2,125 research outputs found
Constraining the photometric properties of MgII absorbing galaxies with the SDSS
Using a sample of nearly 700 quasars with strong (W_0(2796)>0.8 Angstrom)
MgII absorption lines detected in the Early Data Release of the SDSS, we
demonstrate the feasibility of measuring the photometric properties of the
absorber systems by stacking SDSS imaging data. As MgII lines can be observed
in the range 0.37<z_abs<2.2, the absorbing galaxies are in general not
identified in SDSS images, but they produce systematic light excesses around
QSOs which can be detected with a statistical analysis. In this Letter we
present a 6-sigma detection of this effect over the whole sample in i-band,
rising to 9.4-sigma for a low-redshift subsample with 0.37<z_abs<=0.82. We use
a control sample of QSOs without strong MgII absorption lines to quantify and
remove systematics with typical 10-20% accuracy. The signal varies as expected
as a function of absorber redshift. For the low z_abs subsample we can reliably
estimate the average luminosities per MgII absorber system in the g, r, and i
bands and find them to be compatible with a few-hundred-Myr old stellar
population of M_r ~ -21 in the rest frame. Colors are also consistent with
typical absorbing galaxies resembling local Sb-c spirals. Our technique does
not require any spectroscopic follow-up and does not suffer from confusion with
other galaxies arising along the line-of-sight. It will be applied to larger
samples and other line species in upcoming studies.Comment: Accepted on ApJ Letters, 5 pages, 2 figure
Clustering-based Redshift Estimation: Comparison to Spectroscopic Redshifts
We investigate the potential and accuracy of clustering-based redshift
estimation using the method proposed by M\'enard et al. (2013). This technique
enables the inference of redshift distributions from measurements of the
spatial clustering of arbitrary sources, using a set of reference objects for
which redshifts are known. We apply it to a sample of spectroscopic galaxies
from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and show that, after carefully controlling
the sampling efficiency over the sky, we can estimate redshift distributions
with high accuracy. Probing the full colour space of the SDSS galaxies, we show
that we can recover the corresponding mean redshifts with an accuracy ranging
from z=0.001 to 0.01. We indicate that this mapping can be used to
infer the redshift probability distribution of a single galaxy. We show how the
lack of information on the galaxy bias limits the accuracy of the inference and
show comparisons between clustering redshifts and photometric redshifts for
this dataset. This analysis demonstrates, using real data, that
clustering-based redshift inference provides a powerful data-driven technique
to explore the redshift distribution of arbitrary datasets, without any prior
knowledge on the spectral energy distribution of the sources.Comment: 13 pages. Submitted to MNRAS. Comments welcom
The Taurus Boundary of Stellar/Substellar (TBOSS) Survey I: far-IR disk emission measured with Herschel
With Herschel/PACS 134 low mass members of the Taurus star-forming region
spanning the M4-L0 spectral type range and covering the transition from low
mass stars to brown dwarfs were observed. Combining the new Herschel results
with other programs, a total of 150 of the 154 M4-L0 Taurus members members
have observations with Herschel. Among the 150 targets, 70um flux densities
were measured for 7 of the 7 ClassI objects, 48 of the 67 ClassII members, and
3 of the 76 ClassIII targets. For the detected ClassII objects, the median 70um
flux density level declines with spectral type, however, the distribution of
excess relative to central object flux density does not change across the
stellar/substellar boundary in the M4-L0 range. Connecting the 70um TBOSS
values with the results from K0-M3 ClassII members results in the first
comprehensive census of far-IR emission across the full mass spectrum of the
stellar and substellar population of a star-forming region, and the median flux
density declines with spectral type in a trend analogous to the flux density
decline expected for the central objects. SEDs were constructed for all TBOSS
targets covering the optical to far-IR range and extending to the submm/mm for
a subset of sources. Based on an initial exploration of the impact of different
physical parameters; inclination, scale height and flaring have the largest
influence on the PACS flux densities. From the 24um to 70um spectral index of
the SEDs, 5 new candidate transition disks were identified. The steep 24um to
70um slope for a subset of 8 TBOSS targets may be an indication of truncated
disks in these systems.Two examples of mixed pair systems that include
secondaries with disks were measured. Finally, comparing the TBOSS results with
a Herschel study of Ophiuchus brown dwarfs reveals a lower fraction of disks
around the Taurus substellar population.Comment: 64 pages, 33 figures, 12 tables, accepted for publication in A&
The accumulation and trapping of grains at planet gaps: effects of grain growth and fragmentation
We model the dust evolution in protoplanetary disks with full 3D, Smoothed
Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), two-phase (gas+dust) hydrodynamical simulations.
The gas+dust dynamics, where aerodynamic drag leads to the vertical settling
and radial migration of grains, is consistently treated. In a previous work, we
characterized the spatial distribution of non-growing dust grains of different
sizes in a disk containing a gap-opening planet and investigated the gap's
detectability with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
Here we take into account the effects of grain growth and fragmentation and
study their impact on the distribution of solids in the disk. We show that
rapid grain growth in the two accumulation zones around planet gaps is strongly
affected by fragmentation. We discuss the consequences for ALMA observations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Planetary and Space Science. 13 pages, 4
figure
Molecular hydrogen in the disk of the Herbig Ae star HD97048
We present high-resolution spectroscopic mid-infrared observations of the
circumstellar disk around the Herbig Ae star HD97048 obtained with the VLT
Imager and Spectrometer for the mid-InfraRed (VISIR). We conducted observations
of mid-infrared pure rotational lines of molecular hydrogen (H2) as a tracer of
warm gas in the disk surface layers. In a previous paper, we reported the
detection of the S(1) pure rotational line of H2 at 17.035 microns and argued
it is arising from the inner regions of the disk around the star. We used VISIR
on the VLT for a more comprehensive study based on complementary observations
of the other mid-infrared molecular transitions, namely S(2) and S(4) at 12.278
microns and 8.025 microns respectively, to investigate the physical properties
of the molecular gas in the circumstellar disk around HD97048. We do not detect
neither the S(2) line nor the S(4) H2 line from the disk of HD97048, but we
derive upper limits on the integrated line fluxes which allows us to estimate
an upper limit on the gas excitation temperature, T_ex < 570 K. This limit on
the temperature is consistent with the assumptions previously used in the
analysis of the S(1) line, and allows us to set stronger contraints on the mass
of warm gas in the inner regions of the disk. Indeed, we estimate the mass of
warm gas to be lower than 0.1 M_Jup. We also discuss the probable physical
mechanisms which could be responsible of the excitation of H2 in the disk of
HD97048.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap
Direct Observation of the Fourth Star in the Zeta Cancri System
Direct imaging of the zeta Cnc system has resolved the fourth star in the
system, which is in orbit around zeta Cnc C. The presence of the fourth star
has been inferred for many years from irregularities in the motion of star C,
and recently from C's spectroscopic orbit. However, its mass is close to that
of C, making its non-detection puzzling. Observing at wavelengths of 1.2, 1.7,
and 2.2 microns with the adaptive-optics system of the CFHT, we have obtained
images which very clearly reveal star D and show it to have the color of an M2
star. Its brightness is consonant with its being two M stars, which are not
resolved in our observations but are likely to be in a short-period orbit,
thereby accounting for the large mass and the difficulty of detection at
optical wavelengths, where the magnitude difference is much larger. The
positions and colors of all four stars in the system are reported and are
consistent with the most recent astrometric observations.Comment: 7 pages including 3 tables, 1 figure; To appear in PAS
Constraints on the disk geometry of the T Tauri star AA Tau from linear polarimetry
We have simultaneously monitored the photometric and polarimetric variations
of the Classical T Tauri star AA Tau during the fall of 2002. We combine these
data with previously published polarimetric data covering two earlier epochs.
The phase coverage is complete, although not contiguous. AA Tau clearly shows
cyclic variations coupled with the rotation of the system. The star-disk system
produces a repeatable polarisation curve where the polarisation increases with
decreasing brightness. The data fit well with the model put forward by Bouvier
et al. (1999) where AA Tau is viewed almost edge-on and its disk is actively
dumping material onto the central star via magnetospheric accretion. The inner
edge of the disk is deformed by its interaction with the tilted magnetosphere,
producing eclipses as it rotates and occults the photosphere periodically. From
the shape of the polarisation curve in the QU-Plane we confirm that the
accretion disk is seen at a large inclination, almost edge-on, and predict that
its position angle is PA~90 deg., i.e., that the disk's major axis is oriented
in the East-West direction.Comment: Astron. Astrophys., in pres
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