12 research outputs found
Constraints from Al Measurements on the Galaxy's Recent Global Star Formation Rate and Core Collapse Supernovae Rate
Gamma-rays from the decay of Al offer a stringent constraint on the
Galaxy's global star formation rate over the past million years, supplementing
other methods for quantifying the recent Galactic star formation rate, such as
equivalent widths of H emission. Advantages and disadvantages of using
Al gamma-ray measurements as a tracer of the massive star formation rate
are analyzed. Estimates of the Galactic Al mass derived from COMPTEL
measurements are coupled with a simple, analytical model of the Al
injection rate from massive stars and restrict the Galaxy's recent star
formation rate to \hbox{5 4 M\sun yr}. In addition, we show that
the derived Al mass implies a present day \hbox{Type II + Ib} supernovae
rate of 3.4 2.8 per century, which seems consistent with other
independent estimates of the Galactic core collapse supernova rate. If some
independent measure of the massive star initial mass function or star formation
rate or \hbox{Type II + Ib} supernovae rate were to become available (perhaps
through estimates of the Galactic Fe mass), then a convenient way to
restrain, or possibly determine, the other parameters is presented.Comment: 11 pages including 1 figure, ApJ in pres
A quadruply imaged quasar with an optical Einstein ring candidate: 1RXS J113155.4-123155
We report the discovery of a new quadruply imaged quasar surrounded by an
optical Einstein ring candidate. Spectra of the different components of 1RXS
J113155.4-123155 reveal a source at z=0.658. Up to now, this object is the
closest known gravitationally lensed quasar. The lensing galaxy is clearly
detected. Its redshift is measured to be z=0.295. Additionally, the total V
magnitude of the system has varied by 0.3 mag between two epochs separated by
33 weeks. The measured relative astrometry of the lensed images is best fitted
with an SIS model plus shear. This modeling suggests very high magnification of
the source (up to 50 for the total magnification) and predicts flux ratios
between the lensed images significantly different from what is actually
observed. This suggests that the lensed images may be affected by a combination
of micro or milli-lensing and dust extinction effects.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, published in A&
Star cluster catalogues for the LEGUS dwarf galaxies
We present a new Bayesian hierarchical model (BHM) named Steve for performing Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) cosmology fits. This advances previous works by including an improved treatment of Malmquist bias, accounting for additional sources of systematic uncertainty, and increasing numerical efficiency. Given light-curve fit parameters, redshifts, and host-galaxy masses, we fit Steve simultaneously for parameters describing cosmology, SN Ia populations, and systematic uncertainties. Selection effects are characterized using Monte Carlo simulations. We demonstrate its implementation by fitting realizations of SN Ia data sets where the SN Ia model closely follows that used in Steve. Next, we validate on more realistic SNANA simulations of SN Ia samples from the Dark Energy Survey and low-redshift surveys (DES Collaboration et al. 2018). These simulated data sets contain more than 60,000 SNe Ia, which we use to evaluate biases in the recovery of cosmological parameters, specifically the equation of state of dark energy, w. This is the most rigorous test of a BHM method applied to SN Ia cosmology fitting and reveals small w biases that depend on the simulated SN Ia properties, in particular the intrinsic SN Ia scatter model. This w bias is less than 0.03 on average, less than half the statistical uncertainty on w. These simulation test results are a concern for BHM cosmology fitting applications on large upcoming surveys; therefore, future development will focus on minimizing the sensitivity of Steve to the SN Ia intrinsic scatter model.AA acknowledges the support of the
Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsradet) and the Swedish
National Space Board (SNSB). DAG acknowledges support by
the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Federal Ministry for
Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) through program 50OR1801
âMYSST: Mapping Young Stars in Space and Timeâ
Future Directions in Subglacial Environments Research
International audienceSubglacial Antarctic Lake Environments (SALE) exploration and study is poised to be a major focus of Antarctic science for the next decade or more. The foundation for an intensive period of SALE research and field efforts has been provided by substantial improvement in our understanding of these environments, the establishment of SALE research programs by the International Polar Year (IPY) Program Office and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the funding of several national SALE programs, independent guidance on environmental stewardship issues, and a series of international workshops, meetings, and conferences that have refined SALE scientific objectives. This article summarizes recent developments in subglacial environment exploration and study and describes future research needs
On the biology of submarine caves with sulphur springs: appraisal of 13C/12C ratios as a guide to trophic relations.
Consequences of Starbursts for the Interstellar and Intergalactic Medium
Star formation in general, and starbursts in particular, drive the evolution of galaxies. To understand the process of galactic matter cycle quantitatively, it is absolutely necessary to follow the evolution of the components of the interstellar medium, such as gas, magnetic fields, cosmic rays in detail over sufficiently long time scales. Due to the non-linearity of the interactions between the various components, and the turbulent nature of the plasma, high resolution numerical simulations offer the best strategy to further our understanding. The results of our numerical studies can be summarized as follows: (i) Supernova explosions are the most important energy input sources in the ISM and lead to a high level of turbulence in the plasma, coupling structures on all scales, (ii) more than half of the disk mass resides in classically thermally unstable temperature regimes, (iii) turbulent mixing is the dominant energy transport process over a wide range of scales, (iv) proportionality between magnetic field and density is generally weak, except for the densest regions, (v) magnetic fields, even if they are parallel to the galactic disk, cannot prevent outflow into the halo, (vi) the ionization structure of the plasma depends on its thermal history, and is in general not in collisional ionization equilibrium, (vii) the cooling function varies in space and time, (viii) X-rays can be emitted even at plasma temperatures of the order of 104K due to delayed recombination, both in the disk and the halo, (ix) cosmic rays can help driving a galactic wind, (x) cosmic rays can be accelerated to high energies beyond 1015eV (the âkneeâ) in long lived shocks propagating into the galactic halo, because of time-dependent star formation