1,749 research outputs found
Kinematic Evolution of Simulated Star-Forming Galaxies
Recent observations have shown that star-forming galaxies like our own Milky
Way evolve kinematically into ordered thin disks over the last ~8 billion years
since z=1.2, undergoing a process of "disk settling." For the first time, we
study the kinematic evolution of a suite of four state of the art "zoom in"
hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy formation and evolution in a fully
cosmological context and compare with these observations. Until now, robust
measurements of the internal kinematics of simulated galaxies were lacking as
the simulations suffered from low resolution, overproduction of stars, and
overly massive bulges. The current generation of simulations has made great
progress in overcoming these difficulties and is ready for a kinematic
analysis. We show that simulated galaxies follow the same kinematic trends as
real galaxies: they progressively decrease in disordered motions (sigma_g) and
increase in ordered rotation (Vrot) with time. The slopes of the relations
between both sigma_g and Vrot with redshift are consistent between the
simulations and the observations. In addition, the morphologies of the
simulated galaxies become less disturbed with time, also consistent with
observations, and they both have similarly large scatter. This match between
the simulated and observed trends is a significant success for the current
generation of simulations, and a first step in determining the physical
processes behind disk settling.Comment: ApJ accepted; 6 pages; A pdf with full resolution figures can be
found at https://db.tt/8y4Vzaff (2.8M
Counts and Sizes of Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field - South: Implications for the Next Generation Space Telescope
Science objectives for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) include a
large component of galaxy surveys, both imaging and spectroscopy. The Hubble
Deep Field datasets include the deepest observations ever made in the
ultraviolet, optical and near infrared, reaching depths comparable to that
expected for NGST spectroscopy. We present the source counts, galaxy sizes and
isophotal filling factors of the HDF-South images. The observed integrated
galaxy counts reach >500 galaxies per square arcminute at AB<30. We extend
these counts to faint levels in the infrared using models. The trend previously
seen that fainter galaxies are smaller, continues to AB=29 in the high
resolution HDF-S STIS image, where galaxies have a typical half-light radius of
0.1 arcseconds. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations show that the small measured
sizes are not due to selection effects until >29mag. Using the HDF-S NICMOS
image, we show that galaxies are smaller in the near infrared than they are in
the optical. We analyze the isophotal filling factor of the HDF-S STIS image,
and show that this image is mostly empty sky even at the limits of galaxy
detection, a conclusion we expect to hold true for NGST spectroscopy. At the
surface brightness limits expected for NGST imaging, however, about a quarter
of the sky is occupied by the outer isophotes of AB<30 galaxies. We discuss the
implications of these data on several design concepts of the NGST near-infrared
spectrograph. We compare the effects of resolution and the confusion limit of
various designs, as well as the multiplexing advantages of either multi-object
or full-field spectroscopy. We argue that the optimal choice for NGST
spectroscopy of high redshift galaxies is a multi-object spectrograph (MOS)
with target selection by a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) device.Comment: 27 pages including 10 figures, accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journal, June 2000, abridged abstrac
Applying Fishers' Ecological Knowledge to Construct Past and Future Lobster Stocks in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile
Over-exploited fisheries are a common feature of the modern world and a range of solutions including area closures (marine reserves; MRs), effort reduction, gear changes, ecosystem-based management, incentives and co-management have been suggested as techniques to rebuild over-fished populations. Historic accounts of lobster (Jasus frontalis) on the Chilean Juan Fernández Archipelago indicate a high abundance at all depths (intertidal to approximately 165 m), but presently lobsters are found almost exclusively in deeper regions of their natural distribution. Fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK) tells a story of serial depletion in lobster abundance at fishing grounds located closest to the fishing port with an associated decline in catch per unit effort (CPUE) throughout recent history. We have re-constructed baselines of lobster biomass throughout human history on the archipelago using historic data, the fishery catch record and FEK to permit examination of the potential effects of MRs, effort reduction and co-management (stewardship of catch) to restore stocks. We employed a bioeconomic model using FEK, fishery catch and effort data, underwater survey information, predicted population growth and response to MR protection (no-take) to explore different management strategies and their trade-offs to restore stocks and improve catches. Our findings indicate that increased stewardship of catch coupled with 30% area closure (MR) provides the best option to reconstruct historic baselines. Based on model predictions, continued exploitation under the current management scheme is highly influenced by annual fluctuations and unsustainable. We propose a community-based co-management program to implement a MR in order to rebuild the lobster population while also providing conservation protection for marine species endemic to the Archipelago
The Rise and Fall of Star Formation Histories of Blue Galaxies at Redshifts 0.2 < z < 1.4
Popular cosmological scenarios predict that galaxies form hierarchically from the merger of many progenitor, each with their own unique star formation history (SFH). We use the approach recently developed by Pacifici et al. to constrain the SFHs of 4517 blue (presumably star-forming) galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the range O.2 < z < 1:4 from the All-Wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS). This consists in the Bayesian analysis of the observed galaxy spectral ' energy distributions with a comprehensive library of synthetic spectra assembled using state-of-the-art models of star formation and chemical enrichment histories, stellar population synthesis, nebular emission and attenuation by dust. We constrain the SFH of each galaxy in our sample by comparing the observed fluxes in the B, R,l and K(sub s) bands and rest-frame optical emission-line luminosities with those of one million model spectral energy distributions. We explore the dependence of the resulting SFH on galaxy stellar mass and redshift. We find that the average SFHs of high-mass galaxies rise and fall in a roughly symmetric bell-shaped manner, while those of low-mass galaxies rise progressively in time, consistent with the typically stronger activity of star formation in low-mass compared to high-mass galaxies. For galaxies of all masses, the star formation activity rises more rapidly at high than at low redshift. These findings imply that the standard approximation of exponentially declining SFHs wIdely used to interpret observed galaxy spectral energy distributions is not appropriate to constrain the physical parameters of star-forming galaxies at intermediate redshifts
Measurements of the Diffuse Ultraviolet Background and the Terrestrial Airglow with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph
Far-UV observations in and near the Hubble Deep Fields demonstrate that the
Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) can potentially obtain unique and
precise measurements of the diffuse far-ultraviolet background. Although STIS
is not the ideal instrument for such measurements, high-resolution images allow
Galactic and extragalactic objects to be masked to very faint magnitudes, thus
ensuring a measurement of the truly diffuse UV signal. The programs we have
analyzed were not designed for this scientific purpose, but would be sufficient
to obtain a very sensitive measurement if it were not for a weak but
larger-than-expected signal from airglow in the STIS 1450-1900 A bandpass. Our
analysis shows that STIS far-UV crystal quartz observations taken near the limb
during orbital day can detect a faint airglow signal, most likely from NI\1493,
that is comparable to the dark rate and inseparable from the far-UV background.
Discarding all but the night data from these datasets gives a diffuse
far-ultraviolet background measurement of 501 +/- 103 ph/cm2/sec/ster/A, along
a line of sight with very low Galactic neutral hydrogen column (N_HI = 1.5E20
cm-2) and extinction (E(B-V)=0.01 mag). This result is in good agreement with
earlier measurements of the far-UV background, and should not include any
significant contribution from airglow. We present our findings as a warning to
other groups who may use the STIS far-UV camera to observe faint extended
targets, and to demonstrate how this measurement may be properly obtained with
STIS.Comment: 7 pages, Latex. 4 figures. Uses corrected version of emulateapj.sty
and apjfonts.sty (included). Accepted for publication in A
Detecting Population III stars through observations of near-IR cosmic infrared background anisotropies
Following the successful mapping of the last scattering surface by WMAP and
balloon experiments, the epoch of the first stars, when Population III stars
formed, is emerging as the next cosmological frontier. It is not clear what
these stars' properties were, when they formed or how long their era lasted
before leading to the stars and galaxies we see today. We show that these
questions can be answered with the current and future measurements of the
near-IR cosmic infrared background (CIB). Theoretical arguments suggest that
Population III stars were very massive and short-lived stars that formed at
at rare peaks of the density field in the cold-dark-matter
Universe. Because Population III stars probably formed individually in small
mini-halos, they are not directly accessible to current telescopic studies. We
show that these stars left a strong and measurable signature via their
contribution to the CIB anisotropies for a wide range of their formation
scenarios. The excess in the recently measured near-IR CIB anisotropies over
that from normal galaxies can be explained by contribution from early
Population III stars. These results imply that Population III were indeed very
massive stars and their epoch started at and lasted past z\lsim
13. We show the importance of accurately measuring the CIB anisotropies
produced by Population III with future space-based missions.Comment: Ap.J., in press. (Replaced with accepted version
The Rest-Frame UV Luminosity Density of Star-Forming Galaxies at Redshifts z>3.5
We have measured the rest--frame lambda~1500 Ang comoving specific luminosity
density of star--forming galaxies at redshift 3.5<z<6.5 from deep images taken
with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS),
obtained as part of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS). We
used color selection criteria to construct samples of star--forming galaxies at
redshifts z~4, 5 and 6, identified by the signature of the 912 Ang Lyman
continuum discontinuity and Lyman-alpha forest blanketing in their rest--frame
UV colors (Lyman--break galaxies). The ACS samples cover ~0.09 square degree,
and are also relatively deep, reaching between 0.2 and 0.5 L_3^*, depending on
the redshift, where is the characteristic UV luminosity of Lyman--break
galaxies at z~3. The specific luminosity density of Lyman--break galaxies
appears to be nearly constant with redshift from z~3 to z~6, although the
measure at z~6 remains relatively uncertain, because it depends on the accurate
estimate of the faint counts of the z~6 sample. If Lyman--break galaxies are
fair tracers of the cosmic star formation activity, our results suggest that at
z~6 the universe was already producing stars as vigorously as it did near its
maximum several Gyr later, at 1<~z<~3. Thus, the onset of large--scale star
formation in the universe is to be sought at around z~6 or higher, namely at
less than ~7% of the current cosmic age.Comment: AAS LaTeX macros 4.0, 11 pages, 1 postscript figure. Accepted for
publication in The Astrophysical Journal, Letter. Minor changes to the figure
caption. The data and the GOODS-group papers can be found at
http://www.stsci.edu/science/goods
Near Ultraviolet sources in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey Fields
We present an Ultraviolet (UV) selected sample of 268 objects in the two
fields of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS). We used the
parallel observations taken with WFPC2 in the U--band (F300W) which covered 88%
of the GOODS fields to identify sources and selected only objects with
GOODS/ACS counterparts. Spectroscopic redshifts for 95 of these sources are
available and we have used the multiwavelength GOODS data to estimate
photometric redshifts for the others. Most of the objects are between
0.2<z<0.8. We used the spectral types obtained by the photometric redshift
fitting to identify the starburst galaxies. We have also visually checked all
objects and looked for tidal effects and nearby companions. We find that (i)
45% of the UV-selected galaxies are starbursts, (ii) nearly 75% of the
starbursts have tidal tails or show some peculiarity typical of interactions or
mergers, (iii) ~50% have companions within an area of 5x5 arcsec. The
UV-selected sample has an average rest-frame M_B=--19.9 +- 0.1. The bluest
objects in the sample (U-B < 0.2 and B-V < 0.1) are at 1.1<z<1.9 and have
peculiar morphologies that resembles either tadpoles, chains, or double-clump
galaxies. Starbursts with tadpole or clump morphology at z=0.8-1.3 have sizes
comparable to LBGs and compact Ultraviolet-luminous galaxies (UVLGs).Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, accepted by the Astronomical Journa
Limitations in the Use of Archived Vent Mussel Samples to Assess Genetic Connectivity Among Seafloor Massive Sulfide Deposits: A Case Study with Implications for Environmental Management
Genetic connectivity studies can inform the design of mitigation strategies used in environmental management. However, the expense of developing species-specific molecular markers and collecting samples at appropriate spatial and temporal scales can be prohibitive. Using archived material and existing molecular markers may provide a cost-effective way to assess population connectivity. Genetic connectivity studies are increasingly in demand in the deep sea in response to mounting anthropogenic pressures, including seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) mining. The feasibility of using archived material was assessed using the New Zealand-endemic vent mussel Gigantidas gladius, which inhabits areas licensed for the prospecting phase of SMS mining. Four molecular markers were tested, but only one (mitochondrial COI) provided suitable sequences. Of 942 specimens, only 150 individuals were informative, largely due to poor tissue quality of archived samples. Seven populations spanning the distributional range of G. gladius were assessed. The results indicate that G. gladius has high levels of gene flow among sites 10s to 100s km apart and limited genetic structure. Haplotypic diversity was not equally distributed among populations, with lower diversity for the Macauley Volcano population at the northern extent of the species distribution and greater diversity within central populations. Migrant exchange was also greatest between central populations, with one population at Rumble V Seamount appearing important in terms of maintaining genetic diversity within the Kermadec Volcanic Arc region. However, interpretation of the results should be viewed with caution as small sample sizes may have limited the ability to detect genetic structure. Despite these limitations, mitigation strategies that protect areas of seabed from mining activities should consider the genetic vulnerability of the population at the northern edge of the species’ distribution and the significance of certain central populations
Do divorcing couples become happier by breaking up?
Divorce is a leap in the dark. The paper investigates whether people who split up actually become happier. Using the British Household Panel Survey, we can observe an individual's level of psychological well-being in the years before and after divorce. Our results show that divorcing couples reap psychological gains from the dissolution of their marriages. Men and women benefit equally. The paper also studies the effects of bereavement, of having dependant children and of remarriage. We measure well-being by using general health questionnaire and life satisfaction scores
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