A comparison of the excess mass around CFHTLenS galaxy-pairs to predictions from a semi-analytic model using galaxy-galaxy-galaxy lensing

The matter environment of galaxies is connected to the physics of galaxy formation and evolution. Utilising galaxy-galaxy-galaxy lensing as a direct probe, we map out the distribution of correlated surface mass-density around galaxy pairs for different lens separations in the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS). We compare, for the first time, these so-called excess mass maps to predictions provided by a recent semi-analytic model, which is implanted within the dark-matter Millennium Simulation. We analyse galaxies with stellar masses between $10^9-10^{11}\,{\rm M}_\odot$ in two photometric redshift bins, for lens redshifts $z\lesssim0.6$, focusing on pairs inside groups and clusters. To allow us a better interpretation of the maps, we discuss the impact of chance pairs, i.e., galaxy pairs that appear close to each other in projection only. Our tests with synthetic data demonstrate that the patterns observed in the maps are essentially produced by correlated pairs that are close in redshift ($\Delta z\lesssim5\times10^{-3}$). We also verify the excellent accuracy of the map estimators. In an application to the galaxy samples in the CFHTLenS, we obtain a $3\sigma-6\sigma$ significant detection of the excess mass and an overall good agreement with the galaxy model predictions. There are, however, a few localised spots in the maps where the observational data disagrees with the model predictions on a $\approx3.5\sigma$ confidence level. Although we have no strong indications for systematic errors in the maps, this disagreement may be related to the residual B-mode pattern observed in the average of all maps. Alternatively, misaligned galaxy pairs inside dark matter halos or lensing by a misaligned distribution of the intra-cluster gas might also cause the unanticipated bulge in the distribution of the excess mass between lens pairs.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures; abridged abstract; revised version for A&A after addressing all comments by the refere

Intrinsic galaxy shapes and alignments II: Modelling the intrinsic alignment contamination of weak lensing surveys

Intrinsic galaxy alignments constitute the major astrophysical systematic of forthcoming weak gravitational lensing surveys but also yield unique insights into galaxy formation and evolution. We build analytic models for the distribution of galaxy shapes based on halo properties extracted from the Millennium Simulation, differentiating between early- and late-type galaxies as well as central galaxies and satellites. The resulting ellipticity correlations are investigated for their physical properties and compared to a suite of current observations. The best-faring model is then used to predict the intrinsic alignment contamination of planned weak lensing surveys. We find that late-type galaxy models generally have weak intrinsic ellipticity correlations, marginally increasing towards smaller galaxy separation and higher redshift. The signal for early-type models at fixed halo mass strongly increases by three orders of magnitude over two decades in galaxy separation, and by one order of magnitude from z=0 to z=2. The intrinsic alignment strength also depends strongly on halo mass, but not on galaxy luminosity at fixed mass, or galaxy number density in the environment. We identify models that are in good agreement with all observational data, except that all models over-predict alignments of faint early-type galaxies. The best model yields an intrinsic alignment contamination of a Euclid-like survey between 0.5-10% at z>0.6 and on angular scales larger than a few arcminutes. Cutting 20% of red foreground galaxies using observer-frame colours can suppress this contamination by up to a factor of two.Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures; minor changes to match version published in MNRA

A linear theory for control of non-linear stochastic systems

We address the role of noise and the issue of efficient computation in stochastic optimal control problems. We consider a class of non-linear control problems that can be formulated as a path integral and where the noise plays the role of temperature. The path integral displays symmetry breaking and there exist a critical noise value that separates regimes where optimal control yields qualitatively different solutions. The path integral can be computed efficiently by Monte Carlo integration or by Laplace approximation, and can therefore be used to solve high dimensional stochastic control problems.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Accepted to PR

A bias in cosmic shear from galaxy selection: results from ray-tracing simulations

We identify and study a previously unknown systematic effect on cosmic shear measurements, caused by the selection of galaxies used for shape measurement, in particular the rejection of close (blended) galaxy pairs. We use ray-tracing simulations based on the Millennium Simulation and a semi-analytical model of galaxy formation to create realistic galaxy catalogues. From these, we quantify the bias in the shear correlation functions by comparing measurements made from galaxy catalogues with and without removal of close pairs. A likelihood analysis is used to quantify the resulting shift in estimates of cosmological parameters. The filtering of objects with close neighbours (a) changes the redshift distribution of the galaxies used for correlation function measurements, and (b) correlates the number density of sources in the background with the density field in the foreground. This leads to a scale-dependent bias of the correlation function of several percent, translating into biases of cosmological parameters of similar amplitude. This makes this new systematic effect potentially harmful for upcoming and planned cosmic shear surveys. As a remedy, we propose and test a weighting scheme that can significantly reduce the bias.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, version accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

A Dense Packing of Regular Tetrahedra

We construct a dense packing of regular tetrahedra, with packing density $D > >.7786157$.Comment: full color versio

Revisiting Weyl's calculation of the gravitational pull in Bach's two-body solution

When the mass of one of the two bodies tends to zero, Weyl's definition of the gravitational force in an axially symmetric, static two-body solution can be given an invariant formulation in terms of a force four-vector. The norm of this force is calculated for Bach's two-body solution, that is known to be in one-to-one correspondence with Schwarzschild's original solution when one of the two masses l, l' is made to vanish. In the limit when, say, l' goes to zero, the norm of the force divided by l' and calculated at the position of the vanishing mass is found to coincide with the norm of the acceleration of a test body kept at rest in Schwarzschild's field. Both norms happen thus to grow without limit when the test body (respectively the vanishing mass l') is kept at rest in a position closer and closer to Schwarzschild's two-surface.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. Text to appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Structure and dynamics of topological defects in a glassy liquid on a negatively curved manifold

We study the low-temperature regime of an atomic liquid on the hyperbolic plane by means of molecular dynamics simulation and we compare the results to a continuum theory of defects in a negatively curved hexagonal background. In agreement with the theory and previous results on positively curved (spherical) surfaces, we find that the atomic configurations consist of isolated defect structures, dubbed "grain boundary scars", that form around an irreducible density of curvature-induced disclinations in an otherwise hexagonal background. We investigate the structure and the dynamics of these grain boundary scars

Persistence of a pinch in a pipe

The response of low-dimensional solid objects combines geometry and physics in unusual ways, exemplified in structures of great utility such as a thin-walled tube that is ubiquitous in nature and technology. Here we provide a particularly surprising consequence of this confluence of geometry and physics in tubular structures: the anomalously large persistence of a localized pinch in an elastic pipe whose effect decays very slowly as an oscillatory exponential with a persistence length that diverges as the thickness of the tube vanishes, which we confirm experimentally. The result is more a consequence of geometry than material properties, and is thus equally applicable to carbon nanotubes as it is to oil pipelines.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure