284 research outputs found
Temperature measurements with the relativistic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect
At temperatures above ∼5 keV, the non-relativistic approximation used to derive the classical thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect spectrum begins to fail. When relativistic effects are included, the spectrum becomes temperature-dependent. This leads to both a problem and an opportunity: a problem, because when the temperature dependence is not accounted for the Compton-y estimate is biased; and an opportunity, because it represents a new way to measure the temperature of the intracluster medium independently of X-ray observations. This work presents current results from investigating the impact of relativistic effects on Planck cluster observations, and projections for future measurements of cluster temperatures using the Atacama Large Aperture Sub-millimetre Telescope
Investigating the source of Planck-detected AME: high resolution observations at 15 GHz
The Planck 28.5 GHz maps were searched for potential Anomalous Microwave
Emission (AME) regions on the scale of or smaller, and several
new regions of interest were selected. Ancillary data at both lower and higher
frequencies were used to construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs), which
seem to confirm an excess consistent with spinning dust models. Here we present
higher resolution observations of two of these new regions with the Arcminute
Microkelvin Imager Small Array (AMI SA) between 14 and 18 GHz to test for the
presence of a compact (10 arcmin or smaller) component. For
AME-G107.1+5.2, dominated by the {\sc Hii} region S140, we find evidence for
the characteristic rising spectrum associated with the either the spinning dust
mechanism for AME or an ultra/hyper-compact \textsc{Hii} region across the AMI
frequency band, however for AME-G173.6+2.8 we find no evidence for AME on
scales of arcmin.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to Advances in Astronomy AME
Special Issu
Probing the evolution of galaxy clusters using SZ effect and non-thermal emission: First results from A1413
Mass is the most fundamental property of galaxy clusters. However, measuring it is still a challenge. Calibrating mass from intracluster medium observables such as the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) effect is subject to uncertainty and biases because of the hydrostatic equilibrium assumption. On the other hand, merging cluster systems have been shown to exhibit radio emission which implies a link with disturbances from hydrostatic equilibrium. We present work on studying deviations of galaxy cluster gas pressure profile from the average (universal) pressure profile using an example of galaxy cluster Abell 1413 with SZ effect data from the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager and Planck. This cluster has also been observed at low radio frequency with the Murchison Widefield Array allowing the investigation of links between gas pressure profile deviations and the presence of radio emission
Power spectrum estimation methods on intracluster medium surface brightness fluctuations
Accurate estimation of galaxy cluster masses is a central problem in cosmology. Turbulence is believed to introduce significant deviations from the hydrostatic mass estimates. Estimation of turbulence properties is complicated by projection of the 3D cluster onto the 2D plane of the sky, and is commonly done in the form of indirect probes from fluctuations in the X-ray surface brightness and Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect maps. In this paper, we address this problem using simulations. We examine different methods for estimating the power spectrum on 2D projected fluctuation data, emulating data projected onto a 2D plane of the sky, and comparing them to the original, expected 3D power spectrum. Noise can contaminate the power spectrum of ICM observations, so we also briefly compare a few methods of reducing noise in the images for better spectral estimation
A semi-parametric approach to fitting gas pressure profiles of galaxy clusters
This study focuses on modelling galaxy cluster gas profiles via a semi-parametric nodal approach. While traditional methods like the generalised Navarro–Frenk–White (gNFW) often encounter parameter degeneracy, our flexible node-based method precisely defines a cluster gas pressure profile. Using Planck space telescope data from the Coma region, our model, focused on the pressure-radius relationship, showcases enhanced flexibility over the gNFW. Bayesian analyses indicated an optimal five-node structure for the Coma cluster pressure profile
Using cm observations to constrain the abundance of very small dust grains in Galactic cold cores
In this analysis, we illustrate how the relatively new emission mechanism, known as spinning dust, can be used to characterize dust grains in the interstellar medium. We demonstrate this by using spinning dust emission observations to constrain the abundance of very small dust grains (a ≲ 10 nm) in a sample of Galactic cold cores. Using the physical properties of the cores in our sample as inputs to a spinning dust model, we predict the expected level of emission at a wavelength of 1 cm for four different very small dust grain abundances, which we constrain by comparing to 1 cm CARMA observations. For all of our cores, we find a depletion of very small grains, which we suggest is due to the process of grain growth. This work represents the first time that spinning dust emission has been used to constrain the physical properties of interstellar dust grains
A detailed radio study of the energetic, nearby, and puzzling GRB 171010A
We present the results of an intensive multi-epoch radio frequency campaign
on the energetic and nearby GRB 171010A with the Karl G. Janksy Very Large
Array and Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Large Array. We began observing GRB
171010A a day after its initial detection, and were able to monitor the
temporal and spectral evolution of the source over the following weeks. The
spectra and their evolution are compared to the canonical theories for
broadband GRB afterglows, with which we find a general agreement. There are,
however, a number of features that are challenging to explain with a simple
forward shock model, and we discuss possible reasons for these discrepancies.
This includes the consideration of the existence of a reverse shock component,
potential microphysical parameter evolution and the effect of scintillation
Using Spinning Dust Emission To Constrain The Abundance Of Very Small Dust Grains In Dense Cores
We present the first analysis of using spinning dust emission as a method to characterise the properties of very small interstellar dust grains in dense cores
Rapid radio flaring during an anomalous outburst of SS Cyg
The connection between accretion and jet production in accreting white dwarf binary systems, especially dwarf novae, is not well understood. Radio wavelengths provide key insights into the mechanisms responsible for accelerating electrons, including jets and outflows. Here, we present densely sampled radio coverage, obtained with the Arcminute MicroKelvin Imager Large Array, of the dwarf nova SS Cyg during its 2016 February anomalous outburst. The outburst displayed a slower rise (3 dmag-1) in the optical than typical ones and lasted for more than three weeks. Rapid radio flaring on time-scales <1 h was seen throughout the outburst. The most intriguing behaviour in the radio was towards the end of the outburst where a fast, luminous ('giant'), flare peaking at ~20 mJy and lasting for 15 min was observed. This is the first time that such a flare has been observed in SS Cyg and insufficient coverage could explain its non-detection in previous outbursts. These data, together with past radio observations, are consistent with synchrotron emission from plasma ejection events as being the origin of the radio flares. However, the production of the giant flare during the declining accretion rate phase remains unexplained within the standard accretion-jet framework and appears to be markedly different to similar patterns of behaviour in X-ray binaries
AMI-LA Observations of the SuperCLASS Super-cluster
We present a deep survey of the SuperCLASS super-cluster - a region of sky
known to contain five Abell clusters at redshift - performed using
the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) Large Array (LA) at 15.5GHz. Our
survey covers an area of approximately 0.9 square degrees. We achieve a nominal
sensitivity of Jy beam toward the field centre, finding 80
sources above a threshold. We derive the radio colour-colour
distribution for sources common to three surveys that cover the field and
identify three sources with strongly curved spectra - a high-frequency-peaked
source and two GHz-peaked-spectrum sources. The differential source count (i)
agrees well with previous deep radio source count, (ii) exhibits no evidence of
an emerging population of star-forming galaxies, down to a limit of 0.24mJy,
and (iii) disagrees with some models of the 15GHz source population.
However, our source count is in agreement with recent work that provides an
analytical correction to the source count from the SKADS Simulated Sky,
supporting the suggestion that this discrepancy is caused by an abundance of
flat-spectrum galaxy cores as-yet not included in source population models.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
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