arXiv subjects

R. C. Smith

Publications and source records attributed to R. C. Smith.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Spectroscopy of High-Redshift Supernovae from the ESSENCE Project: The First Four Years

We present the results of spectroscopic observations from the ESSENCE high-redshift supernova (SN) survey during its first four years of operation. This sample includes spectra of all SNe Ia whose light curves were presented by Miknaitis et al. (2007) and used in the cosmological analyses of Davis et al. (2007) and Wood-Vasey et al. (2007). The sample represents 273 hours of spectroscopic observations with 6.5 - 10-m-class telescopes of objects detected and selected for spectroscopy by the ESSENCE team. We present 174 spectra of 156 objects. Combining this sample with that of Matheson et al. (2005), we have a total sample of 329 spectra of 274 objects. From this, we are able to spectroscopically classify 118 Type Ia SNe. As the survey has matured, the efficiency of classifying SNe Ia has remained constant while we have observed both higher-redshift SNe Ia and SNe Ia farther from maximum brightness. Examining the subsample of SNe Ia with host-galaxy redshifts shows that redshifts derived from only the SN Ia spectra are consistent with redshifts found from host-galaxy spectra. Moreover, the phases derived from only the SN Ia spectra are consistent with those derived from light-curve fits. By comparing our spectra to local templates, we find that the rate of objects similar to the overluminous SN 1991T and the underluminous SN 1991bg in our sample are consistent with that of the local sample. We do note, however, that we detect no object spectroscopically or photometrically similar to SN 1991bg. Although systematic effects could reduce the high-redshift rate we expect based on the low-redshift surveys, it is possible that SN 1991bg-like SNe Ia are less prevalent at high redshift.

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arXiv2008

Scattered-Light Echoes from the Historical Galactic Supernovae Cassiopeia A and Tycho (SN 1572)

We report the discovery of an extensive system of scattered light echo arclets associated with the recent supernovae in the local neighbourhood of the Milky Way: Tycho (SN 1572) and Cassiopeia A. Existing work suggests that the Tycho SN was a thermonuclear explosion while the Cas A supernova was a core collapse explosion. Precise classifications according to modern nomenclature require spectra of the outburst light. In the case of ancient SNe, this can only be done with spectroscopy of their light echo, where the discovery of the light echoes from the outburst light is the first step. Adjacent light echo positions suggest that Cas A and Tycho may share common scattering dust structures. If so, it is possible to measure precise distances between historical Galactic supernovae. On-going surveys that alert on the development of bright scattered-light echo features have the potential to reveal detailed spectroscopic information for many recent Galactic supernovae, both directly visible and obscured by dust in the Galactic plane.

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arXiv2008

Exploring the Outer Solar System with the ESSENCE Supernova Survey

We report the discovery and orbit determination of 14 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) from the ESSENCE Supernova Survey difference imaging dataset. Two additional objects discovered in a similar search of the SDSS-II Supernova Survey database were recovered in this effort. ESSENCE repeatedly observed fields far from the Solar System ecliptic (-21 deg < beta < -5 deg), reaching limiting magnitudes per observation of I~23.1 and R~23.7. We examine several of the newly detected objects in detail, including 2003 UC_414 which orbits entirely between Uranus and Neptune and lies very close to a dynamical region that would make it stable for the lifetime of the Solar System. 2003 SS_422 and 2007 TA_418 have high eccentricities and large perihelia, making them candidate members of an outer class of trans-Neptunian objects. We also report a new member of the ''extended'' or ''detached'' scattered disk, 2004 VN_112, and verify the stability of its orbit using numerical simulations. This object would have been visible to ESSENCE for only ~2% of its orbit, suggesting a vast number of similar objects across the sky. We emphasize that off-ecliptic surveys are optimal for uncovering the diversity of such objects, which in turn will constrain the history of gravitational influences that shaped our early Solar System.

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arXiv2008

Improved Cosmological Constraints from New, Old and Combined Supernova Datasets

We present a new compilation of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), a new dataset of low-redshift nearby-Hubble-flow SNe and new analysis procedures to work with these heterogeneous compilations. This ``Union'' compilation of 414 SN Ia, which reduces to 307 SNe after selection cuts, includes the recent large samples of SNe Ia from the Supernova Legacy Survey and ESSENCE Survey, the older datasets, as well as the recently extended dataset of distant supernovae observed with HST. A single, consistent and blind analysis procedure is used for all the various SN Ia subsamples, and a new procedure is implemented that consistently weights the heterogeneous data sets and rejects outliers. We present the latest results from this Union compilation and discuss the cosmological constraints from this new compilation and its combination with other cosmological measurements (CMB and BAO). The constraint we obtain from supernovae on the dark energy density is $Ω_Λ= 0.713^{+0.027}_{-0.029} (stat)}^{+0.036}_{-0.039} (sys)}$, for a flat, LCDM Universe. Assuming a constant equation of state parameter, $w$, the combined constraints from SNe, BAO and CMB give $w=-0.969^{+0.059}_{-0.063}(stat)^{+0.063}_{-0.066} (sys)$. While our results are consistent with a cosmological constant, we obtain only relatively weak constraints on a $w$ that varies with redshift. In particular, the current SN data do not yet significantly constrain $w$ at $z>1$. With the addition of our new nearby Hubble-flow SNe Ia, these resulting cosmological constraints are currently the tightest available.

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arXiv2008

Time Dilation in Type Ia Supernova Spectra at High Redshift

We present multiepoch spectra of 13 high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) drawn from the literature, the ESSENCE and SNLS projects, and our own separate dedicated program on the ESO Very Large Telescope. We use the Supernova Identification (SNID) code of Blondin & Tonry to determine the spectral ages in the supernova rest frame. Comparison with the observed elapsed time yields an apparent aging rate consistent with the 1/(1+z) factor (where z is the redshift) expected in a homogeneous, isotropic, expanding universe. These measurements thus confirm the expansion hypothesis, while unambiguously excluding models that predict no time dilation, such as Zwicky's "tired light" hypothesis. We also test for power-law dependencies of the aging rate on redshift. The best-fit exponent for these models is consistent with the expected 1/(1+z) factor.

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arXiv2008

Spectral Identification of an Ancient Supernova using Light Echoes in the LMC

We report the successful identification of the type of the supernova responsible for the supernova remnant SNR 0509-675 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using Gemini spectra of surrounding light echoes. The ability to classify outbursts associated with centuries-old remnants provides a new window into several aspects of supernova research and is likely to be successful in providing new constraints on additional LMC supernovae as well as their historical counterparts in the Milky Way Galaxy (MWG). The combined spectrum of echo light from SNR 0509-675 shows broad emission and absorption lines consistent with a supernova (SN) spectrum. We create a spectral library consisting of 26 SNe Ia and 6 SN Ib/c that are time-integrated, dust-scattered by LMC dust, and reddened by the LMC and MWG. We fit these SN templates to the observed light echo spectrum using $χ^2$ minimization as well as correlation techniques, and we find that overluminous 91T-like SNe Ia with $\dm15<0.9$ match the observed spectrum best.

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arXiv2007

Constraining Cosmic Evolution of Type Ia Supernovae

We present the first large-scale effort of creating composite spectra of high-redshift type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and comparing them to low-redshift counterparts. Through the ESSENCE project, we have obtained 107 spectra of 88 high-redshift SNe Ia with excellent light-curve information. In addition, we have obtained 397 spectra of low-redshift SNe through a multiple-decade effort at Lick and Keck Observatories, and we have used 45 UV spectra obtained by HST/IUE. The low-redshift spectra act as a control sample when comparing to the ESSENCE spectra. In all instances, the ESSENCE and Lick composite spectra appear very similar. The addition of galaxy light to the Lick composite spectra allows a nearly perfect match of the overall spectral-energy distribution with the ESSENCE composite spectra, indicating that the high-redshift SNe are more contaminated with host-galaxy light than their low-redshift counterparts. This is caused by observing objects at all redshifts with the same slit width, which corresponds to different projected distances. After correcting for the galaxy-light contamination, subtle differences in the spectra remain. We have estimated the systematic errors when using current spectral templates for K-corrections to be ~0.02 mag. The variance in the composite spectra give an estimate of the intrinsic variance in low-redshift maximum-light SN spectra of ~3% in the optical and growing toward the UV. The difference between the maximum light low and high-redshift spectra constrain SN evolution between our samples to be < 10% in the rest-frame optical.

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arXiv2007

A Survey of Local Group Galaxies Currently Forming Stars: III. A Search for Luminous Blue Variables and Other H-alpha Emission-Lined Stars

We describe a search for H-alpha emission-lined stars in M31, M33, and seven dwarfs in or near the Local Group (IC 10, NGC 6822, WLM, Sextans B, Sextans A, Pegasus and the Phoenix dwarf) using interference filter imaging with the KPNO and CTIO 4-m telescope and Mosaic cameras. The survey is aimed primarily at identifying new Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) from their spectroscopic similarity to known LBVs, avoiding the bias towards photometric variability, which may require centuries to manifest itself if LBVs go through long quiescent periods. Followup spectroscopy with WIYN confirms that our survey detected a wealth of stars whose spectra are similar to the known LBVs. We "classify" the spectra of known LBVs, and compare these to the spectra of the new LBV candidates. We demonstrate spectacular spectral variability for several of the new LBV candidates, such as AM2, previously classified as a Wolf-Rayet star, which now shows FeI, FeII and Balmer emission lines but neither the NIII 4634,42 nor HeII 4686 emission that it did in 1982. Profound spectral changes are also noted for other suspected and known LBVs. Several of the LBV candidates also show >0.5 mag changes in V over the past 10-20 years. The number of known or suspected LBVs is now 24 in M31, 37 in M33, 1 in NGC 6822, and 3 in IC 10. We estimate that the total number of LBVs in M31 and M33 may be several hundred, in contrast to the 8 known historically through large-scale photometric variability. This has significant implications for the time scale of the LBV phase. We also identify a few new WRs and peculiar emission-lined objects.

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arXiv2007

Scrutinizing Exotic Cosmological Models Using ESSENCE Supernova Data Combined with Other Cosmological Probes

The first cosmological results from the ESSENCE supernova survey (Wood-Vasey et al. 2007) are extended to a wider range of cosmological models including dynamical dark energy and non-standard cosmological models. We fold in a greater number of external data sets such as the recent Higher-z release of high-redshift supernovae (Riess et al. 2007) as well as several complementary cosmological probes. Model comparison statistics such as the Bayesian and Akaike information criteria are applied to gauge the worth of models. These statistics favor models that give a good fit with fewer parameters. Based on this analysis, the preferred cosmological model is the flat cosmological constant model, where the expansion history of the universe can be adequately described with only one free parameter describing the energy content of the universe. Among the more exotic models that provide good fits to the data, we note a preference for models whose best-fit parameters reduce them to the cosmological constant model.

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arXiv2007

IRAC Observations of CO J=4-3 High-Velocity Cloud in the 30 Doradus Complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We compare the CO 2-1 observations against previously taken CO 4-3 observations and analyze the spatial distribution of young stellar objects (YSO's) within the cloud using the Spitzer IRAC observations of the 30 Doradus complex. Both peaks of CO 2-1 and 4-3 emitting clouds coincide with the densest region of the filaments where multiple shells are colliding. We find that the YSO's are clustered in the southern ridge of the warm and dense molecular gas clouds traced by CO J=4-3, indicating a filamentary structure of star formation throughout the 30 Doradus. We also find that some of Class I YSO's candidates which are likely to be associated with a high-velocity component of CO 4-3 emitting clouds are present. This is a bona fide place where the triggered star formation had happened and newly formed stars may have produced such a high-velocity outflow interacting with the surrounding molecular cloud material.

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arXiv2007

Observational Constraints on the Nature of the Dark Energy: First Cosmological Results from the ESSENCE Supernova Survey

We present constraints on the dark energy equation-of-state parameter, w=P/(rho c^2), using 60 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the ESSENCE supernova survey. We derive a set of constraints on the nature of the dark energy assuming a flat Universe. By including constraints on (Omega_M, w) from baryon acoustic oscillations, we obtain a value for a static equation-of-state parameter w=-1.05^{+0.13}_{-0.12} (stat; 1 sigma) +- 0.11 (sys) and Omega_M=0.274^{+0.033}_{-0.020} (stat; 1 sigma) with a best-fit chi^2/DoF of 0.96. These results are consistent with those reported by the SuperNova Legacy Survey in a similar program measuring supernova distances and redshifts. We evaluate sources of systematic error that afflict supernova observations and present Monte Carlo simulations that explore these effects. Currently, the largest systematic currently with the potential to affect our measurements is the treatment of extinction due to dust in the supernova host galaxies. Combining our set of ESSENCE SNe Ia with the SuperNova Legacy Survey SNe Ia, we obtain a joint constraint of w=-1.07^{+0.09}_{-0.09} (stat; 1 sigma) +- 0.12 (sys), Omega_M=0.267^{+0.028}_{-0.018} (stat; 1 sigma) with a best-fit chi^2/DoF of 0.91. The current SN Ia data are fully consistent with a cosmological constant.

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arXiv2007

The ESSENCE Supernova Survey: Survey Optimization, Observations, and Supernova Photometry

We describe the implementation and optimization of the ESSENCE supernova survey, which we have undertaken to measure the equation of state parameter of the dark energy. We present a method for optimizing the survey exposure times and cadence to maximize our sensitivity to the dark energy equation of state parameter w=P/rho c^2 for a given fixed amount of telescope time. For our survey on the CTIO 4m telescope, measuring the luminosity distances and redshifts for supernovae at modest redshifts (z~0.5 +- 0.2) is optimal for determining w. We describe the data analysis pipeline based on using reliable and robust image subtraction to find supernovae automatically and in near real-time. Since making cosmological inferences with supernovae relies crucially on accurate measurement of their brightnesses, we describe our efforts to establish a thorough calibration of the CTIO 4m natural photometric system. In its first four years, ESSENCE has discovered and spectroscopically confirmed 102 type Ia SNe, at redshifts from 0.10 to 0.78, identified through an impartial, effective methodology for spectroscopic classification and redshift determination. We present the resulting light curves for the all type Ia supernovae found by ESSENCE and used in our measurement of w, presented in Wood-Vasey et al, 2007.

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arXiv2006

Dust Destruction in Fast Shocks of Core-Collapse Supernova Remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We report observations with the MIPS instrument aboard the {\it Spitzer Space Telescope} (SST) of four supernova remnants (SNRs) believed to be the result of core-collapse SNe: N132D (0525-69.6), N49B (0525-66.0), N23 (0506-68.0), and 0453-68.5. All four of these SNRs were detected in whole at 24 $μ$m and in part at 70 $μ$m. Comparisons with {\it Chandra} broadband X-ray images show an association of infrared (IR) emission with the blast wave. We attribute the observed IR emission to dust that has been collisionally heated by electrons and ions in the hot, X-ray emitting plasma, with grain size distributions appropriate for the LMC and the destruction of small grains via sputtering by ions. As with our earlier analysis of Type Ia SNRs, models can reproduce observed 70/24 $μ$m ratios only if effects from sputtering are included, destroying small grains. We calculate the mass of dust swept up by the blast wave in these remnants, and we derive a dust-to-gas mass ratio of several times less than the often assumed value of 0.25% for the LMC. We believe that one explanation for this discrepancy could be porous (fluffy) dust grains.

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arXiv2006

Cyber-infrastructure to Support Science and Data Management for the Dark Energy Survey

The Dark Energy Survey (DES; operations 2009-2015) will address the nature of dark energy using four independent and complementary techniques: (1) a galaxy cluster survey over 4000 deg2 in collaboration with the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect mapping experiment, (2) a cosmic shear measurement over 5000 deg2, (3) a galaxy angular clustering measurement within redshift shells to redshift=1.35, and (4) distance measurements to 1900 supernovae Ia. The DES will produce 200 TB of raw data in four bands, These data will be processed into science ready images and catalogs and co-added into deeper, higher quality images and catalogs. In total, the DES dataset will exceed 1 PB, including a 100 TB catalog database that will serve as a key science analysis tool for the astronomy/cosmology community. The data rate, volume, and duration of the survey require a new type of data management (DM) system that (1) offers a high degree of automation and robustness and (2) leverages the existing high performance computing infrastructure to meet the project's DM targets. The DES DM system consists of (1) a grid-enabled, flexible and scalable middleware developed at NCSA for the broader scientific community, (2) astronomy modules that build upon community software, and (3) a DES archive to support automated processing and to serve DES catalogs and images to the collaboration and the public. In the recent DES Data Challenge 1 we deployed and tested the first version of the DES DM system, successfully reducing 700 GB of raw simulated images into 5 TB of reduced data products and cataloguing 50 million objects with calibrated astrometry and photometry.

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arXiv2006

The Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies: I. Description and Initial Results

We introduce the Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies (SINGG), a census of star formation in HI-selected galaxies. The survey consists of H-alpha and R-band imaging of a sample of 468 galaxies selected from the HI Parkes All Sky Survey (HIPASS). The sample spans three decades in HI mass and is free of many of the biases that affect other star forming galaxy samples. We present the criteria for sample selection, list the entire sample, discuss our observational techniques, and describe the data reduction and calibration methods. This paper focuses on 93 SINGG targets whose observations have been fully reduced and analyzed to date. The majority of these show a single Emission Line Galaxy (ELG). We see multiple ELGs in 13 fields, with up to four ELGs in a single field. All of the targets in this sample are detected in H-alpha indicating that dormant (non-star forming) galaxies with M(HI) > ~3e7 M_sun are very rare. A database of the measured global properties of the ELGs is presented. The ELG sample spans four orders of magnitude in luminosity (H-alpha and R-band), and H-alpha surface brightness, nearly three orders of magnitude in R surface brightness and nearly two orders of magnitude in H-alpha equivalent width (EW). The surface brightness distribution of our sample is broader than that of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopic sample, the (EW) distribution is broader than prism-selected samples, and the morphologies found include all common types of star forming galaxies (e.g. irregular, spiral, blue compact dwarf, starbursts, merging and colliding systems, and even residual star formation in S0 and Sa spirals). (abridged)

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arXiv2006

NGC922 - A new drop-through ring galaxy

We have found the peculiar galaxy NGC922 to be a new drop-through ring galaxy using multi-wavelength (UV-radio) imaging and spectroscopic observations. Its `C'-shaped morphology and tidal plume indicate a recent strong interaction with its companion which was identified with these observations. Using numerical simulations we demonstrate that the main properties of the system can be generated by a high-speed off-axis drop-through collision of a small galaxy with a larger disk system, thus making NGC922 one of the nearest known collisional ring galaxies. While these systems are rare in the local Universe, recent deep HST images suggest they were more common in the early Universe.

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arXiv2006

The Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies- II. The Star Formation Rate Density of the Local Universe

We derive observed Halpha and R band luminosity densities of an HI-selected sample of nearby galaxies using the SINGG sample to be l_Halpha' = (9.4 +/- 1.8)e38 h_70 erg s^-1 Mpc^-3 for Halpha and l_R' = (4.4 +/- 0.7)e37 h_70 erg s^-1 A^-1 Mpc^-3 in the R band. This R band luminosity density is approximately 70% of that found by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. This leads to a local star formation rate density of log(SFRD) = -1.80 +0.13/-0.07(random) +/- 0.03(systematic) + log(h_70) after applying a mean internal extinction correction of 0.82 magnitudes. The gas cycling time of this sample is found to be t_gas = 7.5 +1.3/-2.1 Gyr, and the volume-averaged equivalent width of the SINGG galaxies is EW(Halpha) = 28.8 +7.2/-4.7 A (21.2 +4.2/-3.5 A without internal dust correction). As with similar surveys, these results imply that SFRD(z) decreases drastically from z ~ 1.5 to the present. A comparison of the dynamical masses of the SINGG galaxies evaluated at their optical limits with their stellar and HI masses shows significant evidence of downsizing: the most massive galaxies have a larger fraction of their mass locked up in stars compared with HI, while the opposite is true for less massive galaxies. We show that the application of the Kennicutt star formation law to a galaxy having the median orbital time at the optical limit of this sample results in a star formation rate decay with cosmic time similar to that given by the SFRD(z) evolution. This implies that the SFRD(z) evolution is primarily due to the secular evolution of galaxies, rather than interactions or mergers. This is consistent with the morphologies predominantly seen in the SINGG sample.

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arXiv2006

ChaMP Serendipitous Galaxy Cluster Survey

We present a survey of serendipitous extended X-ray sources and optical cluster candidates from the Chandra Multi-wavelength Project (ChaMP). Our main goal is to make an unbiased comparison of X-ray and optical cluster detection methods. In 130 archival Chandra pointings covering 13 square degrees, we use a wavelet decomposition technique to detect 55 extended sources, of which 6 are nearby single galaxies. Our X-ray cluster catalog reaches a typical flux limit of about ~10^-14 erg s^-1 cm^-2, with a median cluster core radius of 21 arcsec. For 56 of the 130 X-ray fields, we use the ChaMP's deep NOAO/4m MOSAIC g, r, and i imaging to independently detect cluster candidates using a Voronoi tessellation and percolation (VTP) method. Red-sequence filtering decreases the galaxy fore/background contamination and provides photometric redshifts to z~0.7. From the overlapping 6.1 square degree X-ray/optical imaging, we find 115 optical clusters (of which 11% are in the X-ray catalog) and 28 X-ray clusters (of which 46% are in the optical VTP catalog). The median redshift of the 13 X-ray/optical clusters is 0.41, and their median X-ray luminosity (0.5-2 keV) is L_X=(2.65\pm0.19)x10^43 ergs s^-1. The clusters in our sample that are only detected in our optical data are poorer on average (~4sigma) than the X-ray/optically matched clusters, which may partially explain the difference in the detection fractions.

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