arXiv subjects

Daisuke Nagai

Publications and source records attributed to Daisuke Nagai.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Deconstructing the kinetic SZ Power Spectrum

We present a detailed investigation of the impact of astrophysical processes on the shape and amplitude of the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) power spectrum from the post-reionization epoch. This is achieved by constructing a new model of the kSZ power spectrum which we calibrate to the results of hydrodynamic simulations. By construction, our method accounts for all relevant density and velocity modes and so is unaffected by the limited box size of our simulations. We find that radiative cooling and star-formation can reduce the amplitude of the kSZ power spectrum by up to 33%, or 1 uK^2 at ell = 3000. This is driven by a decrease in the mean gas density in groups and clusters due to the conversion of gas into stars. Variations in the redshifts at which helium reionization occurs can effect the amplitude by a similar fraction, while current constraints on cosmological parameters (namely sigma_8) translate to a further +-15% uncertainty on the kSZ power spectrum. We demonstrate how the models presented in this work can be constrained -- reducing the astrophysical uncertainty on the kSZ signal -- by measuring the redshift dependence of the signal via kSZ tomography. Finally, we discuss how the results of this work can help constrain the duration of reionization via measurements of the kinetic SZ signal sourced by inhomogeneous (or patchy) reionization.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

The Halo Occupation Distribution of SDSS Quasars

We present an estimate of the projected two-point correlation function (2PCF) of quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) over the full range of one- and two-halo scales, 0.02-120 Mpc/h. This was achieved by combining data from SDSS DR7 on large scales and Hennawi et al. (2006; with appropriate statistical corrections) on small scales. Our combined clustering sample is the largest spectroscopic quasar clustering sample to date, containing ~48,000 quasars in the redshift range 0.4<z<2.5 with median redshift 1.4. We interpret these precise 2PCF measurements within the halo occupation distribution (HOD) framework and constrain the occupation functions of central and satellite quasars in dark matter halos. In order to explain the small-scale clustering, the HOD modeling requires that a small fraction of z~1.4 quasars, fsat=(7.4+/-1.4) 10^(-4), be satellites in dark matter halos. At z~1.4, the median masses of the host halos of central and satellite quasars are constrained to be Mcen=(4.1+0.3/-0.4) 10^12 Msun/h and Msat=(3.6+0.8/-1.0) 10^14 Msun/h, respectively. To investigate the redshift evolution of the quasar-halo relationship, we also perform HOD modeling of the projected 2PCF measured by Shen et al. (2007) for SDSS quasars with median redshift 3.2. We find tentative evidence for an increase in the mass scale of quasar host halos---the inferred median mass of halos hosting central quasars at z~3.2 is Mcen=(14.1+5.8/-6.9) 10^12 Msun/h. The cutoff profiles of the mean occupation functions of central quasars reveal that quasar luminosity is more tightly correlated with halo mass at higher redshifts. The average quasar duty cycle around the median host halo mass is inferred to be fq=(7.3+0.6/-1.5) 10^(-4) at z~1.4 and fq=(8.6+20.4/-7.2) 10^(-2) at z~3.2. We discuss the implications of our results for quasar evolution and quasar-galaxy co-evolution.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

A fast and accurate method for computing the Sunyaev-Zeldovich signal of hot galaxy clusters

New generation ground and space-based CMB experiments have ushered in discoveries of massive galaxy clusters via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect, providing a new window for studying cluster astrophysics and cosmology. Many of the newly discovered, SZ-selected clusters contain hot intracluster plasma (kTe > 10 keV) and exhibit disturbed morphology, indicative of frequent mergers with large peculiar velocity (v > 1000 km s^{-1}). It is well-known that for the interpretation of the SZ signal from hot, moving galaxy clusters, relativistic corrections must be taken into account, and in this work, we present a fast and accurate method for computing these effects. Our approach is based on an alternative derivation of the Boltzmann collision term which provides new physical insight into the sources of different kinematic corrections in the scattering problem. This allows us to obtain a clean separation of kinematic and scattering terms which differs from previous works. We briefly mention additional complications connected with kinematic effects that should be considered when interpreting future SZ data for individual clusters. One of the main outcomes of this work is SZpack, a numerical library which allows very fast and precise (<~0.001% at frequencies h nu <~ 20kT_g) computation of the SZ signals up to high electron temperature (kT_e ~ 25 keV) and large peculiar velocity (v/c ~ 0.01). The accuracy is well beyond the current and future precision of SZ observations and practically eliminates uncertainties related to more expensive numerical evaluation of the Boltzmann collision term. Our new approach should therefore be useful for analyzing future high-resolution, multi-frequency SZ observations as well as computing the predicted SZ effect signals from numerical simulations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Fermi-LAT constraints on dark matter annihilation cross section from observations of the Fornax cluster

We analyze 2.8-yr data of 1-100 GeV photons for clusters of galaxies, collected with the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi satellite. By analyzing 49 nearby massive clusters located at high Galactic latitudes, we find no excess gamma-ray emission towards directions of the galaxy clusters. Using flux upper limits, we show that the Fornax cluster provides the most stringent constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross section. Stacking a large sample of nearby clusters does not help improve the limit for most dark matter models. This suggests that a detailed modeling of the Fornax cluster is important for setting robust limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section based on clusters. We therefore perform the detailed mass modeling and predict the expected dark matter annihilation signals from the Fornax cluster, by taking into account effects of dark matter contraction and substructures. By modeling the mass distribution of baryons (stars and gas) around a central bright elliptical galaxy, NGC 1399, and using a modified contraction model motivated by numerical simulations, we show that the dark matter contraction boosts the annihilation signatures by a factor of 4. For dark matter masses around 10 GeV, the upper limit obtained on the annihilation cross section times relative velocity is <σv> <~ (2-3)x10^{-25} cm^3 s^{-1}, which is within a factor of 10 from the value required to explain the dark matter relic density. This effect is more robust than the annihilation boost due to substructure, and it is more important unless the mass of the smallest subhalos is much smaller than that of the Sun.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Evolution of the Merger Induced Hydrostatic Mass Bias in Galaxy Clusters

In this work, we examine the effects of mergers on the hydrostatic mass estimate of galaxy clusters using high-resolution Eulerian cosmological simulations. We utilize merger trees to isolate the last merger for each cluster in our sample and follow the time evolution of the hydrostatic mass bias as the systems relax. We find that during a merger, a shock propagates outward from the parent cluster, resulting in an overestimate in the hydrostatic mass bias. After the merger, as a cluster relaxes, the bias in hydrostatic mass estimate decreases but remains at a level of -5-10% with 15-20% scatter within r500. We also investigate the post-merger evolution of the pressure support from bulk motions, a dominant cause of this residual mass bias. At r500, the contribution from random motions peaks at 30% of the total pressure during the merger and quickly decays to \sim 10-15% as a cluster relaxes. Additionally, we use a measure of the random motion pressure to correct the hydrostatic mass estimate. We discover that 4 Gyr after mergers, the direct effects of the merger event on the hydrostatic mass bias have become negligible. Thereafter, the mass bias is primarily due to residual bulk motions in the gas which are not accounted for in the hydrostatic equilibrium equation. We present a hydrostatic mass bias correction method that can recover the unbiased cluster mass for relaxed clusters with 9% scatter at r500 and 11% scatter in the outskirts, within r200.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

The Halo Occupation Distribution of Active Galactic Nuclei

Using a fully cosmological hydrodynamic simulation that self-consistently incorporates the growth and feedback of supermassive black holes and the physics of galaxy formation, we examine the effects of environmental factors (e.g., local gas density, black hole feedback) on the halo occupation distribution of low luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN). We decompose the mean occupation function into central and satellite contribution and compute the conditional luminosity functions (CLF). The CLF of the central AGN follows a log-normal distribution with the mean increasing and scatter decreasing with increasing redshifts. We analyze the light curves of individual AGN and show that the peak luminosity of the AGN has a tighter correlation with halo mass compared to instantaneous luminosity. We also compute the CLF of satellite AGN at a given central AGN luminosity. We do not see any significant correlation between the number of satellites with the luminosity of the central AGN at a fixed halo mass. We also show that for a sample of AGN with luminosity above 10^42 ergs/s the mean occupation function can be modeled as a softened step function for central AGN and a power law for the satellite population. The radial distribution of AGN inside halos follows a power law at all redshifts with a mean index of -2.33 +/- 0.08. Incorporating the environmental dependence of supermassive black hole accretion and feedback, our formalism provides a theoretical tool for interpreting current and future measurements of AGN clustering.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Halo Contraction Effect in Hydrodynamic Simulations of Galaxy Formation

The condensation of gas and stars in the inner regions of dark matter halos leads to a more concentrated dark matter distribution. While this effect is based on simple gravitational physics, the question of its validity in hierarchical galaxy formation has led to an active debate in the literature. We use a collection of several state-of-the-art cosmological hydrodynamic simulations to study the halo contraction effect in systems ranging from dwarf galaxies to clusters of galaxies, at high and low redshift. The simulations are run by different groups with different codes and include hierarchical merging, gas cooling, star formation, and stellar feedback. We show that in all our cases the inner dark matter density increases relative to the matching simulation without baryon dissipation, at least by a factor of several. The strength of the contraction effect varies from system to system and cannot be reduced to a simple prescription. We present a revised analytical model that describes the contracted mass profile to an rms accuracy of about 10%. The model can be used to effectively bracket the response of the dark matter halo to baryon dissipation. The halo contraction effect is real and must be included in modeling of the mass distribution of galaxies and galaxy clusters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Shapes of Gas, Gravitational Potential and Dark Matter in Lambda-CDM Clusters

We present analysis of the three-dimensional shape of intracluster gas in clusters formed in cosmological simulations of the Lambda-CDM cosmology and compare it to the shape of dark matter distribution and the shape of the overall isopotential surfaces. We find that in simulations with radiative cooling, star formation and stellar feedback (CSF), intracluster gas outside the cluster core is more spherical compared to non-radiative (NR) simulations, while in the core the gas in the CSF runs is more triaxial and has a distinctly oblate shape. The latter reflects the ongoing cooling of gas, which settles into a thick oblate ellipsoid as it loses thermal energy. The shape of the gas in the inner regions of clusters can therefore be a useful diagnostic of gas cooling. We find that gas traces the shape of the underlying potential rather well outside the core, as expected in hydrostatic equilibrium. At smaller radii, however, the gas and potential shapes differ significantly. In the CSF runs, the difference reflects the fact that gas is partly rotationally supported. Interestingly, we find that in NR simulations the difference between gas and potential shape at small radii is due to random gas motions, which make the gas distribution more spherical than the equipotential surfaces. Finally, we use mock Chandra X-ray maps to show that the differences in shapes observed in three-dimensional distribution of gas are discernible in the ellipticity of X-ray isophotes. Contrasting the ellipticities measured in simulated clusters against observations can therefore constrain the amount of cooling of the intracluster medium and the presence of random gas motions in cluster cores.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Gas Clumping in the Outskirts of Lambda-CDM Clusters

Recent Suzaku X-ray observations revealed that the observed entropy profile of the intracluster medium (ICM) deviates significantly from the prediction of hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy clusters. In this work, we show that gas clumping introduces significant biases in X-ray measurements of the ICM profiles in the outskirts of galaxy clusters. Using hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy cluster formation in a concordance Lambda-CDM model, we demonstrate that gas clumping leads to an overestimate of the observed gas density and causes flattening of the entropy profile. Our results suggest that gas clumping must be taken into account when interpreting X-ray measurements of cluster outskirts.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

The Halo Occupation Distribution of Black Holes: Dependence on Mass

We investigate the halo occupation distribution (HOD) of black holes within a hydrodynamic cosmological simulation that directly follows black hole growth. Similar to the HOD of galaxies/subhalos, we find that the black hole occupation number can be described by the form N_BH proportional to 1+ (M_Host)^alpha where alpha evolves mildly with redshift indicating that a given mass halo (M_Host) at low redshift tends to host fewer BHs than at high redshift (as expected as a result of galaxy and BH mergers). We further divide the occupation number into contributions from black holes residing in central and satellite galaxies within a halo. The distribution of M_BH within halos tends to consist of a single massive BH (distributed about a peak mass strongly correlated with M_Host), and a collection of relatively low-mass secondary BHs, with weaker correlation with M_Host. We also examine the spatial distribution of BHs within their host halos, and find they typically follow a power-law radial distribution (i.e. much more centrally concentrated than the subhalo distribution). Finally, we characterize the host mass for which BH growth is feedback dominated (e.g. star formation quenched). We show that halos with M_Host > 3 * 10^12 M_sun have primary BHs that are feedback dominated by z~3 with lower mass halos becoming increasingly more affected at lower redshift.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Cluster Bulleticity

The unique properties of dark matter are revealed during collisions between clusters of galaxies, like the bullet cluster (1E 0657-56) and baby bullet (MACSJ0025-12). These systems provide evidence for an additional, invisible mass in the separation between the distribution of their total mass, measured via gravitational lensing, and their ordinary 'baryonic' matter, measured via its X-ray emission. Unfortunately, the information available from these systems is limited by their rarity. Constraints on the properties of dark matter, such as its interaction cross-section, are therefore restricted by uncertainties in the individual systems' impact velocity, impact parameter and orientation with respect to the line of sight. Here we develop a complementary, statistical measurement in which every piece of substructure falling into every massive cluster is treated as a bullet. We define 'bulleticity' as the mean separation between dark matter and ordinary matter, and we measure the signal in hydrodynamical simulations. The phase space of substructure orbits also exhibits symmetries that provide an equivalent control test. Any detection of bulleticity in real data would indicate a difference in the interaction cross-sections of baryonic and dark matter that may rule out hypotheses of non-particulate dark matter that are otherwise able to model individual systems. A subsequent measurement of bulleticity could constrain the dark matter cross-section. Even with conservative estimates, the existing HST archive should yield an independent constraint tighter than that from the bullet cluster. This technique is then trivially extendable to, and benefits enormously from larger, future surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Modeling the Outskirts of Galaxy Clusters with Cosmological Simulations

We present cosmological simulations of galaxy clusters, with focus on the cluster outskirts. We show that large-scale cosmic accretion and mergers produce significant internal gas motions and inhomogeneous gas distribution ("clumpiness") in the intracluster medium (ICM) and introduce biases in measurements of the ICM profiles and the cluster mass. We also show that non-thermal pressure provided by the gas motions is one of the dominant sources of theoretical uncertainties in cosmic microwave background secondary anisotropies. We briefly discuss implications for cluster cosmology and future prospects for understanding the physics of cluster outskirts using computer simulations and multi-wavelength cluster surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Impact of Cluster Physics on the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Power Spectrum

We use an analytic model to investigate the theoretical uncertainty on the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) power spectrum due to astrophysical uncertainties in the thermal structure of the intracluster medium. Our model accounts for star formation and energy feedback (from supernovae and active galactic nuclei) as well as radially dependent non-thermal pressure support due to random gas motions, the latter calibrated by recent hydrodynamical simulations. We compare the model against X-ray observations of low redshift clusters, finding excellent agreement with observed pressure profiles. Varying the levels of feedback and non-thermal pressure support can significantly change both the amplitude and shape of the thermal SZ power spectrum. Increasing the feedback suppresses power at small angular scales, shifting the peak of the power spectrum to lower ell. On the other hand, increasing the non-thermal pressure support has the opposite effect, significantly reducing power at large angular scales. In general, including non-thermal pressure at the level measured in simulations has a large effect on the power spectrum, reducing the amplitude by 50% at angular scales of a few arcminutes compared to a model without a non-thermal component. Our results demonstrate that measurements of the shape of the power spectrum can reveal useful information on important physical processes in groups and clusters, especially at high-redshift where there exists little observational data. Comparing with the recent South Pole Telescope measurements of the small-scale cosmic microwave background power spectrum, we find our model reduces the tension between the values of sigma_8 measured from the SZ power spectrum and from cluster abundances.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Effects of Baryon Dissipation on the Dark Matter Virial Scaling Relation

We investigate effects of baryon dissipation on the dark matter virial scaling relation between total mass and velocity dispersion and the velocity bias of galaxies in groups and clusters using self-consistent cosmological simulations. We show that the baryon dissipation increases the velocity dispersion of dark matter within the virial radius by 5% - 10%. The effect is mainly driven by the change in density and gravitational potential in inner regions of cluster, and it is larger in lower mass systems where gas cooling and star formation are more efficient. We also show that the galaxy velocity bias depends on how galaxies are selected. Galaxies selected based on their stellar mass exhibit no velocity bias, while galaxies selected based on their total mass show positive bias of ~10%, consistent with previous results based on collisionless dark matter- only simulations. We further find that observational estimates of galaxy velocity dispersion are unbiased with respect to the velocity dispersion of dark matter, provided galaxies are selected using their stellar masses and and their velocity dispersions are computed with more than twenty most massive galaxies. Velocity dispersions estimated with fewer galaxies, on the other hand, can lead to significant underestimate of dynamical masses. Results presented in this paper should be useful in interpretating high-redshift groups and clusters as well as cosmological constraints derived from upcoming optical cluster surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Helium Sedimentation and the UV Upturn in Brightest Cluster Galaxies

Recent observations with Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) show strong unexpected UV excess in the spectrum of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). It is believed that the excess UV signal is produced by old and evolved core-He burning stars, and the UV flux strength could be greatly enhanced if the progenitor stars have high value of He abundance. In this work, we propose that sedimentation process can greatly enhance the He abundance in BCGs. Our model predicts that the UV flux strength is stronger in more massive, low-redshift, and dynamically relaxed BCGs. These predictions are testable with the current generation of GALEX+SDSS observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Residual Gas Motions in the Intracluster Medium and Bias in Hydrostatic Measurements of Mass Profiles of Clusters

We present analysis of bulk and random gas motions in the intracluster medium using high-resolution Eulerian cosmological simulations of sixteen simulated clusters, including both very relaxed and unrelaxed systems and spanning a virial mass range of 5*10^13 - 2*10^15 Msun/h. We investigate effects of the residual subsonic gas motions on the hydrostatic estimates of mass profiles and concentrations of galaxy clusters. In agreement with previous studies we find that the gas motions contribute up to ~ 5%-15% of the total pressure support in relaxed clusters with contribution increasing with cluster-centric radius. The fractional pressure support is higher in unrelaxed systems. This contribution would not be accounted for in hydrostatic estimates of the total mass profile and would lead to systematic underestimate of mass. We demonstrate that total mass can be recovered accurately if pressure due to gas motions measured in simulations is explicitly taken into account in the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium. Given that the underestimate of mass is increasing at larger radii, where gas is less relaxed and contribution of gas motions to pressure is larger, the total density profile derived from hydrostatic analysis is more concentrated than the true profile. This may at least partially explain some high values of concentrations of clusters estimated from hydrostatic analysis of X-ray data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Non-Equilibrium Electrons and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect of Galaxy Clusters

We present high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic simulations of three galaxy clusters employing a two-temperature model for the intracluster medium. We show that electron temperatures in cluster outskirts are significantly lower than the mean gas temperature, because Coulomb collisions are insufficient to keep electrons and ions in thermal equilibrium. This deviation is larger in more massive and less relaxed systems, ranging from 5% in relaxed clusters to 30% for clusters undergoing major mergers. The presence of non-equilibrium electrons leads to significant suppression of the SZE signal at large cluster-centric radius. The suppression of the electron pressure also leads to an underestimate of the hydrostatic mass. Merger-driven, internal shocks may also generate significant populations of non-equilibrium electrons in the cluster core, leading to a 5% bias on the integrated SZ mass proxy during cluster mergers.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2008

Effect of Helium Sedimentation on X-ray Measurements of Galaxy Clusters

The uniformity of the helium-to-hydrogen abundance ratio in X-ray emitting intracluster medium (ICM) is one of the commonly adopted assumptions in X-ray analyses of galaxy clusters and cosmological constraints derived from these measurements. In this work, we investigate the effect of He sedimentation on X-ray measurements of galaxy clusters in order to assess this assumption and associated systematic uncertainties. By solving a set of flow equations for a H-He plasma, we show that the helium-to-hydrogen mass ratio is significantly enhanced in the inner regions of clusters. The effect of He sedimentation, if not accounted for, introduces systematic biases in observable properties of clusters derived using X-ray observations. We show that these biases also introduce an apparent evolution in the observed gas mass fractions of X-ray luminous, dynamically relaxed clusters and hence biases in observational constraints on the dark energy equation of state parameter, w, derived from the cluster distance-redshift relation. The Hubble parameter derived from the combination of X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) measurements is affected by the He sedimentation process as well. Future measurements aiming to constrain w or H_0 to better than 10% may need to take into account the effect of He sedimentation. We propose that the evolution of gas mass fraction in the inner regions of clusters should provide unique observational diagnostics of the He sedimentation process.

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