arXiv subjects

H. Lin

Publications and source records attributed to H. Lin.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Monitor Telescope Pipeline

The photometric calibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is a multi-step process which involves data from three different telescopes: the 1.0-m telescope at the US Naval Observatory (USNO), Flagstaff Station, Arizona (which was used to establish the SDSS standard star network); the SDSS 0.5-m Photometric Telescope (PT) at the Apache Point Observatory (APO), New Mexico (which calculates nightly extinctions and calibrates secondary patch transfer fields); and the SDSS 2.5-m telescope at APO (which obtains the imaging data for the SDSS proper). In this paper, we describe the Monitor Telescope Pipeline, MTPIPE, the software pipeline used in processing the data from the single-CCD telescopes used in the photometric calibration of the SDSS (i.e., the USNO 1.0-m and the PT). We also describe transformation equations that convert photometry on the USNO-1.0m u'g'r'i'z' system to photometry the SDSS 2.5m ugriz system and the results of various validation tests of the MTPIPE software. Further, we discuss the semi-automated PT factory, which runs MTPIPE in the day-to-day standard SDSS operations at Fermilab. Finally, we discuss the use of MTPIPE in current SDSS-related projects, including the Southern u'g'r'i'z' Standard Star project, the u'g'r'i'z' Open Star Clusters project, and the SDSS extension (SDSS-II).

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Cyber-infrastructure to Support Science and Data Management for the Dark Energy Survey

The Dark Energy Survey (DES; operations 2009-2015) will address the nature of dark energy using four independent and complementary techniques: (1) a galaxy cluster survey over 4000 deg2 in collaboration with the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect mapping experiment, (2) a cosmic shear measurement over 5000 deg2, (3) a galaxy angular clustering measurement within redshift shells to redshift=1.35, and (4) distance measurements to 1900 supernovae Ia. The DES will produce 200 TB of raw data in four bands, These data will be processed into science ready images and catalogs and co-added into deeper, higher quality images and catalogs. In total, the DES dataset will exceed 1 PB, including a 100 TB catalog database that will serve as a key science analysis tool for the astronomy/cosmology community. The data rate, volume, and duration of the survey require a new type of data management (DM) system that (1) offers a high degree of automation and robustness and (2) leverages the existing high performance computing infrastructure to meet the project's DM targets. The DES DM system consists of (1) a grid-enabled, flexible and scalable middleware developed at NCSA for the broader scientific community, (2) astronomy modules that build upon community software, and (3) a DES archive to support automated processing and to serve DES catalogs and images to the collaboration and the public. In the recent DES Data Challenge 1 we deployed and tested the first version of the DES DM system, successfully reducing 700 GB of raw simulated images into 5 TB of reduced data products and cataloguing 50 million objects with calibrated astrometry and photometry.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Persistence Probabilities of the German DAX and Shanghai Index

We present a relatively detailed analysis of the persistence probability distributions in financial dynamics. Compared with the auto-correlation function, the persistence probability distributions describe dynamic correlations non-local in time. Universal and non-universal behaviors of the German DAX and Shanghai Index are analyzed, and numerical simulations of some microscopic models are also performed. Around the fixed point $z_0=0$, the interacting herding model produces the scaling behavior of the real markets.

nlin.AO↗

arXiv2005

Virial masses and the baryon fraction in galaxies

We have measured the weak lensing signal as a function of restframe luminosity for a sample of `isolated' galaxies. These results are based on four-band photometry from the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey, enabling us to determine photometric redshifts for a large number of galaxies. We select a secure sample of lenses with photometric redshifts 0.2<z<0.4 and study the relation between the virial mass and baryonic contents. In addition, we discuss the implications of the derived photometric redshift distribution for published cosmic shear studies. The virial masses are derived from a fit to the observed lensing signal. For a galaxy with a fiducial luminosity of 10^10 h^-2 L_Bsun we obtain a mass M_vir=9.9^{+1.5}_{-1.3}\times 10^11 h^-1 M_sun. The virial mass as a function of luminosity is consistent with a power-law ~L^1.5, with similar slopes for the three filters considered here. These findings are in excellent agreement with results from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and semi-analytic models of galaxy formation. We measure the fraction of mass in stars and the baryon fraction in galaxies by comparing the virial mass-to-light ratio to predicted stellar mass-to-light ratios. We find that star formation is inefficient in converting baryons into stars, with late-type galaxies converting ~33% and early-type galaxies converting only ~14% of baryons into stars. Our results imply that the progenitors of early-type galaxies must have low stellar mass fractions, suggestive of a high formation redshift.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Are Neutral Sunspot Winds Important for Penumbral Dynamics and the First Ionization Potential Effect?

The low ionization state in parts of a sunspot may play an important role in its evolution and dynamical state. The cool magnetic interior region of the sunspot develops a substantial neutral atomic and molecular hydrogen osmotic pressure which can drive a wind outward from the umbra. Ambipolar diffusion against the magnetically pinned ionized plasma component can also distort the umbral magnetic field into a filamentary penumbral structure. This may be important for explaining the development of the sunspot penumbra and the Evershed flow. This fractionation process may also be important for the ``First Ionization Potential'' (FIP) effect seen in the solar wind. In support of this mechanism we find evidence for such ionization fractionization in UV observations of molecular hydrogen in a sunspot umbra and penumbra.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Solar Site Survey for the Advanced Technology Solar Telecope. I. Analysis of the Seeing Data

The site survey for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope concluded recently after more than two years of data gathering and analysis. Six locations, including lake, island and continental sites, were thoroughly probed for image quality and sky brightness. The present paper describes the analysis methodology employed to determine the height stratification of the atmospheric turbulence. This information is crucial because day-time seeing is often very different between the actual telescope aperture (~30 m) and the ground. Two independent inversion codes have been developed to analyze simultaneously data from a scintillometer array and a solar differential image monitor. We show here the results of applying them to a sample subset of data from May 2003, which was used for testing. Both codes retrieve a similar seeing stratification through the height range of interest. A quantitative comparison between our analysis procedure and actual in situ measurements confirms the validity of the inversions. The sample data presented in this paper reveal a qualitatively different behavior for the lake sites (dominated by high-altitude seeing) and the rest (dominated by near-ground turbulence).

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Nanoscale clusters in the high performance thermoelectric AgPbmSbTem+2

The local structure of the AgPbmSbTem+2 series of thermoelectric materials has been studied using the atomic pair distribution function (PDF) method. Three candidate-models were attempted for the structure of this class of materials using either a one-phase or a two-phase modeling procedure. Combining modeling the PDF with HRTEM data we show that AgPbmSbTem+2 contains nanoscale inclusions with composition close to AgPb3SbTe5 randomly embedded in a PbTe matrix.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2005

A Photometric Redshift Galaxy Catalog from the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey

The Red-Sequence Cluster Survey (RCS) provides a large and deep photometric catalog of galaxies in the $z'$ and $R_c$ bands for ~90 square degrees of sky, and supplemental $V$ and $B$ data have been obtained for 33.6 deg$^{2}$. We compile a photometric redshift catalog from these 4-band data by utilizing the empirical quadratic polynomial photometric redshift fitting technique in combination with CNOC2 and GOODS/HDF-N redshift data. The training set includes 4924 spectral redshifts. The resulting catalog contains more than one million galaxies with photometric redshifts $< 1.5$ and $R_c < 24$, giving an rms scatter $σ(Δ{z}) < 0.06$ within the redshift range $0.2 < z < 0.5$ and $σ(Δ{z}) < 0.11$ for galaxies at $0.0 < z < 1.5$. We describe the empirical quadratic polynomial photometric redshift fitting technique which we use to determine the relation between redshift and photometry. A kd-tree algorithm is used to divide up our sample to improve the accuracy of our catalog. We also present a method for estimating the photometric redshift error for individual galaxies. We show that the redshift distribution of our sample is in excellent agreement with smaller and much deeper photometric and spectroscopic redshift surveys.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Detection of the Baryon Acoustic Peak in the Large-Scale Correlation Function of SDSS Luminous Red Galaxies

We present the large-scale correlation function measured from a spectroscopic sample of 46,748 luminous red galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The survey region covers 0.72 h^{-3} Gpc^3 over 3816 square degrees and 0.16<z<0.47, making it the best sample yet for the study of large-scale structure. We find a well-detected peak in the correlation function at 100h^{-1} Mpc separation that is an excellent match to the predicted shape and location of the imprint of the recombination-epoch acoustic oscillations on the low-redshift clustering of matter. This detection demonstrates the linear growth of structure by gravitational instability between z=1000 and the present and confirms a firm prediction of the standard cosmological theory. The acoustic peak provides a standard ruler by which we can measure the ratio of the distances to z=0.35 and z=1089 to 4% fractional accuracy and the absolute distance to z=0.35 to 5% accuracy. From the overall shape of the correlation function, we measure the matter density Omega_mh^2 to 8% and find agreement with the value from cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. Independent of the constraints provided by the CMB acoustic scale, we find Omega_m = 0.273 +- 0.025 + 0.123 (1+w_0) + 0.137 Omega_K. Including the CMB acoustic scale, we find that the spatial curvature is Omega_K=-0.010+-0.009 if the dark energy is a cosmological constant. More generally, our results provide a measurement of cosmological distance, and hence an argument for dark energy, based on a geometric method with the same simple physics as the microwave background anisotropies. The standard cosmological model convincingly passes these new and robust tests of its fundamental properties.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

The SDSS u-band Galaxy Survey: Luminosity functions and evolution

We construct and analyze a u-band selected galaxy sample from the SDSS Southern Survey, which covers 275 sq. deg. The sample includes 43223 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the range 0.005<z<0.3 and with 14.5<u<20.5. The S/N in the u-band Petrosian aperture is improved by coadding multiple epochs of imaging data and by including sky-subtraction corrections. Luminosity functions for the near-UV ^{0.1}u band (322+-26 nm) are determined in redshift slices of width 0.02, which show a highly significant evolution in M^{star} of -0.8+-0.1 mag between z=0 and 0.3; with M^{star} = -18.84+-0.05 (AB mag), log phi^{star} = -2.06+-0.03 (Mpc^{-3}) and log rho_L = 19.11+-0.02 (W Hz^{-1} Mpc^{-3}) at z=0.1. The faint-end slope determined for z<0.06 is given by alpha=-1.05+-0.08. This is in agreement with recent determinations from GALEX at shorter wavelengths. Comparing our z<0.3 luminosity density measurements with 0.2<z<1.2 from COMBO-17, we find that the 280-nm density evolves as rho_L proportional to (1+z)^{beta} with beta=2.1+-0.2; and find no evidence for any change in slope over this redshift range. By comparing with other measurements of cosmic star formation history, we estimate that the effective dust attenuation at 280 nm has increased by 0.8+-0.3 mag between z=0 and 1.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Supernova / Acceleration Probe: A Satellite Experiment to Study the Nature of the Dark Energy

The Supernova / Acceleration Probe (SNAP) is a proposed space-based experiment designed to study the dark energy and alternative explanations of the acceleration of the Universe's expansion by performing a series of complementary systematics-controlled measurements. We describe a self-consistent reference mission design for building a Type Ia supernova Hubble diagram and for performing a wide-area weak gravitational lensing study. A 2-m wide-field telescope feeds a focal plane consisting of a 0.7 square-degree imager tiled with equal areas of optical CCDs and near infrared sensors, and a high-efficiency low-resolution integral field spectrograph. The SNAP mission will obtain high-signal-to-noise calibrated light-curves and spectra for several thousand supernovae at redshifts between z=0.1 and 1.7. A wide-field survey covering one thousand square degrees resolves ~100 galaxies per square arcminute. If we assume we live in a cosmological-constant-dominated Universe, the matter density, dark energy density, and flatness of space can all be measured with SNAP supernova and weak-lensing measurements to a systematics-limited accuracy of 1%. For a flat universe, the density-to-pressure ratio of dark energy can be similarly measured to 5% for the present value w0 and ~0.1 for the time variation w'. The large survey area, depth, spatial resolution, time-sampling, and nine-band optical to NIR photometry will support additional independent and/or complementary dark-energy measurement approaches as well as a broad range of auxiliary science programs. (Abridged)

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Cosmological parameters from SDSS and WMAP

We measure cosmological parameters using the three-dimensional power spectrum P(k) from over 200,000 galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in combination with WMAP and other data. Our results are consistent with a ``vanilla'' flat adiabatic Lambda-CDM model without tilt (n=1), running tilt, tensor modes or massive neutrinos. Adding SDSS information more than halves the WMAP-only error bars on some parameters, tightening 1 sigma constraints on the Hubble parameter from h~0.74+0.18-0.07 to h~0.70+0.04-0.03, on the matter density from Omega_m~0.25+/-0.10 to Omega_m~0.30+/-0.04 (1 sigma) and on neutrino masses from <11 eV to <0.6 eV (95%). SDSS helps even more when dropping prior assumptions about curvature, neutrinos, tensor modes and the equation of state. Our results are in substantial agreement with the joint analysis of WMAP and the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey, which is an impressive consistency check with independent redshift survey data and analysis techniques. In this paper, we place particular emphasis on clarifying the physical origin of the constraints, i.e., what we do and do not know when using different data sets and prior assumptions. For instance, dropping the assumption that space is perfectly flat, the WMAP-only constraint on the measured age of the Universe tightens from t0~16.3+2.3-1.8 Gyr to t0~14.1+1.0-0.9 Gyr by adding SDSS and SN Ia data. Including tensors, running tilt, neutrino mass and equation of state in the list of free parameters, many constraints are still quite weak, but future cosmological measurements from SDSS and other sources should allow these to be substantially tightened.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Merging Galaxies in the SDSS EDR

We present a new catalog of merging galaxies obtained through an automated systematic search routine. The 1479 new pairs of merging galaxies were found in approximately 462 sq deg of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Early Data Release (SDSS EDR; Stoughton et al. 2002) photometric data, and the pair catalog is complete for galaxies in the magnitude range 16.0 <= g* <= 20. The selection algorithm, implementing a variation on the original Karachentsev (1972) criteria, proved to be very efficient and fast. Merging galaxies were selected such that the inter-galaxy separations were less than the sum of the component galaxies' radii. We discuss the characteristics of the sample in terms of completeness, pair separation, and the Holmberg effect. We also present an online atlas of images for the SDSS EDR pairs obtained using the corrected frames from the SDSS EDR database. The atlas images also include the relevant data for each pair member. This catalog will be useful for conducting studies of the general characteristics of merging galaxies, their environments, and their component galaxies. The redshifts for a subset of the interacting and merging galaxies and the distribution of angular sizes for these systems indicate the SDSS provides a much deeper sample than almost any other wide-area catalog to date.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Dynamically Close Galaxy Pairs and Merger Rate Evolution in the CNOC2 Redshift Survey

We investigate redshift evolution in the galaxy merger and accretion rates, using a well-defined sample of 4184 galaxies with 0.12 < z < 0.55 and R_C < 21.5. We identify 88 galaxies in close (5 < r_p < 20 h^{-1} kpc) dynamical (delta v < 500 km/s) pairs. These galaxies are used to compute global pair statistics, after accounting for selection effects resulting from the flux limit, k-corrections, luminosity evolution, and spectroscopic incompleteness. We find that the number of companions per galaxy (for -21 < M_B^{k,e} < -18) is Nc = 0.0321 +/- 0.0077 at z=0.3. The luminosity in companions, per galaxy, is Lc = 0.0294 +/- 0.0084 x 10^10 h^2 L_sun. We assume that Nc is proportional to the galaxy merger rate, while Lc is directly related to the mass accretion rate. After increasing the maximum pair separation to 50 h^{-1} kpc, and comparing with the low redshift SSRS2 pairs sample, we infer evolution in the galaxy merger and accretion rates of (1+z)^{2.3 +/- 0.7} and (1+z)^{2.3 +/- 0.9} respectively. These are the first such estimates to be made using only confirmed dynamical pairs. When combined with several additional assumptions, this implies that approximately 15% of present epoch galaxies with -21 < M_B < -18 have undergone a major merger since z=1.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Environment and Galaxy Evolution at Intermediate Redshift in the CNOC2 Survey

(abridged) The systematic variation of galaxy colors and types with clustering environment could either be the result of local conditions at formation or subsequent environmental effects as larger scale structures draw together galaxies whose stellar mass is largely in place. At z~0.4 the co-moving galaxy correlation length, r_0, measured in the CNOC2 sample is strongly color dependent, rising from 2/h Mpc to nearly 10/h Mpc as the volume-limited subsamples range from blue to red. The luminosity dependence of r_0 at z~0.4 is weak below L_ast although there is an upturn at high luminosity where its interpretation depends on separating it from the r_0-color relation. The dominant effect of the group environment on star formation is seen in the radial gradient of the mean galaxy colors which on the average become redder than the field toward the group centers. The redder-than-field trend applies to groups with a line-of-sight velocity dispersion, sigma_1>150 kms. There is an indication, somewhat statistically insecure, that the high luminosity galaxies in groups with sigma_1<125 kms become bluer toward the group center. We conclude that the higher velocity dispersion groups largely act to suppress star formation relative to the less clustered field, leading to ``embalmed'' galaxies. The tidal fields within the groups appear to be a strong candidate for the physical source of the reduction of star formation in group galaxies relative to field. Tides operate effectively at all velocity dispersions to remove gas rich companions and low density gas in galactic halos. Given that much of the field population is in groups we suggest that this suppression may be the dominant galaxy evolution force at low redshift.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

The Galaxy Correlation Function in the CNOC2 Redshift Survey: Dependence on Color, Luminosity and Redshift

We examine how the spatial correlation function of galaxies from the CNOC2 Field Galaxy Redshift Survey depends on galaxy color, luminosity and redshift. The projected correlation function w_p is determined for volume-limited samples of objects with 0.12 < z < 0.51 and evolution-compensated Rc absolute magnitudes M < -20, over the comoving projected separation range 0.04 Mpc/h < r_p < 10 Mpc/h. Our sample consists of 2937 galaxies which are classified as being either early- or late-type objects according to their spectral energy distribution (SED), determined from UBVRcIc photometry. For simplicity, galaxy SEDs are classified independently of redshift: our classification scheme therefore does not take into account the colour evolution of galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Weak lensing study of low mass galaxy groups: implications for Omega_m

We report on the first measurement of the average mass and mass-to-light ratio of galaxy groups by analysing the weak lensing signal induced by these systems. The groups, which have velocity dispersions of 50-400 km/s, have been selected from the Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (CNOC2). This survey allows the identification of a large number of groups with redshifts ranging from z=0.12-0.55, ideal for a weak lensing analysis of their mass distribution. For our analysis we use a sample of 50 groups which are selected on the basis of a careful dynamical analysis of group candidates. We detect a signal at the 99% confidence limit. The best fit singular isothermal sphere model yields an Einstein radius of 0.72+-0.29". This corresponds to a velocity dispersion of 274^{+48}_{-59} km/s (using photometric redshift distributions for the source galaxies), which is in good agreement with the dynamical estimate. Under the assumption that the light traces the mass, we find an average mass-to-light ratio of 191+-83 h Msun/Lsun in the restframe B band. Unlike dynamical estimates, this result is insensitive to problems associated with determining group membership. After correction of the observed mass-to-light ratio for luminosity evolution to z=0, we find 254+-110 h Msun/Lsun, lower than what is found for rich clusters. We use the observed mass-to-light ratio to estimate the matter density of the universe, for which we find Omega_m=0.19+-0.10 (Omega_Lambda=0), in good agreement with other recent estimates. For a closed universe, we obtain Omega_m=0.13+-0.07.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

The Evolution of Population Gradients in Galaxy Clusters: the Butcher-Oemler Effect and Cluster Infall

We present photometric and spectroscopic measurements of the galaxy populations in clusters from the CNOC1 sample of rich, X-ray luminous clusters at $0.18 < z < 0.55$. A classical measure of the galaxy blue fraction for spectroscopically confirmed cluster members shows a significant Butcher-Oemler effect for the sample, but only when radii larger than 0.5$r_{200}$ are considered. We perform a principal component analysis of galaxy spectra to divide the total cluster light into contributions from stellar populations of different ages. Composite radial distributions of different stellar populations show strong gradients as a function of cluster-centric radius. The composite population is dominated by evolved populations in the core, and gradually changes at radii greater than the virial radius to one which is similar to coeval field galaxies. We do not see evidence at any radius within the clusters for an excess of star formation over that seen in the coeval field. Within this redshift range, significant evolution in the fractional population gradient is seen. Both low and high redshift clusters have similar populations in the cluster cores, but higher redshift clusters have steeper gradients and more star forming galaxies at radii outside of the core region~-- in effect, a restatement of the Butcher-Oemler effect. Luminosity density profiles are consistent with a scenario where this phenomenon is due to a decline over time in the infall rate of field galaxies into clusters. Depending on how long galaxies reside in clusters before their star formation rates are diminished, this suggests a decrease in the infall into clusters of a factor of $\sim 3$ between $z > 0.8$ and $z \sim 0.5$. We also discuss alternative scenarios for the evolution of cluster populations.

astro-ph↗