NGC 1851 is one of several globular clusters for which multiple stellar populations of the subgiant branch have been clearly identified and a difference in metallicity detected. A crucial piece of information on the formation history of this cluster can be provided by the sum of A(C+N+O) abundances. However, these values have lacked a general consensus thus far. The separation of the subgiant branch can be based on age and/or A(C+N+O) abundance differences. Our main aim was to determine carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen abundances for evolved giants in the globular cluster NGC 1851 in order to check whether or not the double populations of stars are coeval. High-resolution spectra, observed with the FLAMES-UVES spectrograph on the ESO VLT telescope, were analysed using a differential model atmosphere method. Abundances of carbon were derived using spectral synthesis of the C 2 band heads at 5135 and 5635.5{AA}. The wavelength interval 6470-6490{AA}, with CN features, was analysed to determine nitrogen abundances. Oxygen abundances were determined from the [OI] line at 6300{AA}. Abundances of other chemical elements were determined from equivalent widths or spectral syntheses of unblended spectral lines. We provide abundances of up to 29 chemical elements for a sample of 45 giants in NGC 1851. The investigated stars can be separated into two populations with a difference of 0.07dex in the mean metallicity, 0.3dex in the mean C/N, and 0.35 dex in the mean s-process dominated element-to-iron abundance ratios [s/Fe]. No significant difference was determined in the mean values of A(C+N+O) as well as in abundance to iron ratios of carbon, {alpha}- and iron-peak-elements, and of europium. As the averaged A(C+N+O) values between the two populations do not differ, additional evidence is given that NGC 1851 is composed of two clusters, the metal-rich cluster being by about 0.6Gyr older than the metal-poor one. A global overview of NGC 1851 properties and the detailed abundances of chemical elements favour its formation in a dwarf spheroidal galaxy that was accreted by the Milky Way.
High-resolution spectra of 123 red giant stars in the globular cluster M13 and 64 red giant stars in M92 were obtained with Hectochelle at the MMT telescope. Emission and line asymmetries in H{alpha} and CaIIK are identified, characterizing motions in the extended atmospheres and seeking differences attributable to metallicity in these clusters and M15. On the red giant branch, emission in H{alpha} generally appears in stars with T_eff_<~4500K and logL/L_{sun}_>~2.75. Fainter stars showing emission are asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars or perhaps binary stars. The line-bisector for H{alpha} reveals the onset of chromospheric expansion in stars more luminous than log(L/L_{sun}_)~2.5 in all clusters, and this outflow velocity increases with stellar luminosity. However, the coolest giants in the metal-rich M13 show greatly reduced outflow in H{alpha} most probably due to decreased T_eff_ and changing atmospheric structure. The CaIIK_3_ outflow velocities are larger than shown by H{alpha} at the same luminosity and signal accelerating outflows in the chromospheres. Stars clearly on the AGB show faster chromospheric outflows in H{alpha} than RGB objects. While the H{alpha} velocities on the RGB are similar for all metallicities, the AGB stars in the metal-poor M15 and M92 have higher outflow velocities than in the metal-rich M13. Comparison of these chromospheric line profiles in the paired metal-poor clusters, M15 and M92, shows remarkable similarities in the presence of emission and dynamical signatures, and does not reveal a source of the "second-parameter" effect.
We obtained long-slit optical spectra of the nuclear regions of 376 galaxies in the local Universe using the 1.5m Cassini telescope of Bologna Observatory. Of these spectra, 164 were either never taken before by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), or given by the Nasa Extragalactic Database (NED). With these new spectra, we contribute investigating the occurrence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Nevertheless, we stress that the present sample is by no means complete, thus, it cannot be used to perform any demographic study. Following the method used in a previous work, we classify the nuclear spectra using a six bin scheme: SEY (Seyfert), sAGN (strong AGN), and wAGN (weak AGN) represent active galactic nuclei of different levels of activity; HII accounts for star-forming nuclei; RET (retired) and PAS (passive) refer to nuclei with poor or no star-formation activity. The spectral classification is performed using the ratio of 6584[NII] to H{alpha} lines and the equivalent width (EW) of H{alpha} versus [NII]/H{alpha} (WHAN diagnostic introduced by Cid Fernandes and collaborators) after correcting H{alpha} for underlying absorption.
We present a catalog of the redshifts for most long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) by Swift from 2004 December 20 to 2008 July 23 (258 bursts in total). All available information is collected, including spectroscopic redshifts, photometric redshift limits, and redshifts calculated from various luminosity relations. Error bars for the redshifts derived from the luminosity relations are asymmetric, with tails extended to the high-redshift end, and this effect is evaluated by looking at the 30% of Swift bursts with spectroscopic redshifts. A simulation is performed to eliminate this asymmetric effect, and the resultant redshift distribution is deconvolved. We test and confirm this simulation on the sample of bursts with known spectroscopic redshifts and then apply it to the 70% of Swift bursts that do not have spectroscopic measures. A final intrinsic redshift distribution is then made for almost all Swift bursts, and the efficiency of the spectroscopic detections is evaluated. The efficiency of spectroscopic redshifts varies from near unity at low redshift to 0.5 at z=1, to near 0.3 at z=4, and to 0.1 at z=6. We also find that the fraction of GRBs with z>5 is ~10%, and this fraction is compared with simulations from a cosmological model.
This paper prepares a series of papers analysing the Intermediate MAss Galaxy Evolution Sequence (IMAGES) up to a redshift of one. Intermediate mass galaxies (M_J<=-20.3) are selected from the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) for which we identify a serious lack of spectroscopically determined redshifts. Our primary aim in this study is therefore to obtain a sample of intermediate-mass galaxies with known spectroscopic redshift to be used for further analysis of their 3D-kinematics. We also intend to test whether this important cosmological field may be significantly affected by cosmic variance. The spectroscopic observations were carried out using VIMOS on the ESO VLT. The data reduction was done using a set of semi-automatic IRAF procedures developed by our team. We have spectroscopically identified 691 objects including 580 galaxies, 7 QSOs, and 104 stars.
We describe the application of non-negative matrix factorization to generate compact reconstructions of quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), with particular reference to broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs). BAL properties are measured for SiIV{lambda}1400, CIV{lambda}1550, AlIII{lambda}1860 and MgII{lambda}2800, resulting in a catalogue of 3547 BALQSOs. Two corrections, based on extensive testing of synthetic BALQSO spectra, are applied in order to estimate the intrinsic fraction of CIV BALQSOs. First, the probability of an observed BALQSO spectrum being identified as such by our algorithm is calculated as a function of redshift, signal-to-noise ratio and BAL properties. Secondly, the different completenesses of the SDSS target selection algorithm for BALQSOs and non-BAL quasars are quantified.
Future large-scale surveys, as the ESA Euclid mission, will produce a large set of galaxy redshifts (>=10^6) that will require fully automated data-processing pipelines to analyze the data, extract crucial information and ensure that all requirements are met. A fundamental element in these pipelines is to associate to each galaxy redshift measurement a quality, or reliability, estimate. In this work, we introduce a new approach to automate the spectroscopic redshift reliability assessment based on machine learning (ML) and characteristics of the redshift probability density function. We propose to rephrase the spectroscopic redshift estimation into a Bayesian framework, in order to incorporate all sources of information and uncertainties related to the redshift estimation process and produce a redshift posterior probability density function (PDF). To automate the assessment of a reliability flag, we exploit key features in the redshift posterior PDF and machine learning algorithms.
The galaxy cluster A3667 was observed using the Two-degree Field (2dF) multifibre spectroscopic system on the Anglo-Australian Telescope in a program designed to examine the velocity structure in the region. Specifically, we sought evidence from the optical data for the putative cluster merger believed to be responsible for the observed radio and X-ray emission. We present 184 new redshifts in the region, of which 143 correspond to member galaxies of A3667. We find the cluster velocity distribution to be well modelled by a single Gaussian in agreement with previous results. In addition, new redshift-selected isodensity plots significantly reduce the prominence of the previously reported subgroup to the north-west of the main cluster. Instead, we find the galaxy distribution to be elongated and well mixed, with a high velocity dispersion and no significant evidence for substructure. These results are consistent with the axis of the proposed merger being close to the plane of the sky.
We use dense redshift surveys of nine galaxy clusters at z~0.2 to compare the galaxy distribution in each system with the projected matter distribution from weak lensing. By combining 2087 new MMT/Hectospec redshifts and the data in the literature, we construct spectroscopic samples within the region of weak-lensing maps of high (70%-89%) and uniform completeness.
Abell 383 is a famous rich cluster (z=0.1887) imaged extensively as a basis for intensive strong- and weak-lensing studies. Nonetheless, there are few spectroscopic observations. We enable dynamical analyses by measuring 2360 new redshifts for galaxies with r_Petro_{<=}20.5 and within 50' of the Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG; R.A._2000_=42.014125{deg},decl._2000_=-03.529228{deg}). We apply the caustic technique to identify 275 cluster members within 7h^-1^Mpc of the hierarchical cluster center. The BCG lies within -11+/-110km/s and 21+/-56 h^-1^kpc of the hierarchical cluster center; the velocity dispersion profile of the BCG appears to be an extension of the velocity dispersion profile based on cluster members. The distribution of cluster members on the sky corresponds impressively with the weak-lensing contours of Okabe et al. especially when the impact of foreground and background structure is included. The values of R_200_=1.22+/-0.01h^-1^Mpc and M_200_=(5.07+/-0.09)x10^14^h^-1^M_{sun}_ obtained by application of the caustic technique agree well with recent completely independent lensing measures. The caustic estimate extends direct measurement of the cluster mass profile to a radius of ~5h^-1^Mpc.
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