http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.3168

We report a systematic multi-wavelength investigation of environments of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), using the X-ray data from the Chandra archive, and optical images taken with 34’x 27′ field-of-view Subaru Suprime-Cam. Our goal is to help understand the relationship between the BCGs and their host clusters, and between the BCGs and other galaxies, to eventually address a question of the formation and co-evolution of BCGs and the clusters.
Our results include: 1) Morphological variety of BCGs, or the second or the third brightest galaxy (BCG2, BCG3), is comparable to that of other bright red sequence galaxies, suggesting that we have a continuous variation of morphology between BCGs, BCG2, and BCG3, rather than a sharp separation between the BCG and the rest of the bright galaxies. 2) The offset of the BCG position relative to the cluster centre is correlated to the degree of concentration of cluster X-ray morphology (Spearman rho = -0.79), consistent with an interpretation that BCGs tend to be off-centered inside dynamically unsettled clusters. 3) Morphologically disturbed clusters tend to harbour the brighter BCGs, implying that the “early collapse” may not be the only major mechanism to control the BCG formation and evolution.

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Y. Hashimoto, J. Henry and H. Boehringer
Fri, 14 Mar 14
18/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.3361

We present optical and infrared imaging and optical spectroscopy of galaxy clusters which were identified as part of an all-sky search for high-redshift galaxy clusters, the Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS). The initial phase of MaDCoWS combined infrared data from the all-sky data release of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) with optical data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to select probable z ~ 1 clusters of galaxies over an area of 10,000 deg^2. Our spectroscopy confirms 19 new clusters at 0.7 < z < 1.3, half of which are at z > 1, demonstrating the viability of using WISE to identify high-redshift galaxy clusters. The next phase of MaDCoWS will use the greater depth of the AllWISE data release to identify even higher redshift cluster candidates.

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S. Stanford, A. Gonzalez, M. Brodwin, et. al.
Fri, 14 Mar 14
42/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2820

We present new deep, high-resolution radio images of the diffuse minihalo in the cool core of the galaxy cluster RX ,J1720.1+2638. The images have been obtained with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at 317, 617 and 1280 MHz and with the Very Large Array at 1.5, 4.9 and 8.4 GHz, with angular resolutions ranging from 1″ to 10″. This represents the best radio spectral and imaging dataset for any minihalo. Most of the radio flux of the minihalo arises from a bright central component with a maximum radius of ~80 kpc. A fainter tail of emission extends out from the central component to form a spiral-shaped structure with a length of ~230 kpc, seen at frequencies 1.5 GHz and below. We observe steepening of the total radio spectrum of the minihalo at high frequencies. Furthermore, a spectral index image shows that the spectrum of the diffuse emission steepens with the increasing distance along the tail. A striking spatial correlation is observed between the minihalo emission and two cold fronts visible in the Chandra X-ray image of this cool core. These cold fronts confine the minihalo, as also seen in numerical simulations of minihalo formation by sloshing-induced turbulence. All these observations provide support to the hypothesis that the radio emitting electrons in cluster cool cores are produced by turbulent reacceleration.

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S. Giacintucci, M. Markevitch, G. Brunetti, et. al.
Thu, 13 Mar 14
4/58

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2720

In recent years, it has become possible to detect individual dark matter subhalos near strong gravitational lenses. Typically, only the most massive subhalos in the strong lensing region may be detected this way. In this work, we show that strong lenses may also be used to constrain the much more numerous population of lower mass subhalos that are too small to be detected individually. In particular, we show that the power spectrum of projected density fluctuations in galaxy halos can be measured using strong gravitational lensing. We develop the mathematical framework of power spectrum estimation, and test our method on mock observations. We use our results to determine the types of observations required to measure the substructure power spectrum with high significance. We predict that deep observations with current facilities (in particular ALMA) can measure this power spectrum, placing strong constraints on the abundance of dark matter subhalos and the underlying particle nature of dark matter.

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Y. Hezaveh, N. Dalal, G. Holder, et. al.
Thu, 13 Mar 14
20/58

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2868

We present a class of models where both the primordial inflation and the late times de Sitter phase are driven by simple phenomenological agegraphic potentials. In this context, a possible new scenario for a smooth exit from inflation to the radiation era is discussed by resorting the kination (stiff) era but without the inefficient radiation production mechanism of these models. This is done by considering rapidly decreasing expressions for $V(t)$ soon after inflation. We show that the parameters of our models can reproduce the scalar spectral parameter $n_s$ predicted by Planck data in particular for models with concave potentials.

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S. Viaggiu
Thu, 13 Mar 14
27/58

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2728

The close relationship between mergers and the reorientation of the spin for galaxies and their host dark haloes is investigated using a cosmological hydrodynamical simulation (Horizon-AGN). Through a statistical analysis of merger trees, we show that spin swings are mainly driven by mergers along the filamentary structure of the cosmic web, and that these events account for the preferred perpendicular orientation of massive galaxies with respect to their nearest filament. By contrast, low-mass galaxies (M_s<10^10 M_sun at redshift 1.5) undergoing very few mergers, if at all, tend to possess a spin well aligned with their filament. Haloes follow the same trend as galaxies but display a greater sensitivity to smooth anisotropic accretion. The relative effect of mergers on spin magnitude is qualitatively different for minor and major mergers: mergers (and diffuse accretion) generally increase the magnitude of the angular momentum, but the most massive major mergers also give rise to a population of objects with less spin left. Without mergers secular accretion builds up the spin of galaxies but not that of haloes. It also (re)aligns galaxies with their filament.

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C. Welker, J. Devriendt, Y. Dubois, et. al.
Thu, 13 Mar 14
31/58

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.3063

Using a large N-body cosmological simulation combined with a subgrid treatment of galaxy formation, we study the formation and evolution of the galaxy and cluster population in a comoving volume (100 Mpc)^3 in a LCDM universe. At z = 0, our computational volume contains 1788 clusters with mass M_cl > 1.1×10^12 Msun, including 18 massive clusters with M_cl > 10^14 Msun. It also contains 1 088 797 galaxies with mass M_gal > 2×10^9 Msun and luminosity L > 9.5×10^5 Lsun. For each cluster, we identified the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG). We then computed the fraction f_BNC of clusters in which the BCG is not the closest galaxy to the center of the cluster in projection, and the ratio Dv/s, where Dv is the difference in radial velocity between the BCG and the whole cluster, and s is the radial velocity dispersion of the cluster. f_BNC increases from 0.05 for low-mass clusters (M_cl ~ 10^12 Msun) to 0.5 for high-mass ones (M_cl > 10^14 Msun), with no dependence on cluster redshift. The values of Dv/s vary from 0 to 1.8. These results are consistent with previous observational studies, and indicate that the central galaxy paradigm, which states that the BCG should be at rest at the center of the cluster, is usually valid, but exceptions are too common to be ignored. Analysis of the merger trees for the 18 most massive clusters in the simulation reveals that 16 of these clusters have experienced major mergers in the past. These mergers leave each cluster in a non-equilibrium state, but eventually the cluster settles into an equilibrium configuration, unless it is disturbed by another major merger. We found evidence that these mergers are responsible for the off-center positions and peculiar velocities of some BCGs. Our results thus support the merging-group scenario, in which some clusters form by the merger of smaller groups in which the galaxies have already formed.

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H. Martel, F. Robichaud and P. Barai
Thu, 13 Mar 14
37/58

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2927

The X-ray luminosity function is an important statistic of the census of galaxy clusters and an important means to probe the cosmological model of our Universe. Based on our recently completed REFLEX II cluster sample we construct the X-ray luminosity function of galaxy clusters for several redshift slices from $z = 0$ to $z = 0.4$ and discuss its implications. We find no significant signature of redshift evolution of the luminosity function in the redshift interval. We provide the results of fits of a parameterized Schechter function and extensions of it which provide a reasonable characterization of the data. Using a model for structure formation and galaxy cluster evolution we compare the observed X-ray luminosity function with predictions for different cosmological models. For the most interesting constraints for the cosmological parameters $\Omega_m$ and $\sigma_8$ we obatain $\Omega_m \sim 0.27 \pm 0.03$ and $\sigma_8 \sim 0.80 \pm 0.03$ based on the statistical uncertainty alone. Marginalizing over the most important uncertainties, the normalisation and slope of the $L_X – M$ scaling relation, we find $\Omega_m \sim 0.29 \pm 0.04$ and $\sigma_8 \sim 0.77 \pm 0.07$ ($1\sigma$ confidence limits). We compare our results with those of the SZ-cluster survey provided by the PLANCK mission and we find very good agreement with the results using PLANCK clusters as cosmological probes, but we have some tension with PLANCK cosmological results from the microwave background anisotropies. We also make a comparison with other cluster surveys. We find good agreement with these previous results and show that the REFLEX II survey provides a significant reduction in the uncertainties compared to earlier measurements.

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H. Bohringer, G. Chon and C. Collins
Thu, 13 Mar 14
48/58

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2985

We show that in clustering dark energy models the growth index of linear matter perturbations, $\gamma$, can be much lower than in $\Lambda$CDM or smooth quintessence models and present a strong variation with redshift. We find that the impact of dark energy perturbations on $\gamma$ is enhanced if the dark energy equation of state has a large and rapid decay at low redshift. We study four different models with these features and show that we may have $0.33<\gamma\left(z\right)<0.48$ at $0<z<3$. We also show that the constant $\gamma$ parametrization for the growth rate, $f=d\ln\delta_{m}/d\ln a=\Omega_{m}^{\gamma}$, is a few percent inaccurate for such models and that a redshift dependent parametrization for $\gamma$ can provide about four times more accurate fits for $f$. We discuss the robustness of the growth index to distinguish between General Relativity with clustering dark energy and modified gravity models, finding that some $f\left(R\right)$ and clustering dark energy models can present similar values for $\gamma$.

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R. Batista
Thu, 13 Mar 14
52/58

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2386

We develop a Feynman diagram approach to calculating correlations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) in the presence of distortions. As one application, we focus on CMB distortions due to gravitational lensing by Large Scale Structure (LSS). We study the Hu-Okamoto quadratic estimator for extracting lensing from the CMB and derive the noise of the estimator up to ${\mathcal O}(\phi^4)$ in the lensing potential $\phi$. The previously noted large ${\mathcal O}(\phi^4)$ term can be significantly reduced by a reorganization of the $\phi$ expansion. Our approach makes it simple to obtain expressions for quadratic estimators based on any CMB channel. We briefly discuss other applications to cosmology of this diagrammatic approach, such as distortions of the CMB due to patchy reionization, or due to Faraday rotation from primordial axion fields.

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E. Jenkins, A. Manohar, W. Waalewijn, et. al.
Wed, 12 Mar 14
2/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2567

We relate the observed hemispherical anisotropy in the cosmic microwave radiation data to an anisotropic power spectrum model. The hemispherical anisotropy can be parameterized in terms of the dipole modulation model. This model also leads to correlations between spherical harmonic coefficients corresponding to multipoles l and l+1. We extract the l dependence of the dipole modulation amplitude, A, by making a fit to the l dependence of the correlations betweenharmonic coefficients using PLANCK CMBR data. We propose an anisotropic power spectrum model which also leads to correlations between different multipoles. This power spectrum is determined by making a fit to data. We find that the spectral index of the anisotropic power spectrum is consistent with zero.

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P. Rath and P. Jain
Wed, 12 Mar 14
6/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2393

We present deep 1.1-3.1 GHz Australia Telescope Compact Array observations of the radio halo of the bullet cluster, 1E 0657-55.8. In comparison to existing images of this radio halo the detection in our images is at higher significance. The radio halo is as extended as the X-ray emission in the direction of cluster merger but is significantly less extended than the X-ray emission in the perpendicular direction. At low significance we detect a faint second peak in the radio halo close to the X-ray centroid of the smaller sub-cluster (the bullet) suggesting that, similarly to the X-ray emission, the radio halo may consist of two components. Finally, we find that the distinctive shape of the western edge of the radio halo traces out the X-ray detected bow shock. The radio halo morphology and the lack of strong point-to-point correlations between radio, X-ray and weak-lensing properties suggests that the radio halo is still being formed. The colocation of the X-ray shock with a distinctive radio brightness edge illustrates that the shock is influencing the structure of the radio halo. These observations support the theory that shocks and turbulence influence the formation and evolution of radio halo synchrotron emission.

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T. Shimwell, S. Brown, I. Feain, et. al.
Wed, 12 Mar 14
10/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2409

We use the SDSS/DR8 galaxy sample to study the radial distribution of satellite galaxies around isolated primaries, comparing to semi-analytic models of galaxy formation based on the Millennium and Millennium-II simulations. SDSS satellites behave differently around high- and low-mass primaries: those orbiting objects with $M_*>10^{11}M_\odot$ are mostly red and are less concentrated towards their host than the inferred dark matter halo, an effect that is very pronounced for the few blue satellites. On the other hand, less massive primaries have steeper satellite profiles that agree quite well with the expected dark matter distribution and are dominated by blue satellites, even in the inner regions where strong environmental effects are expected. In fact, such effects appear to be strong only for primaries with $M_* > 10^{11}M_\odot$. This behaviour is not reproduced by current semi-analytic simulations, where satellite profiles always parallel those of the dark matter and satellite populations are predominantly red for primaries of all masses. The disagreement with SDSS suggests that environmental effects are too efficient in the models. Modifying the treatment of environmental and star formation processes can substantially increase the fraction of blue satellites, but their radial distribution remains significantly shallower than observed. It seems that most satellites of low-mass primaries can continue to form stars even after orbiting within their joint halo for 5 Gyr or more.

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W. Wang, L. Sales, B. Henriques, et. al.
Wed, 12 Mar 14
13/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2558

A first new luminosity functions of galaxies can be built starting from a left truncated beta probability density function, which is characterized by four parameters. In the astrophysical conversion, the number of parameters increases by one, due to the addition of the overall density of galaxies. A second new galaxy luminosity function is built starting from a left truncated beta probability for the mass of galaxies once a simple nonlinear relationship between mass and luminosity is assumed; in this case the number of parameters is six because the overall density of galaxies and a parameter that regulates mass and luminosity are added. The two new galaxy luminosity functions with finite boundaries were tested on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in five different bands; the results produce a “better fit” than the Schechter luminosity function in two of the five bands considered. A modified Schechter luminosity function with four parameters has been also analyzed.

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L. Zaninetti
Wed, 12 Mar 14
22/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2608

Recent discoveries of magnetic fields in intergalactic void regions and in high redshift galaxies may indicate that large scale magnetic fields have a primordial origin. If primordial magnetic fields were present soon after the recombination epoch, they would induce density fluctuations on the one hand and dissipate their energy into the primordial gas on the other, and thereby significantly alter the thermal history of the universe. Here we consider both the effects and calculate the brightness temperature fluctuations of the 21cm line using simple Monte-Carlo simulations. We find that the fluctuations of 21cm line from the energy dissipation appear only on very small scales and those from the density fluctuations always dominate on observationally relevant angular scales.

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M. Shiraishi, H. Tashiro and K. Ichiki
Wed, 12 Mar 14
23/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2621

We consider an alternative approach for the computation of the stochastic gravitational wave background generated by small loops produced throughout the cosmological evolution of cosmic string networks and use it to derive an analytical approximation to the corresponding power spectrum. We show that this approximation produces an excellent ?t to more elaborate results obtained using the Velocity-dependent One-Scale model to describe cosmic string network dynamics, over a wide frequency range, in the small-loop regime.

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L. Sousa and P. Avelino
Wed, 12 Mar 14
25/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2571

In this paper, we study the cosmological constraints from the measurements of Hubble parameters—$H(z)$ data. Here, we consider two kinds of $H(z)$ data: the direct $H_0$ probe from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of Cepheid variables with $H_0=73.8\pm2.4$ ${\rm km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ and several measurements on the Hubble parameter at high redshifts $H(z)$. Employing Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, we also combine the WMAP nine-year data (WMAP9), the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and type Ia supernovae (SNIa) “Union2.1” compilation to determine the cosmological parameters, such as the equation of state (EoS) of dark energy $w$, the curvature of the universe $\Omega_k$, the total neutrino mass $\sum{m_\nu}$, the effective number of neutrinos $N_{\rm eff}$, and the parameters associated with the power spectrum of primordial fluctuations. These $H(z)$ data provide extra information on the accelerate rate of our Universe at high redshifts. Therefore, adding these $H(z)$ data significantly improves the constraints on cosmological parameters, such as the number of relativistic species. Moreover, we find that direct prior on $H_0$ from HST can also give good constraints on some parameters, due to the degeneracies between these parameters and $H_0$.

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W. Zheng, H. Li, J. Xia, et. al.
Wed, 12 Mar 14
27/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2408

The recently proposed Multi-coupled Dark Energy (McDE) scenario – characterised by two distinct Cold Dark Matter (CDM) particle species with opposite couplings to a Dark Energy scalar field – introduces a number of novel features in the small-scale dynamics of cosmic structures, most noticeably the simultaneous existence of both attractive and repulsive fifth-forces. Such small-scale features are expected to imprint possibly observable footprints on nonlinear cosmic structures, that might provide a direct way to test the scenario. In order to unveil such footprints, we have performed the first suite of high-resolution N-body simulations of McDE cosmologies, covering the coupling range $|\beta |\leq 1$. We find that for coupling values corresponding to fifth-forces weaker than standard gravity, the impact on structure formation is very mild, thereby showing a new type of screening mechanism for long-range scalar interactions. On the contrary, for fifth-forces comparable to or stronger than standard gravity a number of effects appear in the statistical and structural properties of CDM halos. Collapsed structures start to fragment into pairs of smaller objects that move on different trajectories, providing a direct evidence of the violation of the weak equivalence principle. Consequently, the relative abundance of halos of different masses is significantly modified. For sufficiently large coupling values, the expected number of clusters is strongly suppressed, which might alleviate the present tension between CMB- and cluster-based cosmological constraints. Finally, the internal structure of halos is also modified, with a significant suppression of the inner overdensity, and a progressive segregation of the two CDM species.

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M. Baldi
Wed, 12 Mar 14
42/46

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2181

We use cosmology-independent measurements of the expansion history in the redshift range 0.1 < z <1.2 and compare them with the Cosmic Microwave Background-derived expansion history predictions. The motivation is to investigate if the tension between the local (cosmology independent) Hubble constant H0 value and the Planck-derived H0 is also present at other redshifts. We conclude that there is no tension between Planck and cosmology independent-measurements of the Hubble parameter H(z) at 0.1 < z < 1.2 for the LCDM model (odds of tension are only 1:15, statistically not significant). Considering extensions of the LCDM model does not improve these odds (actually makes them worse), thus favouring the simpler model over its extensions. On the other hand the H(z) data are also not in tension with the local H0 measurements but the combination of all three data-sets shows a highly significant tension (odds ~ 1:400). Thus the new data deepen the mystery of the mismatch between Planck and local H0 measurements, and cannot univocally determine wether it is an effect localised at a particular redshift. Having said this, we find that assuming the NGC4258 maser distance as the correct anchor for H0, brings the odds to comfortable values.
Further, using only the expansion history measurements we constrain, within the LCDM model, H0 = 68.5 +- 3.5 and Omega_m = 0.32 +- 0.05 without relying on any CMB prior. We also address the question of how smooth the expansion history of the universe is given the cosmology independent data and conclude that there is no evidence for deviations from smoothness on the expansion history, neither variations with time in the value of the equation of state of dark energy.

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L. Verde, P. Protopapas and R. Jimenez
Tue, 11 Mar 14
13/66

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2185

We propose a new method to constrain the Warm Dark Matter (WDM) particle mass, $m_\chi$, based on the counts of multiply imaged, distant supernovae produced by strong lensing by intervening cosmological matter fluctuations. The counts are very sensitive to the WDM particle mass, assumed here to be $m_\chi=1, 1.5, 2$ keV. We generalize the Das & Ostriker (2006) strong lensing method to the WDM case and using the observed cosmic star formation history we compute the probability for a distant SN to undergo a strong lensing event in different cosmologies. A minimum observing time of 2 yr (5 yr) is required for a future 100 sq. degrees survey reaching $z \approx 4$ ($z \approx 3$) to disentangle at 2$\sigma$ a WDM ($m_\chi=1$ keV) model from the standard CDM scenario.

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S. Pandolfi, C. Evoli, A. Ferrara, et. al.
Tue, 11 Mar 14
14/66

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2034

Recent measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation show an apparent tension with the present value of the Hubble parameter inferred from local observations of supernovae. We examine the possibility that such a discrepancy is the consequence of the presence of a local inhomogeneity, and find that a local overdensity could in fact account for the difference or at least for part of it. While such a small inhomogeneity would not significantly affect the distance to the last scattering, and consequently the value of $H_0$ obtained from CMB observations, it can have an important effect on the local estimation of $H(z)$, since this is sensitive to the derivative of the luminosity distance. The apparent tension can in fact be solved by correctly extrapolating $H_0$ from the low redshift supernovae observations by taking into account the effects of a local inhomogeneity on the distance redshift relation. To fully explain the difference we find that we need to be located in a region about $45%$ denser than where supernovae are located. Smaller inhomogeneities can still introduce important corrections to the apparent value of $H_0^{app}$ obtained from observational data under the assumption of homogeneity, and need to be considered in the high precision cosmology era in which we are entering.

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A. Romano and S. Vallejo
Tue, 11 Mar 14
20/66

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1873

We discuss the recent BOSS measurement of a rather high bias factor for the host galaxies/haloes of Damped Lyman-alpha Absorbers (DLAs), in the context of our previous modelling of the physical properties of DLAs within the {\Lambda}CDM paradigm. Joint modelling of the column density distribution, the velocity width distribution of associated low ionization metal absorption, and the bias parameter suggests that DLAs are hosted by galaxies with dark matter halo masses in the range 10.5 < log Mv < 13, with a rather sharp cutoff at the lower mass end, corresponding to viral velocities of ~90 km/s. The observed properties of DLAs appear to suggest very efficient (stellar) feedback in haloes with masses/virial velocities below the cutoff and a large retained baryon fraction (> 35%) in haloes above the cutoff.

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L. Barnes and M. Haehnelt
Tue, 11 Mar 14
31/66

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2190

The Hantzsche-Wendt space is one of the 17 multiply connected spaces of the three-dimensional Euclidean space E^3. It is a compact and orientable manifold which can serve as a model for a spatial finite universe. Since it possesses much fewer matched back-to-back circle pairs on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) sky than the other compact flat spaces, it can escape the detection by a search for matched circle pairs. The suppression of temperature correlations C(theta) on large angular scales on the CMB sky is studied. It is shown that the large-scale correlations are of the same order as for the 3-torus topology but express a much larger variability. The Hantzsche-Wendt manifold provides a topological possibility with reduced large-angle correlations that can hide from searches for matched back-to-back circle pairs.

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R. Aurich and S. Lustig
Tue, 11 Mar 14
36/66

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2044

Motivated by reported claims of the measurements of a variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ we consider a theory where the electric charge, and consequently $\alpha$, is not a constant but depends on the Ricci scalar $R$. %We then show how this can be considered a particular case of the Bekenstein theory in which there is no need to %introduce an additional kinetic term for the scalar field associated to the electric charge, since the Einstein’s% %equations are sufficient to determine the geometry and, consequently the Ricci scalar. We then study the cosmological implications of this theory, considering in particular the effects of dark energy and of a cosmological constant on the evolution of $\alpha$. Some low-red shift expressions for the variation of $\alpha(z)$ are derived, showing the effects of the equation of state of dark energy on $\alpha$ and observing how future measurements of the variation of the fine structure constant could be used to determine indirectly the equation of state of dark energy and test this theory. In the case of a $\Lambda CDM$ Universe, according to the current estimations of the cosmological parameters, the present value of the Ricci scalar is $\approx 10%$ smaller than its future asymptotic value determined by the value of the cosmological constant, setting also a bound on the future asymptotic value of $\alpha$.

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A. Romano
Tue, 11 Mar 14
37/66

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2076

The hemispherical power asymmetry observed by Planck and WMAP can be interpreted as being due to a spatially-varying and scale-dependent component of the adiabatic power spectrum. We derive general constraints on the magnitude and scale-dependence of a component with a dipole spatial variation. The spectral index and the running of the spectral index can be shifted from their inflation model values, resulting in a smaller spectral index and a more positive running. A key prediction is a significant hemispherical asymmetry of the spectral index and of its running.

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J. McDonald
Tue, 11 Mar 14
44/66

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2104

Previous claims of significant evidence for mirror-parity in the large-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) experiment have been recently echoed in the first study of isotropy and statistics of CMB data from Planck. We revisit these claims with a careful analysis of the latest data available. We construct statistical estimators in both harmonic and pixel space, test them on simulated data with and without mirror-parity symmetry, apply different Galactic masks, and study the dependence of the results on arbitrary choices of free parameters. We confirm that the data exhibit evidence for odd mirror-parity at a significance which reaches as high as ~ 99 per cent C.L., under some circumstances. However, given the inherent biases in the pixel-based statistic and the dependence of both pixel and harmonic space statistics on the particular form of Galactic masking and other a-posteriori choices, we conclude that these results are not in significant tension with the predictions of the concordance cosmological model.

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A. Ben-David and E. Kovetz
Tue, 11 Mar 14
60/66

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1585

It has been argued that the specific star formation rates of star forming galaxies inferred from observational data decline more rapidly below z = 2 than is predicted by hierarchical galaxy formation models. We present a detailed analysis of this problem by comparing predictions from the GALFORM semi-analytic model with an extensive compilation of data on the average star formation rates of star-forming galaxies. We also use this data to infer the form of the stellar mass assembly histories of star forming galaxies. Our analysis reveals that the currently available data favours a scenario where the stellar mass assembly histories of star forming galaxies rise at early times and then fall towards the present day. In contrast, our model predicts stellar mass assembly histories that are almost flat below z = 2 for star forming galaxies, such that the predicted star formation rates can be offset with respect to the observational data by factors of up to 2-3. This disagreement can be explained by the level of coevolution between stellar and halo mass assembly that exists in contemporary galaxy formation models. In turn, this arises because the standard implementations of star formation and supernova feedback used in the models result in the efficiencies of these process remaining approximately constant over the lifetime of a given star forming galaxy. We demonstrate how a modification to the timescale for gas ejected by feedback to be reincorporated into galaxy haloes can help to reconcile the model predictions with the data.

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P. Mitchell, C. Lacey, S. Cole, et. al.
Mon, 10 Mar 14
3/53

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1586

I make a short revision of Cosmology questions which ALMA was built to address. Without diving into much detail, I point out the ALMA specifications and strategies which are expected to provide a better handle of: the temperature evolution of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and the properties of its secondary anisotropies (such as the thermal and kinetic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich and the Ostriker-Vishniac effects); variability of dimensionless fundamental constants; Ho and galaxy initial mass function by means of strong gravitational lensing; black hole science with the greatly expected Event Horizon Telescope.

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H. Messias
Mon, 10 Mar 14
30/53

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1605

Although the cosmological paradigm based on cold dark matter and adiabatic, nearly scale-invariant primordial fluctuations is consistent with a wide variety of existing observations, it has yet to be sufficiently tested on scales smaller than those of massive galaxies, and various alternatives have been proposed that differ significantly in the consequent small-scale power spectrum (SSPS) of large-scale structure. Here we show that a powerful probe of the SSPS at $k\gtrsim 10$ Mpc$^{-1}$ can be provided by the 21 cm forest, that is, systems of narrow absorption lines due to intervening, cold neutral hydrogen in the spectra of high-redshift background radio sources in the cosmic reionization epoch. Such features are expected to be caused predominantly by collapsed gas in starless minihalos, whose mass function can be very sensitive to the SSPS. As specific examples, we consider the effects of neutrino mass, running spectral index (RSI) and warm dark matter (WDM) on the SSPS, and evaluate the expected distribution in optical depth of 21 cm absorbers out to different redshifts. Within the current constraints on quantities such as the sum of neutrino masses $\sum m_\nu$, running of the primordial spectral index $d n_s/d \ln k$ and WDM particle mass $m_{\rm WDM}$, the statistics of the 21 cm forest manifest observationally significant differences that become larger at higher redshifts. In particular, it may be possible to probe the range of $m_{\rm WDM} \gtrsim 10$ keV that may otherwise be inaccessible. Future observations of the 21 cm forest by the Square Kilometer Array may offer a unique and valuable probe of the SSPS, as long as radio sources such as quasars or Population III gamma-ray bursts with sufficient brightness and number exist at redshifts of $z \gtrsim$ 10 – 20, and the astrophysical effects of reionization and heating can be discriminated.

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H. Shimabukuro, K. Ichiki, S. Inoue, et. al.
Mon, 10 Mar 14
31/53

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1623

The scaling relation for early type galaxies in the 6dF galaxy survey does not have the velocity dispersion dependence expected from standard stellar population models. As noted in recent work with SDSS, there seems to be an additional dependence of mass to light ratio with velocity dispersion, possibly due to a bottom heavy initial mass function. Here we offer a new understanding of the 6dF galaxy survey 3D gaussian Fundamental Plane in terms of a parameterized Jeans equation, but leave mass dependence of M/L and mass dependence of structure still degenerate with just the present constraints. Hybrid models have been proposed recently. Our new analysis brings into focus promising lines of enquiry which could be pursued to lift this degeneracy, including stellar atmospheres computation, kinematic probes of ellipticals at large radius, and a large sample of one micron spectra.

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J. Mould
Mon, 10 Mar 14
33/53

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1634

The Milky Way is the product of a complex evolution of generations of merges, collapse, star formation, supernova and collisional heating, radiative and collisional cooling, and ejected nucleosynthesis. Moreover, all of this occurs in the context of the cosmic expansion, the formation of cosmic filaments, dark-matter halos, spiral density waves, and emerging dark energy. In this review we summarize observational evidence and discuss recent calculations concerning the formation, evolution nucleosynthesis in the galaxies of the Local-Group. In particular, we will briefly summarize observations and simulations for the dwarf galaxies and the two large spirals of the Local Group. We discuss how galactic halos form within the dark matter filaments that define a super-galactic plane. Gravitational interaction along this structure leads to streaming flows toward the two dominant galaxies in the cluster. These simulations and observations also suggest that a significant fraction of the Galactic halo formed as at large distances and then arrived later along these streaming flows. We also consider the insight provided by observations and simulations of nucleosynthesis both within the galactic halo and dwarf galaxies in the Local Group.

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G. Mathews, A. Snedden, L. Phillips, et. al.
Mon, 10 Mar 14
36/53

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1578

In this paper, we test the age matching hypothesis that the star formation rate (SFR) of a galaxy is determined by its dark matter halo formation history, and as such, that more quiescent galaxies reside in older halos. This simple model has been remarkably successful at predicting color-based galaxy statistics at low redshift as measured in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). To further test this method with observations, we present new SDSS measurements of the galaxy two-point correlation function and galaxy-galaxy lensing as a function of stellar mass and SFR, separated into quenched and star forming galaxy samples. We find that our age matching model is in excellent agreement with these new measurements. We also employ a galaxy group finder and show that our model is able to predict: (1) the relative SFRs of central and satellite galaxies, (2) the SFR-dependence of the radial distribution of satellite galaxy populations within galaxy groups, rich groups, and clusters and their surrounding larger scale environments, and (3) the interesting feature that the satellite quenched fraction as a function of projected radial distance from the central galaxy exhibits an ~r^-.15 slope, independent of environment. The accurate prediction for the spatial distribution of satellites is intriguing given the fact that we do not explicitly model satellite-specific processes after infall, and that in our model the virial radius does not mark a special transition region in the evolution of a satellite, contrary to most galaxy evolution models. The success of the model suggests that present-day galaxy SFR is strongly correlated with halo mass assembly history.

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D. Watson, A. Hearin, A. Berlind, et. al.
Mon, 10 Mar 14
51/53

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1693

We have pioneered a new method for the measurement of extragalactic distances. This method uses the time-lag between variations in the short wavelength and long wavelength light from an active galactic nucleus (AGN), based on a quantitative physical model of dust reverberation that relates the time-lag to the absolute luminosity of the AGN. We use the large homogeneous data set from intensive monitoring observations in optical and near-infrared wavelength bands with the dedicated 2-m MAGNUM telescope to obtain the distances to 17 AGNs in the redshift range z=0.0024 to z=0.0353. These distance measurements are compared with distances measured using Cepheid variable stars, and are used to infer that H_0= 73 +- 3 (random) km/s/Mpc. The systematic error in H_0 is examined, and the uncertainty in the size distribution of dust grains is the largest source of the systematic error, which is much reduced for a sample of AGNs for which their parameter values in the model of dust reverberation are individually measured. This AGN time-lag method can be used beyond 30 Mpc, the farthest distance reached by extragalactic Cepheids, and can be extended to high-redshift quasi-stellar objects.

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Y. Yoshii, Y. Kobayashi, T. Minezaki, et. al.
Mon, 10 Mar 14
52/53

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1293

Explaining the existence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) larger than $\sim 10^9 M_\odot$ at redshifts $z >\sim 6$ remains an open theoretical question. One possibility is that gas collapsing rapidly in pristine atomic cooling halos ($T_{\rm vir} >\sim 10^4 \rm{K}$) produces $10^4-10^6 M_\odot$ black holes. Previous studies have shown that the formation of such a black hole requires a strong UV background to prevent molecular hydrogen cooling and gas fragmentation. Recently it has been proposed that a high UV background may not be required for halos that accrete material extremely rapidly or for halos where gas cooling is delayed due to a high baryon-dark matter streaming velocity. In this work, we point out that building up a halo with $T_{\rm vir} >\sim 10^4 \rm{K}$ before molecular cooling becomes efficient is not sufficient for forming a direct collapse black hole (DCBH). Though molecular hydrogen formation may be delayed, it will eventually form at high densities leading to efficient cooling and fragmentation. The only obvious way that molecular cooling could be avoided in the absence of strong UV radiation, is for gas to reach high enough density to cause collisional dissociation of molecular hydrogen ($\sim 10^4 ~ {\rm cm}^{-3}$) before cooling occurs. However, we argue that the minimum core entropy, set by the entropy of the intergalactic medium (IGM) when it decouples from the CMB, prevents this from occurring for realistic halo masses. This is confirmed by hydrodynamical cosmological simulations without radiative cooling. We explain the maximum density versus halo mass in these simulations with simple entropy arguments. The low densities found suggest that DCBH formation indeed requires a strong UV background.

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E. Visbal, Z. Haiman and G. Bryan
Fri, 7 Mar 14
3/47

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1408

[Abridged] To effectively investigate galaxy formation and evolution, it is of paramount importance to exploit homogeneous data for large samples of galaxies in different environments. The WINGS (WIde-field Nearby Galaxy-cluster Survey) project aim is to evaluate physical properties of galaxies in a complete sample of low redshift clusters to be used as reference sample for evolutionary studies. The WINGS survey is still ongoing and the original dataset will soon be enlarged with new observations. This paper presents the entire collection of WINGS measurements obtained so far. We decided to make use of the Virtual Observatory (VO) tools to share the WINGS database (that will be regularly updated) with the community. In the database each object has one unique identification (WINGSID). Each subset of estimated properties is accessible using a simple cone search (including wide-field images). We provide the scientific community the entire set of wide-field images. Furthermore, the published database contains photometry of 759,024 objects and surface brightness analysis for 42,275 and 41,463 galaxies in the V and B band, respectively. The completeness depends on the image quality, and on the cluster redshift, reaching on average 90% at V<= 21.7. Near infrared photometric catalogs for 26 (in K) and 19 (in J) clusters are part of the database and the number of sources is 962,344 in K and 628,813 in J. Here again the completeness depends on the data quality, but it is on average higher than 90% for J<=20.5 and K<=19.4. The IR subsample with a Sersic fit comprises 71,687 objects. A morphological classification is available for 39,923 galaxies. We publish spectroscopic data, including 6,132 redshifts, 5,299 star formation histories and 4,381 equivalent widths. Finally, a calculation of local density is presented and implemented in the VO catalogs for 66,164 galaxies.

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A. Moretti, B. Poggianti, G. Fasano, et. al.
Fri, 7 Mar 14
6/47

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1257

We employ cosmological hydrodynamical simulations to investigate the effects of AGN feedback on the formation of massive galaxies with present-day stellar masses of $M_{stel} > 8.9 \times 10^{10} M_{sun}$. Using smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations with a pressure-entropy formulation that allows an improved treatment of contact discontinuities and fluid mixing, we run three sets of simulations of 20 halos with different AGN feedback models: (1) no feedback, (2) thermal feedback, and (3) mechanical and radiation feedback. We assume that seed black holes are present at early cosmic epochs at the centre of emerging dark matter halos and trace their mass growth via gas accretion and mergers with other black holes. Both feedback models successfully recover the observed M_BH – sigma relation and black hole-to-stellar mass ratio for simulated central early-type galaxies. The baryonic conversion efficiencies are reduced by a factor of two compared to models without any AGN feedback at all halo masses. However, massive galaxies simulated with thermal AGN feedback show a factor of ~ 10-100 higher X-ray luminosities than observed. The mechanical and radiation feedback model reproduces the observed correlation between X-ray luminosities and velocity dispersion, e.g. for galaxies with sigma=200 km/s, the X-ray luminosity is reduced from $10^{42}$ erg/s to $10^{40}$ erg/s. It also efficiently suppresses late time star formation, reducing the specific star formation rate from $10^{-10.5}$ $\rm yr^{-1}$ to $10^{-14}$ $\rm yr^{-1}$ on average and resulting in quiescent galaxies since z=2, whereas the thermal feedback model shows higher late time in-situ star formation rates than observed.

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E. Choi, J. Ostriker, T. Naab, et. al.
Fri, 7 Mar 14
9/47

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1261

We study cosmic metal enrichment via AMR hydrodynamical simulations in a (10 Mpc/h)$^3$ volume following the Pop III-Pop II transition and for different Pop III IMFs. We have analyzed the joint evolution of metal enrichment on galactic and intergalactic scales at z=6 and z=4. Galaxies account for <9% of the baryonic mass; the remaining gas resides in the diffuse phases: (a) voids, i.e. regions with extremely low density ($\Delta$<1), (b) the true intergalactic medium (IGM, 1<$\Delta$<10) and (c) the circumgalactic medium (CGM, 10<$\Delta<10^{2.5}$), the interface between the IGM and galaxies. By z=6 a galactic mass-metallicity relation is established. At z=4, galaxies with a stellar mass $M_*=10^{8.5}M_\odot$ show log(O/H)+12=8.19, consistent with observations. The total amount of heavy elements rises from $\Omega^{SFH}_Z=1.52\, 10^{-6}$ at z=6 to 8.05 $10^{-6}$ at z=4. Metals in galaxies make up to ~0.89 of such budget at z=6; this fraction increases to ~0.95 at z=4. At z=6 (z=4) the remaining metals are distributed in CGM/IGM/voids with the following mass fractions: 0.06/0.04/0.01 (0.03/0.02/0.01). Analogously to galaxies, at z=4 a density-metallicity ($\Delta$-Z) relation is in place for the diffuse phases: the IGM/voids have a spatially uniform metallicity, Z~$10^{-3.5}$Zsun; in the CGM Z steeply rises with density up to ~$10^{-2}$Zsun. In all diffuse phases a considerable fraction of metals is in a warm/hot (T>$10^{4.5}$K) state. Due to these physical conditions, CIV absorption line experiments can probe only ~2% of the total carbon present in the IGM/CGM; however, metal absorption line spectra are very effective tools to study reionization. Finally, the Pop III star formation history is almost insensitive to the chosen Pop III IMF. Pop III stars are preferentially formed in truly pristine (Z=0) gas pockets, well outside polluted regions created by previous star formation episodes.

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A. Pallottini, A. Ferrara, S. Gallerani, et. al.
Fri, 7 Mar 14
10/47

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1260

Cosmology has come a long way from being based on a small number of observations to being a data-driven precision science. We discuss the questions “What is observable?”, “What in the Universe is knowable?” and “What are the fundamental limits to cosmological knowledge?”. We then describe the methodology for investigation: theoretical hypotheses are used to model, predict and anticipate results; data is used to infer theory. We illustrate with concrete examples of principled analysis approaches from the study of cosmic microwave background anisotropies and surveys of large-scale structure, culminating in a summary of the highest precision probe to date of the physical origin of cosmic structures: the Planck 2013 constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity.

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F. Leclercq, A. Pisani and B. Wandelt
Fri, 7 Mar 14
13/47

http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.1420

The outskirts of galaxy clusters are continuously disturbed by mergers and gas infall along filaments, which in turn induce turbulent flow motions and shock waves. We examine the properties of shocks that form within $r_{200}$ in sample galaxy clusters from structure formation simulations. While most of these shocks are weak and inefficient accelerators of cosmic rays (CRs), there are a number of strong, energetic shocks which can produce large amounts of CR protons via diffusive shock acceleration. We show that the energetic shocks reside mostly in the outskirts and a substantial fraction of them are induced by infall of the warm-hot intergalactic medium from filaments. As a result, the radial profile of the CR pressure in the intracluster medium is expected to be broad, dropping off more slowly than that of the gas pressure, and might be even temporarily inverted, peaking in the outskirts. The volume-integrated momentum spectrum of CR protons inside $r_{200}$ has the power-law slope of $4.25 – 4.5$, indicating that the average Mach number of the shocks of main CR production is in the range of $\left< M_s \right>_{\rm CR} \approx 3 – 4$. We suggest that some radio relics with relatively flat radio spectrum could be explained by primary electrons accelerated by energetic infall shocks with $M_s >~ 3$ induced in the cluster outskirts.

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S. Hong, D. Ryu, H. Kang, et. al.
Fri, 7 Mar 14
15/47