arXiv subjects

C. Popescu

Publications and source records attributed to C. Popescu.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Structural study of alfa-Bi2O3 under pressure

An experimental and theoretical study of the structural properties of monoclinic bismuth oxide (alfa-Bi2O3) under high pressures is here reported. Both synthetic and mineral bismite powder samples have been compressed up to 45 GPa and their equations of state have been determined with angle-dispersive x-ray diffraction measurements. Experimental results have been also compared to theoretical calculations which suggest the possibility of several phase transitions below 10 GPa. However, experiments reveal only a pressure-induced amorphisation between 15 and 25 GPa, depending on sample quality and deviatoric stresses. The amorphous phase has been followed up to 45 GPa and its nature discussed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Dust in dwarf galaxies: The case of NGC 4214

We have carried out a detailed modelling of the dust heating and emission in the nearby, starbursting dwarf galaxy NGC 4214. Due to its proximity and the great wealth of data from the UV to the millimeter range (from GALEX, HST, {\it Spitzer}, Herschel, Planck and IRAM) it is possible to separately model the emission from HII regions and their associated photodissociation regions (PDRs) and the emission from diffuse dust. Furthermore, most model parameters can be directly determined from the data leaving very few free parameters. We can fit both the emission from HII+PDR regions and the diffuse emission in NGC 4214 with these models with "normal" dust properties and realistic parameters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Modeling the dust Spectral Energy Distribution of NGC 4214

We have carried out a detailed modeling of the dust Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of the nearby, starbursting dwarf galaxy NGC 4214. A key point of our modeling is that we distinguish the emission from (i) HII regions and their associated photodissociation regions (PDRs) and (ii) diffuse dust. For both components we apply templates from the literature calculated with a realistic geometry and including radiation transfer. The large amount of existing data from the ultraviolet (UV) to the radio allows the direct measurement of most of the input parameters of the models. We achieve a good fit for the total dust SED of NGC 4214. In the present contribution we describe the available data, the data reduction and the determination of the model parameters, whereas a description of the general outline of our work is presented in the contribution of Lisenfeld et al. in this volume.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Herschel-ATLAS: Rapid evolution of dust in galaxies in the last 5 billion years

We present the first direct and unbiased measurement of the evolution of the dust mass function of galaxies over the past 5 billion years of cosmic history using data from the Science Demonstration Phase of the Herschel-ATLAS. The sample consists of galaxies selected at 250μm which have reliable counterparts from SDSS at z < 0.5, and contains 1867 sources. Dust masses are calculated using both a single temperature grey-body model for the spectral energy distribution and also using a model with multiple temperature components. The dust temperature for either model shows no trend with redshift. Splitting the sample into bins of redshift reveals a strong evolution in the dust properties of the most massive galaxies. At z = 0.4 - 0.5, massive galaxies had dust masses about five times larger than in the local Universe. At the same time, the dust-to-stellar mass ratio was about 3-4 times larger, and the optical depth derived from fitting the UV-sub-mm data with an energy balance model was also higher. This increase in the dust content of massive galaxies at high redshift is difficult to explain using standard dust evolution models and requires a rapid gas consumption timescale together with either a more top-heavy IMF, efficient mantle growth, less dust destruction or combinations of all three. This evolution in dust mass is likely to be associated with a change in overall ISM mass, and points to an enhanced supply of fuel for star formation at earlier cosmic epochs.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

The Detection of a Population of Submillimeter-Bright, Strongly-Lensed Galaxies

Gravitational lensing is a powerful astrophysical and cosmological probe and is particularly valuable at submillimeter wavelengths for the study of the statistical and individual properties of dusty starforming galaxies. However the identification of gravitational lenses is often time-intensive, involving the sifting of large volumes of imaging or spectroscopic data to find few candidates. We used early data from the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey to demonstrate that wide-area submillimeter surveys can simply and easily detect strong gravitational lensing events, with close to 100% efficiency.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Dust emission and star formation in Stephan's Quintet

We analyse a comprehensive set of MIR/FIR observations of Stephan's Quintet (SQ), taken with the Spitzer Space Observatory. Our study reveals the presence of a luminous (L_{IR}\approx 4.6x10^43 erg/s) and extended component of infrared dust emission, not connected with the main bodies of the galaxies, but roughly coincident with the X-ray halo of the group. We fitted the inferred dust emission spectral energy distribution of this extended source and the other main infrared emission components of SQ, including the intergalactic shock, to elucidate the mechanisms powering the dust and PAH emission, taking into account collisional heating by the plasma and heating through UV and optical photons. Combining the inferred direct and dust-processed UV emission to estimate the star formation rate (SFR) for each source we obtain a total SFR for SQ of 7.5 M(sun)/yr, similar to that expected for non-interacting galaxies with stellar mass comparable to the SQ galaxies. Although star formation in SQ is mainly occurring at, or external to the periphery of the galaxies, the relation of SFR per unit physical area to gas column density for the brightest sources is similar to that seen for star-formation regions in galactic disks. We also show that available sources of dust in the group halo can provide enough dust to produce up to L_{IR}\approx 10^42 erg/s powered by collisional heating. Though a minority of the total infrared emission (which we infer to trace distributed star-formation), this is several times higher than the X-ray luminosity of the halo, so could indicate an important cooling mechanism for the hot IGM and account for the overall correspondence between FIR and X-ray emission.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

The Herschel-ATLAS: Evolution of the 250um luminosity function out to z=0.5

We have determined the luminosity function of 250um-selected galaxies detected in the ~14 sq.deg science demonstration region of the Herschel-ATLAS project out to a redshift of z=0.5. Our findings very clearly show that the luminosity function evolves steadily out to this redshift. By selecting a sub-group of sources within a fixed luminosity interval where incompleteness effects are minimal, we have measured a smooth increase in the comoving 250um luminosity density out to z=0.2 where it is 3.6+1.4-0.9 times higher than the local value.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Herschel-ATLAS: Dust temperature and redshift distribution of SPIRE and PACS detected sources using submillimetre colours

We present colour-colour diagrams of detected sources in the Herschel-ATLAS Science Demonstration Field from 100 to 500 microns using both PACS and SPIRE. We fit isothermal modified black bodies to the spectral energy distribution (SED) to extract the dust temperature of sources with counterparts in Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) or SDSS surveys with either a spectroscopic or a photometric redshift. For a subsample of 330 sources detected in at least three FIR bands with a significance greater than 3 $σ$, we find an average dust temperature of $(28 \pm 8)$K. For sources with no known redshift, we populate the colour-colour diagram with a large number of SEDs generated with a broad range of dust temperatures and emissivity parameters, and compare to colours of observed sources to establish the redshift distribution of this sample. For another subsample of 1686 sources with fluxes above 35 mJy at 350 microns and detected at 250 and 500 microns with a significance greater than 3$σ$, we find an average redshift of $2.2 \pm 0.6$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

The Herschel ATLAS

The Herschel ATLAS is the largest open-time key project that will be carried out on the Herschel Space Observatory. It will survey 510 square degrees of the extragalactic sky, four times larger than all the other Herschel surveys combined, in five far-infrared and submillimetre bands. We describe the survey, the complementary multi-wavelength datasets that will be combined with the Herschel data, and the six major science programmes we are undertaking. Using new models based on a previous submillimetre survey of galaxies, we present predictions of the properties of the ATLAS sources in other wavebands.

astro-ph.CO↗