Therese M. Jones

A Bare Molecular Cloud at z ~ 0.45

Several neutral species (Mg i, Si i, Ca i, Fe i) have been detected in a weak Mg ii absorption line system (Wr (2796) ∼ 0.15 A) at z ∼ 0.45 along the sightline toward HE0001-2340. These observations require extreme physical conditions, as noted in D’Odorico. We place further constraints on the properties of this system by running a wide grid of photoionization models, determining that the absorbing cloud that produces the neutral absorption is extremely dense (∼100–1000 cm−3), cold (<100 K), and has significant molecular content (∼72%–94%). Structures of this size and temperature have been detected in Milky Way CO surveys and have been predicted in hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent gas. In order to explain the observed line profiles in all neutral and singly ionized chemical transitions, the lines must suffer from unresolved saturation and/or the absorber must partially cover the broad emission line region of the background quasar. In addition to this highly unusual cloud, three other ordinary weak Mg ii clouds (within densities of ∼0.005 cm−3 and temperatures of ∼10,000 K) lie within 500 km s−1 along the same sightline. We suggest that the “bare molecular cloud,” which appears to reside outside of a galaxy disk, may have had in situ star formation and may evolve into an ordinary weak Mg ii absorbing cloud.

X-Ray Properties of K-selected Galaxies at 0.5 < z < 2.0: Investigating Trends with Stellar Mass, Redshift and Spectral Type

We examine how the total X-ray luminosity correlates with stellar mass, stellar population, and redshift for a K-band limited sample of ~3500 galaxies at 0.5 < z < 2.0 from the NEWFIRM Medium Band Survey in the COSMOS field. The galaxy sample is divided into 32 different galaxy types, based on similarities between the spectral energy distributions. For each galaxy type, we further divide the sample into bins of redshift and stellar mass, and perform an X-ray stacking analysis using the Chandra COSMOS data. We find that full band X-ray luminosity is primarily increasing with stellar mass, and at similar mass and spectral type is higher at larger redshifts. When comparing at the same stellar mass, we find that the X-ray luminosity is slightly higher for younger galaxies (i.e., weaker 4000 ? breaks), but the scatter in this relation is large. We compare the observed X-ray luminosities to those expected from low- and high-mass X-ray binaries (XRBs). For blue galaxies, XRBs can almost fully account for the observed emission, while for older galaxies with larger 4000 ? breaks, active galactic nuclei (AGN) or hot gas dominate the measured X-ray flux. After correcting for XRBs, the X-ray luminosity is still slightly higher in younger galaxies, although this correlation is not significant. AGN appear to be a larger component of galaxy X-ray luminosity at earlier times, as the hardness ratio increases with redshift. Together with the slight increase in X-ray luminosity this may indicate more obscured AGNs or higher accretion rates at earlier times.

A BARE MOLECULAR CLOUD AT z similar to 0.45

Several neutral species (Mg i, Si i, Ca i, Fe i) have been detected in a weak Mg ii absorption line system (Wr (2796) ∼ 0.15 A) at z ∼ 0.45 along the sightline toward HE0001-2340. These observations require extreme physical conditions, as noted in D’Odorico. We place further constraints on the properties of this system by running a wide grid of photoionization models, determining that the absorbing cloud that produces the neutral absorption is extremely dense (∼100–1000 cm−3), cold (<100 K), and has significant molecular content (∼72%–94%). Structures of this size and temperature have been detected in Milky Way CO surveys and have been predicted in hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent gas. In order to explain the observed line profiles in all neutral and singly ionized chemical transitions, the lines must suffer from unresolved saturation and/or the absorber must partially cover the broad emission line region of the background quasar. In addition to this highly unusual cloud, three other ordinary weak Mg ii clouds (within densities of ∼0.005 cm−3 and temperatures of ∼10,000 K) lie within 500 km s−1 along the same sightline. We suggest that the “bare molecular cloud,” which appears to reside outside of a galaxy disk, may have had in situ star formation and may evolve into an ordinary weak Mg ii absorbing cloud.

A Bare Molecular Cloud at z

Several neutral species (Mg i, Si i, Ca i, Fe i) have been detected in a weak Mg ii absorption line system (Wr (2796) ∼ 0.15 A) at z ∼ 0.45 along the sightline toward HE0001-2340. These observations require extreme physical conditions, as noted in D’Odorico. We place further constraints on the properties of this system by running a wide grid of photoionization models, determining that the absorbing cloud that produces the neutral absorption is extremely dense (∼100–1000 cm−3), cold (<100 K), and has significant molecular content (∼72%–94%). Structures of this size and temperature have been detected in Milky Way CO surveys and have been predicted in hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent gas. In order to explain the observed line profiles in all neutral and singly ionized chemical transitions, the lines must suffer from unresolved saturation and/or the absorber must partially cover the broad emission line region of the background quasar. In addition to this highly unusual cloud, three other ordinary weak Mg ii clouds (within densities of ∼0.005 cm−3 and temperatures of ∼10,000 K) lie within 500 km s−1 along the same sightline. We suggest that the “bare molecular cloud,” which appears to reside outside of a galaxy disk, may have had in situ star formation and may evolve into an ordinary weak Mg ii absorbing cloud.

A BARE MOLECULAR CLOUD AT z {approx} 0.45

Several neutral species (Mg i, Si i, Ca i, Fe i) have been detected in a weak Mg ii absorption line system (Wr (2796) ∼ 0.15 A) at z ∼ 0.45 along the sightline toward HE0001-2340. These observations require extreme physical conditions, as noted in D’Odorico. We place further constraints on the properties of this system by running a wide grid of photoionization models, determining that the absorbing cloud that produces the neutral absorption is extremely dense (∼100–1000 cm−3), cold (<100 K), and has significant molecular content (∼72%–94%). Structures of this size and temperature have been detected in Milky Way CO surveys and have been predicted in hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent gas. In order to explain the observed line profiles in all neutral and singly ionized chemical transitions, the lines must suffer from unresolved saturation and/or the absorber must partially cover the broad emission line region of the background quasar. In addition to this highly unusual cloud, three other ordinary weak Mg ii clouds (within densities of ∼0.005 cm−3 and temperatures of ∼10,000 K) lie within 500 km s−1 along the same sightline. We suggest that the “bare molecular cloud,” which appears to reside outside of a galaxy disk, may have had in situ star formation and may evolve into an ordinary weak Mg ii absorbing cloud.