3,780 research outputs found
The contribution of starbursts and normal galaxies to infrared luminosity functions at z < 2
We present a parameter-less approach to predict the shape of the infrared
(IR) luminosity function (LF) at redshifts z < 2. It requires no tuning and
relies on only three observables: (1) the redshift evolution of the stellar
mass function for star-forming galaxies, (2) the evolution of the specific star
formation rate (sSFR) of main-sequence galaxies, and (3) the double-Gaussian
decomposition of the sSFR-distribution at fixed stellar mass into a
contribution (assumed redshift- and mass-invariant) from main-sequence and
starburst activity. This self-consistent and simple framework provides a
powerful tool for predicting cosmological observables: observed IR LFs are
successfully matched at all z < 2, suggesting a constant or only weakly
redshift-dependent contribution (8-14%) of starbursts to the star formation
rate density. We separate the contributions of main-sequence and starburst
activity to the global IR LF at all redshifts. The luminosity threshold above
which the starburst component dominates the IR LF rises from log(LIR/Lsun) =
11.4 to 12.8 over 0 < z < 2, reflecting our assumed (1+z)^2.8-evolution of sSFR
in main-sequence galaxies.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures & 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJL. Minor
typos corrected in v2 following receipt of proof
Interferometric CO observations of the ultraluminous IRAS galaxies ARP 220, IC 694/NGC 3690, NGC 6420 and NGC 7469
High resolution CO observations of the IRAS galaxies Arp 220, IC 694/NGC 3690, NGC 6240 and NGC 7469 were made with the Millimeter Wave Interferometer of the Owen Valley Radio Observatory. These yield spatial information on scales of 1 to 5 kpc and allow the separation of compact condensations from the more extended emission in the galaxies. In the case of the obviously interacting system IC 694/NGC 3690 the contributions of each component can be discerned. For that galaxy, and also for Arp 220, the unusually high lumonisities may be produced by nonthermal processes rather than by intense bursts of star formation
Ultraslow light in inhomogeneously broadened media
We calculate the characteristics of ultraslow light in an inhomogeneously
broadened medium. We present analytical and numerical results for the group
delay as a function of power of the propagating pulse. We apply these results
to explain the recently reported saturation behavior [Baldit {\it et al.}, \prl
{\bf 95}, 143601 (2005)] of ultraslow light in rare earth ion doped crystal.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
The contribution of starbursts and normal galaxies to IR luminosity functions and the molecular gas content of the Universe at z<2
We present a parameter-less approach capable of predicting
the shape of the infrared luminosity function at redshifts z ≤2. It relies on
three observables: (1) the redshift evolution of the stellar mass function
for star-forming galaxies, (2) the evolution of the specific star formation
rate of main-sequence galaxies, and (3) the double-Gaussian decomposition
of the specific star formation rate distribution at fixed stellar mass
into the contributions (assumed to be redshift- and mass-invariant) from
main-sequence and starburst activity.
Using this self-consistent and simple framework, we identify the contributions
of main-sequence and starburst activity to the global infrared luminosity
function and find a constant or only weakly redshift-dependent
contribution (8–14%) of starbursts to the star formation rate density at
z ≤2. Over the same redshift range, we also infer the evolution of the
cosmic abundance of molecular gas in star-forming galaxies, based on the
relations between star formation rate and molecular gas mass followed by
normal and starburst galaxies
The Evolution of Optical Depth in the Ly-alpha Forest: Evidence Against Reionization at z~6
We examine the evolution of the IGM Ly-alpha optical depth distribution using
the transmitted flux probability distribution function (PDF) in a sample of 63
QSOs spanning absorption redshifts 1.7 < z < 5.8. The data are compared to two
theoretical optical depth distributions: a model distribution based on the
density distribution of Miralda-Escude et al. (2000) (MHR00), and a lognormal
distribution. We assume a uniform UV background and an isothermal IGM for the
MHR00 model, as has been done in previous works. Under these assumptions, the
MHR00 model produces poor fits to the observed flux PDFs at redshifts where the
optical depth distribution is well sampled, unless large continuum corrections
are applied. However, the lognormal optical depth distribution fits the data at
all redshifts with only minor continuum adjustments. We use a simple
parametrization for the evolution of the lognormal parameters to calculate the
expected mean transmitted flux at z > 5.4. The lognormal optical depth
distribution predicts the observed Ly-alpha and Ly-beta effective optical
depths at z > 5.7 while simultaneously fitting the mean transmitted flux down
to z = 1.6. If the evolution of the lognormal distribution at z < 5 reflects a
slowly-evolving density field, temperature, and UV background, then no sudden
change in the IGM at z ~ 6 due to late reionization appears necessary. We have
used the lognormal optical depth distribution without any assumption about the
underlying density field. If the MHR00 density distribution is correct, then a
non-uniform UV background and/or IGM temperature may be required to produce the
correct flux PDF. We find that an inverse temperature-density relation greatly
improves the PDF fits, but with a large scatter in the equation of state index.
[Abridged]Comment: 45 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Ap
Entanglement generation in persistent current qubits
In this paper we investigate the generation of entanglement between two
persistent current qubits. The qubits are coupled inductively to each other and
to a common bias field, which is used to control the qubit behaviour and is
represented schematically by a linear oscillator mode. We consider the use of
classical and quantum representations for the qubit control fields and how
fluctuations in the control fields tend to suppress entanglement. In
particular, we demonstrate how fluctuations in the bias fields affect the
entanglement generated between persistent current qubits and may limit the
ability to design practical systems.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, minor changes in reply to referees comment
Further evidence for a quasar-driven jet impacting its neighbour galaxy: the saga of HE0450-2958 continues
HE0450-2958, an interacting quasar-starburst galaxy pair at z = 0.285, is one of the best known examples of strong star formation activity in the presence of a quasardriven jet. We present new multi-band JVLA-imaging covering 1 to 6 GHz and reaching an angular resolution of up to 0” . 6 (a 6-fold improvement over existing radio data). We confirm the previous detection of a spatially extended radio component around the quasar indicating that there is on-going star formation activity in the quasar host galaxy. For the first time, we directly detect a jet-like bipolar outflow from the quasar aligned with its companion star-forming galaxy (SFG) and several blobs of ionized gas in its vicinity identified in previous studies. Within the companion SFG we find evidence for a flattening of the synchrotron spectral index towards the point of intersection with the jet axis, further suggesting that the outflow may actually be impacting its interstellar medium (ISM). We discuss two possible mechanisms that could have triggered the starburst in the companion SFG: a wet-dry merger with the quasar and jet-induced star formation. While triggering through interaction-driven gas dynamics cannot be excluded with current data, our new observations make HE0450-2958 a strong candidate for jet-induced star formation, and one of the rare links between local systems (like Minkowski’s Object or Centaurus A) and the high-z regime where radio-optical alignments suggest that this phenomenon could be more common
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