301 research outputs found
Diffuse stellar component in galaxy clusters and the evolution of the most massive galaxies at z<~1
The high end of the stellar mass function of galaxies is observed to have
little evolution since z~1. This represents a stringent constraint for
merger--based models, aimed at explaining the evolution of the most massive
galaxies in the concordance LambdaCDM cosmology. In this Letter we show that it
is possible to remove the tension between the above observations and model
predictions by allowing a fraction of stars to be scattered to the Diffuse
Stellar Component (DSC) of galaxy clusters at each galaxy merger, as recently
suggested by the analysis of N-body hydrodynamical simulations. To this
purpose, we use the MORGANA model of galaxy formation in a minimal version, in
which gas cooling and star formation are switched off after z=1. In this way,
any predicted evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function is purely driven by
mergers. We show that, even in this extreme case, the predicted degree of
evolution of the high end of the stellar mass function is larger than that
suggested by data. Assuming instead that a significant fraction, ~30 per cent,
of stars are scattered in the DSC at each merger event, leads to a significant
suppression of the predicted evolution, in better agreement with observational
constraints, while providing a total amount of DSC in clusters which is
consistent with recent observational determinations.Comment: 5 pages, figures included; ApJ Letters, in press. Revision: reference
adde
Unveiling Palomar 2: The Most Obscure Globular Cluster in the Outer Halo
We present the first color-magnitude study for Palomar 2, a distant and
heavily obscured globular cluster near the Galactic anticenter. Our (V,V-I)
color-magnitude diagram (CMD), obtained with the UH8K camera at the CFHT,
reaches V(lim) = 24 and clearly shows the principal sequences of the cluster,
though with substantial overall foreground absorption and differential
reddening. The CMD morphology shows a well populated red horizontal branch with
a sparser extension to the blue, similar to clusters such as NGC 1261, 1851, or
6229 with metallicities near [Fe/H] = -1.3, placing it about 34 kpc
from the Galactic center. We use starcounts of the bright stars to measure the
core radius, half-mass radius, and central concentration of the cluster. Its
integrated luminosity is M_V = -7.9, making it clearly brighter and more
massive than most other clusters in the outer halo.Comment: 25 pages, aastex, with 8 postscript figures; accepted for publication
in AJ, September 1997. Also available by e-mail from
[email protected]. Please consult Harris directly for (big)
postscript files of Figures 1a,b (the images of the cluster
The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XVIII. Measurement and Calibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for Bright Galaxies in Virgo (and Beyond)
We describe a program to measure surface brightness fluctuation (SBF)
distances to galaxies observed in the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey
(NGVS), a photometric imaging survey covering of the Virgo cluster
in the bandpasses with the Canada-France Hawaii Telescope. We
describe the selection of the sample galaxies, the procedures for measuring the
apparent -band SBF magnitude , and the calibration of the absolute
as a function of observed stellar population properties. The
multi-band NGVS data set provides multiple options for calibrating the SBF
distances, and we explore various calibrations involving individual color
indices as well as combinations of two different colors. Within the color range
of the present sample, the two-color calibrations do not significantly improve
the scatter with respect to wide-baseline, single-color calibrations involving
. We adopt the calibration as reference for the present
galaxy sample, with an observed scatter of 0.11 mag. For a few cases that lack
good photometry, we use an alternative relation based on a combination
of and colors, with only a slightly larger observed scatter of
0.12 mag. The agreement of our measurements with the best existing distance
estimates provides confidence that our measurements are accurate. We present a
preliminary catalog of distances for 89 galaxies brighter than
mag within the survey footprint, including members of the background M and W
Clouds at roughly twice the distance of the main body of the Virgo cluster. The
extension of the present work to fainter and bluer galaxies is in progress.Comment: ApJ accepte
Vortex deformation and breaking in superconductors: A microscopic description
Vortex breaking has been traditionally studied for nonuniform critical
current densities, although it may also appear due to nonuniform pinning force
distributions. In this article we study the case of a
high-pinning/low-pinning/high-pinning layered structure. We have developed an
elastic model for describing the deformation of a vortex in these systems in
the presence of a uniform transport current density for any arbitrary
orientation of the transport current and the magnetic field. If is above a
certain critical value, , the vortex breaks and a finite effective
resistance appears. Our model can be applied to some experimental
configurations where vortex breaking naturally exists. This is the case for
YBaCuO (YBCO) low angle grain boundaries and films on vicinal
substrates, where the breaking is experienced by Abrikosov-Josephson vortices
(AJV) and Josephson string vortices (SV), respectively. With our model, we have
experimentally extracted some intrinsic parameters of the AJV and SV, such as
the line tension and compared it to existing predictions based on
the vortex structure.Comment: 11 figures in 13 files; minor changes after printing proof
Photometry and the Metallicity Distribution of the Outer Halo of M31. II. The 30 Kpc Field
We present the results of a wide-field (V,I) photometric study of the
red-giant branch (RGB) stars in the outer halo of M31, in a field located 30 to
35 kpc from the center of the galaxy along the southeast minor axis. At this
remote location, we find that RGB stars belonging to M31 are sparsely but
definitely present, after statistical subtraction of field contamination. We
derive the metallicity distribution (MDF) for the halo stars using
interpolation within a standard (I,V-I) grid of RGB evolutionary tracks. The
halo MDF is quite broad but dominated by a moderately high-metallicity
population peaking at [m/H] ~ -0.5, strikingly different from the [m/H] ~ -1.3
level which characterizes the outer halo of the Milky Way. However,the shape
and peak metallicity for this region are entirely similar to those found in
other studies for the inner regions of the M31 halo, particularly our previous
study of a 20-kpc region (Durrell, Harris, & Pritchet 2001) employing similar
data. In summary, we find no evidence for a metallicity gradient or systematic
change in the MDF out to quite large distances in the M31 halo: it appears to
be a homogeneous and moderately metal-rich subsystem of the galaxy at all
locations. The star counts in the 30-kpc field are also consistent with the
r^1/4 law that fits the interior regions of the M31 spheroid surface brightness
profile. The metal-rich MDF and the r^1/4 spheroid suggests M31 more strongly
resembles a giant elliptical galaxy than other, Milky-Way-like, spirals.Comment: 28 pages, including 9 figures; accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journa
Photometry and the Metallicity Distribution of the Outer Halo of M31
We have conducted a wide-field CCD-mosaic study of the resolved red-giant
branch (RGB) stars of M31, in a field located 20 kpc from the nucleus along the
SE minor axis. In our (I, V-I) color-magnitude diagram, RGB stars in the top
three magnitudes of the M31 halo are strongly present. Photometry of a more
distant control field to subtract field contamination is used to derive the
`cleaned' luminosity function and metallicity distribution function (MDF) of
the M31 halo field. From the color distribution of the foreground Milky Way
halo stars, we find a reddening E(V-I)= 0.10 +/- 0.02 for this field, and from
the luminosity of the RGB tip, we determine a distance modulus (m-M)_o = 24.47
+/- 0.12 (= 783 +/- 43 kpc). The MDF is derived from interpolation within an
extensive new grid of RGB models (Vandenberg et al. 2000). The MDF is dominated
by a moderately high-metallicity population ([m/H]~ -0.5) found previously in
more interior M31 halo/bulge fields, and is much more metal-rich than the
[m/H]~ -1.5 level in the Milky Way halo. A significant (~30% - 40%, depending
on AGB star contribution) metal-poor population is also present. To first
order, the shape of the MDF resembles that predicted by a simple,
single-component model of chemical evolution starting from primordial gas with
an effective yield y=0.0055. It strongly resembles the MDF recently found for
the outer halo of the giant elliptical NGC 5128 (Harris et al. 2000), though
NGC 5128 has an even lower fraction of low-metallicity stars. Intriguingly, in
both NGC 5128 and M31, the metallicity distribution of the globular clusters in
M31 does not match the halo stars; the clusters are far more heavily weighted
to metal-poor objects. We suggest similarities in the formation and early
evolution of massive, spheroidal stellar systems.Comment: to appear in the Astronomical Journal; 43 pages, including 15 figure
Methane in underground air in Gibraltar karst
AbstractLittle is known about the abundance and geochemical behaviour of gaseous methane in the unsaturated zone of karst terrains. The concentrations and δ13C of methane in background atmosphere, soil air and cave air collected at monthly intervals over a 4yr period are reported for St. Michaels Cave, Gibraltar, where the regional climate, surface and cave processes are well documented. Methane concentrations measured in Gibraltar soil are lower than the local background atmosphere average of 1868ppb and fall to <500ppb. The abundanceâδ13C relationships in soil air methane lack strong seasonality and suggest mixing between atmosphere and a 12C depleted residue after methanotrophic oxidation. Methane abundances in cave air are also lower than the local background atmosphere average but show strong seasonality that is related to ventilation-controlled annual cycles shown by CO2. Cave air methane abundances are lowest in the CO2-rich air that outflows from cave entrances during the winter and show strong inverse relationship between CH4 abundance and δ13C which is diagnostic of methanotrophy within the cave and unsaturated zone. Anomalies in the soil and cave air seasonal patterns characterised by transient elevated CH4 mixing ratios with δ13C values lower than â47â° suggests intermittent biogenic input. Dynamically ventilated Gibraltar caves may act as a net sink for atmospheric methane
The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. XII. Stellar Populations and Kinematics of Compact, Low-Mass Early-Type Galaxies from Gemini GMOS-IFU Spectroscopy
We present Gemini GMOS-IFU data of eight compact low-mass early-type galaxies
(ETGs) in the Virgo cluster. We analyse their stellar kinematics, stellar
population, and present two-dimensional maps of these properties covering the
central 5"x 7" region. We find a large variety of kinematics: from non- to
highly-rotating objects, often associated with underlying disky isophotes
revealed by deep images from the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. In half
of our objects, we find a centrally-concentrated younger and more metal-rich
stellar population. We analyze the specific stellar angular momentum through
the lambdaR parameter and find six fast-rotators and two slow-rotators, one
having a thin counter-rotating disk. We compare the local galaxy density and
stellar populations of our objects with those of 39 more extended low-mass
Virgo ETGs from the SMAKCED survey and 260 massive (\Msun) ETGs from
the A3D sample. The compact low-mass ETGs in our sample are located in high
density regions, often close to a massive galaxy and have, on average, older
and more metal-rich stellar populations than less compact low-mass galaxies. We
find that the stellar population parameters follow lines of constant velocity
dispersion in the mass-size plane, smoothly extending the comparable trends
found for massive ETGs. Our study supports a scenario where low-mass compact
ETGs have experienced long-lived interactions with their environment, including
ram-pressure stripping and gravitational tidal forces, that may be responsible
for their compact nature.Comment: Accepted in ApJ, 19 pages, 10 figure
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