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.
We perform a spectroscopic analysis of 492 450 galaxy spectra from the first two years of observations of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) III/Baryonic Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) ...collaboration. This data set has been released in the ninth SDSS data release, the first public data release of BOSS spectra. We show that the typical signal-to-noise ratio of BOSS spectra, despite being low, is sufficient to measure stellar velocity dispersion and emission line fluxes for individual objects. We show that the typical velocity dispersion of a BOSS galaxy is ∼240 km s−1. The typical error in the velocity dispersion measurement is 14 per cent, and 93 per cent of BOSS galaxies have velocity dispersions with an accuracy of better than 30 per cent. The distribution in velocity dispersion is redshift independent between redshifts 0.15 and 0.7, which reflects the survey design targeting massive galaxies with an approximately uniform mass distribution in this redshift interval. We show that emission lines can be measured on BOSS spectra. However, the majority of BOSS galaxies lack detectable emission lines, as is to be expected because of the target selection design towards massive galaxies. We analyse the emission line properties and present diagnostic diagrams using the emission lines O ii, Hβ, O iii, Hα and N ii (detected in about 4 per cent of the galaxies) to separate star-forming objects and active galactic nuclei (AGN). We show that the emission line properties are strongly redshift dependent and that there is a clear correlation between observed frame colours and emission line properties. Within in the low-z sample (LOWZ) around 0.15 < z < 0.3, half of the emission line galaxies have low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER)-like emission line ratios, followed by Seyfert-AGN-dominated spectra, and only a small fraction of a few per cent are purely star-forming galaxies. AGN and LINER-like objects, instead, are less prevalent in the high-z sample (CMASS) around 0.4 < z < 0.7, where more than half of the emission line objects are star forming. This is a pure selection effect caused by the non-detection of weak Hβ emission lines in the BOSS spectra. Finally, we show that star-forming, AGN and emission line free galaxies are well separated in the g − r versus r − i target selection diagram.
We extend color-magnitude relations for moderate-luminosity X-ray active galactic nucleus (AGN) hosts and non-AGN galaxies through the galaxy formation epoch (z {approx} 1-4) in the Chandra Deep ...Field-North and Chandra Deep Field-South (CDF-N and CDF-S, respectively; jointly CDFs) surveys. This study was enabled by the deepest available X-ray data from the 2 Ms CDF surveys as well as complementary ultradeep multiwavelength data in these regions. We utilized analyses of color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) to assess the role of moderate-luminosity AGNs in galaxy evolution. First, we confirm some previous results and extend them to higher redshifts, finding, for example, that (1) there is no apparent color bimodality (i.e., the lack of an obvious red sequence and blue cloud) for AGN hosts from z {approx} 0to2, but non-AGN galaxy color bimodality exists up to z {approx} 3 and the relative fraction of red-sequence galaxies generally increases as the redshift decreases (consistent with a blue-to-red migration of galaxies), (2) most AGNs reside in massive hosts and the AGN fraction rises strongly toward higher stellar mass, up to z {approx} 2-3, and (3) the colors of both AGN hosts and non-AGN galaxies become redder as the stellar mass increases, up to z {approx} 2-3. Second, we point out that, in order to obtain a complete and reliable picture, it is critical to use mass-matched samples to examine color-magnitude relations of AGN hosts and non-AGN galaxies. We show that for mass-matched samples up to z {approx} 2-3, AGN hosts lie in the same region of the CMD as non-AGN galaxies; i.e., there is no specific clustering of AGN hosts in the CMD around the red sequence, the top of the blue cloud, or the green valley in between. The AGN fraction ({approx} 10%) is mostly independent of host-galaxy color, providing an indication of the duty cycle of supermassive black hole growth in typical massive galaxies. These results are in contrast to those obtained with non-mass-matched samples where there is apparent AGN clustering in the CMD and the AGN fraction generally increases as the color becomes redder. We also find, for mass-matched samples, that the star formation rates of AGN hosts are typically a factor of {approx} 2-3 larger than those of non-AGN galaxies at z {approx} 0-1, whereas this difference diminishes at z {approx} 1-3. With mass-selection effects taken into account, we find that almost all of the results obtained in this work can reasonably be explained by two main ingredients, color-mass correlation (i.e., X-ray AGNs preferentially reside in massive galaxies that generally tend to be redder than less-massive galaxies) and passive or secular evolution of galaxies. Our results show that the presence of moderate-luminosity AGN activity does not have a significant effect on the colors of galaxies and thus tightly constrain any effects from moderate-luminosity AGN feedback upon color-magnitude properties over the {approx} 80% of cosmic time during which most of galaxy formation occurred.
Utilizing 21 new Chandra observations as well as archival Chandra, ROSAT, and XMM-Newton data, we study the X-ray properties of a representative sample of 59 of the most optically luminous quasars in ...the universe (M sub(f) approximately -29.3 to -30.2) spanning a redshift range of z approximately 1.5 4.5. Our full sample consists of 32 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 3 (DR3) quasar catalog, two additional objects in the DR3 area that were missed by the SDSS selection criteria, and 25 comparably luminous quasars at z unk 4. This is the largest X-ray study of such luminous quasars to date. By jointly fitting the X-ray spectra of our sample quasars, excluding radio-loud and broad absorption line (BAL) objects, we find a mean X-ray power-law photon index of Gamma = 1.92 super(+) sub(-) super(0) sub(0) super(.) sub(.) super(0) sub(0) super(9) sub(8) and constrain any neutral intrinsic absorbing material to have a mean column density of N sub(H) unk 2 x 10 super(21) cm super(-2). We find, consistent with other studies, that Gamma does not change with redshift, and we constrain the amount of allowed Gamma evolution for the most luminous quasars. Our sample, excluding radio-loud and BAL quasars, has a mean X-ray-to-optical spectral slope of alpha sub(ox) = -1.80 plus or minus 0.02, as well as no significant evolution of alpha sub(ox) with redshift. We also comment on the X-ray properties of a number of notable quasars, including an X-ray-weak quasar with several strong narrow absorption line systems, a mildly radio-loud BAL quasar, and a well-studied gravitationally lensed quasar.
Context. Type Ib/c supernovae (SNe Ib/c) have been investigated in several single-object studies; however, there is still a paucity of works concerning larger, homogeneous samples of these ...hydrogen-poor transients, in particular regarding the premaximum phase of their light curves. Aims. In this paper we present and analyze the early-time optical light curves (LCs, ugriz) of 20 SNe Ib/c from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) SN survey II, aiming to study their observational and physical properties, as well as to derive their progenitor parameters. Methods. High-cadence, multiband LCs are fitted with a functional model and the best-fit parameters are compared among the SN types. Bolometric LCs (BLCs) are constructed for the entire sample. We also computed the black-body (BB) temperature (TBB) and photospheric radius (Rph) evolution for each SN via BB fits on the spectral energy distributions. In addition, the bolometric properties are compared to both hydrodynamical and analytical model expectations. Results. Complementing our sample with literature data, we find that SNe Ic and Ic-BL (broad-line) have shorter rise times than those of SNe Ib and IIb. The decline rate parameter, Δm15, is similar among the different subtypes. SNe Ic appear brighter and bluer than SNe Ib, but this difference vanishes if we consider host galaxy extinction corrections based on colors. Templates for SN Ib/c LCs are presented. Our SNe have typical TBB of ~10 000 K at the peak and Rph of ~1015 cm. Analysis of the BLCs of SNe Ib and Ic gives typical ejecta masses Mej≈ 3.6−5.7 M⊙, energies EK≈ 1.5−1.7×1051 erg, and M(56Ni) ≈ 0.3 M⊙. Higher values for EK and M(56Ni) are estimated for SNe Ic-BL (Mej≈ 5.4 M⊙, EK≈ 10.7×1051 erg, M(56Ni) ≈ 1.1 M⊙). For the majority of SNe Ic and Ic-BL, we can put strong limits (<2−4 days) on the duration of the expected early-time plateau. Less stringent limits can be placed on the duration of the plateau for the sample of SNe Ib. In the single case of SN Ib 2006lc, a >5.9 days plateau seems to be detected. The rising part of the BLCs is reproduced by power laws with index <2. For two events (SN 2005hm and SN 2007qx), we find signatures of a possible shock break-out cooling tail. Conclusions. Based on the limits for the plateau length and on the slow rise of the BLCs, we find that in most of our SNe Ic and Ic-BL the 56Ni is mixed out to the outer layers, suggesting that SN Ic progenitors are de facto helium poor. The derived progenitor parameters (56Ni, EK, Mej) are consistent with previous works.
We present accretion disk structure measurements from continuum lags in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping (SDSS-RM) project. Lags are measured using the JAVELIN software from the ...first-year SDSS-RM g and i photometry, resulting in well-defined lags for 95 quasars, 33 of which have lag S/N > 2 . We also estimate lags using the ICCF software and find consistent results, though with larger uncertainties. Accretion disk structure is fit using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach, parameterizing the measured continuum lags as a function of disk size normalization, wavelength, black hole mass, and luminosity. In contrast with previous observations, our best-fit disk sizes and color profiles are consistent (within 1.5 ) with the Shakura & Sunyaev analytic solution. We also find that more massive quasars have larger accretion disks, similarly consistent with the analytic accretion disk model. The data are inconclusive on a correlation between disk size and continuum luminosity, with results that are consistent with both no correlation and the Shakura & Sunyaev expectation. The continuum lag fits have a large excess dispersion, indicating that our measured lag errors are underestimated and/or our best-fit model may be missing the effects of orientation, spin, and/or radiative efficiency. We demonstrate that fitting disk parameters using only the highest-S/N lag measurements biases best-fit disk sizes to be larger than the disk sizes recovered using a Bayesian approach on the full sample of well-defined lags.
ABSTRACT
We study the modelling of the halo occupation distribution (HOD) for the eBOSS DR16 emission line galaxies (ELGs). Motivated by previous theoretical and observational studies, we consider ...different physical effects that can change how ELGs populate haloes. We explore the shape of the average HOD, the fraction of satellite galaxies, their probability distribution function (PDF), and their density and velocity profiles. Our baseline HOD shape was fitted to a semi-analytical model of galaxy formation and evolution, with a decaying occupation of central ELGs at high halo masses. We consider Poisson and sub/super-Poissonian PDFs for satellite assignment. We model both Navarro–Frenk–White and particle profiles for satellite positions, also allowing for decreased concentrations. We model velocities with the virial theorem and particle velocity distributions. Additionally, we introduce a velocity bias and a net infall velocity. We study how these choices impact the clustering statistics while keeping the number density and bias fixed to that from eBOSS ELGs. The projected correlation function, wp, captures most of the effects from the PDF and satellites profile. The quadrupole, ξ2, captures most of the effects coming from the velocity profile. We find that the impact of the mean HOD shape is subdominant relative to the rest of choices. We fit the clustering of the eBOSS DR16 ELG data under different combinations of the above assumptions. The catalogues presented here have been analysed in companion papers, showing that eBOSS RSD+BAO measurements are insensitive to the details of galaxy physics considered here. These catalogues are made publicly available.
We investigate the dependence of black hole accretion rate (BHAR) on host-galaxy star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass (M*) in the CANDELS/GOODS-South field in the redshift range of . Our sample ...consists of galaxies, allowing us to probe galaxies with and/or . We use sample-mean BHAR to approximate long-term average BHAR. Our sample-mean BHARs are derived from the Chandra Deep Field-South 7 Ms observations, while the SFRs and M* have been estimated by the CANDELS team through spectral energy distribution fitting. The average BHAR is correlated positively with both SFR and M*, and the BHAR-SFR and BHAR-M* relations can both be described acceptably by linear models with a slope of unity. However, BHAR appears to be correlated more strongly with M* than SFR. This result indicates that M* is the primary host-galaxy property related to supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth, and the apparent BHAR-SFR relation is largely a secondary effect due to the star-forming main sequence. Among our sources, massive galaxies ( ) have significantly higher BHAR/SFR ratios than less massive galaxies, indicating that the former have higher SMBH fueling efficiency and/or higher SMBH occupation fraction than the latter. Our results can naturally explain the observed proportionality between and M* for local giant ellipticals and suggest that their is higher than that of local star-forming galaxies. Among local star-forming galaxies, massive systems might have higher compared to dwarfs.
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