341 research outputs found
K Corrections For Type Ia Supernovae and a Test for Spatial Variation of the Hubble Constant
Cross-filter K corrections for a sample of "normal" Type Ia supernovae (SNe)
have been calculated for a range of epochs. With appropriate filter choices,
the combined statistical and systematic K correction dispersion of the full
sample lies within 0.05 mag for redshifts z<0.7. This narrow dispersion of the
calculated K correction allows the Type Ia to be used as a cosmological probe.
We use the K corrections with observations of seven SNe at redshifts 0.3 < z
<0.5 to bound the possible difference between the locally measured Hubble
constant (H_L) and the true cosmological Hubble constant (H_0).Comment: 6 pages, 3 Postscript figures, uuencoded uses crckapb.sty and
psfig.sty. To appear in Thermonuclear Supernovae (NATO ASI), eds. R. Canal,
P. Ruiz-LaPuente, and J. Isern. Postscript version is also available at
http://www-supernova.lbl.gov
Cosmology from Type Ia Supernovae
This presentation reports on first evidence for a
low-mass-density/positive-cosmological-constant universe that will expand
forever, based on observations of a set of 40 high-redshift supernovae. The
experimental strategy, data sets, and analysis techniques are described. More
extensive analyses of these results with some additional methods and data are
presented in the more recent LBNL report #41801 (Perlmutter et al., 1998;
accepted for publication in Ap.J.), astro-ph/9812133 .
This Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reprint is a reduction of a poster
presentation from the Cosmology Display Session #85 on 9 January 1998 at the
American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington D.C. It is also available
on the World Wide Web at http://supernova.LBL.gov/ This work has also been
referenced in the literature by the pre-meeting abstract citation: Perlmutter
et al., B.A.A.S., volume 29, page 1351 (1997).Comment: 9 pages, 8 color figs. Presented at Jan '98 AAS Meeting, also cited
as BAAS,29,1351(1997). Archived here in response to requests; see more
extensive analyses in ApJ paper (astro-ph/9812133
Implications For The Hubble Constant from the First Seven Supernovae at z >= 0.35
The Supernova Cosmology Project has discovered over twenty-eight supernovae
(SNe) at 0.35 <z < 0.65 in an ongoing program that uses Type Ia SNe as
high-redshift distance indicators. Here we present measurements of the ratio
between the locally observed and global Hubble constants, H_0^L/H_0^G, based on
the first 7 SNe of this high-redshift data set compared with 18 SNe at z <= 0.1
from the Calan/Tololo survey. If Omega_M <= 1, then light-curve-width corrected
SN magnitudes yield H_0^L/H_0^G < 1.10 (95% confidence level) in both a
Lambda=0 and a flat universe. The analysis using the SNe Ia as standard candles
without a light-curve-width correction yields similar results. These results
rule out the hypothesis that the discrepant ages of the Universe derived from
globular clusters and recent measurements of the Hubble constant are
attributable to a locally underdense bubble. Using the
Cepheid-distance-calibrated absolute magnitudes for SNe Ia of Sandage (1996},
we can also measure the global Hubble constant, H_0^G. If Omega_M >= 0.2, we
find that H_0^G < 70 km/s/Mpc in a Lambda=0 universe and H_0^G < 78 km/s/Mpc in
a flat universe, correcting the distant and local SN apparent magnitudes for
light curve width. Lower results for H_0^G are obtained if the magnitudes are
not width corrected.Comment: 13 pages, 2 Postscript figures. Preprint also available at
http://www-supernova.lbl.gov . To appear in ApJ Letter
Discovery of a Supernova Explosion at Half the Age of the Universe and its Cosmological Implications
The ultimate fate of the universe, infinite expansion or a big crunch, can be
determined by measuring the redshifts, apparent brightnesses, and intrinsic
luminosities of very distant supernovae. Recent developments have provided
tools that make such a program practicable: (1) Studies of relatively nearby
Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have shown that their intrinsic luminosities can be
accurately determined; (2) New research techniques have made it possible to
schedule the discovery and follow-up observations of distant supernovae,
producing well over 50 very distant (z = 0.3 -- 0.7) SNe Ia to date. These
distant supernovae provide a record of changes in the expansion rate over the
past several billion years. By making precise measurements of supernovae at
still greater distances, and thus extending this expansion history back far
enough in time, we can distinguish the slowing caused by the gravitational
attraction of the universe's mass density Omega_M from the effect of a possibly
inflationary pressure caused by a cosmological constant Lambda. We report here
the first such measurements, with our discovery of a Type Ia supernova (SN
1997ap) at z = 0.83. Measurements at the Keck II 10-m telescope make this the
most distant spectroscopically confirmed supernova. Over two months of
photometry of SN 1997ap with the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based
telescopes, when combined with previous measurements of nearer SNe Ia, suggests
that we may live in a low mass-density universe. Further supernovae at
comparable distances are currently scheduled for ground and space-based
observations.Comment: 12 pages and 4 figures (figure 4 is repeated in color and black and
white) Nature, scheduled for publication in the 1 January, 1998 issue. Also
available at http://www-supernova.lbl.go
Photometry of Variable Stars from Dome A, Antarctica
Dome A on the Antarctic plateau is likely one of the best observing sites on
Earth thanks to the excellent atmospheric conditions present at the site during
the long polar winter night. We present high-cadence time-series aperture
photometry of 10,000 stars with i<14.5 mag located in a 23 square-degree region
centered on the south celestial pole. The photometry was obtained with one of
the CSTAR telescopes during 128 days of the 2008 Antarctic winter.
We used this photometric data set to derive site statistics for Dome A and to
search for variable stars. Thanks to the nearly-uninterrupted synoptic
coverage, we find 6 times as many variables as previous surveys with similar
magnitude limits. We detected 157 variable stars, of which 55% are
unclassified, 27% are likely binaries and 17% are likely pulsating stars. The
latter category includes delta Scuti, gamma Doradus and RR Lyrae variables. One
variable may be a transiting exoplanet.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. PDF version
with high-resolution figures available at
http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/lmacri/papers/wang11.pd
The PLATO Dome A Site-Testing Observatory : instrumentation and first results
The PLATeau Observatory (PLATO) is an automated self-powered astrophysical observatory that was deployed to Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic plateau, in 2008 January. PLATO consists of a suite of site-testing instruments designed to quantify the benefits of the Dome A site for astronomy, and science instruments designed to take advantage of the unique observing conditions. Instruments include CSTAR, an array of optical telescopes for transient astronomy; Gattini, an instrument to measure the optical sky brightness and cloud cover statistics; DASLE, an experiment to measure the statistics of the meteorological conditions within the near-surface layer; Pre-HEAT, a submillimeter tipping radiometer measuring the atmospheric transmission and water vapor content and performing spectral line imaging of the Galactic plane; and Snodar, an acoustic radar designed to measure turbulence within the near-surface layer. PLATO has run completely unattended and collected data throughout the winter 2008 season. Here we present a detailed description of the PLATO instrument suite and preliminary results obtained from the first season of operation
Cathepsin K inhibitors increase distal femoral bone mineral density in rapidly growing rabbits
The distant Type Ia supernova rate
We present a measurement of the rate of distant Type Ia supernovae derived
using 4 large subsets of data from the Supernova Cosmology Project. Within this
fiducial sample, which surveyed about 12 square degrees, thirty-eight
supernovae were detected at redshifts 0.25--0.85. In a spatially-flat
cosmological model consistent with the results obtained by the Supernova
Cosmology Project, we derive a rest-frame Type Ia supernova rate at a mean
redshift of or (1 SNu = 1 supernova per century per
\Lbsun), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second
includes systematic effects. The dependence of the rate on the assumed
cosmological parameters is studied and the redshift dependence of the rate per
unit comoving volume is contrasted with local estimates in the context of
possible cosmic star formation histories and progenitor models.Comment: 40 pages and 7 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journal. Preprint also available at http://supernova.lbl.go
The sky brightness and transparency in i-band at Dome A, Antarctica
The i-band observing conditions at Dome A on the Antarctic plateau have been
investigated using data acquired during 2008 with the Chinese Small Telescope
ARray. The sky brightness, variations in atmospheric transparency, cloud cover,
and the presence of aurorae are obtained from these images. The median sky
brightness of moonless clear nights is 20.5 mag arcsec^{-2} in the SDSS
band at the South Celestial Pole (which includes a contribution of about 0.06
mag from diffuse Galactic light). The median over all Moon phases in the
Antarctic winter is about 19.8 mag arcsec^{-2}. There were no thick clouds in
2008. We model contributions of the Sun and the Moon to the sky background to
obtain the relationship between the sky brightness and transparency. Aurorae
are identified by comparing the observed sky brightness to the sky brightness
expected from this model. About 2% of the images are affected by relatively
strong aurorae.Comment: There are 1 Latex file and 14 figures accepted by A
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