arXiv subjects

S. S. Murray

Publications and source records attributed to S. S. Murray.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Optical Spectroscopy and Velocity Dispersions of Galaxy Clusters from the SPT-SZ Survey

We present optical spectroscopy of galaxies in clusters detected through the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect with the South Pole Telescope (SPT). We report our own measurements of $61$ spectroscopic cluster redshifts, and $48$ velocity dispersions each calculated with more than $15$ member galaxies. This catalog also includes $19$ dispersions of SPT-observed clusters previously reported in the literature. The majority of the clusters in this paper are SPT-discovered; of these, most have been previously reported in other SPT cluster catalogs, and five are reported here as SPT discoveries for the first time. By performing a resampling analysis of galaxy velocities, we find that unbiased velocity dispersions can be obtained from a relatively small number of member galaxies ($\lesssim 30$), but with increased systematic scatter. We use this analysis to determine statistical confidence intervals that include the effect of membership selection. We fit scaling relations between the observed cluster velocity dispersions and mass estimates from SZ and X-ray observables. In both cases, the results are consistent with the scaling relation between velocity dispersion and mass expected from dark-matter simulations. We measure a $\sim$30% log-normal scatter in dispersion at fixed mass, and a $\sim$10% offset in the normalization of the dispersion-mass relation when compared to the expectation from simulations, which is within the expected level of systematic uncertainty.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

The Redshift Evolution of the Mean Temperature, Pressure, and Entropy Profiles in 80 SPT-Selected Galaxy Clusters

(Abridged) We present the results of an X-ray analysis of 80 galaxy clusters selected in the 2500 deg^2 South Pole Telescope survey and observed with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We divide the full sample into subsamples of ~20 clusters based on redshift and central density, performing an X-ray fit to all clusters in a subsample simultaneously, assuming self-similarity of the temperature profile. This approach allows us to constrain the shape of the temperature profile over 0 R500) regions than their low-z (0.3 R500 in our high-z subsample. This flattening is consistent with a temperature bias due to the enhanced (~3x) rate at which group-mass (~2 keV) halos, which would go undetected at our survey depth, are accreting onto the cluster at z~1. This work demonstrates a powerful method for inferring spatially-resolved cluster properties in the case where individual cluster signal-to-noise is low, but the number of observed clusters is high.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

50 M31 black hole candidates identified by Chandra and XMM-Newton

Over the last ~5 years we have identified ~35 black hole candidates (BHCs) in M31 from their X-ray spectra. Our BHCs exhibited 0.3--10 keV spectra consistent with the X-ray binary (XB) hard state, at luminosities that are above the upper limit for neutron star (NS) XBs. When our BHC spectra were modeled with a disk blackbody + blackbody model, for comparison with bright NS XBs, we found that the BHCs inhabited a different parameter space to the NS XBs. However, BH XBs may also exhibit a thermally dominated (TD) state that has never been seen in NS XBs; this TD state is most often observed in X-ray transients. We examined the ~50 X-ray transients in our Chandra survey of M31, and found 13 with spectra suitable for analysis. We also examined 2 BHCs outside the field of view of our survey, in the globular clusters B045 and B375. We have 42 strong BHCs, and 8 plausible BHCs that may benefit from further observation. Of our 15 BHCs in globular clusters, 12 differ from NS spectra by >5 sigma. Due to improvements in our analysis, we have upgraded 10 previously identified plausible BHCs to strong BHCs. The mean maximum duty cycle of the 33 X-ray transients within 6' of M31* was 0.13; we estimate that >40% of the XBs in this region contain BH accretors. Remarkably, we estimate that BHCs contribute >90% of those XBs >1 E+38 erg/s.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Chasing the Identification of ASCA Galactic Objects (ChIcAGO) - An X-ray Survey of Unidentified Sources in the Galactic Plane I: Source Sample and Initial Results

We present the Chasing the Identification of ASCA Galactic Objects (ChIcAGO) survey, which is designed to identify the unknown X-ray sources discovered during the ASCA Galactic Plane Survey (AGPS). Little is known about most of the AGPS sources, especially those that emit primarily in hard X-rays (2-10 keV) within the F_x ~ 10^-13 to 10^-11 erg cm^-2 s^-1 X-ray flux range. In ChIcAGO, the subarcsecond localization capabilities of Chandra have been combined with a detailed multi-wavelength follow-up program, with the ultimate goal of classifying the >100 unidentified sources in the AGPS. Overall to date, 93 unidentified AGPS sources have been observed with Chandra as part of the ChIcAGO survey. A total of 253 X-ray point sources have been detected in these Chandra observations within 3' of the original ASCA positions. We have identified infrared and optical counterparts to the majority of these sources, using both new observations and catalogs from existing Galactic plane surveys. X-ray and infrared population statistics for the X-ray point sources detected in the Chandra observations reveal that the primary populations of Galactic plane X-ray sources that emit in the F_x ~ 10^-13 to 10^-11 erg cm^-2 s^-1 flux range are active stellar coronae, massive stars with strong stellar winds that are possibly in colliding-wind binaries, X-ray binaries, and magnetars. There is also a fifth population that is still unidentified but, based on its X-ray and infrared properties, likely comprise partly of Galactic sources and partly of active galactic nuclei.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Measurement of Galaxy Cluster Integrated Comptonization and Mass Scaling Relations with the South Pole Telescope

We describe a method for measuring the integrated Comptonization (YSZ) of clusters of galaxies from measurements of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect in multiple frequency bands and use this method to characterize a sample of galaxy clusters detected in South Pole Telescope (SPT) data. We test this method on simulated cluster observations and verify that it can accurately recover cluster parameters with negligible bias. In realistic simulations of an SPT-like survey, with realizations of cosmic microwave background anisotropy, point sources, and atmosphere and instrumental noise at typical SPT-SZ survey levels, we find that YSZ is most accurately determined in an aperture comparable to the SPT beam size. We demonstrate the utility of this method to measure YSZ and to constrain mass scaling relations using X-ray mass estimates for a sample of 18 galaxy clusters from the SPT-SZ survey. Measuring YSZ within a 0.75' radius aperture, we find an intrinsic log-normal scatter of 21+/-11% in YSZ at a fixed mass. Measuring YSZ within a 0.3 Mpc projected radius (equivalent to 0.75' at the survey median redshift z = 0.6), we find a scatter of 26+/-9%. Prior to this study, the SPT observable found to have the lowest scatter with mass was cluster detection significance. We demonstrate, from both simulations and SPT observed clusters, that YSZ measured within an aperture comparable to the SPT beam size is equivalent, in terms of scatter with cluster mass, to SPT cluster detection significance.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Constraints on the CMB Temperature Evolution using Multi-Band Measurements of the Sunyaev Zel'dovich Effect with the South Pole Telescope

The adiabatic evolution of the temperature of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is a key prediction of standard cosmology. We study deviations from the expected adiabatic evolution of the CMB temperature of the form $T(z) =T_0(1+z)^{1-α}$ using measurements of the spectrum of the Sunyaev Zel'dovich Effect with the South Pole Telescope (SPT). We present a method for using the ratio of the Sunyaev Zel'dovich signal measured at 95 and 150 GHz in the SPT data to constrain the temperature of the CMB. We demonstrate that this approach provides unbiased results using mock observations of clusters from a new set of hydrodynamical simulations. We apply this method to a sample of 158 SPT-selected clusters, spanning the redshift range $0.05 < z < 1.35$, and measure $α= 0.017^{+0.030}_{-0.028}$, consistent with the standard model prediction of $α=0$. In combination with other published results, we constrain $α= 0.011 \pm 0.016$, an improvement of $\sim 20\%$ over published constraints. This measurement also provides a strong constraint on the effective equation of state in models of decaying dark energy $w_\mathrm{eff} = -0.987^{+0.016}_{-0.017}$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Discovery of a new black hole transient within 100" (400 pc) of M31*

We identified a new X-ray transient CXOM31 004252.457+411631.17 (T13) in M31 during a 2013 June Chandra observation. This system is particularly exciting because it is located within 100" of M31*; it is thought that this region of the bulge is sufficiently dense to form X-ray binaries dynamicaly, but only systems with black hole accretors and/or short periods are expected to survive. A follow-up XMM-Newton observation yielded a soft spectrum, well described by a 0.39+/-0.02 keV disk blackbody; applying this model to the Chandra observation yielded an observed 0.3--10 keV luminosity peak of 6.2+/-0.6 E+37 erg/s (4.7 E+36 erg/s in the 2.0--10 keV band). Observing with HST/ACS did not reveal an optical counterpart, but allowed us to place an upper limit of B >26.9, corresponding to an absolute V band magnitude >2.0. From the 2--10 keV luminosity and absolute V magnitude, we estimate an orbital period $<$5 h from an empirical relation. Fitting a disk blackbody + blackbody model allows us to reject a neutron star accretor at a 14 sigma level.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

A Multi-wavelength Study of the Host Environment of SMBHB 4C+37.11

4C+37.11, at z=0.055 shows two compact radio nuclei, imaged by VLBI at 7mas separation, making it the closest known resolved super-massive black hole binary (SMBHB). An important question is whether this unique object is young, caught on the way to a gravitational in-spiral and merger, or has `stalled' at 7pc. We describe new radio/optical/X-ray observations of the massive host and its surrounding X-ray halo. These data reveal X-ray/optical channels following the radio outflow and large scale edges in the X-ray halo. These structures are promising targets for further study which should elucidate their relationship to the unique SMBHB core.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

Around 200 new X-ray binary IDs from 13 years of Chandra observations of the M31 center

We have created 0.3--10 keV, 13 year, unabsorbed luminosity lightcurves for 528 X-ray sources in the central 20' of M31. We have 174 Chandra observations spaced at ~1 month intervals thanks to our transient monitoring program, deeper observations of the M31 nucleus, and some public data from other surveys. We created 0.5--4.5 keV structure functions (SFs) for each source, for comparison with the ensemble structure function of AGN. We find 220 X-ray sources with luminosities > ~1E+35 erg/s that have SFs with significantly more variability than the ensemble AGN SF, and are likely X-ray binaries (XBs). A further 30 X-ray sources were identified as XBs using other methods. We therefore have 250 probable XBs in total, including ~200 new identifications. This result represents great progress over the ~50 XBs and ~40 XB candidates previously identified out of the ~2000 X-ray sources within the D_25 region of M31; it also demonstrates the power of SF analysis for identifying XBs in external galaxies. We also identify a new transient black hole candidate, associated with the M31 globular cluster B128.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

The Growth of Cool Cores and Evolution of Cooling Properties in a Sample of 83 Galaxy Clusters at 0.3 < z < 1.2 Selected from the SPT-SZ Survey

We present first results on the cooling properties derived from Chandra X-ray observations of 83 high-redshift (0.3 < z < 1.2) massive galaxy clusters selected by their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich signature in the South Pole Telescope data. We measure each cluster's central cooling time, central entropy, and mass deposition rate, and compare to local cluster samples. We find no significant evolution from z~0 to z~1 in the distribution of these properties, suggesting that cooling in cluster cores is stable over long periods of time. We also find that the average cool core entropy profile in the inner ~100 kpc has not changed dramatically since z ~ 1, implying that feedback must be providing nearly constant energy injection to maintain the observed "entropy floor" at ~10 keV cm^2. While the cooling properties appear roughly constant over long periods of time, we observe strong evolution in the gas density profile, with the normalized central density (rho_0/rho_crit) increasing by an order of magnitude from z ~ 1 to z ~ 0. When using metrics defined by the inner surface brightness profile of clusters, we find an apparent lack of classical, cuspy, cool-core clusters at z > 0.75, consistent with earlier reports for clusters at z > 0.5 using similar definitions. Our measurements indicate that cool cores have been steadily growing over the 8 Gyr spanned by our sample, consistent with a constant, ~150 Msun/yr cooling flow that is unable to cool below entropies of 10 keV cm^2 and, instead, accumulates in the cluster center. We estimate that cool cores began to assemble in these massive systems at z ~ 1, which represents the first constraints on the onset of cooling in galaxy cluster cores. We investigate several potential biases which could conspire to mimic this cool core evolution and are unable to find a bias that has a similar redshift dependence and a substantial amplitude.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Complex diffuse radio emission in the merging PLANCK ESZ cluster Abell 3411

We present VLA radio and Chandra X-ray observations of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 3411. For the cluster, we find an overall temperature of 6.4 keV and an X-ray luminosity of 2.8 x 10^{44} erg s^{-1} between 0.5 and 2.0 keV. The Chandra observation reveals the cluster to be undergoing a merger event. The VLA observations show the presence of large-scale diffuse emission in the central region of the cluster, which we classify as a 0.9 Mpc size radio halo. In addition, a complex region of diffuse, polarized emission is found in the southeastern outskirts of the cluster, along the projected merger axis of the system. We classify this region of diffuse emission as a radio relic. The total extent of this radio relic is 1.9 Mpc. For the combined emission in the cluster region, we find a radio spectral index of -1.0 \pm 0.1 between 74 MHz and 1.4 GHz. The morphology of the radio relic is peculiar, as the relic is broken up into five fragments. This suggests that the shock responsible for the relic has been broken up due to interaction with a large-scale galaxy filament connected to the cluster or other substructures in the ICM. Alternatively, the complex morphology reflects the presence of electrons in fossil radio bubbles that are re-accelerated by a shock.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The second ULX transient in M31: Chandra, HST and XMM observations, and evidence for an extended corona

XMM J004243.6+412519 is a transient X-ray source in M31, first discovered 2012 January 15. Different approaches to fitting the brightest follow-up observation gave luminosities 1.3--2.5E+39 erg/s, making it the second ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) in M31, with a probable black hole accretor. These different models represent different scenarios for the corona: optically thick and compact, or optically thin and extended. We obtained Chandra ACIS and {\em HST} ACS observations of this object as part of our transient monitoring program, and also observed it serendipitously in a 120 ks XMM-Newton observation. We identify an optical counterpart at J2000 position 00:42:43.70 +41:25:18.54; its F435W (~ B band) magnitude was 25.97+/-0.03 in the 2012 March 7 observation, and >28.4 at the 4 sigma level during the 2012 September 7 observation, indicating a low mass donor. We created two alternative lightcurves, using the different corona scenarios, finding linear decay for the compact corona and exponential decay for the extended corona; linear decay implies a disk that is >5 magnitudes brighter than we observed. We therefore favor the extended corona scenario, but caution that there is no statistical preference for this model in the X-ray spectra alone. Using two empirical relations between the X-ray to optical ratio and the orbital period, we estimate a period of ~9--30 hr; this period is consistent with that of the first ULX in M31 (18 +5 -6 hr).

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Chandra identification of 26 new black hole candidates in the central region of M31

We have previously identified 10 M31 black hole candidates (BHCs) in M31, from their X-ray properties alone. They exhibit "hard state" emission spectra that are seen at luminosities < ~10% Eddington in X-ray binaries (XBs) containing a neutron star (NS) or black hole (BH), at luminosities that significantly exceed the NS threshold. Nine of these are associated with globular clusters (GCs); hence, these are most likely low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs); eight are included in this survey. We have recently discovered that analysis of the long term 0.5--4.5 keV variability of XBs via structure functions allows us to separate XBs from AGN, even though the emission spectra are often similar; this has enabled us to search for BHCs outside of GCs. We have identified 26 new BHCs (12 strong, 14 plausible) within 20' of the M31 nucleus (M31*), using 152 Chandra observations spaced over ~13 years; some of our classifications were enhanced with XMM-Newton observations. Of these, 7 appear within 100" of M31*; this supports the theory suggesting that this region experiences enhanced XB production via dynamical processes similar to those seen in GCs. We have found a parameter space where our black hole candidates are separated from Galactic neutron star binaries: we show that modelling a simulated hard state spectrum with a disk blackbody + blackbody model yields parameters that lie outside the space occupied by neutron star binaries that are modeled this way. The probability that our BHCs all lie within the NS parameter space is ~3E-29.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

High-Redshift Cool-Core Galaxy Clusters Detected via the Sunyaev--Zel'dovich Effect in the South Pole Telescope Survey

We report the first investigation of cool-core properties of galaxy clusters selected via their Sunyaev--Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. We use 13 galaxy clusters uniformly selected from 178 deg^2 observed with the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and followed up by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. They form an approximately mass-limited sample (> 3 x 10^14 M_sun h^-1_70) spanning redshifts 0.3 < z < 1.1. Using previously published X-ray-selected cluster samples, we compare two proxies of cool-core strength: surface brightness concentration (cSB) and cuspiness (α). We find that cSB is better constrained. We measure cSB for the SPT sample and find several new z > 0.5 cool-core clusters, including two strong cool cores. This rules out the hypothesis that there are no z > 0.5 clusters that qualify as strong cool cores at the 5.4σ level. The fraction of strong cool-core clusters in the SPT sample in this redshift regime is between 7% and 56% (95% confidence). Although the SPT selection function is significantly different from the X-ray samples, the high-z cSB distribution for the SPT sample is statistically consistent with that of X-ray-selected samples at both low and high redshifts. The cool-core strength is inversely correlated with the offset between the brightest cluster galaxy and the X-ray centroid, providing evidence that the dynamical state affects the cool-core strength of the cluster. Larger SZ-selected samples will be crucial in understanding the evolution of cluster cool cores over cosmic time.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

SPT-CL J0205-5829: A z = 1.32 Evolved Massive Galaxy Cluster in the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect Survey

The galaxy cluster SPT-CL J0205-5829 currently has the highest spectroscopically-confirmed redshift, z=1.322, in the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SPT-SZ) survey. XMM-Newton observations measure a core-excluded temperature of Tx=8.7keV producing a mass estimate that is consistent with the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich derived mass. The combined SZ and X-ray mass estimate of M500=(4.9+/-0.8)e14 h_{70}^{-1} Msun makes it the most massive known SZ-selected galaxy cluster at z>1.2 and the second most massive at z>1. Using optical and infrared observations, we find that the brightest galaxies in SPT-CL J0205-5829 are already well evolved by the time the universe was <5 Gyr old, with stellar population ages >3 Gyr, and low rates of star formation (<0.5Msun/yr). We find that, despite the high redshift and mass, the existence of SPT-CL J0205-5829 is not surprising given a flat LambdaCDM cosmology with Gaussian initial perturbations. The a priori chance of finding a cluster of similar rarity (or rarer) in a survey the size of the 2500 deg^2 SPT-SZ survey is 69%.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Weak-Lensing Mass Measurements of Five Galaxy Clusters in the South Pole Telescope Survey Using Magellan/Megacam

We use weak gravitational lensing to measure the masses of five galaxy clusters selected from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) survey, with the primary goal of comparing these with the SPT Sunyaev--Zel'dovich (SZ) and X-ray based mass estimates. The clusters span redshifts 0.28 < z < 0.43 and have masses M_500 > 2 x 10^14 h^-1 M_sun, and three of the five clusters were discovered by the SPT survey. We observed the clusters in the g'r'i' passbands with the Megacam imager on the Magellan Clay 6.5m telescope. We measure a mean ratio of weak lensing (WL) aperture masses to inferred aperture masses from the SZ data, both within an aperture of R_500,SZ derived from the SZ mass, of 1.04 +/- 0.18. We measure a mean ratio of spherical WL masses evaluated at R_500,SZ to spherical SZ masses of 1.07 +/- 0.18, and a mean ratio of spherical WL masses evaluated at R_500,WL to spherical SZ masses of 1.10 +/- 0.24. We explore potential sources of systematic error in the mass comparisons and conclude that all are subdominant to the statistical uncertainty, with dominant terms being cluster concentration uncertainty and N-body simulation calibration bias. Expanding the sample of SPT clusters with WL observations has the potential to significantly improve the SPT cluster mass calibration and the resulting cosmological constraints from the SPT cluster survey. These are the first WL detections using Megacam on the Magellan Clay telescope.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Contribution of the accretion disk, hot corona, and obscuring torus to the luminosity of Seyfert galaxies: INTEGRAL and Spitzer observations

We estimate the relative contributions of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) accretion disk, corona, and obscuring torus to the bolometric luminosity of Seyfert galaxies, using Spizter mid-infrared (MIR) observations of a complete sample of 68 nearby active galactic nuclei from the INTEGRAL all-sky hard X-ray (HX) survey. This is the first HX-selected (above 15 keV) sample of AGNs with complementary high angular resolution, high signal to noise, MIR data. Correcting for the host galaxy contribution, we find a correlation between HX and MIR luminosities: L_MIR L_HX^(0.74+/-0.06). Assuming that the observed MIR emission is radiation from an accretion disk reprocessed in a surrounding dusty torus that subtends a solid angle decreasing with increasing luminosity (as inferred from the declining fraction of obscured AGNs), the intrinsic disk luminosity, L_D, is approximately proportional to the luminosity of the corona in the 2-300 keV energy band, L_C, with the L_D/L_C ratio varying by a factor of 2.1 around a mean value of 1.6. This ratio is a factor of ~2 smaller than for typical quasars producing the cosmic X-ray background (CXB). Therefore, over three orders of magnitude in luminosity, HX radiation carries a large, and roughly comparable, fraction of the bolometric output of AGNs. We estimate the cumulative bolometric luminosity density of local AGNs at ~(1-3)x10^40 erg/s/Mpc^3. Finally, the Compton temperature ranges between kT_c~2 and ~6 keV for nearby AGNs, compared to kT_c~2 keV for typical quasars, confirming that radiative heating of interstellar gas can play an important role in regulating SMBH growth.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

A Massive, Cooling-Flow-Induced Starburst in the Core of a Highly Luminous Galaxy Cluster

In the cores of some galaxy clusters the hot intracluster plasma is dense enough that it should cool radiatively in the cluster's lifetime, leading to continuous "cooling flows" of gas sinking towards the cluster center, yet no such cooling flow has been observed. The low observed star formation rates and cool gas masses for these "cool core" clusters suggest that much of the cooling must be offset by astrophysical feedback to prevent the formation of a runaway cooling flow. Here we report X-ray, optical, and infrared observations of the galaxy cluster SPT-CLJ2344-4243 at z = 0.596. These observations reveal an exceptionally luminous (L_2-10 keV = 8.2 x 10^45 erg/s) galaxy cluster which hosts an extremely strong cooling flow (dM/dt = 3820 +/- 530 Msun/yr). Further, the central galaxy in this cluster appears to be experiencing a massive starburst (740 +/- 160 Msun/yr), which suggests that the feedback source responsible for preventing runaway cooling in nearby cool core clusters may not yet be fully established in SPT-CLJ2344-4243. This large star formation rate implies that a significant fraction of the stars in the central galaxy of this cluster may form via accretion of the intracluster medium, rather than the current picture of central galaxies assembling entirely via mergers.

astro-ph.CO↗