288 research outputs found
The Luminosity Function of 81 Abell Clusters from the CRoNaRio catalogues
We present the composite luminosity function (hereafter LF) of galaxies for
81 Abell clusters studied in our survey of the Northern Hemisphere, using DPOSS
data processed by the CRoNaRio collaboration. The derived LF is very accurate
due to the use of homogeneous data both for the clusters and the control fields
and to the local estimate of the background, which takes into account the
presence of large-scale structures and of foreground clusters and groups. The
global composite LF is quite flat down to has a slope
with minor variations from blue to red filters, and
mag ( km s Mpc) in the
and filters, respectively (errors are detailed in the text). We find a
significant difference between rich and poor clusters thus arguing in favour of
a dependence of the LF on the properties of the environment.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Contribution to the IAP 2000 Conference
"Constructing the Universe with Clusters of Galaxies", Paris, July 200
The rest-frame UV-to-optical spectroscopy of APM 08279+5255 - BAL classification and black hole mass estimates
We present the analysis of the rest-frame optical-to-UV spectrum of APM
08279+5255, a well-known lensed broad absorption line (BAL) quasar at . The spectroscopic data are taken with the optical DOLoRes and near-IR
NICS instruments at TNG, and include the previously unexplored range between C
III] 1910 and [O III] 4959,5007. We investigate the
possible presence of multiple BALs by computing "balnicity" and absorption
indexes (i.e. BI, BI and AI) for the transitions Si IV 1400, C IV
1549, Al III 1860 and Mg II 2800. No clear evidence
for the presence of absorption features is found in addition to the already
known, prominent BAL associated to C IV, which supports a high-ionization BAL
classification for APM 08279+5255. We also study the properties of the [O III],
H and Mg II emission lines. We find that [O III] is intrinsically weak
(), as it is typically found in
luminous quasars with a strongly blueshifted C IV emission line (2500 km
s for APM 08279+5255). We compute the single-epoch black hole mass based
on Mg II and H broad emission lines, finding M, with the magnification factor that can
vary between 4 and 100 according to CO and rest-frame UV-to-mid-IR imaging
respectively. Using a Mg II equivalent width (EW)-to-Eddington ratio relation,
the EW \AA\ measured for APM 08279+5255 translates into an
Eddington ratio of 0.4, which is more consistent with . This
magnification factor also provides a value of that is consistent
with recent reverberation-mapping measurements derived from C IV and Si IV.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in A&
UVES/VLT high resolution absorption spectroscopy of the GRB080330 afterglow: a study of the GRB host galaxy and intervening absorbers
We study the Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) environment and intervening absorbers by
analyzing the optical absorption features produced by gas surrounding the GRB
or along its line of sight. We analyzed high resolution spectroscopic
observations (R=40000, S/N=3 - 6) of the optical afterglow of GRB080330, taken
with UVES at the VLT ~ 1.5 hours after the GRB trigger. The spectrum
illustrates the complexity of the ISM of the GRB host galaxy at z = 1.51 which
has at least four components in the main absorption system. We detect strong
FeII, SiII, and NiII excited absorption lines associated with the bluemost
component only. In addition to the host galaxy, at least two more absorbers
lying along the line of sight to the afterglow have been detected in the
redshift range 0.8 < z < 1.1, each exhibiting MgII absorption. For the bluemost
component in the host galaxy, we derive information about its distance from the
site of the GRB explosion. We do so by assuming that the excited absorption
lines are produced by indirect UV pumping, and compare the data with a time
dependent photo-excitation code. The distance of this component is found to be
280+40-50 pc, which is lower than found for other GRBs (1 - 6 kpc). We identify
two additional MgII absorbers, one of them with a rest frame equivalent width
larger than 1A. The distance between the GRB and the absorber measured in this
paper confirms that the power of the GRB radiation can influence the conditions
of the interstellar medium up to a distance of at least several hundred pc. For
the intervening absorbers, we confirm the trend that on average one strong
intervening system is found per afterglow, as has been noted in studies
exhibiting an excess of strong MgII absorbers along GRB sightlines compared to
quasars.Comment: 8 Pages, 7 ps figures, A&A in pres
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