Engineering topics

Chokshi, Arati

Publications and source records attributed to Chokshi, Arati.

14 records

NASA NTRS1994

Simulations of deep galaxy fields. 1: Monte Carlo simulations of optical and near-infrared counts

Monte Carlo simulations of three-dimensional galaxy distributions are performed, following the 1988 prescription of Chokshi & Wright, to study the photometric properties of evolving galaxy populations in the optical and near-infrared bands to high redshifts. In this paper, the first of a series, we present our baseline model in which galaxy numbers are conserved, and in which no explicit 'starburst' population is included. We use the model in an attempt to simultaneously fit published blue and near-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of deep fields. We find that our baseline models, with a formation redshift, z(sub f), of 1000, and H(sub 0) = 50, are able to reproduce the blue counts to b(sub j) = 22, independent of the value of Omega(sub 0), and also to provide a satisfactory fit to the observed blue-band redshift distributions, but for no value of Omega(sub 0) do we achieve an acceptable fit to the fainter blue counts. In the K band, we fit the number counts to the limit of the present-day surveys only for an Omega(sub 0) = 0 cosmology. We investigate the effect on the model fits of varying the cosmological parameters H(sub 0), the formation red-shift z(sub f), and the local luminosity function. Changing H(sub 0) does not improve the fits to the observations. However, reducing the epoch of a galaxy formation used in our simulations has a substantial effect. In particular, a model with z(sub f) approximately equal to 5 in a low Omega(sub 0) universe improves the fit to the faintest photometric blue data without any need to invoke a new population of galaxies, substantial merging, or a significant starburst galaxy population. For an Omega(sub 0) = 1 universe, however, reducing z(sub f) is less successful at fitting the blue-band counts and has little effect at all at K. Varying the parameters of the local luminosity function can also have a significant effect. In particular the steep low end slope of the local luminosity function of Franceschini et al. allows an acceptable fit to the b(sub j) less than or equal to 25 counts for Omega(sub 0) = 1, but is incompatible with Omega(sub 0) = 0.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1993

Simulations of Deep Galaxy Fields I: Monte-Carlo Simulations of Optical and Near Infrared Counts

Monte-Carlo simulations of three dimensional galaxy distributions are performed, following the prescription of Chokishi & Wright (1988), to study the photometric properties of evolving galaxy populations in the optical and near infrared bands to high redshifts. Galaxies are spatially distributed according to the spatial two point correlation function in a range of cluster to field environments andin volume elements appropriate to the cosmological model under consideration. Details of individual galaxy properties, including luminosities, morphologies, disk-to-bulge ratios, and size distributions are simulated to match local observed galaxy properties. Galaxies have evolving gas fraction, metallicity and spectral energy distributions that include both stellar emission and internal dust absorption and re-emission. The simulations result in noiseless two dimensional galaxy distributions on the sky that canbe compared to the observed deep images in the blue and near-infrared bands...

faint↗

NASA NTRS1993

Dust coagulation

The microphysics of coagulation between two, colliding, smooth, spherical grains in the elastic limit is investigated, and the criteria for sticking as a function of particle sizes, collision velocities, elastic properties, and binding energy are calculated. Critical relative velocities for coagulation were evaluated as a function of grain sizes for solicate, icy, and carbonaceous grains. It is concluded that efficient coagulation requires coverage of grain cores by an icy grain mantle. In this case, coagulation leads to only a doubling of the mass of a large grain within a dense core lifetime. It is concluded that coagulation can have a dramatic effect on the visible and, particularly, the UV portion of the extinction curve in dense clouds and on their IR spectrum.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1993

Evolution of the Blue and Far-Infrared Galaxy Luminosity Functions

The space density of blue-selected galaxies at moderate redshifts is determined here directly by deriving the luminosity function. Evidence is found for density evolution for moderate luminosity galaxies at a rate of (1+z) exp delta, with a best fit of delta + 4 +/- 2, between the current epoch and Z greater than about 0.1. At M(b) less than -22 evidence is found for about 0.5-1.5 mag of luminosity evolution in addition to the density evolution, corresponding to an evolutionary rate of about (1+z) exp gamma, with gamma = 0.5-2.5, but a redshift of about 0.4. Assuming a steeper faint end slope of alpha = -1.3 similar to that observed in the Virgo cluster, could explain the data with a luminosity evolution rate of gamma = 1-2, without need for any density evolution. Acceptable fits are found by comparing composite density and luminosity evolution models to faint IRAS 60 micron source counts, implying that the blue and far-IR evolutionary rates may be similar.

Lonsdale, Carol J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Remnants of the quasars

Assuming a standard black hole accretion model for quasars, we estimate the present total mass density, rho sub BH, of quasar remnants using recent observations of quasar populations and of typical quasar spectra over a wide wavelength range. We find rho sub BH of greater than about (1.4-2.2) x 10 exp 5 solar masses/cu Mpc for a quasar radiative efficiency of 0.1. This is an upward revision by a factor of 3.0-4.6 from a decade-old estimate by Soltan (1982). A typical bright galaxy is thus expected to contain a central black hole of greater than about 10 exp 7/cu h solar masses. Furthermore, we expect that greater than about 50 percent of rho sub BH is contributed by objects of mass greater than about 10 exp 8/sq h solar masses and greater than about 10 percent by those more massive than about 6 x 10 exp 8/sq h solar masses.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1992

QSO absorbers - Evidence for a primeval galaxy population

Analyses of QSO absorption-line data including Ly-alpha forest lines, metal-line absorbers, and damped Ly-alpha systems indicate that the various classes of absorbers belong to the same parent population. In particular, the different absorber systems form a contiguous sequence on a total hydrogen surface density, velocity dispersion plane. Thus the Ly-alpha forest absorbers represent the low column density, low-mass end of the larger metallic systems. In the majority of the absorption systems, cooling appears to have played an important role at the epoch of observation, although most systems have not evolved sufficiently to resemble the local galaxy population. Thus they represent a population of primeval, dynamically evolving systems. The data are more easily interpretable for a dark matter dominated universe than for a purely baryonic universe. For a dark to baryonic matter ratio of 10, observations suggest that the ultimate fate of all QSO absorbers is to evolve into the local galaxy population.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1990

Infrared images of distant 3C radio galaxies

J (1.2-micron) and K (2.2 micron) images have been obtained for eight 3CR radio galaxies with redshifts from 0.7 to 1.8. Most of the objects were known to have extended asymmetric optical continuum or line emission aligned with the radio lobe axis. In general, the IR morphologies of these galaxies are just as peculiar as their optical morphologies. For all the galaxies, when asymmetric structure is present in the optical, structure with the same orientation is seen in the IR and must be accounted for in any model to explain the alignment of optical and radio emission.

Eisenhardt, Peter↗

NASA NTRS1989

Confusion-limited galaxy fields. II - Classical analyses

Chokshi and Wright presented a detailed model for simulating angular distribution of galaxy images in fields that extended to very high redshifts. Standard tools are used to analyze these simulated galaxy fields for the Omega(O) = 0 and the Omega(O) = 1 cases in order to test the discriminatory power of these tools. Classical number-magnitude diagrams and surface brightness-color-color diagrams are employed to study crowded galaxy fields. An attempt is made to separate the effects due to stellar evolution in galaxies from those due to the space time geometry. The results show that this discrimination is maximized at near-infrared wavelengths where the stellar photospheres are still visible but stellar evolution effects are less severe than those observed at optical wavelenghts. Rapid evolution of the stars on the asymptotic giant branch is easily recognized in the simulated data for both cosmologies and serves to discriminate between the two extreme values of Omega(O). Measurements of total magnitudes of individual galaxies are not essential for studying light distribution in galaxies as a function of redshift. Calculations for the extragalactic background radiation are carried out using the simulated data, and compared to integrals over the evolutionary models used.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1989

Dust coagulation in ISM

Coagulation is an important mechanism in the growth of interstellar and interplanetary dust particles. The microphysics of the coagulation process was theoretically analyzed as a function of the physical properties of the coagulating grains, i.e., their size, relative velocities, temperature, elastic properties, and the van der Waal interaction. Numerical calculations of collisions between linear chains provide the wave energy in individual particles and the spectrum of the mechanical vibrations set up in colliding particles. Sticking probabilities are then calculated using simple estimates for elastic deformation energies and for the attenuation of the wave energy due to absorption and scattering processes.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1989

Far infrared structure of spiral galaxies from the IRAS CPC images

Significant extended far infrared (50 micron and 100 micron) structure was found for five face-on spiral galaxies (NGC2403, M51, M83, NGC6946, and IC342) from fourteen galaxies searched in the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) chopped photometric channel (CPC) catalogue. Images were initially processed to remove instrumental and background artifacts, the isophotal centroids of each image determined, and multiple images of each galaxy (for each wavelength) superimposed and averaged to improve signal-to-noise. Calibration of these images was performed using IRAS survey array data. Infrared isophotes were then superimposed on optical (blue) images so that direct structural comparisons could be made.

Wainscoat, Richard J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Confusion-limited galaxy fields. I - Simulated optical and near-infrared images

Techniques for simulating images of galaxy fields are presented that extend to high redshifts and a surface density of galaxies high enough to produce overlapping images. The observed properties of galaxies and galaxy-ensembles in the 'local' universe are extrapolated to high redshifts using reasonable scenarios for the evolution of galaxies and their spatial distribution. This theoretical framework is then employed with Monte Carlo techniques to create fairly realistic two-dimensional distributions of galaxies plus optical and near-infrared sky images in a variety of model universes, using the appropriate density, luminosity, and angular size versus redshift relations.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1987

The red/infrared evolution in galaxies - Effect of the stars on the asymptotic giant branch

The effect of including the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) population in a spectral synthesis model of galaxy evolution is examined. Stars on the AGB are luminous enough and also evolve rapidly enough to affect the evolution of red and infrared colors in galaxies. The validity of using infrared colors as distance indicators to galaxies is then investigated in detail. It is found that for z of 1 or less infrared colors of model galaxies behave linearly with redshift.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1987

IR excesses in Be stars

Infrared excesses are empirically derived for a sample of bright Be stars based on IRAS data and previously published near-infrared photometry. The excesses are compared with published H-alpha luminosities and are found to be correlated. The data are compared with the theoretically expected relation between the sum of free-free and free-bound continua and the H-alpha recombination-line intensity from a common envelope. The inclusion of temperature and optical-depth effects is necessary to produce agreement between observations and theory. No significant correlation is detected between L(IR)/L(H-alpha) ratios and rotational velocities.

Chokshi, Arati↗

NASA NTRS1987

IRAS colors of normal stars

Using stars from the Bright Star Catalog, supplemented by cool dwarf stars from the Gliese catalog, that were detected by IRAS, the authors define empirically the median intrinsic visual-to-infrared color indices for 'normal' stars as a function of IRAS wavelength, spectral type and luminosity class. Anomalously red stars are discussed. Two otherwise undistinguished F giant stars are found with significant excesses at 12 microns. Be stars differ markedly from nonemission B stars in their V-(12) indices due to contamination of the former by free-free emission. Both B and Be stars show large dispersions in V-(25) colors that are associated with the heating of local, but strictly interstellar, dust clouds by some of the non-emission B stars. The derived sequences of stellar colors are closely approximated by either simple blackbody predictions or by model-atmosphere calculations.

Cohen, Martin↗