Network


Latest external collaboration on country level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots.

Hotspot


Dive into the research topics where Aleksi Halkola is active.

Publication


Featured researches published by Aleksi Halkola.


Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | 2006

Parametric strong gravitational lensing analysis of Abell 1689

Aleksi Halkola; S. Seitz; M. Pannella

We have derived the mass distribution of galaxy cluster Abell 1689 within 0.3 h -1 70 Mpc of the cluster centre using its strong lensing (SL) effect on 32 background galaxies, which are mapped in altogether 107 multiple images. The multiple images are based on some from the literature with modifications to both include new and exclude some of the original image systems. The cluster profile is explored further out to ∼2.5 h -1 70 Mpc with weak lensing (WL) shear measurements from the literature. The masses of ∼200 cluster galaxies are measured with the Fundamental Plane (FP) in order to model accurately the small-scale mass structure in the cluster. The cluster galaxies are modelled as elliptical truncated isothermal spheres. The scalings of the truncation radii with the velocity dispersions of galaxies are assumed to match those of: (i) field galaxies; and (ii) theoretical expectations for galaxies in dense environments. The dark matter (DM) component of the cluster is described by either non-singular isothermal ellipsoids (NSIE) or elliptical versions of the universal DM profile (elliptical Navarro, Frenk & White, ENFW). To account for substructure in the DM we allow for two DM haloes. The fitting of a non-singular isothermal sphere (NSIS) to the smooth DM component results in a velocity dispersion of 1450 +39 -31 km s -1 and a core radius of 77 +10 -8 h -1 70 kpc, while a Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW) profile has an r 200 of 2.86 ± 0.16 h -1 70 Mpc (M 200 = 3.2 x 10 15 M ⊙ h 70 ) and a concentration of 4.7 +0.6 -0.5 . The total mass profile is well described by either a NSIS profile with σ = 1514 +18 -17 km s -1 and a core radius of r c = 71 ± 5 h -1 70 kpc, or an NFW profile with C = 6.0 ± 0.5 and r 200 = 2.82 ± 0.11 h -1 70 Mpc (M 200 = 3.0 x 10 15 M ⊙ h 70 ). The errors are assumed to be due to the error in assigning masses to the individual galaxies in the galaxy component. Their small size is due to the very strong constraints imposed by multiple images and the ability of the smooth DM component to adjust to uncertainties in the galaxy masses. The agreement in the total mass profile between this work and that of the literature is better than 1σ at all radii, despite the considerable differences in the methodology used. Using the same image configuration as used in the literature, we obtain a SL model that is superior to some in the literature (rms of 2.7 compared to 3.2 arcsec). This is very surprising considering the larger freedom in the surface mass profile in their grid modelling. The difference is most likely a result of the careful inclusion of the cluster galaxies. Using also WL shear measurements from the literature, we can constrain the profile further out to r ∼2.5 h -1 70 Mpc. The best-fitting parameters change to a = 1499 ± 15 km s -1 and r c = 66 ± 5 h -1 70 kpc for the NSIS profile and C = 7.6 ± 0.5 and r 200 = 2.55 ± 0.07 h -1 70 Mpc (M 200 = 2.3 x 10 15 M ⊙ h 70 ) for the NFW profile.


The Astrophysical Journal | 2008

DARK MATTER AND BARYONS IN THE X-RAY LUMINOUS MERGING GALAXY CLUSTER RX J1347.5-1145

Marusa Bradac; Tim Schrabback; Thomas Erben; Michael McCourt; Evan T. Million; A. Mantz; Steve Allen; R. D. Blandford; Aleksi Halkola; Hendrik Hildebrandt; M. Lombardi; Phil Marshall; Peter Schneider; Tommaso Treu; Jean-Paul Kneib

The galaxy cluster RX J1347.5−1145 is one of the most X-ray luminous and most massive clusters known. Its extreme mass makes it a prime target for studying issues addressing cluster formation and cosmology. Despite the naive expectation that mass estimation for this cluster should be straightforward (high mass and favorable redshift make it an efficient lens, and in addition it is bright in X-rays and appears to be in a fairly relaxed state), some studies have reported very discrepant mass estimates from X-ray, dynamical and gravitational lensing. In this paper we present new high-resolution HST/ACS and Chandra X-ray data. The high resolution and sensitivity of ACS enabled us to detect and quantify several new multiply imaged sources, we now use a total of eight for the strong lensing analysis. Combining this information with shape measurements of weak lensing sources in the central regions of the cluster, we derive a high-resolution, absolutely-calibrated mass map. This map provides the best available quantification of the total mass of the central part of the cluster to date. We compare the reconstructed mass with that inferred from the new Chandra X-ray data, and conclude that both mass estimates agree extremely well in the observed region, namely within 400h −1 70 kpc of the cluster center. In addition we study the major baryonic components (gas and stars) and hence derive the dark matter distribution in the center of the cluster. We find that the dark matter and baryons are both centered on the BCG within the uncertainties (alignment is better than < 10 kpc). We measure the corresponding 1-D profiles and find that dark matter distribution is consistent with both NFW and cored profiles, indicating that a more extended radial analysis is needed to pinpoint the concentration parameter, and hence the inner slope of the dark matter profile. Subject headings: cosmology: dark matter – gravitational lensing – galaxies:clusters:individual:RX J1347.5-1145


Astronomy and Astrophysics | 2010

The halos of satellite galaxies: the companion of the massive elliptical lens SL2S J08544−0121

Sherry H. Suyu; Aleksi Halkola

Strong gravitational lensing by groups or clusters of galaxies provides a powerful technique to measure the dark matter properties of individual lens galaxies. We study in detail the mass distribution of the satellite lens galaxy in the group-scale lens SL2S J08544−0121 by modelling simultaneously the spatially extended surface brightness distribution of the source galaxy and the lens mass distribution using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. In particular, we measure the dark matter halo size of the satellite lens galaxy to be 6.0 +2.9 −2.0 kpc with a fiducial velocity dispersion of 127 +21 −12 km s −1 . This is the first time the size of an individual galaxy halo in a galaxy group has been measured using strong gravitational lensing without assumptions of mass following light. We verify the robustness of our halo size measurement using mock data resembling our lens system. Our measurement of the halo size is compatible with the estimated tidal radius of the satellite galaxy, suggesting that halos of galaxies in groups experience significant tidal stripping, a process that has been previously observed on galaxies in clusters. Our mass model of the satellite galaxy is elliptical with its major axis misaligned with that of the light by ∼50 deg. The major axis of the total matter distribution is oriented more towards the centre of the host halo, exhibiting the radial alignment found in N-body simulations and observational studies of satellite galaxies. This misalignment between mass and light poses a significant challenge to modified Newtonian dynamics.


IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging | 2015

Magnetic Particle Imaging With Tailored Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Tracers

R. Matthew Ferguson; Amit P. Khandhar; Scott J. Kemp; Hamed Arami; Emine Ulku Saritas; Laura R. Croft; Justin J. Konkle; Patrick W. Goodwill; Aleksi Halkola; Jürgen Rahmer; Jörn Borgert; Steven M. Conolly

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) shows promise for medical imaging, particularly in angiography of patients with chronic kidney disease. As the first biomedical imaging technique that truly depends on nanoscale materials properties, MPI requires highly optimized magnetic nanoparticle tracers to generate quality images. Until now, researchers have relied on tracers optimized for MRI T2*-weighted imaging that are sub-optimal for MPI. Here, we describe new tracers tailored to MPIs unique physics, synthesized using an organic-phase process and functionalized to ensure biocompatibility and adequate in vivo circulation time. Tailored tracers showed up to 3 × greater signal-to-noise ratio and better spatial resolution than existing commercial tracers in MPI images of phantoms.


The Astrophysical Journal | 2012

DISENTANGLING BARYONS AND DARK MATTER IN THE SPIRAL GRAVITATIONAL LENS B1933+503

Sherry H. Suyu; S. W. Hensel; John McKean; C. D. Fassnacht; Tommaso Treu; Aleksi Halkola; M. Norbury; N. Jackson; P. Schneider; D. Thompson; Matthew W. Auger; Luitje Koopmans; K. Matthews

Measuring the relative mass contributions of luminous and dark matter in spiral galaxies is important for understanding their formation and evolution. The combination of a galaxy rotation curve and strong lensing is a powerful way to break the disk-halo degeneracy that is inherent in each of the methods individually. We present an analysis of the 10 image radio spiral lens B1933+503 at zl = 0.755, incorporating (1) new global very long baseline interferometry observations, (2) new adaptive-optics-assisted K-band imaging, and (3) new spectroscopic observations for the lens galaxy rotation curve and the source redshift. We construct a three-dimensionally axisymmetric mass distribution with three components: an exponential profile for the disk, a point mass for the bulge, and a Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile for the halo. The mass model is simultaneously fitted to the kinematics and the lensing data. The NFW halo needs to be oblate with a flattening of a/c = 0.33^(+0.07)_(–0.05) to be consistent with the radio data. This suggests that baryons are effective at making the halos oblate near the center. The lensing and kinematics analysis probe the inner ~10 kpc of the galaxy, and we obtain a lower limit on the halo scale radius of 16 kpc (95% credible intervals). The dark matter mass fraction inside a sphere with a radius of 2.2 disk scale lengths is f_(DM, 2.2) = 0.43+0.10 –0.09. The contribution of the disk to the total circular velocity at 2.2 disk scale lengths is 0.76^(+0.05)_(–0.06), suggesting that the disk is marginally submaximal. The stellar mass of the disk from our modeling is log10(M_*/M_☉) = 11.06^(+0.09)_(–0.11) assuming that the cold gas contributes ~20% to the total disk mass. In comparison to the stellar masses estimated from stellar population synthesis models, the stellar initial mass function of Chabrier is preferred to that of Salpeter by a probability factor of 7.2.


Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | 2017

H0LiCOW – IV. Lens mass model of HE 0435−1223 and blind measurement of its time-delay distance for cosmology

Kenneth C. Wong; Sherry H. Suyu; Matthew W. Auger; V. Bonvin; F. Courbin; C. D. Fassnacht; Aleksi Halkola; Cristian Rusu; Dominique Sluse; Alessandro Sonnenfeld; Tommaso Treu; Thomas E. Collett; Stefan Hilbert; Léon V. E. Koopmans; Philip J. Marshall; Nicholas Rumbaugh

Strong gravitational lenses with measured time delays between the multiple images allow a direct measurement of the time-delay distance to the lens, and thus a measure of cosmological parameters, particularly the Hubble constant, H-0. We present a blind lens model analysis of the quadruply imaged quasar lens HE 0435-1223 using deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging, updated time-delay measurements from the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses (COSMOGRAIL), a measurement of the velocity dispersion of the lens galaxy based on Keck data, and a characterization of the mass distribution along the line of sight. HE 0435-1223 is the third lens analysed as a part of the H-0 Lenses in COSMOGRAILs Wellspring (HOLiCOW) project. We account for various sources of systematic uncertainty, including the detailed treatment of nearby perturbers, the parametrization of the galaxy light and mass profile, and the regions used for lens modelling. We constrain the effective time delay distance to be D-Delta t = 2612(191)(+208) Mpc, a precision of 7.6 per cent. From HE 0435-1223 alone, we infer a Hubble constant of H-0 = 73.1(6.0)(+5.7) km s(-1) Mpc(-1) assuming a flat ACDM cosmology. The cosmographic inference based on the three lenses analysed by HOLiCOW to date is presented in a companion paper (HOLiCOW Paper V).


Zeitschrift Fur Medizinische Physik | 2012

Magnetic particle imaging: Introduction to imaging and hardware realization

Thorsten M. Buzug; Gael Bringout; Marlitt Erbe; Ksenija Gräfe; Matthias Graeser; Mandy Grüttner; Aleksi Halkola; Timo F. Sattel; Wiebke Tenner; Hanne Wojtczyk; Julian Haegele; Florian M. Vogt; Jörg Barkhausen; Kerstin Lüdtke-Buzug

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a recently invented tomographic imaging method that quantitatively measures the spatial distribution of a tracer based on magnetic nanoparticles. The new modality promises a high sensitivity and high spatial as well as temporal resolution. There is a high potential of MPI to improve interventional and image-guided surgical procedures because, today, established medical imaging modalities typically excel in only one or two of these important imaging properties. MPI makes use of the non-linear magnetization characteristics of the magnetic nanoparticles. For this purpose, two magnetic fields are created and superimposed, a static selection field and an oscillatory drive field. If superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs) are subjected to the oscillatory magnetic field, the particles will react with a non-linear magnetization response, which can be measured with an appropriate pick-up coil arrangement. Due to the non-linearity of the particle magnetization, the received signal consists of the fundamental excitation frequency as well as of harmonics. After separation of the fundamental signal, the nanoparticle concentration can be reconstructed quantitatively based on the harmonics. The spatial coding is realized with the static selection field that produces a field-free point, which is moved through the field of view by the drive fields. This article focuses on the frequency-based image reconstruction approach and the corresponding imaging devices while alternative concepts like x-space MPI and field-free line imaging are described as well. The status quo in hardware realization is summarized in an overview of MPI scanners.


Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | 2014

CLASH: z ∼ 6 young galaxy candidate quintuply lensed by the frontier field cluster RXC J2248.7−4431

A. Monna; S. Seitz; N. Greisel; T. Eichner; Niv Drory; Marc Postman; Adi Zitrin; D. Coe; Aleksi Halkola; Sherry H. Suyu; C. Grillo; P. Rosati; Doron Lemze; I. Balestra; Jan Snigula; L. Bradley; Keiichi Umetsu; Anton M. Koekemoer; U. Kuchner; Leonidas A. Moustakas; Matthias Bartelmann; N. Benítez; R. J. Bouwens; Tom Broadhurst; Megan Donahue; Holland C. Ford; Ole Host; L. Infante; Y. Jimenez-Teja; S. Jouvel

We present a quintuply lensed z ∼ 6 candidate discovered in the field of the galaxy cluster RXC J2248.7−4431 (z ∼ 0.348) targeted within the Cluster Lensing and Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) and selected in the deep Hubble Space Telescope (HST) frontier fields survey. Thanks to the CLASH 16-band HST imaging, we identify the quintuply lensed z ∼ 6 candidate as an optical dropout in the inner region of the cluster, the brightest image having mag_(AB) = 24.8 ± 0.1 in the f105w filter. We perform a detailed photometric analysis to verify its high-z and lensed nature. We get as photometric redshift z_(ph) ∼ 5.9, and given the extended nature and NIR colours of the lensed images, we rule out low-z early-type and galactic star contaminants. We perform a strong lensing analysis of the cluster, using 13 families of multiple lensed images identified in the HST images. Our final best model predicts the high-z quintuply lensed system with a position accuracy of 0.8 arcsec. The magnifications of the five images are between 2.2 and 8.3, which leads to a delensed UV luminosity of L_(1600)∼0.5L^∗_(1600) at z = 6. We also estimate the UV slope from the observed NIR colours, finding a steep β = −2.89 ± 0.38. We use singular and composite stellar population SEDs to fit the photometry of the high-z candidate, and we conclude that it is a young (age <300 Myr) galaxy with mass of M ∼ 10^8 M_⊙, subsolar metallicity (Z < 0.2 Z_⊙) and low dust content (A_V ∼ 0.2–0.4).


The Astrophysical Journal | 2007

The Sizes of Galaxy Halos in Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689

Aleksi Halkola; S. Seitz; M. Pannella

The multiple images observed in the galaxy cluster Abell 1689 provide strong constraints not only on the mass distribution of the cluster, but also on the ensemble properties of the cluster galaxies. Using parametric strong-lensing models for the cluster, and by assuming well-motivated scaling laws between the truncation radius s and the velocity dispersion σ of a cluster galaxy, we are able to derive the sizes of the dark matter halos of cluster galaxies. For the scaling law expected for galaxies in the cluster environment (s ∝ σ), we obtain s = 64(σ/220 km s-1) kpc. For the scaling law used for galaxies in the field with s ∝ σ2, we find s = 66(σ/220 km s-1)2 kpc. Compared to halos of field galaxies, the cluster galaxy halos in Abell 1689 are strongly truncated.


Biomedizinische Technik | 2013

On the formulation of the image reconstruction problem in magnetic particle imaging.

Mandy Grüttner; Tobias Knopp; Jochen Franke; Michael Heidenreich; Jürgen Rahmer; Aleksi Halkola; Christian Kaethner; Jörn Borgert; Thorsten M. Buzug

Abstract In magnetic particle imaging (MPI), the spatial distribution of magnetic nanoparticles is determined by applying various static and dynamic magnetic fields. Due to the complex physical behavior of the nanoparticles, it is challenging to determine the MPI system matrix in practice. Since the first publication on MPI in 2005, different methods that rely on measurements or simulations for the determination of the MPI system matrix have been proposed. Some methods restrict the simulation to an idealized model to speed up data reconstruction by exploiting the structure of an idealized MPI system matrix. Recently, a method that processes the measurement data in x-space rather than frequency space has been proposed. In this work, we compare the different approaches for image reconstruction in MPI and show that the x-space and the frequency space reconstruction techniques are equivalent.

Collaboration


Dive into the Aleksi Halkola's collaboration.

Top Co-Authors

Avatar
Top Co-Authors

Avatar
Top Co-Authors

Avatar

C. Grillo

University of Copenhagen

View shared research outputs
Top Co-Authors

Avatar
Top Co-Authors

Avatar

P. Rosati

University of Ferrara

View shared research outputs
Researchain Logo
Decentralizing Knowledge