We present a cross-calibration of CO- and dust-based molecular gas masses at z<=0.2. Our results are based on a survey with the IRAM 30-m telescope collecting CO(1-0) measurements of 78 massive (logM*/M_{sun}_>10) galaxies with known gas-phase metallicities and with IR photometric coverage from Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer(WISE; 22um) and Herschel Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE; 250, 350, 500um). We find a tight relation (~0.17dex scatter) between the gas masses inferred from CO and dust continuum emission, with a minor systematic offset of 0.05dex. The two methods can be brought into agreement by applying a metallicity-dependent adjustment factor (~0.13dex scatter). We illustrate that the observed offset is consistent with a scenario in which dust traces not only molecular gas but also part of the HI reservoir, residing in the H_2_-dominated region of the galaxy. Observations of the CO(2-1) to CO(1-0) line ratio for two-thirds of the sample indicate a narrow range in excitation properties, with a median ratio of luminosities <R_21_>~0.64. Finally, we find dynamical mass constraints from spectral line profile fitting to agree well with the anticipated mass budget enclosed within an effective radius, once all mass components (stars, gas, and dark matter) are accounted for.
We have combined spectroscopic and photometric data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with 1.4GHz radio observations, conducted as part of the Stripe 82 1-2GHz Snapshot Survey using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, which covers ~100 sq deg, to a flux limit of 88uJy rms. Cross-matching the 11768 radio source components with optical data via visual inspection results in a final sample of 4794 cross-matched objects, of which 1996 have spectroscopic redshifts and 2798 objects have photometric redshifts. Three previously undiscovered giant radio galaxies were found during the cross-matching process, which would have been missed using automated techniques. For the objects with spectroscopy, we separate radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star-forming galaxies (SFGs) using three diagnostics and then further divide our radio-loud AGN into the high and low excitation radio galaxy (HERG and LERG) populations. A control-matched sample of HERGs and LERGs, matched on stellar mass, redshift, and radio luminosity, reveals that the host galaxies of LERGs are redder and more concentrated than HERGs. By combining with near-infrared data, we demonstrate that LERGs also follow a tight K-z relationship. These results imply the LERG populations are hosted by population of massive, passively evolving early-type galaxies. We go on to show that HERGs, LERGs, quasars, and SFGs in our sample all reside in different regions of a Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer colour-colour diagram. This cross-matched sample bridges the gap between previous 'wide but shallow' and 'deep but narrow' samples and will be useful for a number of future investigations.
Multiwavelength surveys covering large sky volumes are necessary to obtain an accurate census of rare objects such as high-luminosity and/or high-redshift active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Stripe 82X is a 31.3 X-ray survey with Chandra and XMM-Newton observations overlapping the legacy Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 field, which has a rich investment of multiwavelength coverage from the ultraviolet to the radio. The wide-area nature of this survey presents new challenges for photometric redshifts for AGNs compared to previous work on narrow-deep fields because it probes different populations of objects that need to be identified and represented in the library of templates. Here we present an updated X-ray plus multiwavelength matched catalog, including Spitzer counterparts, and estimated photometric redshifts for 5961 (96% of a total of 6181) X-ray sources that have a normalized median absolute deviation, {sigma}_nmad_=0.06, and an outlier fraction, {eta}=13.7%. The populations found in this survey and the template libraries used for photometric redshifts provide important guiding principles for upcoming large-area surveys such as eROSITA and 3XMM (in X-ray) and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (optical).
Massive binaries that merge as compact objects are the progenitors of gravitational-wave sources. Most of these binaries experience one or more phases of mass transfer, during which one of the stars loses part or all of its outer envelope and becomes a stripped-envelope star. The evolution of the size of these stripped stars is crucial in determining whether they experience further interactions and their final fate. We present new calculations of stripped-envelope stars based on binary evolution models computed with the MESA stellar evolution code. We use these to investigate their radius evolution as a function of mass and metallicity. We further discuss their pre- supernova observable characteristics and potential consequences of their evolution on the properties of supernovae from stripped stars. At high metallicity we find that practically all of the hydrogen-rich envelope is removed, in agreement with earlier findings. Only progenitors with initial masses below 10\Msun expand to large radii (up to 100R_{sun}_), while more massive progenitors stay compact. At low metallicity, a substantial amount of hydrogen remains and the progenitors can, in principle, expand to giant sizes (>400R_{sun}_), for all masses we consider. This implies that they can fill their Roche lobe anew. We show that the prescriptions commonly used in population synthesis models underestimate the stellar radii by up to two orders of magnitude. We expect that this has consequences for the predictions for gravitational-wave sources from double neutron star mergers, in particular for their metallicity dependence.
We present eleven years of Stroemgren by-photometry of the red semiregular variable star AI Aurigae. Data were obtained with the 0.53m telescope of the Lowell Observatory between 1985 and 1996.
The uvby{beta} photometric system is widely used for the study of various Galactic and extragalactic objects. It measures the colour due to temperature differences, the Balmer discontinuity, and blanketing absorption due to metals. A new all-sky catalogue of all available uvby{beta} measurements from the literature was generated. The data for the individual stars were cross-checked on the basis of the Tycho-2 catalogue.
GJ 436b is a prime target for understanding warm Neptune exoplanet atmospheres and a target for multiple James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Guaranteed Time Observation programs. Here, we report the first space-based optical transmission spectrum of the planet using two Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) transit observations from 0.53 to 1.03 {mu}m. We find no evidence for alkali absorption features, nor evidence of a scattering slope longward of 0.53 {mu}m. The spectrum is indicative of moderate to high metallicity (~100-1000x solar), while moderate-metallicity scenarios (~100x solar) require aerosol opacity. The optical spectrum also rules out some highly scattering haze models. We find an increase in transit depth around 0.8 {mu}m in the transmission spectra of three different sub-Jovian exoplanets (GJ 436b, HAT-P-26b, and GJ 1214b). While most of the data come from STIS, data from three other instruments may indicate this is not an instrumental effect. Only the transit spectrum of GJ 1214b is well fit by a model with stellar plages on the photosphere of the host star. Our photometric monitoring of the host star reveals a stellar rotation rate of 44.1 days and an activity cycle of 7.4 years. Intriguingly, GJ 436 does not become redder as it gets dimmer, which is expected if star spots were dominating the variability. These insights into the nature of the GJ 436 system help refine our expectations for future observations in the era of JWST, whose higher precision and broader wavelength coverage will shed light on the composition and structure of GJ 436b's atmosphere.
We combine new narrowband photometry with archival Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) data for A2218 (z=0.18) and A2125 (z=0.25), two clusters with intermediate redshifts but very different cluster properties, in order to examine the evolution of galaxy populations. A2218 is a dense, elliptical-rich cluster (Bautz-Morgan type II) similar to the Coma Cluster in its evolutionary appearance, whereas A2125 is a less dense, more open cluster (Bautz-Morgan type II-III), although similar in richness to A2218.
We report new metallicity determinations for 39 red giants in a 220 arcmin2^2^ region, 1.8{deg} southwest of the bar of the Large Magellanic Cloud. These abundance measurements are based on spectroscopy of the Ca II infrared triplet.
In this paper we demonstrate how Stroemgren uvby photometry can be efficiently used to: 1. identify red giant branch stars that are members in a dwarf spheroidal galaxy; 2. derive age-independent metallicities for the same stars and quantify the associated errors. Stroemgren uvby photometry in a 11'x22' field centered on the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy was obtained using the Isaac Newton Telescope on La Palma. Members of the Draco dSph galaxy were identified using the surface gravity sensitive c1 index which discriminates between red giant and dwarf stars. Thus enabling us to distinguish the (red giant branch) members of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy from the foreground dwarf stars in our galaxy. The method is evaluated through a comparison of our membership list with membership classifications in the literature based on radial velocities and proper motions. The metallicity sensitive m1 index was used to derive individual and age-independent metallicities for the members of the Draco dSph galaxy. The derived metallicities are compared to studies based on high resolution spectroscopy and the agreement is found to be very good.