995 research outputs found
Ongoing Formation of Bulges and Black Holes in the Local Universe: New Insights from GALEX
We analyze a volume-limited sample of massive bulge-dominated galaxies with
data from both the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer
(GALEX) satellite. The galaxies have central velocity dispersions greater than
100 km/s and stellar surface mass densities that lie above the value where
galaxies transition from actively star forming to passive systems. The sample
is limited to redshifts 0.03<z<0.07. At these distances, the SDSS spectra
sample the light from the bulge-dominated central regions of the galaxies. The
GALEX NUV data provide high sensitivity to low rates of global star formation
in these systems. Our sample of bulge-dominated galaxies exhibits a much larger
dispersion in NUV-r colour than in optical g-r colour. Nearly all of the
galaxies with bluer NUV-r colours are AGN. Both GALEX images and SDSS colour
profiles demonstrate that the excess UV light is associated with an extended
disk. We find that galaxies with red outer regions almost never have a young
bulge or a strong AGN. Galaxies with blue outer regions have bulges and black
holes that span a wide range in age and accretion rate. Galaxies with young
bulges and strongly accreting black holes almost always have blue outer disks.
Our suggested scenario is one in which the source of gas that builds the bulge
and black hole is a low mass reservoir of cold gas in the disk.The presence of
this gas is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for bulge and black hole
growth. Some mechanism must transport this gas inwards in a time variable way.
As the gas in the disk is converted into stars, the galaxies will turn red, but
further gas infall can bring them back into the blue NUV-r sequence.(Abridged)Comment: 34 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for the GALEX special issue of ApJ
The GALEX Ultraviolet Atlas of Nearby Galaxies
We present images, integrated photometry, and surface-brightness and color profiles for a total of 1034 nearby galaxies recently observed by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite in its far-ultraviolet (FUV; λ_(eff) = 1516 Ă
) and near-ultraviolet (NUV; λ_(eff) = 2267 Ă
) bands. Our catalog of objects is derived primarily from the GALEX Nearby Galaxies Survey (NGS) supplemented by galaxies larger than 1' in diameter serendipitously found in these fields and in other GALEX exposures of similar of greater depth. The sample analyzed here adequately describes the distribution and full range of properties (luminosity, color, star formation rate [SFR]) of galaxies in the local universe. From the surface brightness profiles obtained we have computed asymptotic magnitudes, colors, and luminosities, along with the concentration indices C31 and C42. We have also morphologically classified the UV surface brightness profiles according to their shape. This data set has been complemented with archival optical, near-infrared, and far-infrared fluxes and colors. We find that the integrated (FUV â K) color provides robust discrimination between elliptical and spiral/irregular galaxies and also among spiral galaxies of different subtypes. Elliptical galaxies with brighter K-band luminosities (i.e., more massive) are redder in (NUV â K) color but bluer in (FUV â NUV) (a color sensitive to the presence of a strong UV upturn) than less massive ellipticals. In the case of the spiral/irregular galaxies our analysis shows the presence of a relatively tight correlation between the (FUV â NUV) color (or, equivalently, the slope of the UV spectrum, ÎČ) and the total infrared-to-UV ratio. The correlation found between (FUV â NUV) color and K-band luminosity (with lower luminosity objects being bluer than more luminous ones) can be explained as due to an increase in the dust content with galaxy luminosity. The images in this Atlas along with the profiles and integrated properties are publicly available through a dedicated Web page
Preference-Adaptive Randomization in Comparative Effectiveness Studies
Background
Determination of comparative effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial requires consideration of an interventionâs comparative uptake (or acceptance) among randomized participants and the interventionâs comparative efficacy among participants who use their assigned intervention. If acceptance differs across interventions, then simple randomization of participants can result in post-randomization losses that introduce bias and limit statistical power.
Methods
We develop a novel preference-adaptive randomization procedure in which the allocation probabilities are updated based on the inverse of the relative acceptance rates among randomized participants in each arm. In simulation studies, we determine the optimal frequency with which to update the allocation probabilities based on the number of participants randomized. We illustrate the development and application of preference-adaptive randomization using a randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of different financial incentive structures on prolonged smoking cessation.
Results
Simulation studies indicated that preference-adaptive randomization performed best with frequent updating, accommodated differences in acceptance across arms, and performed well even if the initial values for the allocation probabilities were not equal to their true values. Updating the allocation probabilities after randomizing each participant minimized imbalances in the number of accepting participants across arms over time. In the smoking cessation trial, unexpectedly large differences in acceptance among arms required us to limit the allocation of participants to less acceptable interventions. Nonetheless, the procedure achieved equal numbers of accepting participants in the more acceptable arms, and balanced the characteristics of participants across assigned interventions.
Conclusions
Preference-adaptive randomization, coupled with analysis methods based on instrumental variables, can enhance the validity and generalizability of comparative effectiveness studies. In particular, preference-adaptive randomization augments statistical power by maintaining balanced sample sizes in efficacy analyses, while retaining the ability of randomization to balance covariates across arms in effectiveness analyses
The UV-Optical Galaxy Color-Magnitude Diagram. I. Basic Properties
We have analyzed the bivariate distribution of galaxies as a function of ultraviolet-optical colors and absolute magnitudes in the local universe. The sample consists of galaxies with redshifts and optical photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) main galaxy sample matched with detections in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) bands in the Medium Imaging Survey being carried out by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. In the (NUV â r)_(0.1) versus M_(r,0.1) galaxy color-magnitude diagram, the galaxies separate into two well-defined blue and red sequences. The (NUV â r)_(0.1) color distribution at each M_(r,0.1) is not well fit by the sum of two Gaussians due to an excess of galaxies in between the two sequences. The peaks of both sequences become redder with increasing luminosity, with a distinct blue peak visible up to M_(r,0.1) ~ â 23. The r_(0.1)-band luminosity functions vary systematically with color, with the faint-end slope and characteristic luminosity gradually increasing with color. After correcting for attenuation due to dust, we find that approximately one-quarter of the color variation along the blue sequence is due to dust, with the remainder due to star formation history and metallicity. Finally, we present the distribution of galaxies as a function of specific star formation rate and stellar mass. The specific star formation rates imply that galaxies along the blue sequence progress from low-mass galaxies with star formation rates that increase somewhat with time to more massive galaxies with a more or less constant star formation rate. Above a stellar mass of ~10^(10.5) M_â, galaxies with low ratios of current to past averaged star formation rate begin to dominate
The Calibration and Data Products of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer
We describe the calibration status and data products pertaining to the GR2
and GR3 data releases of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). These releases
have identical pipeline calibrations that are significantly improved over the
GR1 data release. GALEX continues to survey the sky in the Far Ultraviolet
(FUV, ~154 nm) and Near Ultraviolet (NUV, ~232 nm) bands, providing
simultaneous imaging with a pair of photon counting, microchannel plate, delay
line readout detectors. These 1.25 degree field-of-view detectors are
well-suited to ultraviolet observations because of their excellent red
rejection and negligible background. A dithered mode of observing and photon
list output pose complex requirements on the data processing pipeline,
entangling detector calibrations and aspect reconstruction algorithms. Recent
improvements have achieved photometric repeatability of 0.05 and 0.03 mAB in
the FUV and NUV, respectively. We have detected a long term drift of order 1%
FUV and 6% NUV over the mission. Astrometric precision is of order 0.5" RMS in
both bands. In this paper we provide the GALEX user with a broad overview of
the calibration issues likely to be confronted in the current release.
Improvements are likely as the GALEX mission continues into an extended phase
with a healthy instrument, no consumables, and increased opportunities for
guest investigations.Comment: Accepted to the ApJS (a special GALEX issue
Ly alpha-emitting galaxies at 0.2 < z < 0.35 from GALEX spectroscopy
We have used the GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer) spectroscopic survey mode, with a resolution of similar to 8 angstrom in the far-ultraviolet (FUV; 1350-1750 angstrom) and similar to 20 angstrom in the near-ultraviolet (NUV; 1950-2750 angstrom) for a systematic search of Ly alpha-emitting galaxies at low redshift. Our aim is to fill a gap between high-redshift surveys and a small set of objects studied in detail in the nearby universe. A blind search of 7018 spectra extracted in five deep exposures (5.65 deg(2)) has resulted in 96 Ly alpha-emitting galaxy candidates in the FUV domain after accounting for broad-line AGNs. The Ly alpha equivalent widths (EWs) are consistent with stellar population model predictions and show no trends as a function of UV color or UV luminosity, with the exception of a possible decrease in the most luminous objects that may be due to small-number statistics. The objects' distribution in EW is similar to that at z similar to 3, but their fraction among star-forming galaxies is smaller. Avoiding uncertain candidates, a subsample of 66 objects in the range 0.2 < z < 0.35 has been used to build a Ly alpha luminosity function (LF). The incompleteness due to objects with significant Ly alpha emission but a UV continuum too low for spectral extraction has been evaluated. A comparison with H alpha LFs in the same redshift domain is consistent with an average Ly alpha/H alpha of similar to 1 in about 15% of the star-forming galaxies. A comparison with high-redshift Ly alpha LFs implies an increase of the Ly alpha luminosity density by a factor of about 16 from z similar to 0.3 to z similar to 3. By comparison with the factor of 5 increase in the UV luminosity density in the same redshift range, this suggests an increase of the average Ly alpha escape fraction with redshift
Recent star formation in nearby galaxies from GALEX imaging:M101 and M51
The GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer) Nearby Galaxies Survey is providing
deep far-UV and near-UV imaging for a representative sample of galaxies in the
local universe. We present early results for M51 and M101, from GALEX UV
imaging and SDSS optical data in five bands. The multi-band photometry of
compact stellar complexes in M101 is compared to population synthesis models,
to derive ages, reddening, reddening-corrected luminosities and current/initial
masses. The GALEX UV photometry provides a complete census of young compact
complexes on a approximately 160pc scale. A galactocentric gradient of the
far-UV - near-UV color indicates younger stellar populations towards the outer
parts of the galaxy disks, the effect being more pronounced in M101 than in
M51.Comment: This paper will be published as part of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer
(GALEX) Astrophysical Journal Letters Special Issue. Full paper available
from http://dolomiti.pha.jhu.edu . Links to full set of papers will be
available at http://www.galex.caltech.edu/PUBLICATIONS/ after November 22,
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The Young and the Dustless: Interpreting Radio Observations of UltraViolet Luminous Galaxies
Ultraviolet Luminous Galaxies (UVLGs) have been identified as intensely
star-forming, nearby galaxies. A subset of these, the supercompact UVLGs, are
believed to be local analogs of high redshift Lyman Break Galaxies. Here we
investigate the radio continuum properties of this important population for the
first time. We have observed 42 supercompact UVLGs with the VLA, all of which
have extensive coverage in the UV/optical by GALEX and SDSS. Our analysis
includes comparison samples of multiwavelength data from the Spitzer First Look
Survey and from the SDSS-Galex matched catalogs. In addition we have Spitzer
MIPS data for 24 of our galaxies and find that they fall on the radio-FIR
correlation of normal star-forming galaxies. We find that our galaxies have
lower radio-to-UV ratios and lower Balmer decrements than other local galaxies
with similar (high) star formation rates. Optical spectra show they have lower
Dn(4000) and HdeltaA indices, higher Hbeta emission-line equivalents widths,
and higher [OIII]5007/Hbeta emission-line ratios than normal star forming
galaxies. Comparing these results to galaxy spectral evolution models we
conclude that supercompact UVLGs are distinguished from normal star forming
galaxies firstly by their high specific star formation rates. Moreover,
compared to other types of galaxies with similar star formation rates, they
have significantly less dust attenuation. In both regards they are similar to
Lyman Break Galaxies. This suggests that the process that causes star formation
in the supercompact UVLGs differs from other local star forming galaxies, but
may be similar to Lyman Break Galaxies.Comment: 37 pages, 13 figures, accepted and scheduled to appear in ApJS
December 2007 (GALEX Special Issue
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