1,889 research outputs found
IR observations of MS 1054-03: Star Formation and its Evolution in Rich Galaxy Clusters
We study the infrared (IR) properties of galaxies in the cluster MS 1054-03
at z=0.83 by combining MIPS 24 micron data with spectra of more than 400
galaxies and a very deep K-band selected catalog. 19 IR cluster members are
selected spectroscopically, and an additional 15 are selected by their
photometric redshifts. We derive the IR luminosity function of the cluster and
find strong evolution compared to the similar-mass Coma cluster. The best
fitting Schechter function gives L*_{IR}=11.49 +0.30/-0.29 L_sun with a fixed
faint end slope, about one order of magnitude larger than that in Coma. The
rate of evolution of the IR luminosity from Coma to MS 1054-03 is consistent
with that found in field galaxies, and it suggests that some internal
mechanism, e.g., the consumption of the gas fuel, is responsible for the
general decline of the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) in different
environments. The mass-normalized integrated SFR within 0.5R_200 in MS 1054-03
also shows evolution compared with other rich clusters at lower redshifts, but
the trend is less conclusive if the mass selection effect is considered. A
nonnegligible fraction (13%) of cluster members, are forming stars actively and
the overdensity of IR galaxies is about 20 compared to the field. It is
unlikely that clusters only passively accrete star forming galaxies from the
surrounding fields and have their star formation quenched quickly afterward;
instead, many cluster galaxies still have large amounts of gas, and their star
formation may be enhanced by the interaction with the cluster.Comment: 49 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Ap
Detecting new physics contributions to the D0-D0bar mixing through their effects on B decays
New physics effects may yield a detectable mass difference in the D0-D0bar
system, Delta m_D. Here we show that this has an important impact on some B -->
D decays. The effect involves a new source of CP violation, which arises from
the interference between the phases in the B --> D decays and those in the
D0-D0bar system. This interference is naturally large. New physics may well
manifest itself through Delta m_D contributions to these B decays.Comment: 10 pages, Revtex, no figures. To appear in PR
Impact of D0-D0bar mixing on the experimental determination of gamma
Several methods have been devised to measure the weak phase gamma using
decays of the type B+- --> D K+-, where it is assumed that there is no mixing
in the D0-D0bar system. However, when using these methods to uncover new
physics, one must entertain the real possibility that the measurements are
affected by new physics effects in the D0-D0bar system. We show that even
values of x_D and/or y_D around 10^{-2} can have a significant impact in the
measurement of sin^2{gamma}. We discuss the errors incurred in neglecting this
effect, how the effect can be checked, and how to include it in the analysis.Comment: 18 pages, Latex with epsfig, 8 figure
Spitzer view on the evolution of star-forming galaxies from z=0 to z~3
We use a 24 micron selected sample containing more than 8,000 sources to
study the evolution of star-forming galaxies in the redshift range from z=0 to
z~3. We obtain photometric redshifts for most of the sources in our survey
using a method based on empirically-built templates spanning from ultraviolet
to mid-infrared wavelengths. The accuracy of these redshifts is better than 10%
for 80% of the sample. The derived redshift distribution of the sources
detected by our survey peaks at around z=0.6-1.0 (the location of the peak
being affected by cosmic variance), and decays monotonically from z~1 to z~3.
We have fitted infrared luminosity functions in several redshift bins in the
range 0<z<~3. Our results constrain the density and/or luminosity evolution of
infrared-bright star-forming galaxies. The typical infrared luminosity (L*)
decreases by an order of magnitude from z~2 to the present. The cosmic star
formation rate (SFR) density goes as (1+z)^{4.0\pm0.2} from z=0 to z=0.8. From
z=0.8 to z~1.2, the SFR density continues rising with a smaller slope. At
1.2<z<3, the cosmic SFR density remains roughly constant. The SFR density is
dominated at low redshift (z<0.5) by galaxies which are not very luminous in
the infrared (L_TIR<1.e11 L_sun, where L_TIR is the total infrared luminosity,
integrated from 8 to 1000 micron). The contribution from luminous and
ultraluminous infrared galaxies (L_TIR>1.e11 L_sun) to the total SFR density
increases steadily from z~0 up to z~2.5, forming at least half of the
newly-born stars by z~1.5. Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (L_TIR>1.e12 L_sun)
play a rapidly increasing role for z>~1.3.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
A Search for Dark Matter Annihilation with the Whipple 10m Telescope
We present observations of the dwarf galaxies Draco and Ursa Minor, the local
group galaxies M32 and M33, and the globular cluster M15 conducted with the
Whipple 10m gamma-ray telescope to search for the gamma-ray signature of
self-annihilating weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) which may
constitute astrophysical dark matter (DM). We review the motivations for
selecting these sources based on their unique astrophysical environments and
report the results of the data analysis which produced upper limits on excess
rate of gamma rays for each source. We consider models for the DM distribution
in each source based on the available observational constraints and discuss
possible scenarios for the enhancement of the gamma-ray luminosity. Limits on
the thermally averaged product of the total self-annihilation cross section and
velocity of the WIMP, , are derived using conservative estimates for
the magnitude of the astrophysical contribution to the gamma-ray flux. Although
these limits do not constrain predictions from the currently favored
theoretical models of supersymmetry (SUSY), future observations with VERITAS
will probe a larger region of the WIMP parameter phase space, and
WIMP particle mass (m_\chi).Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
New Debris Disks Around Nearby Main Sequence Stars: Impact on The Direct Detection of Planets
Using the MIPS instrument on the Spitzer telescope, we have searched for
infrared excesses around a sample of 82 stars, mostly F, G, and K main-sequence
field stars, along with a small number of nearby M stars. These stars were
selected for their suitability for future observations by a variety of
planet-finding techniques. These observations provide information on the
asteroidal and cometary material orbiting these stars - data that can be
correlated with any planets that may eventually be found. We have found
significant excess 70um emission toward 12 stars. Combined with an earlier
study, we find an overall 70um excess detection rate of % for mature
cool stars. Unlike the trend for planets to be found preferentially toward
stars with high metallicity, the incidence of debris disks is uncorrelated with
metallicity. By newly identifying 4 of these stars as having weak 24um excesses
(fluxes 10% above the stellar photosphere), we confirm a trend found in
earlier studies wherein a weak 24um excess is associated with a strong 70um
excess. Interestingly, we find no evidence for debris disks around 23 stars
cooler than K1, a result that is bolstered by a lack of excess around any of
the 38 K1-M6 stars in 2 companion surveys. One motivation for this study is the
fact that strong zodiacal emission can make it hard or impossible to detect
planets directly with future observatories like the {\it Terrestrial Planet
Finder (TPF)}. The observations reported here exclude a few stars with very
high levels of emission, 1,000 times the emission of our zodiacal cloud,
from direct planet searches. For the remainder of the sample, we set relatively
high limits on dust emission from asteroid belt counterparts
- …