arXiv subjects

Cristina Furlanetto

Publications and source records attributed to Cristina Furlanetto.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Far-infrared observations of an unbiased sample of gamma-ray burst host galaxies

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic phenomena in the Universe; believed to result from the collapse and subsequent explosion of massive stars. Even though it has profound consequences for our understanding of their nature and selection biases, little is known about the dust properties of the galaxies hosting GRBs. We present analysis of the far-infrared properties of an unbiased sample of 20 \textit{BeppoSAX} and \textit{Swift} GRB host galaxies (at an average redshift of $z\,=\,3.1$) located in the {\it Herschel} Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey, the {\it Herschel} Virgo Cluster Survey, the {\it Herschel} Fornax Cluster Survey, the {\it Herschel} Stripe 82 Survey and the {\it Herschel} Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey, totalling $880$ deg$^2$, or $\sim 3$\% of the sky in total. Our sample selection is serendipitous, based only on whether the X-ray position of a GRB lies within a large-scale {\it Herschel} survey -- therefore our sample can be considered completely unbiased. Using deep data at wavelengths of 100\,--\,500$\,μ$m, we tentatively detected 1 out of 20 GRB hosts located in these fields. We constrain their dust masses and star formation rates (SFRs), and discuss these in the context of recent measurements of submillimetre galaxies and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. The average far-infrared flux of our sample gives an upper limit on SFR of $<114\,{\rm M}\odot\,\mbox{yr}^{-1}$. The detection rate of GRB hosts is consistent with that predicted assuming that GRBs trace the cosmic SFR density in an unbiased way, i.e. that the fraction of GRB hosts with $\mbox{SFR}>500\,{\rm M}\odot\,\mbox{yr}^{-1}$ is consistent with the contribution of such luminous galaxies to the cosmic star formation density.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

The SOAR Gravitational Arc Survey - I: Survey overview and photometric catalogs

We present the first results of the SOAR (Southern Astrophysical Research) Gravitational Arc Survey (SOGRAS). The survey imaged 47 clusters in two redshift intervals centered at $z=0.27$ and $z=0.55$, targeting the richest clusters in each interval. Images were obtained in the $g'$, $r'$ and $i'$ bands using the SOAR Optical Imager (SOI), with a median seeing of 0.83, 0.76 and 0.71 arcsec, respectively, in these filters. Most of the survey clusters are located within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 region and all of them are in the SDSS footprint. Photometric calibration was therefore performed using SDSS stars located in our SOI fields. We reached for galaxies in all fields the detection limits of $g \sim 23.5$, $r \sim 23$ and $i \sim 22.5$ for a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 3. As a by-product of the image processing, we generated a source catalogue with 19760 entries, the vast majority of which are galaxies, where we list their positions, magnitudes and shape parameters. We compared our galaxy shape measurements to those of local galaxies and concluded that they were not strongly affected by seeing. From the catalogue data, we are able to identify a red sequence of galaxies in most clusters in the lower $z$ range. We found 16 gravitational arc candidates around 8 clusters in our sample. They tend to be bluer than the central galaxies in the lensing cluster. A preliminary analysis indicates that $\sim 10%$ of the clusters have arcs around them, with a possible indication of a larger efficiency associated to the high-$z$ systems when compared to the low-$z$ ones. Deeper follow-up images with Gemini strengthen the case for the strong lensing nature of the candidates found in this survey.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Modeling and Analysis Generic Interface for eXternal numerical codes (MAGIX)

The modeling and analysis generic interface for external numerical codes (MAGIX) is a model optimizer developed under the framework of the coherent set of astrophysical tools for spectroscopy (CATS) project. The MAGIX package provides a framework of an easy interface between existing codes and an iterating engine that attempts to minimize deviations of the model results from available observational data, constraining the values of the model parameters and providing corresponding error estimates. Many models (and, in principle, not only astrophysical models) can be plugged into MAGIX to explore their parameter space and find the set of parameter values that best fits observational/experimental data. MAGIX complies with the data structures and reduction tools of ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array), but can be used with other astronomical and with non-astronomical data.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2007

Confronting the Hubble Diagram of Gamma-Ray Bursts with Cardassian Cosmology

We construct the Hubble diagram (HD) of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) with redshifts reaching up to $z \sim 6$, by using five luminosity vs. luminosity indicator relations calibrated with the Cardassian cosmology. This model has a major interesting feature: despite of being matter-dominated and flat, it can explain the present accelerate expansion of the universe. This is the first study of this class of models using high redshift GRBs. We have performed a $χ$-square statistical analysis of the GRBs calibrated with the Cardassian model, and also combined them with both the current Cosmic Microwave Background and Baryonic Acoustic Oscillation data. Our results show consistency between the current observational data and the model predictions. In particular, the best-fit parameters obtained from the $χ^2$-analysis are in agreement with those obtained from the Concordance Cosmology ($Λ$-CDM). We determine the redshift at which the universe would start to follow the Cardassian expansion, i. e., \zc, and both the redshift at which the universe had started to accelerate, i. e., \zac, and the age-redshift relation $H_0t_0$. Our results also show that the universe, from the point of view of GRBs, had undergo a transition to acceleration at a redshift $z \approx 0.2-0.7$, which agrees with the SNIa results. Hence, after confronting the Cardassian scenario with the GRBs HD and proving its consistency with it, we conclude that GRBs should indeed be considered a complementary tool to several other astronomical observations for studies of high accuracy in cosmology.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Hubble diagram of gamma-ray bursts: Robust evidence for a Chaplygin gas expansion-driven universe with phase transition at $z \simeq 3$

The Hubble diagram (HD) of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) having properly estimated redshifts is compared with the predicted one for the Chaplygin gas (CG), a dark energy candidate. The CG cosmology and that of Friedmann and $Λ$-CDM models are studied and confronted to the GRBs observations. The model-to-sample $χ^2$ statistical analysis indicates the CG model as the best fit. The present GRBs HD plot exhibits a marked trend: as one goes back in time, it gets much closer to the predict HD for a Friedmann universe. This clear trend conclusively demonstrates that a transition from decelerate to accelerate expansion did take place. However, contrarily to claims based on supernovae type Ia, the transition redshift lies somewhere between $\sim 2.5 < z \simeq 3.5$ rather than at $z \sim 0.5-1$. All of these striking features of the GRBs HD constitute the most robust demonstration that the Chaplygin gas can in fact be the universe's driving dark energy field.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Hubble diagram of gamma-ray bursts and prevalence of energy conditions in Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker Cosmology

In this {\sl Letter} we construct the Hubble diagram (HD) for the standard Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) cosmological model after enforcing it with the general relativistic energy conditions, heeding to investigate whether it still stands on as the leading scenario for cosmology in face of the distance modulus-redshift relation of a sample of GRBs that had their redshifts properly estimated and corrected upon applying on the data analysis the {\sl Ghirlanda relation} (Ghirlanda et al. 2004) and the recently discovered {\sl Firmani et al. relation} (Firmani et al. 2006a). Our $χ^2$ analysis support the view that FLRW plus the strong energy condition (SEC) is what better fits the GRB data. But this is not the whole story, since for a cosmological constant $Λ\neq 0$ the FLRW+SEC analysis with undefined $p=p(ρ)$ suggests that $Λ$ is not constant anyhow, because it does not follows the $p= ωρ$ HD, with $ω=-1$. Thenceforth, one concludes that either the cosmological constant does not exist at all, and consequently one is left with the FLRW+SEC which fits properly the GRBs HD and there is no late-time acceleration, or it does exist but should be time-varying. This all is contrary to current views based on SNIa observations that advogate for an actual constant $Λ$ and an accelerating universe. In connection to the results above, this last argumentation would imply that either there is something wrong with the SNIa interpretation regarding cosmic late-time acceleration (Middleditch 2006) or we will have to move away from general relativity. We would better to think that general relativity is still the most correct theory of gravity.

astro-ph↗