speed deutons
In a recent letter to the Physical Review(1) we described briefly an apparatus for the acceleration of positive ions and the production of neutrons by bombarding beryllium with helium ions of from 600,000 to 975,000 electron-volts energy. Since then we have bombarded targets of lithium chloride and beryllium with deutons of energies up to 900,000 electron-volts, and have obtained in both cases yields of neutrons several hundred times as great as the yield previously obtained by bombarding beryllium with helium ions
Active Galactic Nuclei with Candidate Intermediate-Mass Black Holes
We present an initial sample of 19 intermediate-mass black hole candidates in
active galactic nuclei culled from the First Data Release of the Sloan Digital
Sky Survey. Using the linewidth-luminosity-mass scaling relation established
for broad-line active nuclei, we estimate black hole masses in the range of 8 x
10^4 - 10^6 solar masses, a regime in which only two objects are currently
known. The absolute magnitudes are faint for active galactic nuclei, ranging
from M_g of -15 to -18 mag, while the bolometric luminosities are all close to
the Eddington limit. The entire sample formally satisfies the linewidth
criterion for so-called narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies; however, they display a
wider range of FeII and [OIII] (5007) line strengths than is typically observed
in this class of objects. Although the available imaging data are of
insufficient quality to ascertain the detailed morphologies of the host
galaxies, it is likely that the majority of the hosts are relatively late-type
systems. The host galaxies have estimated g-band luminosities ~ 1 mag fainter
than M* for the general galaxy population at z of 0.1. Beyond simply extending
the known mass range of central black holes in galactic nuclei, these objects
provide unique observational constraints on the progenitors of supermassive
black holes. They are also expected to contribute significantly to the
integrated signal for future gravitational wave experiments.Comment: ApJ Accepted, 13 pages, 9 figures, uses emulateapj.cl
Compact massive objects in Virgo galaxies: the black hole population
We investigate the distribution of massive black holes (MBHs) in the Virgo
cluster. Observations suggest that AGN activity is widespread in massive
galaxies (M>1e10 solar masses), while at lower galaxy masses star clusters are
more abundant, which might imply a limited presence of central black holes in
these galaxy-mass regimes. We explore if this possible threshold in MBH
hosting, is linked to nature, nurture, or a mixture of both. The nature
scenario arises naturally in hierarchical cosmologies, as MBH formation
mechanisms typically are efficient in biased systems, which would later evolve
into massive galaxies. Nurture, in the guise of MBH ejections following MBH
mergers, provides an additional mechanism that is more effective for low mass,
satellite galaxies. The combination of inefficient formation, and lower
retention of MBHs, leads to the natural explanation of the distribution of
compact massive ob jects in Virgo galaxies. If MBHs arrive to the correlation
with the host mass and velocity dispersion during merger-triggered accretion
episodes, sustained tidal stripping of the host galaxies creates a population
of MBHs which lie above the expected scaling between the holes and their host
mass, suggesting a possible environmental dependence.Comment: MNRAS letter
Gravitational Lensing of the X-Ray Background by Clusters of Galaxies
Gravitational lensing by clusters of galaxies affects the cosmic X-ray
background (XRB) by altering the observed density and flux distribution of
background X-ray sources. At faint detection flux thresholds, the resolved
X-ray sources appear brighter and diluted, while the unresolved component of
the XRB appears dimmer and more anisotropic, due to lensing. The diffuse X-ray
intensity in the outer halos of clusters might be lower than the sky-averaged
XRB, after the subtraction of resolved sources. Detection of the lensing signal
with a wide-field X-ray telescope could probe the mass distribution of a
cluster out to its virialization boundary. In particular, we show that the
lensing signature imprinted on the resolved component of the XRB by the cluster
A1689, should be difficult but possible to detect out to 8' at the 2-4 sigma
level, after 10^6 seconds of observation with the forthcoming AXAF satellite.
The lensing signal is fairly insensitive to the lens redshift in the range
0.1<z<0.6. The amplitude of the lensing signal is however sensitive to the
faint end slope of the number-flux relation for unresolved X-ray sources, and
can thus help constrain models of the XRB. A search for X-ray arcs or arclets
could identify the fraction of all faint sources which originate from extended
emission of distant galaxies. The probability for a 3 sigma detection of an
arclet which is stretched by a factor of about 3 after a 10^6 seconds
observation of A1689 with AXAF, is roughly comparable to the fraction of all
background X-ray sources that have an intrinsic size of order 1''.Comment: 41 LaTeX pages, 11 postscript figures, 1 table, in AASTeX v4.0
format. To appear in ApJ, April 1, 1997, Vol. 47
Where are the Baryons?
New, high resolution, large-scale, cosmological hydrodynamic galaxy formation
simulations of a standard cold dark matter model (with a cosmological constant)
are utilized to predict the distribution of baryons at the present and at
moderate redshift. It is found that the average temperature of baryons is an
increasing function of time, with most of the baryons at the present time
having a temperature in the range 10^{5-7} K. Thus, not only is the universe
dominated by dark matter, but more than one half of the normal matter is yet to
be detected. Detection of this warm/hot gas poses an observational challenge,
requiring sensitive EUV and X-ray satellites. Signatures include a soft, cosmic
X-ray background, apparent warm components in hot clusters due to both
intrinsic warm intra-cluster gas and warm inter-cluster gas projected onto
clusters along the line of sight, absorption lines in X-ray and UV quasar
spectra [e.g., O VI (1032,1038)A lines, OVII 574 eV line], strong emission
lines (e.g., O VIII 653 eV line) and low redshift, broad, low column density
\lya absorption lines. We estimate that approximately 1/4 of the
extragalactic soft X-ray background (SXRB) (at 0.7 keV) arises from the
warm/hot gas, half of it coming from and three-quarters from ,
so the source regions should be identifiable on deep optical images.Comment: ApJ in press, revised (fig 3 is in jpg). Whole paper including
fig3.ps can be obtained at
"http://astro.princeton.edu/~cen/PAPERS_TO_APPEAR/64
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