No Arabic abstract
Using a population of large-scale filaments extracted from an AREPO simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy, we seek to understand the extent to which observed large-scale filament properties (with lengths $gtrsim 100$ pc) can be explained by galactic dynamics alone. From an observers perspective in the disk of the galaxy, we identify filaments forming purely due to galactic dynamics, without the effects of feedback or local self-gravity. We find that large-scale Galactic filaments are intrinsically rare, and we estimate that at maximum approximately one filament per $rm kpc^{2}$ should be identified in projection, when viewed from the direction of our Sun in the Milky Way. In this idealized scenario, we find filaments in both the arm and interarm regions, and hypothesize that the former may be due to gas compression in the spiral-potential wells, with the latter due to differential rotation. Using the same analysis pipeline applied previously to observations, we analyze the physical properties of large-scale Galactic filaments, and quantify their sensitivity to projection effects and galactic environment (i.e. whether they lie in the arm or interarm regions). We find that observed Giant Molecular Filaments are consistent with being non-self-gravitating structures dominated by galactic dynamics. Straighter, narrower, and denser Bone-like filaments, like the paradigmatic Nessie filament, have similar column densities, velocity gradients, and Galactic plane heights ($zapprox$ 0 pc) to those in our simple model, but additional physical effects (such as feedback and self-gravity) must be invoked to explain their lengths and widths.
A convenient representation of the structure of the large-scale galactic magnetic field is required for the interpretation of polarization data in the sub-mm and radio ranges, in both the Milky Way and external galaxies. We develop a simple and flexible approach to construct parametrised models of the large-scale magnetic field of the Milky Way and other disc galaxies, based on physically justifiable models of magnetic field structure. The resulting models are designed to be optimised against available observational data. Representations for the large-scale magnetic fields in the flared disc and spherical halo of a disc galaxy were obtained in the form of series expansions whose coefficients can be calculated from observable or theoretically known galactic properties. The functional basis for the expansions is derived as eigenfunctions of the mean-field dynamo equation or of the vectorial magnetic diffusion equation. The solutions presented are axially symmetric but the approach can be extended straightforwardly to non-axisymmetric cases. The magnetic fields are solenoidal by construction, can be helical, and are parametrised in terms of observable properties of the host object, such as the rotation curve and the shape of the gaseous disc. The magnetic field in the disc can have a prescribed number of field reversals at any specified radii. Both the disc and halo magnetic fields can separately have either dipolar or quadrupolar symmetry. The model is implemented as a publicly available software package GalMag which allows, in particular, the computation of the synchrotron emission and Faraday rotation produced by the models magnetic field. The model can be used in interpretations of observations of magnetic fields in the Milky Way and other spiral galaxies, in particular as a prior in Bayesian analyses. (Abridged.)
By using the Hectospec 6.5 m Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) and the 2.16 m telescope of National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), we obtained 188 high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spectra of HII regions in the nearby galaxy M101, which are the largest spectroscopic sample of HII regions for this galaxy so far. These spectra cover a wide range of regions on M101, which enables us to analyze two dimensional distributions of its physical properties. The physical parameters are derived from emission lines or stellar continuum, including stellar population age, electron temperature, oxygen abundance and etc. The oxygen abundances are derived using two empirical methods based on O3N2 and R$_{23}$ indicators, as well as the direct Te method when OIII$lambda4363$ is available. By applying the harmonic decomposition analysis to the velocity field, we obtained line-of-sight rotation velocity of 71 km s$^{-1}$ and a position angle of 36 degree. The stellar age profile shows an old stellar population in galaxy center and a relative young stellar population in outer regions, suggesting an old bulge and a young disk. Oxygen abundance profile exhibits a clear break at $sim$18 kpc, with a gradient of $-$0.0364 dex kpc$^{-1}$ in the inner region and $-$0.00686 dex kpc$^{-1}$ in the outer region. Our results agree with the inside-out disk growth scenario of M101.
In the context of the upcoming SRG/eROSITA survey, we present an N-body simulation-based mock catalogue for X-ray selected AGN samples. The model reproduces the observed hard X-ray AGN luminosity function (XLF) and the soft X-ray logN-logS from redshift 0 to 6. The XLF is reproduced to within $pm5%$ and the logN-logS to within $pm20%$. We develop a joint X-ray -- optical extinction and classification model. We adopt a set of empirical spectral energy distributions to predict observed magnitudes in the UV, optical and NIR. With the latest eROSITA all sky survey sensitivity model, we create a high-fidelity full-sky mock catalogue of X-ray AGN. It predicts their distributions in right ascension, declination, redshift and fluxes. Using empirical medium resolution optical spectral templates and an exposure time calculator, we find that $1.1times10^6$ ($4times10^5$) fiber-hours are needed to follow-up spectroscopically from the ground the detected X-ray AGN with an optical magnitude $21<r<22.8$ ($22.8<r<25$) with a 4-m (8-m) class multi-object spectroscopic facility. We find that future clustering studies will measure the AGN bias to the percent level at redshift $z<1.2$ and should discriminate possible scenarios of galaxy-AGN co-evolution. We predict the accuracy to which the baryon acoustic oscillation standard ruler will be measured using X-ray AGN: better than 3% for AGN between redshift 0.5 to 3 and better than 1% using the Ly$alpha$ forest of X-ray QSOs discovered between redshift 2 and 3. eROSITA will provide an outstanding set of targets for future galaxy evolution and cosmological studies.
($ABRIDGED$) We probe the physical properties and large-scale environment of radio AGN in the faintest FR population to-date, and link them to their radio structure. We use the VLA-COSMOS Large Project at 3 GHz, with resolution and sensitivity of 0.75 and 2.3 $mu$Jy/beam, respectively, to explore the FR dichotomy down to $mu$Jy levels. We classify objects as FRIs, FRIIs or hybrid FRI/FRII based on the surface-brightness distribution along their radio structure. Our control sample is the jet-less/compact radio AGN (COM AGN) which show excess radio emission at 3 GHz VLA-COSMOS exceeding what is coming from star-formation alone; this sample excludes FRs. Largest angular projected sizes of FR objects are measured by a machine-learning algorithm and also by hand, following a parametric approach to the FR classification. Eddington ratios are calculated using scaling relations from the X-rays, while we include the jet power by using radio luminosity as a probe. We investigate their host properties (star-formation ratio, stellar mass, morphology), and we explore their incidence within X-ray galaxy groups in COSMOS, as well as in the density fields and cosmic-web probes in COSMOS. Our sample is composed of 59 FRIIs, 32 FRI/FRIIs, 39 FRIs, and 1818 COM AGN at 0.03 $le z le$ 6. FR objects have on average similar radio luminosities ($L_{rm 3~GHz}rm sim 10^{23}~W~Hz^{-1}~sr^{-1}$), spanning a range of $rm 10^{21-26}~W~Hz^{-1}~sr^{-1}$, and lie at a median redshift of $z ~sim ~1$. FRs reside in their majority in massive quenched hosts ($M_{*}~> 10^{10.5} M_{odot}$), with older episodes of star-formation linked to lower X-ray galaxy group temperatures, suggesting radio-mode AGN quenching. Irrespective of their radio structure, FRs and COM AGN are found in all types and density environments (group or cluster, filaments, field).
Synthetic observations are playing an increasingly important role across astrophysics, both for interpreting real observations and also for making meaningful predictions from models. In this review, we provide an overview of methods and tools used for generating, manipulating and analysing synthetic observations and their application to problems involving star formation and the interstellar medium. We also discuss some possible directions for future research using synthetic observations.