Lance Miller

Abstract:

We investigate the relation between the mass of super-massive black holes (Mbh) in QSOs and the mass of the dark matter halos hosting them (Mdh). We measure the widths of broad emission lines (Mgii lambda 2798, Civ lambda 1549) from QSO composite spectra as a function of redshift. These widths are then used to determine virial black hole mass estimates. We compare our virial black hole mass estimates to dark matter halo masses for QSO hosts derived by Croom et al. (2005) based on measurements of QSO clustering. This enables us to trace the Mbh-Mdh relation over the redshift range z=0.5 to 2.5. We calculate the mean zero-point of the Mbh-Mdh relation to be Mbh=10^(8.4+/-0.2)Msun for an Mdh=10^(12.5)Msun. These data are then compared with several models connecting Mbh and Mdh as well as recent hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy evolution. We note that the flux limited nature of QSO samples can cause a Malmquist-type bias in the measured zero-point of the Mbh-Mdh relation. The magnitude of this bias depends on the scatter in the Mbh-Mdh relation, and we reevaluate the zero-point assuming three published values for this scatter. (abridged)

Abstract:

The next generation of weak gravitational lensing surveys is capable of generating good measurements of cosmological parameters, provided that, amongst other requirements, adequate redshift information is available for the background galaxies that are measured. It is frequently assumed that photometric redshift techniques provide the means to achieve this. Here we compare Bayesian and frequentist approaches to photometric redshift estimation, particularly at faint magnitudes. We identify and discuss the biases that are inherent in the various methods, and describe an optimum Bayesian method for extracting redshift distributions from photometric data.

Abstract:

We investigate the link between ionised Fe X-ray line emission and continuum emission in the bright nearby AGN, Mrk 766. A new long (433 ks) XMM-Newton observation is analysed, together with archival data from 2000 and 2001. The contribution from ionised line emission is measured and its time variations on short (5-20 ks) timescales are correlated with the continuum emission. The ionised line flux is found to be highly variable and to be strongly correlated with the continuum flux, demonstrating an origin for the ionised line emission that is co-located with the continuum emission. Most likely the emission is ionised reflection from the accretion disc within a few A.U. of the central black hole, and its detection marks the first time that such an origin has been identified other than by fitting to spectral line profiles. Future observations may be able to measure a time lag and hence achieve reverberation mapping of AGN at X-ray energies.

Abstract:

We analyse the redshift-space (z-space) distortions of quasi-stellar object (QSO) clustering in the 2-degree field instrument (2dF) QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ). To interpret the z-space correlation function, ξ(σ, π), we require an accurate model for the QSO real-space correlation function, ξ(r). Although a single power-law ξ(r) ξ r-γ model fits the projected correlation function [wp(σ)] at small scales, it implies somewhat too shallow a slope for both wp(σ) and the z-space correlation function, ξ(s), at larger scales (≳20 h-1 Mpc). Motivated by the form for ξ(r) seen in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) and in standard A cold dark matter (COM) predictions, we use a double power-law model for ξ(r), which gives a good fit to ξ(s) and w p(σ). The model is parametrized by a slope of γ = 1.45 for 1 < r < 10 h-1 Mpc and γ = 2.30 for 10 < r < 40 h-1 Mpc. As found for the 2dFGRS, the value of β determined from the ratio of ξ(s)/ξ(r) depends sensitively on the form of ξ(r) assumed. With our double power-law form for ξ(r), we measure β(z = 1.4) = 0.32-0.11+0.09. Assuming the same model for ξ(r), we then analyse the z-space distortions in the 2QZ ξ(σ, π) and put constraints on the values of Ωm0 and β(z = 1.4), using an improved version of the method of Hoyle et al. The constraints we derive are Ωm0 = 0.35-0.13+0.19, β(z = 1.4) = 0.50-0.15+0.13 in agreement with our ξ(s)/ξ(r) results at the ∼1σ level. © 2005 RAS.