Spitzer IRAC Research Articles

Random Forests Applied to High-precision Photometry Analysis with Spitzer IRAC

Abstract We present a new method employing machine-learning techniques for measuring astrophysical features by correcting systematics in IRAC high-precision photometry using random forests. The main systematic in IRAC light-curve data is position changes due to unavoidable telescope motions coupled with an intrapixel response function. We aim to use the large amount of publicly available calibration data for the single pixel used for this type of work (the sweet-spot pixel) to make a fast, easy-to-use, accurate correction to science data. This correction on calibration data has the advantage of using an independent data set instead of the science data themselves, which has the disadvantage of including astrophysical variations. After focusing on feature engineering and hyperparameter optimization, we show that a boosted random forest model can reduce the data such that we measure the median of 10 archival eclipse observations of XO-3b to be 1459 ± 200 ppm. This is a comparable depth to the average of those in the literature done by seven different methods; however, the spread in measurements is 30%–100% larger than those literature values, depending on the reduction method. We also caution others attempting similar methods to check their results with the fiducial data set of XO-3b, as we were also able to find models providing initially great scores on their internal test data sets but whose results significantly underestimated the eclipse depth of that planet.

Radio Power from a Direct-collapse Black Hole in CR7

Abstract The leading contenders for the seeds of the first quasars are direct-collapse black holes (DCBHs) formed during catastrophic baryon collapse in atomically cooled halos at z ∼ 20. The discovery of the Lyα emitter CR7 at z = 6.6 was initially held to be the first detection of a DCBH, although this interpretation has since been challenged on the grounds of Spitzer IRAC and Very Large Telescope X-Shooter data. Here we determine if radio flux from a DCBH in CR7 could be detected and discriminated from competing sources of radio emission in the halo such as young supernovae and H ii regions. We find that a DCBH would emit a flux of 10–200 nJy at 1.0 GHz, far greater than the sub-nJy signal expected for young supernovae but on par with continuum emission from star-forming regions. However, radio emission from a DCBH in CR7 could be distinguished from free–free emission from H ii regions by its spectral evolution with frequency and could be detected by the Square Kilometre Array in the coming decade.

The deep Chandra survey in the SDSS J1030+0524 field

We present the X-ray source catalog for the ∼479 ks Chandra exposure of the SDSS J1030+0524 field, which is centered on a region that shows the best evidence to date of an overdensity around a z > 6 quasar, and also includes a galaxy overdensity around a Compton-thick Fanaroff-Riley type II (FRII) radio galaxy at z = 1.7. Using wavdetect for initial source detection and ACIS Extract for source photometry and significance assessment, we create preliminary catalogs of sources that are detected in the full (0.5−7.0 keV), soft (0.5−2.0 keV), and hard (2−7 keV) bands, respectively. We produce X-ray simulations that mirror our Chandra observation to filter our preliminary catalogs and achieve a completeness level of > 91% and a reliability level of ∼95% in each band. The catalogs in the three bands are then matched into a final main catalog of 256 unique sources. Among them, 244, 193, and 208 are detected in the full, soft, and hard bands, respectively. The Chandra observation covers a total area of 335 arcmin2 and reaches flux limits over the central few square arcmins of ∼3 × 10−16, 6 × 10−17, and 2 × 10−16 erg cm−2 s−1 in the full, soft, and hard bands, respectively This makes J1030 field the fifth deepest extragalactic X-ray survey to date. The field is part of the Multiwavelength Survey by Yale-Chile (MUSYC), and is also covered by optical imaging data from the Large Binocular Camera (LBC) at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), near-infrared imaging data from the Canada France Hawaii Telescope WIRCam (CFHT/WIRCam), and Spitzer IRAC. Thanks to its dense multi-wavelength coverage, J1030 represents a legacy field for the study of large-scale structures around distant accreting supermassive black holes. Using a likelihood ratio analysis, we associate multi-band (r, z, J, and 4.5 μm) counterparts for 252 (98.4%) of the 256 Chandra sources, with an estimated reliability of 95%. Finally, we compute the cumulative number of sources in each X-ray band, finding that they are in general agreement with the results from the Chandra Deep Fields.

The VMC Survey

Context. Variability is a key property of stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Their pulsation period is related to the luminosity and mass-loss rate of the star. Long-period variables (LPVs) and Mira variables are the most prominent of all types of variability of evolved stars. The reddest, most obscured AGB stars are too faint in the optical and have eluded large variability surveys. Aims. We obtained a sample of LPVs by analysing K-band light curves (LCs) of a large number of sources in the direction of the Magellanic Clouds with the colours expected for red AGB stars ((J − K) > 3 mag or equivalent in other colour combinations). Methods. Selection criteria were derived based on colour-colour and colour-magnitude diagrams from the combination of the VISTA Magellanic Cloud (VMC) survey, Spitzer IRAC and AllWISE data. After eliminating LPVs with known periods shorter than 450 days, a sample of 1299 candidate obscured AGB stars was selected. K-band LCs were constructed by combining the epoch photometry available in the VMC survey with literature data, were analysed for variability, and fitted with a single period sine curve to derive mean magnitudes, amplitudes, and periods. A subset of 254 stars are either new variables, known variables where the period we find is better determined than the literature value, or variables with periods longer than 1000 days. The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these stars were fitted to a large number of templates. For this purpose the SEDs and Spitzer IRS spectra of some non-AGB stars (Be stars, HII regions and young stellar objects – YSOs) were also fitted to have templates of the most likely contaminants in the sample. Results. A sample of 217 likely LPVs is found. Thirty-four stars have periods longer than 1000 days, although some of them have alternative shorter periods. The longest period of a known Mira in the Magellanic Clouds from Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment data (with P = 1810 d) is derived to have a period of 2075 d based on its infrared LC. Two stars are found to have longer periods, but both have lower luminosities and smaller pulsation amplitudes than expected for Miras. Mass-loss rates and luminosities are estimated from the template fitting. Period-luminosity relations are presented for carbon (C-) and oxygen (O-) rich Miras that appear to be extensions of relations derived in the literature for shorter periods. The fit for the C stars is particularly well defined (with 182 objects) and reads Mbol = (−2.27 ± 0.20) ⋅ log P + (1.45 ± 0.54) mag with an rms of 0.41 mag. Thirty-four stars show pulsation properties typical of Miras while the SEDs indicate that they are not. Overall, the results of the LC fitting are presented for over 200 stars that are associated with YSOs.

Diffuser-assisted Infrared Transit Photometry for Four Dynamically Interacting Kepler Systems

Abstract We present ground-based infrared transit observations for four dynamically interacting Kepler planets, including Kepler-29b, Kepler-36c, KOI-1783.01, and Kepler-177c, obtained using the Wide-field Infrared Camera on the Hale 200 inch telescope at Palomar Observatory. By utilizing an engineered diffuser and custom guiding software, we mitigate time-correlated telluric and instrumental noise sources in these observations. We achieve an infrared photometric precision comparable to or better than that of space-based observatories such as the Spitzer Space Telescope, and detect transits with greater than 3σ significance for all planets. For Kepler-177c (J = 13.9), our measurement uncertainties are only 1.2 times the photon noise limit and 1.9 times better than the predicted photometric precision for Spitzer IRAC photometry of this same target. We find that a single transit observation obtained 4–5 yr after the end of the original Kepler mission can reduce dynamical mass uncertainties by as much as a factor of 3 for these systems. Additionally, we combine our new observations of KOI-1783.01 with information from the literature to confirm the planetary nature of this system. We discuss the implications of our new mass and radius constraints in the context of known exoplanets with low incident fluxes, and we note that Kepler-177c may be a more massive analog to the currently known super-puffs given its core mass (3.8 ) and large gas-to-core ratio (2.8 ± 0.7). Our demonstrated infrared photometric performance opens up new avenues for ground-based observations of transiting exoplanets previously thought to be restricted to space-based investigation.

Triggering nuclear and galaxy activity in the Bullet cluster

The analysis of a cluster environment is a valuable instrument to investigate the origin of gas fuelling and trigger mechanisms in active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star-forming galaxies. To this purpose, we present a detailed analysis of the point-like X-ray sources in the Bullet cluster field. Based on ∼600 ks Chandra observations, we produced a catalogue of 381 X-ray point sources up to a distance of ∼1.5 virial radius and with flux limits ∼1 × 10−16 and ∼8 × 10−16 erg cm−2 s−1 in the 0.5–2 keV and 2–10 keV bands, respectively. We find a strong (up to a factor 1.5–2) and significant (≥4σ) over-density in the full region studied 0.3R200 < R < 1.5R200. We identified optical (R band) and infrared (Spitzer IRAC) counterparts for ∼84% and ∼48% of the X-ray sources, respectively. We obtained new spectroscopic redshifts for 106 X-ray sources and collected from the literature additional 13 spectroscopic and 8 photometric redshifts of X-ray sources. Twenty-nine X-ray sources turned out to be cluster members. Spectroscopic and photometric redshifts of optical and infrared sources were also collected, and these sources were used as ancillary samples. We used these multi-wavelength data to characterise the nature of the Bullet cluster X-ray point sources. We find that the over-density in the region 0.3R200 < R < R200 is likely due to X-ray AGN (mostly obscured) and star-forming galaxies associated with the cluster, while in the more external region this over-density is likely to be mostly due to background AGN. The fraction of cluster galaxies hosting an X-ray detected AGN is 1.0 ± 0.4%, which is nearly constant with the radius; this fraction is similar to that reported in other clusters of galaxies at similar redshift. The fraction of X-ray bright AGN (L2 − 10 keV > 1043 ergs s−1) in the region 0.3R200 < R < R200 is 0.5−0.2+0.6%, which is higher than that in other clusters at similar redshift and more similar to the AGN fraction in the field. Finally, the spatial distributions of AGN and star-forming galaxies, which we selected for their infrared emission, appear similar, thus suggesting that both are triggered by the same mechanism.

The Role of Environment in Galaxy Evolution in the SERVS Survey. I. Density Maps and Cluster Candidates

Abstract We use photometric redshifts derived from new u-band through 4.5 μm Spitzer IRAC photometry in the 4.8 deg2 of the XMM-LSS field to construct surface density maps in the redshift range of 0.1–1.5. Our density maps show evidence for large-scale structure in the form of filaments spanning several tens of megaparsecs. Using these maps, we identify 339 overdensities that our simulated light-cone analysis suggests are likely associated with dark matter halos with masses, M halo, log(M halo/M ⊙) > 13.7. From this list of overdensities we recover 43 of 70 known X-ray-detected and spectroscopically confirmed clusters. The missing X-ray clusters are largely at lower redshifts and lower masses than our target log(M halo/M ⊙) > 13.7. The bulk of the overdensities are compact, but a quarter show extended morphologies that include likely projection effects, clusters embedded in apparent filaments, and at least one potential cluster merger (at z ∼ 1.28). The strongest overdensity in our highest-redshift slice (at z ∼ 1.5) shows a compact red galaxy core, potentially implying a massive evolved cluster.

Luminous Lyα Emitters with Very Blue UV-continuum Slopes at Redshift 5.7 ≤ z ≤ 6.6

Abstract We study six luminous Lyα emitters (LAEs) with very blue rest-frame UV continua at 5.7 ≤ z ≤ 6.6. These LAEs have previous Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Spitzer IRAC observations. Combining our newly acquired HST images, we find that their UV-continuum slopes β are in a range of −3.4 ≤ β ≤ −2.6. Unlike previous, tentative detections of β ≃ −3 in photometrically selected, low-luminosity galaxies, our LAEs are spectroscopically confirmed and luminous (M UV < −20 mag). We model their broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and find that two β ≃ −2.6 ± 0.2 galaxies can be well fitted with young and dust-free stellar populations. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to fit bluer galaxies. We explore further interpretations by including the non-zero LyC escape fraction f esc, very low metallicities, and/or active galactic nucleus contributions. Assuming f esc ≃ 0.2, we achieve the bluest slopes β ≃ −2.7 when nebular emission is considered. This can nearly explain the SEDs of two galaxies with β ≃ −2.8 and −2.9 (σ β = 0.15). Larger f esc values and very low metallicities are not favored by the strong nebular line emission (evidenced by the IRAC flux) or the observed (IRAC 1 − IRAC 2) color. Finally, we find that the β ≃ −2.9 galaxy can potentially be well explained by the combination of a very young population with a high f esc (≥0.5) and an old, dusty population. We are not able to produce two β ≃ −3.4 ± 0.4 galaxies. Future deep spectroscopic observations are needed to fully understand these galaxies.

The High-redshift Clusters Occupied by Bent Radio AGN (COBRA) Survey: Follow-up Optical Imaging

Abstract Here we present new red sequence overdensity measurements for 77 fields in the high-z Clusters Occupied by Bent Radio AGN (COBRA) survey, based on r- and i-band imaging taken with the Lowell Observatory’s Discovery Channel Telescope. We observe 38 COBRA fields in the r-band and 90 COBRA fields in the i-band. By combining the r- and i-band photometry with our 3.6 and 4.5 μm Spitzer IRAC observations, we identify 39 red sequence cluster candidates that host a strong overdensity of galaxies when measuring the excess of red sequence galaxies relative to a background field. We initially treat the radio host as the cluster center and then determine a new cluster center based on the surface density of red sequence sources. Using our color selection, we identify which COBRA cluster candidates have strong red sequence populations. By removing foreground and background contaminants, we more securely determine which fields include cluster candidates with a higher significance than our single-band observations. Additionally, of the 77 fields we analyze with a redshift estimate, 26 include newly estimated photometric redshifts.

RELICS: Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey

Abstract Large surveys of galaxy clusters with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Spitzer, including the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble and the Frontier Fields, have demonstrated the power of strong gravitational lensing to efficiently deliver large samples of high-redshift galaxies. We extend this strategy through a wider, shallower survey named RELICS, the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey, described here. Our 188-orbit Hubble Treasury Program observed 41 clusters at 0.182 ≤ z ≤ 0.972 with Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and WFC3/IR imaging spanning 0.4–1.7 μm. We selected 21 of the most massive clusters known based on Planck PSZ2 estimates and 20 additional clusters based on observed or inferred lensing strength. RELICS observed 46 WFC3/IR pointings (∼200 arcmin2) each with two orbits divided among four filters (F105W, F125W, F140W, and F160W) and ACS imaging as needed to achieve single-orbit depth in each of three filters (F435W, F606W, and F814W). As previously reported by Salmon et al., we discovered over 300 z ∼ 6–10 candidates, including the brightest z ∼ 6 candidates known, and the most distant spatially resolved lensed arc known at z ∼ 10. Spitzer IRAC imaging (945 hr awarded, plus 100 archival, spanning 3.0–5.0 μm) has crucially enabled us to distinguish z ∼ 10 candidates from z ∼ 2 interlopers. For each cluster, two HST observing epochs were staggered by about a month, enabling us to discover 11 supernovae, including 3 lensed supernovae, which we followed up with 20 orbits from our program. Reduced HST images, catalogs, and lens models are available on MAST, and reduced Spitzer images are available on IRSA.

Luminosity functions and quasar lifetimes in a sample of mid-IR selected quasars

AbstractWe have made a spectroscopic survey of luminous AGNs and quasars selected in the mid-infrared from Spitzer IRAC surveys. Mid-infrared selection is less affected by dust obscuration, and we find more high redshift quasars than are found in optical or hard X-ray surveys. We have derived luminosity functions for obscured and unobscured quasar populations, and we use these and spectral energy distribution fits to place constraints on host galaxy properties and quasar lifetimes.

Estimating dayside effective temperatures of hot Jupiters and associated uncertainties through Gaussian process regression

ABSTRACT In this work, we outline a new method for estimating dayside effective temperatures of exoplanets and associated uncertainties using Gaussian process (GP) regression. By applying our method to simulated observations, we show that the GP method estimates uncertainty more robustly than other model-independent approaches. We find that unbiased estimates of effective temperatures can be made using as few as three broad-band measurements (white-light HST WFC3 and the two warm Spitzer IRAC channels), although we caution that estimates made using only IRAC can be significantly biased. We then apply our GP method to the 12 hot Jupiters in the literature whose secondary eclipse depths have been measured by WFC3 and IRAC channels 1 and 2: CoRoT-2 b; HAT-P-7 b; HD 189733 b; HD 209458 b; Kepler-13A b; TrES-3 b; WASP-4 b; WASP-12 b; WASP-18 b; WASP-33 b; WASP-43 b; and WASP-103 b. We present model-independent dayside effective temperatures for these planets, with uncertainty estimates that range from ±66 to ±136 K.

The unbiased frequency of planetary signatures around single and binary white dwarfs using Spitzer and Hubble

Abstract This paper presents combined Spitzer IRAC and Hubble COS results for a double-blind survey of 195 single and 22 wide binary white dwarfs for infrared excesses and atmospheric metals. The selection criteria include cooling ages in the range 9 to 300 Myr, and hydrogen-rich atmospheres so that the presence of atmospheric metals can be confidently linked to ongoing accretion from a circumstellar disc. The entire sample has infrared photometry, whereas 168 targets have corresponding ultraviolet spectra. Three stars with infrared excesses due to debris discs are recovered, yielding a nominal frequency of $1.5_{-0.5}^{+1.5}$ per cent, while in stark contrast, the fraction of stars with atmospheric metals is 45 ± 4 per cent. Thus, only one out of 30 polluted white dwarfs exhibits an infrared excess at 3–4 $\mu$m in IRAC photometry, which reinforces the fact that atmospheric metal pollution is the most sensitive tracer of white dwarf planetary systems. The corresponding fraction of infrared excesses around white dwarfs with wide binary companions is consistent with zero, using both the infrared survey data and an independent assessment of potential binarity for well-established dusty and polluted stars. In contrast, the frequency of atmospheric pollution among the targets in wide binaries is indistinct from apparently single stars, and moreover the multiplicity of polluted white dwarfs in a complete and volume-limited sample is the same as for field stars. Therefore, it appears that the delivery of planetesimal material on to white dwarfs is ultimately not driven by stellar companions, but by the dynamics of planetary bodies.

Surveying the Giant H ii Regions of the Milky Way with SOFIA. I. W51A

Abstract We discuss the first results from our mid-infrared (MIR) imaging survey of Milky Way Giant H ii (GH ii) regions with our detailed analysis of W51A, which is one of the largest GH ii regions in our Galaxy. We used the FORCAST instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to obtain 20 and 37 μm images of the central 10′ × 20′ area, which encompasses both of the G49.5–0.4 and G49.4–0.3 subregions. Based on these new data, and in conjunction with previous multiwavelength observations, we conjecture on the physical nature of several individual sources and subcomponents within W51A. We find that extinction seems to play an important role in the observed structures we see in the near- to MIR, both globally and locally. We used the SOFIA photometry combined with Spitzer–IRAC and Herschel–PACS photometry data to construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the subcomponents and point sources detected in the SOFIA images. We fit those SEDs with young stellar object models and found 41 sources that are likely to be massive young stellar objects, many of which are identified as such in this work for the first time. Close to half of the massive young stellar objects do not have detectable radio continuum emission at centimeter wavelengths, implying a very young state of formation. We derived luminosity-to-mass ratio and virial parameters of the extended radio subregions of W51A to estimate their relative ages.

A 1000 au Scale Molecular Outflow Driven by a Protostar with an Age of ≲4000 yr

Abstract To shed light on the early phase of a low-mass protostar formation process, we conducted interferometric observations toward protostar GF 9-2 using the CARMA and SMA. The observations were carried out in the 12CO line and the continuum emission at wavelengths of 3.3 mm, 1.1 mm, and 850 μm with a spatial resolution of ≈400 au. All of the continuum images detected a single point-like source with a beam-deconvolved effective radius of 250 ± 80 au at the center of the previously known 1.1–4.5 molecular cloud core. Compact emission is detected toward the object at the Spitzer MIPS and IRAC bands, as well as the four bands at the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Our spectroscopic imaging of the CO line revealed that the continuum source is driving a 1000 au scale molecular outflow, including a pair of lobes where a collimated “higher”-velocity (∼10 with respect to the velocity of the cloud) red lobe exists inside a poorly collimated “lower”-velocity (∼5 ) red lobe. These lobes are rather young (dynamical timescales of ∼500–2000 yr) and the least powerful (momentum rates of yr−1 ) ones so far detected. A protostellar mass of was estimated using an upper limit of the protostellar age of τ * ≲ (4 ± 1) × 103 yr and an inferred nonspherical steady mass accretion rate of ∼1 × 10−5 yr−1. Together with the results from an SED analysis, we discuss that the outflow system is driven by a protostar with a surface temperature of ∼3000 K, and that the natal cloud core is being dispersed by the outflow.

<i>Spitzer</i> IRAC Colors of Nebulae Associated with Star-Forming Regions

Star-forming regions are often associated with nebulosity. In this study, we investigated infrared diffuse emission in Spitzer IRAC images. The infrared nebula L1527 traces outflows emanating from a low-mass protostar. The nebular color is consistent with the color of a stellar photosphere with large extinction. Nebulae around the HII region W5-East are bright in the infrared. These colors are consistent with the model color of dust containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The strength of ultraviolet irradiation of the nebulae and the small dust fraction were deduced from the infrared colors of the nebulae. We found that the edges of the nebulae are irradiated by strong ultraviolet radiation and have abundant small dust. Dust at the surface of the molecular cloud is thought to be destroyed by ultraviolet radiation from an early-type star.

Ground- and Space-based Detection of the Thermal Emission Spectrum of the Transiting Hot Jupiter KELT-2Ab

Abstract We describe the detection of water vapor in the atmosphere of the transiting hot Jupiter KELT-2Ab by treating the star–planet system as a spectroscopic binary with high-resolution, ground-based spectroscopy. We resolve the signal of the planet’s motion with deep combined flux observations of the star and the planet. In total, six epochs of Keck NIRSPEC L-band observations were obtained, and the full data set was subjected to a cross-correlation analysis with a grid of self-consistent atmospheric models. We measure a radial projection of the Keplerian velocity, K P , of 148 ± 7 km s−1, consistent with transit measurements, and detect water vapor at 3.8σ. We combine NIRSPEC L-band data with Spitzer IRAC secondary eclipse data to further probe the metallicity and carbon-to-oxygen ratio of KELT-2Ab’s atmosphere. While the NIRSPEC analysis provides few extra constraints on the Spitzer data, it does provide roughly the same constraints on metallicity and carbon-to-oxygen ratio. This bodes well for future investigations of the atmospheres of non-transiting hot Jupiters.

Reassessing Exoplanet Light Curves with a Thermal Model

Abstract We present a uniform assessment of existing near-infrared Spitzer Space Telescope observations of planet-bearing stars. Using a simple four-parameter blackbody thermal model, we analyze stars for which photometry in at least one of Spitzer’s IRAC bands has been obtained over either the entirety or a significant fraction of the planetary orbit. Systems in this category comprise 10 well-studied systems with hot Jupiters on circular or near-circular orbits (HAT-P-7, HD 149026, HD 189733, HD 209458, WASP-12, WASP-14, WASP-18, WASP-19, WASP-33, and WASP-43), as well as three stars harboring planets on significantly eccentric orbits (GJ 436, HAT-P-2, and HD 80606). We find that our simple model, in almost all cases, accurately reproduces the minimum and maximum planetary emission, as well as the phase offsets of these extrema with respect to transits/secondary eclipses. For one notable exception, WASP-12 b, adding an additional parameter to account for its tidal distortion is not sufficient to reproduce its photometric features. Full-orbit photometry is available in multiple wavelengths for 10 planets. We find that the returned parameter values for independent fits to each band are largely in agreement. However, disagreements in nightside temperature suggest distinct atmospheric layers, each with their own characteristic minimum temperature. In addition, a diversity in albedos suggests variation in the opacity of the photospheres. While previous works have pointed out trends in photometric features based on system properties, we cannot conclusively identify analogous trends for physical model parameters. To make the connection between full-phase data and physical models more robust, a higher signal-to-noise ratio must come from both increased resolution and a careful treatment of instrumental systematics.

SMHASH: anatomy of the Orphan Stream using RR Lyrae stars

Stellar tidal streams provide an opportunity to study the motion and structure of the disrupting galaxy as well as the gravitational potential of its host. Streams around the Milky Way are especially promising as phase space positions of individual stars will be measured by ongoing or upcoming surveys. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to accurately assess distances to stars farther than 10 kpc from the Sun, where we have the poorest knowledge of the Galaxy's mass distribution. To address this we present observations of 32 candidate RR Lyrae stars in the Orphan tidal stream taken as part of the Spitzer Merger History and Shape of the Galactic Halo (SMHASH) program. The extremely tight correlation between the periods, luminosities, and metallicities of RR Lyrae variable stars in the Spitzer IRAC $\mathrm{3.6 \mu m}$ band allows the determination of precise distances to individual stars; the median statistical distance uncertainty to each RR Lyrae star is $2.5\%$. By fitting orbits in an example potential we obtain an upper limit on the mass of the Milky Way interior to 60 kpc of $\mathrm{5.6_{-1.1}^{+1.2}\times 10^{11}\ M_\odot}$, bringing estimates based on the Orphan Stream in line with those using other tracers. The SMHASH data also resolve the stream in line--of--sight depth, allowing a new perspective on the internal structure of the disrupted dwarf galaxy. Comparing with N--body models we find that the progenitor had an initial dark halo mass of approximately $\mathrm{3.2 \times 10^{9}\ M_\odot}$, placing the Orphan Stream's progenitor amongst the classical dwarf spheroidals.

The Clustering of High-redshift (2.9 ≤ z ≤ 5.1) Quasars in SDSS Stripe 82

Abstract We present a measurement of the two-point autocorrelation function of photometrically selected high-z quasars over ∼100 deg2 on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 field. Selection is performed using three machine-learning algorithms in a six-dimensional optical/mid-infrared color space. Optical data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey are combined with overlapping deep mid-infrared data from the Spitzer IRAC Equatorial Survey and the Spitzer-HETDEX Exploratory Large-Area survey. Our selection algorithms are trained on the colors of known high-z quasars. The selected quasar sample consists of 1378 objects and contains both spectroscopically confirmed quasars and photometrically selected quasar candidates. These objects span a redshift range of 2.9 ≤ z ≤ 5.1 and are generally fainter than i = 20.2, a regime that has lacked sufficient number density to perform autocorrelation function measurements of photometrically classified quasars. We compute the angular correlation function of these data, marginally detecting quasar clustering. We fit a single power law with an index of δ = 1.39 ± 0.618 and amplitude of θ 0 = 0.′71 ± 0.′546 . A dark matter model is fit to the angular correlation function to estimate the linear bias. At the average redshift of our survey ( ), the bias is b = 6.78 ± 1.79. Using this bias, we calculate a characteristic dark matter halo mass of 1.70–9.83 . Our bias estimate suggests that quasar feedback intermittently shuts down the accretion of gas onto the central supermassive black hole at early times. If confirmed, these results hint at a level of luminosity dependence in the clustering of quasars at high-z.