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C. Miller

Publications and source records attributed to C. Miller.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2015

Search for Gamma-Ray Emission from DES Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Candidates with Fermi-LAT Data

Due to their proximity, high dark-matter content, and apparent absence of non-thermal processes, Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies (dSphs) are excellent targets for the indirect detection of dark matter. Recently, eight new dSph candidates were discovered using the first year of data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). We searched for gamma-ray emission coincident with the positions of these new objects in six years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data. We found no significant excesses of gamma-ray emission. Under the assumption that the DES candidates are dSphs with dark matter halo properties similar to the known dSphs, we computed individual and combined limits on the velocity-averaged dark matter annihilation cross section for these new targets. If the estimated dark-matter content of these dSph candidates is confirmed, they will constrain the annihilation cross section to lie below the thermal relic cross section for dark matter particles with masses < 20 GeV annihilating via the b-bbar or tau+tau- channels.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2015

Eight New Milky Way Companions Discovered in First-Year Dark Energy Survey Data

We report the discovery of eight new Milky Way companions in ~1,800 deg^2 of optical imaging data collected during the first year of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Each system is identified as a statistically significant over-density of individual stars consistent with the expected isochrone and luminosity function of an old and metal-poor stellar population. The objects span a wide range of absolute magnitudes (M_V from -2.2 mag to -7.4 mag), physical sizes (10 pc to 170 pc), and heliocentric distances (30 kpc to 330 kpc). Based on the low surface brightnesses, large physical sizes, and/or large Galactocentric distances of these objects, several are likely to be new ultra-faint satellite galaxies of the Milky Way and/or Magellanic Clouds. We introduce a likelihood-based algorithm to search for and characterize stellar over-densities, as well as identify stars with high satellite membership probabilities. We also present completeness estimates for detecting ultra-faint galaxies of varying luminosities, sizes, and heliocentric distances in the first-year DES data.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2015

The LMC geometry and outer stellar populations from early DES data

The Dark Energy Camera has captured a large set of images as part of Science Verification (SV) for the Dark Energy Survey. The SV footprint covers a lar ge portion of the outer Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), providing photometry 1.5 magnitudes fainter than the main sequence turn-off of the oldest LMC stel lar population. We derive geometrical and structural parameters for various stellar populations in the LMC disk. For the distribution of all LMC stars, we find an inclination of $i=-38.14^{\circ}\pm0.08^{\circ}$ (near side in the North) and a position angle for the line of nodes of $θ_0=129.51^{\circ}\pm0.17^{\circ}$. We find that stars younger than $\sim 4$ Gyr are more centrally concentrated than older stars. Fitting a projected exponential disk shows that the scale radius of the old populations is $R_{>4 Gyr}=1.41\pm0.01$ kpc, while the younger population has $R_{<4 Gyr}=0.72\pm0.01$ kpc. Howe ver, the spatial distribution of the younger population deviates significantly from the projected exponential disk model. The distribution of old stars suggests a large truncation radius of $R_{t}=13.5\pm0.8$ kpc. If this truncation is dominated by the tidal field of the Galaxy, we find that the LMC is $\simeq 24^{+9}_{-6}$ times less massive than the encircled Galactic mass. By measuring the Red Clump peak magnitude and comparing with the best-fit LM C disk model, we find that the LMC disk is warped and thicker in the outer regions north of the LMC centre. Our findings may either be interpreted as a warped and flared disk in the LMC outskirts, or as evidence of a spheroidal halo component

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2014

Combining Dark Energy Survey Science Verification Data with Near Infrared Data from the ESO VISTA Hemisphere Survey

We present the combination of optical data from the Science Verification phase of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) with near infrared data from the ESO VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS). The deep optical detections from DES are used to extract fluxes and associated errors from the shallower VHS data. Joint 7-band ($grizYJK$) photometric catalogues are produced in a single 3 sq-deg DECam field centred at 02h26m$-$04d36m where the availability of ancillary multi-wavelength photometry and spectroscopy allows us to test the data quality. Dual photometry increases the number of DES galaxies with measured VHS fluxes by a factor of $\sim$4.5 relative to a simple catalogue level matching and results in a $\sim$1.5 mag increase in the 80\% completeness limit of the NIR data. Almost 70\% of DES sources have useful NIR flux measurements in this initial catalogue. Photometric redshifts are estimated for a subset of galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts and initial results, although currently limited by small number statistics, indicate that the VHS data can help reduce the photometric redshift scatter at both $z<0.5$ and $z>1$. We present example DES+VHS colour selection criteria for high redshift Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) at $z\sim0.7$ as well as luminous quasars. Using spectroscopic observations in this field we show that the additional VHS fluxes enable a cleaner selection of both populations with $<$10\% contamination from galactic stars in the case of spectroscopically confirmed quasars and $<0.5\%$ contamination from galactic stars in the case of spectroscopically confirmed LRGs. The combined DES+VHS dataset, which will eventually cover almost 5000 sq-deg, will therefore enable a range of new science and be ideally suited for target selection for future wide-field spectroscopic surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2013

The Gravitational Universe

The last century has seen enormous progress in our understanding of the Universe. We know the life cycles of stars, the structure of galaxies, the remnants of the big bang, and have a general understanding of how the Universe evolved. We have come remarkably far using electromagnetic radiation as our tool for observing the Universe. However, gravity is the engine behind many of the processes in the Universe, and much of its action is dark. Opening a gravitational window on the Universe will let us go further than any alternative. Gravity has its own messenger: Gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of spacetime. They travel essentially undisturbed and let us peer deep into the formation of the first seed black holes, exploring redshifts as large as z ~ 20, prior to the epoch of cosmic re-ionisation. Exquisite and unprecedented measurements of black hole masses and spins will make it possible to trace the history of black holes across all stages of galaxy evolution, and at the same time constrain any deviation from the Kerr metric of General Relativity. eLISA will be the first ever mission to study the entire Universe with gravitational waves. eLISA is an all-sky monitor and will offer a wide view of a dynamic cosmos using gravitational waves as new and unique messengers to unveil The Gravitational Universe. It provides the closest ever view of the early processes at TeV energies, has guaranteed sources in the form of verification binaries in the Milky Way, and can probe the entire Universe, from its smallest scales around singularities and black holes, all the way to cosmological dimensions.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2012

Magnetic flux inversion in Charged BPS vortices in a Lorentz-violating Maxwell-Higgs framework

We demonstrate for the first the existence of electrically charged BPS vortices in a Maxwell-Higgs model supplemented with a parity-odd Lorentz-violating (LV) structure belonging to the CPT-even gauge sector of the standard model extension and a fourth order potential (in the absence of the Chern-Simons term). The modified first order BPS equations provide charged vortex configurations endowed with some interesting features: localized and controllable spatial thickness, integer flux quantization, electric field inversion and localized magnetic flux reversion. This model could possibly be applied on condensed matter systems which support charged vortices carrying integer quantized magnetic flux, endowed with localized flipping of the magnetic flux.

hep-th↗
arXiv2012

Uncharged compactlike and fractional Lorentz-violating BPS vortices in the CPT-even sector of the standard model extension

We have investigated and verified the existence of stable uncharged Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfeld (BPS) vortices in the framework of an Abelian Maxwell-Higgs model supplemented with CPT-even and Lorentz-violating (LV) terms belonging to the gauge and Higgs sectors of the standard model extension. The analysis is performed in two situations: first, one by considering the Lorentz violation only in the gauge sector and then in both gauge and Higgs sectors. In the first case, it is observed that the model supports vortices somehow equivalent to the ones appearing in a dielectric medium. The Lorentz violation controls the radial extension (core of the solution) and the magnetic field amplitude of the Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen vortices, yielding compactlike defects in an alternative and simpler way than that of $k-$field models. At the end, we consider the Lorentz-violating terms in the gauge and Higgs sectors. It is shown that the full model also supports compactlike uncharged BPS vortices in a modified vacuum, but this time there are two LV parameters controlling the defect structure. Moreover, an interesting novelty is introduced by the LV-Higgs sector: fractional vortex solutions.

hep-th↗
arXiv2010

Homology of perfect complexes

It is proved that the sum of the Loewy lengths of the homology modules of a finite free complex F over a local ring R is bounded below by a number depending only on R. This result uncovers, in the structure of modules of finite projective dimension, obstructions to realizing R as a closed fiber of some flat local homomorphism. Other applications include, as special cases, uniform proofs of known results on free actions of elementary abelian groups and of tori on finite CW complexes. The arguments use numerical invariants of objects in general triangulated categories, introduced here and called levels. They allow one to track, through changes of triangulated categories, homological invariants like projective dimension, as well as structural invariants like Loewy length. An intermediate result sharpens, with a new proof, the New Intersection Theorem for commutative algebras over fields. Under additional hypotheses on the ring $R$ stronger estimates are proved for Loewy lengths of modules of finite projective dimension.

math.AC↗
arXiv2010

On the (non)rigidity of the Frobenius Endomorphism over Gorenstein Rings

It is well-known that for a large class of local rings of positive characteristic, including complete intersection rings, the Frobenius endomorphism can be used as a test for finite projective dimension. In this paper, we exploit this property to study the structure of such rings. One of our results states that the Picard group of the punctured spectrum of such a ring $R$ cannot have $p$-torsion. When $R$ is a local complete intersection, this recovers (with a purely local algebra proof) an analogous statement for complete intersections in projective spaces first given in SGA and also a special case of a conjecture by Gabber. Our method also leads to many simply constructed examples where rigidity for the Frobenius endomorphism does not hold, even when the rings are Gorenstein with isolated singularity. This is in stark contrast to the situation for complete intersection rings. Also, a related length criterion for modules of finite length and finite projective dimension is discussed towards the end.

math.AC↗
arXiv2009

X-ray Timing of Neutron Stars, Astrophysical Probes of Extreme Physics

The characteristic physical timescales near stellar-mass compact objects are measured in milliseconds. These timescales -- the free-fall time, the fastest stable orbital period, and stellar spin periods -- encode the fundamental physical properties of compact objects: mass, radius, and angular momentum. The characteristic temperature of matter in the vicinity of neutron stars is such that the principal electromagnetic window into their realms is the X-ray band. Because of these connections to the fundamental properties of neutron stars, X-ray timing studies remain today the most direct means of probing their structure and dynamics. While current X-ray observatories have revealed many relevant and fascinating phenomena, they lack the sensitivity to fully exploit them to uncover the fundamental properties of compact objects and their extreme physics. With this white paper, we summarize and highlight the science opportunities that will accompany an order-of-magnitude improvement in X-ray timing sensitivity, a goal attainable in the coming decade.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2008

Expansions of the real field by open sets: definability versus interpretability

An open set U of the real numbers R is produced such that the expansion (R,+,x,U) of the real field by U defines a Borel isomorph of (R,+,x,N) but does not define N. It follows that (R,+,x,U) defines sets in every level of the projective hierarchy but does not define all projective sets. This result is elaborated in various ways that involve geometric measure theory and working over o-minimal expansions of (R,+,x). In particular, there is a Cantor subset K of R such that for every exponentially bounded o-minimal expansion M of (R,+,x), every subset of R definable in (M,K) either has interior or is Hausdorff null.

math.LO↗
arXiv2007

The Mean and Scatter of the Velocity Dispersion-Optical Richness Relation for maxBCG Galaxy Clusters

The distribution of galaxies in position and velocity around the centers of galaxy clusters encodes important information about cluster mass and structure. Using the maxBCG galaxy cluster catalog identified from imaging data obtained in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we study the BCG-galaxy velocity correlation function. By modeling its non-Gaussianity, we measure the mean and scatter in velocity dispersion at fixed richness. The mean velocity dispersion increases from 202+/-10 km/s for small groups to more than 854+/-102 km/s for large clusters. We show the scatter to be at most 40.5+/-3.5%, declining to 14.9+/-9.4% in the richest bins. We test our methods in the C4 cluster catalog, a spectroscopic cluster catalog produced from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR2 spectroscopic sample, and in mock galaxy catalogs constructed from N-body simulations. Our methods are robust, measuring the scatter to well within one-sigma of the true value, and the mean to within 10%, in the mock catalogs. By convolving the scatter in velocity dispersion at fixed richness with the observed richness space density function, we measure the velocity dispersion function of the maxBCG galaxy clusters. Although velocity dispersion and richness do not form a true mass-observable relation, the relationship between velocity dispersion and mass is theoretically well characterized and has low scatter. Thus our results provide a key link between theory and observations up to the velocity bias between dark matter and galaxies.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2007

A MaxBCG Catalog of 13,823 Galaxy Clusters from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We present a catalog of galaxy clusters selected using the maxBCG redsequence method from Sloan Digital Sky Survey photometric data. This catalog includes 13,823 clusters with velocity dispersions greater than 400 km/s, and is the largest galaxy cluster catalog assembled to date. They are selected in an approximately volume-limited way from a 0.5 Gpc^3 region covering 7500 square degrees of sky between redshifts 0.1 and 0.3. (ABRIGDED)

astro-ph↗
arXiv2002

A fast X-ray timing capability on XEUS

Fast X-ray timing can be used to probe strong gravity fields around collapsed objects and constrain the equation of state of dense matter in neutron stars. These studies require extremely good photon statistics. In view of the huge collecting area of its mirrors, XEUS could make a unique contribution to this field. For this reason, we propose to include a fast X-ray timing capability in the focal plane of the XEUS mirrors. We briefly outline the scientific motivation for such a capability. We compute some sensitivity estimates, which indicate that XEUS could provide better than an order of magnitude sensitivity improvement over the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. Finally, we present a possible detector implementation, which could be an array of small size silicon drift detectors operated out of focus.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2000

SDSS-RASS: Next Generation of Cluster-Finding Algorithms

We outline here the next generation of cluster-finding algorithms. We show how advances in Computer Science and Statistics have helped develop robust, fast algorithms for finding clusters of galaxies in large multi-dimensional astronomical databases like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Specifically, this paper presents four new advances: (1) A new semi-parametric algorithm - nicknamed ``C4'' - for jointly finding clusters of galaxies in the SDSS and ROSAT All-Sky Survey databases; (2) The introduction of the False Discovery Rate into Astronomy; (3) The role of kernel shape in optimizing cluster detection; (4) A new determination of the X-ray Cluster Luminosity Function which has bearing on the existence of a ``deficit'' of high redshift, high luminosity clusters. This research is part of our ``Computational AstroStatistics'' collaboration (see Nichol et al. 2000) and the algorithms and techniques discussed herein will form part of the ``Virtual Observatory'' analysis toolkit.

astro-ph↗