1,721,380 research outputs found
Euclid preparation. Spectroscopy of active galactic nuclei with NISP
No full textThe statistical distribution and evolution of key properties (e.g. accretion rate, mass, or spin) of active galactic nuclei (AGN), remain an open debate in astrophysics. The ESA Euclid space mission, launched on July 1st 2023, promises a breakthrough in this field. We create detailed mock catalogues of AGN spectra, from the rest-frame near-infrared down to the ultraviolet, including emission lines, to simulate what Euclid will observe for both obscured (type 2) and unobscured (type 1) AGN. We concentrate on the red grisms of the NISP instrument, which will be used for the wide-field survey, opening a new window for spectroscopic AGN studies in the near-infrared. We quantify the efficiency in the redshift determination as well as in retrieving the emission line flux of the H+[NII] complex as Euclid is mainly focused on this emission line as it is expected to be the brightest one in the probed redshift range. Spectroscopic redshifts are measured for 83% of the simulated AGN in the interval where the H+[NII] is visible (0.892x10^{-16}^{-1}^{-2}z\simeq 1-1.53x10^{-16}^{-1}^{-2}8.5x10^{-16}^{-1}^{-2}$. Recovered black hole mass values show a small offset with respect to the input values ~10%, but the agreement is good overall. With such a high spectroscopic coverage at
The Baryonic Mass vs. Dark Halo Mass Relationship in Galaxies. the imprint of large energy feedbacks and of the inefficiency of the cosmological star formation
Full text linkRejuvenation triggers nuclear activity in nearby galaxies
No full textFeedback, in particular from active galactic nuclei (AGNs), is believed to play a crucial role in the evolution of galaxies. In the local Universe, many galaxies with an AGN are indeed observed to reside in the so-called green valley, usually interpreted as a transition phase from a blue star-forming to a red quenched state. We use data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to show that such an interpretation requires substantial revision. Optically selected nearby AGN galaxies follow exponentially declining star formation histories, as normal galaxies of similar stellar and dark matter halo mass, reaching in the recent past (∼0.1 Gyr ago) star formation rate levels consistent with a quiescent population. However, we find that local AGN galaxies have experienced a sudden increase in their star formation rate, unfolding on time-scales similar to those typical of AGN activity, suggesting that both star formation and AGN activity were triggered simultaneously. We find that this quenching followed by an enhancement in the star formation rate is common to AGN galaxies and more pronounced in early-type galaxies. Our results demonstrate that local AGN galaxies are not just a simple transition type between star-forming and quiescent galaxies as previously postulated
The massive end of the luminosity and stellar mass functions and clustering from CMASS to SDSS:: evidence for and against passive evolution
No full textGoing Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
An assessment of the "too big to fail" problem for field dwarf galaxies in view of baryonic feedback effects
Full text linkRecent studies have established that extreme dwarf galaxies – whether satellites or field objects – suffer from the so called “too big to fail” (TBTF) problem. Put simply, the TBTF problem consists of the fact that it is difficult to explain both the measured kinematics of dwarfs and their observed number density within the lambda cold dark matter (?CDM) framework. The most popular proposed solutions to the problem involve baryonic feedback processes. For example, reionization and baryon depletion can decrease the abundance of halos that are expected to host dwarf galaxies. Moreover, feedback related to star formation can alter the dark matter density profile in the central regions of low-mass halos. In this article we assess the TBTF problem for field dwarfs, taking explicitly into account the baryonic effects mentioned above. We find that 1) reionization feedback cannot resolve the TBTF problem on its own, because the halos in question are too massive to be affected by it; and that 2) the degree to which profile modification can be invoked as a solution to the TBTF problem depends on the radius at which galactic kinematics are measured. Based on a literature sample of ~90 dwarfs with interferometric observations in the 21 cm line of atomic hydrogen (HI), we conclude that the TBTF problem persists despite baryonic effects. However, the preceding statement assumes that the sample under consideration is representative of the general population of field dwarfs. In addition, the unexplained excess of dwarf galaxies in ?CDM could be as small as a factor of ? 1.8, given the current uncertainties in the measurement of the galactic velocity function. Both of these caveats highlight the importance of upcoming uniform surveys with HI interferometers for advancing our understanding of the issue
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Measuring the spin of spiral galaxies
No full textWe compute the angular momentum, the spin parameter, and the related distribution function for dark matter halos hosting a spiral galaxy. We rely on scaling laws, inferred from observations, that link the properties of the galaxy to those of the host halo; we further assume that the dark matter has the same total specific angular momentum of the baryons. Our main results are as follows: (1) We find that the gas component of the disk significantly contributes to the total angular momentum of the system. (2) By adopting for the dark matter the observationally supported Burkert profile, we compute the total angular momentum of the disk and its correlation with the rotation velocity. (3) We find that the distribution function of the spin parameter λ peaks at a value of about 0.03, consistent with a no-major-merger scenario for the late evolution of spiral galaxies
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