Galaxy Filaments Research Articles

Galactic Ambient of Host Galaxies of GRBs

AbstractWe studied a sample of 1672 galaxies in regions where a GRB event had occurred, in order to determine if the galactic environment plays a significant role on these energetic events. The Luminosity Function distribution for these galaxies shows some interesting features. For instance, there is a decline on the Luminosity Function at Mr~ −20.5; a lack of flatness at Mr~ −14 and higher-than-expected values of Φ(Mr) for Mr < −22.5. A comparison between our data and the Void, Wall and Early galaxies Luminosity Function was performed.

Recent progress in Asia-Pacific solar physics and astrophysics

More than 40 participants from the solar/astrophysical community attended the First Asia-Pacific Conference on Plasma Physics. Among them, four colleagues presented invited talks in the plenary session. In the Solar/Astron session, there were 23 invited talks and 14 contributed talks, with another two posters. These talks cover recent progress obtained in a wide spectrum of topics, including solar and galactic dynamo, solar and stellar flares, solar and galactic filaments, solar and astrophysical jets, solar and accretion disk winds, plasma waves and coronal heating, solar coronal mass ejections, magnetic reconnection in non-relativistic and relativistic regimes, star and planetary formation, shock–medium interactions, and even gravitational waves. Laboratory laser experiments and some new rocket and space missions were also introduced.

LOFAR discoveryof radio emission in MACS J0717.5+3745

We present results from LOFAR and GMRT observations of the galaxy cluster MACS$\,$J0717.5$+$3745. The cluster is undergoing a violent merger involving at least four sub-clusters, and it is known to host a radio halo. LOFAR observations reveal new sources of radio emission in the Intra-Cluster Medium: (i) a radio bridge that connects the cluster to a head-tail radio galaxy located along a filament of galaxies falling into the main cluster, (ii) a 1.9 Mpc radio arc, that is located North West of the main mass component, (iii) radio emission along the X-ray bar, that traces the gas in the X-rays South West of the cluster centre. We use deep GMRT observations at 608 MHz to constrain the spectral indices of these new radio sources, and of the emission that was already studied in the literature at higher frequency. We find that the spectrum of the radio halo and of the relic at LOFAR frequency follows the same power law as observed at higher frequencies. The radio bridge, the radio arc, and the radio bar all have steep spectra, which can be used to constrain the particle acceleration mechanisms. We argue that the radio bridge could be caused by the re-acceleration of electrons by shock waves that are injected along the filament during the cluster mass assembly. Despite the sensitivity reached by our observations, the emission from the radio halo does not trace the emission of the gas revealed by X-ray observations. We argue that this could be due to the difference in the ratio of kinetic over thermal energy of the intra-cluster gas, suggested by X-ray observations.

Gas and galaxies in filaments between clusters of galaxies

We have performed a multi-wavelength analysis of two galaxy cluster systems selected with the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (tSZ) effect and composed of cluster pairs and an inter-cluster filament. We have focused on one pair of particular interest: A399-A401 at redshiftz~ 0.073 seperated by 3 Mpc. We have also performed the first analysis of one lower-significance newly associated pair: A21-PSZ2 G114.09-34.34 atz~ 0.094, separated by 4.2 Mpc. We have characterised the intra-cluster gas using the tSZ signal fromPlanckand, when possible, the galaxy optical and infrared (IR) properties based on two photometric redshift catalogues: 2MPZ and WISExSCOS. From the tSZ data, we measured the gas pressure in the clusters and in the inter-cluster filaments. In the case of A399-A401, the results are in perfect agreement with previous studies and, using the temperature measured from the X-rays, we further estimate the gas density in the filament and findn0= (4.3 ± 0.7) × 10-4cm-3. The optical and IR colour–colour and colour–magnitude analyses of the galaxies selected in the cluster system, together with their star formation rate, show no segregation between galaxy populations, both in the clusters and in the filament of A399-A401. Galaxies are all passive, early type, and red and dead. The gas and galaxy properties of this system suggest that the whole system formed at the same time and corresponds to a pre-merger, with a cosmic filament gas heated by the collapse. For the other cluster system, the tSZ analysis was performed and the pressure in the clusters and in the inter-cluster filament was constrained. However, the limited or nonexistent optical and IR data prevent us from concluding on the presence of an actual cosmic filament or from proposing a scenario.

Dynamical origin of non-thermal states in galactic filaments

Observations strongly suggest that filaments in galactic molecular clouds are in a non-thermal state. As a simple model of a filament we study a two-dimensional system of self-gravitating point particles by means of numerical simulations of the dynamics, with various methods: direct $N$-body integration of the equations of motion, particle-in-cell simulations and a recently developed numerical scheme that includes multiparticle collisions in a particle-in-cell approach. Studying the collapse of Gaussian overdensities we find that after the damping of virial oscillations the system settles in a non-thermal steady state whose radial density profile is similar to the observed ones, thus suggesting a dynamical origin of the non-thermal states observed in real filaments. Moreover, for sufficiently cold collapses the density profiles are anticorrelated with the kinetic temperature, i.e., exhibit temperature inversion, again a feature that has been found in some observations of filaments. The same happens in the state reached after a strong perturbation of an initially isothermal cylinder. Finally, we discuss our results in the light of recent findings in other contexts (including non-astrophysical ones) and argue that the same kind of non-thermal states may be observed in any physical system with long-range interactions.

Confirmation of Intervening Filaments of Galaxies at the Redshifts of Chandra WHIM Absorption Features

We report the $a~posteriori$ confirmation of two large-scale filaments along the sight-line of the blazar 1ES~1553+113, which correspond to Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) absorption features in the X-ray and far ultraviolet. We use the WISE-SuperCOSMOS photometric catalog to map the cosmic-web in the direction of the blazar, and find significant filaments at redshifts of $z=0.23\pm0.02$ and $z=0.31\pm0.02$, which roughly align with the absorption redshifts. A third X-ray absorption feature at $z_X=0.133$ did not have any corresponding structures in the photometric catalog.

Saraswati: An Extremely Massive ∼200 Megaparsec Scale Supercluster

Abstract Here we report the discovery of an extremely massive and large supercluster (called Saraswati5) found in the Stripe 82 region of SDSS. This supercluster is a major concentration of galaxies and galaxy clusters, forming a wall-like structure spanning at least 200 Mpc across at redshift . This enormous structure is surrounded by a network of galaxy filaments, clusters, and large, ∼40–170 Mpc diameter, voids. The mean density contrast δ (relative to the background matter density of the universe) of Saraswati is ≳1.62 and the main body of the supercluster comprises at least 43 massive galaxy clusters (mean z = 0.28) with a total mass of . The spherical collapse model suggests that the central region of radius ∼20 Mpc and mass at least may be collapsing. This places it among the few largest and most massive superclusters known, comparable to the most massive “Shapley Concentration” ( ) in the nearby universe. The Saraswati supercluster and its environs reveal that some extreme large-scale, prominent matter density enhancements formed ∼4 Gyr in the past when dark energy had just started to dominate structure formation. This galactic concentration sheds light on the role of dark energy and cosmological initial conditions in supercluster formation, and tests the competing cosmological models.

BOSS Great Wall: morphology, luminosity, and mass

We study the morphology, luminosity and mass of the superclusters from the BOSS Great Wall (BGW), a recently discovered very rich supercluster complex at the redshift $z = 0.47$. We have employed the Minkowski functionals to quantify supercluster morphology. We calculate supercluster luminosities and masses using two methods. Firstly, we used data about the luminosities and stellar masses of high stellar mass galaxies with $\log(M_*/h^{-1}M_\odot) \geq 11.3$. Secondly, we applied a scaling relation that combines morphological and physical parameters of superclusters to obtain supercluster luminosities, and obtained supercluster masses using the mass-to-light ratios found for local rich superclusters. We find that the BGW superclusters are very elongated systems, with shape parameter values of less than $0.2$. This value is lower than that found for the most elongated local superclusters. The values of the fourth Minkowski functional $V_3$ for the richer BGW superclusters ($V_3 = 7$ and $10$) show that they have a complicated and rich inner structure. We identify two Planck SZ clusters in the BGW superclusters, one in the richest BGW supercluster, and another in one of the poor BGW superclusters. The luminosities of the BGW superclusters are in the range of $1 - 8\times~10^{13}h^{-2}L_\odot$, and masses in the range of $0.4 - 2.1\times~10^{16}h^{-1}M_\odot$. Supercluster luminosities and masses obtained with two methods agree well. We conclude that the BGW is a complex of massive, luminous and large superclusters with very elongated shape. The search and detailed study, including the morphology analysis of the richest superclusters and their complexes from observations and simulations can help us to understand formation and evolution of the cosmic web.

Independent Measurements of the Dynamical Masses of Six Galaxy Clusters in the Local Universe

Abstract We present independent measurements of the masses of galaxy clusters in the local universe by employing the Dynamical Mass Estimator (DME) originally developed by Falco et al. In the catalog of the galaxy groups/clusters constructed by Tempel et al. from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10, we search for galaxy clusters as the targets around which neighbor galaxies constitute thin straight filamentary structures in the configuration space spanned by the redshifts and the projected distances. Out of the 29 Sloan clusters that have 100 or more member galaxies, a total of six targets are found to have filamentary structures in their bound zones. For each of the six targets, we construct the profile of the recession velocities of the filament galaxies, which depend on the cluster mass and the angle of the filament relative to the line-of-sight direction. Fitting the constructed profile to the universal formula with constant amplitude and slope, we statistically determine the dynamical mass of each cluster and compare it with previous estimates made using the conventional method. The weak and strong points of the DME, as well as its prospects for measuring the dynamical masses of high-z clusters, are discussed.

From voids to filaments: environmental transformations of galaxies in the SDSS

We investigate the impact of filament and void environments on galaxies, looking for residual effects beyond the known relations with environment density. We quantified the host environment of galaxies as the distance to the spine of the nearest filament, and compared various galaxy properties within 12 bins of this distance. We considered galaxies up to 10 $h^{-1}$Mpc from filaments, i.e. deep inside voids. The filaments were defined by a point process (the Bisous model) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 10. In order to remove the dependence of galaxy properties on the environment density and redshift, we applied weighting to normalise the corresponding distributions of galaxy populations in each bin. After the normalisation with respect to environment density and redshift, several residual dependencies of galaxy properties still remain. Most notable is the trend of morphology transformations, resulting in a higher elliptical-to-spiral ratio while moving from voids towards filament spines, bringing along a corresponding increase in the $g-i$ colour index and a decrease in star formation rate. After separating elliptical and spiral subsamples, some of the colour index and star formation rate evolution still remains. The mentioned trends are characteristic only for galaxies brighter than about $M_{r} = -20$ mag. Unlike some other recent studies, we do not witness an increase in the galaxy stellar mass while approaching filaments. The detected transformations can be explained by an increase in the galaxy-galaxy merger rate and/or the cut-off of extragalactic gas supplies (starvation) near and inside filaments. Unlike voids, large-scale galaxy filaments are not a mere density enhancement, but have their own specific impact on the constituent galaxies, reducing the star formation rate and raising the chances of elliptical morphology also at a fixed environment density level.

Chandra and JVLA Observations of HST Frontier Fields Cluster MACS J0717.5+3745

Abstract To investigate the relationship between thermal and non-thermal components in merger galaxy clusters, we present deep JVLA and Chandra observations of the HST Frontier Fields cluster MACS J0717.5+3745. The Chandra image shows a complex merger event, with at least four components belonging to different merging subclusters. Northwest of the cluster, ∼0.7 Mpc from the center, there is a ram-pressure-stripped core that appears to have traversed the densest parts of the cluster after entering the intracluster medium (ICM) from the direction of a galaxy filament to the southeast. We detect a density discontinuity north-northeast of this core, which we speculate is associated with a cold front. Our radio images reveal new details for the complex radio relic and radio halo in this cluster. In addition, we discover several new filamentary radio sources with sizes of 100–300 kpc. A few of these seem to be connected to the main radio relic, while others are either embedded within the radio halo or projected onto it. A narrow-angled-tailed (NAT) radio galaxy, a cluster member, is located at the center of the radio relic. The steep spectrum tails of this active galactic nucleus lead into the large radio relic where the radio spectrum flattens again. This morphological connection between the NAT radio galaxy and relic provides evidence for re-acceleration (revival) of fossil electrons. The presence of hot ≳20 keV ICM gas detected by Chandra near the relic location provides additional support for this re-acceleration scenario.

The effect of cosmic web filaments on the properties of groups and their central galaxies

The nature versus nurture scenario in galaxy and group evolution is a long-standing problem not yet fully understood on cosmological scales. We study the properties of groups and their central galaxies in different large-scale environments defined by the luminosity density field and the cosmic web filaments. We use the luminosity density field constructed using 8 Mpc/h smoothing to characterize the large-scale environments and the Bisous model to extract the filamentary structures in different large-scale environments. We find differences in the properties of central galaxies and their groups in and outside of filaments at fixed halo and large-scale environments. In high-density environments, the group mass function has higher number densities in filaments compared to that outside of filaments towards the massive end. The relation is opposite in low-density environments. At fixed group mass and large-scale luminosity density, groups in filaments are slightly more luminous and their central galaxies have redder colors, higher stellar masses, and lower specific star formation rates than those outside of filaments. However, the differences in central galaxy and group properties in and outside of filaments are not clear in some group mass bins. We show that the differences in central galaxy properties are due to the higher abundances of elliptical galaxies in filaments. Filamentary structures in the cosmic web are not simply visual associations of galaxies, but rather play an important role in shaping the properties of groups and their central galaxies. The differences in central galaxy and group properties in and outside of cosmic web filaments are not simple effects related to large-scale environmental density. The results point towards an efficient mechanism in cosmic web filaments which quench star formation and transform central galaxy morphology from late to early types.

Evidence for Hi replenishment in massive galaxies through gas accretion from the cosmic web

We examine the HI-to-stellar mass ratio (HI fraction) for galaxies near filament backbones within the nearby Universe ($d <$ 181 Mpc). This work uses the 6 degree Field Galaxy Survey and the Discrete Persistent Structures Extractor to define the filamentary structure of the local cosmic web. HI spectral stacking of HI Parkes all sky survey observations yields the HI fraction for filament galaxies and a field control sample. The HI fraction is measured for different stellar masses and fifth nearest neighbour projected densities ($\Sigma_{5}$) to disentangle what influences cold gas in galaxies. For galaxies with stellar masses log($M_{\star}$) $<$ 11 M$_{\odot}$ in projected densities 0 $\leq$ $\Sigma_{5}$ $<$ 3 galaxies Mpc$^{-2}$, all HI fractions of galaxies near filaments are statistically indistinguishable from the control sample. Galaxies with stellar masses log($M_{\star}$) $\geq$ 11 M$_{\odot}$ have a systematically higher HI fraction near filaments than the control sample. The greatest difference is 0.75 dex, which is 5.5$\sigma$ difference at mean projected densities of 1.45 galaxies Mpc$^{-2}$. We suggest that this is evidence for massive galaxies accreting cold gas from the intrafilament medium that can replenish some HI gas. This supports cold mode accretion where filament galaxies with a large gravitational potential can draw gas from the large-scale structure.

LARGE-SCALE FILAMENTARY STRUCTURES AROUND THE VIRGO CLUSTER REVISITED

ABSTRACT We revisit the filamentary structures of galaxies around the Virgo cluster, exploiting a larger data set, based on the HyperLeda database, than previous studies. In particular, this includes a large number of low-luminosity galaxies, resulting in better sampled individual structures. We confirm seven known structures in the distance range 4 h −1 Mpc &lt; SGY &lt; 16 h −1 Mpc, now identified as filaments, where SGY is the axis of the supergalactic coordinate system roughly along the line of sight. The Hubble diagram of the filament galaxies suggests they are infalling toward the main body of the Virgo cluster. We propose that the collinear distribution of giant elliptical galaxies along the fundamental axis of the Virgo cluster is smoothly connected to two of these filaments (Leo II A and B). Behind the Virgo cluster (16 h −1 Mpc &lt; SGY &lt; 27 h −1 Mpc), we also identify a new filament elongated toward the NGC 5353/4 group (“NGC 5353/4 filament”) and confirm a sheet that includes galaxies from the W and M clouds of the Virgo cluster (“W–M sheet”). In the Hubble diagram, the NGC 5353/4 filament galaxies show infall toward the NGC 5353/4 group, whereas the W–M sheet galaxies do not show hints of gravitational influence from the Virgo cluster. The filamentary structures identified can now be used to better understand the generic role of filaments in the build-up of galaxy clusters at z ≈ 0.

Sloan Great Wall as a complex of superclusters with collapsing cores

In the cosmic web, galaxy superclusters or their high-density cores are the largest objects that may collapse at present or during the future evolution. We study the dynamical state and possible future evolution of galaxy superclusters from the Sloan Great Wall (SGW), the richest galaxy system in the nearby Universe. We calculated supercluster masses using dynamical masses of galaxy groups and stellar masses of galaxies. We employed normal mixture modelling to study the structure of rich SGW superclusters and search for components (cores) in superclusters. We analysed the radial mass distribution in the high-density cores of superclusters centred approximately at rich clusters and used the spherical collapse model to study their dynamical state. We found that the lower limit of the total mass of the SGW is approximately $M = 2.5\times~10^{16}h^{-1}M_\odot$. Different mass estimators of superclusters agree well, the main uncertainties in masses of superclusters come from missing groups and clusters. We detected three high-density cores in the richest SGW supercluster (SCl~027) and two in the second richest supercluster (SCl~019). They have masses of $1.2 - 5.9 \times~10^{15}h^{-1}M_\odot$ and sizes of up to $\approx 60 h^{-1}$ Mpc. The high-density cores of superclusters are very elongated, flattened perpendicularly to the line of sight. The comparison of the radial mass distribution in the high-density cores with the predictions of spherical collapse model suggests that their central regions with radii smaller than $8 h^{-1}$Mpc and masses of up to $M = 2\times~10^{15}h^{-1}M_\odot$ may be collapsing. The rich SGW superclusters with their high-density cores represent dynamically evolving environments for studies of the properties of galaxies and galaxy systems.

FAST RADIO BURSTS AS PROBES OF MAGNETIC FIELDS IN THE INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM

ABSTRACT We examine the proposal that the dispersion measures (DMs) and Faraday rotation measures (RMs) of extragalactic linearly polarized fast radio bursts (FRBs) can be used to probe the intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) in filaments of galaxies. The DM through the cosmic web is dominated by contributions from the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) in filaments and from the gas in voids. On the other hand, RM is induced mostly by the hot medium in galaxy clusters, and only a fraction of it is produced in the WHIM. We show that if one excludes FRBs whose sightlines pass through galaxy clusters, the line of sight (LOS) strength of the IGMF in filaments, , is approximately , where C is a known constant. Here, the redshift of the FRB is not required to be known; f DM is the fraction of total DM due to the WHIM, while is the redshift of interevening gas weighted by the WHIM gas density, both of which can be evaluated for a given cosmology model solely from the DM of an FRB. Using data on structure formation simulations and a model IGMF, we show that closely reproduces the density-weighted LOS strength of the IGMF in filaments of the large-scale structure.

Bisous model—Detecting filamentary patterns in point processes

The cosmic web is a highly complex geometrical pattern, with galaxy clusters at the intersection of filaments and filaments at the intersection of walls. Identifying and describing the filamentary network is not a trivial task due to the overwhelming complexity of the structure, its connectivity and the intrinsic hierarchical nature. To detect and quantify galactic filaments we use the Bisous model, which is a marked point process built to model multi-dimensional patterns. The Bisous filament finder works directly with the galaxy distribution data and the model intrinsically takes into account the connectivity of the filamentary network. The Bisous model generates the visit map (the probability to find a filament at a given point) together with the filament orientation field. Using these two fields, we can extract filament spines from the data. Together with this paper we publish the computer code for the Bisous model that is made available in GitHub. The Bisous filament finder has been successfully used in several cosmological applications and further development of the model will allow to detect the filamentary network also in photometric redshift surveys, using the full redshift posterior. We also want to encourage the astro-statistical community to use the model and to connect it with all other existing methods for filamentary pattern detection and characterisation.

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): stellar mass growth of spiral galaxies in the cosmic web

We look for correlated changes in stellar mass and star formation rate along filaments in the cosmic web by examining the stellar masses and UV-derived star formation rates (SFR) of 1,799 ungrouped and unpaired spiral galaxies that reside in filaments. We devise multiple distance metrics to characterise the complex geometry of filaments, and find that galaxies closer to the cylindrical centre of a filament have higher stellar masses than their counterparts near the periphery of filaments, on the edges of voids. In addition, these peripheral spiral galaxies have higher specific star formation rates (SSFR) at a given mass. Complementing our sample of filament spiral galaxies with spiral galaxies in tendrils and voids, we find that the average SFR of these objects in different large scale environments are similar to each other with the primary discriminant in SFR being stellar mass, in line with previous works. However, the distributions of SFRs are found to vary with large-scale environment. Our results thus suggest a model in which in addition to stellar mass as the primary discriminant, the large-scale environment is imprinted in the SFR as a second order effect. Furthermore, our detailed results for filament galaxies suggest a model in which gas accretion from voids onto filaments is primarily in an orthogonal direction. Overall, we find our results to be in line with theoretical expectations of the thermodynamic properties of the intergalactic medium in different large-scale environments.

H-ATLAS: the far-infrared properties of galaxies in and around the Coma cluster

We describe a far infrared survey of the Coma cluster and the galaxy filament it resides within. Our survey covers an area of $\sim$150 deg$^2$ observed by $Herschel$ H-ATLAS in five bands at 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500$\mu$m. The SDSS spectroscopic survey ($m_{r} \le 17.8)$ is used to define an area (within the Virial radius) and redshift selected ($4268 < v < 9700$ km s$^{-1}$) sample of 744 Coma cluster galaxies - the Coma Cluster Catalogue (CCC). For comparison we also define a sample of 951 galaxies in the connecting filament - the Coma Filament Catalogue (CFC). The optical positions and parameters are used to define appropriate apertures to measure each galaxy's far infrared emission. We have detected 99 of 744 (13\%) and 422 of 951 (44\%) of the cluster and filament galaxies in the SPIRE 250$\mu$m band. We consider the relative detection rates of galaxies of different morphological types finding that it is only the S0/Sa population that shows clear differences between the cluster and filament. We find no differences between the dust masses and temperatures of cluster and filament galaxies with the exception of early type galaxy dust temperatures, which are significantly hotter in the cluster than in the filament (X-ray heating?). From a chemical evolution model we find no evidence for different evolutionary processes (gas loss or infall) between galaxies in the cluster and filament.

A possibleChandraandHubble Space Telescopedetection of extragalactic WHIM towards PG 1116+215

(Abridged) We have analyzed Chandra LETG and XMM-Newton RGS spectra towards the z=0.177 quasar PG 1116+215, a sightline that is rendered particularly interesting by the HST detection of several OVI and HI broad Lyman-alpha absorption lines that may be associated with the warm-hot intergalactic medium. We performed a search for resonance K-alpha absorption lines from OVII and OVIII at the redshifts of the detected far-ultraviolet lines. We detected an absorption line in the Chandra spectra at 5.2 sigma confidence level at wavelengths corresponding to OVIII K-alpha at z=0.0911+-0.0004+-0.0005 (statistical followed by systematic error). This redshift is within 3 sigma of that of a HI broad Lyman-alpha of b=130 km/s at z=0.09279+-0.00005. We have also analyzed the available XMM-Newton RGS data towards PG 1116+215. Unfortunately, the XMM-Newton data are not suitable to investigate this line because of instrumental features at the wavelengths of interest. At the same redshift, the Chandra and XMM-Newton spectra have OVII K-alpha absorption line features of significance 1.5 sigma and 1.8 sigma, respectively. We also analyzed the available SDSS spectroscopic galaxy survey data towards PG 1116+215 in the redshift range of interest. We found evidence for a galaxy filament that intersects the PG 1116+215 sightline and additional galaxy structures that may host WHIM. The combination of HST, Chandra, XMM-Newton and SDSS data indicates that we have likely detected a multi-temperature WHIM at z=0.091-0.093 towards PG 1116+215.