arXiv subjects

Michael Strauss

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Strauss.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

SHELLQs-JWST perspective on the intrinsic mass relation between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies at z > 6

The relation between the masses of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies encodes information on their mode of growth, especially at the earliest epochs. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has opened such investigations by detecting the host galaxies of AGN and more luminous quasars within the first billion years of the universe (z > 6). Here, we evaluate the relation between the mass of SMBHs and the total stellar mass of their host galaxies using a sample of nine quasars at 6.18 < z < 6.4 from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) survey with NIRCam and NIRSpec observations. We find that the observed location of these quasars in the SMBH-galaxy mass plane (log M_BH/Msun ~ 8-9; log M_*/Msun ~ 9.5-11) is consistent with a non-evolving intrinsic mass relation with dispersion (0.80_{-0.28}^{+0.23} dex) higher than the local value (~0.3-0.4 dex) of their more massive descendants. Our analysis is based on a forward model of systematics and includes a consideration of the impact of selection effects and measurement uncertainties with an assumption on the slope of the mass relation. While degeneracies between parameters persist, the best-fit solution has a reasonable AGN fraction (2.3%) of galaxies at z ~ 6 with an actively growing UV-unobscured black hole. In particular, models with a substantially higher normalisation in M_BH would require an unrealistically low intrinsic dispersion (~0.22 dex). Consequently, our results predict a large population of AGNs at lower black hole masses, as are now just starting to be discovered in focused efforts with JWST.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

A Lip Vibration Model Using Mechanical Properties of Flesh

The mechanical properties of the human lip between relaxed and fully contracted are not enough to explain the full range of professional brass players. Brass players manipulate their mouth cavity and vocal tract which act as Helmholtz resonators driving the lips. Brass players increase their upper ranges by reducing the amount of lip mass that vibrates using upstream or downstream techniques. In addition, it was found that the cup of the mouthpiece is a separate resonating cavity: not just an extension of the instrument funneling air down the length of tube. For the lowest three octaves of the range, the trombone does not act as a tube with a standing wave resonance, but as a transmission line responding to a string of pulses produced by the lips.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2022

Anomalous production of massive gauge boson pairs at muon colliders

The prospects of searches for anomalous production of hadronically decaying weak boson pairs at proposed high-energy muon colliders are reported. Muon-muon collision events are simulated at $\sqrt{s}=6$, 10, and 30 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $4$, $10$, and $10$ ab$^{-1}$, respectively. Simulated $\mu\mu\rightarrow\mathrm{W}\mathrm{W}+\nu\nu/\mu\mu$ events are used to set expected constraints on the structure of quartic vector boson interactions in the framework of a dimension-8 effective field theory. Similarly, $\mu\mu\rightarrow\mathrm{W}\mathrm{W}/\mathrm{Z}\mathrm{Z}+\nu\nu$ events are used to report constraints on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for vector boson fusion production of a heavy neutral Higgs boson decaying to weak boson pairs. These results are interpreted in the context of the Georgi-Machacek model.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

Future Uses of the LSST Facility: Input from the LSST Project Science Team

In this white paper, we discuss future uses of the LSST facility after the planned 10-year survey is complete. We expect the LSST survey to profoundly affect the scientific landscape over the next ten years, and it is likely that unexpected discoveries may drive its future scientific program. We discuss various operations and instrument options that could be considered for an extended LSST mission beyond ten years.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

SpecTel: A 10-12 meter class Spectroscopic Survey Telescope

We recommend a conceptual design study for a spectroscopic facility in the southern hemisphere comprising a large diameter telescope, fiber system, and spectrographs collectively optimized for massively-multiplexed spectroscopy. As a baseline, we propose an 11.4-meter aperture, optical spectroscopic survey telescope with a five square degree field of view. Using current technologies, the facility could be equipped with 15,000 robotically-controlled fibers feeding spectrographs over 360<lambda<1330 nm with options for fiber-fed spectrographs at high resolution and a panoramic IFU at a separate focus. This would enable transformational progress via its ability to access a larger fraction of objects from Gaia, LSST, Euclid, and WFIRST than any currently funded or planned spectroscopic facility. An ESO-sponsored study (arXiv:1701.01976) discussed the scientific potential in ambitious new spectroscopic surveys in Galactic astronomy, extragalactic astronomy, and cosmology. The US community should establish links with European and other international communities to plan for such a powerful facility and maximize the potential of large aperture multi-object spectroscopy given the considerable investment in deep imaging surveys.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer is a next-generation massively multiplexed spectroscopic facility currently under development in Hawaii. It is completely dedicated to large-scale spectroscopic surveys and will enable transformative science. In this white paper we summarize the science case and describe the current state of the project.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Illuminating the dark universe with a very high density galaxy redshift survey over a wide area

The nature of dark energy remains a profound mystery 20 years after the discovery of cosmic acceleration. A very high number density galaxy redshift survey over a wide area (HD GRS Wide) spanning the redshift range of 0.5<z<4 using the same tracer, carried out using massively parallel wide field multi-object slit spectroscopy from space, will provide definitive dark energy measurements with minimal observational systematics by design. The HD GRS Wide will illuminate the nature of dark energy, and lead to revolutionary advances in particle physics and cosmology. It will also trace the cosmic web of dark matter and provide key insight into large-scale structure in the Universe. The required observational facility can be established as part of the probe portfolio by NASA within the next decade.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

No evidence for enhanced [OIII] 88um emission in a z~6 quasar compared to its companion starbursting galaxy

We present ALMA band 8 observations of the [OIII] 88um line and the underlying thermal infrared continuum emission in the z=6.08 quasar CFHQS J2100-1715 and its dust-obscured starburst companion galaxy (projected distance: ~60 kpc). Each galaxy hosts dust-obscured star formation at rates > 100 M_sun/yr, but only the quasar shows evidence for an accreting 10^9 M_sun black hole. Therefore we can compare the properties of the interstellar medium in distinct galactic environments in two physically associated objects, ~1 Gyr after the Big Bang. Bright [OIII] 88um emission from ionized gas is detected in both systems; the positions and line-widths are consistent with earlier [CII] measurements, indicating that both lines trace the same gravitational potential on galactic scales. The [OIII] 88um/FIR luminosity ratios in both sources fall in the upper range observed in local luminous infrared galaxies of similar dust temperature, although the ratio of the quasar is smaller than in the companion. This suggests that gas ionization by the quasar (expected to lead to strong optical [OIII] 5008A emission) does not dominantly determine the quasar's FIR [OIII] 88um luminosity. Both the inferred number of photons needed for the creation of O++ and the typical line ratios can be accounted for without invoking extreme (top-heavy) stellar initial mass functions in the starbursts of both sources.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Science-Driven Optimization of the LSST Observing Strategy

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope is designed to provide an unprecedented optical imaging dataset that will support investigations of our Solar System, Galaxy and Universe, across half the sky and over ten years of repeated observation. However, exactly how the LSST observations will be taken (the observing strategy or "cadence") is not yet finalized. In this dynamically-evolving community white paper, we explore how the detailed performance of the anticipated science investigations is expected to depend on small changes to the LSST observing strategy. Using realistic simulations of the LSST schedule and observation properties, we design and compute diagnostic metrics and Figures of Merit that provide quantitative evaluations of different observing strategies, analyzing their impact on a wide range of proposed science projects. This is work in progress: we are using this white paper to communicate to each other the relative merits of the observing strategy choices that could be made, in an effort to maximize the scientific value of the survey. The investigation of some science cases leads to suggestions for new strategies that could be simulated and potentially adopted. Notably, we find motivation for exploring departures from a spatially uniform annual tiling of the sky: focusing instead on different parts of the survey area in different years in a "rolling cadence" is likely to have significant benefits for a number of time domain and moving object astronomy projects. The communal assembly of a suite of quantified and homogeneously coded metrics is the vital first step towards an automated, systematic, science-based assessment of any given cadence simulation, that will enable the scheduling of the LSST to be as well-informed as possible.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Rapidly star-forming galaxies adjacent to quasars at redshifts exceeding 6

The existence of massive ($10^{11}$ solar masses) elliptical galaxies by redshift z~4 (when the Universe was 1.5 billion years old) necessitates the presence of galaxies with star-formation rates exceeding 100 solar masses per year at z>6 (corresponding to an age of the Universe of less than 1 billion years). Surveys have discovered hundreds of galaxies at these early cosmic epochs, but their star-formation rates are more than an order of magnitude lower. The only known galaxies with very high star-formation rates at z>6 are, with only one exception, the host galaxies of quasars, but these galaxies also host accreting supermassive (more than $10^9$ solar masses) black holes, which probably affect the properties of the galaxies. Here we report observations of an emission line of singly ionized carbon ([CII] at a wavelength of 158 micrometres) in four galaxies at z>6 that are companions of quasars, with velocity offsets of less than 600 kilometers per second and linear offsets of less than 600 kiloparsecs. The discovery of these four galaxies was serendipitous; they are close to their companion quasars and appear bright in the far-infrared. On the basis of the [CII] measurements, we estimate star-formation rates in the companions of more than 100 solar masses per year. These sources are similar to the host galaxies of the quasars in [CII] brightness, linewidth and implied dynamical masses, but do not show evidence for accreting supermassive black holes. Similar systems have previously been found at lower redshift. We find such close companions in four out of twenty-five z>6 quasars surveyed, a fraction that needs to be accounted for in simulations. If they are representative of the bright end of the [CII] luminosity function, then they can account for the population of massive elliptical galaxies at z~4 in terms of cosmic space density.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Spectral properties of unbounded J-self-adjoint matrices

We study the spectrum of unbounded J-self-adjoint block operator matrices. In particular, we prove enclosures for the spectrum, provide a sufficient condition for the spectrum being real and derive variational principles for certain real eigenvalues even in the presence of non-real spectrum. The latter lead to lower and upper bounds and asymptotic estimates for eigenvalues.

math.SP↗

arXiv2015

Triple Variational Principles for Self-Adjoint Operator Functions

For a very general class of unbounded self-adjoint operator function we prove upper bounds for eigenvalues which lie within arbitrary gaps of the essential spectrum. These upper bounds are given by triple variations. Furthermore, we find conditions which imply that a point is in the resolvent set. For norm resolvent continuous operator functions we show that the variational inequality becomes an equality.

math.SP↗

arXiv2015

Spectral enclosure and superconvergence for eigenvalues in gaps

We consider the problem of how to compute eigenvalues of a self-adjoint operator when a direct application of the Galerkin (finite-section) method is unreliable. The last two decades have seen the development of the so-called quadratic methods for addressing this problem. Recently a new perturbation approach has emerged, the idea being to perturb eigenvalues off the real line and, consequently, away from regions where the Galerkin method fails. We propose a simplified perturbation method which requires no á priori information and for which we provide a rigorous convergence analysis. The latter shows that, in general, our approach will significantly outperform the quadratic methods. We also present a new spectral enclosure for operators of the form $A+iB$ where $A$ is self-adjoint, $B$ is self-adjoint and bounded. This enables us to control, very precisely, how eigenvalues are perturbed from the real line. The main results are demonstrated with examples including magnetohydrodynamics, Schrödinger and Dirac operators.

math.SP↗

arXiv2015

Sloan Digital Sky Survey III Photometric Quasar Clustering: Probing the Initial Conditions of the Universe using the Largest Volume

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has surveyed 14,555 square degrees of the sky, and delivered over a trillion pixels of imaging data. We present the large-scale clustering of 1.6 million quasars between z = 0.5 and z = 2.5 that have been classified from this imaging, representing the highest density of quasars ever studied for clustering measurements. This data set spans ~11,000 square degrees and probes a volume of 80(Gpc/h)^3. In principle, such a large volume and medium density of tracers should facilitate high-precision cosmological constraints. We measure the angular clustering of photometrically classified quasars using an optimal quadratic estimator in four redshift slices with an accuracy of ~25% over a bin width of l ~10 - 15 on scales corresponding to matter-radiation equality and larger (l ~ 2 - 30). Observational systematics can strongly bias clustering measurements on large scales, which can mimic cosmologically relevant signals such as deviations from Gaussianity in the spectrum of primordial perturbations. We account for systematics by employing a new method recently proposed by Agarwal et al. (2014) to the clustering of photometrically classified quasars. We carefully apply our methodology to mitigate known observational systematics and further remove angular bins that are contaminated by unknown systematics. Combining quasar data with the photometric luminous red galaxy (LRG) sample of Ross et al. (2011) and Ho et al. (2012), and marginalizing over all bias and shot noise-like parameters, we obtain a constraint on local primordial non-Gaussianity of fNL = -113+/-154 (1σerror). [Abridged]

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

A new approach to spectral approximation

A new technique for approximating eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a self-adjoint operator is presented. The method does not incur spectral pollution, uses trial spaces from the form domain, has a self-adjoint algorithm, and exhibits superconvergence.

math.SP↗

arXiv2013

Spectral estimates and basis properties for self-adjoint block operator matrices

In the first part of this manuscript a relationship between the spectrum of self-adjoint operator matrices and the spectra of their diagonal entries is found. This leads to enclosures for spectral points and in particular, enclosures for eigenvalues. We also consider graph invariant subspaces, and their corresponding angular operators. The existence of a bounded angular operator leads to basis properties of the first component of eigenvectors of operator matrices for which the corresponding eigenvalues lie in a half line. The results are applied to an example from magnetohydrodynamics.

math.SP↗

arXiv2013

The Second Order Spectrum and Optimal Convergence

The method of second order relative spectra has been shown to reliably approximate the discrete spectrum for a self-adjoint operator. We extend the method to normal operators and find optimal convergence rates for eigenvalues and eigenspaces. The convergence to eigenspaces is new, while the convergence rate for eigenvalues improves on the previous estimate by an order of magnitude.

math.SP↗

arXiv2013

The Galerkin Method for Perturbed Self-Adjoint Operators and Applications

We consider the Galerkin method for approximating the spectrum of an operator $T+A$ where $T$ is semi-bounded self-adjoint and $A$ satisfies a relative compactness condition. We show that the method is reliable in all regions where it is reliable for the unperturbed problem - which always contains $\mathbb{C}\backslash\mathbb{R}$. The results lead to a new technique for identifying eigenvalues of $T$, and for identifying spectral pollution which arises from applying the Galerkin method directly to $T$. The new technique benefits from being applicable on the form domain.

math.SP↗