316 research outputs found
A Spitzer high resolution mid-infrared spectral atlas of starburst galaxies
We present an atlas of Spitzer/IRS high resolution (R~600) 10-37um spectra
for 24 well known starburst galaxies. The spectra are dominated by
fine-structure lines, molecular hydrogen lines, and emission bands of
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Six out of the eight objects with a known AGN
component show emission of the high excitation [NeV] line. This line is also
seen in one other object (NGC4194) with, a priori, no known AGN component. In
addition to strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission features in this
wavelength range (11.3, 12.7, 16.4um), the spectra reveal other weak
hydrocarbon features at 10.6, 13.5, 14.2um, and a previously unreported
emission feature at 10.75um. An unidentified absorption feature at 13.7um is
detected in many of the starbursts. We use the fine-structure lines to derive
the abundance of neon and sulfur for 14 objects where the HI 7-6 line is
detected. We further use the molecular hydrogen lines to sample the properties
of the warm molecular gas. Several basic diagrams characterizing the properties
of the sample are also shown. We have combined the spectra of all the pure
starburst objects to create a high S/N template, which is available to the
community.Comment: 25 pages (emulate apj), 6 tables, 14 figures, Accepted for
publication in ApJ
Two Populations of Molecular Clouds in the Antennae Galaxies
Super star clusters --- extremely massive clusters found predominately in
starburst environments --- are essential building blocks in the formation of
galaxies and thought to dominate star formation in the high-redshift universe.
However, the transformation from molecular gas into these ultra-compact star
clusters is not well understood. To study this process, we used the
Submillimeter Array and the Plateau de Bure Interferometer to obtain high
angular resolution (~1.5" or 160 pc) images of the Antennae overlap region in
CO(2--1) to search for the molecular progenitors of the super star clusters. We
resolve the molecular gas distribution into a large number of clouds, extending
the differential cloud mass function down to a 5\sigma completeness limit of
3.8x10^5 M_sun. We identify a distinct break in the mass function around log
M_mol/M_sun ~ 6.5, which separates the molecular clouds into two distinct
populations. The smaller, less massive clouds reside in more quiescent areas in
the region, while the larger, more massive clouds cluster around regions of
intense star formation. A broken power-law fit to the mass function yields
slopes of \alpha = -1.39+/-0.10 and \alpha = -1.44+/-0.14 for the low- and
high-mass cloud population, well-matched to the mass function found for super
star clusters in the Antennae galaxies. We find large velocity gradients and
velocity dispersions at the locations of intense star formation, suggestive of
compressive shocks. It is likely that these environmental factors contribute to
the formation of the observed massive molecular clouds and super star clusters
in the Antennae galaxies.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, accepted by Ap
Active Disk Building in a local HI-Massive LIRG: The Synergy between Gas, Dust, and Star Formation
HIZOA J0836-43 is the most HI-massive (M_HI = 7.5x10^10 Msun) galaxy detected
in the HIPASS volume and lies optically hidden behind the Milky Way. Markedly
different from other extreme HI disks in the local universe, it is a luminous
infrared galaxy (LIRG) with an actively star forming disk (>50 kpc), central to
its ~ 130 kpc gas disk, with a total star formation rate (SFR) of ~20.5 Msun
yr^{-1}. Spitzer spectroscopy reveals an unusual combination of powerful
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission coupled to a relatively weak
warm dust continuum, suggesting photodissociation region (PDR)-dominated
emission. Compared to a typical LIRG with similar total infrared luminosity
(L_TIR=10^11 Lsun), the PAHs in HIZOA J0836-43 are more than twice as strong,
whereas the warm dust continuum (lambda > 20micron) is best fit by a star
forming galaxy with L_TIR=10^10 Lsun. Mopra CO observations suggest an extended
molecular gas component (H_2 + He > 3.7x10^9 Msun) and a lower limit of ~ 64%
for the gas mass fraction; this is above average compared to local disk
systems, but similar to that of z~1.5 BzK galaxies (~57%). However, the star
formation efficiency (SFE = L_IR/L'_CO) for HIZOA J0836-43 of 140 Lsun (K km
s^{-1} pc^2)^{-1} is similar to that of local spirals and other disk galaxies
at high redshift, in strong contrast to the increased SFE seen in merging and
strongly interacting systems. HIZOA J0836-43 is actively forming stars and
building a massive stellar disk. Its evolutionary phase of star formation
(M_stellar, SFR, gas fraction) compared to more distant systems suggests that
it would be considered typical at redshift z~1. This galaxy provides a rare
opportunity in the nearby universe for studying (at z~0.036) how disks were
building and galaxies evolving at z~1, when similarly large gas fractions were
likely more common.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 16 pages, 8
figure
Towards a physical understanding of the thermal background in large ground-based telescopes
Ground-based thermal-infrared observations have a unique scientific potential, but are also extremely challenging due to the need to accurately subtract the high thermal background. Since the established techniques of chopping and nodding need to be modified for observations with the future mid-infrared ELT imager and spectrograph (METIS), we investigate the sources of thermal background subtraction residuals. Our aim is to either remove or at least minimise the need for nodding in order to increase the observing efficiency for METIS. To this end we need to improve our knowledge about the origin of chop residuals and devise observing methods to remove them most efficiently, i.e. with the slowest possible nodding frequency. Thanks to dedicated observations with VLT/VISIR and GranTeCan/CanariCam, we have successfully traced the origin of three kinds of chopping residuals to (1) the entrance window, (2) the spiders and (3) other warm emitters in the pupil, in particular the VLT M3 mirror cell in its parking position. We conclude that, in order to keep chopping residuals stable over a long time (and therefore allow for slower nodding cycles), the pupil illumination needs to be kept constant, i.e. (imaging) observations should be performed in pupil-stabilised, rather than field-stabilised mode, with image de-rotation in the pInstrumentatio
Measurement of Rapidity Distribution for High Mass Drell-Yan ee Pairs at CDF
We report on the first measurement of the rapidity distribution dsigma/dy
over nearly the entire kinematic region of rapidity for e^+e^- pairs in the
Z-boson region of 66116 GeV/c^2.
The data sample consists of 108 pb^{-1} of ppbar collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV
taken by the Collider Detector at Fermilab during 1992--1995. The total cross
section in the -boson region is measured to be 252 +- 11 pb. The measured
total cross section and d\sigma/dy are compared with quantum chromodynamics
calculations in leading and higher orders.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Search for Narrow Diphoton Resonances and for gamma-gamma+W/Z Signatures in p\bar p Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV
We present results of searches for diphoton resonances produced both
inclusively and also in association with a vector boson (W or Z) using 100
pb^{-1} of p\bar p collisions using the CDF detector. We set upper limits on
the product of cross section times branching ratio for both p\bar
p\to\gamma\gamma + X and p\bar p\to\gamma\gamma + W/Z. Comparing the inclusive
production to the expectations from heavy sgoldstinos we derive limits on the
supersymmetry-breaking scale sqrt{F} in the TeV range, depending on the
sgoldstino mass and the choice of other parameters. Also, using a NLO
prediction for the associated production of a Higgs boson with a W or Z boson,
we set an upper limit on the branching ratio for H\to\gamma\gamma. Finally, we
set a lower limit on the mass of a `bosophilic' Higgs boson (e.g. one which
couples only to \gamma, W, and Z$ bosons with standard model couplings) of 82
GeV/c^2 at 95% confidence level.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figure
Measurement of the Strong Coupling Constant from Inclusive Jet Production at the Tevatron Collider
We report a measurement of the strong coupling constant, ,
extracted from inclusive jet production in collisions at
1800 GeV. The QCD prediction for the evolution of with
jet transverse energy is tested over the range 40<<450 GeV using
for the renormalization scale. The data show good agreement with QCD in
the region below 250 GeV. In the text we discuss the data-theory comparison in
the region from 250 to 450 GeV. The value of at the mass of the
boson averaged over the range 40<<250 GeV is found to be
. The associated theoretical uncertainties are mainly due to the choice
of renormalization scale (^{+6%}_{-4%}) and input parton distribution
functions (5%).Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, using RevTeX. Submitted to Physical Review
Letter
Search for the Supersymmetric Partner of the Top-Quark in Collisions at
We report on a search for the supersymmetric partner of the top quark (stop)
produced in events using of
collisions at recorded with the Collider Detector at
Fermilab. In the case of a light stop squark, the decay of the top quark into
stop plus the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) could have a significant
branching ratio. The observed events are consistent with Standard Model production and decay. Hence, we set limits on the branching ratio of
the top quark decaying into stop plus LSP, excluding branching ratios above 45%
for a LSP mass up to 40 {\rm GeV/c}.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Measurement of the Helicity of W Bosons in Top Quark Decays
We use the transverse momentum spectrum of leptons in the decay chain t-->bW
with W-->l nu to measure the helicity of the W bosons in the top quark rest
frame. Our measurement uses a ttbar sample isolated in 106 +/- 4 inverse
picobarns of data collected in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV with the CDF
detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. Assuming a standard V--A weak decay, we find
that the fraction of W's with zero helicity in the top rest frame is F_0 = 0.91
+/- 0.37 (stat) +/- 0.13 (syst), consistent with the standard model prediction
of F_0=0.70 for a top mass of 175 GeV/c**2.Comment: Submitted to PRL. 8 pages, 2 figure
Search for a Fourth-Generation Quark More Massive than the Z0 Boson in ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV
We present the results of a search for pair production of a fourth-generation
charge -1/3 quark (b') in sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV ppbar collisions using 88 pb^(-1) of
data obtained with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. We assume that both
quarks decay via the flavor-changing neutral current process b' -> bZ and that
the b' mass is greater than m_Z + m_b. We studied the decay mode b'b'bar -> ZZ
b bbar where one Z0 decays into e^+e^- or mu^+ mu^- and the other decays
hadronically, giving a signature of two leptons plus jets. An upper limit on
the cross section of ppbar -> b'b'bar times [BR (b' -> bZ)]^2 is established as
a function of the b' mass. We exclude at 95% confidence level a b' quark with
mass between 100 and 199 GeV/c^2 for BR(b' -> bZ) = 100%.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Letters on 9/12/9
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