arXiv subjects

Karen P. Olsen

Publications and source records attributed to Karen P. Olsen.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Revisiting the [C II]$_{158 μ\text{m}}$ line-intensity mapping power spectrum from the EoR using non-uniform line-luminosity scatter

Detecting the line-intensity mapping (LIM) signal from the galaxies of the Epoch of Reionization is an emerging tool to constrain their role in reionization. Ongoing and upcoming experiments target the signal fluctuations across the sky to reveal statistical and astrophysical properties of these galaxies via signal statistics, e.g., the power spectrum. Here, we revisit the [C II]$_{158 μ\text{m}}$ LIM power spectrum under non-uniform line-luminosity scatter, which has a halo-mass variation of statistical properties. Line-luminosity scatter from a cosmological hydrodynamic and radiative transfer simulation of galaxies at $z=6$ is considered in this study. We test the robustness of different model frameworks that interpret the impact of the line-luminosity scatter on the signal statistics. We use a simple power-law model to fit the scatter and demonstrate that the mean luminosity-halo mass correlation fit cannot preserve the mean intensity of the LIM signal (hence the clustering power spectrum) under non-uniform scatter. In our case, the mean intensity changes by $\sim 48$ per cent compared to the mean correlation fit in contrast to the general case with semi-analytic scatter. However, we find that the prediction for the mean intensity from the most-probable fit can be modelled robustly, considering the generalized and more realistic non-uniform scatter. We also explore the possibility of diminishing luminosity bias under non-uniform scatter, affecting the clustering power spectrum, although this phenomenon might not be statistically significant. Therefore, we should adopt appropriate approaches that can consistently interpret the LIM power spectrum from observations.

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arXiv2022

Investigating the [C$\,{\rm \scriptsize II}$]-to-H$\,{\rm \scriptsize I}$ conversion factor and the H$\,{\rm \scriptsize I}$ gas budget of galaxies at $z\approx 6$ with hydrodynamical simulations

One of the most fundamental baryonic matter components of galaxies is the neutral atomic hydrogen (H$\,{\rm \scriptsize I}$). At low redshifts, this component can be traced directly through the 21-cm transition, but to infer H$\,{\rm \scriptsize I}$ gas content of the most distant galaxies, a viable tracer is needed. We here investigate the fidelity of the fine structure transition of the ($^2P_{3/2} - ^2P_{1/3}$) transition of singly-ionized carbon [C$\,{\rm \scriptsize II}$] at $158\,μ$m as a proxy for H$\,{\rm \scriptsize I}$ in a set simulated galaxies at $z\approx 6$, following the work by Heintz et al. (2021). We select 11,125 star-forming galaxies from the SIMBA simulations, with far-infrared line emissions post-processed and modeled within the SIGAME framework. We find a strong connection between [C$\,{\rm \scriptsize II}$] and H$\,{\rm \scriptsize I}$, with the relation between this [C$\,{\rm \scriptsize II}$]-to-H$\,{\rm \scriptsize I}$ relation ($β_{\rm [C\,{\rm \scriptsize II}]}$) being anti-correlated with the gas-phase metallicity of the simulated galaxies. We further use these simulations to make predictions for the total baryonic matter content of galaxies at $z\approx 6$, and specifically the HI gas mass fraction. We find mean values of $M_{\rm HI}/M_\star = 1.4$, and $M_{\rm HI}/M_{\rm bar,tot} = 0.45$. These results provide strong evidence for H$\,{\rm \scriptsize I}$ being the dominant baryonic matter component by mass in galaxies at $z\approx 6$.

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arXiv2022

Tracing Molecular Gas in z $\simeq$ 6 Galaxies with [C${\rm \scriptsize II}$]

We investigate the fine-structure [C${\rm \scriptsize II}$] line at $158\,μ$m as a molecular gas tracer by analyzing the relationship between molecular gas mass ($M_{\rm mol}$) and [C${\rm \scriptsize II}$] line luminosity ($L_{\rm [CII]}$) in 11,125 $z\simeq 6$ star-forming, main sequence galaxies from the SIMBA simulations, with line emission modeled by SÍGAME. Though most ($\sim 50-100\,\%$) of the gas mass in our simulations is ionized, the bulk ($> 50\,\%$) of the [C${\rm \scriptsize II}$] emission comes from the molecular phase. We find a sub-linear (slope $0.78\pm 0.01$) $\log L_{\rm [CII]}-\log M_{\rm mol}$ relation, in contrast with the linear relation derived from observational samples of more massive, metal-rich galaxies at $z \lesssim 6$. We derive a median [C${\rm \scriptsize II}$]-to-$M_{\rm mol}$ conversion factor of $α_{\rm [CII]} \simeq 18\,{\rm M_{\rm \odot}/L_{\rm \odot}}$. This is lower than the average value of $\simeq 30\,{\rm M_{\rm \odot}/L_{\rm \odot}}$ derived from observations, which we attribute to lower gas-phase metallicities in our simulations. Thus, a lower, luminosity-dependent, conversion factor must be applied when inferring molecular gas masses from [C${\rm \scriptsize II}$] observations of low-mass galaxies. For our simulations, [C${\rm \scriptsize II}$] is a better tracer of the molecular gas than CO $J=1-0$, especially at the lowest metallicities, where much of the gas is 'CO-dark'. We find that $L_{\rm [CII]}$ is more tightly correlated with $M_{\rm mol}$ than with star-formation rate (${\rm SFR}$), and both the $\log L_{\rm [CII]}-\log M_{\rm mol}$ and $\log L_{\rm [CII]}-\log {\rm SFR}$ relations arise from the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation. Our findings suggest that $L_{\rm [CII]}$ is a promising tracer of the molecular gas at the earliest cosmic epochs.

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arXiv2020

Predictions of the L$_{\rm[CII]}$-SFR and [C$_{\rm II}$] Luminosity Function at the Epoch of Reionization

We present the first predictions for the $L_{\rm [CII]}$ - SFR relation and [CII] luminosity function (LF) in the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) based on cosmological hydrodynamics simulations using the SIMBA suite plus radiative transfer calculations via SÍGAME. The sample consists of 11,137 galaxies covering halo mass $\log M_{\rm halo}\in$[9, 12.4] $M_\odot$, star formation rate SFR$\in$[0.01, 330] $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, and metallicity $ _{\rm SFR}\in$[0.1, 0.9] $Z_\odot$. The simulated $L_{\rm [CII]}$-SFR relation is consistent with the range observed, but with a spread of $\simeq$0.3 dex at the high end of SFR ($>$100 $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$) and $\simeq$0.6 dex at the lower end, and there is tension between our predictions and the values of $L_{\rm [CII]}$ above 10$^{8.5}$ $L_\odot$ observed in some galaxies reported in the literature. The scatter in the $L_{\rm [CII]}$-SFR relation is mostly driven by galaxy properties, such that at a given SFR, galaxies with higher molecular gas mass and metallicity have higher $L_{\rm [CII]}$. The [CII] LF predicted by SIMBA is consistent with the upper limits placed by the only existing untargeted flux-limited [CII] survey at the EoR (ASPECS) and those predicted by semi-analytic models. We compare our results with existing models and discuss differences responsible for the discrepant slopes in the $L_{\rm [CII]}$-SFR relatiion.

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arXiv2018

Challenges and Techniques for Simulating Line Emission

Modeling emission lines from the millimeter to the UV and producing synthetic spectra is crucial for a good understanding of observations, yet it is an art filled with hazards. This is the proceedings of "Walking the Line", a 3-day conference held in 2018 that brought together scientists working on different aspects of emission line simulations, in order to share knowledge and discuss the methodology. Emission lines across the spectrum from the millimeter to the UV were discussed, with most of the focus on the interstellar medium, but also some topics on the circumgalactic medium. The most important quality of a useful model is a good synergy with observations and experiments. Challenges in simulating line emission are identified, some of which are already being worked upon, and others that must be addressed in the future for models to agree with observations. Recent advances in several areas aiming at achieving that synergy are summarized here, from micro-physical to galactic and circum-galactic scale.

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arXiv2017

Observing and Simulating Galaxy Evolution - from X-ray to Millimeter Wavelengths

What main mechanisms set the star formation rate (SFR) of galaxies? This PhD thesis is a quest into the influences of gas and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) on the SFR, with particular focus on massive galaxies at z~2. First, a new code if presented; SImulator of GAlaxy Millimeter/submillimeter Emission (SÍGAME) which can predict the atomic/molecular line emission in the far-infrared regime from galaxies. By post-processing the outputs of cosmological simulations of galaxy formation with sub-grid physics recipes, SÍGAME divides the interstellar medium (ISM) into different gas phases and derives density and temperature structure, employing locally resolved radiation and pressure fields. This method is used to predict the strengths of CO rotational transitions as well as the [CII] emission line in normal star-forming galaxies at z~2. A CO ladder close to that of our own Galaxy is found, but with CO-H2 conversion factors about 3 times smaller. For a set of 7 simulated galaxies at z~2, the relation between [CII] luminosity and SFR displays a slope significantly steeper than that found for observed galaxies at z<0.5. A corresponding relation on kpc-scales is established for the first time theoretically. Finally, a separate study uncovers the number fraction of AGNs among massive galaxies at z~2, by analyzing CHANDRA CDF-S X-ray data. It is found that about every fifth massive galaxy, quenched or not, contains an X-ray luminous AGN. Interestingly, an even higher fraction of low-luminosity AGNs emerges in the X-ray undetected galaxies when performing a stacking analysis, and preferentially in the quenched ones, lending support to the importance of AGNs in impeding star formation during galaxy evolution.

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arXiv2016

SImulator of GAlaxy Millimetre/submillimetre Emission (SIGAME): CO emission from massive z=2 main-sequence galaxies

We present SIGAME (SImulator of GAlaxy Millimetre/submillimetre Emission), a new numerical code designed to simulate the 12CO rotational line emission spectrum of galaxies. Using sub-grid physics recipes to post-process the outputs of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations, a molecular gas phase is condensed out of the hot and partly ionized SPH gas. The gas is subjected to far-UV radiation fields and cosmic ray ionization rates which are set to scale with the local star formation rate volume density. Level populations and radiative transport of the CO lines are solved with the 3-D radiative transfer code LIME. We have applied SIGAME to cosmological SPH simulations of three disc galaxies at z=2 with stellar masses in the range ~(0.5-2)x10^11 Msun and star formation rates ~40-140 Msun/yr. Global CO luminosities and line ratios are in agreement with observations of disc galaxies at z~2 up to and including J=3-2 but falling short of the few existing J=5-4 observations. The central 5 kpc regions of our galaxies have CO 3-2/1-0 and 7-6/1-0 brightness temperature ratios of ~0.55-0.65 and ~0.02-0.08, respectively, while further out in the disc the ratios drop to more quiescent values of ~0.5 and <0.01. Global CO-to-H2 conversion (alpha_CO) factors are ~=1.5 Msun*pc^2/(K km s/1), i.e. ~2-3 times below typically adopted values for disc galaxies, and alpha_CO increases with radius, in agreement with observations of nearby galaxies. Adopting a top-heavy Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) mass spectrum does not significantly change the results. Steepening the GMC density profile leads to higher global line ratios for J_up>=3 and CO-to-H2 conversion factors [~=3.6 Msun*pc^2/(K km/s)].

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arXiv2015

Simulator of Galaxy Millimeter/Submillimeter Emission (SIGAME): The [CII]-SFR Relationship of Massive z=2 Main Sequence Galaxies

We present SÍGAME simulations of the [CII]157.7$μ$ fine structure line emission from cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of seven main sequence galaxies at z=2. Using sub-grid physics prescriptions the gas in our simulations is modeled as a multi-phased interstellar medium (ISM) comprised of molecular gas residing in giant molecular clouds, an atomic gas phase associated with photo-dissociation regions (PDRs) at the cloud surfaces, and a diffuse, ionized gas phase. Adopting logotropic cloud density profiles and accounting for heating by the local FUV radiation field and cosmic rays by scaling both with local star formation rate (SFR) volume density, we calculate the [CII] emission using a photon escape probability formalism. The [CII] emission peaks in the central $\lesssim$1 kpc of our galaxies as do the SFR radial profiles, with most [CII] ($\gtrsim$70%) originating in the molecular gas phase, whereas further out ($\gtrsim$2 kpc), the atomic/PDR gas dominates ($\gtrsim$90%) the [CII] emission, no longer tracing on-going star formation. Throughout, the ionized gas contribution is negligible ($\lesssim$3%). The [CII] luminosity vs. SFR ([CII]-SFR) relationship, integrated as well as spatially resolved (on scales of 1 kpc), delineated by our simulated galaxies is in good agreement with the corresponding relations observed locally and at high redshifts. In our simulations, the molecular gas dominates the [CII] budget at SFR$\gtrsim$20 M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$ (SFR density $\gtrsim$0.5 M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$kpc$^{-2}$), while atomic/PDR gas takes over at lower SFRs, suggesting a picture in which [CII] predominantly traces the molecular gas in high-density/pressure regions where star formation is on-going, and otherwise reveals the atomic/PDR gas phase.

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