- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/890/132
- Title:
- MgII abs. toward SDSS QSOs with rotation measures
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/890/132
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We probed the magnetic fields in high-redshift galaxies using excess extragalactic contribution to residual rotation measure (RRM) for quasar sightlines with intervening MgII absorbers. Based on a large sample of 1132 quasars, we have computed RRM distributions broadening using median absolute deviation from the mean ({sigma}_rrm_^md^), and found it to be 17.1+/-0.7rad/m^2^ for 352 sightlines having MgII intervening absorbers in comparison to its value of 15.1+/-0.6rad/m^2^ for 780 sightlines without such absorbers, resulting in an excess broadening ({sigma}_rrm_^ex^) of 8.0+/-1.9rad:m^2^ among these two subsamples. This value of {sigma}_rrm_^ex^, has allowed us to constrain the average strength of magnetic field (rest frame) in high-redshift galaxies responsible for these Mg II absorbers, to be ~1.3+/-0.3{mu}G at a median redshift of 0.92. This estimate of magnetic field is consistent with the reported estimate in earlier studies based on radio-infrared correlation and energy equipartition for galaxies in the local universe. A similar analysis on subsample split based on the radio spectral index, {alpha} (with F_{nu}_{propto}{nu}^{alpha}^), for flat ({alpha}>=-0.3; 315 sources) and steep ({alpha}<=-0.7; 476 sources) spectrum sources shows a significant {sigma}_rrm_^ex^ (at 3.5{sigma} level) for the former and absent in the latter. An anticorrelation found between the {sigma}_rrm_^md^ and percentage polarization (p) with a similar Pearson correlation of -0.62 and -0.87 for subsamples with and without MgII, respectively, suggests the main contribution for decrements in the p value to be intrinsic to the local environment of quasars.
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Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/242/28
- Title:
- MgII-BAL quasar variability in SDSS spectra
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/242/28
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present absorption variability results for 134 bona fide MgII broad absorption-line (BAL) quasars at 0.46<=z<=2.3 covering days to ~10yr in the rest frame. We use multiple-epoch spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which has delivered the largest such BAL variability sample ever studied. MgII-BAL identifications and related measurements are compiled and presented in a catalog. We find a remarkable time-dependent asymmetry in the equivalent width (EW) variation from the sample, such that weakening troughs outnumber strengthening troughs, the first report of such a phenomenon in BAL variability. Our investigations of the sample further reveal that (i) the frequency of BAL variability is significantly lower (typically by a factor of 2) than that in high-ionization BALQSO samples, (ii) MgII-BAL absorbers tend to have relatively high optical depths and small covering factors along our line of sight, (iii) there is no significant EW-variability correlation between MgII troughs at different velocities in the same quasar, and (iv) the EW-variability correlation between MgII and AlIII BALs is significantly stronger than that between MgII and CIV BALs at the same velocities. These observational results can be explained by a combined transverse-motion/ionization-change scenario, where transverse motions likely dominate the strengthening BALs while ionization changes and/or other mechanisms dominate the weakening BALs.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/843/30
- Title:
- MgII line vs 3000{AA} continuum analysis in 68 QSOs
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/843/30
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We investigate the relationship between the MgII{lambda}2798 emission line and the 3000{AA} continuum variations using a sample of 68 intermediate-redshift (z~0.65-1.50) broad-line quasars spanning a bolometric luminosity range of 44.49erg/s<=logL_bol_<=46.31erg/s (Eddington ratio from ~0.026 to 0.862). This sample is constructed from SDSS-DR7Q and BOSS-DR12Q, each with at least two spectroscopic epochs in SDSS-I/II/III surveys. In addition, we adopt the following signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) selection criteria: (a) for MgII and the 3000{AA} continuum, S/N>=10; and (b) for narrow lines, S/N>=5. All our quasar spectra are recalibrated based on the assumption of constant narrow emission- line fluxes. In an analysis of spectrum-to-spectrum variations, we find a fairly close correlation (Spearman {rho}=0.593) between the variations in broad MgII and in the continuum. This is consistent with the idea that MgII is varying in response to the continuum emission variations. Adopting the modified weighted least squares regression method, we statistically constrain the slopes (i.e., the responsivity {alpha} of the broad MgII) between the variations in both components for the sources in different luminosity bins after eliminating intrinsic biases introduced by the rescaling process itself. It is shown that the responsivity is quite small (average {bar}{alpha}~0.464) and anti- correlates with the quasar luminosity. Our results indicate that high signal- to-noise flux measurements are required to robustly detect the intrinsic variability and the time lag of the MgII line.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/455/820
- Title:
- M87 globular cluster candidates catalog
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/455/820
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a new photometric catalogue of the rich globular cluster (GC) system around M87, the brightest cluster galaxy in Virgo. Using archival Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey images in the ugriz bands, observed with Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/MegaPrime, we perform a careful subtraction of the galaxy's halo light in order to detect objects at small galactocentric radii as well as in the wider field, and find 17620 GC candidates over a radius range from 1.3 to 445kpc with g<24mag. By inferring their colour, radial and magnitude distributions in a Bayesian way, we find that they are well described as a mixture of two GC populations and two distinct contaminant populations, but confirm earlier findings of radius-dependent colour gradients in both GC populations. This is consistent with a picture in which the more enriched GCs reside deeper in the galaxy's potential well, indicating a role for dissipative collapse in the formation of both the red and the blue GCs.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/119/727
- Title:
- M31 globular clusters photometry
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/119/727
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a new catalog of photometric and spectroscopic data on M31 globular clusters (GCs). The catalog includes new optical and near-infrared photometry for a substantial fraction of the 435 clusters and cluster candidates. We use these data to determine the reddening and intrinsic colors of individual clusters, and we find that the extinction laws in the Galaxy and M31 are not significantly different. There are significant (up to 0.2 mag in V-K) offsets between the clusters' intrinsic colors and simple stellar population colors predicted by population synthesis models; we suggest that these are due to systematic errors in the models. The distributions of M31 clusters' metallicities and metallicity-sensitive colors are bimodal, with peaks at [Fe/H]~-1.4 and -0.6. The distribution of V-I is often bimodal in elliptical galaxies' globular cluster systems, but it is not sensitive enough to metallicity to show bimodality in M31 and Galactic cluster systems. The radial distribution and kinematics of the two M31 metallicity groups imply that they are analogs of the Galactic "halo" and "disk/bulge" cluster systems. The globular clusters in M31 have a small radial metallicity gradient, suggesting that some dissipation occurred during the formation of the globular cluster system. The lack of correlation between cluster luminosity and metallicity in M31 GCs shows that self-enrichment is not important in GC formation.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/402/803
- Title:
- M31 globular cluster system
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/402/803
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present an updated catalogue of M31 globular clusters (GCs) based on images from the Wide Field Camera (WFCAM) on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope and from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our catalogue includes new, self-consistent ugriz and K-band photometry of these clusters. We discuss the difficulty of obtaining accurate photometry of clusters projected against M31 due to small-scale background structure in the galaxy. We consider the effect of this on the accuracy of our photometry and provide realistic photometric error estimates. We investigate possible contamination in the current M31 GC catalogues using the excellent spatial resolution of these WFCAM images combined with the SDSS multicolour photometry. We identify a large population of clusters with very blue colours. Most of these have recently been proposed by other works as young clusters. We distinguish between these, and old clusters, in the final classifications. Our final catalogue includes 416 old clusters, 156 young clusters and 373 candidate clusters. We also investigate the structure of M31's old GCs using previously published King model fits to these WFCAM images. We demonstrate that the structure and colours of M31's old GC system are similar to those of the Milky Way. One GC (B383) is found to be significantly brighter in previous observations than observed here. We investigate all of the previous photometry of this GC and suggest that this variability appears to be genuine and short lived. We propose that the large increase in its luminosity may have been due to a classical nova in the GC at the time of the previous observations in 1989.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/255/28
- Title:
- ~420MHz uGMRT obs. of MIR selected radio-loud AGN
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/255/28
- Date:
- 11 Mar 2022
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present results from a spectroscopically blind search for associated and intervening HI 21cm and OH 18cm absorption lines toward 88 active galactic nuclei (AGN) at 2<z<5 using the uGMRT. The sample of AGN with 1.4GHz spectral luminosity in the range 10^27-29.3^W/Hz is selected using mid-infrared colors and closely resembles the distribution of the underlying quasar population. The search for associated or proximate absorption, defined to be within 3000km/s of the AGN redshift, led to one HI 21cm absorption detection (M1540-1453; z_abs_=2.1139). This is only the fourth known absorption at z>2. The detection rate (1.6_-1.4_^+3.8^%) suggests a low covering factor of the cold neutral medium (CNM; T~100K) associated with these powerful AGN. The intervening absorption line search, with a sensitivity to detect the CNM in damped Ly{alpha} systems (DLAs), has comoving absorption path lengths of {Delta}X=130.1 and 167.7 for HI and OH, respectively. The corresponding number of absorbers per unit comoving path length are <=0.014 and <=0.011, respectively. The former is at least 4.5 times lower than that of DLAs and consistent with the CNM cross section estimated using H_2_ and CI absorbers at z>2. Our AGN sample is optically fainter compared to the quasars used to search for DLAs in the past. In our optical spectra obtained using SALT and NOT, we detect five intervening (redshift path ~9.3) and two proximate DLAs. This is slightly excessive compared to the statistics based on optically selected quasars. The nondetection of HI 21cm absorption from these DLAs suggests a small CNM covering fraction around galaxies at z>2.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/249/16
- Title:
- Microlensing event in the OGLE-IV GVS survey
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/249/16
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Searches for gravitational microlensing events are traditionally concentrated on the central regions of the Galactic bulge but many microlensing events are expected to occur in the Galactic plane, far from the Galactic Center. Owing to the difficulty in conducting high-cadence observations of the Galactic plane over its vast area, which are necessary for the detection of microlensing events, their global properties were hitherto unknown. Here, we present results of the first comprehensive search for microlensing events in the Galactic plane. We searched an area of almost 3000 square degrees along the Galactic plane (|b|<7{deg}, 0{deg}<l<50{deg}, 190{deg}<l<360{deg}) observed by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) during 2013-2019 and detected 630 events. We demonstrate that the mean Einstein timescales of Galactic plane microlensing events are on average three times longer than those of Galactic bulge events, with little dependence on the Galactic longitude. We also measure the microlensing optical depth and event rate as a function of Galactic longitude and demonstrate that they exponentially decrease with the angular distance from the Galactic Center (with the characteristic angular scale length of 32{deg}). The average optical depth decreases from 0.5x10^-6^ at l=10{deg} to 1.5x10^-8^ in the Galactic anticenter. We also find that the optical depth in the longitude range 240{deg}<l<330{deg} is asymmetric about the Galactic equator, which we interpret as a signature of the Galactic warp.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/244/29
- Title:
- Microlensing events toward the Galactic bulge
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/244/29
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The number and properties of observed gravitational microlensing events depend on the distribution and kinematics of stars and other compact objects along the line of sight. In particular, precise measurements of the microlensing optical depth and event rate toward the Galactic bulge enable strict tests of competing models of the Milky Way. Previous estimates, based on samples of up to a few hundred events, gave larger values than expected from the Galactic models and were difficult to reconcile with other constraints on the Galactic structure. Here we used long-term photometric observations of the Galactic bulge by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) to select a homogeneous sample of 8000 gravitational microlensing events. We created the largest and most accurate microlensing optical depth and event rate maps of the Galactic bulge. The new maps ease the tension between the previous measurements and Galactic models. They are consistent with some earlier calculations based on bright stars and are systematically ~30% smaller than the other estimates based on "all-source" samples of microlensing events. The difference is caused by the careful estimation of the source star population. The new maps agree well with predictions based on the Besancon model of the Galaxy. Apart from testing the Milky Way models, our maps may have numerous other applications, such as the measurement of the initial mass function or constraining the dark matter content in the Milky Way center. The new maps will also inform the planning of future space-based microlensing experiments by revising the expected number of events.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/441/715
- Title:
- Mid-infrared study of RR Lyrae stars
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/441/715
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a group of 3740 previously identified RR Lyrae variables well observed with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). We explore how the shape of the generic RR Lyrae mid-infrared light curve varies over period-space, comparing light curves in mid-infrared and optical bands. We find that optical light curves exhibit high amplitudes and a large spectrum of light-curve shapes, while mid-infrared light curves have low amplitudes and uniform light-curve shapes. From the period-space analysis, we hope to improve the classification methods of RR Lyrae variables and enable reliable discovery of these pulsators in the WISE catalogue and future mid-infrared surveys such as the James Webb Space Telescope. We provide mid-infrared templates for typical RR Lyrae stars and demonstrate how these templates can be applied to improve estimates of mid-infrared RR Lyrae mean magnitude, which is used for distance measurement. This method of template fitting is particularly beneficial for improving observational efficiency. For example, using light curves with observational noise of 0.05mag, we obtain the same level of accuracy in mean magnitude estimates for light curves randomly sampled at 12 data points with template fitting as with light curves randomly sampled at 20 data points with harmonic modelling.
