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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Deep Chandra Observation and Numerical Studies of the Nearest Cluster Cold Front in the Sky

We present the results of a very deep (500 ks) Chandra observation, along with tailored numerical simulations, of the nearest, best resolved cluster cold front in the sky, which lies 90 kpc (19 arcmin) to the north-west of M87. The northern part of the front appears the sharpest, with a width smaller than 2.5 kpc (1.5 Coulomb mean free paths; at 99 per cent confidence). Everywhere along the front, the temperature discontinuity is narrower than 4-8 kpc and the metallicity gradient is narrower than 6 kpc, indicating that diffusion, conduction and mixing are suppressed across the interface. Such transport processes can be naturally suppressed by magnetic fields aligned with the cold front. Interestingly, comparison to magnetohydrodynamic simulations indicates that in order to maintain the observed sharp density and temperature discontinuities, conduction must also be suppressed along the magnetic field lines. However, the northwestern part of the cold front is observed to have a non-zero width. While other explanations are possible, the broadening is consistent with the presence of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities (KHI) on length-scales of a few kpc. Based on comparison with simulations, the presence of KHI would imply that the effective viscosity of the intracluster medium is suppressed by more than an order of magnitude with respect to the isotropic Spitzer-like temperature dependent viscosity. Underneath the cold front, we observe quasi-linear features that are approximately 10 per cent brighter than the surrounding gas and are separated by approximately 15 kpc from each other in projection. Comparison to tailored numerical simulations suggests that the observed phenomena may be due to the amplification of magnetic fields by gas sloshing in wide layers below the cold front, where the magnetic pressure reaches approximately 5-10 per cent of the thermal pressure, reducing the gas density between the bright features.

hydrodynamics↗
NASA NTRS2016

Search for Gamma-Ray Emission from the Coma Cluster with Six Years of Fermi-LAT Data

We present results from gamma-ray observations of the Coma cluster incorporating six years of Fermi-LAT data and the newly released 'Pass 8' event-level analysis. Our analysis of the region reveals low-significance residual structures within the virial radius of the cluster that are too faint for a detailed investigation with the current data. Using a likelihood approach that is free of assumptions on the spectral shape we derive upper limits on the gamma-ray flux that is expected from energetic particle interactions in the cluster. We also consider a benchmark spatial and spectral template motivated by models in which the observed radio halo is mostly emission by secondary electrons. In this case, the median expected and observed upper limits for the flux above 100 MeV are 1.7 x 10(exp -9) ph cm(exp -2) s(exp -1) and 5.2 x 10(exp -9) ph cm(exp -2) s(exp -1) respectively (the latter corresponds to residual emission at the level of 1.8sigma). These bounds are comparable to or higher than predicted levels of hadronic gamma-ray emission in cosmic-ray (CR) models with or without reacceleration of secondary electrons, although direct comparisons are sensitive to assumptions regarding the origin and propagation mode of CRs and magnetic field properties. The minimal expected gamma-ray flux from radio and star-forming galaxies within the Coma cluster is roughly an order of magnitude below the median sensitivity of our analysis.

galaxies: clusters: individual (Coma) – gamma ra↗
NASA NTRS2021

Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Combined kinematic and thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich measurements from BOSS CMASS and LOWZ halos

The scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons off the free-electron gas in galaxies and clusters leaves detectable imprints on high resolution CMB maps: the thermal and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effects (tSZ and kSZ respectively). We use combined microwave maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope DR5 and Planck in combination with the CMASS (mean redshifthzi¼0.55and host halo masshMviri¼3×1013M⊙) and LOWZ (hzi¼0.31,hMviri¼5×1013M⊙) galaxy catalogs from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS DR10 and DR12), to study the gas associated with these galaxy groups. Using individual reconstructed velocities, we perform a stacking analysis and reject the no-kSZ hypothes is at 6.5σ, the highest significance to date. This directly translates into a measurement of the electron number density profile, and thus of the gas density profile. Despite the limited signal to noise, the measurement shows at high significance that the gas density profile is more extended than the dark matter density profile, for any reasonable baryon abundance (formally>90σfor the cosmic baryon abundance). We simultaneously measure the tSZ signal, i.e., the electron thermal pressure profile of the same CMASS objects, and reject theno-tSZ hypothesis at10σ. We combine tSZ and kSZ measurements to estimate the electron temperature to20% precision in several aperture bins, and find it comparable to the virial temperature. In a companion paper, we analyze these measurements to constrain the gas thermodynamics and the properties of feedback inside galaxy groups. We present the corresponding LOWZ measurements in this paper, ruling out a null kSZ (tSZ)signal at 2.9ð13.9Þσ, and leave their interpretation to future work. This paper and the companion paper demonstrate that current CMB experiments can detect and resolve gas profiles in low mass halos and at high redshifts, which are the most sensitive to feedback in galaxy formation and the most difficult to measure any other way. They will be a crucial input to cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, thus improving our understanding of galaxy formation. These precise gas profiles are already sufficient to reduce the main limiting theoretical systematic in galaxy-galaxy lensing: baryonic uncertainties. Future such measurements will thus unleash the statistical power of weak lensing from the Rubin, Euclid and Roman observatories. Our stacking software Thumb Stack is publicly available and directly applicable to future Simons Observatory andCMB-S4 data.

Emmanuel Schaan↗
DOE OSTI2021

Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Combined kinematic and thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich measurements from BOSS CMASS and LOWZ halos

The scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons off the free-electron gas in galaxies and clusters leaves detectable imprints on high resolution CMB maps: the thermal and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effects (tSZ and kSZ respectively). We use combined microwave maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope DR5 and Planck in combination with the CMASS (mean redshift $\langle z \rangle$ = 0.55 and host halo mass $\langle M_{vir} \rangle$ = 3 × 10 13 M ⊙ ) and LOWZ ( $\langle z \rangle$ = 0.31 , $\langle M_{vir} \rangle$ = 5 × 10 13 M ⊙ ) galaxy catalogs from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS DR10 and DR12), to study the gas associated with these galaxy groups. Using individual reconstructed velocities, we perform a stacking analysis and reject the no-kSZ hypothesis at 6.5σ, the highest significance to date. This directly translates into a measurement of the electron number density profile, and thus of the gas density profile. Despite the limited signal to noise, the measurement shows at high significance that the gas density profile is more extended than the dark matter density profile, for any reasonable baryon abundance (formally > 90 σ for the cosmic baryon abundance). We simultaneously measure the tSZ signal, i.e., the electron thermal pressure profile of the same CMASS objects, and reject the no-tSZ hypothesis at 10σ. We combine tSZ and kSZ measurements to estimate the electron temperature to 20% precision in several aperture bins, and find it comparable to the virial temperature. In a companion paper, we analyze these measurements to constrain the gas thermodynamics and the properties of feedback inside galaxy groups. We present the corresponding LOWZ measurements in this paper, ruling out a null kSZ (tSZ) signal at 2.9 (13.9) σ , and leave their interpretation to future work. This paper and the companion paper demonstrate that current CMB experiments can detect and resolve gas profiles in low mass halos and at high redshifts, which are the most sensitive to feedback in galaxy formation and the most difficult to measure any other way. They will be a crucial input to cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, thus improving our understanding of galaxy formation. These precise gas profiles are already sufficient to reduce the main limiting theoretical systematic in galaxy-galaxy lensing: baryonic uncertainties. Future such measurements will thus unleash the statistical power of weak lensing from the Rubin, Euclid and Roman observatories. Finally, our stacking software ThumbStackis publicly available and directly applicable to future Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1994

H II regions and the abundance properties of spiral galaxies

We investigate the relationships between the characteristic oxygen abundance, the radial abundance gradient, and the macroscopic properties of spiral galaxies by examining the properties of individual H II regions within those galaxies. Our observations of the line flux ratio (O II) lambda lambda 3726, 3729 + (O III) lambda lambda 4959, 5007)/H beta for 159 H II regions in 14 spiral galaxies are combined with published data to provide a sample of 39 disk galaxies for which (O II) + (O III)/H beta has been measured for at least five H II regions. We find that the characteristic gas-phase abundances and luminosities of spiral galaxies are strongly correlated. This relationship maps almost directly onto the luminosity-metallicity relationship of irregular galaxies and is also quite similar to that found for elliptical and dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Within our sample of spirals, a strong correlation between characteristic abundance and Hubble type also exists. The correlation between luminosity and Hubble type complicates the issue, but we discuss several interpretations of the correlations. The relationship between circular velocity and characteristic abundance is also discussed. We find that the slopes of the radial abundance gradients, when expressed in units of dex/isophotal radius, do not significantly correlate with either luminosity or Hubble type. However, the hypothesis that both early and very late type spirals have shallower gradients than intermediate spirals is consistent with the data. We find suggestive evidence that the presence of a bar induces a flatter gradient and also briefly discuss whether abundance gradients are exponential, as is usually assumed. We investigate the properties of individual H II regions in a subset of 42 regions for which we have spectra that cover almost the entire spectral range from 3500 to 9800 A. We use those data to estimate the densitites and ionizing spectra within the H II regions. We confirm that the ionizing spectrum hardens with increasing radius and decreasing abundance. We find no correlation between the ionization parameter and either radius or abundance, but this may be due to significant scatter introduced by the simple conversion of line ratios to ionization parameter.

Zaritsky, Dennis↗
DOE OSTI2023

A new step forward in realistic cluster lens mass modelling: analysis of Hubble Frontier Field Cluster Abell S1063 from joint lensing, X-ray, and galaxy kinematics data

We present a new method to simultaneously and self-consistently model the mass distribution of galaxy clusters that combines constraints from strong lensing features, X-ray emission, and galaxy kinematics measurements. We are able to successfully decompose clusters into their collisionless and collisional mass components thanks to the X-ray surface brightness, as well as use the dynamics of cluster members, to obtain more accurate masses exploiting the fundamental plane of elliptical galaxies. Knowledge from all observables is included through a consistent Bayesian approach in the likelihood or in physically motivated priors. We apply this method to the galaxy cluster Abell S1063 and produce a mass model that we publicly release with this paper. The resulting mass distribution presents different ellipticities for the intra-cluster gas and the other large-scale mass components as well as deviation from elliptical symmetry in the main halo. We assess the ability of our method to recover the masses of the different elements of the cluster using a mock cluster based on a simplified version of our Abell S1063 model. Thanks to the wealth of mutliwavelength information provided by the mass model and the detected X-ray emission, we also found evidence for an ongoing merger event with gas sloshing from a smaller infalling structure into the main cluster. In agreement with previous findings, the total mass, gas profile, and gas mass fraction are all consistent with small deviations from the hydrostatic equilibrium. This new mass model for Abell S1063 is publicly available, as the lenstool extension used to construct it.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2010

Accreting Binary Populations in the Earlier Universe

It is now understood that X-ray binaries dominate the hard X-ray emission from normal star-forming galaxies. Thanks to the deepest (2-4 Ms) Chandra surveys, such galaxies are now being studied in X-rays out to z approximates 4. Interesting X-ray stacking results (based on 30+ galaxies per redshift bin) suggest that the mean rest-frame 2-10 keV luminosity from z=3-4 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs), is comparable to the most powerful starburst galaxies in the local Universe. This result possibly indicates a similar production mechanism for accreting binaries over large cosmological timescales. To understand and constrain better the production of X-ray binaries in high-redshift LBGs, we have utilized XMM-Newton observations of a small sample of z approximates 0.1 GALEX-selected Ultraviolet-Luminous Galaxies (UVLGs); local analogs to high-redshift LBGs. Our observations enable us to study the X-ray emission from LBG-like galaxies on an individual basis, thus allowing us to constrain object-to-object variances in this population. We supplement these results with X-ray stacking constraints using the new 3.2 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (completed spring 2010) and LBG candidates selected from HST, Swift UVOT, and ground-based data. These measurements provide new X-ray constraints that sample well the entire z=0-4 baseline

Hornschemeier, Ann↗
DOE OSTI2022

A multiwavelength study of the flat-spectrum radio quasar NVSS J141922−083830 covering four flaring episodes

We present multiwavelength observations and a model for flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) NVSS J141922−083830, originally classified as a blazar candidate of unknown type (BCU II object) in the Third Fermi-LAT AGN Catalog. Relatively bright flares (>3 magnitudes) were observed on 2015 February 21 (MJD 57074) and 2018 September 8 (MJD 58369) in the optical band with the MASTER Global Robotic Net telescopes. Optical spectra obtained with the Southern African Large Telescope on 2015 March 1 (MJD 57082), during outburst, and on 2017 May 30 (MJD 57903), during quiescence, showed emission lines at 5325 Å and at ≈3630 Å that we identified as the Mg II III] 1909 Å lines, respectively, and hence derived a redshift z = 0.903. Analysis of Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) data was performed in the quiescent regime (5 yr of data) and during four prominent flaring states in 2014 February–April, 2014 October–November, 2015 February–March, and 2018 September. We present spectral and timing analysis with Fermi-LAT . We report a hardening of the gamma-ray spectrum during the last three flaring periods, with a power-law spectral index Γ = 2.0–2.1. The maximum gamma-ray flux level was observed on 2014 October 24 (MJD 56954) at (7.57 ± 1.83) × 10 −7 ph cm −2 s −1 . The multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) during the 2015 February–March flare supports the earlier evidence of this blazar to belong to the FSRQ class. The SED can be well represented with a single-zone leptonic model with parameters typical of FSRQs, but also a hadronic origin of the high-energy emission cannot be ruled out.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2010

A Spectroscopic Search for Leaking Lyman Continuum at Zeta Approximately 0.7

We present the results of rest-frame, UV slitless spectroscopic observations of a sample of 32 z approx. 0.7 Lyman Break Galaxy (LBG) analogs in the COSMOS field. The spectroscopic search was performed with the Solar Blind Channel (SBC) on HST. While we find no direct detections of the Lyman Continuum we achieve individual limits (3sigma) of the observed non-ionizing UV to Lyman continuum flux density ratios, f(sub nu)(1500A)/f(sub nu)(830A) of 20 to 204 (median of 73.5) and 378.7 for the stack. Assuming an intrinsic Lyman Break of 3.4 and an optical depth of Lyman continuum photons along the line of sight to the galaxy of 85% we report an upper limit for the relative escape fraction in individual galaxies of 0.02 - 0.19 and a stacked 3sigma upper limit of 0.01. We find no indication of a relative escape fraction near unity as seen in some LBGs at z approx. 3. Our UV spectra achieve the deepest limits to date at any redshift on the escape fraction in individual sources. The contrast between these z approx. 0.7 low escape fraction LBG analogs with z approx. 3 LBGs suggests that either the processes conducive to high f(sub esc) are not being selected for in the z less than or approx.1 samples or the average escape fraction is decreasing from z approx. 3 to z approx. 1. We discuss possible mechanisms which could affect the escape of Lyman continuum photons

Bridge, Carrie R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Gravitational focusing and the association of distant quasars with foreground galaxies

The surface density of quasars brighter than a given threshold is enhanced near a galaxy by the gravitational focusing of light from those quasars that are nearly co-aligned with individual stars in the galaxy halo. The focusing can intensify and make detectable quasars which would otherwise have been below the threshold. If galaxies have massive haloes of macroscopic objects then the resulting enhancement could explain the apparent association between quasars and galaxies with discrepant redshifts found in a statistical analysis. Therefore, such quasar-galaxy associations need not require the abandonment of the cosmological interpretation of the redshift.

Canizares, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

X-ray spectra of clusters of galaxies

Out of the many individual cases of clusters with spectral complexity reported in the literature, attention is given to the spectral complexity of the most recent data obtained by the Einstein Observatory and an attempt is made to explain at least a portion of the data in terms of models of radiatively-regulated accretion in the central parts of the clusters and/or onto massive galaxies. After a review of the range of models proposed, with emphasis on predicted temperature distribution, it is noted that all accretion models have temperatures which decrease toward the center, and that several authors have explored the consequences of radiative cooling of the gas in the dense central regions of a cluster or of a cluster plus a central galaxy.

Canizares, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Hot coronae around early-type galaxies

The analysis of the X-ray emission from a sample of 55 bright early-type galaxies shows that hot gaseous coronae are a common and perhaps ubiquitous feature of such systems. The X-ray emission can be explained most naturally as thermal bremsstrahlung from hot gas which may be accumulated from mass loss during normal stellar evolution. The presence of these coronae shows that matter previously thought to be expelled in a galactic wind is instead stored in a hot galactic corona which may be heated and powered by supernova explosions. Perhaps the single most important feature of these coronae is that they provide a unique tracer of the gravitational potential in the outer regions of bright early-type galaxies. In this paper the X-ray properties of these coronae and their implications for the presence of massive dark halos around individual early-type galaxies are discussed. Total masses of early-type galaxies up to 5 trillion solar masses are found.

Forman, W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Delving into the depths of NGC 3783 with XRISM

We present our study of the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) observation of the Seyfert-1 galaxy NGC 3783. XRISM’s Resolve microcalorimeter has enabled, for the first time, a detailed characterization of the highly ionized outflows in this active galactic nucleus. Our analysis constrains their outflow and turbulent velocities, along with their ionization parameter (ξ) and column density (N H ). The high-resolution Resolve spectrum reveals a distinct series of Fe absorption lines between 6.4 and 7.8 keV, ranging from Fe XVIII to Fe XXVI. At lower energies (1.8−3.3 keV), absorption features from Si, S, and Ar are also detected. Our spectroscopy and photoionization modeling of the time-averaged Resolve spectrum uncovers six outflow components, five of which exhibit relatively narrow absorption lines with outflow velocities ranging from 560 to 1170 km s −1 . In addition, a broad absorption feature is detected, which is consistent with Fe XXVI outflowing at 14 300 km s −1 (0.05 c). The kinetic luminosity of this component is 0.8−3% of the bolometric luminosity. Our analysis of the Resolve spectrum shows that more highly ionized absorption lines are intrinsically broader than those of lower-ionization species, indicating that the turbulent velocity of the six outflow components (ranging from 0 to 3500 km s −1 ) increases with ξ. Furthermore, we find that the column density (N H ) of the outflows generally declines with the ionization parameter up to log ξ = 3.2 but rises beyond this point, suggesting a complex ionization structure. The absorption profile of the Fe XXV resonance line is intriguingly similar to UV absorption lines (Lyα and C IV) observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, from which we infer that the outflows are clumpy in nature. Our XRISM/Resolve results from lower- and higher-ionization regimes support a “hybrid wind” scenario in which the observed outflows have multiple origins and driving mechanisms. We explore various interpretations of our findings within active galactic nucleus wind models.

X-rays: galaxies↗
DOE OSTI2025

Delving into the depths of NGC 3783 with XRISM

The 2024 X-ray/UV observation campaign of NGC 3783, led by XRISM, revealed the launch of an ultrafast outflow (UFO) with a radial velocity of 0.19c (57 000 km s −1 ). This event is synchronized with the sharp decay, within less than half a day, of a prominent soft X-ray/UV flare. Accounting for the look-elsewhere effect, the XRISM Resolve data alone indicate a low probability of 2 × 10 −5 that this UFO detection is due to random chance. The UFO features narrow H-like and He-like Fe lines with a velocity dispersion of ∼1000 km s −1 , suggesting that it originates from a dense clump. Beyond this primary detection, there are hints of weaker outflow signatures throughout the rise and fall phases of the soft flare. Their velocities increase from 0.05c to 0.3c over approximately three days, and they may be associated with a larger stream in which the clump is embedded. The radiation pressure is insufficient to drive the acceleration of this rapidly evolving outflow. The observed evolution of the outflow kinematics instead closely resembles that of solar coronal mass ejections, implying magnetic driving and, conceivably, reconnection near the accretion disk as the likely mechanisms behind both the UFO launch and the associated soft flare.

Astronomy and AstroPhysics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Unraveling the Complex Behavior of Mrk 421 with Simultaneous X-Ray and VHE Observations during an Extreme Flaring Activity in 2013 April

Here we report on a multiband variability and correlation study of the TeV blazar Mrk 421 during an exceptional flaring activity observed from 2013 April 11 to 19. The study uses, among others, data from GLAST-AGILE Support Program (GASP) of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT), Swift, Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Fermi Large Area Telescope, Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS), and Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC). The large blazar activity and the 43 hr of simultaneous NuSTAR and MAGIC/VERITAS observations permitted variability studies on 15 minute time bins over three X-ray bands (3–7 keV, 7–30 keV, and 30–80 keV) and three very-high-energy (VHE; >0.1 TeV) gamma-ray bands (0.2–0.4 TeV, 0.4–0.8 TeV, and >0.8 TeV). We detected substantial flux variations on multi-hour and sub-hour timescales in all of the X-ray and VHE gamma-ray bands. The characteristics of the sub-hour flux variations are essentially energy independent, while the multi-hour flux variations can have a strong dependence on the energy of the X-rays and the VHE gamma-rays. The three VHE bands and the three X-ray bands are positively correlated with no time lag, but the strength and characteristics of the correlation change substantially over time and across energy bands. Our findings favor multi-zone scenarios for explaining the achromatic/chromatic variability of the fast/slow components of the light curves, as well as the changes in the flux–flux correlation on day-long timescales. We interpret these results within a magnetic reconnection scenario, where the multi-hour flux variations are dominated by the combined emission from various plasmoids of different sizes and velocities, while the sub-hour flux variations are dominated by the emission from a single small plasmoid moving across the magnetic reconnection layer.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dark Energy Survey Year 3 results: redshift calibration of the weak lensing source galaxies

ABSTRACT Determining the distribution of redshifts of galaxies observed by wide-field photometric experiments like the Dark Energy Survey (DES) is an essential component to mapping the matter density field with gravitational lensing. In this work we describe the methods used to assign individual weak lensing source galaxies from the DES Year 3 Weak Lensing Source Catalogue to four tomographic bins and to estimate the redshift distributions in these bins. As the first application of these methods to data, we validate that the assumptions made apply to the DES Y3 weak lensing source galaxies and develop a full treatment of systematic uncertainties. Our method consists of combining information from three independent likelihood functions: self-organizing map p(z) (sompz), a method for constraining redshifts from galaxy photometry; clustering redshifts (WZ), constraints on redshifts from cross-correlations of galaxy density functions; and shear ratios (SRs), which provide constraints on redshifts from the ratios of the galaxy-shear correlation functions at small scales. Finally, we describe how these independent probes are combined to yield an ensemble of redshift distributions encapsulating our full uncertainty. We calibrate redshifts with combined effective uncertainties of σ〈z〉 ∼ 0.01 on the mean redshift in each tomographic bin.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2019

FIGS: spectral fitting constraints on the star formation history of massive galaxies since the cosmic noon

We constrain the stellar population properties of a sample of 52 massive galaxies – with stellar mass log (M(s)/M(⊙)) ≳ 10.5 – over the redshift range 0.5 < z < 2 by use of observer-frame optical and near-infrared slitless spectra from Hubble Space Telescope’s ACS and WFC3 grisms. The deep exposures (∼100 ks) allow us to target individual spectra of massive galaxies to F160W = 22.5 AB. Our spectral fitting approach uses a set of six base models adapted to the redshift and spectral resolution of each observation, and fits the weights of the base models, including potential dust attenuation, via a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. Our sample comprises a mixed distribution of quiescent (19) and star-forming galaxies (33). We quantify the width of the age distribution (Δt) that is found to dominate the variance of the retrieved parameters according to principal component analysis. The population parameters follow the expected trend towards older ages with increasing mass, and Δt appears to weakly anticorrelate with stellar mass, suggesting a more efficient star formation at the massive end. As expected, the redshift dependence of the relative stellar age (measured in units of the age of the Universe at the source) in the quiescent sample rejects the hypothesis of a single burst (aka monolithic collapse). Radial colour gradients within each galaxy are also explored, finding a wider scatter in the star-forming subsample, but no conclusive trend with respect to the population parameters.

Ignacio Ferreras↗
NASA NTRS1992

A spatial, kinematical, and dynamical analysis of Abell 400

The paper presents a detailed spatial, kinematical, and dynamical analysis for the cluster A400, based on a nearly complete redshift survey of bright galaxies within 1 Mpc of the cluster center. A dispersed component with a high fraction of spiral galaxies at a velocity of 8200 km/s, and a background group with a mean velocity of 13,400 km/s are identified. It is proposed that the main body of A400 is composed of at least two individual subclusters. If subclustering is ignored, the derived dispersion of the 88 galaxies with measured velocities within 4000 km/s of the bright dumbbell galaxy near the cluster center is 702 km/s. When kinematic information is used to split A400 into likely subclusters, the velocity dispersions of the individual units which make up this cluster are on the order of 200-300 km/s. If A400 is considered a single entity, the inferred blue mass-to-light ratio is 1210 solar masses/solar luminosities. It is argued that A400 is an example of a presently occurring merger, and that the individual components of the dumbbell galaxy were once individual D galaxies within the premerger subclusters.

Beers, Timothy C.↗