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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Nonlinear Evolution Of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations From Improved Perturbation Theory In Real And Redshift Spaces, Atsushi Taruya, Takahiro Nishimichi, Shun Saito, Takashi Hiramatsu Dec 2009

Nonlinear Evolution Of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations From Improved Perturbation Theory In Real And Redshift Spaces, Atsushi Taruya, Takahiro Nishimichi, Shun Saito, Takashi Hiramatsu

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We study the nonlinear evolution of baryon acoustic oscillations in the matter power spectrum and correlation function from the improved perturbation theory (PT). Based on the framework of renormalized PT, which provides a nonperturbative way to treat the gravitational clustering of large-scale structure, we apply the closure approximation that truncates the infinite series of loop contributions at one-loop order, and obtain a closed set of integral equations for power spectrum and nonlinear propagator. The resultant integral expressions are basically equivalent to those previously derived in the form of evolution equations, and they keep important nonperturbative properties which can dramatically improve …


The Lick Agn Monitoring Project: Broad-Line Region Radii And Black Hole Masses From Reverberation Mapping Of HSs, Misty C. Bentz, Jonelle L. Walsh, Aaron J. Barth, Nairn Baliber, Vardha N. Bennert, Gabriela Canalizo, Alexei V. Filippenko, Mohan Ganeshalingam, Elinor L. Gates, Jenny E. Greene, Marton G. Hidas, Kyle D. Hiner, Nicholas Lee, Weidong Li, Matthew A. Malkan, Takeo Minezaki, Yu Sakata, Frank J.D. Serduke, Jeffrey M. Silverman, Thea N. Steele, Daniel Stern, Rachel A. Street, Carol E. Thornton, Tommaso Treu, Xiaofeng Wang, Jong-Hak Woo, Yuzuru Yoshii Nov 2009

The Lick Agn Monitoring Project: Broad-Line Region Radii And Black Hole Masses From Reverberation Mapping Of HSs, Misty C. Bentz, Jonelle L. Walsh, Aaron J. Barth, Nairn Baliber, Vardha N. Bennert, Gabriela Canalizo, Alexei V. Filippenko, Mohan Ganeshalingam, Elinor L. Gates, Jenny E. Greene, Marton G. Hidas, Kyle D. Hiner, Nicholas Lee, Weidong Li, Matthew A. Malkan, Takeo Minezaki, Yu Sakata, Frank J.D. Serduke, Jeffrey M. Silverman, Thea N. Steele, Daniel Stern, Rachel A. Street, Carol E. Thornton, Tommaso Treu, Xiaofeng Wang, Jong-Hak Woo, Yuzuru Yoshii

Physics

We have recently completed a 64-night spectroscopic monitoring campaign at the Lick Observatory 3-m Shane telescope with the aim of measuring the masses of the black holes in 12 nearby (z < 0.05) Seyfert 1 galaxies with expected masses in the range ~106-107 M and also the well-studied nearby active galactic nucleus (AGN) NGC 5548. Nine of the objects in the sample (including NGC 5548) showed optical variability of sufficient strength during the monitoring campaign to allow for a time lag to be measured between the continuum fluctuations and the response to these fluctuations in the broad Hβ emission. We present here the light curves for all …


The Lick Agn Monitoring Project: Photometric Light Curves And Optical Variability Characteristics, Jonelle L. Walsh, Takeo Minezaki, Misty C. Bentz, Aaron J. Barth, Nairn Baliber, Weidong Li, Daniel Stern, Vardha Nicola Bennert, Timothy M. Brown, Gabriela Canalizo, Alexei V. Filippenko, Elinor L. Gates, Jenny E. Greene, Matthew A. Malkan, Yu Sakata, Rachel A. Street, Tommaso Treu, Jong-Hak Woo, Yuzuru Yoshii Nov 2009

The Lick Agn Monitoring Project: Photometric Light Curves And Optical Variability Characteristics, Jonelle L. Walsh, Takeo Minezaki, Misty C. Bentz, Aaron J. Barth, Nairn Baliber, Weidong Li, Daniel Stern, Vardha Nicola Bennert, Timothy M. Brown, Gabriela Canalizo, Alexei V. Filippenko, Elinor L. Gates, Jenny E. Greene, Matthew A. Malkan, Yu Sakata, Rachel A. Street, Tommaso Treu, Jong-Hak Woo, Yuzuru Yoshii

Physics

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project targeted 13 nearby Seyfert 1 galaxies with the intent of measuring the masses of their central black holes using reverberation mapping. The sample includes 12 galaxies selected to have black holes with masses roughly in the range 106-107 M , as well as the well-studied active galactic nucleus (AGN) NGC 5548. In conjunction with a spectroscopic monitoring campaign, we obtained broadband B and V images on most nights from 2008 February through 2008 May. The imaging observations were carried out by four telescopes: the 0.76 m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope, the …


The Fundamental Plane Of Accretion Onto Black Holes With Dynamical Masses, Kayhan Gültekin, Edward M. Cackett, Jon M. Miller, Tiziana Di Matteo, Sera Markoff, Douglas O. Richstone Nov 2009

The Fundamental Plane Of Accretion Onto Black Holes With Dynamical Masses, Kayhan Gültekin, Edward M. Cackett, Jon M. Miller, Tiziana Di Matteo, Sera Markoff, Douglas O. Richstone

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

Black hole accretion and jet production are areas of intensive study in astrophysics. Recent work has found a relation between radio luminosity, X-ray luminosity, and black hole mass. With the assumption that radio and X-ray luminosities are suitable proxies for jet power and accretion power, respectively, a broad fundamental connection between accretion and jet production is implied. In an effort to refine these links and enhance their power, we have explored the above relations exclusively among black holes with direct, dynamical mass-measurements. This approach not only eliminates systematic errors incurred through the use of secondary mass measurements, but also effectively …


Effects Of Gravitational Slip On The Higher-Order Moments Of The Matter Distribution, Scott F. Daniel Oct 2009

Effects Of Gravitational Slip On The Higher-Order Moments Of The Matter Distribution, Scott F. Daniel

Dartmouth Scholarship

Cosmological departures from general relativity offer a possible explanation for the cosmic acceleration. To linear order, these departures (quantified by the model-independent parameter ϖ, referred to as a “gravitational slip”) amplify or suppress the growth of structure in the universe relative to what we would expect to see from a general relativistic universe lately dominated by a cosmological constant. As structures collapse and become more dense, linear perturbation theory is an inadequate descriptor of their behavior, and one must extend calculations to nonlinear order. If the effects of gravitational slip extend to these higher orders, we might expect to see …


Dust And The Type Ii-Plateau Supernova 2004et, R. Kotak, W. P. S. Meikle, D. Farrah, C. L. Gerardy, R. J. Foley, S. D. Van Dyk, C. Fransson, P. Lundqvist, J. Sollerman, R. Fesen Oct 2009

Dust And The Type Ii-Plateau Supernova 2004et, R. Kotak, W. P. S. Meikle, D. Farrah, C. L. Gerardy, R. J. Foley, S. D. Van Dyk, C. Fransson, P. Lundqvist, J. Sollerman, R. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present mid-infrared (MIR) observations of the Type II-plateau supernova (SN) 2004et, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope between 64 and 1406 days past explosion. Late-time optical spectra are also presented. For the period 300-795 days past explosion, we argue that the spectral energy distribution (SED) of SN 2004et comprises (1) a hot component due to emission from optically thick gas, as well as free-bound radiation; (2) a warm component due to newly formed, radioactively heated dust in the ejecta; and (3) a cold component due to an IR echo from the interstellar-medium dust of the host galaxy, NGC 6946. …


Constraining The Spin Of The Black Hole In Fairall 9 With Suzaku, S. Schmoll, J. M. Miller, M. Volonteri, E. Cackett, C. S. Reynolds, A. C. Fabian, L. W. Brenneman, G. Miniutti, L. C. Gallo Oct 2009

Constraining The Spin Of The Black Hole In Fairall 9 With Suzaku, S. Schmoll, J. M. Miller, M. Volonteri, E. Cackett, C. S. Reynolds, A. C. Fabian, L. W. Brenneman, G. Miniutti, L. C. Gallo

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

We report on the results of spectral fits made to data obtained from a 168 ks Suzaku observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Fairall 9. The source is clearly detected out to 30 keV. The observed spectrum is fairly simple; it is well described by a power law with soft excess and disk reflection. A broad iron line is detected, and easily separated from distinct narrow components owing to the resolution of the CCDs in the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS). The broad line is revealed to be asymmetric, consistent with a disk origin. We fit the XIS and Hard X-ray …


Pah Emission From Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies, V. Desai, L. Armus, H. W. W. Spoon, Vassilis Charmandaris, J. Bernard-Salas, B. R. Brandl, D. Farrah, B.T. Soifer, H. I. Teplitz, P. M. Ogle, D. Devost, Sarah J.U. Higdon, J. A. Marshall, J. R. Houck Aug 2009

Pah Emission From Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies, V. Desai, L. Armus, H. W. W. Spoon, Vassilis Charmandaris, J. Bernard-Salas, B. R. Brandl, D. Farrah, B.T. Soifer, H. I. Teplitz, P. M. Ogle, D. Devost, Sarah J.U. Higdon, J. A. Marshall, J. R. Houck

Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We explore the relationships between the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) feature strengths, mid-infrared continuum luminosities, far-infrared spectral slopes, optical spectroscopic classifications, and silicate optical depths within a sample of 107 ULIRGs observed with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The detected 6.2 µm PAH equivalent widths (EQWs) in the sample span more than two orders of magnitude (∼0.006–0.8 µm), and ULIRGs with HII-like optical spectra or steep far-infrared spectral slopes (S25/S60 < 0.2) typically have 6.2 µm PAH EQWs that are half that of lower-luminosity starbursts. A significant fraction (∼40–60%) of HII-like, LINER-like, and cold ULIRGs have very weak PAH EQWs. Many of these ULIRGs also have large (τ9.7 > 2.3) silicate optical depths. The far-infrared spectral slope is strongly correlated with PAH EQW, but not with silicate optical depth. In addition, the PAH EQW decreases with …


A New Formula Describing The Scaffold Structure Of Spiral Galaxies, Harry I. Ringermacher, Lawrence R. Mead Jul 2009

A New Formula Describing The Scaffold Structure Of Spiral Galaxies, Harry I. Ringermacher, Lawrence R. Mead

Faculty Publications

We describe a new formula capable of quantitatively characterizing the Hubble sequence of spiral galaxies including grand design and barred spirals. Special shapes such as ring galaxies with inward and outward arms are also described by the analytic continuation of the same formula. The formula is r() = A/log [B tan (/2N)]. This function intrinsically generates a bar in a continuous, fixed relationship relative to an arm of arbitrary winding sweep. A is simply a scale parameter while B, together with N, determines the spiral pitch. Roughly, greater N results in tighter winding. Greater B results in greater arm sweep …


Simple Fit Of Data Relating Supermassive Black Hole Mass To Galaxy Pitch Angle, Harry I. Ringermacher, Lawrence R. Mead Jun 2009

Simple Fit Of Data Relating Supermassive Black Hole Mass To Galaxy Pitch Angle, Harry I. Ringermacher, Lawrence R. Mead

Faculty Publications

Seigar et al. have recently demonstrated a new, tight correlation between galactic central supermassive black hole (BH) mass and the pitch angle of the spiral arm in disk galaxies which they attribute to other indirect correlations. They fit a double power law, governed by five parameters, to the BH mass as a function of pitch. Noting the features of their fitted curve, we show that a simple linear proportion of the BH mass to the cotangent of the pitch angle can obtain the same fit, within error. Such a direct, elegant fit may help shed light on the nature of …


A Search For H2O Megamasers In High-Z Type-2 Active Galactic Nuclei, Vardha N. Bennert, Richard Barvainis, Christian Henkel, Robert Antonucci Apr 2009

A Search For H2O Megamasers In High-Z Type-2 Active Galactic Nuclei, Vardha N. Bennert, Richard Barvainis, Christian Henkel, Robert Antonucci

Physics

We report a search for H2O megamasers in 274 SDSS type-2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs; 0.3 <z< 0.83), half of which can be classified as type-2 quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) from their [O III] 5007 luminosity, using the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and the Effelsberg 100 m radio telescope. Apart from the detection of the extremely luminous water vapor megamaser SDSS J080430.99+360718.1, already reported by Barvainis & Antonucci, we do not find any additional line emission. This high rate of nondetections is compared to the water maser luminosity function created from the 78 water maser galaxies known to date and its extrapolation toward the higher luminosities of "gigamasers" that we would have been able to detect given the sensitivity of our survey. The properties of the known water masers are summarized and discussed with respect to the nature of high-z type-2 AGNs and megamasers in general. In the Appendix, we list 173 additional objects (mainly radio galaxies, but also QSOs and galaxies) that were observed with the GBT, the Effelsberg 100 m radio telescope, or Arecibo Observatory without leading to the detection of water maser emission.


Distance To The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy Using Macho Project Rr Lyrae Stars, Andrea Kunder, Brian Chaboyer Apr 2009

Distance To The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy Using Macho Project Rr Lyrae Stars, Andrea Kunder, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We derive the distance to the northern extension of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal galaxy from 203 Sgr RR0 Lyrae stars found in the MACHO database. Their distances are determined differentially with respect to 288 Galactic bulge RR0 Lyrae stars also found in the MACHO data. We find a distance modulus difference of 2.41 mag at l = 5 and b =− 8 and that the extension of the Sgr galaxy toward the galactic plane is inclined toward us. Assuming R GC = 8 kpc, this implies the distance to these stars is (m − M) 0 = …


Hubble Space Telescope Morphologies Of Z ~ 2 Dust Obscured Galaxies. I. Power-Law Sources, R.S. Bussman, Arjun Dey, J. Lotz, Lee Armus, Kate Brand, Michael J. I. Brown, Vandana Desai, Peter Eisenhardt, James L. Higdon, Sarah J.U. Higdon, B. T. Jannuzi, Emeric Le Floc'h, J. Melbourne, B. T. Soifer, Daniel Weedman Mar 2009

Hubble Space Telescope Morphologies Of Z ~ 2 Dust Obscured Galaxies. I. Power-Law Sources, R.S. Bussman, Arjun Dey, J. Lotz, Lee Armus, Kate Brand, Michael J. I. Brown, Vandana Desai, Peter Eisenhardt, James L. Higdon, Sarah J.U. Higdon, B. T. Jannuzi, Emeric Le Floc'h, J. Melbourne, B. T. Soifer, Daniel Weedman

Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present high spatial resolution optical and near-infrared imaging obtained using the ACS, WFPC2 and NICMOS cameras aboard the Hubble Space Telescope of 31 24µm–bright z ≈ 2 Dust Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) identified in the Bo¨otes Field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. Although this subset of DOGs have mid-IR spectral energy distributions dominated by a power-law component suggestive of an AGN, all but one of the galaxies are spatially extended and not dominated by an unresolved component at rest-frame UV or optical wavelengths. The observed V − H and I − H colors of the extended components are 0.2−3 …


Long-Term Optical And X-Ray Variability Of The Seyfert Galaxy Markarian 79, E. Breedt, P. Arévalo, I. M. Mchardy, P. Uttley, S. G. Sergeev, T. Minezaki, Y. Yoshii, C. M. Gaskell, E. M. Cackett, K. Horne, S. Koshida Mar 2009

Long-Term Optical And X-Ray Variability Of The Seyfert Galaxy Markarian 79, E. Breedt, P. Arévalo, I. M. Mchardy, P. Uttley, S. G. Sergeev, T. Minezaki, Y. Yoshii, C. M. Gaskell, E. M. Cackett, K. Horne, S. Koshida

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

We present the results of concurrent X-ray and optical monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 79 over a period of more than 5yr. We find that on short to medium time-scales (days to a few tens of days) the 2-10 keV X-ray and optical u- and V-band fluxes are significantly correlated, with a delay between the bands consistent with 0d. We show that most of these variations may be well reproduced by a model where the short-term optical variations originate from reprocessing of X-rays by an optically thick accretion disc. The optical light curves, however, also display long time-scale …


Veritas Observations Of A Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Flare From The Blazar 3c 66a, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al Feb 2009

Veritas Observations Of A Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Flare From The Blazar 3c 66a, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

The intermediate-frequency peaked BL Lacertae (IBL) object 3C 66A is detected during 2007-2008 in VHE (very high energy; E > 100 GeV) γ rays with the VERITAS stereoscopic array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. An excess of 1791 events is detected, corresponding to a significance of 21.2 standard deviations (σ), in these observations (32.8 hr live time). The observed integral flux above 200 GeV is 6% of the Crab Nebula's flux and shows evidence for variability on the timescale of days. The measured energy spectrum is characterized by a soft power law with photon index Γ = 4.1 ± 0.4stat ± …


Dark Matter Scaling Relations And The Assembly Epoch Of Coma Early-Type Galaxies, J. Thomas, R. P. Saglia, R. Bender, D. Thomas, K. Gebhardt, J Magorrian, E. M. Corsini, G. Wegner Jan 2009

Dark Matter Scaling Relations And The Assembly Epoch Of Coma Early-Type Galaxies, J. Thomas, R. P. Saglia, R. Bender, D. Thomas, K. Gebhardt, J Magorrian, E. M. Corsini, G. Wegner

Dartmouth Scholarship

Axisymmetric, orbit-based dynamical models are used to derive dark matter scaling relations for Coma early-type galaxies. From faint to bright galaxies, halo core radii and asymptotic circular velocities increase. Compared to spirals of the same brightness, the majority of Coma early-type galaxies—those with old stellar populations—have similar halo core radii but more than two times larger asymptotic halo velocities. The average dark matter density inside 2 r eff decreases with increasing luminosity and is 6.8 times larger than in disk galaxies of the same B-band luminosity. Compared at the same stellar mass, dark matter densities in ellipticals are 13.5 …