6,998 research outputs found
Gamma-ray emission from dark matter wakes of recoiled black holes
A new scenario for the emission of high-energy gamma-rays from dark matter
annihilation around massive black holes is presented. A black hole can leave
its parent halo, by means of gravitational radiation recoil, in a merger event
or in the asymmetric collapse of its progenitor star. A recoiled black hole
which moves on an almost-radial orbit outside the virial radius of its central
halo, in the cold dark matter background, reaches its apapsis in a finite time.
Near or at the apapsis passage, a high-density wake extending over a large
radius of influence, forms around the black hole. It is shown that significant
gamma-ray emission can result from the enhancement of neutralino annihilation
in these wakes. At its apapsis passage, a black hole is shown to produce a
flash of high-energy gamma-rays whose duration is determined by the mass of the
black hole and the redshift at which it is ejected. The ensemble of such black
holes in the Hubble volume is shown to produce a diffuse high-energy gamma-ray
background whose magnitude is compared to the diffuse emission from dark matter
haloes alone.Comment: version to appear in Astrophysical Journal letters (labels on Fig. 3
corrected
Massive Lyman Break Galaxies at z~3 in the Spitzer Extragalactic First Look Survey
We investigate the properties of 1088 Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) at z~3
selected from a ~2.63M/L$ in
rest-frame near-infrared. Most infrared-luminous LBGs (S_{24um} > 100 uJy) are
dusty star-forming galaxies with star formation rates of 100--1000 Msun/yr,
total infrared luminosity of > 10^12 Lsun. By constructing the UV luminosity
function of massive LBGs, we estimate that the lower limit for the star
formation rate density from LBGs more massive than 10^11 Msun at z~3 is > 3.3 x
10^-3 Msun/yr/Mpc^3, showing for the first time that the UV-bright population
of massive galaxies alone contributes significantly to the global star
formation rate density at z~3. When combined with the star formation rate
densities at z < 2, our result reveals a steady increase in the contribution of
massive galaxies to the global star formation from z=0 to z=3, providing strong
support to the downsizing of galaxy formation.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Explaining the entropy excess in clusters and groups of galaxies without additional heating
The X-ray luminosity and temperature of clusters and groups of galaxies do
not scale in a self-similar manner. This has often been interpreted as a sign
that the intracluster medium has been substantially heated by non-gravitational
sources. In this paper, we propose a simple model which, instead, uses the
properties of galaxy formation to explain the observations. Drawing on
available observations, we show that there is evidence that the efficiency of
galaxy formation was higher in groups than in clusters. If confirmed, this
would deplete the low-entropy gas in groups, increase their central entropy and
decrease their X-ray luminosity. A simple, empirical, hydrostatic model appears
to match both the luminosity-temperature relation of clusters and properties of
their internal structure as well.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in ApJL; added one reference, otherwise
unchange
Towards a Holistic View of the Heating and Cooling of the Intracluster Medium
(Abridged) X-ray clusters are conventionally divided into two classes: "cool
core" (CC) clusters and "non-cool core" (NCC) clusters. Yet relatively little
attention has been given to the origins of this dichotomy and, in particular,
to the energetics and thermal histories of the two classes. We develop a model
for the entropy profiles of clusters starting from the configuration
established by gravitational shock heating and radiative cooling. At large
radii, gravitational heating accounts for the observed profiles and their
scalings well. However, at small and intermediate radii, radiative cooling and
gravitational heating cannot be combined to explain the observed profiles of
either type of cluster. The inferred entropy profiles of NCC clusters require
that material is preheated prior to cluster collapse in order to explain the
absence of low entropy (cool) material in these systems. We show that a similar
modification is also required in CC clusters in order to match their properties
at intermediate radii. In CC clusters, this modification is unstable, and an
additional process is required to prevent cooling below a temperature of a few
keV. We show that this can be achieved by adding a self-consistent AGN feedback
loop in which the lowest-entropy, most rapidly cooling material is heated so
that it rises buoyantly to mix with material at larger radii. The resulting
model does not require fine tuning and is in excellent agreement with a wide
variety of observational data. Some of the other implications of this model are
briefly discussed.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures, MNRAS accepted. Discussion of cluster heating
energetics extended, results unchange
The GEEC2 spectroscopic survey of Galaxy Groups at
We present the data release of the Gemini-South GMOS spectroscopy in the
fields of 11 galaxy groups at , within the COSMOS field. This forms
the basis of the Galaxy Environment Evolution Collaboration 2 (GEEC2) project
to study galaxy evolution in haloes with across cosmic
time. The final sample includes spectroscopically--confirmed members with
per cent complete for galaxies within the virial
radius, and with stellar mass . Including
galaxies with photometric redshifts we have an effective sample size of galaxies within the virial radii of these groups. We present group
velocity dispersions, dynamical and stellar masses. Combining with the GCLASS
sample of more massive clusters at the same redshift we find the total stellar
mass is strongly correlated with the dynamical mass, with
. This stellar
fraction of per cent is lower than predicted by some halo occupation
distribution models, though the weak dependence on halo mass is in good
agreement. Most groups have an easily identifiable most massive galaxy (MMG)
near the centre of the galaxy distribution, and we present the spectroscopic
properties and surface brightness fits to these galaxies. The total stellar
mass distribution in the groups, excluding the MMG, compares well with an NFW
profile with concentration , for galaxies beyond . This is
more concentrated than the number density distribution, demonstrating that
there is some mass segregation.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. The appendix is omitted due to
large figures. The full version will be available from the MNRAS website and
from http://quixote.uwaterloo.ca/~mbalogh/papers/GEEC2_data.pdf. Long data
tables are available from MNRAS or by contacting the first autho
Young Red Spheroidal Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Fields: Evidence for a Truncated IMF at ~2M_solar and a Constant Space Density to z~2
The optical-IR images of the Northern and Southern Hubble Deep Fields are
used to measure the spectral and density evolution of early-type galaxies. The
mean optical SED is found to evolve passively towards a mid F-star dominated
spectrum by z ~ 2. We demonstrate with realistic simulations that hotter
ellipticals would be readily visible if evolution progressed blueward and
brightward at z > 2, following a standard IMF. The colour distributions are
best fitted by a `red' IMF, deficient above ~2 M_solar and with a spread of
formation in the range 1.5 < z_f < 2.5. Traditional age dating is spurious in
this context, a distant elliptical can be young but appear red, with an
apparent age >3 Gyrs independent of its formation redshift. Regarding density
evolution, we demonstrate that the sharp decline in numbers claimed at z > 1
results from a selection bias against distant red galaxies in the optical,
where the flux is too weak for morphological classification, but is remedied
with relatively modest IR exposures revealing a roughly constant space density
to z ~ 2. We point out that the lack of high mass star-formation inferred here
and the requirement of metals implicates cooling-flows of pre-enriched gas in
the creation of the stellar content of spheroidal galaxies. Deep-field X-ray
images will be very helpful to examine this possibility.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letters,
typographical errors corrected, simulated images with different IMFs
illustrated at http://astro.berkeley.edu/~bouwens/ellip.htm
Systematic techniques for assisting recruitment to trials (START): study protocol for embedded, randomized controlled trials
BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials play a central role in evidence-based practice, but recruitment of participants, and retention of them once in the trial, is challenging. Moreover, there is a dearth of evidence that research teams can use to inform the development of their recruitment and retention strategies. As with other healthcare initiatives, the fairest test of the effectiveness of a recruitment strategy is a trial comparing alternatives, which for recruitment would mean embedding a recruitment trial within an ongoing host trial. Systematic reviews indicate that such studies are rare. Embedded trials are largely delivered in an ad hoc way, with interventions almost always developed in isolation and tested in the context of a single host trial, limiting their ability to contribute to a body of evidence with regard to a single recruitment intervention and to researchers working in different contexts. METHODS/DESIGN: The Systematic Techniques for Assisting Recruitment to Trials (START) program is funded by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (MRC) Methodology Research Programme to support the routine adoption of embedded trials to test standardized recruitment interventions across ongoing host trials. To achieve this aim, the program involves three interrelated work packages: (1) methodology - to develop guidelines for the design, analysis and reporting of embedded recruitment studies; (2) interventions - to develop effective and useful recruitment interventions; and (3) implementation - to recruit host trials and test interventions through embedded studies. DISCUSSION: Successful completion of the START program will provide a model for a platform for the wider trials community to use to evaluate recruitment interventions or, potentially, other types of intervention linked to trial conduct. It will also increase the evidence base for two types of recruitment intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The START protocol covers the methodology for embedded trials. Each embedded trial is registered separately or as a substudy of the host trial
Spectroscopic Identification of a Proto-Cluster at z=2.300: Environmental Dependence of Galaxy Properties at High Redshift
We have discovered a highly significant over-density of galaxies at
z=2.300+/-0.015 in the course of a redshift survey designed to select
star-forming galaxies in the redshift range z=2.3+/-0.4 in the field of the
bright z=2.72 QSO HS1700+643. The structure has a redshift-space galaxy
over-density of delta_g,z ~= 7 and an estimated matter over-density in real
space of delta_m ~= 1.8, indicating that it will virialize by z~0 with a mass
scale of ~= 1.4x10^15 M_sun, that of a rich galaxy cluster. Detailed modeling
of the spectral energy distribution -- from the rest-far-UV to the rest-near-IR
-- of the 72 spectroscopically confirmed galaxies in this field for which we
have obtained K_s and Spitzer/IRAC photometry, allows for a first direct
comparison of galaxy properties as a function of large-scale environment at
high redshift. We find that galaxies in the proto-cluster environment have mean
stellar masses and inferred ages that are ~2 times larger (at z=2.30) than
identically UV-selected galaxies outside of the structure, and show that this
is consistent with simple theoretical expectations for the acceleration of
structure formation in a region that is over-dense on large scales by the
observed amount. The proto-cluster environment contains a significant number of
galaxies that already appear old, with large stellar masses (>10^11 M_sun), by
z=2.3.Comment: 7 pages including 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Typo
correcte
Primary Beam Shape Calibration from Mosaicked, Interferometric Observations
Image quality in mosaicked observations from interferometric radio telescopes
is strongly dependent on the accuracy with which the antenna primary beam is
calibrated. The next generation of radio telescope arrays such as the Allen
Telescope Array (ATA) and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) have key science
goals that involve making large mosaicked observations filled with bright point
sources. We present a new method for calibrating the shape of the telescope's
mean primary beam that uses the multiple redundant observations of these bright
sources in the mosaic. The method has an analytical solution for simple
Gaussian beam shapes but can also be applied to more complex beam shapes
through minimization. One major benefit of this simple, conceptually
clean method is that it makes use of the science data for calibration purposes,
thus saving telescope time and improving accuracy through simultaneous
calibration and observation. We apply the method both to 1.43 GHz data taken
during the ATA Twenty Centimeter Survey (ATATS) and to 3.14 GHz data taken
during the ATA's Pi Gigahertz Sky Survey (PiGSS). We find that the beam's
calculated full width at half maximum (FWHM) values are consistent with the
theoretical values, the values measured by several independent methods, and the
values from the simulation we use to demonstrate the effectiveness of our
method on data from future telescopes such as the expanded ATA and the SKA.
These results are preliminary, and can be expanded upon by fitting more complex
beam shapes. We also investigate, by way of a simulation, the dependence of the
accuracy of the telescope's FWHM on antenna number. We find that the
uncertainty returned by our fitting method is inversely proportional to the
number of antennas in the array.Comment: Accepted by PASP. 8 pages, 8 figure
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