Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

W. Sutherland

Publications and source records attributed to W. Sutherland.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
arXiv1999

Difference Image Analysis of Galactic Microlensing II. Microlensing Events

The MACHO collaboration has been carrying out Difference Image Analysis (DIA) since 1996 with the aim of increasing the sensitivity to the detection of gravitational microlensing. This is a preliminary report on the application of DIA to galactic bulge images in one field. We show how the DIA technique significantly increases the number of detected lensing events, by removing the positional dependence of traditional photometry schemes and lowering the microlensing event detection threshold. This technique, unlike PSF photometry, gives the unblended colours and positions of the microlensing source stars. We present a set of criteria for selecting microlensing events from objects discovered with this technique. The 16 pixel and classical microlensing events discovered with the DIA technique are presented.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1999

Difference Image Analysis of Galactic Microlensing I. Data Analysis

This is a preliminary report on the application of Difference Image Analysis (DIA) to galactic bulge images. The aim of this analysis is to increase the sensitivity to the detection of gravitational microlensing. We discuss how the DIA technique simplifies the process of discovering microlensing events by detecting only objects which have variable flux. We illustrate how the DIA technique is not limited to detection of so called ``pixel lensing'' events, but can also be used to improve photometry for classical microlensing events by removing the effects of blending. We will present a method whereby DIA can be used to reveal the true unblended colours, positions and light curves of microlensing events. We discuss the need for a technique to obtain the accurate microlensing time scales from blended sources, and present a possible solution to this problem using the existing HST colour magnitude diagrams of the galactic bulge and LMC. The use of such a solution with both classical and pixel microlensing searches is discussed. We show that one of the major causes of systematic noise in DIA is differential refraction. A technique for removing this systematic by effectively registering images to a common airmass is presented. Improvements to commonly used image differencing techniques are discussed.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1999

A Non Parametric Model for the Cosmic Velocity Field

We present a self consistent nonparametric model of the local cosmic velocity field based on the density distribution in the PSCz redshift survey of IRAS galaxies. The error analysis, carried out on mock PSCz catalogues constructed from N-body simulations, reveals uncertainties of ~70 km/sec. The denser sampling provided by the PSCz survey compared to previous IRAS galaxy surveys allows us to reconstruct the velocity field out to larger distances. The most striking feature of the model velocity field is a coherent large-scale streaming motion along a baseline connecting Perseus-Pisces, the Local Supercluster, the Great Attractor, and the Shapley Concentration. We find no evidence for back-infall onto the Great Attractor. Instead, material behind and around the Great Attractor in inferred to be streaming towards the Shapley Concentration The PSCz model velocities compare well with those predicted from the 1.2Jy redshift survey of IRAS galaxies and with those predicted from the distribution of Abell/ACO clusters, out to 140 Mpc/h. Comparison of the real-space density fields (or, alternatively, the peculiar velocity fields) inferred from the PSC$z$ and cluster catalogues gives a relative (linear) bias parameter between clusters and IRAS galaxies of 4.4 +/- 0.6. Finally, we compare the cumulative bulk flows predicted from the PSCz gravity field with those measured from the Mark III and SFI catalogues of peculiar velocities. A conservative estimate of beta=Omega**0.6/b, where b is the bias parameter for IRAS galaxies, gives beta =0.6 + 0.22 -0.15, in agreement with other recent determinations.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1999

Cepheid Variables in the LMC and SMC

In this paper, we will review major new results regarding classical Cepheids, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Specifically, we discuss recent work regarding multimode Cepheids and describe new observations of a W Vir star (HV 5756) and a Cepheid which are each in eclipsing binary systems. An additional interesting pulsating supergiant in an eclipsing system is also identified. Ephemerides for eclipses for the three systems are provided.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1999

The Power Spectrum of the PSC Redshift Survey

We measure the redshift-space power spectrum P(k) for the recently completed IRAS Point Source Catalogue (PSC) redshift survey, which contains 14500 galaxies over 84% of the sky with 60 micron flux >= 0.6 Jansky. Comparison with simulations shows that our estimated errors on P(k) are realistic, and that systematic errors due to the finite survey volume are small for wavenumbers k >~ 0.03 h Mpc^-1. At large scales our power spectrum is intermediate between those of the earlier QDOT and 1.2 Jansky surveys, but with considerably smaller error bars; it falls slightly more steeply to smaller scales. We have fitted families of CDM-like models using the Peacock-Dodds formula for non-linear evolution; the results are somewhat sensitive to the assumed small-scale velocity dispersion σ_V. Assuming a realistic σ_V \approx 300 km/s yields a shape parameter Γ~ 0.25 and normalisation b σ_8 ~ 0.75; if σ_V is as high as 600 km/s then Γ= 0.5 is only marginally excluded. There is little evidence for any `preferred scale' in the power spectrum or non-Gaussian behaviour in the distribution of large-scale power.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1999

Likelihood Analysis of the Local Group Acceleration

We compute the acceleration on the Local Group using 11206 IRAS galaxies from the recently completed all-sky PSCz redshift survey. Measuring the acceleration vector in redshift space generates systematic uncertainties due to the redshift space distortions in the density field. We therefore assign galaxies to their real space positions by adopting a non-parametric model for the velocity field that solely relies on the linear gravitational instability and linear biasing hypotheses. Remaining systematic contributions to the measured acceleration vector are corrected for by using PSCz mock catalogues from N-body experiments. The resulting acceleration vector points approx. 15 degrees away from the CMB dipole apex, with a remarkable alignment between small and large scale contributions. A considerable fraction of the measured acceleration is generated within 40 h-1 Mpc with a non-negligible contribution from scales between 90 and 140 h-1 Mpc after which the acceleration amplitude seems to have converged. The local group acceleration from PSCz appears to be consistent with the one determined from the IRAS 1.2 Jy galaxy catalogue once the different contributions from shot noise have been taken into account. The results are consistent with the gravitational instability hypothesis and do not indicate any strong deviations from the linear biasing relation on large scales. A maximum-likelihood analysis of the comulative PSCz dipole is performed within a radius of 150 h-1 Mpc in which we account for nonlinear effects, shot noise and finite sample size. We obtain β= 0.70 (+ 0.35)(-0.2) at 1 σconfidence level.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1998

The MACHO Project Large Magellanic Cloud Variable Star Inventory. VIII. The Recent Star Formation History of the LMC from the Cepheid Period Distribution

We present an analysis of the period distribution of $\sim 1800$ Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud, based on data obtained by the MACHO microlensing experiment and on a previous catalogue by Payne-Gaposchkin. Using stellar evolution and pulsation models, we construct theoretical period-frequency distributions that are compared to the observations. These models reveal that a significant burst of star formation has occurred recently in the LMC ($\sim 1.15\times 10^8$ years). We also show that during the last $\sim 10^8$ years, the main center of star formation has been propagating from SE to NW along the bar. We find that the evolutionary masses of Cepheids are still smaller than pulsation masses by $\sim 7$ % and that the red edge of the Cepheid instability strip could be slightly bluer than indicated by theory. There are $\sim 600$ Cepheids with periods below $\sim 2.5$ days cannot be explained by evolution theory. We suggest that they are anomalous Cepheids; a number of these stars are double-mode Cepheids.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1998

Velocity Fields from IRAS-PSCz survey

We present a self-consistent nonparametric model of the cosmic velocity field based on the spatial distribution of IRAS galaxies in the recently completed all-sky PSC$z$ redshift survey. The most streaking feature of the PSCz model velocity field is a coherent large-scale streaming motion along the Perseus Pisces, Local Supercluster, Great Attractor and Shapley Concentration baseline, with no evidence for a backinfall into the Great Attractor region. A likelihood analysis has been performed to measure $β$. We have obtained $β=0.6^{+0.22}_{-0.15}$ (1-$σ$), in agreement with other recent determinations.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1998

The MACHO Project LMC Variable Star Inventory. VI. The Second-overtone Mode of Cepheid Pulsation From First/Second Overtone (FO/SO) Beat Cepheids

MACHO Project photometry of 45 LMC FO/SO beat Cepheids which pulsate in the first and second overtone (FO and SOo, respectively) has been analysed to determine the lightcurve characteristics for the SO mode of Cepheid pulsation. We predict that singly-periodic SO Cepheids will have nearly sinusoidal lightcurves; that we will only be able to discern SO Cepheids from fundamental (F) and (FO) Cepheids for P <= 1.4 days; and that the SO distribution will overlap the short-period edge of the LMC FO Cepheid period-luminosity relation (when both are plotted as a function of photometric period). We also report the discovery of one SO Cepheid candidate, MACHO*05:03:39.6$-$70:04:32, with a photometric period of 0.775961 +/- 0.000019 days and an instrumental amplitude of 0.047 +/- 0.009 mag in V.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1998

Discovery and Characterization of a Caustic Crossing Microlensing Event in the SMC

We present photometric observations and analysis of the second microlensing event detected towards the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), MACHO Alert 98-SMC-1. This event was detected early enough to allow intensive observation of the lightcurve. These observations revealed 98-SMC-1 to be the first caustic crossing, binary microlensing event towards the Magellanic Clouds to be discovered in progress. Frequent coverage of the evolving lightcurve allowed an accurate prediction for the date of the source crossing out of the lens caustic structure. The caustic crossing temporal width, along with the angular size of the source star, measures the proper motion of the lens with respect to the source, and thus allows an estimate of the location of the lens. Lenses located in the Galactic halo would have a velocity projected to the SMC of v^hat ~1500 km/s, while an SMC lens would typically have v^hat ~60 km/s. We have performed a joint fit to the MACHO/GMAN data presented here, including recent EROS data of this event. These joint data are sufficient to constrain the time for the lens to move an angle equal to the source angular radius; 0.116 +/- 0.010 days. We estimate a radius for the lensed source of 1.4 +/- 0.1 R_sun. This yields a projected velocity of v^hat = 84 +/- 9 km/s. Only 0.15% of halo lenses would be expected to have a v^hat value at least as small as this, while 31% of SMC lenses would be expected to have v^hat as large as this. This implies that the lensing system is more likely to reside in the SMC than in the Galactic halo.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

The Topology of the IRAS Point Source Catalogue Redshift Survey

We investigate the topology of the new Point Source Catalogue Redshift Survey (PSCz) of IRAS galaxies by means of the genus statistic. The survey maps the local Universe with approximately 15000 galaxies over 84.1 per cent of the sky and provides an unprecedented number of resolution elements for the topological analysis. For comparison with the PSCz data we also examine the genus of large N-body simulations of four variants of the cold dark matter cosmogony. The simulations are part of the Virgo project to simulate the formation of structure in the Universe. We assume that the statistical properties of the galaxy distribution can be identified with those of the dark matter particles in the simulations. We extend the standard genus analysis by examining the influence of sampling noise on the genus curve and introducing a statistic able to quantify the amount of phase correlation present in the density field, the "amplitude drop" of the genus compared to a Gaussian field with identical power spectrum. The results for PSCz are consistent with the hypothesis of random-phase initial conditions. In particular, no strong phase correlation is detected on scales ranging from 10 h^(-1)Mpc to 32 h^(-1)Mpc, whereas there is a positive detection of phase correlation at smaller scales. Among the simulations, phase correlations are detected in all models at small scales, albeit with different strengths. when scaled to a common normalization, the amplitude drop primarily depends on the shape of the power spectrum. We find that the constant bias standard CDM model can be ruled out at high significance because the shape of its power spectrum is not consistent with PSCz. The other CDM models with more large-scale power all fit the PSCz data almost equally well, with a slight preference for a high-density tauCDM model.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

First detection of a gravitational microlensing candidate towards the Small Magellanic Cloud

We report the first discovery of a gravitational microlensing candidate towards a new population of source stars, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The candidate event's light curve shows no variation for 3 years before an upward excursion lasting $ \sim 217$ days that peaks around January 11, 1997 at a magnification of $ \sim 2.1$. Microlensing events towards the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Galactic bulge have allowed important conclusions to be reached on the stellar and dark matter content of the Milky Way. The SMC gives a new line-of-sight through the Milky Way, and is expected to prove useful in determining the flattening of the Galactic halo.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

Pulsating Variable Stars in the MACHO Bulge database: The Semiregular Variables

We review the pulsating stars contained in the top 24 fields of the MACHO bulge database, with special emphasis on the red semiregular stars. Based on period, amplitude and color cuts, we have selected a sample of 2000 semiregular variables with $15<P<100$ days. Their color-magnitude diagram is presented, and period-luminosity relation is studied, as well as their spatial distribution. We find that they follow the bar, unlike the RR Lyrae in these fields.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

The MACHO Project SMC Variable Star Inventory: I. The Second-overtone Mode of Cepheid Pulsation From First/Second Overtone (1H/2H) Beat Cepheids

We report the discovery of 20 1H/2H and 7 F/1H beat Cepheids in the SMC by the MACHO Project. We utilize the 20 1H/2H stars to determine lightcurve shape for the SMC second-overtone (2H) mode of Cepheid pulsation. We predict, similar to the findings of Alcock et al. (1997, ApJ, submitted), that 2H Cepheids will have nearly or purely sinusoidal light variations; that the P-L relation for 2H Cepheids will not be distinguishable from the P-L relation for 1H Cepheids within photometric accuracy; and that 2H stars may be discernable from F and 1H stars using the amplitude-period diagram and Fourier parameter progressions for periods P < 0.7 days, our current sample 2H period limit.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

The MACHO Project LMC Variable Star Inventory: The Discovery of RV Tauri stars and New Type II Cepheids in the LMC

We report the discovery of RV Tauri stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. In light and colour curve behaviour, the RV Tauri stars appear to be a direct extension of the type II Cepheids to longer periods. A single period- luminosity-colour relationship is seen to describe both the type II Cepheids and the RV Tauri stars in the LMC. We derive the relation: $V_{\circ} = 17.89 (\pm 0.20) - 2.95 (\pm 0.12) \log_{10}P + 5.49 (\pm 0.35) \bar{(V-R)_{\circ}}$, valid for type II Cepheids and RV Tauri stars in the period range $0.9 < \log_{10}P < 1.75$. Assuming a distance modulus to the Large Magellanic Cloud of 18.5, the relation in terms of the absolute luminosities becomes: $M_{V} = -0.61 (\pm 0.20) - 2.95 (\pm 0.12) \log_{10}P + 5.49 (\pm 0.35) \bar{(V-R)_{\circ}}$.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

The MACHO Project: Microlensing and Variable Stars

The MACHO Project monitors millions of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Small Magellanic Cloud and the bulge of the Milky Way searching for the gravitational microlensing signature of baryonic dark matter. This Project has yielded surprising results. An analysis of two years of data monitoring the Large Magellanic Cloud points to {$\sim 50%$} of the mass of the Milky Way's halo in compact objects of {$\sim 0.5 M_{\odot}$}. An analysis of one year of monitoring the bulge has yielded more microlensing than predicted without the invocation of a massive bar or significant disk dark matter. The huge database of light curves created by this search is yielding information on extremely rare types of astrophysical variability as well as providing temporal detail for the study of well known variable astrophysical phenomena. The variable star catalog created from this database is previewed and example light curves are presented.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

Bulge delta Scuti Stars in the MACHO Database

We describe the search for delta Scuti stars in the MACHO database of bulge fields. Concentrating on a sample of high amplitude delta Scutis, we examine the light curves and pulsation modes. We also discuss their spatial distribution and evolutionary status using mean colors and absolute magnitudes.

astro-ph↗