Search

Start Over Subject spectroscopy
2851. The COS CGM Compendium (CCC). II. Lyman limit syst.
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/872/81
Title:
The COS CGM Compendium (CCC). II. Lyman limit syst.
Short Name:
J/ApJ/872/81
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present the results from our COS circumgalactic medium (CGM) compendium (CCC), a survey of the CGM at z<~1 using HI-selected absorbers with 15<logN_HI_<19. We focus here on 82 partial Lyman limit systems (pLLSs, 16.2<=logN_HI_<17.2) and 29 LLSs (17.2<=logN_HI_<19). Using Bayesian techniques and Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling of a grid of photoionization models, we derive the posterior probability distribution functions (PDFs) for the metallicity of each absorber in CCC. We show that the combined pLLS metallicity PDF at z<~1 has two main peaks at [X/H]~-1.7 and -0.4, with a strong dip at [X/H]~-1. The metallicity PDF of the LLSs might be more complicated than a unimodal or bimodal distribution. The pLLSs and LLSs probe a similar range of metallicities -3<~[X/H]<~+0.4, but the fraction of very metal-poor absorbers with [X/H]<~-1.4 is much larger for the pLLSs than the LLSs. In contrast, absorbers with logN_HI_>=19 have mostly -1<~[X/H]<~0 at z<~1. The metal-enriched gas probed by pLLSs and LLSs confirms that galaxies that have been enriching their CGM over billions of years. Surprisingly, despite this enrichment, there is also abundant metal-poor CGM gas (41%-59% of the pLLSs have [X/H]<~-1.4), representing a reservoir of near-pristine gas around z<~1 galaxies. We compare our empirical results to recent cosmological zoom simulations, finding some discrepancies, including an overabundance of metal- enriched CGM gas in simulations.
2852. The COS CGM compendium. I. Initial results
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/866/33
Title:
The COS CGM compendium. I. Initial results
Short Name:
J/ApJ/866/33
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present a neutral hydrogen-selected absorption-line survey of gas with HI column densities 15<logN_HI_<19 at z<~1 using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. Our main aim is to determine the metallicity distribution of these absorbers. Our sample consists of 224 absorbers selected on the basis of their HI absorption strength. Here we discuss the properties of our survey and the immediate empirical results. We find singly and doubly ionized metal species, and HI typically have similar velocity profiles, implying they probe gas in the same or similar environments. The ionic ratios (e.g., N_CII_/N_CIII_, N_OI_/N_CII_) indicate that the gas in these absorbers is largely ionized, and the ionization conditions are quite comparable across the sampled N_HI_ range. The Doppler parameters of the HI imply T<~5x10^4^K on average, consistent with the gas being photoionized. The MgII column densities span >2 orders of magnitude at any given N_HI_, indicating a wide range of metallicities (from solar to <1/100 solar). In the range of 16.2<~logN_HI_<~17, there is a gap in the N_MgII_ distribution corresponding to gas with ~10% solar metallicity, consistent with the gap seen in the previously identified bimodal metallicity distribution in this column density regime. Less than 3% of the absorbers in our sample show no detectable metal absorption, implying that truly pristine gas at z<~1 is uncommon. We find <[FeII/MgII]>=-0.4+/-0.3, and since {alpha}-enhancement can affect this ratio, dust depletion is extremely mild.
2853. The C3R2 survey: DR2 new spectroscopic redshifts
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/877/81
Title:
The C3R2 survey: DR2 new spectroscopic redshifts
Short Name:
J/ApJ/877/81
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The Complete Calibration of the Color-Redshift Relation (C3R2) survey is a multi-institution, multi-instrument survey that aims to map the empirical relation of galaxy color to redshift to i~24.5 (AB), thereby providing a firm foundation for weak lensing cosmology with the Stage IV dark energy missions Euclid and WFIRST. Here we present 3171 new spectroscopic redshifts obtained in the 2016B and 2017A semesters with a combination of DEIMOS, LRIS, and MOSFIRE on the Keck telescopes. The observations come from all of the Keck partners: Caltech, NASA, the University of Hawaii, and the University of California. Combined with the 1283 redshifts published in DR1, the C3R2 survey has now obtained and published 4454 high-quality galaxy redshifts. We discuss updates to the survey design and provide a catalog of photometric and spectroscopic data. Initial tests of the calibration method performance are given, indicating that the sample, once completed and combined with extensive data collected by other spectroscopic surveys, should allow us to meet the cosmology requirements for Euclid, and make significant headway toward solving the problem for WFIRST. We use the full spectroscopic sample to demonstrate that galaxy brightness is weakly correlated with redshift once a galaxy is localized in the Euclid or WFIRST color space, with potentially important implications for the spectroscopy needed to calibrate redshifts for faint WFIRST and LSST sources.
2854. The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/VII/241
Title:
The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey
Short Name:
VII/241
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The final catalogue of the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) is based on Anglo-Australian Telescope 2dF spectroscopic observations of 44576 colour-selected (ub_J_r) objects with 18.25<b_J_< 20.85 selected from automated plate measurement scans of UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST) photographic plates. The 2QZ comprises 23338 quasi-stellar objects (QSOs), 12292 galactic stars (including 2071 white dwarfs) and 4558 compact narrow emission-line galaxies. We obtained a reliable spectroscopic identification for 86 per cent of objects observed with 2dF. We also report on the 6dF QSO Redshift Survey (6QZ), based on UKST 6dF observations of 1564 brighter (16<b_J_<18.25) sources selected from the same photographic input catalogue. In total, we identified 322 QSOs spectroscopically in the 6QZ. The completed 2QZ is, by more than a factor of 50, the largest homogeneous QSO catalogue ever constructed at these faint limits (b_J_<20.85) and high QSO surface densities (35 QSOs/deg^2^). As such, it represents an important resource in the study of the Universe at moderate-to-high redshifts.
2855. The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey. VIII
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/328/805
Title:
The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey. VIII
Short Name:
J/MNRAS/328/805
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We examine the highest signal-to-noise ratio spectra from the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) 10k release (Cat. <VII/223>) and identify over 100 new low-ionization heavy-element absorbers: damped Lyman-{alpha} (DLA) candidates suitable for higher-resolution follow-up observations. These absorption systems map the spatial distribution of high-z metals in exactly the same volumes as the foreground 2QZ QSOs themselves sample and hence the 2QZ gives us the unique opportunity to compare directly the two tracers of large-scale structure. We examine the cross-correlation of the two populations to see how they are relatively clustered, and, by considering the colour of the QSOs, detect a small amount of dust in these metal systems.
2856. The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey. V. The 10k catalogue
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/VII/223
Title:
The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey. V. The 10k catalogue
Short Name:
VII/223
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) 10k catalogue is the first release of the 2QZ, containing over 10000 QSOs. There are a total of 20590 sources listed, for which spectra have been obtained using the 2-degree field facility at the Anglo-Australian Observatory. Current data covers an effective area of 289.6deg^2^ for QSO candidates with magnitudes 18.25<b_J_<20.85. The file 2qz_10k.dat contains the names, positions, magnitudes, spectroscopic identifications and redshifts for each of the sources.
2857. The early spectra of eta Carinae
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/135/1249
Title:
The early spectra of eta Carinae
Short Name:
J/AJ/135/1249
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The observed behavior of {eta} Car from 1860 to 1940 has not been considered in most recent accounts, nor has it been explained in any quantitative model. We have used modern digital processing techniques to examine Harvard objective-prism spectra made from 1892 to 1941. Relatively high excitation HeI{lambda}4471 and [FeIII]4658 emission, conspicuous today, were weak and perhaps absent throughout those years. Feast et al. (2001MNRAS.322..741F) noted this qualitative fact for other pre-1920 spectra, but we quantify it and extend it to a time only three years before Gaviola (1953ApJ...118..234G)'s first observations of the high-excitation features. Evidently the supply of helium-ionizing photons ({lambda}<504{AA}) grew rapidly between 1941 and 1944. The apparent scarcity of such far-UV radiation before 1944 is difficult to explain in models that employ a hot massive secondary star, because no feasible dense wind or obscuration by dust would have hidden the photoionization caused by the proposed companion during most of its orbital period. We also discuss the qualitative near-constancy of the spectrum from 1900 to 1940, and {eta} Car's photometric and spectroscopic transition between 1940 and 1953.
2858. The Earth as a transiting planet
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/523/A57
Title:
The Earth as a transiting planet
Short Name:
J/A+A/523/A57
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
An important goal within the quest for detecting an Earth-like extrasolar planet, will be to identify atmospheric gaseous bio-signatures. Aims. Observations of the light transmitted through the Earth's atmosphere, as for an extrasolar planet, will be the first important step for future comparisons. We have completed observations of the Earth during a lunar eclipse, a unique situation similar to that of a transiting planet. We aim at showing what species could be detected in its atmosphere at optical wavelengths, where a lot of photons are available in the masked stellar light. We present observations of the 2008 August 16 Moon eclipse performed with the SOPHIE spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute- Provence (France). Locating the spectrograph's fibers in the penumbra of the eclipse, the Moon irradiance is then a mix of direct, unabsorbed Sun light and solar light that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere. This mixture essentially reproduces what is recorded during the transit of an extrasolar planet. We report here the clear detection of several Earth atmospheric compounds in the transmission spectra, such as ozone, molecular oxygen, and neutral sodium as well as molecular nitrogen and oxygen through the Rayleigh signature. Moreover, we present a method that allows us to derive the thickness of the atmosphere versus the wavelength for penumbra eclipse observations. We quantitatively evaluate the altitude at which the atmosphere becomes transparent for important species like molecular oxygen and ozone, two species thought to be tightly linked to the presence of life. The molecular detections presented here are an encouraging first attempt, necessary to better prepare for the future of extremely-large telescopes and transiting Earth-like planets. Instruments like SOPHIE will be mandatory when characterizing the atmospheres of transiting Earth-like planets from the ground and searching for bio-marker signatures.
2859. The ELM Survey. VIII. Final double WD binaries
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/889/49
Title:
The ELM Survey. VIII. Final double WD binaries
Short Name:
J/ApJ/889/49
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present the final sample of 98 detached double white dwarf (WD) binaries found in the Extremely Low Mass (ELM) Survey, a spectroscopic survey targeting <0.3M_{sun}_ He-core WDs completed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint. Over the course of the survey we observed ancillary low-mass WD candidates like GD 278, which we show is a P=0.19d double WD binary, as well as candidates that turn out to be field blue straggler/subdwarf A-type stars with luminosities too high to be WDs given their Gaia parallaxes. Here, we define a clean sample of ELM WDs that is complete within our target selection and magnitude range 15<g_0_<20mag. The measurements are consistent with 100% of ELM WDs being 0.0089<P<1.5d double WD binaries, 35% of which belong to the Galactic halo. We infer that these are mostly He+CO WD binaries given the measurement constraints. The merger rate of the observed He+CO WD binaries exceeds the formation rate of stable mass-transfer AM CVn binaries by a factor of 25, and so the majority of He+CO WD binaries must experience unstable mass transfer and merge. The systems with the shortest periods, such as J0651+2844, are signature LISA verification binaries that can be studied with gravitational waves and light.
2860. The ELQS in the PS1 footprint (PS-ELQS)
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/243/5
Title:
The ELQS in the PS1 footprint (PS-ELQS)
Short Name:
J/ApJS/243/5
Date:
08 Mar 2022 13:10:17
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
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.

Limit your search

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »