arXiv subjects

Abraham Loeb

Publications and source records attributed to Abraham Loeb.

At least 649 records · Page 36Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

Cosmic Variance In the Transparency of the Intergalactic Medium After Reionization

Following the completion of cosmic reionization, the mean-free-path of ionizing photons was set by a population of Ly-limit absorbers. As the mean-free-path steadily grew, the intensity of the ionizing background also grew, thus lowering the residual neutral fraction of hydrogen in ionization equilibrium throughout the diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM). Ly-alpha photons provide a sensitive probe for tracing the distribution of this residual hydrogen at the end of reionization. Here we calculate the cosmic variance among different lines-of-sight in the distribution of the mean Ly-alpha optical depths. We find fractional variations in the effective post-reionization optical depth that are of order unity on a scale of ~100 co-moving Mpc, in agreement with observations towards high-redshift quasars. Significant contributions to these variations are provided by the cosmic variance in the density contrast on the scale of the mean-free-path for ionizing photons, and by fluctuations in the ionizing background induced by delayed or enhanced structure formation. Cosmic variance results in a highly asymmetric distribution of transmission through the IGM, with fractional fluctuations in Ly-alpha transmission that ar larger than in Ly-beta transmission.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The Fate of Former Companions to Hypervelocity Stars Originating at the Galactic Center

The hypervelocity star SDSS J090745.0+024507 in the halo of the Milky Way galaxy (Brown et al. 2005) most likely originated from the breakup of a binary star system by the central black hole, SgrA* (Hills 1988). We examine the fate of former binary companions to similar hypervelocity stars (HVSs) by simulating 600 different binary orbits around SgrA* with a direct N-body integration code. For some orbital parameters, the binary breakup process leads to HVSs with ejection velocities that are almost an order of magnitude larger than the velocity observed for SDSS J090745.0+024507. The former companion stars populate highly eccentric orbits which resemble the observed orbits for some of the stars nearest to SgrA*.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Three-Body Kick to a Bright Quasar out of Its Galaxy During a Merger

The quasar HE0450-2958 was recently discovered to reside ~7kpc away from a galaxy that was likely disturbed by a recent merger. The lack of a massive spheroid of stars around the quasar raised the unlikely suggestion that it may have formed in a dark galaxy. Here we explain this discovery as a natural consequence of a dynamical kick imparted to the quasar as it interacted with a binary black hole system during a galaxy merger event. The typical stalling radius for a ~10^9 solar mass binary provides a kick of order the escape velocity of the stellar spheroid, bringing the quasar out to around the observed radius before it turns around. This is consistent with the observed low relative velocity between the quasar and the merger-remnant galaxy. The gas carried with the black hole throughout the three-body interaction fuels the quasar for the duration of its journey, ~2x10^7 years. Gravitational radiation recoil could not have produced the required kick.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

GRB Cosmology and the First Stars

Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are unique probes of the cosmic star formation history and the state of the intergalactic medium up to the redshifts of the first stars. In particular, the ongoing {\it Swift} mission might be the first observatory to detect individual Population~III stars, provided that the massive, metal-free stars were able to trigger GRBs. {\it Swift} will empirically constrain the redshift at which Population~III star formation was terminated, thus providing crucial input to models of cosmic reionization and metal enrichment.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

High-Redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts from Population III Progenitors

Detection of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from redshifts z > 7 would open a new window into the earliest epoch of cosmic star formation. We construct separate star formation histories at high redshifts for normal (Pop I and II) stars, and for predominantly massive (Pop III) stars. Based on these separate histories, we predict the GRB redshift distribution to be observed by the {\it Swift} mission. Regardless of whether Pop III progenitors are able to trigger GRBs, we find that a fraction 10% of all bursts detected by {\it Swift} will originate at z > 5. This baseline contribution is due to Pop I/II star formation which must have extended out to high redshifts in rare massive galaxies that were enriched by heavy elements earlier than the typical galaxies. In addition, we consider the possible contribution of Pop III progenitors to the observable GRB rate. Pop III stars are viable progenitors for long-duration GRBs which are triggered by the collapsar mechanism, as long as they can lose their outer envelope through mass transfer to a companion star in a close binary. We find that the likelihood of Pop III binaries to satisfy the conditions required by the collapsar mechanism could be enhanced significantly relative to Pop I/II binaries. If Pop III binaries are common, {\it Swift} will be first observatory to probe Pop III star formation at redshifts z > 7.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Detecting the Earliest Galaxies Through Two New Sources of 21cm Fluctuations

The first galaxies that formed at a redshift ~20-30 emitted continuum photons with energies between the Lyman-alpha and Lyman limit wavelengths of hydrogen, to which the neutral universe was transparent except at the Lyman-series resonances. As these photons redshifted or scattered into the Lyman-alpha resonance they coupled the spin temperature of the 21cm transition of hydrogen to the gas temperature, allowing it to deviate from the microwave background temperature. We show that the fluctuations in the radiation emitted by the first galaxies produced strong fluctuations in the 21cm flux before the Lyman-alpha coupling became saturated. The fluctuations were caused by biased inhomogeneities in the density of galaxies, along with Poisson fluctuations in the number of galaxies. Observing the power-spectra of these two sources would probe the number density of the earliest galaxies and the typical mass of their host dark matter halos. The enhanced amplitude of the 21cm fluctuations from the era of Lyman-alpha coupling improves considerably the practical prospects for their detection.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Polarization of 21cm Radiation from the Epoch of Reionization

We consider the polarization of 21cm line radiation from the epoch of reionization due to both intrinsically polarized emission and secondary mechanisms. We argue that Thomson scattering of the 21cm quadrupole by the reionized universe is likely to produce the largest effect. The 21cm quadrupole is sourced by baryonic density fluctuations and the fluctuations in the ionization fraction due to discrete \ion{H}{2} regions. Since Thomson scattering produces only E-type polarization and is achromatic, its unique fingerprint can in principle be separated from foregrounds associated with polarized synchrotron emission which should not be correlated with the cosmic signal. We estimate that Poisson fluctuations of \ion{H}{2} regions at the end of reionization ($z_R \sim 6$--20) produce a brightness temperature-polarization cross-correlation signal of $\sim 0.1 - 0.3 {mK}$ on angular scales of tens of arcminutes. This cross-correlation signal is within the instrument sensitivities of the future {\it Square Kilometer Array} (SKA) and close to the sensitivities of the forthcoming {\it Mileura Widefield Array} (MWA) and {\it Low Frequency Array} (LOFAR).

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Imaging Optically-Thin Hot Spots Near the Black Hole Horizon of Sgr A* at Radio and Near-Infrared Wavelengths

Sub milli-arcsecond astrometry and imaging of the black hole Sgr A* at the Galactic centre may become possible in the near future at infrared and sub-millimetre wavelengths. Motivated by observations of short-term infrared and X-ray variability of Sgr A*, in a previous paper we computed the expected images and light curves, including polarization, associated with an compact emission region orbiting the central black hole. We extend this work, using a more realistic hot-spot model and including the effects of opacity in the underlying accretion flow. We find that at infrared wavelengths the qualitative features identified by our earlier work are present, namely it is possible to extract the black hole mass and spin from spot images and light curves of the observed flux and polarization. At radio wavelengths, disk opacity produces significant departures from the infrared behaviour, but there are still generic signatures of the black hole properties. Detailed comparison of these results with future data can be used to test general relativity and to improve existing models for the accretion flow in the immediate vicinity of the black hole.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Nonthermal THz to TeV Emission from Stellar Wind Shocks in the Galactic Center

The central parsec of the Galaxy contains dozens of massive stars with a cumulative mass loss rate of ~ 10^{-3} solar masses per year. Shocks among these stellar winds produce the hot plasma that pervades the central part of the galaxy. We argue that these stellar wind shocks also efficiently accelerate electrons and protons to relativistic energies. The relativistic electrons inverse Compton scatter the ambient ultraviolet and far infrared radiation field, producing high energy gamma-rays with a roughly constant luminosity from \~ GeV to ~ 10 TeV. This can account for the TeV source seen by HESS in the Galactic Center. Our model predicts a GLAST counterpart to the HESS source with a luminosity of ~ 10^{35} ergs/s and cooling break at ~ 4 GeV. Synchrotron radiation from the same relativistic electrons should produce detectable emission at lower energies, with a surface brightness ~ 10^{32} B^2_{-3} ergs/s/arcsec^2 from ~ THz to ~ keV, where B_{-3} is the magnetic field strength in units of mG. The observed level of diffuse thermal X-ray emission in the central parsec requires B < 300 micro-G in our models. Future detection of the diffuse synchrotron background in the central parsec can directly constrain the magnetic field strength, providing an important boundary condition for models of accretion onto Sgr A*.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Frequency-Dependent Shift in the Image Centroid of the Black Hole at the Galactic Center as a Test of General Relativity

The inferred black hole in the Galactic center spans the largest angle on the sky among all known black holes. Forthcoming observational programs plan to localize or potentially resolve the image of Sgr A* to an exquisite precision, comparable to the scale of the black hole horizon. Here we show that the location of the image centroid of Sgr A* should depend on observing frequency because of relativistic and radiative transfer effects. The same effects introduce a generic dependence of the source polarization on frequency. Future detection of the predicted centroid shift and the polarization dependence on frequency can be used to determine the unknown black hole spin and verify the validity of General Relativity.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Constraints on the Proper Motion of the Andromeda Galaxy Based on the Survival of Its Satellite M33

A major uncertainty in the dynamical history of the local group of galaxies originates from the unknown transverse speed of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) relative to the Milky Way. We show that the recent VLBA measurement of the proper motion of Andromeda's satellite, M33, severely constrains the possible values of M31's proper motion. The condition that M33's stellar disk will not be tidally disrupted by either M31 or the Milky Way over the past 10 billion years, favors a proper motion amplitude of 100+-20km/s for M31 with the quadrant of a negative velocity component along Right Ascension and a positive component along Declination strongly ruled-out. This inference can be tested by future astrometric measurements with SIM, GAIA, or the SKA. Our results imply that the dark halos of Andromeda and the Milky Way will pass through each other within the next 5-10 billion years.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Probing the Epoch of Early Baryonic Infall Through 21cm Fluctuations

After cosmological recombination, the primordial hydrogen gas decoupled from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and fell into the gravitational potential wells of the dark matter. The neutral hydrogen imprinted acoustic oscillations on the pattern of brightness fluctuations due to its redshifted 21cm absorption of the CMB. Unlike CMB temperature fluctuations which probe the power spectrum at cosmic recombination, we show that observations of the 21cm fluctuations at z ~ 20-200 can measure four separate fluctuation modes (with a fifth mode requiring very high precision), thus providing a unique probe of the geometry and composition of the universe.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

The Remnants of Intergalactic Supernovae

Intergalactic type-Ia supernovae (SNe-Ia) have been discovered recently in rich galaxy clusters, likely the descendants of an intergalactic stellar population found in recent years through a variety of tracers. We estimate the observational signatures of the associated SN remnants (SNRs) in the unusual intracluster medium (ICM) environment. If SNe-Ia still have a circumstellar medium (CSM) at the time of explosion, then their remnants are visible in the optical for ~100-1000 years, with properties similar to young galactic SNRs. In contrast with galactic SNRs, in which the ejecta from the explosion interacts with the ISM, intracluster SNRs become undetectable in the optical once their ejecta passes beyond the CSM and enters the hot and tenuous ICM. If SNe-Ia have a CSM, there should be ~150 young SNRs in the Virgo cluster, with L(H-alpha)~10^{35} erg/s and angular size ~0.1''. We investigate the possibility that members of this SNR population may have recently been detected, but incorrectly identified as intergalactic HII regions. Alternatively, if optical intergalactic SNRs do not exist in Virgo, this will be evidence that SNe-Ia are devoid of a CSM, with implications for progenitor scenarios. Regardless of the presence of a CSM, about 10 older radio SNRs per square degree should be detectable in Virgo, with fluxes of ~0.1 mJy at 1 GHz. Their angular sizes, morphologies, and lack of optical association with distant galaxies can distinguish them from the much more numerous background population. Their detection would provide a measurement of the intracluster SN rate. Observations toward the site of SN1980I, a possibly intergalactic Virgo SN-Ia, can test the existence of a CSM by comparison to our early-time predictions for intergalactic SNR development.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Imaging Bright Spots in the Accretion Flow Near the Black Hole Horizon of Sgr A*

Images from the vicinity of the black hole horizon at the Galactic centre (Sgr A*) could be obtained in the near future with a Very Large Baseline Array of sub-millimetre telescopes. The recently observed short-term infrared and X-ray variability of the emission from Sgr A* implies that the accretion flow near the black hole is clumpy or unsteady. We calculate the appearance of a compact emission region (bright spot) in a circular orbit around a spinning black hole as a function of orbital radius and orientation. We find that the mass and spin of the black hole can be extracted from their generic signatures on the spot image as well as on the lightcurves of its observed flux and polarisation. The strong-field distortion remains noticeable even when the spot image is smoothed over the expected ~20 microarcsecond resolution of future sub-millimetre observations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Constraints on the Process that Regulates the Growth of Supermassive Black Holes Based on the Intrinsic Scatter in the M_bh-sigma Relation

We show that the observed scatter in the relations between the mass of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), M_bh, and the velocity dispersion sigma or mass M_sph of their host spheroid, place interesting constraints on the process that regulates SMBH growth in galaxies. When combined with the observed properties of early-type SDSS galaxies, the observed intrinsic scatters imply that SMBH growth is regulated by the spheroid velocity dispersion rather than its mass. The M_bh-M_sph relation is therefore a by-product of a more fundamental M_bh-sigma relation. We construct a theoretical model for the scatter among baryon modified dark matter halo profiles, out of which we generate a population of spheroid hosts and show that these naturally lead to a relation between effective radius and velocity dispersion of the form R_sph ~ sigma^1.5 with a scatter of ~0.2dex, in agreement with the corresponding projection of the fundamental plane for early type galaxies in SDSS. At the redshift of formation, our model predicts the minimum scatter that SMBHs can have at fixed velocity dispersion or spheroid mass under different formation scenarios. We also estimate the additional scatter that is introduced into these relations through collisionless mergers of purely stellar spheroids at z<1. We find that the observed scatter in the M_bh-sigma and M_bh-M_sph relations preclude the properties of dark matter halos from being the governing factor in SMBH growth. Finally, we show that SMBH growth governed by the properties of the host spheroid can lead to the observed values of scatter in the M_bh-sigma and M_bh-M_sph relations, only if the SMBH growth is limited by momentum or energy feedback over the dynamical time of the host spheroid.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Prospects for Redshifted 21-cm observations of quasar HII regions

The introduction of low-frequency radio arrays over the coming decade is expected to revolutionize the study of the reionization epoch. Observation of the contrast in redshifted 21cm emission between a large HII region and the surrounding neutral IGM will be the simplest and most easily interpreted signature. We find that an instrument like the planned Mileura Widefield Array Low-Frequency Demonstrator (LFD) will be able to obtain good signal to noise on HII regions around the most luminous quasars, and determine some gross geometric properties, e.g. whether the HII region is spherical or conical. A hypothetical follow-up instrument with 10 times the collecting area of the LFD (MWA-5000) will be capable of mapping the detailed geometry of HII regions, while SKA will be capable of detecting very narrow spectral features as well as the sharpness of the HII region boundary. The MWA-5000 will discover serendipitous HII regions in widefield observations. We estimate the number of HII regions which are expected to be generated by quasars. Assuming a late reionization at z~6 we find that there should be several tens of quasar HII regions larger than 4Mpc at z~6-8 per field of view. Identification of HII regions in forthcoming 21cm surveys can guide a search for bright galaxies in the middle of these regions. Most of the discovered galaxies would be the massive hosts of dormant quasars that left behind fossil HII cavities that persisted long after the quasar emission ended, owing to the long recombination time of intergalactic hydrogen. A snap-shot survey of candidate HII regions selected in redshifted 21cm image cubes may prove to be the most efficient method for finding very high redshift quasars and galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

The Small-Scale Power Spectrum of Cold Dark Matter

One of the best motivated hypotheses in cosmology states that most of the matter in the universe is in the form of weakly-interacting massive particles that decoupled early in the history of the universe and cooled adiabatically to an extremely low temperature. Nevertheless, the finite temperature and horizon scales at which these particles decoupled imprint generic signatures on their small scales density fluctuations. We show that the previously recognized cut-off in the fluctuation power-spectrum due to free-streaming of particles at the thermal speed of decoupling, is supplemented by acoustic oscillations owing to the initial coupling between the cold dark matter (CDM) and the radiation field. The power-spectrum oscillations appear on the scale of the horizon at thermal decoupling which corresponds to a mass scale of \~10^{-4}*(T_d/10MeV)^{-3} solar masses for a CDM decoupling temperature T_d. The suppression of the power-spectrum on smaller scales by the acoustic oscillations is physically independent from the free-streaming effect, although the two cut-off scales are coincidentally comparable for T_d~10MeV and a particle mass of M~100GeV. The initial conditions for recent numerical simulations of the earliest and smallest objects to have formed in the universe, need to be modified accordingly. The smallest dark matter clumps may be detectable through gamma-ray production from particle annihilation, through fluctuations in the event rate of direct detection experiments, or through their tidal gravitational effect on wide orbits of objects near the outer edge of the solar system.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Signature of Galactic Outflows as Absorption-Free Gaps in the Ly-alpha Forest

Powerful outflows from star-forming galaxies are expected to push away the neutral intergalactic medium (IGM) around those galaxies, and produce absorption-free gaps in the Ly-alpha forest. We analyze the abundance of gaps of various sizes in three high resolution spectra of quasars at z ~ 3 - 3.5. The gap statistics agrees well with a model in which galactic halos above a minimum mass scale of M_min ~ 10^10 M_sun produce bubbles with a characteristic radius of R_b ~ 0.48 Mpc/h. Both numbers are consistent with naive theoretical expectations, where the minimum galaxy mass reflects the threshold for infall of gas out of a photo-ionized IGM. The observed gaps are typically bounded by deep absorption features as expected from the accumulation of swept-up gas on the bubble walls.

astro-ph↗