1. |
- Smith, Mathew, et al.
(author)
-
THE EFFECT OF WEAK LENSING ON DISTANCE ESTIMATES FROM SUPERNOVAE
- 2014
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 780:1, s. Art.nr.-UNSP 24
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using a sample of 608 Type Ia supernovae from the SDSS-II and BOSS surveys, combined with a sample of foreground galaxies from SDSS-II, we estimate the weak lensing convergence for each supernova line of sight. We find that the correlation between this measurement and the Hubble residuals is consistent with the prediction from lensing (at a significance of 1.7 sigma). Strong correlations are also found between the residuals and supernova nuisance parameters after a linear correction is applied. When these other correlations are taken into account, the lensing signal is detected at 1.4 sigma. We show, for the first time, that distance estimates from supernovae can be improved when lensing is incorporated, by including a new parameter in the SALT2 methodology for determining distance moduli. The recovered value of the new parameter is consistent with the lensing prediction. Using cosmic microwave background data from WMAP7, H-0 data from Hubble Space Telescope and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Baryon acoustic oscillations measurements, we find the best-fit value of the new lensing parameter and show that the central values and uncertainties on Omega m and w are unaffected. The lensing of supernovae, while only seen at marginal significance in this low-redshift sample, will be of vital importance for the next generation of surveys, such as DES and LSST, which will be systematics-dominated.
|
|
2. |
- D'Andrea, Chris B., et al.
(author)
-
Type II-P Supernovae from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey and the Standardized Candle Method
- 2010
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 708:1, s. 661-674
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We apply the Standardized Candle Method (SCM) for Type II Plateau supernovae (SNe II-P), which relates the velocity of the ejecta of a SN to its luminosity during the plateau, to 15 SNe II-P discovered over the three season run of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Survey. The redshifts of these SNe—0.027 < z < 0.144—cover a range hitherto sparsely sampled in the literature; in particular, our SNe II-P sample contains nearly as many SNe in the Hubble flow (z > 0.01) as all of the current literature on the SCM combined. We find that the SDSS SNe have a very small intrinsic I-band dispersion (0.22 mag), which can be attributed to selection effects. When the SCM is applied to the combined SDSS-plus-literature set of SNe II-P, the dispersion increases to 0.29 mag, larger than the scatter for either set of SNe separately. We show that the standardization cannot be further improved by eliminating SNe with positive plateau decline rates, as proposed in Poznanski et al. We thoroughly examine all potential systematic effects and conclude that for the SCM to be useful for cosmology, the methods currently used to determine the Fe II velocity at day 50 must be improved, and spectral templates able to encompass the intrinsic variations of Type II-P SNe will be needed. Based in part on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
|
|
3. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(author)
-
Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
-
In: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
4. |
- Campbell, Heather, et al.
(author)
-
COSMOLOGY WITH PHOTOMETRICALLY CLASSIFIED TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE FROM THE SDSS-II SUPERNOVA SURVEY
- 2013
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 763:2, s. 88-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the cosmological analysis of 752 photometrically classified Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) obtained from the full Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS-II) Supernova (SN) Survey, supplemented with host-galaxy spectroscopy from the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. Our photometric-classification method is based on the SN classification technique of Sako et al., aided by host-galaxy redshifts (0.05 < z < 0.55). SuperNova ANAlysis simulations of our methodology estimate that we have an SN Ia classification efficiency of 70.8%, with only 3.9% contamination from core-collapse (non-Ia) SNe. We demonstrate that this level of contamination has no effect on our cosmological constraints. We quantify and correct for our selection effects (e. g., Malmquist bias) using simulations. When fitting to a flat.CDM cosmological model, we find that our photometric sample alone gives Omega(m) = 0.24(-0.05)(+0.07) (statistical errors only). If we relax the constraint on flatness, then our sample provides competitive joint statistical constraints on Omega(m) and Omega(Lambda), comparable to those derived from the spectroscopically confirmed Three-year Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS3). Using only our data, the statistics-only result favors an accelerating universe at 99.96% confidence. Assuming a constant wCDM cosmological model, and combining with H-0, cosmic microwave background, and luminous red galaxy data, we obtain w = -0.96(-0.10)(+0.10), Omega(m) = 0.29(-0.02)(+0.02), and Omega(k) = 0.00(-0.02)(+0.03)(statistical errors only), which is competitive with similar spectroscopically confirmed SNe Ia analyses. Overall this comparison is reassuring, considering the lower redshift leverage of the SDSS-II SN sample (z < 0.55) and the lack of spectroscopic confirmation used herein. These results demonstrate the potential of photometrically classified SN Ia samples in improving cosmological constraints.
|
|
5. |
- Dilday, Benjamin, et al.
(author)
-
A Measurement of the Rate of Type Ia Supernovae in Galaxy Clusters from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey
- 2010
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 715, s. 1021-1035
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present measurements of the Type Ia supernova (SN) rate in galaxy clusters based on data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II (SDSS-II) Supernova Survey. The cluster SN Ia rate is determined from 9 SN events in a set of 71 C4 clusters at z <= 0.17 and 27 SN events in 492 maxBCG clusters at 0.1 <= z <= 0.3. We find values for the cluster SN Ia rate of (0.37+0.17+0.01 -0.12-0.01) SNur h 2 and (0.55+0.13+0.02 -0.11-0.01) SNur h 2 (SNux = 10-12 L -1 xsun yr-1) in C4 and maxBCG clusters, respectively, where the quoted errors are statistical and systematic, respectively. The SN rate for early-type galaxies is found to be (0.31+0.18+0.01 -0.12-0.01) SNur h 2 and (0.49+0.15+0.02 -0.11-0.01) SNur h 2 in C4 and maxBCG clusters, respectively. The SN rate for the brightest cluster galaxies (BCG) is found to be (2.04+1.99+0.07 -1.11-0.04) SNur h 2 and (0.36+0.84+0.01 -0.30-0.01) SNur h 2 in C4 and maxBCG clusters, respectively. The ratio of the SN Ia rate in cluster early-type galaxies to that of the SN Ia rate in field early-type galaxies is 1.94+1.31+0.043 -0.91-0.015 and 3.02+1.31+0.062 -1.03-0.048, for C4 and maxBCG clusters, respectively. The SN rate in galaxy clusters as a function of redshift, which probes the late time SN Ia delay distribution, shows only weak dependence on redshift. Combining our current measurements with previous measurements, we fit the cluster SN Ia rate data to a linear function of redshift, and find rL = [(0.49+0.15 -0.14)+(0.91+0.85 -0.81) × z] SNuB h 2. A comparison of the radial distribution of SNe in cluster to field early-type galaxies shows possible evidence for an enhancement of the SN rate in the cores of cluster early-type galaxies. With an observation of at most three hostless, intra-cluster SNe Ia, we estimate the fraction of cluster SNe that are hostless to be (9.4+8.3 -5.1)%.
|
|
6. |
- Dilday, Benjamin, et al.
(author)
-
Measurements of the Rate of Type Ia Supernovae at Redshift lsim0.3 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II Supernova Survey
- 2010
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 713, s. 1026-1036
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a measurement of the volumetric Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) rate based on data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS-II) Supernova Survey. The adopted sample of supernovae (SNe) includes 516 SNe Ia at redshift z <~ 0.3, of which 270(52%) are spectroscopically identified as SNe Ia. The remaining 246 SNe Ia were identified through their light curves; 113 of these objects have spectroscopic redshifts from spectra of their host galaxy, and 133 have photometric redshifts estimated from the SN light curves. Based on consideration of 87 spectroscopically confirmed non-Ia SNe discovered by the SDSS-II SN Survey, we estimate that 2.04+1.61 -0.95% of the photometric SNe Ia may be misidentified. The sample of SNe Ia used in this measurement represents an order of magnitude increase in the statistics for SN Ia rate measurements in the redshift range covered by the SDSS-II Supernova Survey. If we assume an SN Ia rate that is constant at low redshift (z < 0.15), then the SN observations can be used to infer a value of the SN rate of rV = (2.69+0.34+0.21 -0.30-0.01)×10-5 SNe yr-1 Mpc-3 (H 0/(70 km s-1 Mpc-1))3 at a mean redshift of ~0.12, based on 79 SNe Ia of which 72 are spectroscopically confirmed. However, the large sample of SNe Ia included in this study allows us to place constraints on the redshift dependence of the SN Ia rate based on the SDSS-II Supernova Survey data alone. Fitting a power-law model of the SN rate evolution, rV (z) = Ap × ((1 + z)/(1 + z 0))ν, over the redshift range 0.0 < z < 0.3 with z 0 = 0.21, results in Ap = (3.43+0.15 -0.15) × 10-5 SNe yr-1 Mpc-3 (H 0/(70 km s-1 Mpc-1))3 and ν = 2.04+0.90 -0.89.
|
|
7. |
- Galbany, Lluis, et al.
(author)
-
TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA PROPERTIES AS A FUNCTION OF THE DISTANCE TO THE HOST GALAXY IN THE SDSS-II SN SURVEY
- 2012
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 755:2, s. 125-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We use Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II SN Survey to search for dependencies between SN Ia properties and the projected distance to the host-galaxy center, using the distance as a proxy for local galaxy properties (local star formation rate, local metallicity, etc.). The sample consists of almost 200 spectroscopically or photometrically confirmed SNe Ia at redshifts below 0.25. The sample is split into two groups depending on the morphology of the host galaxy. We fit light curves using both MLCS2k2 and SALT2, and determine color (A(V), c) and light-curve shape (Delta, x(1)) parameters for each SN Ia, as well as its residual in the Hubble diagram. We then correlate these parameters with both the physical and the normalized distances to the center of the host galaxy and look for trends in the mean values and scatters of these parameters with increasing distance. The most significant (at the 4 sigma level) finding is that the average fitted A(V) from MLCS2k2 and c from SALT2 decrease with the projected distance for SNe Ia in spiral galaxies. We also find indications that supernovae (SNe) in elliptical galaxies tend to have narrower light curves if they explode at larger distances, although this may be due to selection effects in our sample. We do not find strong correlations between the residuals of the distance moduli with respect to the Hubble flow and the galactocentric distances, which indicates a limited correlation between SN magnitudes after standardization and local host metallicity.
|
|
8. |
- Hayden, Brian T., et al.
(author)
-
The Rise and Fall of Type Ia Supernova Light Curves in the SDSS-II Supernova Survey
- 2010
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 712:1, s. 350-366
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We analyze the rise and fall times of Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) light curves discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II (SDSS-II) Supernova Survey. From a set of 391 light curves k-corrected to the rest-frame B and V bands, we find a smaller dispersion in the rising portion of the light curve compared to the decline. This is in qualitative agreement with computer models which predict that variations in radioactive nickel yield have less impact on the rise than on the spread of the decline rates. The differences we find in the rise and fall properties suggest that a single "stretch" correction to the light curve phase does not properly model the range of SN Ia light curve shapes. We select a subset of 105 light curves well observed in both rise and fall portions of the light curves and develop a "2-stretch" fit algorithm which estimates the rise and fall times independently. We find the average time from explosion to B-band peak brightness is 17.38 ± 0.17 days, but with a spread of rise times which range from 13 days to 23 days. Our average rise time is shorter than the 19.5 days found in previous studies; this reflects both the different light curve template used and the application of the 2-stretch algorithm. The SDSS-II supernova set and the local SNe Ia with well-observed early light curves show no significant differences in their average rise-time properties. We find that slow-declining events tend to have fast rise times, but that the distribution of rise minus fall time is broad and single peaked. This distribution is in contrast to the bimodality in this parameter that was first suggested by Strovink from an analysis of a small set of local SNe Ia. We divide the SDSS-II sample in half based on the rise minus fall value, tr - tf <= 2 days and tr - tf > 2 days, to search for differences in their host galaxy properties and Hubble residuals; we find no difference in host galaxy properties or Hubble residuals in our sample.
|
|
9. |
- Kessler, Richard, et al.
(author)
-
First-Year Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Results : Hubble Diagram and Cosmological Parameters
- 2009
-
In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 185:1, s. 32-84
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present measurements of the Hubble diagram for 103 Type Ia supernovae (SNe) with redshifts 0.04 < z < 0.42, discovered during the first season (Fall 2005) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II (SDSS-II) Supernova Survey. These data fill in the redshift "desert" between low- and high-redshift SN Ia surveys. Within the framework of the MLCS2K2 light-curve fitting method, we use the SDSS-II SN sample to infer the mean reddening parameter for host galaxies, RV = 2.18 ± 0.14stat ± 0.48syst, and find that the intrinsic distribution of host-galaxy extinction is well fitted by an exponential function, P(AV ) = exp(-AV /τV), with τV = 0.334 ± 0.088 mag. We combine the SDSS-II measurements with new distance estimates for published SN data from the ESSENCE survey, the Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and a compilation of Nearby SN Ia measurements. A new feature in our analysis is the use of detailed Monte Carlo simulations of all surveys to account for selection biases, including those from spectroscopic targeting. Combining the SN Hubble diagram with measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations from the SDSS Luminous Red Galaxy sample and with cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropy measurements from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, we estimate the cosmological parameters w and ΩM, assuming a spatially flat cosmological model (FwCDM) with constant dark energy equation of state parameter, w. We also consider constraints upon ΩM and ΩΛ for a cosmological constant model (ΛCDM) with w = -1 and non-zero spatial curvature. For the FwCDM model and the combined sample of 288 SNe Ia, we find w = -0.76 ± 0.07(stat) ± 0.11(syst), ΩM = 0.307 ± 0.019(stat) ± 0.023(syst) using MLCS2K2 and w = -0.96 ± 0.06(stat) ± 0.12(syst), ΩM = 0.265 ± 0.016(stat) ± 0.025(syst) using the SALT-II fitter. We trace the discrepancy between these results to a difference in the rest-frame UV model combined with a different luminosity correction from color variations; these differences mostly affect the distance estimates for the SNLS and HST SNe. We present detailed discussions of systematic errors for both light-curve methods and find that they both show data-model discrepancies in rest-frame U band. For the SALT-II approach, we also see strong evidence for redshift-dependence of the color-luminosity parameter (β). Restricting the analysis to the 136 SNe Ia in the Nearby+SDSS-II samples, we find much better agreement between the two analysis methods but with larger uncertainties: w = -0.92 ± 0.13(stat)+0.10 -0.33(syst) for MLCS2K2 and w = -0.92 ± 0.11(stat)+0.07 -0.15 (syst) for SALT-II.
|
|
10. |
- Kessler, Richard, et al.
(author)
-
Photometric Estimates of Redshifts and Distance Moduli for Type Ia Supernovae
- 2010
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 717:1, s. 40-57
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Large planned photometric surveys will discover hundreds of thousands of supernovae (SNe), outstripping the resources available for spectroscopic follow-up and necessitating the development of purely photometric methods to exploit these events for cosmological study. We present a light curve fitting technique for type Ia supernova (SN Ia) photometric redshift (photo-z) estimation in which the redshift is determined simultaneously with the other fit parameters. We implement this "LCFIT+Z" technique within the frameworks of the MLCS2K2 and SALTII light curve fit methods and determine the precision on the redshift and distance modulus. This method is applied to a spectroscopically confirmed sample of 296 SNe Ia from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II (SDSS-II) SN Survey and 37 publicly available SNe Ia from the Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS). We have also applied the method to a large suite of realistic simulated light curves for existing and planned surveys, including the SDSS, SNLS, and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. When intrinsic SN color fluctuations are included, the photo-z precision for the simulation is consistent with that in the data. Finally, we compare the LCFIT+Z photo-z precision with previous results using color-based SN photo-z estimates.
|
|