1,072 research outputs found
OPE analysis for polarized deep inelastic scattering
We present an explicit OPE analysis for the first moment of up to order
. This result allows to calculate power corrections to the Bjorken and
Ellis--Jaffe sum rules.Comment: 10 pages, minor modifications, revised version for the journa
Candidates of z ~ 5.5--7 Galaxies in the HST Ultra Deep Field
We report results from our --7 galaxy search in the HST Ultra
Deep Field (UDF). Using the 400-orbit of ACS data, we found 108 plausible
(or for short) candidates to
mag. The contamination to the sample, either due to
image artifacts or known types of astronomical objects, is likely negligible.
The inferred surface densities of galaxies are consistent with our
earlier predictions from to 28.5 mag. After correcting
for detection incompleteness, the counts of candidates to
mag suggests that the faint-end slope of the galaxy
luminosity function (LF) at this redshift is likely between and
-1.9, which is sufficient to account for the entire Lyman photon budget
necessary to complete the reionization of the universe at . We also
searched for --7 candidates using the UDF NICMOS data, and have
found four candidates to mag. However, the infrared colors of
three candidates cannot be easily explained by galaxies in this redshift range.
We tentatively derive an upper limit to the cumulative surface density of
galaxies at of 0.36 per arcmin to mag, which
suggest a noticeable drop in the LF amplitude from to .Comment: accepted for publication in ApJL (submitted March 17 2004, accepted
July 20 2004
Conifold geometries, topological strings and multi-matrix models
We study open B-model representing D-branes on 2-cycles of local Calabi--Yau
geometries. To this end we work out a reduction technique linking D-branes
partition functions and multi-matrix models in the case of conifold geometries
so that the matrix potential is related to the complex moduli of the conifold.
We study the geometric engineering of the multi-matrix models and focus on
two-matrix models with bilinear couplings. We show how to solve this models in
an exact way, without resorting to the customary saddle point/large N
approximation. The method consists of solving the quantum equations of motion
and using the flow equations of the underlying integrable hierarchy to derive
explicit expressions for correlators. Finally we show how to incorporate in
this formalism the description of several group of D-branes wrapped around
different cycles.Comment: 35 pages, 5.3 and 6 revise
The Major Sources of the Cosmic Reionizing Background at z ~ 6
In this paper, we address which sources contributed most of the reionizing
photons. Our argument assumes that the reionization ended around z ~ 6 and that
it was a relatively quick process, i.e., that there was a non-negligible
fraction of neutral hydrogen in the Universe at somewhat earlier epochs.
Starting from our earlier estimate of the luminosity function (LF) of galaxies
at z ~ 6, we quantitatively show that the major sources of reionization are
most likely galaxies with L < L*. Our approach allows us to put stronger
constraints to the LF of galaxies at z ~ 6. To have the Universe completely
ionized at this redshift, the faint-end slope of the LF should be steeper than
, which is the value measured at lower redshifts (z ~ 3), unless
either the normalization (Phi*) of the LF or the clumping factor of the ionized
hydrogen has been significantly underestimated. If Phi* is actually lower than
what we assumed by a factor of two, a steep slope close to is
required. Our LF predicts a total of 50 -- 80 z ~ 6 galaxies in the HST Ultra
Deep Field (UDF) to a depth of AB=28.4 mag, which can be used to constraint
both Phi* and . We conclude that the least luminous galaxies existing
at this redshift should reach as low as some critical luminosity in order to
accumulate the entire reionizing photon budget. On the other hand, the
existence of significant amounts of neutral hydrogen at slightly earlier
epochs, e.g. z ~ 7, requires that the least luminous galaxies should not be
fainter than another critical value (i.e., the LF should cut-off at this
point).Comment: ApJL in press (Jan 1, 2004 issue
Classifying bases for 6D F-theory models
We classify six-dimensional F-theory compactifications in terms of simple
features of the divisor structure of the base surface of the elliptic
fibration. This structure controls the minimal spectrum of the theory. We
determine all irreducible configurations of divisors ("clusters") that are
required to carry nonabelian gauge group factors based on the intersections of
the divisors with one another and with the canonical class of the base. All 6D
F-theory models are built from combinations of these irreducible
configurations. Physically, this geometric structure characterizes the gauge
algebra and matter that can remain in a 6D theory after maximal Higgsing. These
results suggest that all 6D supergravity theories realized in F-theory have a
maximally Higgsed phase in which the gauge algebra is built out of summands of
the types su(3), so(8), f_4, e_6, e_8, e_7, (g_2 + su(2)), and su(2) + so(7) +
su(2), with minimal matter content charged only under the last three types of
summands, corresponding to the non-Higgsable cluster types identified through
F-theory geometry. Although we have identified all such geometric clusters, we
have not proven that there cannot be an obstruction to Higgsing to the minimal
gauge and matter configuration for any possible F-theory model. We also
identify bounds on the number of tensor fields allowed in a theory with any
fixed gauge algebra; we use this to bound the size of the gauge group (or
algebra) in a simple class of F-theory bases.Comment: 28 pages, 2 figures, 1 appendix. v2: added references, minor changes;
v3: two signs correcte
Compact Star Clusters in the M31 Disk
We have carried out a survey of compact star clusters (apparent size <3
arcsec) in the southwest part of the M31 galaxy, based on the high-resolution
Suprime-Cam images (17.5 arcmin x 28.5 arcmin), covering ~15% of the
deprojected galaxy disk area. The UBVRI photometry of 285 cluster candidates (V
< 20.5 mag) was performed using frames of the Local Group Galaxies Survey. The
final sample, containing 238 high probability star cluster candidates (typical
half-light radius r_h ~ 1.5 pc), was selected by specifying a lower limit of
r_h > 0.15 arcsec (>0.6 pc). We derived cluster parameters based on the
photometric data and multiband images by employing simple stellar population
models. The clusters have a wide range of ages from ~5 Myr (young objects
associated with 24 um and/or Ha emission) to ~10 Gyr (globular cluster
candidates), and possess mass in a range of 3.0 < log(m/M_sol) < 4.3 peaking at
m ~ 4000 M_sol. Typical age of these intermediate-mass clusters is in the range
of 30 Myr < t < 3 Gyr, with a prominent peak at ~70 Myr. These findings suggest
a rich intermediate-mass star cluster population in M31, which appears to be
scarce in the Milky Way galaxy.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap
Lyman Alpha Radiation From Collapsing Protogalaxies II: Observational Evidence for Gas Infall
We model the spectra and surface brightness distributions for the Lyman alpha
(Lya) radiation expected from protogalaxies that are caught in the early stages
of their assembly. We use the results of a companion paper to characterize the
radiation emerging from spherically collapsing gas clouds. We then modify the
intrinsic spectra to incorporate the effect of subsequent resonant scattering
in the intergalactic medium (IGM). Using these models, we interpret a number of
recent observations of extended Lya blobs (LABs) at high redshift. We suggest,
based on the angular size, energetics, as well as the relatively shallow
surface brightness profiles, and double-peaked spectra, that several of these
LABs may be associated with collapsing protogalaxies. We suggest two follow-up
observations to diagnose the presence of gas infall. High S/N spectra of LABs
should reveal a preferential flattening of the surface brightness profile at
the red side of the line. Complementary imaging of the blobs at redshifted
Balmer alpha wavelengths should reveal the intrinsic Lya emissivity and allow
its separation from radiative transfer effects. We show that Lya scattering by
infalling gas can reproduce the observed spectrum of Steidel et al's LAB2 as
accurately as a recently proposed outflow model. Finally, we find similar
evidence for infall in the spectra of point-like Lyman alpha emitters. The
presence of scattering by the infalling gas implies that the intrinsic Lya
luminosities, and derived quantities, such as the star-formation rate, in these
objects may have been underestimated by about an order of magnitude.Comment: Accepted for Publication in ApJ, 11 emulateapj pages with 6 figures,
together with a companion pape
Probing the Ionization State of the Universe at z>6
We present high signal-to-noise ratio Keck ESI spectra of the two quasars
known to have Gunn-Peterson absorption troughs, SDSS J1030+0524 (z=6.28) and
SDSS J1148+5251 (z=6.37). The Ly alpha and Ly beta troughs for SDSS J1030+0524
are very black and show no evidence for any emission over a redshift interval
of ~0.2 starting at z=6. On the other hand, SDSS J1148+5251 shows a number of
emission peaks in the Ly beta Gunn-Peterson trough along with a single weak
peak in the Ly alpha trough. The Ly alpha emission has corresponding Ly beta
emission, suggesting that it is indeed a region of lower optical depth in the
intergalactic medium at z=6.08.
The stronger Ly beta peaks in the spectrum of SDSS J1148+5251 could
conceivably also be the result of "leaks" in the IGM, but we suggest that they
are instead Ly alpha emission from an intervening galaxy at z=4.9. This
hypothesis gains credence from a strong complex of C IV absorption at the same
redshift and from the detection of continuum emission in the Ly alpha trough at
the expected brightness. If this proposal is correct, the quasar light has
probably been magnified through gravitational lensing by the intervening
galaxy. The Stromgren sphere observed in the absorption spectrum of SDSS
J1148+5251 is significantly smaller than expected based on its brightness,
which is consistent with the hypothesis that the quasar is lensed.
If our argument for lensing is correct, the optical depths derived from the
troughs of SDSS J1148+5251 are only lower limits (albeit still quite strong,
with tau(LyA)>16 inferred from the Ly beta trough.) The Ly beta absorption
trough of SDSS J1030+0524 gives the single best measurement of the IGM
transmission at z>6, with an inferred optical depth tau(LyA)>22.Comment: To appear in July 2003 AJ, 34 pages, 11 figures; minor changes/typos
fixe
Impact of Reionization on the Stellar Populations of Nearby Dwarf Galaxies
Cold dark matter models for galaxy formation predict that low-mass systems
will be the first sites of star formation. As these objects have shallow
gravitational potential wells, the subsequent growth of their stellar
populations may be halted by heating and gas loss due to reionization. This
effect has been suggested to have profoundly influenced properties of
present-day dwarf galaxies, including their stellar populations and even
survival as visible galaxies. In this Letter we draw on results from
quantitative studies of Local Group dwarf galaxy star formation histories,
especially for Milky Way satellites, to show that no clear signature exists for
a widespread evolutionary impact from reionization. All nearby dwarf galaxies
studied in sufficient detail contain ancient populations indistinguishable in
age from the oldest Galactic globular clusters. Ancient star formation activity
proceeded over several Gyr, and some dwarf spheroidal galaxies even experienced
fairly continuous star formation until just a few Gyr ago. Despite their
uniformly low masses, their star formation histories differ considerably. The
evolutionary histories of nearby dwarf galaxies appear to reflect influences
from a variety of local processes rather than a dominant effect from
reionization.Comment: Accepted by The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 5 pages, one figur
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