G. Meylan

Discovery of Extended Blue Horizontal Branches in Two Metal-rich Globular Clusters*

We have used WFPC2 to construct B, V color-magnitude diagrams of four metal-rich globular clusters, NGC 104 (47 Tuc), NGC 5927, NGC 6388, and NGC 6441. All four clusters have well populated red horizontal branches (RHB), as expected for their metallicity. However, NGC 6388 and 6441 also exhibit a prominent blue horizontal-branch (BHB) extension, including stars reaching as faint in V as the turnoff luminosity. This discovery demonstrates directly for the first time that a major population of hot horizontal-branch (HB) stars can exist in old, metal-rich systems. This may have important implications for the interpretation of the integrated spectra of elliptical galaxies. The cause of the phenomenon remains uncertain. We examine the possibility that NGC 6388 and 6441 are older than the other clusters, but a simple difference in age may not be sufficient to produce the observed distributions along the HB. The high central densities in NGC 6388 and 6441 suggest that the existence of the BHB tails might be caused by stellar interactions in the dense cores of these clusters, which we calculate to have two of the highest collision rates among globular clusters in the Galaxy. Tidal collisions might act in various ways to enhance loss of envelope mass and therefore populate the blue side of the HB. However, the relative frequency of tidal collisions does not seem large enough (compared to that of the clusters with pure RHBs) to account for such a drastic difference in HB morphology. While a combination of an age difference and dynamical interactions may help, prima facie the lack of a radial gradient in the BHB/RHB star ratio seems to argue against dynamical effects playing a role.

H0LiCOW - V. New COSMOGRAIL time delays of HE 0435-1223: H0 to 3.8 per cent precision from strong lensing in a flat ΛCDM model

We present a new measurement of the Hubble Constant H-0 and other cosmological parameters based on the joint analysis of three multiply imaged quasar systems with measured gravitational time delays. First, we measure the time delay of HE 0435-1223 from 13-yr light curves obtained as part of the COSMOGRAIL project. Companion papers detail the modelling of the main deflectors and line-of-sight effects, and how these data are combined to determine the time-delay distance of HE 0435-1223. Crucially, the measurements are carried out blindly with respect to cosmological parameters in order to avoid confirmation bias. We then combine the time-delay distance of HE 0435-1223 with previous measurements from systems B1608+656 and RXJ1131-1231 to create a Time Delay Strong Lensing probe (IDSL). In flat A cold dark matter (ACDM) with free matter and energy density, we find H-0 = 71.9(-3.0)(+2.4) km s(-1) Mpc(-1) and Omega(Lambda) = 0.62(-0.35)(+0.24) This measurement is completely independent of, and in agreement with, the local distance ladder measurements of H-0. We explore more general cosmological models combining TDSL with other probes, illustrating its power to break degeneracies inherent to other methods. The joint constraints from IDSL and Planck are H-0 = 69.2(-2.2)(+1.4) km s(-1) Mpc(-1), Omega(Lambda) = 0.70(-0.01)(+0.01) and Omega(k) = 0.003(-0.006)(+0.004) in open ACDM and H-0 = 79.0(-4.2)(+4.4) km s(-1) Mpc(-1), Omega(de) = 0.77(-0.03)(+0.02) and w = -1.38(-0.16)(+0.14) in flat wCDM. In combination with Planck and baryon acoustic oscillation data, when relaxing the constraints on the numbers of relativistic species we find N-eff = 3.34(-0.21)(+0.21) in N-eff Lambda CDM and when relaxing the total mass of neutrinos we find Sigma rn(nu) <= 0.182 eV in m(nu) Lambda CDM. Finally, in an open wCDM in combination with Planck and cosmic microwave background lensing, we find H-0 = 77.9(-4.2)(+5.0) km s(-1) Mpc(-1), Omega(de) = 0.77(-0.03)(+0.03), Omega(k) = -0.003(-0.004)(+0.004) and w = -1.37(-0.23)(+0.18).

VLT/UVES spectroscopy of individual stars in three globular clusters in the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy

We present a high resolution ( R similar to 43 000) abundance analysis of a total of nine stars in three of the five globular clusters associated with the nearby Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy. These three clusters ( 1, 2 and 3) trace the oldest, most metal-poor stellar populations in Fornax. We determine abundances of O, Mg, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Y, Ba, Nd and Eu in most of these stars, and for some stars also Mn and La. We demonstrate that classical indirect methods ( isochrone fitting and integrated spectra rone spectra) of metallicity determination termination lead to values of [Fe/H] which are 0.3 to 0.5 dex too high, and that this is primarily due to the underlying reference calibration typically used by these studies. We show that Cluster 1, with [Fe/H] = -2.5, now holds the record for the lowest metallicity globular cluster. We also measure an over-abundance of Eu in Cluster 3 stars that has only been previously detected in a subgroup of stars in M 15. We find that the Fornax globular cluster properties are a global match to what is found in their Galactic counterparts; including deep mixing abundance patterns in two stars. We conclude that at the epoch of formation of globular clusters both the Milky Way and the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy shared the same initial conditions, presumably pre-enriched by the same processes, with identical nucleosynthesis patterns.

The stellar dynamics of ω[omega] Centauri

The stellar dynamics of Omega Centauri are inferred from the radial velocities of 469 stars measured with CORAVEL (Mayor et al. 1997). Rather than fit the data to a family of models, we generate estimates of all dynamical functions nonparametrically, by direct operation on the data. The cluster is assumed to be oblate and edge-on but mass is not assumed to follow light. The mean motions are consistent with axisymmetry but the rotation is not cylindrical. The peak rotational velocity is 7.9 km/s at 11 pc from the center. The apparent rotation of Omega Centauri is attributable in part to its proper motion. We reconstruct the stellar velocity ellipsoid as a function of position, assuming isotropy in the meridional plane. We find no significant evidence for a difference between the velocity dispersions parallel and perpendicular to the meridional plane. The mass distribution inferred from the kinematics is slightly more extended than, though not strongly inconsistent with, the luminosity distribution. We also derive the two-integral distribution function f(E,Lz) implied by the velocity data.

COSMOGRAIL: the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses - XIII. Time delays and 9-yr optical monitoring of the lensed quasar RX J1131−1231

We present the results from nine years of optically monitoring the gravitationally lensed z(QSO) = 0.658 quasar RX J1131-1231. The R-band light curves of the four individual images of the quasar were obtained using deconvolution photometry for a total of 707 epochs. Several sharp quasar variability features strongly constrain the time delays between the quasar images. Using three different numerical techniques, we measured these delays for all possible pairs of quasar images while always processing the four light curves simultaneously. For all three methods, the delays between the three close images A, B, and C are compatible with being 0, while we measured the delay of image D to be 91 days, with a fractional uncertainty of 1.5% (1 sigma), including systematic errors. Our analysis of random and systematic errors accounts in a realistic way for the observed quasar variability, fluctuating microlensing magnification over a broad range of temporal scales, noise properties, and seasonal gaps. Finally, we find that our time-delay measurement methods yield compatible results when applied to subsets of the data.

COSMOGRAIL: the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses - IX. Time delays, lens dynamics and baryonic fraction in HE 0435-1223

We present accurate time delays for the quadruply imaged quasar HE 0435-1223. The delays were measured from 575 independent photometric points obtained in the R-band between January 2004 and March 2010. With seven years of data, we clearly show that quasar image A is affected by strong microlensing variations and that the time delays are best expressed relative to quasar image B. We measured ΔtBC = 7.8 ± 0.8 days, ΔtBD = -6.5 ± 0.7 days and ΔtCD = -14.3 ± 0.8 days. We spacially deconvolved HST NICMOS2 F160W images to derive accurate astrometry of the quasar images and to infer the light profile of the lensing galaxy. We combined these images with a stellar population fitting of a deep VLT spectrum of the lensing galaxy to estimate the baryonic fraction, fb, in the Einstein radius. We measured fb = 0.65-0.10+0.13 if the lensing galaxy has a Salpeter IMF and fb = 0.45-0.07+0.04 if it has a Kroupa IMF. The spectrum also allowed us to estimate the velocity dispersion of the lensing galaxy, σap = 222 ± 34 km s-1. We used fb and σap to constrain an analytical model of the lensing galaxy composed of an Hernquist plus generalized NFW profile. We solved the Jeans equations numerically for the model and explored the parameter space under the additional requirement that the model must predict the correct astrometry for the quasar images. Given the current error bars on fb and σap, we did not constrain H0 yet with high accuracy, i.e., we found a broad range of models with χ2 < 1. However, narrowing this range is possible, provided a better velocity dispersion measurement becomes available. In addition, increasing the depth of the current HST imaging data of HE 0435-1223 will allow us to combine ourconstraints with lens reconstruction techniques that make use of the full Einstein ring that is visible in this object. Based on observations made with the 1.2 m Euler Swiss Telescope, the 1.5 m telescope of Maidanak Observatory in Uzbekistan, and with the 1.2 m Mercator Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma by the Flemish Community, at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope data was obtained from the data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS-5-26555.Light curves are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/536/A53

Microlensing variability in the gravitationally lensed quasar QSO 2237+0305 = the Einstein Cross. II. Energy profile of the accretion disk

We present the continuation of our long-term spectroscopic monitoring of the gravitationally lensed quasar QSO 2237 + 0305. We investigate the chromatic variations observed in the UV/optical continuum of both quasar images A and B, and compare them with numerical simulations to infer the energy profile of the quasar accretion disk. Our procedure combines the microlensing ray-shooting technique with Bayesian analysis, and derives probability distributions for the source sizes as a function of wavelength. We find that the effective caustic crossing timescale is 4.0 +/- 1.0 months. Using a robust prior on the effective transverse velocity, we find that the source responsible for the UV/optical continuum has an energy profile well reproduced by a power-law R proportional to lambda(zeta) with zeta = 1.2 +/- 0.3, where R is the source size responsible for the emission at wavelength.. This is the first accurate, model-independent determination of the energy profile of a quasar accretion disk on such small scales.

COSMOLOGY FROM GRAVITATIONAL LENS TIME DELAYS AND PLANCK DATA

Under the assumption of a flat Lambda CDM cosmology, recent data from the Planck satellite point toward a Hubble constant that is in tension with that measured by gravitational lens time delays and by the local distance ladder. Prosaically, this difference could arise from unknown systematic uncertainties in some of the measurements. More interestingly-if systematics were ruled out-resolving the tension would require a departure from the flat Lambda CDM cosmology, introducing, for example, a modest amount of spatial curvature, or a non-trivial dark energy equation of state. To begin to address these issues, we present an analysis of the gravitational lens RXJ1131-1231 that is improved in one particular regard: we examine the issue of systematic error introduced by an assumed lens model density profile. We use more flexible gravitational lens models with baryonic and dark matter components, and find that the exquisite Hubble Space Telescope image with thousands of intensity pixels in the Einstein ring and the stellar velocity dispersion of the lens contain sufficient information to constrain these more flexible models. The total uncertainty on the time-delay distance is 6.6% for a single system. We proceed to combine our improved time-delay distance measurement with the WMAP9 and Planck posteriors. In an open Lambda CDM model, the data for RXJ1131-1231 in combination with Planck favor a flat universe with Omega(k) = 0.00(-0.02)(+0.01) (68% credible interval (CI)). In a flat wCDM model, the combination of RXJ1131-1231 and Planck yields w = -1.52 (+0.19)(-0.20) (68% CI).

Further Evidence That Quasar X-Ray Emitting Regions Are Compact: X-Ray And Optical Microlensing In The Lensed Quasar Q J0158-4325

We present four new seasons of optical monitoring data and six epochs of X-ray photometry for the doubly imaged lensed quasar Q J0158-4325. The high-amplitude, short-period microlensing variability for which this system is known has historically precluded a time delay measurement by conventional methods. We attempt to circumvent this limitation by the application of a Monte Carlo microlensing analysis technique, but we are only able to prove that the delay must have the expected sign (image A leads image B). Despite our failure to robustly measure the time delay, we successfully model the microlensing at optical and X-ray wavelengths to find a half-light radius for soft X-ray emission log(r(1/2), (X), (soft)/cm) = 14.3(-0.5)(+0.4), an upper limit on the half-light radius for hard X-ray emission log(r(1/2), (X), (hard)/cm) <= 14.6, and a refined estimate of the inclination-corrected scale radius of the optical R-band (rest frame 3100 angstrom) continuum emission region of log(r(s)/cm) = 15.6 +/- 0.3.

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE Observations of Galactic Globular Cluster Cores. II. NGC 6273 and the Problem of Horizontal-Branch Gaps*

We present observations of the center of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6273, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 as part of the snapshot program GO-7470. A BV color-magnitude diagram (CMD) for ~28,000 stars is presented and discussed. The most prominent feature of the CMD, identified for the first time in this paper, is the extended horizontal-branch blue tail (EBT) with a clear double-peaked distribution and a significant gap. The EBT of NGC 6273 is compared with the EBTs of seven other globular clusters for which we have a CMD in the same photometric system. From this comparison, we conclude that all the globular clusters in our sample with an EBT show at least one gap along the horizontal branch, which could have similar origins. A comparison with theoretical models suggests that at least some of these gaps may be occurring at a particular value of the stellar mass, common to a number of different clusters. From the CMD of NGC 6273 we obtain a distance modulus (m - M)V = 16.27 ± 0.20. We also estimate an average reddening E(B-V) = 0.47 ± 0.03, though the CMD is strongly affected by differential reddening, with the relative reddening spanning a ΔE(B-V) ~ 0.2 mag in the WFPC2 field. A luminosity function for the evolved stars in NGC 6273 is also presented and compared with the most recent evolutionary models.