arXiv subjects

Chris B. Brook

Publications and source records attributed to Chris B. Brook.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2003

Stellar Halo Constraints on Simulated Late Type Galaxies

How do late type spiral galaxies form within the context of a CDM cosmology? We contrast N-body, smoothed particle hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation which employ two different supernova feedback mechanisms. Observed mass and metallicity distributions of the stellar halos of the Milky Way and M31 provide constraints on these models. A strong feedback model, incorporating an adiabatic phase in star burst regions, better reproduces these observational properties than our comparative thermal feedback model. This demonstrates the importance of energy feedback in regulating star formation in small systems, which collapse at early epochs, in the evolution of late type disk galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Simulating a White Dwarf-dominated Galactic Halo

Observational evidence has suggested the possibility of a Galactic halo which is dominated by white dwarfs (WDs). While debate continues concerning the interpretation of this evidence, it is clear that an initial mass function (IMF) biased heavily toward WD precursors (1 < m/Msol < 8), at least in the early Universe, would be necessary in generating such a halo. Within the framework of homogeneous, closed-box models of Galaxy formation, such biased IMFs lead to an unavoidable overproduction of carbon and nitrogen relative to oxygen (as measured against the abundance patterns in the oldest stars of the Milky Way). Using a three-dimensional Tree N-body smoothed particle hydrodynamics code, we study the dynamics and chemical evolution of a galaxy with different IMFs. Both invariant and metallicity-dependent IMFs are considered. Our variable IMF model invokes a WD-precursor-dominated IMF for metallicities less than 5% solar (primarily the Galactic halo), and the canonical Salpeter IMF otherwise (primarily the disk). Halo WD density distributions and C,N/O abundance patterns are presented. While Galactic haloes comprised of ~5% (by mass) of WDs are not supported by our simulations, mass fractions of ~1-2% cannot be ruled out. This conclusion is consistent with the present-day observational constraints.

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arXiv2003

Galactic Halo Stars in Phase Space :A Hint of Satellite Accretion?

The present day chemical and dynamical properties of the Milky Way bear the imprint of the Galaxy's formation and evolutionary history. One of the most enduring and critical debates surrounding Galactic evolution is that regarding the competition between ``satellite accretion'' and ``monolithic collapse''; the apparent strong correlation between orbital eccentricity and metallicity of halo stars was originally used as supporting evidence for the latter. While modern-day unbiased samples no longer support the claims for a significant correlation, recent evidence has been presented by Chiba & Beers (2000,AJ,119,2843) for the existence of a minor population of high-eccentricity metal-deficient halo stars. It has been suggested that these stars represent the signature of a rapid (if minor) collapse phase in the Galaxy's history. Employing velocity- and integrals of motion-phase space projections of these stars, coupled with a series of N-body/Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) chemodynamical simulations, we suggest an alternative mechanism for creating such stars may be the recent accretion of a polar orbit dwarf galaxy.

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arXiv2000

Type Ia Supernovae and the Value of the Hubble Constant

The methodology involved in deriving the Hubble Constant via the calibration of the corrected peak luminosities of Type Ia supernovae (SNe) is reviewed. We first present a re-analysis of the Calan-Tololo (C-T) and Center for Astrophysics (CfA) Type Ia SN surveys. Bivariate linear least squares and quadratic boot-strapped fits in peak apparent magnitude and light curve shape are employed to correct this heterogeneous sample of peak apparent magnitudes, resulting in an homogeneous (and excellent) secondary distance indicator: the so-called corrected peak luminosity. We next provide an empirical calibration for this corrected luminosity, using Cepheid-based distances for seven nearby spiral galaxies host to Type Ia SNe. Included in this sample is the spectroscopically peculiar SN 1991T (in NGC 4527), whose corrected peak luminosity is shown to be indistinguishable from that of so-called ``normal'' SNe. A robust value of the Hubble Constant is derived and shown to be H0=73+/-2(r)+/-7(s) km/s/Mpc.

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