Browsing by Author "Cress, Catherine"
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Item Clustering of HI galaxies in the HI parkes all sky survey and arecibo legacy fast alfa survey(Oxford University Press, 2011) Passmoor, S. S.; Cress, Catherine; Faltenbacher, AWe investigate the clustering of H I-selected galaxies in the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey (ALFALFA) and compare results with those obtained for the H I Parkes All Sky Survey (HIPASS). Measurements of the angular correlation function and the inferred 3D clustering are compared with results from direct spatial-correlation measurements. We are able to measure clustering on smaller angular scales and for galaxies with lower H I masses than was previously possible. We calculate the expected clustering of dark matter using the redshift distributions of the HIPASS and ALFALFA, and show that the ALFALFA sample is somewhat more antibiased with respect to dark matter than the HIPASS sample.Item Clustering studies of radio-selected galaxies(University of the Western Cape, 2011) Passmoor, Sean Stuart; Cress, Catherine; Dept. of Physics; Faculty of ScienceWe investigate the clustering of HI-selected galaxies in the ALFALFA survey and compare results with those obtained for HIPASS. Measurements of the angular correlation function and the inferred 3D-clustering are compared with results from direct spatial-correlation measurements. We are able to measure clustering on smaller angular scales and for galaxies with lower HI masses than was previously possible. We calculate the expected clustering of dark matter using the redshift distributions of HIPASS and ALFALFA and show that the ALFALFA sample is somewhat more anti-biased with respect to dark matter than the HIPASS sample. We are able to conform the validity of the dark matter correlation predictions by performing simulations of the non-linear structure formation. Further we examine how the bias evolves with redshift for radio galaxies detected in the the first survey.Item Far-infrared-radio relations in clusters and groups at intermediate redshift(University of the Western Cape, 2014) Randriamampandry, Solohery Mampionona; Crawford, Steven; Cress, CatherineIn this thesis, we present a multi-wavelength analysis of star-forming galaxies to shed new light on the evolution of the far-IR-radio relations in intermediate redshift (0.3 < z < 0.6) galaxy clusters and galaxy groups. The far-infrared (far-IR) emission from galaxies is dominated by thermal dust emission. The radio emission at 1.4 GHz is predominantly produced by non-thermal synchrotron radiation. The underlying mechanisms, which drive the far-IR-radio correlation, are believed to arise from massive star formation. A number of studies have investigated the relationship as a function of redshift in the field and have found no evolution out to at least z _ 2, however few works have been done in galaxy clusters. In nearby clusters, the median logarithmic ratio of the far-IR to radio luminosity is qFIR = 2.07_0.74, which is lower than the value found in the field, and there is an indication of an enhancement of radio emission relative to the far-IR emission. Understanding the properties of the far-IR-radio correlation in a sample of distant and massive cluster and groups plays an important role in understanding the physical processes in these systems. We have derived total infrared luminosities for a sample of cluster, group, and field galaxies through an empirical relation based on Spitzer MIPS 24 _m photometry. The radio flux densities were measured from deep Very Large Array 1.4 GHz radio continuum observations. We have studied the properties of the far-IR-radio correlation of galaxies at intermediate redshift clusters by comparing the relationship of these galaxies to that of low redshift clusters. We have also examined the properties of the galaxies showing radio excess to determine the extent that galaxy type or environment may explain the radio excess in galaxy clusters. We find that the ratio of far-IR to radio luminosity for galaxies in an intermediate redshift cluster to be qFIR = 1.72_0.63. This value is comparable to that measured in low redshift clusters. A higher fraction of galaxies in clusters show an excess in their radio fluxes when compared to low redshift clusters, and corroborates previous evidence of a cluster enhancement of radio excess sources at this earlier epoch as well. We have also investigated the properties of the far-IR-radio correlation for a sample of galaxy groups in the COSMOS field. We find a lower percentage of radio-excess sources in groups as compared to clusters. This provides preliminary evidence that the number of radioexcess sources may depend on galaxy environment. We also find that a larger fraction of radio-excess sources in clusters are red sequence galaxies.Item Galaxy evolution and cosmology studies using luminous red galaxies(University of the Western Cape, 2014) Ratsimbazafy, Ando; Cress, Catherine; Crawford, SteveThere have been a number of attempts to measure the expansion rate of the Universe using age-dating of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs). Assuming that stars in LRGs form at the same time, age-dating of two populations of LRGs at different redshifts can provide an estimate of the time different associated with the corresponding redshift interval (dz/dt). This gives a direct estimate of the Hubble parameter H (z) at the average redshift of the two populations. In this thesis, we explore the validity of this method by using two different sets of data. Firstly, we select a homogeneous sample of passively evolving galaxies over 0.10 < z < 0.40 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Seven (SDSS-DR7) catalogue by applying a refined criteria, which is based on absolute magnitude. Secondly, we carry out series of observations on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to obtain spectra of LRGs at two narrow redshift ranges z ' 0.40 and z ' 0.55 in order to calculate the Hubble parameter H(z) at z ' 0.47. We utilise two distinct methods of age-dating including the use of absorption Lick index lines and full spectral fitting on high signal-to-noise galaxy spectra from our sample. By establishing the age-redshift relation of the quiescent, passively evolving galaxies from SDSS, we obtain three improved new observational H(z) data points which are H(z) = 76.8 5.3 km s1Mpc1 at z ' 0.28, H(z) = 78.5 6.8 km s1Mpc1 at z ' 0.30 and H(z) = 86.3 7.6 km s1Mpc1 at z ' 0.32 respectively. We also find another H(z) value of 105 39 km s1Mpc1 at z ' 0.47 when age-dating LRGs observed with SALT. Combining all 4 data points with another 25 data points in the literature, we place better constraints on cosmological models and find the matter density parameter to be constrained by m = 0:32+0:05 0:06 and the Hubble constant to be H0 =68.5 2.4. These results are very consistent with other studies. Through this work, we are able to demonstrate that the cosmic chronometers approach can potentially be used to explore the evolution of the Universe.Item Infrared-bright galaxies in the millennium simulation and Sunyaev Zeldovich effect contamination(2010) Opolot, Daniel Christopher; Cress, CatherineMeasuring the evolution of the abundance of galaxy clusters puts constraints on cosmological parameters like the cosmological density parameter m, σ8 and the dark energy equation of state parameter, w. Current observations that promise to give large cluster counts and their properties are those that rely on the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect (SZE) from clusters. We study the contamination of the SZ signals from galaxy clusters by cluster infrared (IR) galaxies and particularly faint IR galaxies. We use the Millennium simulation database to extract galaxy clusters and deduce contaminant IR fluxes using the star formation rate - IR luminosity relations. We use the IR spectral energy distribution(SED) to obtain the monochromatic fluxes at 145 GHz, 217 GHz and 265 GHz, which are the observation frequencies of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). Taking ACT as a case study, we selected all clusters with Mvir ≥ 2 × 1014 M⊙, and consider all galaxies in a cluster with star formation rate sfr ≥ 0.2 M⊙yr−1 as IR galaxies. From the fluxes of these selected sources, we compute their contribution to the SZE temperature fluctuations.We find that the galaxies in clusters have a non-neglible contribution to the SZ signals.In massive and rich clusters the contribution can be as high as 100 μK at z = 0.36,which is substantial when compared to the thermal SZE of & 270μK for such clusters.This effect can be reduced significantly if proper modelling of IR sources is done to pick out the point sources within clusters. We also find that irrespective of the mass range,the average contaminant temperature fluctuation T can be modelled as a power-law: T = Czm, where z is the redshift, m = 1.8 ± 0.07 and C takes on a range of values(0.008 to 0.9) depending on the cluster mass and the observation frequency respectively.We also study some properties of simulated galaxy clusters like substructures in clusters,2D projected distributions and number density profiles, which are all discussed in the results.Item Luminous red galaxies in simulations(2010) Ratsimbazafy, Ando Lalaina; Cress, CatherineThere have been a number of attempts to measure the expansion rate of the Universe using age-dating of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs).Assuming stars in LRGs form at the same time, age-dating of two populations of LRGs at different redshifts can provide an estimate of the time difference associated with the corresponding redshift interval (dt/dz). This gives a direct estimate of the Hubble parameter at the average redshift of the two populations. In this thesis, we explore the validity of the assumptions in this method using LRGs identified in the Millenium Simulation.We study the properties of LRGs simulated using two semi-analytical models for galaxy evolution and discuss LRG selection criteria. We use stellar population modelling and spectral synthesis to estimate the errors on ages that can be expected and discuss optimization of an age-dating experiment.We find that H(z) using simulated galaxies from MS can be recovered with high accuracy. Using Single Stellar Populations (SSPs) to age -date LRGs is not sufficient for this experiment but if the star formation histories of galaxies are used, accurate ages are obtainable. We discuss an observing program to carry out this experiment using SALT (Southern African Large Telescope).Item Modelling radio galaxies in the Millennium simulation: SKA/MeerKAT sources and CMB contaminants(University of the Western Cape, 2010) Ramamonjisoa, Fidy Andriamanankasina; Cress, Catherine; Dept. of PhysicsWe investigate the modelling of radio galaxies within a semi-analytic framework in the Millennium Simulation of the Virgo Consortium. The aim is to assess the radio sources contamination of Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) signatures of clusters of galaxies in Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments. The modelling is also relevant to the Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) science. The semi-analytical model consists of N-body simulation, the Millennium Run to trace the merger history of dark matter haloes within the Λ Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) cosmology and a follow up of the black hole accretion history and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) evolution. We study the growth of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in galaxy centres and determine the black hole mass accretion conversion into radiation. We identify a model which matches observed radio luminosity function. We describe a model of observed sample of radio surveys at a given frequency and a flux density limit to obtain a model of radio luminosity function (space density of radio sources as a function of redshift) that we compare with our simulated data. We determine the redshift distribution of radio galaxies (FRI), blazars and radio quasars (FRII) in the simulation. We focus the modelling on flat spectrum population of blazars since their jets are collimated towards us and thus constitute the most potential contaminants of the CMB. We determine the spatial and density distribution of radio sources in clusters with a virial mass Mvir 2 1014h−1M and then compute the temperature fluctuations and fluxes produced by these cluster radio sources. Our main results include: the model provides a reasonable match within uncertainties with the model obtained by Dunlop & Peacock (1990) [39] using their best fit of radio luminosity function at redshift z . 0:3. The model underestimates the number of radio sources at high redshift z & 1. Radio sources are concentrated around the centre of clusters with a maximum density at r . 0:1r200 where r200 is the radius within which the density is 200 times the critical density. Radio sources are more concentrated in low mass clusters. The model predicts a surface density profile of radio sources with luminosity P 1023 W.Hz−1 at 1.4 GHz (z . 0:06) in agreement with that of Lin & Mohr (2007) [58] at r . 0:1r200 but underestimates the density in the outskirts of the clusters. BL Lacs and FRI radio galaxies produce non negligible contamination at redshift z . 0:1. They produce a mean temperature fluctuation 4:5 K at redshift z 0:01 which can be at the same level as the kinetic SZE signal produced by the cluster. Blazars constitute potential contaminant of the thermal SZ effect at redshift z 1:0 and z 1:5 at 145 GHz where they produce a mean temperature 300 K - 350 K for an average mass of the cluster.Item Probing the bias of radio sources at high redshift(Oxford University Press, 2013) Passmoor, S.; Cress, Catherine; Faltenbacher, Andreas; Johnston, Russell; Smith, Mathew; Ratsimbazafy, Ando; Hoyle, BenThe relationship between the clustering of dark matter and that of luminous matter is often described using the bias parameter. Here, we provide a new method to probe the bias of intermediate-to-high-redshift radio continuum sources for which no redshift information is available. We matched radio sources from the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimetres survey data to their optical counterparts in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to obtain photometric redshifts for the matched radio sources.We then use the publicly available semi-empirical simulation of extragalactic radio continuum sources (S3) to infer the redshift distribution for all FIRST sources and estimate the redshift distribution of unmatched sources by subtracting the matched distribution from the distribution of all sources. We infer that the majority of unmatched sources are at higher redshifts than the optically matched sources and demonstrate how the angular scales of the angular two-point correlation function can be used to probe different redshift ranges. We compare the angular clustering of radio sources with that expected for dark matter and estimate the bias of different samples.Item Radio continuum surveys with square kilometre array pathfinders(Cambridge University Press, 2013) Norris, Ray P.; Afonso, J.; Bacon, David; Cress, CatherineIn the lead-up to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, several next-generation radio telescopes and upgrades are already being built around the world. These include APERTIF (The Netherlands), ASKAP (Australia), eMERLIN (UK), VLA (USA), e-EVN (based in Europe), LOFAR (The Netherlands), Meerkat (South Africa), and the MurchisonWidefield Array (MWA). Each of these new instruments has different strengths, and coordination of surveys between them can help maximise the science from each of them. A radio continuum survey is being planned on each of them with the primary science objective of understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time, and the cosmological parameters and large-scale structures which drive it. In pursuit of this objective, the different teams are developing a variety of new techniques, and refining existing ones. To achieve these exciting scientific goals, many technical challenges must be addressed by the survey instruments. Given the limited resources of the global radioastronomical community, it is essential that we pool our skills and knowledge. We do not have sufficient resources to enjoy the luxury of re-inventing wheels. We face significant challenges in calibration, imaging, source extraction and measurement, classification and cross-identification, redshift determination, stacking, and data-intensive research. As these instruments extend the observational parameters, we will face further unexpected challenges in calibration, imaging, and interpretation. If we are to realise the full scientific potential of these expensive instruments, it is essential that we devote enough resources and careful study to understanding the instrumental effects and how they will affect the data. We have established an SKA Radio Continuum Survey working group, whose prime role is to maximise science from these instruments by ensuring we share resources and expertise across the projects. Here we describe these projects, their science goals, and the technical challenges which are being addressed to maximise the science return.Item Stellar masses of star forming galaxies in clusters(University of the Western Cape, 2010) Randriamampandry, Solohery Mampionona; Crawford, Steven; Cress, Catherine; Dept. of PhysicsWe determine the stellar mass of star forming galaxies in the X-ray luminous cluster MS 0451.6-0305 at z ∼ 0.54. The stellar masses are estimated from fitting model spectral energy distributions (SEDs) to deep, optical UBRIz observations obtained from WIYN 3.5m telescope and public NIR K-band image from Palomar Observatory telescope. The model SEDs are based on the stellar population synthesis (SPS) model of Bruzual & Charlot (2003) and Conroy et al. (2009) that span a wide range of age, star formation history, Initial Mass Function (IMF), metallicity and dust content. We measure stellar masses for galaxies down to M∗∼2×10⁸M(.) We find a tight correlation between stellar masses derived from the two SPSs. We compare the derived stellar masses to the dynamical masses for a set of 25 star forming galaxies. The dynamical masses are derived from high resolution, spectroscopic observations of emission lines from the DEIMOS spectrograph on the Keck telescope. A strong correlation is seen between the dynamical and stellar mass for the galaxies; and the star forming galaxies show fairly constant ratio between stellar and dynamical mass. When comparing to the field sample of Guzm ́an et al. (2003) of luminous compact blue galaxies, we see an excess of low mass galaxies in the cluster.