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Keith J. B. Grainge

Publications and source records attributed to Keith J. B. Grainge.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The SKA View of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect from Massive Cosmic Halos

The thermal intracluster medium (ICM) can be observed via its interaction with Cosmic Microwave Background photons, known as the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect. This effect produces an observable signal at radio to sub-mm wavelengths which probes the pressure of the ICM. The SKA will be sensitive to the thermal SZ effect in its highest frequency band, 5b. In this Chapter, we show that the SKA will provide a high-resolution, high-sensitivity view of the thermal SZ effect, allowing detailed observations of pressure substructures in clusters while retaining sensitivity to the large-scale global ICM emission.

astro-ph.CO

Sub-kpc radio jets in the brightest central galaxy of the cool-core galaxy cluster RXJ1720.1+2638

The cool-core galaxy cluster RXJ1720.1+2638 hosts extended radio emission near the cluster core, known as a minihalo. The origin of this emission is still debated and one piece of the puzzle has been the question of whether the supermassive black hole in the brightest central galaxy is actively powering jets. Here we present high-resolution e-MERLIN observations clearly indicating the presence of sub-kpc jets; this may have implications for the proposed origin of the minihalo emission, providing an ongoing source of relativistic electrons rather than a single burst sometime in the past, as previously assumed in simulations attempting to reproduce observational characteristics of minihalo-hosting systems.

astro-ph.GA

A 15.5 GHz detection of the galaxy cluster minihalo in RXJ1720.1+2638

RXJ1720.1+2638 is a cool-core, 'relaxed-appearing' cluster with a minihalo previously detected up to 8.4 GHz, confined by X-ray-detected cold fronts. We present observations of the minihalo at 13 - 18 GHz with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager telescope, simultaneously modelling the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich signal of the cluster in conjunction with Planck and Chandra data in order to disentangle the non-thermal emission of the minihalo. We show that the previously-reported steepening of the minihalo emission at 8.4 GHz is not supported by the AMI data and that the spectrum is consistent with a single power-law up to 18 GHz. We also show the presence of a larger-scale component of the minihalo extending beyond the cold fronts. Both of these observations could be explained by the 'hadronic' or 'secondary' mechanism for the production of relativistic electrons, rather than the currently-favoured 're-acceleration' mechanism and/or multiple episodes of jet activity from the active galactic nucleus in the brightest cluster galaxy.

astro-ph.CO

Physical modelling of galaxy clusters detected by Planck

We present a comparison of mass estimates for $54$ galaxy cluster candidates from the second Planck catalogue (PSZ2) of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich sources. We compare the mass values obtained with data taken from the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) radio interferometer system and from the Planck satellite. The former of these uses a Bayesian analysis pipeline that parameterises a cluster in terms of its physical quantities, and models the dark matter & baryonic components of a cluster using NFW and GNFW profiles respectively. Our mass estimates derived from Planck data are obtained from the results of the Bayesian detection algorithm PowellSnakes (PwS), are based on the methodology detailed in the PSZ2 paper, and produce two sets of mass estimates; one estimate is calculated directly from the angular radius $θ$ - integrated Comptonisation parameter $Y$ posterior distributions, and the other uses a `slicing function' to provide information on $θ$ based on X-ray measurements and previous Planck mission samples. We find that for $37$ of the clusters, the AMI mass estimates are lower than both values obtained from Planck data. However the AMI and slicing function estimates are within one combined standard deviation of each other for $31$ clusters. We also generate cluster simulations based on the slicing-function mass estimates, and analyse them in the same way as we did the real AMI data. We find that inclusion in the simulations of radio-source confusion & CMB noise and measurable radio-sources causes AMI mass estimates to be systematically low.

astro-ph.CO

A Digital Correlator Upgrade for the Arcminute MicroKelvin Imager

The Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) telescopes located at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory near Cambridge have been significantly enhanced by the implementation of a new digital correlator with 1.2 MHz spectral resolution. This system has replaced a 750-MHz resolution analogue lag-based correlator, and was designed to mitigate the effects of radio frequency interference, particularly from geostationary satellites that contaminate observations at low declinations. The upgraded instrument consists of 18 ROACH2 Field Programmable Gate Array platforms used to implement a pair of real-time FX correlators -- one for each of AMI's two arrays. The new system separates the down-converted RF baseband signal from each AMI receiver into two 2.3 GHz-wide sub-bands which are each digitized at 5-Gsps with 8 bits of precision. These digital data streams are filtered into 2048 frequency channels and cross-correlated using FPGA hardware, with a commercial 10 Gb Ethernet switch providing high-speed data interconnect. Images formed using data from the new digital correlator show over an order of magnitude improvement in dynamic range over the previous system. The ability to observe at low declinations has also been significantly improved.

astro-ph.IM

AMI-CL J0300+2613: a Galactic anomalous-microwave-emission ring masquerading as a galaxy cluster

The Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) carried out a blind survey for galaxy clusters via their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect decrements between 2008 and 2011. The first detection, known as AMI-CL J0300+2613, has been reobserved with AMI equipped with a new digital correlator with high dynamic range. The combination of the new AMI data and more recent high-resolution sub-mm and infra-red maps now shows the feature in fact to be a ring of positive dust-correlated Galactic emission, which is likely to be anomalous microwave emission (AME). If so, this is the first completely blind detection of AME at arcminute scales.

astro-ph.GA

AMI SZ observation of galaxy-cluster merger CIZA J2242+5301: perpendicular flows of gas and dark matter

AMI observations towards CIZA J2242+5301, in comparison with observations of weak gravitational lensing and X-ray emission from the literature, are used to investigate the behaviour of non-baryonic dark matter (NBDM) and gas during the merger. Analysis of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) signal indicates the presence of high pressure gas elongated perpendicularly to the X-ray and weak-lensing morphologies which, given the merger-axis constraints in the literature, implies that high pressure gas is pushed out into a linear structure during core passing. Simulations in the literature closely matching the inferred merger scenario show the formation of gas density and temperature structures perpendicular to the merger axis. These SZ observations are challenging for modified gravity theories in which NBDM is not the dominant contributor to galaxy-cluster gravity.

astro-ph.CO

Free-form modelling of galaxy clusters: a Bayesian and data-driven approach

A new method is presented for modelling the physical properties of galaxy clusters. Our technique moves away from the traditional approach of assuming specific parameterised functional forms for the variation of physical quantities within the cluster, and instead allows for a 'free-form' reconstruction, but one for which the level of complexity is determined automatically by the observational data and may depend on position within the cluster. This is achieved by representing each independent cluster property as some interpolating or approximating function that is specified by a set of control points, or 'nodes', for which the number of nodes, together with their positions and amplitudes, are allowed to vary and are inferred in a Bayesian manner from the data. We illustrate our nodal approach in the case of a spherical cluster by modelling the electron pressure profile Pe(r) in analyses both of simulated Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) data from the Arcminute MicroKelvin Imager (AMI) and of real AMI observations of the cluster MACS J0744+3927 in the CLASH sample. We demonstrate that one may indeed determine the complexity supported by the data in the reconstructed Pe(r), and that one may constrain two very important quantities in such an analysis: the cluster total volume integrated Comptonisation parameter (Ytot) and the extent of the gas distribution in the cluster (rmax). The approach is also well-suited to detecting clusters in blind SZ surveys.

astro-ph.CO

AMI observations of ten CLASH galaxy clusters: SZ and X-ray data used together to determine cluster dynamical states

Using Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) SZ observations towards ten CLASH clusters we investigate the influence of cluster mergers on observational galaxy cluster studies. Although selected to be largely relaxed, there is disagreement in the literature on the dynamical states of CLASH sample members. We analyse our AMI data in a fully Bayesian way to produce estimated cluster parameters and consider the intrinsic correlations in our NFW/GNFW-based model. Varying pressure profile shape parameters, illustrating an influence of mergers on scaling relations, induces small deviations from the canonical self-similar predictions -- in agreement with simulations of Poole et al. 2007 who found that merger activity causes only small scatter perpendicular to the relations. We demonstrate this effect observationally using the different dependencies of SZ and X-ray signals to $n_{\rm e}$ that cause different sensitivities to the shocking and/or fractionation produced by mergers. Plotting $Y_{\rm X}$--$M_{\rm gas}$ relations (where $Y_{\rm X}=M_{\rm gas}T$) derived from AMI SZ and from $Chandra$ X-ray gives ratios of AMI and $Chandra$ $Y_{\rm X}$ and $M_{\rm gas}$ estimates that indicate movement of clusters \textit{along} the scaling relation, as predicted by Poole et al. 2007. Clusters that have moved most along the relation have the most discrepant $T_{\rm SZ}$ and $T_{\rm X}$ estimates: all the other clusters (apart from one) have SZ and X-ray estimates of $M_{\rm gas}$, $T$ and $Y_{\rm X}$ that agree within $r_{500}$. We use SZ vs X-ray discrepancies in conjunction with $Chandra$ maps and $T_{\rm X}$ profiles, making comparisons with simulated cluster merger maps in Poole et al. 2006, to identify disturbed members of our sample and estimate merger stages.

astro-ph.CO

AMI Galactic Plane Survey at 16 GHz: II -- Full data release with extended coverage and improved processing

The Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Galactic Plane Survey (AMIGPS) provides mJy-sensitivity, arcminute-resolution interferometric images of the northern Galactic plane at $\approx$ 16 GHz. The first data release covered $76^{\circ} \lessapprox \ell \lessapprox 170^{\circ}$ between latitudes of $|b| \lessapprox 5^{\circ}$; here we present a second data release, extending the coverage to $53^{\circ} \lessapprox \ell \lessapprox 193^{\circ}$ and including high-latitude extensions to cover the Taurus and California giant molecular cloud regions, and the recently discovered large supernova remnant G159.6+7.3. The total coverage is now 1777 deg$^2$ and the catalogue contains 6509 sources. We also describe the improvements to the data processing pipeline which improves the positional and flux density accuracies of the survey.

astro-ph.GA

A joint analysis of AMI and CARMA observations of the recently discovered SZ galaxy cluster system AMI-CL J0300+2613

We present CARMA observations of a massive galaxy cluster discovered in the AMI blind SZ survey. Without knowledge of the cluster redshift a Bayesian analysis of the AMI, CARMA and joint AMI & CARMA uv-data is used to quantify the detection significance and parameterise both the physical and observational properties of the cluster whilst accounting for the statistics of primary CMB anisotropies, receiver noise and radio sources. The joint analysis of the AMI & CARMA uv-data was performed with two parametric physical cluster models: the β-model; and the model described in Olamaie et al. 2012 with the pressure profile fixed according to Arnaud et al. 2010. The cluster mass derived from these different models is comparable but our Bayesian evidences indicate a preference for the β-profile which we, therefore, use throughout our analysis. From the CARMA data alone we obtain a Bayesian probability of detection ratio of 12.8:1 when assuming that a cluster exists within our search area; alternatively assuming that Jenkins et al. 2001 accurately predicts the number of clusters as a function of mass and redshift, the Bayesian probability of detection is 0.29:1. From the analysis of the AMI or AMI & CARMA data the probability of detection ratio exceeds 4.5x10^3:1. Performing a joint analysis of the AMI & CARMA data with a physical cluster model we derive the total mass internal to r200 as MT,200 = 4.1x10^14Msun. Using a phenomenological β-model to quantify the temperature decrement as a function of angular distance we find a central SZ temperature decrement of 170μK in the AMI & CARMA data. The SZ decrement in the CARMA data is weaker than expected and we speculate that this is a consequence of the cluster morphology. In a forthcoming study we will assess the impact of cluster morphology on the SZ decrements that are observed with interferometers such as AMI and CARMA.

astro-ph.CO

SZ observations with AMI of the hottest galaxy clusters detected in the XMM-Newton Cluster Survey

We have obtained deep SZ observations towards 15 of the apparently hottest XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) clusters that can be observed with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI). We use a Bayesian analysis to quantify the significance of our SZ detections. We detect the SZ effect at high significance towards three of the clusters and at lower significance for a further two clusters. Towards the remaining ten clusters, no clear SZ signal was measured. We derive cluster parameters using the XCS mass estimates as a prior in our Bayesian analysis. For all AMI-detected clusters, we calculate large-scale mass and temperature estimates while for all undetected clusters we determine upper limits on these parameters. We find that the large- scale mean temperatures derived from our AMI SZ measurements (and the upper limits from null detections) are substantially lower than the XCS-based core-temperature estimates. For clusters detected in the SZ, the mean temperature is, on average, a factor of 1.4 lower than temperatures from the XCS. For clusters undetected in SZ, the average 68% upper limit on the mean temperature is a factor of 1.9 below the XCS temperature.

astro-ph.CO

AMI SZ observations and Bayesian analysis of a sample of six redshift-one clusters of galaxies

We present 16-GHz Sunyaev-Zel'dovich observations using the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) and subsequent Bayesian analysis of six galaxy clusters at redshift ($z \approx 1$) chosen from an X-ray and Infrared selected sample from Culverhouse et al. (2010). In the subsequent analysis we use two cluster models, an isothermal β-model and a Dark Matter GNFW (DM-GNFW) model in order to derive a formal detection probability and the cluster parameters. We detect two clusters (CLJ1415+3612 & XMJ0830+5241) and measure their total masses out to a radius of 200 $\times$ the critical density at the respective cluster's redshift. For CLJ1415+3612 and XMJ0830+5241, we find M_{\mathrm{T},200} for each model, which agree with each other for each cluster. We also present maps before and after source subtraction of the entire sample and provide 1D and 2D posterior marginalised probability distributions for each fitted cluster profile parameter of the detected clusters. Using simulations which take into account the measured source environment from the AMI Large Array (LA), source confusion noise, CMB primordials, instrument noise, we estimate from low-radius X-ray data from Culverhouse et al. (2010), the detectability of each cluster in the sample and compare it with the result from the Small Array (SA) data. Furthermore, we discuss the validity of the assumptions of isothermality and constant gas mass fraction. We comment on the bias that these small-radius estimates introduce to large-radius SZ predictions. In addition, we follow-up the two detections with deep, single-pointed LA observations. We find a 3 sigma tentative decrement toward CLJ1415+3612 at high-resolution and a 5 sigma high-resolution decrement towards XMJ0830+5241.

astro-ph.CO

AMI Galactic Plane Survey at 16 GHz: I -- Observing, mapping and source extraction

The AMI Galactic Plane Survey (AMIGPS) is a large area survey of the outer Galactic plane to provide arcminute resolution images at milli-Jansky sensitivity in the centimetre-wave band. Here we present the first data release of the survey, consisting of 868 deg^2 of the Galactic plane, covering the area 76 deg \lessapprox l \lessapprox 170 deg between latitudes of |b| \lessapprox 5 deg, at a central frequency of 15.75 GHz (1.9 cm). We describe in detail the drift scan observations which have been used to construct the maps, including the techniques used for observing, mapping and source extraction, and summarise the properties of the finalized datasets. These observations constitute the most sensitive Galactic plane survey of large extent at centimetre-wave frequencies greater than 1.4 GHz.

astro-ph.GA

Investigating the source of Planck-detected AME: high resolution observations at 15 GHz

The Planck 28.5 GHz maps were searched for potential Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) regions on the scale of $\sim3^{\circ}$ or smaller, and several new regions of interest were selected. Ancillary data at both lower and higher frequencies were used to construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs), which seem to confirm an excess consistent with spinning dust models. Here we present higher resolution observations of two of these new regions with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Small Array (AMI SA) between 14 and 18 GHz to test for the presence of a compact ($\sim$10 arcmin or smaller) component. For AME-G107.1+5.2, dominated by the {\sc Hii} region S140, we find evidence for the characteristic rising spectrum associated with the either the spinning dust mechanism for AME or an ultra/hyper-compact \textsc{Hii} region across the AMI frequency band, however for AME-G173.6+2.8 we find no evidence for AME on scales of $\sim 2-10$ arcmin.

astro-ph.GA

Detailed SZ study of 19 LoCuSS galaxy clusters: masses and temperatures out to the virial radius

We present 16-GHz AMI SZ observations of 19 clusters with L_X >7x10^37 W (h50=1) selected from the LoCuS survey (0.142<z<0.295) and of A1758b, in the FoV of A1758a. We detect 17 clusters with 5-23sigma peak surface brightnesses. Cluster parameters are obtained using a Bayesian cluster analysis. We fit isothermal beta-models to our data and assume the clusters are virialized (with all the kinetic energy in gas internal energy). Our gas temperature, T_AMI, is derived from AMI SZ data, not from X-ray spectroscopy. Cluster parameters internal to r500 are derived assuming HSE. We find: (i) Different gNFW parameterizations yield significantly different parameter degeneracies. (ii) For h70 = 1, we find the virial radius r200 to be typically 1.6+/-0.1 Mpc and the total mass M_T(r200) typically to be 2.0-2.5xM_T(r500).(iii) Where we have found M_T X-ray (X) and weak-lensing (WL) values in the literature, there is good agreement between WL and AMI estimates (with M_{T,AMI}/M_{T,WL} =1.2^{+0.2}_{-0.3} and =1.0+/-0.1 for r500 and r200, respectively). In comparison, most Suzaku/Chandra estimates are higher than for AMI (with M_{T,X}/M_{T,AMI}=1.7+/-0.2 within r500), particularly for the stronger mergers.(iv) Comparison of T_AMI to T_X sheds light on high X-ray masses: even at large r, T_X can substantially exceed T_AMI in mergers. The use of these higher T_X values will give higher X-ray masses. We stress that large-r T_SZ and T_X data are scarce and must be increased. (v) Despite the paucity of data, there is an indication of a relation between merger activity and SZ ellipticity. (vi) At small radius (but away from any cooling flow) the SZ signal (and T_AMI) is less sensitive to ICM disturbance than the X-ray signal (and T_X) and, even at high r, mergers affect n^2-weighted X-ray data more than n-weighted SZ, implying significant shocking or clumping or both occur even in the outer parts of mergers.

astro-ph.CO

Sunyaev-Zel'dovich observations of LoCuSS clusters with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager: moderate X-ray luminosity sample

We present 16-GHz observations using the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) of 11 clusters with 7 x 10^{37}W < L_X < 11 x 10^{37}W (h_{50}=1.0) selected from the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS) and compare them to X-ray data. We use a fast, Bayesian cluster analysis to explore the high-dimensional parameter space of the cluster-plus-sources model and obtain robust cluster parameter estimates in the presence of radio point sources, receiver noise and primordial CMB anisotropy. Our analysis fits a spherical, isothermal beta-model to our data and assumes the cluster follows the theoretical mass-temperature relation. Large-scale cluster parameters internal to r_{500} are derived under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium. Posterior distributions for the large-scale parameters of 8 of our clusters are given; SZ effects towards Abell 1704 and Zw0857.9+2107 were not detected and our spherical beta-profile was found to be an inadequate fit to the decrement on our map for Abell 2409.

astro-ph.CO

AMI radio continuum observations of young stellar objects with known outflows

We present 16 GHz (1.9 cm) deep radio continuum observations made with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) of a sample of low-mass young stars driving jets. We combine these new data with archival information from an extensive literature search to examine spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for each source and calculate both the radio and sub-mm spectral indices in two different scenarios: (1) fixing the dust temperature (Td) according to evolutionary class; (2) allowing Td to vary. We use the results of this analysis to place constraints on the physical mechanisms responsible for the radio emission. From AMI data alone, as well as from model fitting to the full SED in both scenarios, we find that 80 per cent of the objects in this sample have spectral indices consistent with free-free emission. We find an average spectral index in both Td scenarios consistent with free-free emission. We examine correlations of the radio luminosity with bolometric luminosity, envelope mass, and outflow force and find that these data are consistent with the strong correlation with envelope mass seen in lower luminosity samples. We examine the errors associated with determining the radio luminosity and find that the dominant source of error is the uncertainty on the opacity index, beta. We examine the SEDs for variability in these young objects, and find evidence for possible radio flare events in the histories of L1551 IRS 5 and Serpens SMM 1.

astro-ph.SR