Search

The physical conditions of the circumgalactic medium are probed by intervening absorption-line systems in the spectrum of background quasi-stellar objects out to the epoch of cosmic reionization. A correlation between the ionization state of the absorbing gas and the nature of the nearby galaxies has been suggested by the sources detected either in Lyalpha or [C ii] 158 m near to respectively highly-ionized and neutral absorbers. This is also likely linked to the global changes in the incidence of absorption systems of different types and the process of cosmic reionization. Here we report the detection of two [C ii]-emitting galaxies at redshift $z \sim 5.7$ that are associated with a complex high-ionization C iv absorption system. These objects are part of an overdensity of galaxies and have compact sizes (< 2.4 kpc) and narrow line widths (FWHM $\sim$ 62--64 km s-1). Hydrodynamic simulations predict that similar narrow [C ii] emission may arise from the heating of small ($\lesssim$ 3 kpc) clumps of cold neutral medium or a compact photodissociation region. The lack of counterparts in the rest-frame ultraviolet indicates severe obscuration of the sources that are exciting the [C ii] emission. These results may suggest a connection between the properties of the [C ii] emission, the rare overdensity of galaxies and the unusual high ionization state of the gas in this region., Published in Nature on 10 May 2023; authors' version; link to the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05901-3

Over a dozen millisecond pulsars are ablating low-mass companions in close binary systems. In the original "black widow", the 8-hour orbital period eclipsing pulsar PSR J1959+2048 (PSR B1957+20), high energy emission originating from the pulsar is irradiating and may eventually destroy a low-mass companion. These systems are not only physical laboratories that reveal the dramatic result of exposing a close companion star to the relativistic energy output of a pulsar, but are also believed to harbour some of the most massive neutron stars, allowing for robust tests of the neutron star equation of state. Here, we report observations of ZTF J1406+1222, a wide hierarchical triple hosting a 62-minute orbital period black widow candidate whose optical flux varies by a factor of more than 10. ZTF J1406+1222 pushes the boundaries of evolutionary models, falling below the 80 minute minimum orbital period of hydrogen-rich systems. The wide tertiary companion is a rare low metallicity cool subdwarf star, and the system has a Galactic halo orbit consistent with passing near the Galactic center, making it a probe of formation channels, neutron star kick physics, and binary evolution., 63 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables, published in Nature on May 4, 2022

Of more than a thousand known cataclysmic variables (CVs), where a white dwarf is accreting from a hydrogen-rich star, only a dozen have orbital periods below 75 minutes

This paper presents a systematic study of the photoionization and thermodynamic properties of the cool circumgalactic medium (CGM) as traced by rest-frame ultraviolet absorption lines around 26 galaxies at redshift $z\lesssim1$. The study utilizes both high-quality far-ultraviolet and optical spectra of background QSOs and deep galaxy redshift surveys to characterize the gas density, temperature, and pressure of individual absorbing components and to resolve their internal non-thermal motions. The derived gas density spans more than three decades, from $\log (n_{\rm H}/{\rm cm^{-3}}) \approx -4$ to $-1$, while the temperature of the gas is confined in a narrow range of $\log (T/{\rm K})\approx 4.3\pm 0.3$. In addition, a weak anti-correlation between gas density and temperature is observed, consistent with the expectation of the gas being in photoionization equilibrium. Furthermore, decomposing the observed line widths into thermal and non-thermal contributions reveals that more than 30% of the components at $z\lesssim 1$ exhibit line widths driven by non-thermal motions, in comparison to $, Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The lifetime of quasars can be estimated by means of their proximity zone sizes, which are regions of enhanced flux bluewards of the Lyman-$\alpha$ emission line observed in the rest-frame UV spectra of high-redshift quasars, because the intergalactic gas has a finite response time to the quasars' radiation. We estimate the effective lifetime of the high-redshift quasar population from the composite transmitted flux profile within the proximity zone region of a sample of $15$ quasars at $5.8\leq z\leq 6.6$ with precise systemic redshifts, and similar luminosities, i.e. $-27.6\leq M_{1450}\leq-26.4$, and thus a similar instantaneous ionizing power. We develop a Bayesian method to infer the effective lifetime from the composite spectrum, including robust estimates of various sources of uncertainty on the spectrum. We estimate an effective lifetime of the quasar population as a whole of $\log_{10}(t_{Q}/{yr}) = 5.7^{+0.5 (+0.8)}_{-0.3 (-0.5)}$ given by the median and $68$th ($95$th) percentile of the posterior probability distribution. While our result is consistent with previous quasar lifetime studies, it poses significant challenges on the current model for the growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) located in the center of the quasars' host galaxies, which requires that quasar lifetimes are more than an order of magnitude longer., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted by ApJ

(Abridged) We present a systematic investigation of physical conditions and elemental abundances in four optically thick Lyman-limit systems (LLSs) at $z=0.36-0.6$ discovered within the Cosmic Ultraviolet Baryon Survey (CUBS). CUBS LLSs exhibit multi-component kinematic structure and a complex mix of multiphase gas, with associated metal transitions from multiple ionization states that span several hundred km/s in line-of-sight velocity. Specifically, higher column density components (log N(HI)>16) in all four absorbers comprise dynamically cool gas with $\langle T \rangle =(2\pm1) \times10^4\,$K and modest non-thermal broadening of $5\pm3\,$ km/s. The high quality of the QSO absorption spectra allows us to infer the physical conditions of the gas, using a detailed ionization modeling that takes into account the resolved component structures of HI and metal transitions. The range of inferred gas densities indicates that these absorbers consist of spatially compact clouds with a median line-of-sight thickness of $160^{+140}_{-50}$ pc. While obtaining robust metallicity constraints for the low-density, highly ionized phase remains challenging due to the uncertain N(HI), we demonstrate that the cool-phase gas in LLSs has a median metallicity of $\mathrm{[\alpha/H]_{1/2}}=-0.7^{+0.1}_{-0.2}$, with a 16-84 percentile range of $\mathrm{[\alpha/H]}=(-1.3,-0.1)$. Furthermore, the wide range of inferred elemental abundance ratios ($\mathrm{[C/\alpha]}$, $\mathrm{[N/\alpha]}$, and $\mathrm{[Fe/\alpha]}$) indicate a diversity of chemical enrichment histories. Combining the absorption data with deep galaxy survey data characterizing the galaxy environment of these absorbers, we discuss the physical connection between star-forming regions in galaxies and diffuse gas associated with optically thick absorption systems in the $z, Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS after a minor revision. 18 pages, 11 figures, and a nine-page Appendix with four additional figures

The Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a new infrared time-domain survey instrument which will be deployed on a dedicated 1 meter robotic telescope at Palomar Observatory. WINTER will perform a seeing-limited time domain survey of the infrared (IR) sky, with a particular emphasis on identifying r-process material in binary neutron star (BNS) merger remnants detected by LIGO. We describe the scientific goals and survey design of the WINTER instrument. With a dedicated trigger and the ability to map the full LIGO O4 positional error contour in the IR to a distance of 190 Mpc within four hours, WINTER will be a powerful kilonova discovery engine and tool for multi-messenger astrophysics investigations. In addition to follow-up observations of merging binaries, WINTER will facilitate a wide range of time-domain astronomical observations, all the while building up a deep coadded image of the static infrared sky suitable for survey science. WINTER's custom camera features six commercial large-format Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) sensors and a tiled optical system which covers a $>$1-square-degree field of view with 90% fill factor. The instrument observes in Y, J and a short-H (Hs) band tuned to the long-wave cutoff of the InGaAs sensors, covering a wavelength range from 0.9 - 1.7 microns. We present the design of the WINTER instrument and current progress towards final integration at Palomar Observatory and commissioning planned for mid-2021., Published in SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2020, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII 14 pages, 7 figures

Due to an error in the analysis of the ALMA data, the [C II] line fluxes Fline in 6 out of the 13 analyzed quasars were underestimated, and thus also based the inferred star formation rate (SFR) on the [C II] emission. We corrected these values and show the updated measurements for the six affected quasars in the corrected Table 2. The dust continuum estimates and their derived quantities were not affected by the error. Additionally, the observed peak frequency of the [C II] emission line nobs and thus the inferred systemic redshifts of the quasars were mildly offset, causing a shift of Dnobs ? 0.02 GHz and - Dzsub mm ? 0.0005. The derived proximity zone sizes were hence affected byDRp ? 0.04 pMpc. All updated values are shown in the corrected Tables 2 and 4. These changes did not affect any of the conclusions of the paper, nor did the figures in the paper change in any noticeable way. Furthermore, since the publication of our paper the offset between the peak of the Mg II emission line and the systemic redshift derived from submillimeter emission lines estimated by Schindler et al. (2020) changed slightly in their published version compared to the preliminary value we had used. Thus we use the now published velocity offset of Dv(Mg II-[C II]) = - - 391+ km s- 455 256 1 to estimate the systemic redshifts of the three quasars in our sample, for which no submillimeter data are available and therefore the redshift estimate is based on the Mg II emission. This resulted in minor changes of Dz ? 0.001, which are updated in Table 4.

We present a detailed study of two partial Lyman limit systems (pLLSs) of neutral hydrogen column density $N_\mathrm{H\,I}\approx(1-3)\times10^{16}\,\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$ discovered at $z=0.5$ in the Cosmic Ultraviolet Baryon Survey (CUBS). Available far-ultraviolet spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and optical echelle spectra from MIKE on the Magellan Telescopes enable a comprehensive ionization analysis of diffuse circumgalactic gas based on resolved kinematics and abundance ratios of atomic species spanning five different ionization stages. These data provide unambiguous evidence of kinematically aligned multi-phase gas that masquerades as a single-phase structure and can only be resolved by simultaneous accounting of the full range of observed ionic species. Both systems are resolved into multiple components with inferred $\alpha$-element abundance varying from $[\alpha/\text{H}]\approx\!{-0.8}$ to near solar and densities spanning over two decades from $\log n_\mathrm{H}\mathrm{cm}^{-3}\approx\!-2.2$ to $, Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 27 pages, 21 figures

The Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a new infrared time-domain survey instrument on a dedicated 1 meter robotic telescope at the Palomar Observatory. WINTER will perform the first seeing-limited time domain survey of the infrared (IR) sky, with a particular emphasis on identifying r-process material in binary neutron star (BNS) merger remnants detected by LIGO. We have developed and tested a custom opto-mechanical mounting scheme for a 6-channel tiled optical system with

The Large Lenslet Array Magellan Spectrograph (LLAMAS) is an NSF-funded facility-class Integral Field Unit (IFU) spectrograph under construction for the 6.5-meter Magellan Telescopes. It covers a 37" x 37" solid angle with 2,400 optical fibers efficiently coupled by a double-sided microlens-array, producing R = 2, 000 spectra with 0.7511 spatial resolution. Its broad passband from λ = 350 970nm offers access to line and continuum measurements over a wide range in redshift. Light is multiplexed by the IFU into 8 compact, carbon-fiber bench mounted spectrographs utilizing VPH grisms. We employed several trades on cost-performance ratio while optimizing LLAMAS’ system design including: (a) Splitting the passband between 3 fast all-refractive camera systems with modest entrance pupils, (b) limiting the fibers per unit (i.e. slit length) and building more spectrographs to leverage on production volume, and (c) using a commercial CCD camera built around a common detector (e2v 42-40) and thermoelectric + liquid cooling. To boost blue throughput and achieve high-quality sky subtraction the spectrograph cluster is mounted next to the focal plane on a folded Cassegrain port with gravity-invariant support. This also allows the instrument to deploy quickly, and be fully accessible within 10 minutes on any night, serving as a facility unit for observing astrophysical transients. A sub-sized IFU (169 fibers), mounted in a full-sized front end package with a single spectrograph (2 cameras) was delivered to Magellan in March 2020. We present as-measured laboratory performance from this prototype, though on-sky commissioning was unfortunately cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This contribution therefore focuses on subsequent design evolution and status of the full facility instrument.

The Wide-field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a 1x1 degree infrared survey telescope under development at MIT and Caltech, and slated for commissioning at Palomar Observatory in 2021. WINTER is a seeing-limited infrared time-domain survey and has two main science goals: (1) the discovery of IR kilonovae and r-process materials from binary neutron star mergers and (2) the study of general IR transients, including supernovae, tidal disruption events, and transiting exoplanets around low mass stars. We plan to meet these science goals with technologies that are relatively new to astrophysical research: hybridized InGaAs sensors as an alternative to traditional, but expensive, HgCdTe arrays and an IR-optimized 1-meter COTS telescope. To mitigate risk, optimize development efforts, and ensure that WINTER meets its science objectives, we use model-based systems engineering (MBSE) techniques commonly featured in aerospace engineering projects. Even as ground-based instrumentation projects grow in complexity, they do not often have the budget for a full-time systems engineer. We present one example of systems engineering for the ground-based WINTER project, featuring software tools that allow students or staff to learn the fundamentals of MBSE and capture the results in a formalized software interface. We focus on the top-level science requirements with a detailed example of how the goal of detecting kilonovae flows down to WINTER's optical design. In particular, we discuss new methods for tolerance simulations, eliminating stray light, and maximizing image quality of a fly's-eye design that slices the telescope's focus onto 6 non-buttable, IR detectors. We also include a discussion of safety constraints for a robotic telescope., Comment: Published in SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2020, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII. 12 pages, 9 figures

The Large Lenslet Array Magellan Spectrograph (LLAMAS) is an Integral Field Unit (IFU) spectrograph under construction as a facility instrument for the 6.5-meter Magellan Telescopes. For each pointing, LLAMAS delivers 2400 optical spectra (λ =350-970nm) over a 37”x37” celestial solid angle with a resolution of 2000 through a densely packed microlens+fiber array and replicated low-cost spectrographs. One of our main science goals is to study circumgalactic gas through Lyα emission. To achieve the required signal-to-noise ratio for these observations, LLAMAS must minimize stray light reaching the detector: diffuse scattered light must stay below 0.25% of sky flux and ghost images must not exceed 0.1% of the source signal. We present a non-sequential ray tracing analysis of a simplified LLAMAS model using Photon Engineering’s FRED Optical Engineering Software. We focus on stray light resulting from the volume phase holographic grating and from focal ratio degradation of the fibers. The analysis feeds into a discussion of the design and fabrication of baffles to mask the primary sources of stray light. Additionally, we develop a backup system of mounting rings inside of the cameras where pre-made baffles can be quickly added as needed. Finally, we report on the laboratory performance of a 2-camera LLAMAS prototype featuring the aforementioned stray light interventions.

We present the InGaAs detector system of the Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER), a new infrared instrument operating on a 1 meter robotic telescope at the Palomar Observatory. These commercially produced sensors are cooled to -50 °C by a thermo-electric cooler integrated into a room temperature package. These warm InGaAs sensors represent a dramatic reduction in cost and complexity over HgCdTe systems and achieve sky background-limited performance across our science bands for exposures greater than a few seconds. We present the design and implementation of the WINTER detector system and readout electronics.

In a multi-wavelength survey of $13$ quasars at $5.8\lesssim z\lesssim6.5$, that were pre-selected to be potentially young, we find five objects with extremely small proximity zone sizes that may imply UV-luminous quasar lifetimes of $\lesssim 100,000$ years. Proximity zones are regions of enhanced transmitted flux in the vicinity of the quasars that are sensitive to the quasars' lifetimes because the intergalactic gas has a finite response time to their radiation. We combine sub-mm observations from the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) and the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA), as well as deep optical and near-infrared spectra from medium-resolution spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and on the Keck telescopes, in order to identify and characterize these new young quasars, which provide valuable clues about the accretion behavior of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the early universe, and pose challenges on current black hole formation models to explain the rapid formation of billion solar mass black holes. We measure the quasars' systemic redshifts, black hole masses, Eddington ratios, emission line luminosities, and star formation rates of their host galaxies. Combined with previous results we estimate the fraction of young objects within the high-redshift quasar population at large to be $5\%\lesssim f_{\rm young}\lesssim 10\%$. One of the young objects, PSO J158-14, shows a very bright dust continuum flux ($F_{\rm cont}=3.46\pm 0.02\,\rm mJy$), indicating a highly star-bursting host galaxy with a star formation rate of approximately $1420\,M_{\odot}\,\rm yr^{-1}$., Accepted for publication in ApJ

There have been a dramatic increase in the number of optical and radio transient surveys due to astronomical transients such as gravitational waves and gamma ray bursts, however, there have been a limited number of wide-field infrared surveys due to narrow field-of-view and high cost of infrared cameras, we present two new wide-field near-infrared fully automated surveyors; Palomar Gattini-IR and the Dynamic REd All-sky Monitoring Survey (DREAMS). Palomar Gattini-IR, a 25 square degree J-band imager that begun science operations at Palomar Observatory, USA in October 2018; we report on survey strategy as well as telescope and observatory operations and will also providing initial science results. DREAMS is a 3.75 square degree wide-field imager that is planned for Siding Spring Observatory, Australia; we report on the current optical and mechanical design and plans to achieve on-sky results in 2020. DREAMS is on-track to be one of the first astronomical telescopes to use an Indium Galium Arsenide (InGaAs) detector and we report initial on-sky testing results for the selected detector package. DREAMS is also well placed to take advantage and provide near-infrared follow-up of the LSST.

We present initial results from the Cosmic Ultraviolet Baryon Survey (CUBS). CUBS is designed to map diffuse baryonic structures at redshift z~ 17.2 over a total redshift survey pathlength of dz=9.3, and a number density of n(z)=0.43 (-0.18, +0.26). Considering all absorbers with log N(HI)/cm^-2 > 16.5 leads to n(z)=1.08 (-0.25, +0.31) at z, Comment: 26 pages, 14 figures, MNRAS in press

We report the serendipitous detection of an H$_{2}$-bearing damped Lyman-$��$ absorber at z = 0.576 in the spectrum of the QSO J0111-0316 in the Cosmic Ultraviolet Baryon Survey. Spectroscopic observations from HST-COS in the far-ultraviolet reveal a damped absorber with log[N(HI)/cm^-2] = 20.1 +/- 0.2 and log[N(H$_{2}$)/cm^-2] = 18.97 (-0.06, +0.05). The diffuse molecular gas is found in two velocity components separated by dv = 60 km/s, with >99.9% of the total H$_{2}$ column density concentrated in one component. At a metallicity of $\approx$ 50% of solar, there is evidence for Fe enhancement and dust depletion, with a dust-to-gas ratio $��_{\text{O}} \approx$ 0.4. A galaxy redshift survey conducted with IMACS and LDSS-3C on Magellan reveals an overdensity of nine galaxies at projected distance d, 19 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

The Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER) is a new 1 $\text{deg}^2$ seeing-limited time-domain survey instrument designed for dedicated near-infrared follow-up of kilonovae from binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star-black hole mergers. WINTER will observe in the near-infrared Y, J, and short-H bands (0.9-1.7 microns, to $\text{J}_{AB}=21$ magnitudes) on a dedicated 1-meter telescope at Palomar Observatory. To date, most prompt kilonova follow-up has been in optical wavelengths; however, near-infrared emission fades more slowly and depends less on geometry and viewing angle than optical emission. We present an end-to-end simulation of a follow-up campaign during the fourth observing run (O4) of the LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA interferometers, including simulating 625 BNS mergers, their detection in gravitational waves, low-latency and full parameter estimation skymaps, and a suite of kilonova lightcurves from two different model grids. We predict up to five new kilonovae independently discovered by WINTER during O4, given a realistic BNS merger rate. Using a larger grid of kilonova parameters, we find that kilonova emission is $\approx$2 times longer-lived and red kilonovae are detected $\approx$1.5 times further in the infrared than in the optical. For 90% localization areas smaller than 150 (450) $\rm{deg}^{2}$, WINTER will be sensitive to more than 10% of the kilonova model grid out to 350 (200) Mpc. We develop a generalized toolkit to create an optimal BNS follow-up strategy with any electromagnetic telescope and present WINTER's observing strategy with this framework. This toolkit, all simulated gravitational-wave events, and skymaps are made available for use by the community., 19 pages, 11 figures, published in ApJ

The extents of proximity zones of high-redshift quasars enable constraints on the timescales of quasar activity, which are fundamental for understanding the growth of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) that power the quasars' emission. In this study, we obtain precise estimates for the ultraviolet (UV) luminous lifetimes of ten quasars at $5.8< z< 6.5$. These objects were pre-selected to have short lifetimes based on preliminary measurements of their proximity zone sizes, and were then targeted for high quality follow-up sub-mm, optical, and infrared observations required to increase the measurements' precision and securely determine their lifetimes. By comparing these proximity zone sizes to mock quasar spectra generated from radiative transfer simulations at a range of different lifetimes, we deduce extremely short lifetimes $t_{\rm Q}

We describe test observations made with a customized 640 x 512 pixel Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) prototype astronomical camera on the 100" DuPont telescope. This is the first test of InGaAs as a cost-effective alternative to HgCdTe for research-grade astronomical observations. The camera exhibits an instrument background of 113 e-/sec/pixel (dark + thermal) at an operating temperature of -40C for the sensor, maintained by a simple thermo-electric cooler. The optical train and mechanical structure float at ambient temperature with no cold stop, in contrast to most IR instruments which must be cooled to mitigate thermal backgrounds. Measurements of the night sky using a reimager with plate scale of 0.4 arc seconds / pixel show that the sky flux in Y is comparable to the dark current. At J the sky brightness exceeds dark current by a factor of four, and hence dominates the noise budget. The sensor read noise of ~43e- falls below sky+dark noise for exposures of t>7 seconds in Y and 3.5 seconds in J. We present test observations of several selected science targets, including high-significance detections of a lensed Type Ia supernova, a type IIb supernova, and a z=6.3 quasar. Deeper images are obtained for two local galaxies monitored for IR transients, and a galaxy cluster at z=0.87. Finally, we observe a partial transit of the hot JupiterHATS34b, demonstrating the photometric stability required over several hours to detect a 1.2% transit depth at high significance. A tiling of available larger-format sensors would produce an IR survey instrument with significant cost savings relative to HgCdTe-based cameras, if one is willing to forego the K band. Such a camera would be sensitive for a week or more to isotropic emission from r-process kilonova ejecta similar to that observed in GW170817, over the full 190 Mpc horizon of Advanced LIGO's design sensitivity for neutron star mergers., 13 pages, 12 figures, submitted to AJ

We present first results from Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations at the Very Large Telescope in the MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF), a $\approx 1.2\times 1.4$ arcmin$^2$ region for which we are collecting $\approx$200 hours of integral field spectroscopy. The $\approx 40$-hour observation completed to date reveals the presence of a group of three Ly$\alpha$ nebulae associated with a bright quasar pair at $z\simeq3.23$ with projected separation of $\approx 500\rm~kpc$. Two of the nebulae are physically associated with the quasars which are likely powering the Ly$\alpha$ emission, and extend for $\gtrsim 100~\rm kpc$ at a surface brightness level of $\approx 6\times 10^{-19}~\rm erg~s^{-1}~cm^{-2}~arcsec^{-2}$. A third smaller ($\approx$35 kpc) nebula lies at a velocity offset of $\approx 1550$ km s$^{-1}$. Despite their clustered nature, the two large nebulae have properties similar to those observed in isolated quasars and exhibit no sharp decline in flux at the current depth, suggesting an even more extended distribution of gas around the quasars. We interpret the shape and the alignment of the two brighter nebulae as suggestive of the presence of an extended structure connecting the two quasar host galaxies, as seen for massive galaxies forming within gas-rich filaments in cosmological simulations., Comment: MNRAS Letters in press, 3 figures, revised version: minor changes following proofs

We present the discovery of a new $z \sim 6.8$ quasar discovered with the near-IR VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) which has been spectroscopically confirmed by the ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) and the Magellan telescope. This quasar has been selected by spectral energy distribution (SED) classification using near infrared data from VISTA, optical data from Pan-STARRS, and mid-IR data from WISE. The SED classification algorithm is used to statistically rank two classes; foreground Galactic low-mass stars and high redshift quasars, prior to spectroscopic observation. Forced photometry on Pan-STARRS pixels for VHS J0411-0907 allows to improve the SED classification reduced-$��^2$ and photometric redshift. VHS J0411-0907 ($z=6.82$, $y_{AB} = 20.1$ mag, $J_{AB} = 20.0$ mag) has the brightest J-band continuum magnitude of the nine known quasars at $z > 6.7$ and is currently the highest redshift quasar detected in the Pan-STARRS survey. This quasar has one of the lowest black hole mass ($M_{\rm{BH}}= (6.13 \pm 0.51)\times 10^8\:\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$) and the highest Eddington ratio ($2.37\pm0.22$) of the known quasars at $z>6.5$. The high Eddington ratio indicates that some very high-$z$ quasars are undergoing super Eddington accretion. We also present coefficients of the best polynomials fits for colours vs spectral type on the Pan-STARRS, VISTA and WISE system for MLT dwarfs and present a forecast for the expected numbers of quasars at $z>6.5$., 14 pages, accepted for publication by MNRAS

In this thesis we present several surveys of heavy element absorber characteristics at high redshift, gauging properties of diffuse intra- and intergalactic gas in the first several Gyr of the Universe. At z ~ 3.5, we study chemical abundances of Lyman limit systems (LLSs) and evaluate their potential to represent expected reservoirs of cold, low-metallicity gas whose accretion onto galaxies is necessary to maintain star formation. In an initial survey focused only on LLSs identified as potential lowmetallicity absorbers, based on the absence of metal lines in low-resolution spectra, we indeed found the selected systems have low abundances, with a median of [M/H]~ -2.2 and several systems at [M/H]/~ 6, we find that the bulk of high-redshift absorption systems are low-ionization and low-metallicity. Since H i absorption cannot be seen at z>/~ 6, we further argue from incidence rates and absorber characteristics that these absorbers are analogous to strong neutral hydrogen systems seen at lower redshift. We conclude that the non-detection of weaker H i absorption systems (such as LLSs) is consistent with lower metallicities and lower ionization states in the circumgalactic medium than is seen at later times., By Thomas Cooper., Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.

While optical and radio transient surveys have enjoyed a renaissance over the past decade, the dynamic infrared sky remains virtually unexplored from the ground. The infrared is a powerful tool for probing transient events in dusty regions that have high optical extinction, and for detecting the coolest of stars that are bright only at these wavelengths. The fundamental roadblocks in studying the infrared time-domain have been the overwhelmingly bright sky background (250 times brighter than optical) and the narrow field-of-view of infrared cameras (largest is VISTA at 0.6 sq deg). To address these challenges, Palomar Gattini-IR is currently under construction at Palomar Observatory and we propose a further low risk, economical, and agile instrument to be located at Siding Spring Observatory, as well as further instruments which will be located at the high polar regions to take advantage of the low thermal sky emission, particularly in the 2.5 micron region.

The fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) is a postulated correlation between galaxy stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and gas-phase metallicity. At its core, this relation posits that offsets from the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) at a fixed stellar mass are correlated with galactic SFR. In this Letter, we use hydrodynamical simulations to quantify the time-scales over which populations of galaxies oscillate about the average SFR and metallicity values at fixed stellarmass.We find that Illustris and IllustrisTNG predict that galaxy offsets from the star formation main sequence and MZR oscillate over similar time-scales, are often anticorrelated in their evolution, evolve with the halo dynamical time, and produce a pronounced FMR. Our models indicate that galaxies oscillate about equilibrium SFR and metallicity values - set by the galaxy's stellar mass - and that SFR and metallicity offsets evolve in an anticorrelated fashion. This anticorrelated variability of the metallicity and SFR offsets drives the existence of the FMR in our models. In contrast to Illustris and IllustrisTNG, we speculate that the SFR and metallicity evolution tracks may become decoupled in galaxy formation models dominated by feedback-driven globally bursty SFR histories, which could weaken the FMR residual correlation strength. This opens the possibility of discriminating between bursty and non-bursty feedback models based on the strength and persistence of the FMR - especially at high redshift., United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (HST-HF2-51341.001-A), United States. Department of Energy. Computational Science Graduate Fellowship Program (Grant DEFG02-97ER25308)