The X-Ray Background as a Probe of Density Fluctuations at High Redshift

The X-Ray Background (XRB) probes structure on scales intermediate between those explored by local galaxy redshift surveys and by the COBE Microwave Background measurements. We predict the large scale angular fluctuations in the XRB, expressed in terms of spherical harmonics for a range of assumed power-spectra and evolution scenarios. The dipole is due to large scale structure as well as to the observer's motion (the Compton-Getting effect). For a typical observer the two effects turn out to be comparable in amplitude. The coupling of the two effects makes it difficult to use the XRB for independent confirmation of the CMB dipole being due to the observer's motion. The large scale structure dipole (rms per component) relative to the monopole is in the range $a_{1m}/a_{00} \sim (0.5-9.0) \times 10^{-3}$. The spread is mainly due to the assumed redshift evolution scenarios of the X-ray volume emissivity $\rho_x(z)$. The dipole's prediction is consistent with a measured dipole in the HEAO1 XRB map. Typically, the harmonic spectrum drops with $l$ like $a_{lm} \sim l^{-0.4}$. This behaviour allows us to discriminate a true clustering signal against the flux shot noise, which is constant with $l$, and may dominate the signal unless bright resolved sources are removed from the XRB map. We also show that Sachs-Wolfe and Doppler (due to the motion of the sources) effects in the XRB are negligible. Although our analysis focuses on the XRB, the formalism is general and can be easily applied to other cosmological backgrounds.Comment: 14 pages, 3 postscript figures, available from ftp://cass41.ast.cam.ac.uk/pub/lahav/xrb accepted for publication in MNRA

Astrometric Microlensing of Quasars : Dependence on surface mass density and external shear

A small fraction of all quasars are strongly lensed and multiply imaged, with usually a galaxy acting as the main lens. Some, maybe all of these quasars are also affected by microlensing, the effects of stellar mass objects in the lensing galaxy. Stellar microlensing not only has photometric effects (magnitude fluctuations of the quasar images), it also affects the observed position of the images. This astrometric effect was first explored by Lewis and Ibata (1998): the position of the quasar - i.e. the center-of-light of the many microimages - can shift by tens of microarcseconds due to the relatively sudden (dis-)appearance of a pair of microimages when a caustic is being crossed. We explore this effect quantitatively for different values of the surface mass density and external shear covering most of the known multiple quasar systems. We show examples of microlens-induced quasar motion and the corresponding light curves for different quasar sizes. We evaluate statistically the occurrence of large shifts in angular position and their correlation with apparent brightness fluctuations. We also show statistical relations between positional offsets and time from random starting points. As the amplitude of the astrometric offset depends on the source size, astrometric microlensing signatures of quasars - combined with the photometric variations - will provide very good constraints on the size of quasars as a function of wavelength. We predict that such signatures will be detectable for realistic microlensing scenarios with near future technology in the infrared/optical (Keck-Interferometry, VLTI, SIM, GAIA). Such detections will show that not even high redshift quasars define a 'fixed' coordinate system.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Agrimonde and Agrimonde-Terra: Foresight Approaches Compared

Over a ten-year period, two French agricultural research organisations have jointly undertaken two foresight exercises. Agrimonde was about scenarios and challenges for feeding the world in 2050, while Agrimonde-Terra was about land use and food security in 2050. This article compares and contrasts these two exercises, in terms of context and objectives, method, scenarios, and how they grapple with global regions. The comparison illustrates how the context, the objectives and the desired changes influenced the choice of foresight methodology, and the results. While Agrimonde is focused on shifting the forefront of the debate on agricultural models for global food security, decision-makers at various geographical levels can seize the Agrimonde-Terra method and results to have discussions about the future uses of their land

L'histoire inachevée de la régulation du marché du riz à Madagascar

L'envolée des prix du riz en 2005 à Madagascar, impulsée de l'extérieur, a créé l'opportunité de rénover le mode de régulation d'une filière hautement stratégique mais faiblement performante. A partir d'une lecture institutionnelle du fonctionnement du marché, d'une approche historique de la régulation de la filière et d'une analyse économique des mécanismes de la crise, l'article fournit les éléments d'explication conduisant à envisager de nouvelles règles du jeu pour un pilotage de la filière redistribuant les rôles entre l'État et le marché. (Résumé d'auteur

SSGSS: The Spitzer-SDSS-Galex spectroscopic survey

The Spitzer-SDSS-GALEX Spectroscopic Survey (SSGSS) provides a new sample of 101 star-forming galaxies at z \u3c 0.2 with unprecedented multi-wavelength coverage. New mid- to far-infrared spectroscopy from the Spitzer Space Telescope is added to a rich suite of previous imaging and spectroscopy, including ROSAT, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Two Micron All Sky Survey, and Spitzer/SWIRE. Sample selection ensures an even coverage of the full range of normal galaxy properties, spanning two orders of magnitude in stellar mass, color, and dust attenuation. In this paper we present the SSGSS data set, describe the science drivers, and detail the sample selection, observations, data reduction, and quality assessment. Also in this paper, we compare the shape of the thermal continuum and the degree of silicate absorption of these typical, star-forming galaxies to those of starburst galaxies. We investigate the link between star formation rate, infrared luminosity, and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon luminosity, with a view to calibrating the latter for spectral energy distribution models in photometric samples and at high redshift. Last, we take advantage of the 5-40 micron spectroscopic and far-infrared photometric coverage of this sample to perform detailed fitting of the Draine et al. dust models, and investigate the link between dust mass and star formation history and active galactic nucleus properties

Hα and UV imaging of Low Surface Brightness Galaxies and Extended UV Disks

GALEX observations have revealed UV emission extending far beyond the optical and H-alpha disks of several nearby spiral galaxies, raising the question of possible massive star deficiency, i.e., deviations from the standard 'universal' stellar initial mass function (IMF) at the upper end, in certain low density environments. We have undertaken an Hα imaging survey of low surface brightness galaxies observed by GALEX and with existing HI maps with the aim of investigating the variation of the Hα/UV ratio with the local density. Here we present preliminary results for 14 such galaxies observed with the Large Format Camera on the Palomar 200 inch telescope using custom narrow band filters

On the Classification of UGC1382 as a Giant Low Surface Brightness Galaxy

We provide evidence that UGC1382, long believed to be a passive elliptical galaxy, is actually a giant low surface brightness (GLSB) galaxy which rivals the archetypical GLSB Malin 1 in size. Like other GLSB galaxies, it has two components: a high surface brightness disk galaxy surrounded by an extended low surface brightness (LSB) disk. For UGC1382, the central component is a lenticular system with an effective radius of 6 kpc. Beyond this, the LSB disk has an effective radius of ~38 kpc and an extrapolated central surface brightness of ~26 mag/arcsec^2. Both components have a combined stellar mass of ~8x10^10 M_sun, and are embedded in a massive (10^10 M_sun) low-density (<3 M_sun/pc^2) HI disk with a radius of 110 kpc, making this one of the largest isolated disk galaxies known. The system resides in a massive dark matter halo of at least 2x10^12 M_sun. Although possibly part of a small group, its low density environment likely plays a role in the formation and retention of the giant LSB and HI disks. We model the spectral energy distributions and find that the LSB disk is likely older than the lenticular component. UGC1382 has UV-optical colors typical of galaxies transitioning through the green valley. Within the LSB disk are spiral arms forming stars at extremely low efficiencies. The gas depletion time scale of ~10^11 yr suggests that UGC1382 may be a very long term resident of the green valley. We find that the formation and evolution of the LSB disk is best explained by the accretion of gas-rich LSB dwarf galaxies.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, 4 tables; accepted to the Astrophysical Journa

The Space Density of Extended Ultraviolet (XUV) Disks in the Local Universe and Implications for Gas Accretion on to Galaxies

We present results of the first unbiased search for extended UV (XUV)-disk galaxies undertaken to determine the space density of such galaxies. Our sample contains 561 local (0.001 < z < 0.05) galaxies that lie in the intersection of available GALEX deep imaging (exposure time > 1.5 x 10^4 s) and SDSS DR7 footprints. We explore modifications to the standard classification scheme for our sample that includes both disk- and bulge-dominated galaxies. Visual classification of each galaxy in the sample reveals an XUV-disk frequency of up to 20% for the most nearby portion of our sample. On average over the entire sample (out to z=0.05) the frequency ranges from a hard limit of 4% to 14%. The GALEX imaging allows us to detect XUV-disks beyond 100 Mpc. The XUV regions around XUV-disk galaxies are consistently bluer than the main bodies. We find a surprisingly high frequency of XUV emission around luminous red (NUV-r > 5) and green valley (3 < NUV-r < 5) galaxies. The XUV-disk space density in the local universe is > 1.5-4.2 x 10^-3 Mpc^-3. Using the XUV emission as an indicator of recent gas accretion, we estimate that the cold gas accretion rate onto these galaxies is > 1.7-4.6 x 10^-3 Msun Mpc^-3 yr^-1. The number of XUV-disks in the green valley and the estimated accretion rate onto such galaxies points to the intriguing possibility that 7%-18% of galaxies in this population are transitioning away from the red sequence.Comment: 19 pages, 24 figures, ApJ in Pres