346 research outputs found
Very Large Array observations of the mini-halo and AGN feedback in the Phoenix cluster
(Abridged) The relaxed cool-core Phoenix cluster (SPT-CL J2344-4243) features
an extremely strong cooling flow, as well as a mini-halo. Strong star-formation
in the brightest cluster galaxy indicates that AGN feedback has been unable to
inhibit this cooling flow. We have studied the strong cooling flow in the
Phoenix cluster by determining the radio properties of the AGN and its lobes.
In addition, we use spatially resolved observations to investigate the origin
of the mini-halo. We present new Very Large Array 1-12 GHz observations of the
Phoenix cluster which resolve the AGN and its lobes in all four frequency
bands, and resolve the mini-halo in L- and S-band. Using our L-band
observations, we measure the total flux density of the radio lobes at 1.5 GHz
to be mJy, and the flux density of the mini-halo to be
mJy. Using L- and X-band images, we produce the first spectral index maps of
the lobes from the AGN and measure the spectral indices of the northern and
southern lobes to be and , respectively.
Similarly, using L- and S-band data, we map the spectral index of the
mini-halo, and obtain an integrated spectral index of .
We find that the mini-halo is most likely formed by turbulent re-acceleration
powered by sloshing in the cool core due to a recent merger. In addition, we
find that the feedback in the Phoenix cluster is consistent with the picture
that stronger cooling flows are to be expected for massive clusters like the
Phoenix cluster, as these may feature an underweight supermassive black hole
due to their merging history. Strong time variability of the AGN on
Myr-timescales may help explain the disconnection between the radio and the
X-ray properties of the system. Finally, a small amount of jet precession
likely contributes to the relatively low ICM re-heating efficiency of the
mechanical feedback.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
A Multi-Wavelength Mass Analysis of RCS2 J232727.6-020437, a ~3x10M Galaxy Cluster at z=0.7
We present an initial study of the mass and evolutionary state of a massive
and distant cluster, RCS2 J232727.6-020437. This cluster, at z=0.6986, is the
richest cluster discovered in the RCS2 project. The mass measurements presented
in this paper are derived from all possible mass proxies: X-ray measurements,
weak-lensing shear, strong lensing, Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect decrement, the
velocity distribution of cluster member galaxies, and galaxy richness. While
each of these observables probe the mass of the cluster at a different radius,
they all indicate that RCS2 J232727.6-020437 is among the most massive clusters
at this redshift, with an estimated mass of M_200 ~3 x10^15 h^-1 Msun. In this
paper, we demonstrate that the various observables are all reasonably
consistent with each other to within their uncertainties. RCS2 J232727.6-020437
appears to be well relaxed -- with circular and concentric X-ray isophotes,
with a cool core, and no indication of significant substructure in extensive
galaxy velocity data.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, submitted to ApJ on March 5, 2015; in press.
Manuscript revised following the referee revie
The Evolution of Environmental Quenching Timescales to
Using a sample of 4 galaxy clusters at and 10 galaxy
clusters at , we measure the environmental quenching
timescale, , corresponding to the time required after a galaxy is accreted
by a cluster for it to fully cease star formation. Cluster members are selected
by a photometric-redshift criterion, and categorized as star-forming,
quiescent, or intermediate according to their dust-corrected rest-frame colors
and magnitudes. We employ a "delayed-then-rapid" quenching model that relates a
simulated cluster mass accretion rate to the observed numbers of each type of
galaxy in the cluster to constrain . For galaxies of mass , we find a quenching timescale of 1.24 Gyr
in the cluster sample, and 1.50 Gyr at . Using values
drawn from the literature, we compare the redshift evolution of to
timescales predicted for different physical quenching mechanisms. We find
to depend on host halo mass such that quenching occurs over faster timescales
in clusters relative to groups, suggesting that properties of the host halo are
responsible for quenching high-mass galaxies. Between and , we
find that evolves faster than the molecular gas depletion timescale and
slower than an SFR-outflow timescale, but is consistent with the evolution of
the dynamical time. This suggests that environmental quenching in these
galaxies is driven by the motion of satellites relative to the cluster
environment, although due to uncertainties in the atomic gas budget at high
redshift, we cannot rule out quenching due to simple gas depletion
Chandra X-ray observations of the hyper-luminous infrared galaxy IRAS F15307+3252
Hyper-luminous infrared galaxies (HyLIRGs) lie at the extreme luminosity end of the IR galaxy population with LIR > 1013 L.. They are thought to be closer counterparts of the more distant sub-millimeter galaxies, and should therefore be optimal targets to study the most massive systems in formation.We present deep Chandra observations of IRAS F15307+3252 (100 ks), a classical HyLIRG located at z=0.93 and hosting a radio-loudAGN(L1.4 GHz ∼3.5×1025WHz−1). The Chandra images reveal the presence of extended (r=160 kpc), asymmetric X-ray emission in the soft 0.3-2.0 keV band that has no radio counterpart.We therefore argue that the emission is of thermal origin originating from a hot intragroup or intracluster medium virializing in the potential. We find that the temperature (∼2 keV) and bolometric X-ray luminosity (∼3 × 1043 erg s−1) of the gas follow the expected LX-ray-T correlation for groups and clusters, and that the gas has a remarkably short cooling time of 1.2 Gyr. In addition, VLA radio observations reveal that the galaxy hosts an unresolved compact steep-spectrum (CSS)source, most likely indicating the presence of a young radio source similar to 3C186. We also confirm that the nucleus is dominated by a redshifted 6.4 keV Fe Kα line, strongly suggesting that the AGN is Compton-thick. Finally, Hubble images reveal an overdensity of galaxies and sub-structure in the galaxy that correlates with soft X-ray emission. This could be a snapshot view of on-going groupings expected in a growing cluster environment. IRAS F15307+3252 might therefore be a rare example of a group in the process of transforming into a cluster
Star-Forming Brightest Cluster Galaxies at 0.25 < z < 1.25: A Transitioning Fuel Supply
We present a multi-wavelength study of 90 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs)
in a sample of galaxy clusters selected via the Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect by
the South Pole Telescope, utilizing data from various ground- and space-based
facilities. We infer the star formation rate (SFR) for the BCG in each cluster,
based on the UV and IR continuum luminosity, as well as the [O II] emission
line luminosity in cases where spectroscopy is available, finding 7 systems
with SFR > 100 Msun/yr. We find that the BCG SFR exceeds 10 Msun/yr in 31 of 90
(34%) cases at 0.25 < z < 1.25, compared to ~1-5% at z ~ 0 from the literature.
At z > 1, this fraction increases to 92(+6)(-31)%, implying a steady decrease
in the BCG SFR over the past ~9 Gyr. At low-z, we find that the specific star
formation rate in BCGs is declining more slowly with time than for field or
cluster galaxies, most likely due to the replenishing fuel from the cooling ICM
in relaxed, cool core clusters. At z > 0.6, the correlation between cluster
central entropy and BCG star formation - which is well established at z ~ 0 -
is not present. Instead, we find that the most star-forming BCGs at high-z are
found in the cores of dynamically unrelaxed clusters. We investigate the
rest-frame near-UV morphology of a subsample of the most star-forming BCGs
using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, finding complex, highly asymmetric
UV morphologies on scales as large as ~50-60 kpc. The high fraction of
star-forming BCGs hosted in unrelaxed, non-cool core clusters at early times
suggests that the dominant mode of fueling star formation in BCGs may have
recently transitioned from galaxy-galaxy interactions to ICM cooling.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures. Submitted for publication in ApJ. Comments
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Kinetic Monte Carlo Method for Rule-based Modeling of Biochemical Networks
We present a kinetic Monte Carlo method for simulating chemical
transformations specified by reaction rules, which can be viewed as generators
of chemical reactions, or equivalently, definitions of reaction classes. A rule
identifies the molecular components involved in a transformation, how these
components change, conditions that affect whether a transformation occurs, and
a rate law. The computational cost of the method, unlike conventional
simulation approaches, is independent of the number of possible reactions,
which need not be specified in advance or explicitly generated in a simulation.
To demonstrate the method, we apply it to study the kinetics of multivalent
ligand-receptor interactions. We expect the method will be useful for studying
cellular signaling systems and other physical systems involving aggregation
phenomena.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure
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