arXiv subjects

Robin Ciardullo

Publications and source records attributed to Robin Ciardullo.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

The Absolute Magnitudes of Type Ia Supernovae in the Ultraviolet

We examine the absolute magnitudes and light-curve shapes of 14 nearby(redshift z = 0.004--0.027) Type Ia supernovae (SNe~Ia) observed in the ultraviolet (UV) with the Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. Colors and absolute magnitudes are calculated using both a standard Milky Way (MW) extinction law and one for the Large Magellanic Cloud that has been modified by circumstellar scattering. We find very different behavior in the near-UV filters (uvw1_rc covering ~2600-3300 A after removing optical light, and u ~3000--4000 A) compared to a mid-UV filter (uvm2 ~2000-2400 A). The uvw1_rc-b colors show a scatter of ~0.3 mag while uvm2-b scatters by nearly 0.9 mag. Similarly, while the scatter in colors between neighboring filters is small in the optical and somewhat larger in the near-UV, the large scatter in the uvm2-uvw1 colors implies significantly larger spectral variability below 2600 A. We find that in the near-UV the absolute magnitudes at peak brightness of normal SNe Ia in our sample are correlated with the optical decay rate with a scatter of 0.4 mag, comparable to that found for the optical in our sample. However, in the mid-UV the scatter is larger, ~1 mag, possibly indicating differences in metallicity. We find no strong correlation between either the UV light-curve shapes or the UV colors and the UV absolute magnitudes. With larger samples, the UV luminosity might be useful as an additional constraint to help determine distance, extinction, and metallicity in order to improve the utility of SNe Ia as standardized candles.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Evidence for Spatially Compact Lyman Alpha Emission in z=3.1 Lyman-Alpha-Emitting Galaxies

We present the results of a high-spatial-resolution study of the line emission in a sample of z=3.1 Lyman-Alpha-Emitting Galaxies (LAEs) in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South. Of the eight objects with coverage in our HST/WFPC2 narrow-band imaging, two have clear detections and an additional two are barely detected (~2-sigma). The clear detections are within ~0.5 kpc of the centroid of the corresponding rest-UV continuum source, suggesting that the line-emitting gas and young stars in LAEs are spatially coincident. The brightest object exhibits extended emission with a half-light radius of ~1.5 kpc, but a stack of the remaining LAE surface brightness profiles is consistent with the WFPC2 point spread function. This suggests that the Lyman Alpha emission in these objects originates from a compact (<~2 kpc) region and cannot be significantly more extended than the far-UV continuum emission (<~1 kpc). Comparing our WFPC2 photometry to previous ground-based measurements of their monochromatic fluxes, we find at 95% (99.7%) confidence that we cannot be missing more than 22% (32%) of the Lyman Alpha emission.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Planetary Nebulae in Face-On Spiral Galaxies. III. Planetary Nebula Kinematics and Disk Mass

Much of our understanding of dark matter halos comes from the assumption that the mass-to-light ratio (M/L) of spiral disks is constant. The best way to test this hypothesis is to measure the disk surface mass density directly via the kinematics of old disk stars. To this end, we have used planetary nebulae (PNe) as test particles and have measured the vertical velocity dispersion (sigma_z) throughout the disks of five nearby, low-inclination spiral galaxies: IC 342, M74 (NGC 628), M83 (NGC 5236), M94 (NGC 4736), and M101 (NGC 5457). By using HI to map galactic rotation and the epicyclic approximation to extract sigma_z from the line-of-sight dispersion, we find that, with the lone exception of M101, our disks do have a constant M/L out to ~3 optical scale lengths. However, once outside this radius, sigma_z stops declining and becomes flat with radius. Possible explanations for this behavior include an increase in the disk mass-to-light ratio, an increase in the importance of the thick disk, and heating of the thin disk by halo substructure. We also find that the disks of early type spirals have higher values of M/L and are closer to maximal than the disks of later-type spirals, and that the unseen inner halos of these systems are better fit by pseudo-isothermal laws than by NFW models.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

The Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function: Pieces of the Puzzle

Extragalactic surveys in the emission line of [O III] 5007 have provided us with the absolute line strengths of large, homogeneous sets of planetary nebulae. These data have been used to address a host of problems, from the measurement of the extragalactic distance scale, to the study of stellar populations. I review our current understanding of the [O III] planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF), and discuss some of the physical processes that effect its structure. I also describe the features of the H-alpha PNLF, a function that, upon first glance, looks similar to the [O III] PNLF, but which includes a very different set of objects. Finally, I discuss recent measurements of alpha, the number of PNe found in a stellar population, normalized to that population's bolometric luminosity. I show that, contrary to expectations, the values of alpha found in actively star-forming spirals is essentially the same as those measured in late-type elliptical and lenticular systems. I discuss how this result sheds light on the physics of the planetary nebula phenomenon.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Astrometry with the Hubble Space Telescope: Trigonometric Parallaxes of Planetary Nebula Nuclei: NGC 6853, NGC 7293, Abell 31, and DeHt 5

We present absolute parallaxes and relative proper motions for the central stars of the planetary nebulae NGC 6853 (The Dumbbell), NGC 7293 (The Helix), Abell 31, and DeHt 5. This paper details our reduction and analysis using DeHt 5 as an example. We obtain these planetary nebula nuclei (PNNi) parallaxes with astrometric data from Fine Guidance Sensors FGS 1R and FGS 3, white-light interferometers on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Proper motions, spectral classifications and VJHKT_2M and DDO51 photometry of the stars comprising the astrometric reference frames provide spectrophotometric estimates of reference star absolute parallaxes. Introducing these into our model as observations with error, we determine absolute parallaxes for each PNN. Weighted averaging with previous independent parallax measurements yields an average parallax precision, σ_π/π= 5 %. Derived distances are: d_{NGC 6853}=405^{+28}_{-25}pc, d_{NGC 7293}=216^{+14}_{-12} pc, d_{Abell 31} = 621^{+91}_{-70} pc, and d_{DeHt 5} = 345^{+19}_{-17} pc. These PNNi distances are all smaller than previously derived from spectroscopic analyses of the central stars. Derived absolute magnitudes and previously measured effective temperatures permit estimates of PNNi radii, through both the Stefan-Boltzmann relation and Eddington fluxes. Comparing absolute magnitudes with post-AGB models provides mass estimates. Masses cluster around 0.57 M(sun), close to the peak of the white dwarf mass distribution. Adding a few more PNNi with well-determined distances and masses, we compare all the PNNi with cooler white dwarfs of similar mass, and confirm, as expected, that PNNi have larger radii than white dwarfs that have reached their final cooling tracks. (Abridged)

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2009

Planetary Nebulae in Face-On Spiral Galaxies. II. Planetary Nebula Spectroscopy

As the second step in our investigation of the mass-to-light ratio of spiral disks, we present the results of a spectroscopic survey of planetary nebulae (PNe) in five nearby, low-inclination galaxies: IC 342, M74 (NGC 628), M83 (NGC 5236), M94 (NGC 4736), and M101 (NGC 5457). Using 50 setups of the WIYN/Hydra and Blanco/Hydra spectrographs, and 25 observations with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope's Medium Resolution Spectrograph, we determine the radial velocities of 99, 102, 162, 127, and 48 PNe, respectively, to a precision better than 15 km/s. Although the main purpose of this data set is to facilitate dynamical mass measurements throughout the inner and outer disks of large spiral galaxies, our spectroscopy has other uses as well. Here, we co-add these spectra to show that to first order, the [O III] and Balmer line ratios of planetary nebulae vary little over the top ~1.5 mag of the planetary nebula luminosity function. The only obvious spectral change occurs with [N II], which increases in strength as one proceeds down the luminosity function. We also show that typical [O III]-bright planetaries have E(B-V) ~ 0.2 of circumstellar extinction, and that this value is virtually independent of [O III] luminosity. We discuss the implications this has for understanding the population of PN progenitors.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

The edge of the M87 halo and the kinematics of the diffuse light in the Virgo cluster core

We present high resolution FLAMES/VLT spectroscopy of intracluster planetary nebula (ICPN) candidates, targeting three new fields in the Virgo cluster core with surface brightness down to mu_B = 28.5. Based on the projected phase space information we separate the old and 12 newly-confirmed PNs into galaxy and intracluster components. The M87 PNs are confined to the extended stellar envelope of M87, within a projected radius of ~ 160 kpc, while the ICPNs are scattered across the whole surveyed region between M87 and M86. The velocity dispersions determined from the M87 PNs at projected radii of 60 kpc and 144 kpc show that the galaxy's velocity dispersion profile decreases in the outer halo, down to 78 +/- 25 km/s. A Jeans model for the M87 halo stars in the gravitational potential traced by the X-ray emission fits the observed velocity dispersion profile only if the stellar orbits are strongly radially anisotropic (beta ~= 0.4 at r ~= 10 kpc increasing to 0.8 at the outer edge), and if additionally the stellar halo is truncated at ~= 150 kpc average elliptical radius. From the spatial and velocity distribution of the ICPNs we infer that M87 and M86 are falling towards each other and that we may be observing them just before the first close pass. The inferred luminosity-specific PN numbers for the M87 halo and the ICL are in the range of values observed for old (> 10 Gyr) stellar populations (abridged).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Structure and Substructure of Galactic Spheroids

The full spatio-chemo-dynamical structure of galaxies of all types and environments at low redshift provides a critical accompaniment to observations of galaxy formation at high redshift. The next decade brings the observational opportunity to strongly constrain nearby galaxies' histories of star formation and assembly, especially in the spheroids that comprise the large majority of the stellar mass in the Universe but have until now been difficult to study. In order to constrain the pathways to building up the spheroidal "red-sequence", various standard techniques in photometry and spectroscopy, particularly with resolved tracer populations like globular clusters and planetary nebulae, can be scaled up to comprehensive surveys as improved wide-field instrumentation is increasingly available. At the same time, progress in adaptive optics on giant telescopes could for the first time permit deep, resolved photometric and spectroscopic analysis of large samples of individual stars in these systems, thereby revolutionizing galaxy studies. Strong theoretical support is needed in order to understand the new observational constraints via detailed modeling and self-consistent simulations of star and galaxy formation throughout cosmic time.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Kinematic Evidence for Halo Substructure in Spiral Galaxies

We present the results of a kinematic study of planetary nebulae in the extreme outskirts of two spiral galaxies, M83 (NGC 5236) and M94 (NGC 4736). We find that in the inner regions of the galaxies, the vertical velocity dispersion (sigma_z) falls off exponentially with the light, as expected for a constant mass-to-light ratio, constant thickness disk. However, starting at four optical scale lengths, sigma_z asymptotes out at roughly 20 km/s. Our analysis finds evidence for significant flaring in the outer regions as well, especially in M94. These observations are in excellent agreement with predictions derived from models of disk heating by halo substructure, and demonstrate how kinematic surveys in the outer disks of spirals can be used to test hierarchical models of galaxy formation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2008

Very Broad [O III]4959,5007 Emission from the NGC 4472 Globular Cluster RZ2109 and Implications for the Mass of Its Black Hole X-ray Source

We present Keck LRIS spectroscopy of the black hole-hosting globular cluster RZ2109 in the Virgo elliptical galaxy NGC 4472. We find that this object has extraordinarily broad [OIII]5007 and [OIII]4959 emission lines, with velocity widths of approximately 2,000 k/ms. This result has significant implications for the nature of this accreting black-hole system and the mass of the globular cluster black hole. We show that the broad [OIII]5007 emission must arise from material driven at high velocity from the black hole system. This is because the volume available near the black hole is too small by many orders of magnitude to have enough [OIII] emitting atoms to account for the observed L([OIII]5007) at high velocities, even if this volume is filled with Oxygen at the critical density for [OIII]5007. The Balmer emission is also weak, indicating the observed [OIII] is not due to shocks. We therefore conclude that the [OIII]4959,5007 is produced by photoionization of material driven across the cluster. The only known way to drive significant material at high velocity is for a system accreting mass near or above its Eddington limit, which indicates a stellar mass black hole. Since it is dynamically implausible to form an accreting stellar mass black hole system in a globular cluster with an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH), it appears this massive globular cluster does not have an IMBH. We discuss further tests of this conclusion, and its implications for the M_BH - M_stellar and M_BH - sigma relations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Planetary Nebulae in Face-On Spiral Galaxies. I. Planetary Nebula Photometry and Distances

As the first step to determine disk mass-to-light ratios for normal spiral galaxies, we present the results of an imaging survey for planetary nebulae (PNe) in six nearby, face-on systems: IC 342, M74 (NGC 628), M83 (NGC 5236), M94 (NGC 4736), NGC 5068, and NGC 6946. Using Blanco/Mosaic II and WIYN/OPTIC, we identify 165, 153, 241, 150, 19, and 71 PN candidates, respectively, and use the Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function (PNLF) to obtain distances. For M74 and NGC 5068, our distances of 8.6 +/- 0.3 Mpc and 5.4 +0.2/-0.4 Mpc are the first reliable estimates to these objects; for IC 342 (3.5 +/- 0.3 Mpc), M83 (4.8 +/- 0.1 Mpc), M94 (4.4 +0.1/-0.2 Mpc), and NGC 6946 (6.1 +/- 0.6 Mpc) our values agree well with those in the literature. In the larger systems, we find no evidence for any systematic change in the PNLF with galactic position, though we do see minor field-to-field variations in the luminosity function. In most cases, these changes do not affect the measurement of distance, but in one case the fluctuations result in a ~0.2 mag shift in the location of the PNLF cutoff. We discuss the possible causes of these small-scale changes, including internal extinction in the host galaxies and age/metallicity changes in the underlying stellar population.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Expansion velocities and core masses of bright planetary nebulae in the Virgo cluster

The line-of-sight velocities and [OIII] 5007 AA expansion velocities are measured for 11 planetary nebulae (PNs) in the Virgo cluster core, at 15 Mpc distance, with the FLAMES spectrograph on the ESO VLT. These PNs are located about halfway between the two giant ellipticals M87 and M86. From the [OIII] 5007 AA line profile widths, the average half-width at half maximum expansion velocity for this sample of 11 PNs is v_HWHM = 16.5 km/s (RMS=2.6 km/s). We use the PN subsample bound to M87 to remove the distance uncertainties, and the resulting [OIII] 5007 AA luminosities to derive the central star masses. We find these masses to be at least 0.6 M_sun and obtain PN observable life times t_PN < 2000 yrs, which imply that the bright PNs detected in the Virgo cluster core are compact, high density nebulae. We finally discuss several scenarios for explaining the high central star masses in these bright M87 halo PNs.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Spitzer Constraints on the Stellar Populations of Lyman-Alpha Emitting Galaxies at z = 3.1

We investigate the stellar populations of a sample of 162 Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies (LAEs) at z = 3.1 in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, using deep Spitzer IRAC data available from the GOODS and SIMPLE surveys to derive reliable stellar population estimates. We divide the LAEs according to their rest-frame near-IR luminosities into IRAC-detected and IRAC-undetected samples. About 70% of the LAEs are undetected in 3.6 micron down to [3.6] = 25.2 AB. Stacking analysis reveals that the average stellar population of the IRAC-undetected sample has an age of ~ 200 Myr and a mass of ~ 3x10^8 solar masses, consistent with the expectation that LAEs are mostly young and low-mass galaxies. On the other hand, the IRAC-detected LAEs are on average significantly older and more massive, with an average age > 1 Gyr and mass ~ 10^10 solar masses. Comparing the IRAC colors and magnitudes of the LAEs to z ~ 3 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) shows that the IRAC-detected LAEs lie at the faint blue end of the LBG color-magnitude distribution, suggesting that IRAC-detected LAEs may be the low mass extension of the LBG population. We also present tentative evidence for a small fraction (~ 5%) of obscured AGN within the LAE sample. Our results suggest that LAEs posses a wide range of ages and masses. Additionally, the presence of evolved stellar populations inside LAEs suggests that the Lyman-alpha luminous phase of galaxies may either be a long-lasting or recurring phenomenon.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Ly Alpha-Emitting Galaxies at z=3.1: L* Progenitors Experiencing Rapid Star Formation

We studied the clustering properties and multiwavelength spectral energy distributions of a complete sample of 162 Ly Alpha-Emitting (LAE) galaxies at z=3.1 discovered in deep narrow-band MUSYC imaging of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South. LAEs were selected to have observed frame equivalent widths >80A and emission line fluxes >1.5E-17 erg/cm^2/s. Only 1% of our LAE sample appears to host AGN. The LAEs exhibit a moderate spatial correlation length of r_0=3.6+0.8-1.0 Mpc, corresponding to a bias factor b=1.7+0.3-0.4, which implies median dark matter halo masses of log10(M_med) = 10.9+0.5-0.9 M_sun. Comparing the number density of LAEs, (1.5+-0.3)E-3/Mpc^3, with the number density of these halos finds a mean halo occupation ~1-10%. The evolution of galaxy bias with redshift implies that most z=3.1 LAEs evolve into present-day galaxies with L<2.5L*, whereas other z>3 galaxy populations typically evolve into more massive galaxies. Halo merger trees show that z=0 descendants occupy halos with a wide range of masses, with a median descendant mass close to that of L*. Only 30% of LAEs have sufficient stellar mass (>~3E9 M_sun) to yield detections in deep Spitzer-IRAC imaging. A two-population SED fit to the stacked UBVRIzJK+[3.6,4.5,5.6,8.0]micron fluxes of the IRAC-undetected objects finds that the typical LAE has low stellar mass (1.0+0.6-0.4 E9 M_sun), moderate star formation rate (2+-1 M_sun/yr), a young component age of 20+30-10 Myr, and little dust (A_V<0.2). The best fit model has 20% of the mass in the young stellar component, but models without evolved stars are also allowed.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The Resolved Stellar Populations of a Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy in the Virgo Cluster

We report on the discovery of a faint (M_V ~ -10.6 +/- 0.2) dwarf spheroidal galaxy on deep F606W and F814W Hubble Space Telescope images of a Virgo intracluster field. The galaxy is easily resolved in our images, as our color magnitude diagram (CMD) extends > 1 magnitude beyond the tip of the red giant branch (RGB). Thus, it is the deepest CMD for a small dwarf galaxy inside a cluster environment. Using the colors of the RGB stars, we derive a metal abundance for the dwarf of [M/H]= -2.3 +/- 0.3, and show that the metallicity dispersion is less than 0.6 dex at 95% confidence. We also use the galaxy's lack of AGB stars and the absence of objects brighter than M_bol ~ -4.1 +/- 0.2 to show that the system is old (t >~10 Gyr). Finally, we derive the object's structural parameters, and show that the galaxy displays no obvious evidence of tidal threshing. Since the tip of the red giant branch distance ((m-M)_0 = 31.23 +/- 0.17 or D = 17.6 +/- 1.4 Mpc) puts the galaxy near the core of the Virgo cluster, one might expect the object to have undergone some tidal processing. Yet the chemical and morphological similarity between the dwarf and the dSph galaxies of the Local and M81 Group demonstrates that the object is indeed pristine, and not the shredded remains of a much larger galaxy. We discuss the possible origins of this galaxy, and suggest that it is just now falling into Virgo for the first time.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The Metallicity Distribution of Intracluster Stars in Virgo

We have used the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) to detect and measure ~5300 stars in a single intracluster field in the Virgo Cluster. By performing F606W and F814W photometry on these stars, we have determined their metallicity distribution function, and constrained the types of stars present in this portion of Virgo's intracluster space. Based on the small number of stars detected brighter than the red giant branch (RGB) tip, we suggest that in this region, Virgo's intracluster stars are mostly old (>~10 Gyr). Through analysis of the RGB stars themselves, we determine that the population contains the full range of metallicities probed (-2.3<[M/H]<0.0). We also present evidence that the younger (<10 Gyr) component of the population is more metal-rich, with [M/H]>-0.5. The spatial distribution of the most metal-poor stars in the field shows significantly more structure than that of the metal-rich stars, indicating that the intracluster population is not well-mixed. We discuss the implications these observations have for the production of intracluster stars and the dynamical evolution of the Virgo Cluster.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Virgo's Intracluster Globular Clusters as Seen by the Advanced Camera for Surveys

We report the discovery of 4 candidate intracluster globular clusters (IGCs) in a single deep HST ACS field of the Virgo Cluster. We show that each cluster is roughly spherical, has a magnitude near the peak of the Virgo globular cluster luminosity function, has a radial profile that is best-fit by a King model, and is surrounded by an excess of point sources which have the colors and magnitudes of cluster red giant stars. Despite the fact that two of our IGC candidates have integrated colors redder than the mean of the M87 globular cluster system, we propose that all of the objects are metal-poor with [M/H] < -1. We show that the tidal radii of our intracluster globulars are all larger than the mean for Milky Way clusters, and suggest that the clusters have undergone less tidal stress than their Galactic counterparts. Finally, we normalize our globular cluster observations to the luminosity of intracluster stars, and derive a value of S_N ~ 6 for the specific frequency of Virgo intracluster globular clusters. We use these data to constrain the origins of Virgo's intracluster population, and suggest that globular clusters in our intracluster field have a different origin than globular clusters in the vicinity of M87. In particular, we argue that dwarf elliptical galaxies may be an important source of intracluster stars.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Planetary Nebulae as Probes of Stellar Populations

Planetary nebulae (PNe) have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of extragalactic stellar populations. Indeed, in many systems, bright PNe are the only individual objects identifiable from the ground, and, even more often, they are the only stars that are amenable to spectroscopy. We review the ways in which ensembles of PNe can be used to probe the metallicity, age, and history of a stellar population. In particular, we discuss three cases: the weak line spectroscopic regime, where one has knowledge of the line-strengths of faint forbidden lines such as [O III] 4363, a bright-line regime, where only the strongest emission lines are visible, and the photometric regime, where the only information available is the [O III] 5007 luminosity function. We show that each of these cases, when properly calibrated, can provide unique insights into the objects that make up a stellar population.

astro-ph↗