120736557
Optical galaxy cluster detection across a wide redshift range
The past decade is one of the most exciting period in the history of physics and astronomy. The discovery of cosmic acceleration dramatically changed our understanding about the evolution and constituents of the Universe. To accommodate the new acceleration phase into our well established Big Bang cosmological scenario under the frame work of General Relativity, there must exist a very special substance that has negative pressure and make up about 73% of the total energy density in our Universe. It is called Dark Energy. For the first time people realized that the vast majority of our Universe is made of things that are totally different from the things we are made of. Therefore, one of the major endeavors in physics and astronomy in the coming years is trying to understand, if we can, the nature of dark energy. Understanding dark energy cannot be achieved from pure logic. We need empirical evidence to finally determine about what is dark energy. The better we can constrain the energy density and evolution of the dark energy, the closer we will get to the answer. There are many ways to constrain the energy density and evolution of dark energy, each of which leads tomore » degeneracy in certain directions in the parameter space. Therefore, a combination of complimentary methods will help to reduce the degeneracies and give tighter constraints. Dark energy became dominate over matter in the Universe only very recently (at about z {approx} 1.5) and will affect both the cosmological geometry and large scale structure formation. Among the various experiments, some of them constrain the dark energy mainly via geometry (such as CMB, Supernovae) while some others provides constraints from both structures and geometry (such as BAO, Galaxy Clusters) Galaxy clusters can be used as a sensitive probe for cosmology. A large cluster catalog that extends to high redshift with well measured masses is indispensable for precisely constraining cosmological parameters. Detecting clusters in optical bands is very efficient. Multi-color CCD photometry allows combined detection and redshift estimation for clusters across broad redshift ranges. However, the lack of precise information about galaxy positions along the line of sight leads to contamination by projection, which plagues both cluster detection and the measurement of their properties. The dominance of red sequence galaxies, tightly clustered along the E/S0 ridgeline, provides a powerful method for de-projecting field galaxies. We developed an Error Corrected Gaussian Mixture Model to fit the galaxies color distribution around clusters by taking into account the measurement errors. By this technique, we can detect the red sequence color clustering and extract unbiased information about the evolution of the red sequence ridgeline and its width. Precision measurements of ridgelines yields better estimates of cluster richness and possibly their dynamical state, leading to better estimates of cluster mass. By using the red sequence clustering in color space identified from the Error Corrected Gaussian Mixture Model, together with the projected NFW filter in the projected RA/DEC plane, we developed a new and efficient cluster finding algorithm that can reliably detect galaxy clusters across the redshift range from 0.1 to 1.4. We have also run the cluster finder on legacy SDSS DR7 data and assembled an approximately volume limited cluster catalog across redshifts from 0.1 to 0.5. The algorithm has been tested against a Monte Carlo mock catalog, showing the identified clusters are highly complete and pure. With the completion of this thesis, we build the first and essential step towards precision cluster cosmology. Meanwhile, the large optical cluster catalog across a wide redshift range makes possible the systematic and detailed investigation of cluster formation and evolution.« less
7857108
Cosmological dynamics of scalar fields with O(N) symmetry
In this paper, we study the cosmological dynamics of scalar fields with O(N) symmetry in general potentials. We compare the phase space of the dynamical systems of the quintessence and phantom and give the conditions for the existence of various attractors as well as their cosmological implications. We also show that the existence of a tracking attractor in O(N) phantom models requires the potential with Γ < 1/2, which makes the model with exponential potential possess no tracking attractor.
198140971
Charged D stars
We describe charged soliton stars with a solid angular deficit (charged boson D stars), and find the approximate solution in the external space. Besides, we discuss the stability of charged D stars and find when the number of bosons is less than certain value, charged D stars are quantum mechanically stable.
199673346
Generalized quartessence cosmic dynamics: phantom or quintessence with de Sitter attractor
121863790
A New Exactly Solvable Inflation Model and Its Power Spectrum
We present a new exactly solvable inflation model in which inflation can stop automatically, and in the approximately de Sitter limit, we give its power spectrum which can be tested in the future observations of cosmic microwave background anisotropy.
119458029
O(N) Quintessence with a Cosine-Type Potential
We propose a quintessence model with a cosine-type potential, in which the scalar field Φa possesses an O(N) internal symmetry. The most prominent feature of this model is that it will not reduce to a cosmological constant even when |Φa| is spatially uniform and time-independent. Since different values of the potential parameter will lead to different cosmic microwave background anisotropies, which may be detectable in future satellite experiments, one can decide by observations whether the cosine-type quintessence consists of one scalar field or many fields with a symmetry constraint.
14496803
LARGE-SCALE CAVITIES SURROUNDING MICROQUASARS INFERRED FROM EVOLUTION OF THEIR RELATIVISTIC JETS
The black hole (BH) X-ray transient XTE J1550-564 has undergone a strong outburst in 1998 and two relativistic X-ray jets have been detected years later with the Chandra X-ray observatory; the eastern jet was found previously to have decelerated after its first detection. Here, we report a full analysis of the evolution of the western jet; significant deceleration is also detected in the western side. Our analysis indicates that there is a cavity outside the central source and the jets first traveled with constant velocity and then were slowed down by the interactions between the jets and the interstellar medium. The best-fitted radius of the cavity is similar to 0.31 pc on the eastern side and similar to 0.44 pc on the western side, and the densities also show asymmetry, of similar to 0.034 cm(-3) on the east to similar to 0.12 cm(-3) on the west. The best-fitted magnetic fields on both sides are similar to 0.5 mG. Similar analysis is also applied to another microquasar system, H 1743-322, and a large-scale low-density region is also found. Based on these results and the comparison with other microquasar systems, we suggest a generic scenario for microquasar jets, classifying the observed jets into three main categories, with different jet morphologies (and sizes) corresponding to different scales of vacuous environments surrounding them. We also suggest that either continuous jets or accretion disk winds, or both may be responsible for creating these cavities. Therefore X-ray jets from microquasars provide us with a promising method of probing the environment of accreting BHs.
119202826
Sunyaev-Zel’dovich signal of the maxBCG SDSS galaxy clusters in WMAP
The Planck Collaboration measured the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) decrement of optically selected clusters from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, finding that it falls significantly below expectations based on existing mass calibration of the maxBCG galaxy clusters. Resolving this tension requires either the data to go up, or the theoretical expectations to come down. Here, we use data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) to perform an independent estimate of the SZ decrement of maxBCG clusters. The recovered signal is consistent with that obtained using Planck, though with larger error bars due to WMAP's larger beam size and smaller frequency range. Nevertheless, this detection serves as an independent confirmation of the magnitude of the effect, and demonstrates that the observed discrepancy must be theoretical in origin.
16218923
Evolution of relativistic jets from XTE J1550‐564 and the environment of microquasars
Two relativistic X‐ray jets have been detected with the Chandra X‐ray observatory in the black hole X‐ray transient XTE J1550‐564. We report a full analysis of the evolution of the two jets with a gamma‐ray burst external shock model. A plausible scenario suggests a cavity outside the central source and the jets first travelled with constant velocity and then are slowed down by the interactions between the jets and the interstellar medium (ISM). The best fitted radius of the cavity is ∼0.36 pc on the eastern side and ∼0.46 pc on the western side, and the densities also show asymmetry, of ∼0.015 cm−3 on the east to ∼0.21 cm−3 on the west. Large scale low density region is also found in another microquasar system, H 1743‐322. These results are consistent with previous suggestions that the environment of microquasars should be rather vacuous, compared to the normal Galactic environment. A generic scenario for microquasar jets is proposed, classifying the observed jets into three main categories, with differe...
118439902
Jets and environment of microquasars
Two relativistic X-ray jets have been detected with the Chandra X-ray observatory from the black hole X-ray transient XTE J1550-564. We report a full analysis of the evolution of the two jets with a gamma-ray burst external shock model. A plausible scenario suggests a cavity outside the central source and the jets first travelled with constant velocity and then are slowed down by the interactions between the jets and the interstellar medium (ISM). The best fitted radius of the cavity is $\sim$0.36 pc on the eastern side and $\sim$0.46 pc on the western side, and the densities also show asymmetry, of $\sim$0.015 cm$^{-3}$ on the east to $\sim$0.21 cm$^{-3}$ on the west. A large scale low density region is also found in another microquasar system, H 1743-322. These results are consistent with previous suggestions that the environment of microquasars should be rather vacuous, compared to the normal Galactic environment. A generic scenario for microquasar jets is proposed, classifying the observed jets into three main categories, with different jet morphologies (and sizes) corresponding to different scales of vacuous environments surrounding them.