arXiv subjects

Joseph Lazio

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph Lazio.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

High-Angular-Resolution and High-Sensitivity Science Enabled by Beamformed ALMA

An international consortium is presently constructing a beamformer for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile that will be available as a facility instrument. The beamformer will aggregate the entire collecting area of the array into a single, very large aperture. The extraordinary sensitivity of phased ALMA, combined with the extremely fine angular resolution available on baselines to the Northern Hemisphere, will enable transformational new very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations in Bands 6 and 7 (1.3 and 0.8 mm) and provide substantial improvements to existing VLBI arrays in Bands 1 and 3 (7 and 3 mm). The ALMA beamformer will have impact on a variety of scientific topics, including accretion and outflow processes around black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN), tests of general relativity near black holes, jet launch and collimation from AGN and microquasars, pulsar and magnetar emission processes, the chemical history of the universe and the evolution of fundamental constants across cosmic time, maser science, and astrometry.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

The Gravitational-Wave Discovery Space of Pulsar Timing Arrays

Recent years have seen a burgeoning interest in using pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) as gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. To date, that interest has focused mainly on three particularly promising source types: supermassive--black-hole binaries, cosmic strings, and the stochastic background from early-Universe phase transitions. In this paper, by contrast, our aim is to investigate the PTA potential for discovering unanticipated sources. We derive significant constraints on the available discovery space based solely on energetic and statistical considerations: we show that a PTA detection of GWs at frequencies above ~3.e-5 Hz would either be an extraordinary coincidence or violate "cherished beliefs;" we show that for PTAs GW memory can be more detectable than direct GWs, and that, as we consider events at ever higher redshift, the memory effect increasingly dominates an event's total signal-to-noise ratio. The paper includes also a simple analysis of the effects of pulsar red noise in PTA searches, and a demonstration that the effects of periodic GWs in the 10^-8 -- 10^-4.5 Hz band would not be degenerate with small errors in standard pulsar parameters (except in a few narrow bands).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Radio Continuum Surveys with Square Kilometre Array Pathfinders

In the lead-up to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, several next-generation radio telescopes and upgrades are already being built around the world. These include APERTIF (The Netherlands), ASKAP (Australia), eMERLIN (UK), VLA (USA), e-EVN (based in Europe), LOFAR (The Netherlands), Meerkat (South Africa), and the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). Each of these new instruments has different strengths, and coordination of surveys between them can help maximise the science from each of them. A radio continuum survey is being planned on each of them with the primary science objective of understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time, and the cosmological parameters and large-scale structures which drive it. In pursuit of this objective, the different teams are developing a variety of new techniques, and refining existing ones. Here we describe these projects, their science goals, and the technical challenges which are being addressed to maximise the science return.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Constraints on the Radial Variation of Grain Growth in the AS 209 Circumstellar Disk

We present dust continuum observations of the protoplanetary disk surrounding the pre-main sequence star AS 209, spanning more than an order of magnitude in wavelength from 0.88 to 9.8 mm. The disk was observed with sub-arcsecond angular resolution (0.2"-0.5") to investigate radial variations in its dust properties. At longer wavelengths, the disk emission structure is notably more compact, providing model-independent evidence for changes in the grain properties across the disk. We find that physical models which reproduce the disk emission require a radial dependence of the dust opacity κ_ν. Assuming that the observed wavelength-dependent structure can be attributed to radial variations in the dust opacity spectral index (β), we find that β(R) increases from β<0.5 at \sim20 AU to β>1.5 for R>80 AU, inconsistent with a constant value of β across the disk (at the 10σ level). Furthermore, if radial variations of κ_ν are caused by particle growth, we find that the maximum size of the particle-size distribution (a_{max}) increases from sub-millimeter-sized grains in the outer disk (R>70 AU) to millimeter and centimeter-sized grains in the inner disk regions (R< 70 AU). We compare our observational constraint on a_{max}(R) with predictions from physical models of dust evolution in proto-planetary disks. For the dust composition and particle-size distribution investigated here, our observational constraints on a_{max}(R) are consistent with models where the maximum grain size is limited by radial drift.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

Year 3 LUNAR Annual Report to the NASA Lunar Science Institute

The Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) is a team of researchers and students at leading universities, NASA centers, and federal research laboratories undertaking investigations aimed at using the Moon as a platform for space science. LUNAR research includes Lunar Interior Physics & Gravitation using Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR), Low Frequency Cosmology and Astrophysics (LFCA), Planetary Science and the Lunar Ionosphere, Radio Heliophysics, and Exploration Science. The LUNAR team is exploring technologies that are likely to have a dual purpose, serving both exploration and science. There is a certain degree of commonality in much of LUNAR's research. Specifically, the technology development for a lunar radio telescope involves elements from LFCA, Heliophysics, Exploration Science, and Planetary Science; similarly the drilling technology developed for LLR applies broadly to both Exploration and Lunar Science.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2012

Search for Electromagnetic Counterparts to LIGO-Virgo Candidates: Expanded Very Large Array

This paper summarizes a search for radio wavelength counterparts to candidate gravitational wave events. The identification of an electromagnetic counterpart could provide a more complete understanding of a gravitational wave event, including such characteristics as the location and the nature of the progenitor. We used the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) to search six galaxies which were identified as potential hosts for two candidate gravitational wave events. We summarize our procedures and discuss preliminary results.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

Planetary Science by the NLSI LUNAR Team: The Lunar Core, Ionized Atmosphere, & Nanodust Weathering

The Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) undertakes investigations across the full spectrum of science within the mission of the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI), namely science of, on, and from the Moon. The LUNAR team's work on science of and on the Moon, which is the subject of this white paper, is conducted in the broader context of ascertaining the content, origin, and evolution of the solar system.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2010

Clustering of Extragalactic Sources from 151 MHz to 232 MHz: Implications for Cosmological 21-cm Observations

In order to construct accurate point sources simulations at the frequencies relevant to 21-cm experiments, the angular correlation of radio sources must be taken into account. This paper presents a measurement of angular two-point correlation function, w(θ), at 232 MHz from the MIYUN survey - tentative measurements of w(θ) are also performed at 151 MHz. It is found that double power law with shape w(θ) = A θ^{-γ} fits the 232 MHz data well. For the angular lenght of 0.2 degrees < θ< 0.6 degrees, γ~ -1.12, and this value of slope is independent of the flux-density threshold; while for angular lenghts much greater than 0.6 degrees, γhas a shallower value of about -0.16. By comparing the results of this paper with previous measurements of w(θ), it is discussed how w(θ) changes with the change of frequency and completness limit.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

The Square Kilometre Array

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is intended as the next-generation radio telescope and will address fundamental questions in astrophysics, physics, and astrobiology. The international science community has developed a set of Key Science Programs: (1) Emerging from the Dark Ages and the Epoch of Reionization, (2) Galaxy Evolution, Cosmology, and Dark Energy, (3) The Origin and Evolution of Cosmic Magnetism, (4) Strong Field Tests of Gravity Using Pulsars and Black Holes, and (5) The Cradle of Life/Astrobiology. In addition, there is a design philosophy of "exploration of the unknown," in which the objective is to keep the design as flexible as possible to allow for future discoveries. Both a significant challenge and opportunity for the SKA is to obtain a significantly wider field of view than has been obtained with radio telescopes traditionally. Given the breadth of coverage of cosmic magnetism and galaxy evolution in this conference, I highlight some of the opportunities that an expanded field of view will present for other Key Science Programs.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2009

Digital Instrumentation for the Radio Astronomy Community

Time-to-science is an important figure of merit for digital instrumentation serving the astronomical community. A digital signal processing (DSP) community is forming that uses shared hardware development, signal processing libraries, and instrument architectures to reduce development time of digital instrumentation and to improve time-to-science for a wide variety of projects. We suggest prioritizing technological development supporting the needs of this nascent DSP community. After outlining several instrument classes that are relying on digital instrumentation development to achieve new science objectives, we identify key areas where technologies pertaining to interoperability and processing flexibility will reduce the time, risk, and cost of developing the digital instrumentation for radio astronomy. These areas represent focus points where support of general-purpose, open-source development for a DSP community should be prioritized in the next decade. Contributors to such technological development may be centers of support for this DSP community, science groups that contribute general-purpose DSP solutions as part of their own instrumentation needs, or engineering groups engaging in research that may be applied to next-generation DSP instrumentation.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2009

The Billion Galaxy Cosmological HI Large Deep Survey

We outline the case for a comprehensive wide and deep survey ultimately targeted at obtaining 21-cm HI line emission spectroscopic observations of more than a billion galaxies to redshift z=1.5 and greater over half the sky. This survey provides a database of galaxy redshifts, HI gas masses, and galaxy rotation curves that would enable a wide range of science, including fundamental cosmology and studies of Dark Energy. This science requires the next generation of radio arrays, which are being designed under the umbrella of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project. We present a science roadmap, extending to 2020 and beyond, that would enable this ambitious survey. We also place this survey in the context of other multi-wavelength surveys.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Cosmology from the Highly-Redshifted 21 cm Line

One of the next decade's most exciting prospects is to explore the cosmic "dark ages," during which the first stars in the Universe formed, with the 21 cm line of neutral hydrogen. At z>6, this light redshifts into the low-frequency radio regime and can be observed with new generations of wide-field arrays. These experiments have the potential to observe enormous volumes and to improve both cosmological and astrophysical constraints dramatically. In this white paper, we describe how the next decade will see the first steps toward unlocking this potential, allowing us to answer two key questions about the fundamental physics of our Universe and the intergalactic medium: Does the standard cosmological model describe the Universe during the "dark ages?" How did the intergalactic medium evolve during this important time, ending with the reionization of hydrogen?

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Astrophysics from the Highly-Redshifted 21 cm Line

The cosmic dark ages and the epoch of reionization, during which the first generations of stars and galaxies formed, are among the most compelling frontiers of extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology. Here we describe an exciting new probe of these eras: the 21 cm line of neutral hydrogen, which will allow us to map the neutral intergalactic medium throughout the era of first galaxy formation. In this white paper, we describe how these studies can answer two key questions about galaxy formation: What were the properties of high-redshift galaxies? How did they affect the Universe around them?

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2004

On the Enhanced Interstellar Scattering Toward B1849+005

(Abridged) This paper reports new Very Large Array (VLA) and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the extragalactic source B1849+005 at frequencies between 0.33 and 15 GHz and the re-analysis of archival VLA observations at 0.33, 1.5, and 4.9 GHz. The structure of this source is complex but interstellar scattering dominates the structure of the central component at least to 15 GHz. An analysis of the phase structure functions of the interferometric visibilities shows the density fluctuations along this line of sight to be anisotropic (axial ratio = 1.3) with a frequency-independent position angle, and having an inner scale of roughly a few hundred kilometers. The anisotropies occur on length scales of order 10^{15} cm (D/5 kpc), which within the context of certain magnetohydrodynamic turbulence theories indicates the length scale on which the kinetic and magnetic energy densities are comparable. A conservative upper limit on the velocity of the scattering material is 1800 km/s. In the 0.33 GHz field of view, there are a number of other sources that might also be heavily scattered. Both B1849+005 and PSR B1849+00 are highly scattered, and they are separated by only 13'. If the lines of sight are affected by the same ``clump'' of scattering material, it must be at least 2.3 kpc distant. However, a detailed attempt to account for the scattering observables toward these sources does not produce a self-consistent set of parameters for such a clump. A clump of Hαemission, possibly associated with the H II region G33.418-0.004, lies between these two lines of sight, but it seems unable to account for all of the required excess scattering.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

The Radiometric Bode's Law and Extrasolar Planets

We predict the radio flux densities of the extrasolar planets in the current census, making use of an empirical relation--the radiometric Bode's Law--determined from the five ``magnetic'' planets in the solar system (Earth and the four gas giants). Radio emission from these planets results from solar-wind powered electron currents depositing energy in the magnetic polar regions. We find that most of the known extrasolar planets should emit in the frequency range 10--1000 MHz and, under favorable circumstances, have typical flux densities as large as 1 mJy. We also describe an initial, systematic effort to search for radio emission in low radio frequency images acquired with the Very Large Array. The limits set by the VLA images (~ 300 mJy) are consistent with, but do not provide strong constraints on, the predictions of the model. Future radio telescopes, such as the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), should be able to detect the known extrasolar planets or place austere limits on their radio emission. Planets with masses much lower than those in the current census will probably radiate below 10 MHz and will require a space-based array.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Mid- and Far-Infrared ISO Limits on Dust Disks around Millisecond Pulsars

We report 60 and 90 micron observations of 7 millisecond pulsars with ISO. The pulsar PSR B1257+12 is orbited by three planets, and other millisecond pulsars may be orbited by dust disks that represent planets that failed to form or their residue. We do not detect any infrared emission from the 7 pulsars in our sample, and typical upper limits are 100 mJy. Using a simple model, we constrain the typical dust disk mass to be less than of order 100 M_Earth, assuming that the heating of any putative dust disk would be coupled only weakly to the pulsar's emission. If the planets around PSR B1257+12 are composed largely of metals, our limits are probably an order of magnitude above plausible values for the disk mass in metals. Future observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope should be capable of probing into the range of disk masses that could plausibly give rise to planets.

astro-ph↗