We present the first results from an ongoing survey for damped Lyman-α systems (DLAs) in the spectra of z > 2 quasars observed in the course of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), ...which is part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) III. Our full (non-statistical) sample, based on Data Release 9, comprises 12 081 systems with log N(H i) ≥ 20, out of which 6839 have log N(H i) ≥ 20.3. This is the largest DLA sample ever compiled, superseding that from SDSS-II by a factor of seven. Using a statistical sub-sample and estimating systematics from realistic mock data, we probe the N(H i) distribution at ⟨z⟩ = 2.5. Contrary to what is generally believed, the distribution extends beyond 1022 cm-2 with a moderate slope of index ≈−3.5. This result matches the opacity-corrected distribution observed at z = 0 surprisingly well. The cosmological mass density of neutral gas in DLAs is found to be \hbox{$\omegagdla \approx 10^{-3}$}ΩgDLA≈10-3, evolving only mildly over the past 12 billion years.
ABSTRACT
The Lyman-α forest offers a unique avenue for studying the distribution of matter in the high redshift universe and extracting precise constraints on the nature of dark matter, neutrino ...masses, and other ΛCDM extensions. However, interpreting this observable requires accurate modelling of the thermal and ionization state of the intergalactic medium, and therefore resorting to computationally expensive hydrodynamical simulations. In this work, we build a neural network that serves as a surrogate model for rapid predictions of the one-dimensional Lyman-α flux power spectrum (P1D), thereby making Bayesian inference feasible for this observable. Our emulation technique is based on modelling P1D as a function of the slope and amplitude of the linear matter power spectrum rather than as a function of cosmological parameters. We show that our emulator achieves sub-percent precision across the full range of scales (k∥ = 0.1 – $4\, \mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$) and redshifts (z = 2 – 4.5) considered, and also for three ΛCDM extensions not included in the training set: massive neutrinos, running of the spectral index, and curvature. Furthermore, we show that it performs at the 1 per cent level for ionization and thermal histories not present in the training set and performs at the percent level when emulating down to $k_{\parallel }=8\, \mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$. These results affirm the efficacy of our emulation strategy in providing accurate predictions even for cosmologies and reionization histories that were not explicitly incorporated during the training phase, and we expect it to play a critical role in the cosmological analysis of the DESI survey.
We report a detection of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) feature in the three-dimensional correlation function of the transmitted flux fraction in the Lyα forest of high-redshift quasars. The ...study uses 48 640 quasars in the redshift range 2.1 ≤ z ≤ 3.5 from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) of the third generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III). At a mean redshift z = 2.3, we measure the monopole and quadrupole components of the correlation function for separations in the range 20 h-1 Mpc < r < 200 h-1 Mpc. A peak in the correlation function is seen at a separation equal to (1.01 ± 0.03) times the distance expected for the BAO peak within a concordance ΛCDM cosmology. This first detection of the BAO peak at high redshift, when the universe was strongly matter dominated, results in constraints on the angular diameter distance DA and the expansion rate H at z = 2.3 that, combined with priors on H0 and the baryon density, require the existence of dark energy. Combined with constraints derived from cosmic microwave background observations, this result implies H(z = 2.3) = (224 ± 8) km s-1 Mpc-1, indicating that the time derivative of the cosmological scale parameter ȧ = H(z = 2.3)/(1 + z) is significantly greater than that measured with BAO at z ~ 0.5. This demonstrates that the expansion was decelerating in the range 0.7 < z < 2.3, as expected from the matter domination during this epoch. Combined with measurements of H0, one sees the pattern of deceleration followed by acceleration characteristic of a dark-energy dominated universe.
DAHe white dwarfs from the DESI Survey Manser, Christopher J; Gänsicke, Boris T; Inight, Keith ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
03/2023, Letnik:
521, Številka:
4
Journal Article
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ABSTRACT
A new class of white dwarfs, dubbed DAHe, that present Zeeman-split Balmer lines in emission has recently emerged. However, the physical origin of these emission lines remains unclear. We ...present here a sample of 21 newly identified DAHe systems and determine magnetic field strengths and (for a subset) periods that span the ranges of ≃6.5–147 MG and ≃0.4–36 h, respectively. All but four of these systems were identified from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument survey sample of more than 47 000 white dwarf candidates observed during its first year of observations. We present detailed analysis of the new DAHe WD J161634.36+541011.51 with a spin period of 95.3 min, which exhibits an anticorrelation between broad-band flux and Balmer line strength that is typically observed for this class of systems. All DAHe systems cluster closely on the Gaia Hertzsprung–Russell diagram where they represent ≃1 per cent of white dwarfs within that region. This grouping further solidifies their unexplained emergence at relatively late cooling times and we discuss this in context of current formation theories. Nine of the new DAHe systems are identifiable from Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectra of white dwarfs that had been previously classified as featureless DC-type systems. We suggest high-S/N (signal-to-noise ratios), unbiased observations of DCs as a possible route for discovering additional DAHe systems.
It is important to know the spectrum of the microbial aetiology of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) to guide empiric treatment and establish antimicrobial prophylaxis in joint replacements. There ...are no available data based on large contemporary patient cohorts. We sought to characterize the causative pathogens of PJIs and to evaluate trends in the microbial aetiology. We hypothesized that the frequency of antimicrobial-resistant organisms in PJIs has increased in the recent years. We performed a cohort study in 19 hospitals in Spain, from 2003 to 2012. For each 2-year period (2003–2004 to 2011–2012), the incidence of microorganisms causing PJIs and multidrug-resistant bacteria was assessed. Temporal trends over the study period were evaluated. We included 2524 consecutive adult patients with a diagnosis of PJI. A microbiological diagnosis was obtained for 2288 cases (90.6%). Staphylococci were the most common cause of infection (1492, 65.2%). However, a statistically significant rising linear trend was observed for the proportion of infections caused by Gram-negative bacilli, mainly due to the increase in the last 2-year period (25% in 2003–2004, 33.3% in 2011–2012; p 0.024 for trend). No particular species contributed disproportionally to this overall increase. The percentage of multidrug-resistant bacteria PJIs increased from 9.3% in 2003–2004 to 15.8% in 2011–2012 (p 0.008), mainly because of the significant rise in multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (from 5.3% in 2003–2004 to 8.2% in 2011–2012; p 0.032). The observed trends have important implications for the management of PJIs and prophylaxis in joint replacements.
ABSTRACT
The abundance, temperature, and clustering of metals in the intergalactic medium are important parameters for understanding their cosmic evolution and quantifying their impact on ...cosmological analysis with the Ly α forest. The properties of these systems are typically measured from individual quasar spectra redward of the quasar’s Ly α emission line, yet that approach may provide biased results due to selection effects. We present an alternative approach to measure these properties in an unbiased manner with the two-point statistics commonly employed to quantify large-scale structure. Our model treats the observed flux of a large sample of quasar spectra as a continuous field and describes the one-dimensional, two-point statistics of this field with three parameters per ion: the abundance (column density distribution), temperature (Doppler parameter), and clustering (cloud–cloud correlation function). We demonstrate this approach on multiple ions (e.g. ${\rm C\, \small {\rm IV}}$ , ${\rm Si\, \small {\rm IV}}$ , and ${\rm Mg\, \small {\rm II}}$ ) with early data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and high-resolution spectra from the literature. Our initial results show some evidence that the ${\rm C\, \small {\rm IV}}$ abundance is higher than previous measurements and evidence for abundance evolution over time. The first full year of DESI observations will have over an order of magnitude more quasar spectra than this study. In a future paper, we will use those data to measure the growth of clustering and its impact on the Ly α forest, as well as test other DESI analysis infrastructure such as the pipeline noise estimates and the resolution matrix.
Abstract
We describe the spectroscopic data processing pipeline of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which is conducting a redshift survey of about 40 million galaxies and quasars ...using a purpose-built instrument on the 4 m Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The main goal of DESI is to measure with unprecedented precision the expansion history of the universe with the baryon acoustic oscillation technique and the growth rate of structure with redshift space distortions. Ten spectrographs with three cameras each disperse the light from 5000 fibers onto 30 CCDs, covering the near-UV to near-infrared (3600–9800 Å) with a spectral resolution ranging from 2000 to 5000. The DESI data pipeline generates wavelength- and flux-calibrated spectra of all the targets, along with spectroscopic classifications and redshift measurements. Fully processed data from each night are typically available to the DESI collaboration the following morning. We give details about the pipeline’s algorithms, and provide performance results on the stability of the optics, the quality of the sky background subtraction, and the precision and accuracy of the instrumental calibration. This pipeline has been used to process the DESI Survey Validation data set, and has exceeded the project’s requirements for redshift performance, with high efficiency and a purity greater than 99% for all target classes.
Abstract
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is carrying out a five-year survey that aims to measure the redshifts of tens of millions of galaxies and quasars, including 8 million ...luminous red galaxies (LRGs) in the redshift range 0.4 <
z
≲ 1.0. Here we present the selection of the DESI LRG sample and assess its spectroscopic performance using data from Survey Validation (SV) and the first two months of the Main Survey. The DESI LRG sample, selected using
g
,
r
,
z
, and
W
1 photometry from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, is highly robust against imaging systematics. The sample has a target density of 605 deg
−2
and a comoving number density of 5 × 10
−4
h
3
Mpc
−3
in 0.4 <
z
< 0.8; this is a significantly higher density than previous LRG surveys (such as SDSS, BOSS, and eBOSS) while also extending to
z
∼ 1. After applying a bright star veto mask developed for the sample, 98.9% of the observed LRG targets yield confident redshifts (with a catastrophic failure rate of 0.2% in the confident redshifts), and only 0.5% of the LRG targets are stellar contamination. The LRG redshift efficiency varies with source brightness and effective exposure time, and we present a simple model that accurately characterizes this dependence. In the appendices, we describe the extended LRG samples observed during SV.
Abstract
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) will precisely constrain cosmic expansion and the growth of structure by collecting ∼40 million extragalactic redshifts across ∼80% of cosmic ...history and one-third of the sky. The Emission Line galaxy (ELG) sample, which will comprise about one-third of all DESI tracers, will be used to probe the universe over the 0.6 <
z
< 1.6 range, including the 1.1 <
z
< 1.6 range, which is expected to provide the tightest constraints. We present the target selection for the DESI Survey Validation (SV) and Main Survey ELG samples, which relies on the imaging of the Legacy Surveys. The Main ELG selection consists of a
g
-band magnitude cut and a (
g
−
r
) versus (
r
−
z
) color box, while the SV selection explores extensions of the Main selection boundaries. The Main ELG sample is composed of two disjoint subsamples, which have target densities of about 1940 deg
−2
and 460 deg
−2
, respectively. We first characterize their photometric properties and density variations across the footprint. We then analyze the DESI spectroscopic data that have been obtained from 2020 December to 2021 December in the SV and Main Survey. We establish a preliminary criterion for selecting reliable redshifts, based on the O
ii
flux measurement, and assess its performance. Using this criterion, we are able to present the spectroscopic efficiency of the Main ELG selection, along with its redshift distribution. We thus demonstrate that the Main selection 1940 deg
−2
subsample alone should provide 400 deg
−2
and 460 deg
−2
reliable redshifts in the 0.6 <
z
< 1.1 and the 1.1 <
z
< 1.6 ranges, respectively.
Planting a Lyman alpha forest on AbacusSummit Hadzhiyska, Boryana; Font-Ribera, A; Cuceu, A ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
07/2023, Letnik:
524, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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ABSTRACT
The full-shape correlations of the Lyman alpha (Ly α) forest contain a wealth of cosmological information through the Alcock–Paczyński effect. However, these measurements are challenging to ...model without robustly testing and verifying the theoretical framework used for analysing them. Here, we leverage the accuracy and volume of the N-body simulation suite AbacusSummit to generate high-resolution Ly α skewers and quasi-stellar object (QSO) catalogues. One of the main goals of our mocks is to aid in the full-shape Ly α analysis planned by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) team. We provide optical depth skewers for six of the fiducial cosmology base-resolution simulations ($L_{\rm box} = 2\, h^{-1}\, {\rm Gpc}$, N = 69123) at z = 2.5. We adopt a simple recipe based on the Fluctuating Gunn–Peterson Approximation (FGPA) for constructing these skewers from the matter density in an N-body simulation and calibrate it against the 1D and 3D Ly α power spectra extracted from the hydrodynamical simulation IllustrisTNG (TNG; $L_{\rm box} = 205\, h^{-1}\, {\rm Mpc}$, N = 25003). As an important application, we study the non-linear broadening of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) peak and show the cross-correlation between DESI-like QSOs and our Ly α forest skewers. We find differences on small scales between the Kaiser approximation prediction and our mock measurements of the Ly α × QSO cross-correlation, which would be important to account for in upcoming analyses. The AbacusSummit Ly α forest mocks open up the possibility for improved modelling of cross-correlations between Ly α and cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing and Ly α and QSOs, and for forecasts of the 3-point Ly α correlation function. Our catalogues and skewers are publicly available on Globus via the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) (full link under the section ‘Data Availability’).
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