arXiv subjects

Peter R. Eisenhardt

Publications and source records attributed to Peter R. Eisenhardt.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv1998

HST Imaging Polarimetry of the Gravitational Lens FSC10214+4724

We present imaging polarimetry of the extremely luminous, redshift 2.3 IRAS source FSC10214+4724. The observations were obtained with HST's Faint Object Camera in the F437M filter, which is free of strong emission lines. The 0.7 arcsec long arc is unresolved to 0.04 arcsec FWHM in the transverse direction, and has an integrated polarization of 28 +/- 3 percent, in good agreement with ground-based observations. The polarization position angle varies along the arc by up to 35 deg. The overall position angle is 62 +/- 3 deg east of north. No counterimage is detected to B = 27.5 mag ($3σ$), giving an observed arc to counterimage flux ratio greater than 250, considerably greater than the flux ratio of 100 measured previously in the I-band. This implies that the configuration of the object in the source plane at the B-band is different from that at I-band, and/or that the lensing galaxy is dusty.

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arXiv1998

The Infrared Luminosity Function of Galaxies in the Coma Cluster

An infrared survey of the central 650 arcmin$^2$ of the Coma cluster is used to determine the $H$ band luminosity function for the cluster. Redshifts are available for all galaxies in the survey with $H < 14.5$, and for this sample we obtain a good fit to a Schechter function with $H^*=11.13$ and $α=-0.78$. These luminosity function parameters are similar to those measured for field galaxies in the infrared, which is surprising considering the very different environmental densities and, presumably, merger histories for field galaxies. For fainter galaxies, we use two independent techniques to correct for field galaxy contamination in the cluster population: the $B-R$ color-magnitude relation and an estimate for the level of background and foreground contamination from the literature. Using either method we find a steep upturn for galaxies with $14 < H < 16$, with slope $α\simeq 1.7$.

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arXiv1997

The Evolution of Early-Type Galaxies in Distant Clusters

We present results from an optical-IR photometric study of early-type galaxies in 19 galaxy clusters out to z=0.9. The galaxy sample is selected on the basis of morphologies determined from HST WFPC2 images, and is photometrically defined in the K-band to minimize redshift-dependent selection biases. The optical-IR colors of the early-type cluster galaxies become bluer with increasing redshift in a manner consistent with the passive evolution of an old stellar population formed at an early cosmic epoch. The degree of color evolution is similar for clusters at similar redshift, and does not depend strongly on the optical richness or X-ray luminosity of the cluster, suggesting that the history of early-type galaxies is relatively insensitive to environment. The slope of the color-magnitude relationship shows no significant change out to z=0.9, providing evidence that it arises from a correlation between galaxy mass and metallicity, not age. Finally, the intrinsic scatter in the optical-IR colors is small and nearly constant with redshift, indicating that the majority of giant, early-type galaxies in clusters share a common star formation history, with little perturbation due to uncorrelated episodes of later star formation. Taken together, our results are consistent with models in which most early-type galaxies in rich clusters are old, formed the majority of their stars at high redshift in a well-synchronized fashion, and evolved quiescently thereafter.

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arXiv1995

HST Observations of the Luminous IRAS Source FSC10214+4724: A Gravitationally Lensed Infrared Quasar

We present an image of the redshift 2.3 IRAS source FSC10214+4724 at 0.8 microns obtained with the HST WFPC2 Planetary Camera. The source appears as an unresolved (< 0.06") arc 0.7" long, with significant substructure along its length. The arc is centered near an elliptical galaxy 1.18" to the north. An unresolved component 100 times fainter than the arc is clearly detected on the opposite side of this galaxy. The most straightforward interpretation is that FSC 10214+4724 is gravitationally lensed by the foreground elliptical galaxy, with the faint component a counterimage of the IRAS source. The brightness of the arc in the HST image is then magnified by ~100 and the intrinsic source diameter is ~0.01" (80 pc) at 0.25 microns rest wavelength. The bolometric luminosity is probably amplified by a smaller factor (~30), yielding an intrinsic luminosity ~2E13 solar luminosities. A detailed lensing model is presented which reproduces the observed morphology and relative flux of the arc and counterimage, and correctly predicts the position angle of the lensing galaxy. The model also predicts reasonable values for the velocity dispersion, mass, and mass-to-light ratio of the lensing galaxy. A redshift for the lensing galaxy of ~0.9 is consistent with the measured surface brightness profile from the image, as well as with the galaxy's SED.

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