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We present a catalog of galaxy cluster candidates detected in 100 square degrees surveyed with the SPTpol receiver on the South Pole Telescope. The catalog contains 89 candidates detected with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 4.6. The candidates are selected using the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect at 95 and 150 GHz. Using both space- and ground-based optical and infrared telescopes, we have confirmed 81 candidates as galaxy clusters. We use these follow-up images and archival images to estimate photometric redshifts for 66 galaxy clusters and spectroscopic observations to obtain redshifts for 13 systems. An additional 2 galaxy clusters are confirmed using the overdensity of near-infrared galaxies only, and are presented without redshifts. We find that 15 candidates (18% of the total sample) are at redshift of $z \geq 1.0$, with a maximum confirmed redshift of $z_{\rm{max}} = 1.38 \pm 0.10$. We expect this catalog to contain every galaxy cluster with $M_{500c} > 2.6 \times 10^{14} M_\odot h^{-1}_{70}$ and $z > 0.25$ in the survey area. The mass threshold is approximately constant above $z = 0.25$, and the complete catalog has a median mass of approximately $ M_{500c} = 2.7 \times 10^{14} M_\odot h^{-1}_{70}$. Compared to previous SPT works, the increased depth of the millimeter-wave data (11.2 and 6.5 $��$K-arcmin at 95 and 150 GHz, respectively) makes it possible to find more galaxy clusters at high redshift and lower mass., 21 pages, 7 figures, associated data available at http://pole.uchicago.edu/public/data/sptsz-clusters. V2 was accepted to the AJ, and includes minor changes requested by the reviewer

Long-period comets observed in our solar system are believed to originate from the Oort cloud, which is estimated to extend from roughly a few thousand to $10^5$ AU from the Sun. Despite many theoretical arguments for its existence, no direct observations of the cloud have been reported. Here, we explore the possibility of measuring Oort clouds around other stars through their emission at submillimeter wavelengths. Observations with the 545 and 857 GHz bands of the Planck satellite are well matched to the expected temperatures of Oort cloud bodies (on the order of 10 K). By correlating the Planck maps with catalogs of stars observed by the Gaia mission, we are able to constrain interesting regions of the exo-Oort cloud parameter space, placing limits on the total mass and the minimum size of grains in the cloud. We compare our measurements with known debris disk systems -- in the case of Vega and Fomalhaut we find a significant excess that is in agreement with measurements from Herschel. We use the measurements around Fomalhaut to constrain a possible exo-Oort cloud of that system. We explore an observed excess around the brightest and nearest stars in our sample as arising from possible exo-Oort clouds or other extended sources of thermal emission. We argue that future CMB surveys and targeted observations with far-infrared and millimeter wavelength telescopes have the potential to detect exo-Oort clouds or other extended sources of thermal emission beyond $\sim 1000$ AU from the parent stars., 19 pages, 12 figures, submitted to ApJ

The Abell 1763 superstructure at z=0.23 contains the first galaxy filament to be directly detected using mid-infrared observations. Our previous work has shown that the frequency of starbursting galaxies, as characterized by 24{\mu}m emission is much higher within the filament than at either the center of the rich galaxy cluster, or the field surrounding the system. New VLA and XMM-Newton data are presented here. We use the radio and X-ray data to examine the fraction and location of active galaxies, both active galactic nuclei (AGN) and starbursts. The radio far-infrared correlation, X-ray point source location, IRAC colors, and quasar positions are all used to gain an understanding of the presence of dominant AGN. We find very few MIPS-selected galaxies that are clearly dominated by AGN activity. Most radio selected members within the filament are starbursts. Within the supercluster, 3 of 8 spectroscopic members detected both in the radio and in the mid-infrared are radio-bright AGN. They are found at or near the core of Abell 1763. The five starbursts are located further along the filament. We calculate the physical properties of the known wide angle tail (WAT) source which is the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) of Abell 1763. A second double lobe source is found along the filament well outside of the virial radius of either cluster. The velocity offset of the WAT from the X-ray centroid, and the bend of the WAT in the intracluster medium (ICM) are both consistent with ram pressure stripping, indicative of streaming motions along the direction of the filament. We consider this as further evidence of the cluster-feeding nature of the galaxy filament., Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures AJ, accepted

We have extracted PSF-fitted stellar photometry from near-ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared images, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, of the nearby (D ~ 5.5 Mpc) SBm galaxy NGC 1311. The ultraviolet and optical data reveal a population of hot main sequence stars with ages of 2-10 Myr. We also find populations of blue supergiants with ages between 10 and 40 Myr and red supergiants with ages between 10 and 100 Myr. Our near-infrared data shows evidence of star formation going back ~1 Gyr, in agreement with previous work. Fits to isochrones indicate a metallicity of Z ~ 0.004. The ratio of blue to red supergiants is consistent with this metallicity. This indicates that NGC 1311 follows the well-known luminosity-metallicity relation for late-type dwarf galaxies. About half of the hot main sequence stars and blue supergiants are found in two regions in the inner part of NGC 1311. These two regions are each about 200 pc across, and thus have crossing times roughly equal to the 10 Myr age we find for the dominant young population. The Luminosity Functions of the supergiants indicate a slowly rising star formation rate (of 0.001 Solar masses per year) from ~100 Myr ago until ~15 Myr ago, followed by a strong enhancement (to 0.01 Solar Masses per year) at ~10 Myr ago. We see no compelling evidence for gaps in the star-forming history of NGC 1311 over the last 100 Myr, and, with lower significance, none over the last Gyr. This argues against a bursting mode, and in favor of a gasping or breathing mode for the recent star-formation history., Comment: AASTex, 34 pages, 13 postscript figures. Accepted for publication by The Astronomical Journal

We obtained Spitzer/IRAC 3.6-8 micron images of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 4258 to study possible interactions between dust and the radio jet. In our analysis we also included high-resolution radio continuum, H-alpha, CO, and X-ray data. Our data reveal that the 8 micron emission, believed to originate largely from PAH molecules and hot dust, is an excellent tracer of the normal spiral structure in NGC 4258, and hence it originates from the galactic plane. We investigated the possibility of dust destruction by the radio jet by calculating correlation coefficients between the 8 micron and radio continuum emissions along the jet in two independent ways, namely (i) from wavelet-transformed maps of the original images at different spatial scales, and (ii) from one-dimensional intensity cuts perpendicular to the projected path of the radio jet on the sky. No definitive sign of a correlation (or anticorrelation) was detected on relevant spatial scales with either approach, implying that any dust destruction must take place at spatial scales that are not resolved by our observations., Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal (11 pages, 10 figures, 1 table)

We present discovery observations of a quasar in the Canada-France High-z Quasar Survey (CFHQS) at redshift z=6.44. We also use near-IR spectroscopy of nine CFHQS quasars at z~6 to determine black hole masses. These are compared with similar estimates for more luminous Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars to investigate the relationship between black hole mass and quasar luminosity. We find a strong correlation between MgII FWHM and UV luminosity and that most quasars at this early epoch are accreting close to the Eddington limit. Thus these quasars appear to be in an early stage of their life cycle where they are building up their black hole mass exponentially. Combining these results with the quasar luminosity function, we derive the black hole mass function at z=6. Our black hole mass function is ~10^4 times lower than at z=0 and substantially below estimates from previous studies. The main uncertainties which could increase the black hole mass function are a larger population of obscured quasars at high-redshift than is observed at low-redshift and/or a low quasar duty cycle at z=6. In comparison, the global stellar mass function is only ~10^2 times lower at z=6 than at z=0. The difference between the black hole and stellar mass function evolution is due to either rapid early star formation which is not limited by radiation pressure as is the case for black hole growth or inefficient black hole seeding. Our work predicts that the black hole mass - stellar mass relation for a volume-limited sample of galaxies declines rapidly at very high redshift. This is in contrast to the observed increase at 4, Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, AJ in press

We report the discovery of a gravitationally lensed quasar identified serendipitously in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The object, SDSS J094604.90+183541.8, was initially targeted for spectroscopy as a luminous red galaxy, but the SDSS spectrum has the features of both a z=0.388 galaxy and a z=4.8 quasar. We have obtained additional imaging that resolves the system into two quasar images separated by 3.06 arcsec and a bright galaxy that is strongly blended with one of the quasar images. We confirm spectroscopically that the two quasar images represent a single lensed source at z=4.8 with a total magnification of 3.2, and we derive a model for the lensing galaxy. This is the highest redshift lensed quasar currently known. We examine the issues surrounding the selection of such an unusual object from existing data and briefly discuss implications for lensed quasar surveys., Comment: AJ accepted, 9 pages, 6 figures, referee suggestions included

We present a two-dimensional (2-D) fitting algorithm (GALFIT, Version 3) with new capabilities to study the structural components of galaxies and other astronomical objects in digital images. Our technique improves on previous 2-D fitting algorithms by allowing for irregular, curved, logarithmic and power-law spirals, ring and truncated shapes in otherwise traditional parametric functions like the Sersic, Moffat, King, Ferrer, etc., profiles. One can mix and match these new shape features freely, with or without constraints, apply them to an arbitrary number of model components and of numerous profile types, so as to produce realistic-looking galaxy model images. Yet, despite the potential for extreme complexity, the meaning of the key parameters like the Sersic index, effective radius or luminosity remain intuitive and essentially unchanged. The new features have an interesting potential for use to quantify the degree of asymmetry of galaxies, to quantify low surface brightness tidal features beneath and beyond luminous galaxies, to allow more realistic decompositions of galaxy subcomponents in the presence of strong rings and spiral arms, and to enable ways to gauge the uncertainties when decomposing galaxy subcomponents. We illustrate these new features by way of several case studies that display various levels of complexity., Comment: 41 pages, 22 figures, AJ accepted. Minor changes. Full resolution version of this paper is available at: http://users.obs.carnegiescience.edu/peng/work/galfit/galfit3.pdf

The Ca triplet (CaT) feature in the near-infrared has been employed as a metallicity indicator for individual stars as well as integrated light of Galactic globular clusters (GCs) and galaxies with varying degrees of success, and sometimes puzzling results. Using the DEIMOS multi-object spectrograph on Keck we obtain a sample of 144 integrated light spectra of GCs around the brightest group galaxy NGC 1407 to test whether the CaT index can be used as a metallicity indicator for extragalactic GCs. Different sets of single stellar population models make different predictions for the behavior of the CaT as a function of metallicity. In this work, the metallicities of the GCs around NGC 1407 are obtained from CaT index values using an empirical conversion. The measured CaT/metallicity distributions show unexpected features, the most remarkable being that the brightest red and blue GCs have similar CaT values despite their large difference in mean color. Suggested explanations for this behavior in the NGC 1407 GC system are: 1) the CaT may be affected by a population of hot blue stars, 2) the CaT may saturate earlier than predicted by the models, and/or 3) color may not trace metallicity linearly. Until these possibilities are understood, the use of the CaT as a metallicity indicator for the integrated spectra of extragalactic GCs will remain problematic., Comment: 14 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in AJ

We present a detailed study of the star cluster population detected in the galaxy NGC922, one of the closest collisional ring galaxies known to date, using HST/WFPC2 UBVI photometry, population synthesis models, and N-body/SPH simulations.We find that 69% of the clusters are younger than 7Myr, and that most of them are located in the ring or along the bar, consistent with the strong Halpha emission. The cluster luminosity function slope of 2.1-2.3 for NGC922 is in agreement with those of young clusters in nearby galaxies. Models of the cluster age distribution match the observations best when cluster disruption is considered. We also find clusters with ages (>50Myr) and masses (>10^5 Msun) that are excellent progenitors for faint fuzzy clusters. The images also show a tidal plume pointing toward the companion. Its stellar age from our analysis is consistent with pre-existing stars that were stripped off during the passage of the companion. Finally, a comparison of the star-forming complexes observed in NGC922 with those of a distant ring galaxy from the GOODS field indicates very similar masses and sizes, suggesting similar origins., 17 pages including 13 figures. Accepted for publication in AJ. Full resolution version at http://people.physics.tamu.edu/pellerin/Pellerin_etal_NGC922.pdf

We have conducted a new spectroscopic survey to characterize the nature of nuclear activity in Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs) galaxies and establish its frequency. We have obtained new intermediate resolution optical spectroscopy for 200 member-galaxies and corrected for underlying stellar population contamination using galaxy templates. Spectra for 11 additional galaxies have been acquired from the ESO and 6dF public archives and emission line ratios have been taken from the literature for 59 galaxies more. Here we present the results of our classification of the nuclear activity for 270 member-galaxies, which belong to a well defined sample of 64 HCGs. We found a large fraction of galaxies, 63%, with emission lines. Using standard diagnostic diagrams, 45% of the emission line galaxies were classified as pure AGNs, 23% as Transition Objects (TOs) and 32% as Star Forming Nuclei (SFNs). In the HCGs, the AGN activity appears as the most frequent activity type. Adopting the interpretation that in TOs a Low Luminosity AGN coexists with circumnuclear star formation, the fraction of galaxies with an AGN could rise to 42% of the whole sample. The low frequency (20%) of SFNs confirms that there is no star formation enhancement in HCGs. After extinction correction we found a median AGN H$\alpha$ luminosity of 7.1$\times10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$, which implies that AGNs in HCG have a characteristically low luminosity. This result added to the fact, that there is an almost complete absence of Broad Line AGNs in Compact Groups (CGs) as found by Martinez et al.(2008a) and corroborated in this study for HCGs, is consistent with very few gas left in these galaxies. In general, therefore, what may characterize the level of activity in CGs is a severe deficiency of gas., Comment: 44 pages, 8 figures and 5 tables. Accepted for publication in AJ. Corrected the error with the pdf production

Archival Chandra observations are used to study the X-ray emission associated with star formation in the central region of the nearby SAB(s)cd galaxy NGC 2403. The distribution of X-ray emission is compared to the morphology visible at other wavelengths using complementary Spitzer, GALEX, and ground-based Halpha imagery. In general, the brightest extended X-ray emission is associated with HII regions and to other star-forming structures but is more pervasive; existing also in regions devoid of strong Halpha and UV emission. This X-ray emission has the spectral properties of diffuse hot gas (kT ~ 0.2keV) whose likely origin is in gas shock-heated by stellar winds and supernovae with < 20% coming from faint unresolved X-ray point sources. This hot gas may be slowly-cooling extra-planar remnants of past outflow events, or a disk component that either lingers after local star formation activity has ended or that has vented from active star-forming regions into a porous interstellar medium., 25 pages, accepted to AJ

This paper presents the first high-resolution and high-sensitivity study of the radio properties of optically selected type~2 quasars. We used the Very Large Array at 8.4 GHz to observe 59 sources drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey sample of Zakamska et al. (2003). The detection rate of our survey is 59% (35/59), comparable to the detection rate in FIRST at 1.4 GHz. Ongoing star formation, although present, contributes negligible radio emission at the current sensitivity limit. Comparing the radio powers with the [O III] $\lambda$5007 luminosities, we find that roughly 15%$\pm$5% of the sample can be considered radio-loud. Intriguingly, the vast majority of the detected sources in our sample fall in a region intermediate between those traditionally occupied by radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars. Moreover, most of these "radio-intermediate" sources tend to have flat or inverted radio spectra, which we speculate may be caused by free-free absorption by ionized gas in the narrow-line region. The incidence of flat-spectrum sources in type 2 quasars appears to be much higher than in type 1 quasars, in apparent violation of the simple orientation-based unified model for active galaxies., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. The paper includes 8 figures and 3 tables

We present a study of the resolved emission-line regions and an inner dust/gas disk in the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 3, based on Hubble Space Telescope observations. We show that the extended narrow-line region (ENLR), spanning ~4 kpc, is defined by the intersection of the ionizing bicone of radiation from the AGN and the inner disk, which is not coplanar with the large-scale stellar disk. This intersection leads to different position and opening angles of the ENLR compared to the narrow-line region (NLR). A number of emission-line arcs in the ENLR appear to be continuations of dust lanes in the disk, supporting this geometry. The NLR, which consists of outflowing emission-line knots spanning the central ~650 pc, is in the shape of a backwards S. This shape may arise from rotation of the gas, or it may trace the original fueling flow close to the nucleus that was ionized after the AGN turned on., 22 page, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal

Broadband B and R and H-alpha images have been obtained with the 4.1-m SOAR telescope atop Cerro Pachon, Chile for 29 spiral galaxies in the Pegasus I galaxy cluster and for 18 spirals in non-cluster environments. Pegasus I is a spiral-rich cluster with a low density intracluster medium and a low galaxy velocity dispersion. When combined with neutral hydrogen (HI) data obtained with the Arecibo 305-m radiotelescope, acquired by Levy et al. (2007) and by Springob et al. (2005a), we study the star formation rates in disk galaxies as a function of their HI deficiency. To quantify HI deficiency, we use the usual logarithmic deficiency parameter, DEF. The specific star formation rate (SSFR) is quantified by the logarithmic flux ratio of H-alpha flux to R band flux, and thus roughly characterizes the logarithmic SFR per unit stellar mass. We find a clear correlation between the global SFR per unit stellar mass and DEF, such that the SFR is lower in more HI-deficient galaxies. This correlation appears to extend from the most gas-rich to the most gas-poor galaxies. We also find a correlation between the central SFR per unit mass relative to the global values, in the sense that the more HI-deficient galaxies have a higher central SFR per unit mass relative to their global SFR values than do gas-rich galaxies. In fact, approximately half of the HI-depleted galaxies have highly elevated SSFRs in their central regions, indicative of a transient evolutionary state. In addition, we find a correlation between gas-depletion and the size of the H-alpha disk (relative to the R band disk); HI-poor galaxies have truncated disks. Moreover, aside from the elevated central SSFR in many gas-poor spirals, the SSFR is otherwise lower in the H-alpha disks of gas-poor galaxies than in gas-rich spirals., Accepted for publication by the Astronomical Journal

Double-lobed radio galaxies (DLRGs) often have radio lobes which subtend an angle of less than 180 degrees, and these bent DLRGs have been shown to associate preferentially with galaxy clusters and groups. In this study, we utilize a catalog of DLRGs in SDSS quasars with radio lobes visible in VLA FIRST 20 cm radio data. We cross-match this catalog against three catalogs of galaxies over the redshift range $0 < z < 0.70$, obtaining 81 tentative matches. We visually examine each match and apply a number of selection criteria, eventually obtaining a sample of 44 securely detected DLRGs which are paired to a nearby massive galaxy, galaxy group, or galaxy cluster. Most of the DLRGs identified in this manner are not central galaxies in the systems to which they are matched. Using this sample, we quantify the projected density of these matches as a function of projected separation from the central galaxy, finding a very steep decrease in matches as the impact parameter increases (for $\Sigma \propto b^{-m}$ we find $m = 2.5^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$) out to $b \sim 2$ Mpc. In addition, we show that the fraction of DLRGs with bent lobes also decreases with radius, so that if we exclude DLRGs associated with the central galaxy in the system the bent fraction is 78\% within 1 Mpc and 56\% within 2 Mpc, compared to just 29\% in the field; these differences are significant at $3.6\sigma$ and $2.8\sigma$ respectively. This behavior is consistent with ram pressure being the mechanism that causes the lobes to bend., Comment: accepted to AJ

We present a new algorithm to estimate quasar photometric redshifts (photo-$z$s), by considering the asymmetries in the relative flux distributions of quasars. The relative flux models are built with multivariate Skew-t distributions in the multi-dimensional space of relative fluxes as a function of redshift and magnitude. For 151,392 quasars in the SDSS, we achieve a photo-$z$ accuracy, defined as the fraction of quasars with the difference between the photo-$z$ $z_p$ and the spectroscopic redshift $z_s$, $|\Delta z| = |z_s-z_p|/(1+z_s)$ within 0.1, of 74%. Combining the WISE W1 and W2 infrared data with the SDSS data, the photo-$z$ accuracy is enhanced to 87%. Using the Pan-STARRS1 or DECaLS photometry with WISE W1 and W2 data, the photo-$z$ accuracies are 79% and 72%, respectively. The prior probabilities as a function of magnitude for quasars, stars and galaxies are calculated respectively based on (1) the quasar luminosity function; (2) the Milky Way synthetic simulation with the Besan\c{c}on model; (3) the Bayesian Galaxy Photometric Redshift estimation. The relative fluxes of stars are obtained with the Padova isochrones, and the relative fluxes of galaxies are modeled through galaxy templates. We test our classification method to select quasars using the DECaLS $g$, $r$, $z$, and WISE W1 and W2 photometry. The quasar selection completeness is higher than 70% for a wide redshift range $0.5, Comment: 22 pages, 17 figure, accepted by AJ. The code is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1014407

We present results from the first systematic search for outlying HII regions, as part of a sample of 96 emission-line point sources (referred to as ELdots - emission-line dots) derived from the NOAO Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies (SINGG). Our automated ELdot-finder searches SINGG narrow-band and continuum images for high equivalent width point sources outside the optical radius of the target galaxy (> 2 X r25 in the R-band). Follow-up longslit spectroscopy and deep GALEX images (exposure time > 1000 s) distinguish outlying HII regions from background galaxies whose strong emission lines ([OIII], Hbeta or [OII]) have been redshifted into the SINGG bandpass. We find that these deep GALEX images can serve as a substitute for spectroscopic follow-up because outlying HII regions separate cleanly from background galaxies in color-color space. We identify seven SINGG systems with outlying massive star formation that span a large range in Halpha luminosities corresponding to a few O stars in the most nearby cases, and unresolved dwarf satellite companion galaxies in the most distant cases. Six of these seven systems feature galaxies with nearby companions or interacting galaxies. Furthermore, our results indicate that some outlying HII regions are linked to the extended-UV disks discovered by GALEX, representing emission from the most massive O stars among a more abundant population of lower mass (or older) star clusters. The overall frequency of outlying HII regions in this sample of gas-rich galaxies is 8 - 11% when we correct for background emission-line galaxy contamination (~75% of ELdots)., 20 pages, 14 Figures, Accepted by AJ

We present Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) observations of a galaxy-sized intergalactic HI cloud (the Vela Cloud) in the NGC 3256 galaxy group. The group contains the prominent merging galaxy NGC 3256, which is surrounded by a number of HI fragments, the tidally disturbed galaxy NGC 3263, and several other peculiar galaxies. The Vela Cloud, with an HI mass of 3-5 * 10**9 solar masses, resides southeast of NGC 3256 and west of NGC 3263, within an area of 9' x 16' (100 kpc x 175 kpc for an adopted distance of 38 Mpc). In our ATCA data the Vela Cloud appears as 3 diffuse components and contains 4 density enhancements. The Vela Cloud's properties, together with its group environment, suggest that it has a tidal origin. Each density enhancement contains ~10**8 solar masses of HI gas which is sufficient material for the formation of globular cluster progenitors. However, if we represent the enhancements as Bonnor-Ebert spheres, then the pressure of the surrounding HI would need to increase by at least a factor of 6 in order to cause the collapse of an enhancement. Thus we do not expect them to form massive bound stellar systems like super star clusters or tidal dwarf galaxies. Since the HI density enhancements have some properties in common with High Velocity Clouds, we explore whether they may evolve to be identified with these starless clouds instead., 47 pages, 13 figures (incl. a & b), accepted by AJ, changes are minor additions, rearranging, and clarifications esp. in sections 6 & 7

One possible channel for the formation of dwarf galaxies involves birth in the tidal tails of interacting galaxies. We report the detection of a bright UV tidal tail and several young tidal dwarf galaxy candidates in the post-merger galaxy NGC 4922 in the Coma cluster. Based on a two-component population model (combining young and old stellar populations), we find that the light of tidal tail predominantly comes from young stars (a few Myr old). The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) ultraviolet data played a critical role in the parameter (age and mass) estimation. Our stellar mass estimates of the tidal dwarf galaxy candidates are ~ 10^{6-7} M_sun, typical for dwarf galaxies., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables - Published in AJ; v2 Minor revision to match published version

We present the first-ever global, spatially-resolved reconstruction of the star formation history (SFH) of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), based on the application of our StarFISH analysis software to the multiband photometry of twenty million of its stars from the Magellanic Clouds Photometric Survey. The general outlines of our results are consistent with previously published results: following an initial burst of star formation, there was a quiescent epoch from approximately 12 to 5 Gyr ago. Star formation then resumed and has proceeded until the current time at an average rate of roughly 0.2 solar masses/yr, with temporal variations at the factor-of-two level. The re-ignition of star formation about 5 Gyr ago, in both the LMC and SMC, is suggestive of a dramatic event at that time in the Magellanic system. Among the global variations in the recent star formation rate are peaks at roughly 2 Gyr, 500 Myr, 100 Myr and 12 Myr. The peaks at 500 Myr and 2 Gyr are nearly coincident with similar peaks in the SFH of the Small Magellanic Cloud, suggesting a joint history for these galaxies extending back at least several Gyr. The chemical enrichment history recovered from our StarFISH analysis is in broad agreement with that inferred from the LMC's star cluster population, although our constraints on the ancient chemical enrichment history are weak. We conclude from the concordance between the star formation and chemical enrichment histories of the field and cluster populations that the field and cluster star formation modes are tightly coupled., Comment: 20 pages, with color figures. Accepted for publication in AJ

We describe a 4.85 GHz survey of bright, flat-spectrum radio sources conducted with the Effelsberg 100 m telescope in an attempt to improve the completeness of existing surveys, such as CRATES. We report the results of these observations and of follow-up 8.4 GHz observations with the VLA of a subset of the sample. We comment on the connection to the WMAP point source catalog and on the survey's effectiveness at supplementing the CRATES sky coverage., 13 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. Tables available in electronic form: http://astro.stanford.edu/gaps/

This paper presents the first results of an Halpha imaging survey of galaxies in the central regions of the A2151 cluster. A total of 50 sources were detected in Halpha. The morphologies of the 43 H$\alpha$ selected galaxies range from grand design spirals and interacting galaxies to blue compacts and tidal dwarfs or isolated extragalactic HII regions, spanning a range of magnitudes of -21, Comment: 38 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal

High angular resolution VLBI observations of Centaurus A have been undertaken that allow access to a wide field-of-view, encompassing both the well-studied pc-scale jet and the inner part of the kpc-scale jet. The VLBI observations have detected compact regions of synchrotron emission in the kpc-scale jet that coincide with three stationary features identified from previous VLA monitoring observations. Each of these stationary features is associated with strong localised X-ray emission. The VLBI results strengthen arguments made by previous authors suggesting that the stationary features may be the result of stellar objects or gas clouds traversing the jet flow, intercepting the jet and causing strong shocks. The VLBI data show that the most strongly shocked regions in these features are resolved but have extents no larger than a few pc, reducing the required mass of the typical intercepting object by a factor of ~10 relative to previous estimates, making explanations based on high mass loss stars or low density gas clouds more plausible., Comment: Submitted to the Astronomical Journal. 18 pages, 3 figures

We report on the properties of 89 low mass star clusters located in the vicinity of luminous young clusters (blue globulars) in the disk of M31. 82 of the clusters are newly detected. We have determined their integrated magnitudes and colors, based on a series of Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 exposures in blue and red (HST filters F450W and F814W). The integrated apparent magnitudes range from F450W = 17.5 to 22.5, and the colors indicate a wide range of ages. Stellar color-magnitude diagrams for all clusters were obtained and those with bright enough stars were fit to theoretical isochrones to provide age estimates. The ages range from 12 Myr to >500 Myr. Reddenings, which average E(F450 - F814) = 0.59 with a dispersion of 0.21 magnitudes, were derived from the main sequence fitting for those clusters. Comparison of these ages and integrated colors with single population theoretical models with solar abundances suggests a color offset of 0.085 magnitudes at the ages tested. Estimated ages for the remaining clusters are based on their measured colors. The age-frequency diagram shows a steep decline of number with age, with a large decrease in number per age interval between the youngest and the oldest clusters detected., 20 pages, 9 figures

We apply Bayesian statistics with prior probabilities of galaxy surface luminosity (SL) to improve photometric redshifts. We apply the method to a sample of 1266 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the GOODS North and South fields at 0.1 < z < 2.0. We start with spectrophotometric redshifts (SPZs) based on Probing Evolution and Reionization Spectroscopically grism spectra, which cover a wavelength range of 6000-9000A, combined with (U)BViz(JHK) broadband photometry in the GOODS fields. The accuracy of SPZ redshifts is estimated to be \sigma (\Delta(z))=0.035 with an systematic offset of -0.026, where \Delta(z)=\Delta z / (1+z), for galaxies in redshift range of 0.5 < z < 1.25. The addition of the SL prior probability helps break the degeneracy of SPZ redshifts between low redshift 4000 A break galaxies and high-redshift Lyman break galaxies which are mostly catastrophic outliers. For the 1138 galaxies at z < 1.6, the fraction of galaxies with redshift deviation \Delta (z) > 0.2 is reduced from 15.0% to 10.4%, while the rms scatter of the fractional redshift error does not change much., Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, published in AJ

A large sample of Abell clusters of galaxies, selected for the likely presence of a dominant galaxy, is used to study the dynamical properties of brightest cluster members (BCMs). From visual inspection of Digitized Sky Survey images combined with redshift data we identify 1426 candidate BCMs in 1221 redshift components in 1169 different Abell clusters, the largest such sample published so far. By our own morphological classification we find ~92% of these BCMs to be early-type galaxies, and 48% of cD type. We confirm previous findings based on much smaller samples, namely that a large fraction of BCMs have significant peculiar velocities. For a subsample of 452 clusters with at least 10 measured radial velocities, we find a median BCM peculiar velocity of 32% of their host clusters' radial velocity dispersion. This suggests that most BCMs are not at rest in the potential well of their clusters, and that the phenomenon is thus not a special trait of clusters hosting cD galaxies. We show that the peculiar velocity of the BCM is independent of cluster richness and only slightly dependent on the Bautz-Morgan type. We also find a weak trend for the peculiar velocity to rise with the cluster velocity dispersion. The strongest dependence is with the morphological type of the BCM: cD galaxies tend to have lower relative peculiar velocities than elliptical galaxies. This result points to a connection between the formation of the BCMs and that of their clusters. Our data are qualitatively consistent with the merging-groups scenario, where BCMs in clusters formed first in smaller subsystems comparable to compact groups of galaxies. In this scenario, clusters would have formed recently from the mergers of many such groups and would still be in a dynamically unrelaxed state., 114 pages, 9 figures, full version of tables 1 and 2; accepted to appear in AJ

We present the HERA CO-Line Extragalactic Survey (HERACLES), an atlas of CO emission from 18 nearby galaxies that are also part of The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS) and the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS). We used the HERA multi-pixel receiver on the IRAM 30-m telescope to map the CO J=2-1 line over the full optical disk (defined by the isophotal radius r_25) of each target, at 13" angular resolution and 2.6 km/s velocity resolution. Here we describe the observations and reduction of the data and show channel maps, azimuthally averaged profiles, integrated intensity maps, and peak intensity maps. The implied H2 masses range from 7 \times 10^6 to 6 \times 10^9 M_sun, with four low metallicity dwarf irregular galaxies yielding only upper limits. In the cases where CO is detected, the integrated H2-to-HI ratios range from 0.02 - 1.13 and H2-to-stellar mass ratios from 0.01 to 0.25. Exponential scale lengths of the CO emission for our targets are in the range 0.8 - 3.2 kpc, or 0.2 \pm 0.05 r_25. The intensity-weighted mean velocity of CO matches that of HI very well, with a 1\sigma scatter of only 6 km/s. The CO J=2-1 / J=1-0 line ratio varies over a range similar to that found in the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies, \sim 0.6 - 1.0, with higher values found in the centers of galaxies. The typical line ratio, \sim 0.8, could be produced by optically thick gas with an excitation temperature of \sim 10 K., Comment: 28 pages, 34 figures, published in AJ (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009AJ....137.4670L)

We present results from a study of seven large known head-tail radio galaxies based on observations using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at 240 and 610 MHz. These observations are used to study the radio morphologies and distribution of the spectral indices across the sources. The overall morphology of the radio tails of these sources is suggestive of random motions of the optical host around the cluster potential. The presence of the multiple bends an d wiggles in several head-tail sources is possibly due to the precessing radio jets. We find steepening of the spectral index along the radio tails. The prevailing equipartition magnetic field also decreases a long the radio tails of these sources. These steepening trends are attributed to the synchrotron aging of plasma toward the ends of the tails. The dynamical ages of these sample sources have been estimated to be ~100 Myr, which is a factor of six more than the age estimates from the radiative losses due to synchrotron cooling., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal

We describe a new open source package for calculating properties of galaxy clusters, including NFW halo profiles with and without the effects of cluster miscentering. This pure-Python package, cluster-lensing, provides well-documented and easy-to-use classes and functions for calculating cluster scaling relations, including mass-richness and mass-concentration relations from the literature, as well as the surface mass density $\Sigma(R)$ and differential surface mass density $\Delta\Sigma(R)$ profiles, probed by weak lensing magnification and shear. Galaxy cluster miscentering is especially a concern for stacked weak lensing shear studies of galaxy clusters, where offsets between the assumed and the true underlying matter distribution can lead to a significant bias in the mass estimates if not accounted for. This software has been developed and released in a public GitHub repository, and is licensed under the permissive MIT license. The cluster-lensing package is archived on Zenodo (Ford 2016). Full documentation, source code, and installation instructions are available at http://jesford.github.io/cluster-lensing/., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Feedback on this paper is welcome here: http://jesford.github.io/paper-on-cluster-lensing/. Software documentation, installation instructions, and source code are here: http://jesford.github.io/cluster-lensing/

We introduce SPARC (Spitzer Photometry & Accurate Rotation Curves): a sample of 175 nearby galaxies with new surface photometry at 3.6 um and high-quality rotation curves from previous HI/Halpha studies. SPARC spans a broad range of morphologies (S0 to Irr), luminosities (~5 dex), and surface brightnesses (~4 dex). We derive [3.6] surface photometry and study structural relations of stellar and gas disks. We find that both the stellar mass-HI mass relation and the stellar radius-HI radius relation have significant intrinsic scatter, while the HI mass-radius relation is extremely tight. We build detailed mass models and quantify the ratio of baryonic-to-observed velocity (Vbar/Vobs) for different characteristic radii and values of the stellar mass-to-light ratio (M/L) at [3.6]. Assuming M/L=0.5 Msun/Lsun (as suggested by stellar population models) we find that (i) the gas fraction linearly correlates with total luminosity, (ii) the transition from star-dominated to gas-dominated galaxies roughly corresponds to the transition from spiral galaxies to dwarf irregulars in line with density wave theory; and (iii) Vbar/Vobs varies with luminosity and surface brightness: high-mass, high-surface-brightness galaxies are nearly maximal, while low-mass, low-surface-brightness galaxies are submaximal. These basic properties are lost for low values of M/L=0.2 Msun/Lsun as suggested by the DiskMass survey. The mean maximum-disk limit in bright galaxies is M/L=0.7 Msun/Lsun at [3.6]. The SPARC data are publicly available and represent an ideal test-bed for models of galaxy formation., Accepted for publication in AJ (14 pages, 8 figures). All data are available at http://astroweb.cwru.edu/SPARC/

The Cosmicflows database of galaxy distances that in the 2nd edition contained 8,188 entries is now expanded to 17,669 entries. The major additions are 2,257 distances that we have derived from the correlation between galaxy rotation and luminosity with photometry at 3.6 microns obtained with Spitzer Space Telescope and 8,885 distances based on the Fundamental Plane methodology from the 6dFGS collaboration. There are minor augmentations to the Tip of the Red Giant Branch and Type Ia supernova compilations. A zero point calibration of the supernova luminosities give a value for the Hubble Constant of 76.2 +-3.4(r) +-2.7(s) km/s/Mpc. Alternatively, a restriction on the peculiar velocity monopole term representing global infall/outflow implies H_0 = 75 +-2 km/s/Mpc., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Supplement. Entire Tables 3 and 4 available on-line with journal publication. Table 4 available at the Extragalactic Distance Database (http://edd.ifa.hawaii.edu)

We report the discovery of a quasar pair at z=5 separated by 21 arcsec. Both objects were identified as quasar candidates using simple color selection techniques applied to photometric catalogs from the CFHT Legacy Survey (CFHTLS). Spectra obtained with the MMT present no discernible offset in redshift between the two objects; on the other hand, there are clear differences in the emission line profiles and in the multiwavelength spectral energy distributions that strongly disfavor the hypothesis that they are gravitationally lensed images of a single quasar. Both quasars are surprisingly bright given their proximity (a projected separation of ~135 kpc), with i=19.4 and i=21.4. Previous measurements of the luminosity function demonstrate that luminous quasars are extremely rare at z=5; the existence of this pair suggests that quasars have strong small-scale clustering at high redshift. Assuming a real-space correlation function of the form $��(r) \propto (r/r_0)^{-2}$, this discovery implies a correlation length $r_0 > 20 h^{-1}$ Mpc, consistent with a rapid strengthening of quasar clustering at high redshift as seen in previous observations and predicted by theoretical models where feedback effects are inefficient at shutting down black hole growth at high redshift., Accepted for publication in AJ

The haunt of high redshift BL Lacerate objects is day by day more compelling, to firmly understand their intrinsic nature and evolution. SDSS J004054.65-0915268 is, at the moment, one of the most distant BL Lac candidate at z \sim 5 (Plotkin et al 2010). We present a new optical-near IR spectrum obtained with ALFOSC-NOT with a new, custom designed dispersive grating aimed to detect broad emission lines that could disprove this classification. In the obtained spectra we do not detect any emission features and we provide an upper limit to the luminosity of the C IV broad emission line. Therefore, the nature of the object is then discussed, building the overall spectral energy distribution and fitting it with three different models. Our fits, based on the SED modeling with different possible scenarios, cannot rule out the possibility that this source is indeed a BL Lac object although, the absence of optical variability and lack of strong radio flux, they seems to suggest that the observed optical emission originate from a thermalized accretion disk., Comment: (18 pages, 5 figures) - Accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal

Microvariability consists in small time scale variations of low amplitude in the photometric light curves of quasars, and represents an important tool to investigate their inner core. Detection of quasar microvariations is challenging for their non-periodicity, as well as the need for high monitoring frequency and high signal-to-noise ratio. Statistical tests developed for the analysis of quasar differential light curves usually show either low power or low reliability, or both. In this paper we compare two statistical procedures that include several stars to perform tests with enhanced power and high reliability. We perform light curve simulations of variable quasars and non-variable stars, and analyze them with statistical procedures developed from the F-test and the analysis of variance. The results show a large improvement in the power of both statistical probes, and a larger reliability, when several stars are included in the analysis. The results from the simulations agree with those obtained from observations of real quasars. The high power and high reliability of the tests discussed in this paper improve the results that can be obtained from short and long time scale variability studies. These techniques are not limited to quasar variability; on the contrary, they can be easily implemented to other sources such as variable stars. Their applications to future research and to the analysis of large field photometric monitoring archives can reveal new variable sources., Comment: Accepted in The Astronomical Journal, 16 pages, 7 figures

We present the discovery of eight quasars at z~6 identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) overlap regions. Individual SDSS imaging runs have some overlap with each other, leading to repeat observations over an area spanning >4000 deg^2 (more than 1/4 of the total footprint). These overlap regions provide a unique dataset that allows us to select high-redshift quasars more than 0.5 mag fainter in the z band than those found with the SDSS single-epoch data. Our quasar candidates were first selected as i-band dropout objects in the SDSS imaging database. We then carried out a series of follow-up observations in the optical and near-IR to improve photometry, remove contaminants, and identify quasars. The eight quasars reported here were discovered in a pilot study utilizing the overlap regions at high galactic latitude (|b|>30 deg). These quasars span a redshift range of 5.86, Comment: AJ in press (8 pages)

WMAP and Planck may have uncovered several anomalies in the full CMB sky that could indicate possible new physics driving the growth of density fluctuations in the early Universe. These include an unusually low power at the largest scales and an apparent alignment of the quadrupole and octopole moments. In LCDM, the quadrupole and octopole moments should be statistically independent. These low probability features may simply be due to posterior selections from many such possible effects. If this is not the case, however, their combined statistical significance would be equal to the product of their individual significances. Ignoring the biasing due to posterior selection, the missing large-angle correlations would have a probability as low as ~0.1% and the low-l multipole alignment would be unlikely at the ~4.9% level; under the least favourable conditions, their simultaneous observation in the context of the standard model could then be likely at only the ~0.005% level. In this paper, we explore the possibility that these features are indeed anomalous, and show that the corresponding probability of CMB multipole alignment in the R_h=ct Universe would then be ~7-10%, depending on the number of large-scale Sachs-Wolfe induced fluctuations. Since the low power at the largest spatial scales is reproduced in this cosmology without the need to invoke cosmic variance, the overall likelihood of observing both of these features in the CMB is > 7%, much more likely than in LCDM. The key physical ingredient responsible for this difference is the existence in the former of a maximum fluctuation size at the time of recombination, which is absent in the latter because of inflation., 34 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1207.0015

Strongly gravitationally lensed quasar-galaxy systems allow us to compare competing cosmologies as long as one can be reasonably sure of the mass distribution within the intervening lens. In this paper, we assemble a catalog of 69 such systems, and carry out a one-on-one comparison between the standard model, LCDM, and the R_h=ct Universe. We find that both models account for the lens observations quite well, though the precision of these measurements does not appear to be good enough to favor one model over the other. Part of the reason is the so-called bulge-halo conspiracy that, on average, results in a baryonic velocity dispersion within a fraction of the optical effective radius virtually identical to that expected for the whole luminous-dark matter distribution. Given the limitations of doing precision cosmological testing using the current sample, we also carry out Monte Carlo simulations based on the current lens measurements to estimate how large the source catalog would have to be in order to rule out either model at a ~99.7% confidence level. We find that if the real cosmology is LCDM, a sample of ~200 strong gravitational lenses would be sufficient to rule out R_h=ct at this level of accuracy, while ~300 strong gravitational lenses would be required to rule out LCDM if the real Universe were instead R_h=ct. The difference in required sample size reflects the greater number of free parameters available to fit the data with LCDM. We point out that, should the R_h=ct Universe eventually emerge as the correct cosmology, its lack of any free parameters for this kind of work will provide a remarkably powerful probe of the mass structure in lensing galaxies, and a means of better understanding the origin of the bulge-halo conspiracy., 34 Pages, 6 Figures and 5 Tables. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1405.2388

We present new GALEX images and optical spectroscopy of J1229+02, a dwarf post-starburst galaxy located 81 kpc from the 1585 km/s absorber in the 3C 273 sight line. The absence of H�� emission and the faint GALEX UV fluxes confirm that the galaxy's recent star formation rate is $1$R_{vir}$ are likely intergalactic systems and cannot be identified unambiguously as the circumgalactic material of any one individual galaxy., 14 pages, 8 figures; Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal

In the present work we describe a model-independent method of developing a plot of scale factor versus lookback time from the usual Hubble diagram of modulus data against redshift. This is the first plot of this type. We follow the model-independent methodology of Daly and Djorgovski (2004) used for their radio-galaxy data. Once the data plot is completed, any model can be applied and will display accordingly as described in standard literature. We then compile an extensive data set to z = 1.8 by combining SNe Ia data from SNLS3 of Conley et al. (2011), High-z SNe data of Riess et al. (2004) and radio-galaxy data of Daly & Djorgovski (2004) to be used to validate the new plot. We first display these data on a standard Hubble diagram to confirm the best fit for LCDM cosmology and thus validate the joined data set. The scale factor plot is then developed from the data and the LCDM model is again displayed from a least-squares fit. The fit parameters are in agreement with the Hubble diagram fit confirming the validity of the new plot. Of special interest is the transition-time of the universe which in the scale factor plot will appear as an inflection point in the data set. Noise is more visible on this presentation which is particularly sensitive to inflection points of any model displayed on the plot unlike on a modulus-z diagram where there are no inflection points and the transition-z is not at all obvious by inspection. We obtain a lower limit of z >0.6. It is evident from this presentation that there is a dearth of SNe data in the range, z = 1-2, exactly the range necessary to confirm a LCDM transition-z in the neighborhood of z = 0.76., Accepted Astronomical Journal

We examine the consistency of the unified scheme of FR II-type radio galaxies and quasars with their observed number and size distributions in the 3CRR sample. We separate the low-excitation galaxies from the high-excitation ones, as the former might not harbor a quasar within and thus may not be partaking in the unified scheme models. In the updated 3CRR sample, at low redshifts (z, 17 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables

We report the discovery of four doubly imaged quasar lenses. All the four systems are selected as lensed quasar candidates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. We confirm their lensing hypothesis with additional imaging and spectroscopic follow-up observations. The discovered lenses are SDSS J0743+2457 with the source redshift z_s=2.165, the lens redshift z_l=0.381, and the image separation theta=1.034", SDSS J1128+2402 with z_s=1.608 and theta=0.844", SDSS J1405+0959 with z_s=1.810, z_l~0.66, and theta=1.978", and SDSS J1515+1511 with z_s=2.054, z_l=0.742, and theta=1.989". It is difficult to estimate the lens redshift of SDSS J1128+2402 from the current data. Two of the four systems (SDSS J1405+0959 and SDSS J1515+1511) are included in our final statistical lens sample to derive constraints on dark energy and the evolution of massive galaxies., Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, submitted to AJ

We combine data from the Spitzer Survey for Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S$^4$G), a recently calibrated empirical stellar mass estimator from Eskew et al., and an extensive database of HI spectral line profiles to examine the baryonic Tully-Fisher (BTF) relation. We find 1) that the BTF has lower scatter than the classic Tully-Fisher (TF) relation and is better described as a linear relationship, confirming similar previous results, 2) that the inclusion of a radial scale in the BTF decreases the scatter but only modestly, as seen previously for the TF relation, and 3) that the slope of the BTF, which we find to be $3.5\pm 0.2$ ($\Delta$ log $M_{baryon}/\Delta$ log $v_c$), implies that on average a nearly constant fraction ($\sim 0.4$) of all baryons expected to be in a halo are "condensed" onto the central region of rotationally supported galaxies. The condensed baryon fraction, $M_{baryon}/M_{total}$, is, to our measurement precision, nearly independent of galaxy circular velocity (our sample spans circular velocities, $v_c$, between 60 and 250 km s$^{-1}$, but is extended to $v_c\sim 10$ km s$^{-1}$ using data from the literature). The observed galaxy-to-galaxy scatter in this fraction is generally $\le$ a factor of 2 despite fairly liberal selection criteria. These results imply that cooling and heating processes, such as cold vs. hot accretion, mass loss due to stellar winds, and AGN driven feedback, to the degree that they affect the global galactic properties involved in the BTF, are independent of halo mass for galaxies with $10 < v_c < 250$ km/s and typically introduce no more than a factor of two range in the resulting $M_{baryon}/M_{total}$. Recent simulations by Aumer et al. of a small sample of disk galaxies are in excellent agreement with our data, suggesting that current simulations are capable of reproducing the global properties of individual disk galaxies., Comment: accepted for publication in AJ

Observations with WFC3/IR on the Hubble Space Telescope and the use of gravitational lensing techniques have facilitated the discovery of galaxies as far back as z ~ 10-12, a truly remarkable achievement. However, this rapid emergence of high-z galaxies, barely ~ 200 Myr after the transition from Population III star formation to Population II, appears to be in conflict with the standard view of how the early Universe evolved. This problem has much in common with the better known (and probably related) premature appearance of supermassive black holes at z ~ 6. It is difficult to understand how ~ 10^9 solar-mass black holes could have appeared so quickly after the big bang without invoking non-standard accretion physics and the formation of massive seeds, neither of which is seen in the local Universe. In earlier work, we showed that the appearance of high-z quasars could instead be understood more reasonably in the context of the R_h=ct Universe, which does not suffer from the same time compression issues as LCDM does at early epochs. Here, we build on that work by demonstrating that the evolutionary growth of primordial galaxies was consistent with the current view of how the first stars formed, but only with the timeline afforded by the R_h=ct cosmology. We also show that the growth of high-z quasars was mutually consistent with that of the earliest galaxies, though it is not yet clear whether the former grew from 5-20 solar-mass seeds created in Population III or Population II supernova explosions., Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal

The time-variable electromagnetic sky has been well-explored at a wide range of wavelengths. Numerous high-energy space missions take advantage of the dark Gamma-ray and X-ray sky and utilize very wide field detectors to provide almost continuous monitoring of the entire celestial sphere. In visible light, new wide-field ground-based surveys cover wide patches of sky with ever decreasing cadence, progressing from monthly-weekly time scale surveys to sub-night sampling. In the radio, new powerful instrumentation offers unprecedented sensitivity over wide fields of view, with pathfinder experiments for even more ambitious programs underway. In contrast, the ultra-violet (UV) variable sky is relatively poorly explored, even though it offers exciting scientific prospects. Here, we review the potential scientific impact of a wide-field UV survey on the study of explosive and other transient events, as well as known classes of variable objects, such as active galactic nuclei and variable stars. We quantify our predictions using a fiducial set of observational parameters which are similar to those envisaged for the proposed ULTRASAT mission. We show that such a mission would be able to revolutionize our knowledge about massive star explosions by measuring the early UV emission from hundreds of events, revealing key physical parameters of the exploding progenitor stars. Such a mission would also detect the UV emission from many tens of tidal-disruption events of stars by super massive black holes at galactic nuclei and enable a measurement of the rate of such events. The overlap of such a wide-field UV mission with existing and planned gravitational-wave and high-energy neutrino telescopes makes it especially timely.

We present the spectroscopy from 5254 galaxies that hosted supernovae (SNe) or other transient events in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS-II). Obtained during SDSS-I, SDSS-II, and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), this sample represents the largest systematic, unbiased, magnitude limited spectroscopic survey of supernova (SN) host galaxies. Using the host galaxy redshifts, we test the impact of photometric SN classification based on SDSS imaging data with and without using spectroscopic redshifts of the host galaxies. Following our suggested scheme, there are a total of 1166 photometrically classified SNe Ia when using a flat redshift prior and 1126 SNe Ia when the host spectroscopic redshift is assumed. For 1024 (87.8%) candidates classified as likely SNe Ia without redshift information, we find that the classification is unchanged when adding the host galaxy redshift. Using photometry from SDSS imaging data and the host galaxy spectra, we also report host galaxy properties for use in future nalysis of SN astrophysics. Finally, we investigate the differences in the interpretation of the light curve properties with and without knowledge of the redshift. When using the SALT2 light curve fitter, we find a 21% increase in the number of fits that converge when using the spectroscopic redshift. Without host galaxy redshifts, we find that SALT2 light curve fits are systematically biased towards lower photometric redshift estimates and redder colors in the limit of low signal-to-noise data. The general improvements in performance of the light curve fitter and the increased diversity of the host galaxy sample highlights the importance of host galaxy spectroscopy for current photometric SN surveys such as the Dark Energy Survey and future surveys such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope., 27 pages, 22 figures, 10 tables

We present the result of an extensive search for non-axisymmetric structures in the dwarf satellite galaxy of M81: NGC 2976, using multiwavelength archival observations. The galaxy is known to present kinematic evidence for a bysimmetric distortion, anyhow the stellar bar presence is controversial, due to the possible interpretation of NGC 2976 presenting an elliptical disk triggered by a prolate dark matter halo. We applied diagnostics in order to detect stellar bars or spiral arms. The m=2 fourier phase has a jump around 60 arcsecs consistent with a central bar and bisymmetric arms. The CO, 3.6 $\mu$ surface brightness and the dust lanes are consistent with a gas rich central bar and possibly with gaseous spiral arms. The kinematic jumps related with the dust lanes suggest that the bar perturbation in the disk kinematics is non-negligible and the reported non-circular motions, the central gas excess and the nuclear X-ray source (AGN/Starburst) might be produced by the central bar. SPH simulations of disks inside triaxial dark halos suggest that the two symmetric spots at 130 arcsecs and the narrow arms may be produced by gas at turning points in an elliptical disk, alternatively the potential ellipticity can be originated by tidally induced strong stellar bar/arms. We conclude that, the gas rich bar and spiral arms triggered by tidal stirring, and primordial halo triaxiality, can explain most of the non-circular motions, mass redistribution and nuclear activity. Distinguishing between them requires detailed modeling of environmental effects. An analysis similar to this may reveal such kind of structures in other nearby dwarf satellite galaxies, and if confirmed, the same evolutionary scenario will be applicable to them. This implies biases constraining their dark matter distribution and also making comparison against theoretical predictions for isolated galaxies., Comment: Accepted to appear in AJ, 11 pages, 6 figures

In the paper, we investigate correlation between broad-line and radio variations for broad-line radio galaxy 3C 120. By the z-transformed discrete correlation function method and the model-independent flux randomization/random subset selection (FR/RSS) Monte Carlo method, we find that the broad Hbeta line variations lead the 15 GHz variations. The FR/RSS method shows that the Hbeta line variations lead the radio variations by a factor of tau_{ob}=0.34 +/- 0.01 yr. This time lag can be used to locate the position of emitting region of radio outbursts in jet, on the order of ~ 5 light-years, from the central engine. This distance is much larger than the size of broad-line region. The large separation of the radio outburst emitting region from the broad-line region will observably influence the gamma-ray emission in 3C 120., Comment: accepted in AJ, 9 pages, 3 figures

Shallow cores in bright, massive galaxies are commonly thought to be the result of scouring of stars by mergers of binary supermassive black holes. Past investigations have suggested correlations between the central black hole mass and the stellar light or mass deficit in the core, using proxy measurements of $M_{\rm BH}$ or stellar mass-to-light ratios ($\Upsilon$). Drawing on a wealth of dynamical models which provide both $M_{\rm BH}$ and $\Upsilon$, we identify cores in 23 galaxies, of which 20 have direct, reliable measurements of $M_{\rm BH}$ and dynamical stellar mass-to-light ratios ($\Upsilon_{\star,{\rm dyn}}$). These cores are identified and measured using Core-S\'ersic model fits to surface brightness profiles which extend out to large radii (typically more than the effective radius of the galaxy); for approximately one fourth of the galaxies, the best fit includes an outer (\sersic) envelope component. We find that the core radius is most strongly correlated with the black hole mass and that it correlates better with total galaxy luminosity than it does with velocity dispersion. The strong core-size-- $M_{\rm BH}$ correlation enables estimation of black hole masses (in core galaxies) with an accuracy comparable to the $M_{\rm BH}$--$\sigma$ relation (rms scatter of 0.30 dex in $\log M_{\rm BH}$), without the need for spectroscopy. The light and mass deficits correlate more strongly with galaxy velocity dispersion than they do with black hole mass. Stellar mass deficits span a range of 0.2--39 \mbh, with almost all (87%) being $< 10 \, M_{\rm BH}$; the median value is 2.2 $M_{\rm BH}$., Comment: Proof-corrected version, AJ, 146, 160, http://stacks.iop.org/1538-3881/146/160

We compare molecular gas traced by 12CO(2-1) maps from the HERACLES survey, with tracers of the recent star formation rate (SFR) across 30 nearby disk galaxies. We demonstrate a first-order linear correspondence between Sig_mol and Sig_SFR but also find important second-order systematic variations in the apparent molecular gas depletion time, t_dep^mol = Sig_mol / Sig_SFR. At our 1 kpc common resolution, CO correlates closely with many tracers of the recent SFR. Weighting each line of sight equally and using a fixed, Milky Way alpha_CO, our data yield a molecular gas depletion time, t_dep^mol=Sig_mol/Sig_SFR ~ 2.2 Gyr with 0.3 dex scatter, in good agreement with literature data. We apply a forward-modeling approach to constrain the power-law index, N, that relates the SFR surface density and the molecular gas surface density and find N=1+/-0.15 for our full data set with some variation from galaxy to galaxy. However, we caution that a power law treatment oversimplifies the topic given that we observe correlations between t_dep^mol and other local and global quantities. The strongest of these are a decreased t_dep^mol in low-mass, low-metallicity galaxies and a correlation of the kpc-scale t_dep^mol with dust-to-gas ratio, D/G. These correlations can be explained by a CO-to-H2 conversion factor that depends on D/G in the theoretically expected way. This is not a unique interpretation, but external evidence of conversion factor variations makes it a conservative one. After applying a D/G-dependent alpha_CO, some weak correlations between t_dep^mol and local conditions persist. In particular, we observe lower t_dep^mol and enhanced CO excitation associated with some nuclear gas concentrations. These appear to reflect real enhancements in the SFR/H2 and t_dep appears multivalued at fixed Sig_mol, supporting the the idea of "disk" and "starburst" modes driven by environmental factors., 39 pages (incl. 10 page appendix), 19 figures, figures degraded for astro-ph. Until publication a higher resolution version available at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~aleroy/heracles_sfco.pdf - we suggest that one