arXiv subjects

B. A. Bassett

Publications and source records attributed to B. A. Bassett.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

Spectral properties of Type Ia supernovae up to z~0.3

Aims: Spectroscopic observations of Type Ia supernovae obtained at the New Technology Telescope (NTT) and the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT), in conjunction with the SDSS-II Supernova Survey, are analysed. We use spectral indicators measured up to a month after the lightcurve peak luminosity to characterise the supernova properties, and examine these for potential correlations with host galaxy type, lightcurve shape, colour excess, and redshift. Methods: Our analysis is based on 89 Type Ia supernovae at a redshift interval z = 0.05 - 0.3, for which multiband SDSS photometry is available. A lower-z spectroscopy reference sample was used for comparisons over cosmic time. We present measurements of time series of pseudo equivalent widths and line velocities of the main spectral features in Type Ia supernovae. Results: Supernovae with shallower features are found predominantly among the intrinsically brighter slow declining supernovae. We detect the strongest correlation between lightcurve stretch and the Si ii 4000 absorption feature, which also correlates with the estimated mass and star formation rate of the host galaxy. We also report a tentative correlation between colour excess and spectral properties. If confirmed, this would suggest that moderate reddening of Type Ia supernovae is dominated by effects in the explosion or its immediate environment, as opposed to extinction by interstellar dust.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

NTT and NOT spectroscopy of SDSS-II supernovae

Context. The SDSS-II Supernova Survey, conducted between 2005 and 2007, was designed to detect a large number of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) around z~0.2, the redshift "gap" between low-z and high-z SN searches. The survey has provided multi-band photometric lightcurves for variable targets, and SN candidates were scheduled for spectroscopic observations, primarily to provide SN classification and accurate redshifts. We present SN spectra obtained in 2006 and 2007 using the NTT and the NOT. Aims. We provide an atlas of SN spectra in the range z =0.03-0.32 that complements the well-sampled lightcurves from SDSS-II in the forthcoming three-year SDSS SN cosmology analysis. The sample can, for example, be used for spectral studies of SNe Ia, which are critical for understanding potential systematic effects when SNe are used to determine cosmological distances. Methods. The spectra were reduced in a uniform manner, and special care was taken in estimating the uncertainties for the different processing steps. Host-galaxy light was subtracted when possible and the SN type fitted using the SuperNova IDentification code (SNID). We also present comparisons between spectral and photometric dating using SALT lightcurve fits to the photometry from SDSS-II, as well as the global distribution of our sample in terms of the lightcurve parameters: stretch and colour. Results. We report new spectroscopic data from 141 SNe Ia, mainly between -9 and +15 days from lightcurve maximum, including a few cases of multi-epoch observations. This homogeneous, host-galaxy subtracted, SN Ia spectroscopic sample is among the largest such data sets and unique in its redshift interval. The sample includes two potential SN 1991T-like SNe (SN 2006on and SN 2007ni) and one potential SN 2002cx-like SN (SN 2007ie). In addition, the new compilation includes spectra from 23 confirmed Type II and 8 Type Ib/c SNe.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Fundamental Uncertainty in the BAO Scale from Isocurvature Modes

Small fractions of isocurvature perturbations correlated with the dominant adiabatic mode are shown to be a significant primordial systematic for future Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) surveys, distorting the standard ruler distance by broadening and shifting the peak in the galaxy correlation function. Untreated this systematic leads to biases that can exceed $10σ$ in the dark energy parameters even for Planck-level isocurvature constraints. Accounting for the isocurvature modes corrects for this bias but degrades the dark energy figure of merit by at least 50\%. The BAO data in turn provides extremely powerful new constraints on the nature of the primordial perturbations. Future large galaxy surveys will thus be powerful probes of the earliest phase of the universe in addition to helping pin down the nature of dark energy.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2007

A New Approach to the Optimal Target Selection Problem

Optimally selecting a subset of targets from a larger catalog is a common problem in astronomy and cosmology. A specific example is the selection of targets from an imaging survey for multi-object spectrographic follow-up. We present a new heuristic algorithm, HYBRID, for this purpose and undertake detailed studies of its performance. HYBRID combines elements of the simulated annealing, MCMC and particle-swarm methods and is particularly successful in cases where the survey landscape has multiple curvature or clustering scales. HYBRID consistently outperforms the other methods, especially in high-dimensionality spaces with many extrema. This means many fewer simulations must be run to reach a given performance confidence level and implies very significant advantages in solving complex or computationally expensive optimisation problems.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

The foundations of observing dark energy dynamics with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe

Detecting dark energy dynamics is the main quest of current dark energy research. Addressing the issue demands a fully consistent analysis of CMB, large scale structure and SN-Ia data with multi-parameter freedom valid for all redshifts. Here we undertake a ten parameter analysis of general dark energy confronted with the first year WMAP, 2dF galaxy survey and latest SN-Ia data. Despite the huge freedom in dark energy dynamics there are no new degeneracies with standard cosmic parameters apart from a mild degeneracy between reionisation and the redshift of acceleration, both of which effectively suppress small scale power. Breaking this degeneracy will help significantly in detecting dynamics, if it exists. Our best-fit model to the data has significant late-time evolution at z<1.5. Phantom models are also considered and we find that the best-fit crosses w=-1 which, if confirmed, would be a clear signal for radically new physics. Treatment of such rapidly varying models requires careful integration of the dark energy density usually not implemented in standard codes, leading to crucial errors of up to 5%. Nevertheless cosmic variance means that standard LCDM models are still a very good fit to the data and evidence for dynamics is currently very weak. Independent tests of reionisation or the epoch of acceleration (e.g. ISW-LSS correlations) or reduction of cosmic variance at large scales (e.g. cluster polarisation at high redshift) may prove key in the hunt for dynamics.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Model-independent dark energy differentiation with the ISW effect

We study the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect using a model-independent parameterization of the dark energy equation of state. Cosmic variance severely restricts the class of models distinguishable from Lambda-CDM. In particular if the present value of the equation of state satisfies w_Q^o <-0.8, the only distinguishable models are those with a rapidly varying equation of state, characterized by a late transition occurring at redshifts z<3. Due to the degeneracy with other cosmological parameters, models with a slowly varying behavior cannot be differentiated from each other or from a cosmological constant using even cosmic variance-limited CMB measurements. This may place a fundamental limit on our understanding of the origin of the presently observed acceleration.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

A late-time transition in the equation of state versus Lambda-CDM

We study a model of the dark energy which exhibits a rapid change in its equation of state w(z), such as occurs in vacuum metamorphosis. We compare the model predictions with CMB, large scale structure and supernova data and show that a late-time transition is marginally preferred over standard Lambda-CDM.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

A new twist to preheating

Metric perturbations typically strengthen field resonances during preheating. In contrast we present a model in which the super-Hubble field resonances are completely {\em suppressed} when metric perturbations are included. The model is the nonminimal Fakir-Unruh scenario which is exactly solvable in the long-wavelength limit when metric perturbations are included, but exhibits exponential growth of super-Hubble modes in their absence. This gravitationally enhanced integrability is exceptional, both for its rarity and for the power with which it illustrates the importance of including metric perturbations in consistent studies of preheating. We conjecture a no-go result - there exists no {\em single-field} model with growth of cosmologically-relevant metric perturbations during preheating.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1998

The Error Function and The Kink Soliton

We provide analytical functions approximating $\int e^{-x^2} dx$, the basis of which is the kink soliton and which are both accurate (error $< 0.2 %$) and simple. We demonstrate our results with some applications, particularly to the generation of Gaussian random fields.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1998

Lensing and caustic effects on cosmological distances

We consider the changes which occur in cosmological distances due to the combined effects of some null geodesics passing through low-density regions while others pass through lensing-induced caustics. This combination of effects increases observed areas corresponding to a given solid angle even when averaged over large angular scales, through the additive effect of increases on all scales, but particularly on micro-angular scales; however angular sizes will not be significantly effected on large angular scales (when caustics occur, area distances and angular-diameter distances no longer coincide). We compare our results with other works on lensing, which claim there is no such effect, and explain why the effect will indeed occur in the (realistic) situation where caustics due to lensing are significant. Whether or not the effect is significant for number counts depends on the associated angular scales and on the distribution of inhomogeneities in the universe. It could also possibly affect the spectrum of CBR anisotropies on small angular scales, indeed caustics can induce a non-Gaussian signature into the CMB at small scales and lead to stronger mixing of anisotropies than occurs in weak lensing.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1997

Shrinking II -- The Distortion of the Area Distance-Redshift Relation in Inhomogeneous Isotropic Universes

This paper and the others in the series challenge the standard model of the effects of gravitational lensing on observations at large distances. We show that due to the cumulative effect of lensing, areas corresponding to an observed solid angle can be quite different than would be estimated from the corresponding Friedmann-Lema\^ıtre model, even when averaged over large angular scales. This paper concentrates on the specific example of spherically symmetric but spatially inhomogeneous dust universes, the Lema\^ıtre-Tolman-Bondi models, and shows that radial lensing significantly distorts the area distance-redshift and density-redshift relations in these exact solutions compared with the standard ones for Friedmann-Lema\^ıtre models. Thus inhomogeneity may introduce significant errors into distance estimates based on the standard FL relations, even after all-sky averaging. In addition a useful new gauge choice is presented for these models, solving the problem of locating the past null cone exactly.

gr-qc↗