Cosmology

Abstract:

We present a power spectrum analysis of the final 2dF QSO Redshift Survey catalogue containing 22652 QSOs. Utilising the huge volume probed by the QSOs, we can accurately measure power out to scales of ~500Mpc and derive new constraints, at z~1.4, on the matter and baryonic contents of the Universe. Importantly, these new cosmological constraints are derived at an intermediate epoch between the CMB observations at z~1000, and local (z~0) studies of large-scale structure; the average QSO redshift corresponds to a look-back time of approximately two-thirds of the age of the Universe. We find that the amplitude of clustering of the QSOs at z~1.4 is similar to that of present day galaxies. The power spectra of the QSOs at high and low redshift are compared and we find little evidence for any evolution in the amplitude. Assuming a lambda cosmology to derive the comoving distances, r(z), to the QSOs, the power spectrum derived can be well described by a model with shape parameter Gamma=0.13+-0.02. If an Einstein-de Sitter model r(z) is instead assumed, a slightly higher value of Gamma=0.16+-0.03 is obtained. A comparison with the Hubble Volume LCDM simulation shows very good agreement over the whole range of scales considered. A standard (Omega_m=1) CDM model, however, predicts a much higher value of Gamma than is observed, and it is difficult to reconcile such a model with these data. We fit CDM model power spectra (assuming scale-invariant initial fluctuations), convolved with the survey window function, and corrected for redshift space distortions, and find that models with baryon oscillations are slightly preferred, with the baryon fraction Omega_b/Omega_m=0.18+-0.10. The overall shape of the power spectrum provides a strong constraint on Omega_m*h (where h is the Hubble parameter), with Omega_m*h=0.19+-0.05.

Abstract:

Evidence has been found for optical emission from the northern radio jet of 3C 31, the radio source associated with NGC 383. The jet emerges from the dust disc and ring of emission at a radius of 5 arcsec, and within 10.4 arcsec is measured to have a B-band flux of 2.1 μJy and an R-band flux of 2.3 μJy. The radio-to-optical spectral index of this region is 0.78. A second connected region, 11.8 arcsec along the jet in position angle 340°, found to have similar optical colours and radio-to-optical spectral index may also be jet emission. We combine our new data with recent radio and X-ray results to conclude that the emission of the jet is synchrotron from the radio to the X-ray.

Abstract:

As a prerequisite for cosmological studies using adaptive optics techniques, we have begun to identify and characterize faint sources in the vicinity of bright stars at high Galactic latitudes. The initial phase of this work has been a program of Ks imaging conducted with SOFI at the ESO NTT. From observations of 42 southern fields evenly divided between the spring and autumn skies, we have identified 391 additional stars and 1589 galaxies lying at separations Δθ ≤ 60″ from candidate guide stars in the magnitude range 9.0 ≤ R ≤ 12.4. When analyzed as a "discrete deep field" with 131 arcmin2 area, our dataset gives galaxy number counts that agree with those derived previously over the range 16 ≤ Ks < 20.5. This consistency indicates that in the aggregate, our fields should be suitable for future statistical studies. We provide our source catalogue as a resource for users of large telescopes in the southern hemisphere.

Abstract:

We describe a major study of radio source host galaxies being carried out with the HST and ground-based facilities. Our sample is selected from 4 complete samples with different radio flux-density limits, giving a range of three orders of magnitude in radio luminosity at a fixed epoch (z=0.5). High-resolution HST WFPC2 imaging shows that all 44 radio galaxies have flux distributions well fit by an r1/4 law and lying on the Kormendy relation defined by lower redshift ellipticals with a shift in the zero-point to account for passive evolution. Spectroscopic follow-up enables stellar velocity dispersions to be determined and black hole masses estimated. The clustering environments of the radio galaxies are being probed via multi-colour wide-field imaging. Together, these data allow a detailed investigation of how factors such as clustering environment, close interactions and star-formation history affect the accretion rate, ionizing luminosity and jet production from supermassive black holes. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.