333 research outputs found
Deep H-band Galaxy Counts and Half-light Radii from HST/NICMOS Parallel Observations
We present deep galaxy counts and half-light radii from F160W
() images obtained with NICMOS on HST. Nearly 9 arcmin
have been imaged with camera 3, with depths ranging from H = 24.3 to
25.5 in a 0.6 diameter aperture. The slope of the counts fainter than H~ is 0.31, and the integrated surface density to H is galaxies per square degree. The half-light radii of the galaxies declines
steeply with apparent magnitude. At H~ we are limited by both the
delivered FWHM and the detection threshold of the images.Comment: 8 pages. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Searching for life in the Universe: unconventional methods for an unconventional problem
The search for life, on and off our planet, can be done by conventional methods with which we are all familiar. These methods are sensitive and specific, and are often capable of detecting even single cells. However, if the search broadens to include life that may be different (even subtly different) in composition, the methods and even the approach must be altered. Here we discuss the development of what we call non-earthcentric life detection – detecting life with methods that could detect life no matter what its form or composition. To develop these methods, we simply ask, can we define life in terms of its general properties and particularly those that can be measured and quantified? Taking such an approach we can search for life using physics and chemistry to ask questions about structure, chemical composition, thermodynamics, and kinetics. Structural complexity can be searched for using computer algorithms that recognize complex structures. Once identified, these structures can be examined for a variety of chemical traits, including elemental composition, chirality, and complex chemistry. A second approach involves defining our environment in terms of energy sources (i.e., reductants), and oxidants (e.g. what is available to eat and breathe), and then looking for areas in which such phenomena are inexplicably out of chemical equilibrium. These disequilibria, when found, can then be examined in detail for the presence of the structural and chemical complexity that presumably characterizes any living systems. By this approach, we move the search for life to one that should facilitate the detection of any earthly life it encountered, as well as any non-conventional life forms that have structure, complex chemistry, and live via some form of redox chemistry
The C IV Mass Density of the Universe at Redshift 5
In order to search for metals in the Lyman alpha forest at redshifts z > 4,
we have obtained spectra of high S/N and resolution of three QSOs at z > 5.4
discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These data allow us to probe to
metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium at early times with higher
sensitivity than previous studies. We find 16 C IV absorption systems with
column densities log N(C IV) = 12.50 - 13.98 over a total redshift path Delta X
= 3.29. In the redshift interval z = 4.5-5.0, where our statistics are most
reliable, we deduce a comoving mass density of C IV ions Omega(C IV) = (4.3 +/-
2.5) x 10(-8) (90% confidence limits) for absorption systems with log N(C IV) >
13.0 (for an Einstein-de Sitter cosmology with h = 0.65). This value of Omega(C
IV) is entirely consistent with those measured at z < 4; we confirm the earlier
finding by Songaila (2001) that neither the column density distribution of C IV
absorbers nor its integral show significant redshift evolution over a period of
time which stretches from 1.25 to 4.5 Gyr after the big bang. This somewhat
surprising conclusion may be an indication that the intergalactic medium was
enriched in metals at redshifts much greater than 5, perhaps by the sources
responsible for its reionization. Alternatively, the C IV systems we see may be
associated with outflows from massive star-forming galaxies at later times,
while the truly intergalactic metals may reside in regions of the Lyman alpha
forest of lower density than those probed up to now.Comment: 24 pages including 5 figures. Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journal (September 10, 2003 issue
The Porcupine Survey: A Distributed Survey and WISE Followup
Spitzer post-cryogen observations to perform a moderate depth survey distributed around the sky are proposed. Field centers are chosen to be WISE brown dwarf candidates, which will typically be 160 µJy at 4.7 µm and randomly distributed around the sky. The Spitzer observations will give much higher sensitivity, higher angular resolution, and a time baseline to measure both proper motions and possibly parallaxes. The distance and velocity data obtained on the WISE brown dwarf candidates will greatly improve our knowledge of the mass and age distribution of brown dwarfs. The outer parts of the Spitzer fields surrounding the WISE positions will provide a deep survey in many narrow fields of view distributed around the sky, and the volume of this survey will contain many more distant brown dwarfs, and many extragalactic objects
Quasars and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies: At the Limit?
We have detected the host galaxies of 16 nearby, radio-quiet quasars using
images obtained with the Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer
(NICMOS). We confirm that these luminous quasars tend to live in luminous,
early-type host galaxies, and we use the host-galaxy magnitudes to refine the
luminosity/host-mass limit inferred from ground-based studies. If quasars obey
the relation found for massive dark
objects in nonactive galaxies, then our analysis implies that they radiate at
up to of the Eddington rate. An analogous analysis for ultraluminous
infrared galaxies shows them to accrete at up to similar Eddington fractions,
consistent with the hypothesis that some of them are powered by embedded
quasars.Comment: 9 pages, includes 2 eps figs, accepted to ApJLet
HI Fluctuations at Large Redshifts: II - the Signal Expected for GMRT
For the GMRT, we calculate the expected signal from redshifted HI emission at
two frequency bands centered at 610 and 325 MHz. The study focuses on the
visibility-visibility cross-correlations, proposed earlier as the optimal
statistical estimator for detecting and analyzing this signal. These
correlations directly probe the power spectrum of density fluctuations at the
redshift where the radiation originated, and thereby provide a method for
studying the large scale structures at large redshifts. We present detailed
estimates of the correlations expected between the visibilities measured at
different baselines and frequencies. Analytic fitting formulas representing the
salient features of the expected signal are also provided. These will be useful
in planning observations and deciding an optimal strategy for detecting this
signal.Comment: 16 pages including 7 figures, published in JAp
SPRITE: the Spitzer proposal review website
The Spitzer Science Center (SSC), located on the campus of the California Institute of Technology, supports the science operations of NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope. The SSC issues an annual Call for Proposals inviting investigators worldwide to submit Spitzer Space Telescope proposals. The Spitzer Proposal Review Website (SPRITE) is a MySQL/PHP web database application designed to support the SSC proposal review process. Review panel members use the software to view, grade, and write comments about the proposals, and SSC support team members monitor the grading and ranking process and ultimately generate a ranked list of all the proposals. The software is also used to generate, edit, and email award letters to the proposers. This work was performed at the California Institute of Technology under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
MySQL/PHP web database applications for IPAC proposal submission
The Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) is NASA's multi-mission center of expertise for long-wavelength astrophysics. Proposals for various IPAC missions and programs are ingested via MySQL/PHP web database applications. Proposers use web forms to enter coversheet information and upload PDF files related to the proposal. Upon proposal submission, a unique directory is created on the webserver into which all of the uploaded files are placed. The coversheet information is converted into a PDF file using a PHP extension called FPDF. The files are concatenated into one PDF file using the command-line tool pdftk and then forwarded to the review committee. This work was performed at the California Institute of Technology under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Object Classification in Astronomical Multi-Color Surveys
We present a photometric method for identifying stars, galaxies and quasars
in multi-color surveys, which uses a library of >65000 color templates. The
method aims for extracting the information content of object colors in a
statistically correct way and performs a classification as well as a redshift
estimation for galaxies and quasars in a unified approach. For the redshift
estimation, we use an advanced version of the MEV estimator which determines
the redshift error from the redshift dependent probability density function.
The method was originally developed for the CADIS survey, where we checked
its performance by spectroscopy. The method provides high reliability (6 errors
among 151 objects with R<24), especially for quasar selection, and redshifts
accurate within sigma ~ 0.03 for galaxies and sigma ~ 0.1 for quasars.
We compare a few model surveys using the same telescope time but different
sets of broad-band and medium-band filters. Their performance is investigated
by Monte-Carlo simulations as well as by analytic evaluation in terms of
classification and redshift estimation. In practice, medium-band surveys show
superior performance. Finally, we discuss the relevance of color calibration
and derive important conclusions for the issues of library design and choice of
filters. The calibration accuracy poses strong constraints on an accurate
classification, and is most critical for surveys with few, broad and deeply
exposed filters, but less severe for many, narrow and less deep filters.Comment: 21 pages including 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy
& Astrophysic
Estimation of Cosmological Parameters from HI Observations of Post-reionization Epoch
The emission from neutral hydrogen (HI) clouds in the post-reionization era
(z < 6), too faint to be individually detected, is present as a diffuse
background in all low frequency radio observations below 1420 MHz. The angular
and frequency fluctuations of this radiation (~ 1 mK) is an important future
probe of the large scale structures in the Universe. We show that such
observations are a very effective probe of the background cosmological model
and the perturbed Universe. In our study we focus on the possibility of
determining the redshift space distortion parameter, coordinate distance and
its derivative with redshift. Using reasonable estimates for the observational
uncertainties and configurations representative of the ongoing and upcoming
radio interferometers, we predict parameter estimation at a precision
comparable with supernova Ia observations and galaxy redshift surveys, across a
wide range in redshift that is only partially accessed by other probes. Future
HI observations of the post-reionization era present a new technique,
complementing several existing one, to probe the expansion history and to
elucidate the nature of the dark energy.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
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