Engineering topics

Ostriker, Jeremiah P.

Publications and source records attributed to Ostriker, Jeremiah P..

At least 19 records

NASA NTRS1997

The Universe at Moderate Redshift

The report covers the work done in the past year and a wide range of fields including properties of clusters of galaxies; topological properties of galaxy distributions in terms of galaxy types; patterns of gravitational nonlinear clustering process; development of a ray tracing algorithm to study the gravitational lensing phenomenon by galaxies, clusters and large-scale structure, one of whose applications being the effects of weak gravitational lensing by large-scale structure on the determination of q(0); the origin of magnetic fields on the galactic and cluster scales; the topological properties of Ly(alpha) clouds the Ly(alpha) optical depth distribution; clustering properties of Ly(alpha) clouds; and a determination (lower bound) of Omega(b) based on the observed Ly(alpha) forest flux distribution. In the coming year, we plan to continue the investigation of Ly(alpha) clouds using larger dynamic range (about a factor of two) and better simulations (with more input physics included) than what we have now. We will study the properties of galaxies on 1 - 100h(sup -1) Mpc scales using our state-of-the-art large scale galaxy formation simulations of various cosmological models, which will have a resolution about a factor of 5 (in each dimension) better than our current, best simulations. We will plan to study the properties of X-ray clusters using unprecedented, very high dynamic range (20,000) simulations which will enable us to resolve the cores of clusters while keeping the simulation volume sufficiently large to ensure a statistically fair sample of the objects of interest. The details of the last year's works are now described.

Cen, Renyue↗

NASA NTRS1995

Using X-rays to determine which compact groups are illusory

If the large-scale galaxy distribution is filamentary, as suggested by some observations and recent hydrodynamical simulations, then lengthwise views of filaments will apparently produce compact groups (CGs) that are in reality stretched out along the line of sight. This possibility has been advocated recently by Hernquist, Katz, & Weinberg (1995). Here we propose a test for this hypothesis using X-ray emission from CGs. The observable quantity Q identical with L(sub x)a(sup 3)(sup p)/(L(sup 2)(sup g))T(sup 1/2)(sub x) should be proportional to the axis ratio of the group, a/c, where a and c are the short and long axes of a prolate distribution, a(sub p) is the radius of the group projected onto the sky, L(sub x) is the bolometric X-ray luminosity, L(sub g) is the group blue luminosity, and T(sub x) is the gas temperature. We find that the distribution of Q is consistent with the notion that many CGs with unusually small values of a/c are frauds, i.e., that the values of Q are anomalously small. Absent other information, it is equally possible that CGs are very gas-poor relative to rich clusters; however, this can be tested using the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. If the groups have a close to normal ratio of gas to total mass, but are simply stretched out along the line of sight, a Sunyaev-Zeldovich signal should be detectable.

Ostriker, Jeremiah P.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Can standard cosmological models explain the observed Abell cluster bulk flow?

Lauer and Postman (LP) observed that all Abell clusters with redshifts less than 15,000 km/s appear to be participating in a bulk flow of 689 km/s with respect to the cosmic microwave background. We find this result difficult to reconcile with all popular models for large-scale structure formation that assume Gaussian initial conditions. This conclusion is based on Monte Carlo realizations of the LP data, drawn from large particle-mesh N-body simulations for six different models of the initial power spectrum (standard, tilted, and Omega(sub 0) = 0.3 cold dark matter, and two variants of the primordial baryon isocurvature model). We have taken special care to treat properly the longest-wavelength components of the power spectra. The simulations are sampled, 'observed,' and analyzed as identically as possible to the LP cluster sample. Large-scale bulk flows as measured from clusters in the simulations are in excellent agreement with those measured from the grid: the clusters do not exhibit any strong velocity bias on large scales. Bulk flows with amplitude as large as that reported by LP are not uncommon in the Monte Carlo data stes; the distribution of measured bulk flows before error bias subtraction is rougly Maxwellian, with a peak around 400 km/s. However the chi squared of the observed bulk flow, taking into account the anisotropy of the error ellipsoid, is much more difficult to match in the simulations. The models examined are ruled out at confidence levels between 94% and 98%.

Strauss, Michael A.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Massive black holes and light-element nucleosynthesis in a baryonic universe

We reexamine the model proposed by Gnedin & Ostriker (1992) in which Jeans mass black holes (M(sub BH) approximately = 10(exp 6) solar mass) form shortly after decoupling. There is no nonbaryonic dark matter in this model, but we examine the possibility that Omega(sub b) is considerably larger than given by normal nucleosynthesis. Here we allow for the fact that much of the high baryon-to-photon ratio material will collapse leaving the universe of remaining material with light-element abundances more in accord with the residual baryonic density (approximately = 10(exp -2)) than with Omega(sub 0) and the initial baryonic density (approximately = 10(exp -1)). We find that no reasonable model can be made with random-phase density fluctuations, if the power on scales smaller than 10(exp 6) solar mass is as large as expected. However, phase-correlated models of the type that might occur in connection with topological singularities can be made with Omega(sub b) h(exp 2) = 0.013 +/- 0.001, 0.15 approximately less than Omega(sub 0) approximately less than 0.4, which are either flat (Omega(sub lambda) = 1 - Omega(sub 0)) or open (Omega(sub lambda) = 0) and which satisfy all the observational constraints which we apply, including the large baryon-to-total mass ratio found in the X-ray clusters. The remnant baryon density is thus close to that obtained in the standard picture (Omega(sub b) h(exp 2) = 0.0125 +/- 0.0025; Walker et al. 1991). The spectral index implied for fluctuations in the baryonic isocurvature scenario, -1 less than m less than 0, is in the range expected by other arguments based on large-scale structure and microwave fluctuation constraints. The dark matter in this picture is in the form of massive black holes. Accretion onto them at early epochs releases high-energy photons which significantly heat and reionize the universe. But photodissociation does not materially change light-element abundances. A typical model gives bar-y approximately = 1 x 10(exp -5), n(sub e)/n(sub H)(z = 30) approximately = 0.1, and a diffuse gamma-ray background at 100 keV near the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) limit of the order of 10% of that observed which originates from high-redshift quasars. Reionization in this model occurs at redshift 600 and reaches (H II/H(sub tot) approximately = 0.1-0.2.

Gnedin, Nickolay Y.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Dynamics of massive black holes as a possible candidate of Galactic dark matter

If the dark halo of the Galaxy is comprised of massive black holes (MBHs), then those within approximately 1 kpc will spiral to the center, where they will interact with one another, forming binaries which contract, owing to further dynamical friction, and then possibly merge to become more massive objects by emission of gravitational radiation. If successive mergers would invariably lead, as has been proposed by various authors, to the formation of a very massive nucleus of 10(exp 8) solar mass, then the idea of MBHs as a dark matter candidate could be excluded on observational grounds, since the observed limit (or value) for a Galactic central black hole is approximately 10(exp 6.5) solar mass. But, if successive mergers are delayed or prevented by other processes, such as the gravitational slingshot or rocket effect of gravitational radiation, then a large mass accumulation will not occur. In order to resolve this issue, we perform detailed N-body simulations using a modfied Aarseth code to explore the dynamical behavior of the MBHs, and we find that for a 'best estimate' model of the Galaxy a runaway does not occur. The code treates the MBHs as subject to the primary gravitational forces of one another and to the smooth stellar distribution, as well as the secondary perturbations in their orbits due to another and to the smooth stellar distribution, as well as the secondary perturbations in their orbits due to dynamical friction and gravitational radiation. Instead of a runaway, three-body interactions between hard binaries and single MBHs eject massive objects before accumulation of more than a few units, so that typically the center will contain zero, one, or two MBHs. We study how the situation depends in detail on the mass per MBH, the rotation of the halo, the mass distribution within the Galaxy, and other parameters. A runaway will most sensitively depend on the ratio of initial (spheroid/halo) central mass densities and secondarily on the typical values for the mass per MBH, with the rough dividing line, using Galactic parameters, being M(sub BH) less than or = 10(exp 6.5) solar mass. Using parameters from Lacey & Ostriker (1985) and our most accurate model for Galaxy, no runaway occurs.

Xu, Guohong↗

NASA NTRS1994

Gravitational collapse of small-scale structure as the origin of the Lyman-alpha forest

If gravitational clustering is a hierarchical process, the present large-scale structure of the galaxy distribution implies that structures on smaller scales must have formed at high redshift. We simulate the formation of small-scale structure (average cell mass: (delta) bar m(sub b) = 10(sup 4.2) solar mass) and the evolution of photoionized gas, in the specific case of the CDM + Lambda model. The photoionized gas has a natural minimal scale of collapse, the Jeans scale (m(sub b,J) is approximately equal to 10(exp 9) solar mass). We find that low column density (N(sub HI) is less than or equal to 10(exp 14)/sq cm) lines originate in regions resembling Zel'dovich pancakes, where gas with overdensities in the range 3-30 is enclosed by two shocks but is typically reexpanding at approximately the Hubble velocity. However, higher column density lines stem from more overdense regions where the shocked gas is cooling. We show that this model can probably account for the observed number of lines, their distribution in column density and b-parameters, as well as the cloud physical sizes as observed in gravitationally lensed quasars. We find a redshift evolution that is too steep; however, this may be due to insufficient dynamical range in the simulation or because the specific model is incorrect. The model predicts that high signal-to-noise observations should find systematic deviations from Voigt profiles, mainly in the form of broad wings in the line profiles, and that a fluctuating Gunn-Peterson effect will be detected, which can be modeled as a superposition of weak lines with a wide range of b-parameters.

Cen, Renyue↗

NASA NTRS1994

A hydrodynamic approach to cosmology: The mixed dark matter cosmological scenario

We compute the evolution of spatially flat, mixed cold and hot dark matter models containing both baryonic matter and two kinds of dark matter. Hydrodynamics is treated with a highly developed Eulerian hydrodynamic code (see Cen 1992). A standard particle-mesh (PM) code is also used in parallel to calculate the motion of the dark matter components. We adopt the following parameters: h equivalent to (sub 0)/100 km/s Mpc(exp -1) = 0.5, OMEGA(sub C) = 0.3, and OMEGA(sub B) = 0.06, with amplitude of the perturbation spectrum fixed by the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) Dark Matter Radiation (DMR) measurements (Smoot et al. 1992) being sigma (sub 8) = 0.67. Four different boxes are simulated with box sizes of L = (64, 16, 4, 1) h(exp -1) Mpc, respectively, the two small boxes providing good resolution but little valid information due to absence of large-scale power. We use 128(exp 3) approximate 10(exp 6.3) baryonic cells, 128(exp .3) cold dark matter particles, and 2 x 128(exp 3) hot dark matter particles. In addition to the dark matter we follow separately six baryonic species (H, H(+), He, He(+), He(++), e(-)) with allowance for both (nonequilibrium) collisional and radiative ionization in every cell. The background radiation field is also followed in detail with allowance made for both continuum and line processes, to allow nonequilibrium heating and cooling processes to be followed in detail. The mean final Zeldovich-Sunyaev y parameter is estimated to be y Bar = (5.4 + or - 2.7) x 10(exp -7) below currently attainable observations, with a rms fluctuation of approximately delta bar y = (0.6 + or - 3.0) x 10(exp -7) on arcminute scales. The rate of galaxy formation peaks at an even later epoch (z approximate 0.3) than in the standard (OMEGA = 1, sigma sub 8 = 0.67) cold dark matter (CDM) model (z approximate 0.5) and, at a redshift of z = 4, is nearly a factor of 100 lower than for the CDM model with the same value of sigma sub 8. With regard to mass function, the smallest objects are stabilized against collapse by thermal energy: the mass-weighted mass spectrum has a broad peak in the vicinity of M(sub B) = 10(exp 9.5) solar mass with a reasonable fit to the Schechter luminosity function if the ratio of baryon mass to blue light is approximately 4. In addition, one very large PM simulation was made in a box with size (320 h(exp - 1) Mpc) containing 3 x 200(exp 3) = 10(exp 7.4) particles. Utilizing this simulation we find that the model yields a cluster mass function which is about a factor of 4 higher than observed, but a cluster-cluster correlation length marginally lower than observed, but that both are closer to observations than in the (COBE) normalized CDM model. The one-dimensional pairwise velocity dispersion is 605 + or - 8 km/s at 1/h separation, lower than that of the DCM model normalized to COBE, but still significant higher than observations (Davis & Peebles 1983). A plausible velocity bias b(sub v) = 0.8 + or - 0.1 on this scale will reduce but not remove the discrepancy. The velocity auto-correlat ion function has a coherence length of 40/h Mpc, which is somewhat lower than the observed counterpart. In all these respects the model would be improved by decreasing the cold fraction of the dark OMEGA(sub CDM)/ (OMEGA(sub CDM) + OMEGA(sub HDB). But formation of galaxies and clusters of galaxies is much later in this model than in COBE-normalized CDM, perhaps too late. To improve on these constraints a larger ratio of OMEGA(sub CDM)/ (OMEGA(sub CDM) + OMEGA(sub HDM)) is required than the value of 0.67 adopted here. It does not seem possible to find a value for this ratio which would satisfy all tests. Overall, the model is similar both on large and intermediate scales to the standard CDM model normalized to the same value of sigma(sub B), but the problem with regard to late formation of galaxies is more severe in this model than in that CDM model. Adding hot dark matter, significantly improves the ability of the COBE-normalized CDM scenario to fit existing observations, but the model is in fact not as good as the CDM model with the same sigma(sub 8) and is still probably unsatisfactory with regard to several critical tests.

Cen, Renyue↗

NASA NTRS1994

A comparison of cosmological hydrodynamic codes

We present a detailed comparison of the simulation results of various hydrodynamic codes. Starting with identical initial conditions based on the cold dark matter scenario for the growth of structure, with parameters h = 0.5 Omega = Omega(sub b) = 1, and sigma(sub 8) = 1, we integrate from redshift z = 20 to z = O to determine the physical state within a representative volume of size L(exp 3) where L = 64 h(exp -1) Mpc. Five indenpendent codes are compared: three of them Eulerian mesh-based and two variants of the smooth particle hydrodynamics 'SPH' Lagrangian approach. The Eulerian codes were run at N(exp 3) = (32(exp 3), 64(exp 3), 128(exp 3), and 256(exp 3)) cells, the SPH codes at N(exp 3) = 32(exp 3) and 64(exp 3) particles. Results were then rebinned to a 16(exp 3) grid with the exception that the rebinned data should converge, by all techniques, to a common and correct result as N approaches infinity. We find that global averages of various physical quantities do, as expected, tend to converge in the rebinned model, but that uncertainites in even primitive quantities such as (T), (rho(exp 2))(exp 1/2) persists at the 3%-17% level achieve comparable and satisfactory accuracy for comparable computer time in their treatment of the high-density, high-temeprature regions as measured in the rebinned data; the variance among the five codes (at highest resolution) for the mean temperature (as weighted by rho(exp 2) is only 4.5%. Examined at high resolution we suspect that the density resolution is better in the SPH codes and the thermal accuracy in low-density regions better in the Eulerian codes. In the low-density, low-temperature regions the SPH codes have poor accuracy due to statiscal effects, and the Jameson code gives the temperatures which are too high, due to overuse of artificial viscosity in these high Mach number regions. Overall the comparison allows us to better estimate errors; it points to ways of improving this current generation ofhydrodynamic codes and of suiting their use to problems which exploit their best individual features.

Kang, Hyesung↗

NASA NTRS1994

X-ray clusters in a cold dark matter + lambda universe: A direct, large-scale, high-resolution, hydrodynamic simulation

A new, three-dimensional, shock-capturing, hydrodynamic code is utilized to determine the distribution of hot gas in a cold dark matter (CDM) + lambda model universe. Periodic boundary conditions are assumed: a box with size 85/h Mpc, having cell size 0.31/h Mpc, is followed in a simulation with 270(exp 3) = 10(exp 7.3) cells. We adopt omega = 0.45, lambda = 0.55, h identically equal to H/100 km/s/Mpc = 0.6, and then, from the cosmic background explorer (COBE) and light element nucleosynthesis, sigma(sub 8) = 0.77, omega(sub b) = 0.043. We identify the X-ray emitting clusters in the simulation box, compute the luminosity function at several wavelength bands, the temperature function and estimated sizes, as well as the evolution of these quantities with redshift. This open model succeeds in matching local observations of clusters in contrast to the standard omega = 1, CDM model, which fails. It predicts an order of magnitude decline in the number density of bright (h nu = 2-10 keV) clusters from z = 0 to z = 2 in contrast to a slight increase in the number density for standard omega = 1, CDM model. This COBE-normalized CDM + lambda model produces approximately the same number of X-ray clusters having L(sub x) greater than 10(exp 43) erg/s as observed. The background radiation field at 1 keV due to clusters is approximately the observed background which, after correction for numerical effects, again indicates that the model is consistent with observations.

Cen, Renyue↗

NASA NTRS1994

Hot gas in the cold dark matter scenario: X-ray clusters from a high-resolution numerical simulation

A new, three-dimensional, shock-capturing hydrodynamic code is utilized to determine the distribution of hot gas in a standard cold dark matter (CDM) model of the universe. Periodic boundary conditions are assumed: a box with size 85 h(exp -1) Mpc having cell size 0.31 h(exp -1) Mpc is followed in a simulation with 270(exp 3) = 10(exp 7.3) cells. Adopting standard parameters determined from COBE and light-element nucleosynthesis, sigma(sub 8) = 1.05, omega(sub b) = 0.06, and assuming h = 0.5, we find the X-ray-emitting clusters and compute the luminosity function at several wavelengths, the temperature distribution, and estimated sizes, as well as the evolution of these quantities with redshift. We find that most of the total X-ray emissivity in our box originates in a relatively small number of identifiable clusters which occupy approximately 10(exp -3) of the box volume. This standard CDM model, normalized to COBE, produces approximately 5 times too much emission from clusters having L(sub x) is greater than 10(exp 43) ergs/s, a not-unexpected result. If all other parameters were unchanged, we would expect adequate agreement for sigma(sub 8) = 0.6. This provides a new and independent argument for lower small-scale power than standard CDM at the 8 h(exp -1) Mpc scale. The background radiation field at 1 keV due to clusters in this model is approximately one-third of the observed background, which, after correction for numerical effects, again indicates approximately 5 times too much emission and the appropriateness of sigma(sub 8) = 0.6. If we have used the observed ratio of gas to total mass in clusters, rather than basing the mean density on light-element nucleosynthesis, then the computed luminosity of each cluster would have increased still further, by a factor of approximately 10. The number density of clusters increases to z approximately 1, but the luminosity per typical cluster decreases, with the result that evolution in the number density of bright clusters is moderate in this redshift range, showing a broad peak near z = 0.7, and then a rapid decline above redshift z = 3. Detailed computations of the luminosity functions in the range L(sub x) = 10(exp 40) - 10(exp 44) ergs/s in various energy bands are presented for both cluster central regions and total luminosities to be used in comparison with ROSAT and other observational data sets. The quantitative results found disagree significantly with those found by other investigators using semianalytic techniques. We find little dependence of core radius on cluster luminosity and a dependence of temperature on luminosity given by log kT(sub x) = A + B log L(sub x), which is slightly steeper (B = 0.38) than is indicated by observations. Computed temperatures are somewhat higher than observed, as expected, in that COBE-normalized CDM has too much power on the relevant scales. A modest average temperature gradient is found, with temperatures dropping to 90% of central values at 0.4 h(exp -1) Mpc and 70% of central values at 0.9 h(exp -1) Mpc. Examining the ratio of gas to total mass in the clusters normalized to Omega(sub B) h(exp 2) = 0.015, and comparing with observations, we conclude, in agreement with White (1991), that the cluster observations argue for an open universe.

Kang, Hyesung↗

NASA NTRS1994

Testing the gravitational instability hypothesis?

We challenge a widely accepted assumption of observational cosmology: that successful reconstruction of observed galaxy density fields from measured galaxy velocity fields (or vice versa), using the methods of gravitational instability theory, implies that the observed large-scale structures and large-scale flows were produced by the action of gravity. This assumption is false, in that there exist nongravitational theories that pass the reconstruction tests and gravitational theories with certain forms of biased galaxy formation that fail them. Gravitational instability theory predicts specific correlations between large-scale velocity and mass density fields, but the same correlations arise in any model where (a) structures in the galaxy distribution grow from homogeneous initial conditions in a way that satisfies the continuity equation, and (b) the present-day velocity field is irrotational and proportional to the time-averaged velocity field. We demonstrate these assertions using analytical arguments and N-body simulations. If large-scale structure is formed by gravitational instability, then the ratio of the galaxy density contrast to the divergence of the velocity field yields an estimate of the density parameter Omega (or, more generally, an estimate of beta identically equal to Omega(exp 0.6)/b, where b is an assumed constant of proportionality between galaxy and mass density fluctuations. In nongravitational scenarios, the values of Omega or beta estimated in this way may fail to represent the true cosmological values. However, even if nongravitational forces initiate and shape the growth of structure, gravitationally induced accelerations can dominate the velocity field at late times, long after the action of any nongravitational impulses. The estimated beta approaches the true value in such cases, and in our numerical simulations the estimated beta values are reasonably accurate for both gravitational and nongravitational models. Reconstruction tests that show correlations between galaxy density and velocity fields can rule out some physically interesting models of large-scale structure. In particular, successful reconstructions constrain the nature of any bias between the galaxy and mass distributions, since processes that modulate the efficiency of galaxy formation on large scales in a way that violates the continuity equation also produce a mismatch between the observed galaxy density and the density inferred from the peculiar velocity field. We obtain successful reconstructions for a gravitational model with peaks biasing, but we also show examples of gravitational and nongravitational models that fail reconstruction tests because of more complicated modulations of galaxy formation.

Babul, Arif↗

NASA NTRS1994

Strong gravitational lensing statistics as a test of cosmogonic scenarios

Gravitational lensing statistics can provide a direct and powerful test of cosmic structure formation theories. Since lensing tests, directly, the magnitude of the nonlinear mass density fluctuations on lines of sight to distant objects, no issues of 'bias' (of mass fluctuations with respect to galaxy density fluctuations) exist here, although lensing observations provide their own ambiguities of interpretation. We develop numerical techniques for generating model density distributions with the very large spatial dynamic range required by lensing considerations and for identifying regions of the simulations capable of multiple image lensing in a conservative and computationally efficient way that should be accurate for splittings significantly larger than 3 seconds. Applying these techniques to existing standard Cold dark matter (CDM) (Omega = 1) and Primeval Baryon Isocurvature (PBI) (Omega = 0.2) simulations (normalized to the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) amplitude), we find that the CDM model predicts large splitting (greater than 8 seconds) lensing events roughly an order-of-magnitude more frequently than the PBI model. Under the reasonable but idealized assumption that lensing structrues can be modeled as singular isothermal spheres (SIS), the predictions can be directly compared to observations of lensing events in quasar samples. Several large splitting (Delta Theta is greater than 8 seconds) cases are predicted in the standard CDM model (the exact number being dependent on the treatment of amplification bias), whereas none is observed. In a formal sense, the comparison excludes the CDM model at high confidence (essentially for the same reason that CDM predicts excessive small-scale cosmic velocity dispersions.) A very rough assessment of low-density but flat CDM model (Omega = 0.3, Lambda/3H(sup 2 sub 0) = 0.7) indicates a far lower and probably acceptable level of lensing. The PBI model is consistent with, but not strongly tested by, the available lensing data, and other open models would presumably do as well as PBI. These preliminary conclusions and the assumptions on which they are based can be tested and the analysis can be applied to other cosmogonic models by straightforward extension of the work presented here.

Cen, Renyue↗

NASA NTRS1993

A hydrodynamic treatment of the tilted cold dark matter cosmological scenario

A standard hydrodynamic code coupled with a particle-mesh code is used to compute the evolution of a tilted cold dark matter (TCDM) model containing both baryonic matter and dark matter. Six baryonic species are followed, with allowance for both collisional and radiative ionization in every cell. The mean final Zel'dovich-Sunyaev y parameter is estimated to be (5.4 +/- 2.7) x 10 exp -7, below currently attainable observations, with an rms fluctuation of about (6.0 +/- 3.0) x 10 exp -7 on arcmin scales. The rate of galaxy formation peaks at a relatively late epoch (z is about 0.5). In the case of mass function, the smallest objects are stabilized against collapse by thermal energy: the mass-weighted mass spectrum peaks in the vicinity of 10 exp 9.1 solar masses, with a reasonable fit to the Schechter luminosity function if the baryon mass to blue light ratio is about 4. It is shown that a bias factor of 2 required for the model to be consistent with COBE DMR signals is probably a natural outcome in the present multiple component simulations.

Cen, Renyue↗

NASA NTRS1993

A cosmological hydrodynamic code based on the total variation diminishing scheme

An explicitly second-order finite difference code based on a total variation diminishing scheme for self-gravitating cosmological hydrodynamic systems is described. The code was developed to follow correctly the adiabatic changes of extremely supersonic preshock flows with a Mach number larger than 100 as well as very strong shocks. In calculations of the formation of a 1D Zel'dovich pancake, an energy accuracy of 1 percent is obtained for 32 cells per unit wavelength, and the accuracy reaches 0.01 percent as the number of cells approach 1024. It is shown that shocks are well resolved and separate cleanly the hot, dense, collapsed peaks from the cold, low-density, expanding voids.

Ryu, Dongsu↗

NASA NTRS1993

The cosmic Mach number - Direct comparisons of observations and models

A robust method is used to derive the cosmic Mach number, M, from existing peculiar velocity data sets. For the IR Tully-Fisher distances of spirals in the Local Supercluster of Aaronson et al. (1979, 1982), M of 1.03 and a characteristic distance from the Local Group of 1464 km/s are found. For the elliptical galaxy sample of Faber et al. (1987, 1988), M of 0.57, with a characteristic distance of 2572 km/s is found. These results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations of the observational realizations drawn from numerical simulations of the universe based on various scenarios, including the standard cold dark matter (CDM) scenario. The effect of velocity bias on the derived Mach number is found to be small. Only 5 percent of the CDM simulations have M as large as or larger than that derived for the Aaronson et al. sample.

Strauss, Michael A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

A three-dimensional hydrodynamic treatment of the hot dark matter cosmological scenario

The study computes the evolution of the hot dark matter (HDM) model containing both baryonic matter and dark matter for a post recombination Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe. A locally valid Newtonian approximation is used to model a representative piece of the universe with size much less than the horizon. For the HDM model with the present chosen normalization, the hard X-ray (1-10 keV) radiation intensity is less than that in the observations (Wu et al., 1991) by a factor of 30. In agreement with other work, it is found that baryonic matter is slightly antibiased over dark matter on the cell scale, 0.5/h Mpc = 667 kpc. The HDM model with the present chosen parameters does not overproduce X-ray-luminous clusters, and there is a negative evolution in the late epochs in the sense that the number density of X-ray clusters was higher at 0.5 redshift than at 0 redshift at the brightest end.

Cen, Renyue↗

NASA NTRS1992

Galaxy formation and physical bias

We have supplemented our code, which computes the evolution of the physical state of a representative piece of the universe to include, not only the dynamics of dark matter (with a standard PM code), and the hydrodynamics of the gaseous component (including detailed collisional and radiative processes), but also galaxy formation on a heuristic but plausible basis. If, within a cell the gas is Jeans' unstable, collapsing, and cooling rapidly, it is transformed to galaxy subunits, which are then followed with a collisionless code. After grouping them into galaxies, we estimate the relative distributions of galaxies and dark matter and the relative velocities of galaxies and dark matter. In a large scale CDM run of 80/h Mpc size with 8 x 10 exp 6 cells and dark matter particles, we find that physical bias b is on the 8/h Mpc scale is about 1.6 and increases towards smaller scales, and that velocity bias is about 0.8 on the same scale. The comparable HDM simulation is highly biased with b = 2.7 on the 8/h Mpc scale. Implications of these results are discussed in the light of the COBE observations which provide an accurate normalization for the initial power spectrum. CDM can be ruled out on the basis of too large a predicted small scale velocity dispersion at greater than 95 percent confidence level.

Cen, Renyue↗

NASA NTRS1992

A tilted cold dark matter cosmological scenario

A new cosmological scenario based on CDM but with a power spectrum index of about 0.7-0.8 is suggested. This model is predicted by various inflationary models with no fine tuning. This tilted CDM model, if normalized to COBE, alleviates many problems of the standard CDM model related to both small-scale and large-scale power. A physical bias of galaxies over dark matter of about two is required to fit spatial observations.

Cen, Renyue↗