We present the final spectroscopic QSO catalogue from the 2dF-SDSS LRG (luminous red galaxy) and QSO (2SLAQ) survey. This is a deep, 18<g<21.85 (extinction corrected), sample aimed at probing in detail the faint end of the broad line active galactic nuclei luminosity distribution at z<=2.6. The candidate QSOs were selected from SDSS photometry and observed spectroscopically with the 2dF spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. This sample covers an area of 191.9 deg2 and contains new spectra of 16326 objects, of which 8764 are QSOs and 7623 are newly discovered [the remainder were previously identified by the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) and SDSS]. The full QSO sample (including objects previously observed in the SDSS and 2QZ surveys) contains 12702 QSOs. The new 2SLAQ spectroscopic data set also contains 2343 Galactic stars, including 362 white dwarfs, and 2924 narrow emission-line galaxies with a median redshift of z=0.22.
We use double-mode RR Lyrae (RRd) stars from the MACHO variable star database of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) to estimate its distance, by utilizing photometric data, linear pulsation and stellar atmosphere models. If we set E_(B-V)_=0.11 and [M/H]=-1.5 for LMC, we get M-m=18.52mag. The fact that the distance moduli obtained in this and in our former studies of cluster RRd and Small Magellanic Cloud beat Cepheids agree so well, implies that the only serious source of error is the zero point of the temperature scale, which should not have larger than +/-0.10mag effect on the distance modulus.
This paper presents optical R-band light curves and the time delay of the doubly imaged gravitationally lensed quasar SDSS J1001+5027 at a redshift of 1.838. We have observed this target for more than six years, between March 2005 and July 2011, using the 1.2-m Mercator Telescope, the 1.5-m telescope of the Maidanak Observatory and the 2-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope. Our resulting light curves are composed of 443 independent epochs, and show strong intrinsic quasar variability, with an amplitude of the order of 0.2 magnitudes. From this data, we measure the time delay using five different methods, all relying on distinct approaches. One of these techniques is a new development presented in this paper. All our time-delay measurements are perfectly compatible. By combining them, we conclude that image A is leading B by 119.3+/-3.3 days (1{sigma}, 2.8%), including systematic errors. It has been shown recently that such accurate time-delay measurements offer a highly complementary probe of dark energy and spatial curvature, as they independently constrain the Hubble constant. The next mandatory step towards using SDSS J1001+5027 in this context will be the measurement of the redshift of the lensing galaxy, in combination with deep HST imaging.
Stromgren b,y photometry of the detached A-type eclipsing binary EG Serpentis was obtained. Combined with the radial velocity curves in Popper [PASP, 98, 1312 (1986)], it was used to determine anew the system's parameters using the Wilson-Devinney code. The age of the system is derived from a comparison with the Bertelli et al. [A&AS, 85, 845 (1990)] isochrones. Within the accuracy limits, the results are in accordance with expectations.
In this work, we report and discuss the detection of two distant diffuse stellar groups in the third Galactic quadrant. They are composed of young stars, with spectral types ranging from late O to late B, and lie at galactocentric distances between 15 and 20kpc. These groups are located in the area of two cataloged open clusters (VdB-Hagen 04 and Ruprecht 30), projected toward the Vela-Puppis constellations, and within the core of the Canis Major overdensity. Their reddening and distances have been estimated by analyzing their color-color and color-magnitude diagrams, derived from deep UBV photometry. The existence of young star aggregates at such extreme distances from the Galactic center challenges the commonly accepted scenario in which the Galactic disk has a sharp cutoff at about 14kpc from the Galactic center and indicates that it extends to much greater distances (as also supported by the recent detection of CO molecular complexes well beyond this distance). While the groups we find in the area of Ruprecht 30 are compatible with the Orion and Norma-Cygnus spiral arms, respectively, the distant group we identify in the region of VdB-Hagen 04 lies in the external regions of the Norma-Cygnus arm, at a galactocentric distance (~20kpc) where no young stars have been detected so far in the optical.
We analyze radial velocity observations of the 12 extremely low-mass (ELM), with <=0.25M_{sun}_, white dwarfs (WDs) in the MMT Hypervelocity Star Survey. Eleven of the twelve WDs are binaries with orbital periods shorter than 14hr; the one non-variable WD is possibly a pole-on system among our non-kinematically selected targets. Our sample is unique: it is complete in a well-defined range of apparent magnitude and color. The orbital mass functions imply that the unseen companions are most likely other WDs, although neutron star companions cannot be excluded. Six of the eleven systems with orbital solutions will merge within a Hubble time due to the loss of angular momentum through gravitational wave radiation. The quickest merger is J0923+3028, a g=15.7 ELM WD binary with a 1.08hr orbital period and a <=130Myr merger time. The chance of a supernova Ia event among our ELM WDs is only 1%-7%, however. Three binary systems (J0755+4906, J1233+1602, and J2119-0018) have extreme mass ratios and will most likely form stable mass-transfer AM CVn systems. Two of these objects, SDSS J1233+1602 and J2119-0018, are the lowest surface gravity WDs ever found; both show CaII absorption likely from accretion of circumbinary material. We predict that at least one of our WDs is an eclipsing detached double WD system, important for constraining helium core WD models.
We present the discovery of 15 extremely low-mass (5<logg<7) white dwarf (WD) candidates, 9 of which are in ultra-compact double-degenerate binaries. Our targeted extremely low-mass Survey sample now includes 76 binaries. The sample has a lognormal distribution of orbital periods with a median period of 5.4hr. The velocity amplitudes imply that the binary companions have a normal distribution of mass with 0.76 M_{sun}_ mean and 0.25M_{sun}_ dispersion. Thus extremely low-mass WDs are found in binaries with a typical mass ratio of 1:4. Statistically speaking, 95% of the WD binaries have a total mass below the Chandrasekhar mass, and thus are not type Ia supernova progenitors. Yet half of the observed binaries will merge in less than 6Gyr due to gravitational wave radiation; probable outcomes include single massive WDs and stable mass transfer AM CVn binaries.
We present the discovery of 17 low-mass white dwarfs (WDs) in short-period (P<=1 day) binaries. Our sample includes four objects with remarkable logg=~5 surface gravities and orbital solutions that require them to be double degenerate binaries. All of the lowest surface gravity WDs have metal lines in their spectra implying long gravitational settling times or ongoing accretion. Notably, six of the WDs in our sample have binary merger times <10Gyr. Four have >~0.9M_{sun}_ companions. If the companions are massive WDs, these four binaries will evolve into stable mass transfer AM CVn systems and possibly explode as underluminous supernovae. If the companions are neutron stars, then these may be millisecond pulsar binaries. These discoveries increase the number of detached, double degenerate binaries in the Extremely low mass (ELM) Survey to 54; 31 of these binaries will merge within a Hubble time.
We present the North Galactic Cap sample of the Extremely Luminous Quasar Survey (ELQS-N), which targets quasars with M_1450_{<}-27 at 2.8<=z<5 in an area of ~7600deg^2^ of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) footprint with 90{deg}<RA<270{deg}. Based on a near-infrared/infrared JKW2 color cut, the ELQS selection efficiently uses random forest methods to classify quasars and to estimate photometric redshifts; this scheme overcomes some of the difficulties of pure optical quasar selection at z~3. As a result, we retain a completeness of >70% over z~3.0-5.0 at m_i_<~17.5, limited toward fainter magnitudes by the depth of the Two Micron All Sky Survey. The presented quasar catalog consists of a total of 270 objects, of which 39 are newly identified in this work with spectroscopy obtained at the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and the MMT 6.5m telescope. In addition to the high completeness, which allowed us to discover new quasars in the already well-surveyed SDSS North Galactic Cap, the efficiency of our selection is relatively high at ~79%. Using 120 objects of this quasar sample we are able to extend the previously measured optical quasar luminosity function (QLF) by one magnitude toward the bright end at 2.8<=z<=4.5. A first analysis of the QLF suggests a relatively steep bright-end slope of {beta}~-4 for this sample. This result contrasts with previous results in the same redshift range, which find a much flatter slope around {beta}~-2.5, but agrees with recent measurements of the bright-end slope at lower and higher redshifts. Our results constrain the bright-end slope at z=2.8-4.5 to {beta}{<}-2.94 with a 99% confidence.
We present the results of the Extremely Luminous Quasar Survey in the 3{pi} survey of the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS; PS1). This effort applies the successful quasar selection strategy of the Extremely Luminous Survey in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint (~12000deg^2^) to a much larger area (~21486deg^2^). This spectroscopic survey targets the most luminous quasars (M_1450_<=-26.5; m_i_<=18.5) at intermediate redshifts (z>=2.8). Candidates are selected based on a near-infrared JKW2 color cut using WISE AllWISE and 2MASS photometry to mainly reject stellar contaminants. Photometric redshifts (z_reg_) and star-quasar classifications for each candidate are calculated from near-infrared and optical photometry using the supervised machine learning technique random forests. We select 806 quasar candidates at z_reg_>=2.8 from a parent sample of 74318 sources. After exclusion of known sources and rejection of candidates with unreliable photometry, we have taken optical identification spectra for 290 of our 334 good PS-ELQS candidates. We report the discovery of 190 new z>=2.8 quasars and an additional 28 quasars at lower redshifts. A total of 44 good PS-ELQS candidates remain unobserved. Including all known quasars at z>=2.8, our quasar selection method has a selection efficiency of at least 77%. At lower declinations, -30<=DEC<=0, we approximately treble the known population of extremely luminous quasars. We provide the PS-ELQS quasar catalog with a total of 592 luminous quasars (m_i_<=18.5, z>=2.8). This unique sample will not only be able to provide constraints on the volume density and quasar clustering of extremely luminous quasars, but also offers valuable targets for studies of the intergalactic medium.