arXiv subjects

Tommaso Treu

Publications and source records attributed to Tommaso Treu.

385 records · Page 22Linked to original sources

arXiv2003

A Wide Field Hubble Space Telescope Study of the Cluster Cl0024+1654 at z=0.4 II: The Cluster Mass Distribution

(abridged) We present a comprehensive lensing analysis of the rich cluster Cl0024+1654 based on panoramic sparse-sampled imaging conducted with HST. We demonstrate an ability to detect reliably weak lensing signals to a cluster radius of ~5 Mpc where the mean shear is around 1%. The projected mass distribution reveals a secondary concentration representing 30% of the overall cluster mass, which is also visible in the distribution of cluster member galaxies. We normalize the mass profile determined from the shear by assuming that background galaxies selected with I=23-26 have a redshift distribution statistically similar to that in the HDFs. Combining strong and weak constraints, we are able to probe the mass profile of the cluster on scales of 0.1 to 5 Mpc thus providing a valuable test of the universal form proposed by NFW on large scales. A generalized power law fit indicates a asymptotic density distribution with 3D slope larger than 2.4. An isothermal mass profile is therefore strongly rejected, whereas a NFW profile with M_200= 6.1+/-1 10^14 M_sun provides a good fit to the lensing data. We isolate cluster members according to their optical-near infrared colors; the red cluster light closely traces the dark matter with a mean mass-to-light ratio of M/L_K~ 40 M/L_sun. Similar profiles for mass and light on 1-5 Mpc scales are expected if cluster assembly is largely governed by infalling groups.

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arXiv2003

Constraints on the equation of state of dark energy and the Hubble constant from stellar ages and the CMB

We place tight constraints on the redshift-averaged, effective value of the equation of state of dark energy, w, using only the absolute ages of Galactic stars and the observed position of the first peak in the angular power spectrum of the CMB. We find w<-0.8 at the 68% confidence level. If we further consider that w > -1, this finding suggests that within our uncertainties, dark energy is indistinguishable from a classical vacuum energy term. We detect a correlation between the ages of the oldest galaxies and their redshift. This opens up the possibility of measuring w(z) by computing the relative ages of the oldest galaxies in the universe as a function of redshift, dz/dt. We show that this is a realistic possibility by computing dz/dt at z~0 from SDSS galaxies and obtain an independent estimate for the Hubble constant, H_0 = 69 \pm 12 km s-1 Mpc-1. The small number of galaxies considered at z>0.2 does not yield, currently, a precise determination of w(z), but shows that the age--redshift relation is consistent with a Standard LCDM universe with $w=-1$.

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arXiv2002

The internal structure of the lens PG1115+080: breaking degeneracies in the value of the Hubble Constant

We combine lensing, stellar kinematic and mass-to-light ratio constraints to build a two-component (luminous plus dark) mass model of the early-type lens galaxy in PG1115+080. We find a total mass density profile steeper than r^-2, effectively rho r^-gamma' with gamma'=2.35+-0.1+-0.05 (random + systematic). The stellar mass fraction is f*=0.67(+0.20/-0.25)+-0.03 inside the Einstein Radius (R_E 1.2 effective radii). The dynamical mass model breaks the degeneracies in the mass profile of the lens galaxy and allows us to obtain a value of the Hubble Constant that is no longer dominated by systematic errors: H_0=59(+12/-7)+-3 km/s/Mpc (68 percent C.L.; Omega_m=0.3, Omega_L=0.7). The offset of PG1115+080 from the Fundamental Plane might indicate deviations from homology of the mass profile of some early-type galaxies.

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arXiv2002

The dark matter density profile of the lensing cluster MS2137-23: a test of the cold dark matter paradigm

We present new spectroscopic observations of the gravitational arcs and the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the cluster MS2137-23 (z=0.313) obtained with the Echelle Spectrograph and Imager on the Keck II telescope. We find that the tangential and radial arcs arise from sources at almost identical redshifts (z=1.501,1.502). We combine the measured stellar velocity dispersion profile of the BCG with a lensing analysis to constrain the distribution of dark and stellar matter in the central 100 kpc of the cluster. Our data indicate a remarkably flat inner slope for the dark matter profile, rho_d propto r^-beta, with beta<0.9 at 99% CL. Steep inner slopes obtained in cold dark matter cosmological simulations -- such as Navarro Frenk & White (beta=1) or Moore (1.5) universal dark matter profiles -- are ruled out at better than 99% CL. As baryon collapse is likely to have steepened the dark matter profile from its original form, our data provides a powerful test of the cold dark matter paradigm at the cluster mass scale.

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arXiv2002

The internal structure and formation of early-type galaxies: the gravitational--lens system MG2016+112 at z=1.004

[Abridged] We combine our measurements of the velocity dispersion and the surface brightness profile of the lens galaxy D in the system MG2016+112 (z=1.004) with constraints from gravitational lensing to study its internal mass distribution. We find that: (i) dark matter accounts for >50% of the total mass within the Einstein radius (99% CL), excluding at the 8-sigma level that mass follows light inside the Einstein radius with a constant mass-to-light ratio (M/L). (ii) the total mass distribution inside the Einstein radius is well-described by a density profile ~r^-gamma' with an effective slope gamma'=2.0+-0.1+-0.1, including random and systematic uncertainties. (iii) The offset of galaxy D from the local Fundamental Plane independently constrains the stellar M/L, and matches the range derived from our models, leading to a more stringent lower limit of >60% on the fraction of dark matter within the Einstein radius (99%CL). Under the assumption of adiabatic contraction, the inner slope of the dark matter halo before the baryons collapsed is gamma_i<1.4 (68 CL), marginally consistent with the highest-resolution cold dark matter simulations that indicate gamma_i~1.5. This might indicate that either adiabatic contraction is a poor description of E/S0 formation or that additional processes play a role as well. Indeed, the apparently isothermal density distribution inside the Einstein radius, is not a natural outcome of adiabatic contraction models, where it appears to be a mere coincidence. By contrast, we argue that isothermality might be the result of a stronger coupling between luminous and dark-matter, possibly the result of (incomplete) violent relaxation processes. Hence, we conclude that galaxy D appears already relaxed 8 Gyr ago.

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arXiv2001

Near-infrared Spectroscopy and HST Imaging of a Dusty Starburst ERO

We present near-IR spectroscopy and HST imaging of EROJ164023, an Extremely Red Object (ERO) with R-K=5.9 at z=1.05. EROJ164023 is a disk galaxy, with an optical/IR spectral energy distribution which is strongly reddened by dust (L_FIR/L_B<~200; A_V~5). The narrow emission lines (~300km/s) and the high [NII]/Halpha line ratio indicate that this is a ``composite'' starburst-Seyfert galaxy. Assuming that star formation dominates, we constrain the SFR to be 10-700Mo/yr from a variety of indicators. We compare EROJ164023 with the only other spectroscopically identified dusty EROs: HR10 (z=1.44) and ISOJ1324-2016 (z=1.50). EROJ164023 and HR10 have similar disk-like morphologies, and both exhibit a variation in the apparent dust obscuration depending upon the diagnostic used, suggesting that there is a complex spatial mix of stellar populations and dust in these galaxies. In contrast, the compact morphology and spectral properties of ISOJ1324-2016 indicate that it is a dusty quasar. Our results demonstrate that dusty galaxies identified using photometric ERO criteria include pure starbursts, composite systems such as EROJ164023 and dusty quasars. We suggest that the classification of EROs into these sub-classes cannot be reliably achieved from optical/near-IR photometry and instead requires mid/far-IR or sub-mm photometry and near-IR spectroscopy. The advent of efficient multi-object spectrographs working in the near-IR as well as the imminent launch of SIRTF therefore promise the opportunity of rapid progress in our understanding of the elusive ERO population. [Abridged]

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arXiv1999

A NICMOS search for high redshift elliptical galaxy candidates

We have collected optical follow-up observations from the ground and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for 13.74 square ' of archival images taken with the Near Infrared Camera and Multi Object Spectrograph (NICMOS). We use two criteria to select E/S0 galaxy candidates at z>~1 and z>~1.5 (HizECs) based on colors and infrared morphology. The observed surface density of HizECs is significantly smaller than what is predicted assuming the local luminosity function (LF) of E/S0, constant comoving density, and pure passive evolution with a high redshift of formation of the stellar populations (z>~ 5). On the other hand, assuming a low redshift (z<~2) of formation, not enough HizECs are predicted. The data are very well matched assuming that a substantial fraction of present-day E/S0s (10-66%, depending on cosmology and on the local LF of E/S0s) formed at z = 3 or higher and then evolved passively. The rest of the current E/S0 population may have formed at lower redshift, or may have been rejected by the selection criteria because of interactions or more recent episodes of star-formation (disturbed morphology and/or bluer colors).

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