2,039 research outputs found
AGAPEROS: Searching for variable stars in the LMC Bar with the Pixel Method. I. Detection, astrometry and cross-identification
We extend the work developed in previous papers on microlensing with a
selection of variable stars. We use the Pixel Method to select variable stars
on a set of 2.5 x 10**6 pixel light curves in the LMC Bar presented elsewhere.
The previous treatment was done in order to optimise the detection of long
timescale variations (larger than a few days) and we further optimise our
analysis for the selection of Long Timescale and Long Period Variables
(LT&LPV). We choose to perform a selection of variable objects as comprehensive
as possible, independent of periodicity and of their position on the colour
magnitude diagram. We detail the different thresholds successively applied to
the light curves, which allow to produce a catalogue of 632 variable objects.
We present a table with the coordinate of each variable, its EROS magnitudes at
one epoch and an indicator of blending in both colours, together with a finding
chart.
A cross-correlation with various catalogues shows that 90% of those variable
objects were undetected before, thus enlarging the sample of LT&LPV previously
known in this area by a factor of 10. Due to the limitations of both the Pixel
Method and the data set, additional data -- namely a longer baseline and near
infrared photometry -- are required to further characterise these variable
stars, as will be addressed in subsequent papers.Comment: 11 pages with 10 figure
Theory of pixel lensing towards M31 I: the density contribution and mass of MACHOs
POINT-AGAPE is an Anglo-French collaboration which is employing the Isaac
Newton Telescope (INT) to conduct a pixel-lensing survey towards M31. In this
paper we investigate what we can learn from pixel-lensing observables about the
MACHO mass and fractional contribution in M31 and the Galaxy for the case of
spherically-symmetric near-isothermal haloes. We employ detailed pixel-lensing
simulations which include many of the factors which affect the observables. For
a maximum MACHO halo we predict an event rate in V of up to 100 per season for
M31 and 40 per season for the Galaxy. However, the Einstein radius crossing
time is generally not measurable and the observed full-width half-maximum
duration provides only a weak tracer of lens mass. Nonetheless, we find that
the near-far asymmetry in the spatial distribution of M31 MACHOs provides
significant information on their mass and density contribution. We present a
likelihood estimator for measuring the fractional contribution and mass of both
M31 and Galaxy MACHOs which permits an unbiased determination to be made of
MACHO parameters, even from data-sets strongly contaminated by variable stars.
If M31 does not have a significant population of MACHOs in the mass range
0.001-1 Solar masses strong limits will result from the first season of INT
observations. Simulations based on currently favoured density and mass values
indicate that, after three seasons, the M31 MACHO parameters should be
constrained to within a factor four uncertainty in halo fraction and an order
of magnitude uncertainty in mass (90% confidence). Interesting constraints on
Galaxy MACHOs may also be possible. For a campaign lasting ten years,
comparable to the lifetime of current LMC surveys, reliable estimates of MACHO
parameters in both galaxies should be possible. (Abridged)Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures. Submitted to MNRA
Lines, Circles, Planes and Spheres
Let be a set of points in , no three collinear and not
all coplanar. If at most are coplanar and is sufficiently large, the
total number of planes determined is at least . For similar conditions and
sufficiently large , (inspired by the work of P. D. T. A. Elliott in
\cite{Ell67}) we also show that the number of spheres determined by points
is at least , and this bound is best
possible under its hypothesis. (By , we are denoting the
maximum number of three-point lines attainable by a configuration of
points, no four collinear, in the plane, i.e., the classic Orchard Problem.)
New lower bounds are also given for both lines and circles.Comment: 37 page
Individual scatterers as microscopic origin of equilibration between spin- polarized edge channels in the quantum Hall regime
The equilibration length between spin-polarized edge states in the Quantum
Hall regime is measured as a function of a gate voltage applied to an electrode
on top of the edge channels. Reproducible fluctuations in the coupling are
observed and interpreted as a mesoscopic fingerprint of single spin-flip
scatterers which are turned on and off. A model to analyze macroscopic edge
state coupling in terms of individual scatterers is developed, and
characteristic values for these scatterers in our samples are extracted. For
all samples investigated, the distance between spin-flip scatterers lies
between the Drude and the quantum scattering length.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Difference Image Analysis of Galactic Microlensing I. Data Analysis
This is a preliminary report on the application of Difference Image Analysis
(DIA) to galactic bulge images. The aim of this analysis is to increase the
sensitivity to the detection of gravitational microlensing. We discuss how the
DIA technique simplifies the process of discovering microlensing events by
detecting only objects which have variable flux. We illustrate how the DIA
technique is not limited to detection of so called ``pixel lensing'' events,
but can also be used to improve photometry for classical microlensing events by
removing the effects of blending. We will present a method whereby DIA can be
used to reveal the true unblended colours, positions and light curves of
microlensing events. We discuss the need for a technique to obtain the accurate
microlensing time scales from blended sources, and present a possible solution
to this problem using the existing HST colour magnitude diagrams of the
galactic bulge and LMC. The use of such a solution with both classical and
pixel microlensing searches is discussed. We show that one of the major causes
of systematic noise in DIA is differential refraction. A technique for removing
this systematic by effectively registering images to a common airmass is
presented. Improvements to commonly used image differencing techniques are
discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, uses AAS LaTEX 4.0, To appear in Astrophysical
Journa
The MUSIC of CLASH: predictions on the concentration-mass relation
We present the results of a numerical study based on the analysis of the
MUSIC-2 simulations, aimed at estimating the expected concentration-mass
relation for the CLASH cluster sample. We study nearly 1400 halos simulated at
high spatial and mass resolution, which were projected along many
lines-of-sight each. We study the shape of both their density and
surface-density profiles and fit them with a variety of radial functions,
including the Navarro-Frenk-White, the generalised Navarro-Frenk-White, and the
Einasto density profiles. We derive concentrations and masses from these fits
and investigate their distributions as a function of redshift and halo
relaxation. We use the X-ray image simulator X-MAS to produce simulated Chandra
observations of the halos and we use them to identify objects resembling the
X-ray morphologies and masses of the clusters in the CLASH X-ray selected
sample. We also derive a concentration-mass relation for strong-lensing
clusters. We find that the sample of simulated halos which resemble the X-ray
morphology of the CLASH clusters is composed mainly by relaxed halos, but it
also contains a significant fraction of un-relaxed systems. For such a sample
we measure an average 2D concentration which is ~11% higher than found for the
full sample of simulated halos. After accounting for projection and selection
effects, the average NFW concentrations of CLASH clusters are expected to be
intermediate between those predicted in 3D for relaxed and super-relaxed halos.
Matching the simulations to the individual CLASH clusters on the basis of the
X-ray morphology, we expect that the NFW concentrations recovered from the
lensing analysis of the CLASH clusters are in the range [3-6], with an average
value of 3.87 and a standard deviation of 0.61. Simulated halos with X-ray
morphologies similar to those of the CLASH clusters are affected by a modest
orientation bias.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables, submitted to Ap
Transient deSUMOylation of IRF2BP proteins controls early transcription in EGFR signaling
Molecular switches are essential modules in signaling networksand transcriptional reprogramming. Here, we describe a role forsmall ubiquitin-related modifier SUMO as a molecular switch inepidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. Using quantita-tive mass spectrometry, we compare the endogenous SUMOproteomes of HeLa cells before and after EGF stimulation. Thereby,we identify a small group of transcriptional coregulators includingIRF2BP1, IRF2BP2, and IRF2BPL as novel players in EGFR signaling.Comparison of cells expressing wild type or SUMOylation-deficientIRF2BP1indicates that transient deSUMOylation of IRF2BP proteinsis important for appropriate expression of immediate early genesincludingdual specificity phosphatase1(DUSP1, MKP-1) and thetranscription factor ATF3. We find that IRF2BP1is a repressor,whose transient deSUMOylation on the DUSP1promoter allows—and whose timely reSUMOylation restricts—DUSP1transcription.Our work thus provides a paradigm how comparative SUMOproteome analyses serve to reveal novel regulators in signal trans-duction and transcription
Evidence for Ubiquitous, High-EW Nebular Emission in z~7 Galaxies: Towards a Clean Measurement of the Specific Star Formation Rate using a Sample of Bright, Magnified Galaxies
Growing observational evidence now indicates that nebular line emission has a
significant impact on the rest-frame optical fluxes of z~5-7 galaxies observed
with Spitzer. This line emission makes z~5-7 galaxies appear more massive, with
lower specific star formation rates. However, corrections for this line
emission have been very difficult to perform reliably due to huge uncertainties
on the overall strength of such emission at z>~5.5. Here, we present the most
direct observational evidence yet for ubiquitous high-EW [OIII]+Hbeta line
emission in Lyman-break galaxies at z~7, while also presenting a strategy for
an improved measurement of the sSFR at z~7. We accomplish this through the
selection of bright galaxies in the narrow redshift window z~6.6-7.0 where the
IRAC 4.5 micron flux provides a clean measurement of the stellar continuum
light. Observed 4.5 micron fluxes in this window contrast with the 3.6 micron
fluxes which are contaminated by the prominent [OIII]+Hbeta lines. To ensure a
high S/N for our IRAC flux measurements, we consider only the brightest
(H_{160}<26 mag) magnified galaxies we have identified in CLASH and other
programs targeting galaxy clusters. Remarkably, the mean rest-frame optical
color for our bright seven-source sample is very blue, [3.6]-[4.5]=-0.9+/-0.3.
Such blue colors cannot be explained by the stellar continuum light and require
that the rest-frame EW of [OIII]+Hbeta be greater than 637 Angstroms for the
average source. The bluest four sources from our seven-source sample require an
even more extreme EW of 1582 Angstroms. Our derived lower limit for the mean
[OIII]+Hbeta EW could underestimate the true EW by ~2x based on a simple
modeling of the redshift distribution of our sources. We can also set a robust
lower limit of >~4 Gyr^-1 on the specific star formation rates based on the
mean SED for our seven-source sample. (abridged)Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
CLASH: z ~ 6 young galaxy candidate quintuply lensed by the frontier field cluster RXC J2248.7-4431
We present a quintuply lensed z ~ 6 candidate discovered in the field of the
galaxy cluster RXC J2248.7-4431 (z ~ 0.348) targeted within the Cluster Lensing
and Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) and selected in the deep HST Frontier
Fields survey. Thanks to the CLASH 16-band HST imaging, we identify the
quintuply lensed z ~ 6 candidate as an optical dropout in the inner region of
the cluster, the brightest image having magAB=24.81+-0.02 in the f105w filter.
We perform a detailed photometric analysis to verify its high-z and lensed
nature. We get as photometric redshift z_phot ~ 5.9, and given the extended
nature and NIR colours of the lensed images, we rule out low-z early type and
galactic star contaminants. We perform a strong lensing analysis of the
cluster, using 13 families of multiple lensed images identified in the HST
images. Our final best model predicts the high-z quintuply lensed system with a
position accuracy of 0.8''. The magnifications of the five images are between
2.2 and 8.3, which leads to a delensed UV luminosity of L_1600 ~ 0.5L*_1600 at
z=6. We also estimate the UV slope from the observed NIR colours, finding a
steep beta=-2.89+-0.38. We use singular and composite stellar population SEDs
to fit the photometry of the hiz candidate, and we conclude that it is a young
(age <300 Myr) galaxy with mass of M ~ 10^8Msol, subsolar metallicity
(Z<0.2Zsol) and low dust content (AV ~ 0.2-0.4).Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables, submitted to MNRAS on 11 Aug 2013,
accepted on 23 Nov 201
Herschel observations in the ultracompact HII region Mon R2: Water in dense Photon-dominated regions (PDRs)
Mon R2, at a distance of 830 pc, is the only ultracompact HII region (UC HII)
where the photon-dominated region (PDR) between the ionized gas and the
molecular cloud can be resolved with Herschel. HIFI observations of the
abundant compounds 13CO, C18O, o-H2-18O, HCO+, CS, CH, and NH have been used to
derive the physical and chemical conditions in the PDR, in particular the water
abundance. The 13CO, C18O, o-H2-18O, HCO+ and CS observations are well
described assuming that the emission is coming from a dense (n=5E6 cm-3,
N(H2)>1E22 cm-2) layer of molecular gas around the UC HII. Based on our
o-H2-18O observations, we estimate an o-H2O abundance of ~2E-8. This is the
average ortho-water abundance in the PDR. Additional H2-18O and/or water lines
are required to derive the water abundance profile. A lower density envelope
(n~1E5 cm-3, N(H2)=2-5E22 cm-2) is responsible for the absorption in the NH
1_1-0_2 line. The emission of the CH ground state triplet is coming from both
regions with a complex and self-absorbed profile in the main component. The
radiative transfer modeling shows that the 13CO and HCO+ line profiles are
consistent with an expansion of the molecular gas with a velocity law, v_e =0.5
x (r/Rout)^{-1} km/s, although the expansion velocity is poorly constrained by
the observations presented here.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
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