Infrared–red cores in nearby elliptical galaxies
We present the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Array Camera observations for a sample of local elliptical galaxies to study later stages of active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. A sample of 36 elliptical galaxies is selected from the Palomar spectroscopic survey. We detect nuclear non-stellar infrared emission in nine of them. There is unambiguous evidence of circumnuclear dust in these nine galaxies in their optical images. We also find a remarkable correlation between the infrared excess emission and the nuclear radio/X-ray emission, suggesting that infrared excess emission is tightly related to nuclear activity. The possible origin of infrared excess emission from hot dust heated by the central AGN is supported by the spectral indices of the infrared excess emission.

title: High resolution deep imaging of a bright radio quiet QSO at z～3
abstract: We have obtained deep J and Ks-band images centered on a bright radio quiet QSO UM 402(zem= 2.856) using the IRCS camera and adaptive optics systems that are part of the Subaru Telescope, as well as retrieved WFC3/F140 W archive images of this object. A faint galaxy(mk= 23.32 ± 0.05 in the Vega magnitude system)that lies ～ 2.4′′north of the QSO sightline has been clearly resolved in all three deep high resolution datasets, and appears as an irregular galaxy with two close components in the Ks-band images(separation ～ 0.3′′). Given the small impact parameter(b = 19.6 kpc, at zlls= 2.531), as well as the red color of(J- K s)Vega～ 1.6,it might be a candidate galaxy giving rise to the Lyman Limit system absorption at zabs= 2.531 seen in the QSO spectrum. After carefully subtracting the point spread function from the QSO images, the host galaxy of this bright radio quiet QSO at z ～ 3was marginally revealed. We placed a lower limit on the host component of mk～ 23.3according to our analyses.

title: Contribution of starburst mergers at z ∼ 1 to the strong evolution of infrared and submillimeter deep surveys
abstract: Recent far-infrared and submillimetre waveband observations revealed a large number of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIGs) with infrared luminosities >10 L . These sources are proposed to lie at redshifts above one, and in normally interacting systems with very dusty environments. We discussed in a previous paper that a population with a fast evolving infrared burst phase triggered by gas-rich mergers at z ∼ 1 predicted successfully the steep slope of faint IRAS 60 μm source counts within the flux range of 100 mJy ∼ 1 Jy, still leaving the infrared background level at this wavelength compatible with the upper limit from recent high energy TeV γ ray detection of Mrk 501. To extend the model to mid and far infrared wavelengths, we adopt a reasonable template spectral energy distribution typical for nearby-infrared-bright starburst galaxies (Lir <= 10 12 L ), such as Arp 220. We construct the SED for the dusty starburst mergers at z ∼ 1 by a simple dust extinction law and a thermal continuum assumption for the far-infrared emission. Since the radiation process at mid-infrared for these starburst merging systems is still uncertain, we assume it is similar to the MIR continuum of Arp 220, but modify it by the observed flux correlation of ULIGs from IRAS and ISOCAM deep surveys. We show in this paper that the strong evolution of the European Large Area ISO Survey (ELAIS) at 90μm, ISO 170μm and the Submillimeter deep survey at 850μm could be sufficiently accounted for by such an evolutionary scenario, especially the hump of the ISOCAM 15μm source count around 0.4 mJy. From current best fit results, we find that the dust temperature of those extremely bright starburst merging system at z ∼ 1 would be higher than that of Arp 220 for a reconciliation of the multi-wavelength infrared deep surveys. We thus propose that the infrared burst phase of dusty starburst galaxies or AGNs from gas-rich mergers at z ∼ 1 could contribute significantly to the strong evolution of the IRAS 60μm, the ISO 15μm, 90μm, 170μm, as well as the SCUBA 850μm number counts, while being compatible with the current observational limits of the cosmic infrared background and the redshift distributions. The major difference of our current model prediction is that we see a fast convergence of the differential number counts at 60μm below 50 mJy, which is about a factor of two brighter than other model predictions. Future infrared satellites like Astro-F or SIRTF would give strong constraints to the models.

title: Black hole to bulge mass correlation in Active Galactic Nuclei: a test for the simple unified formation scheme
abstract: A mass correlation of central black holes and their spheroids similar to 0.002 (within a factor of three) is suggested by Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and various ground-based CCD photometries of early type galaxies. The near-IR images of quasar hosts and the emission line measurements of Broad Line Region for bright QSOs present a similar correlation, which supports the speculation of an evolutionary linkage between the early active QSO phase and the central black holes in normal galaxies. On the other hand, recent reverberation mapping of a sample of Seyferts shows a broad distribution of black hole to bulge mass ratio with a mean of similar to 10(-3.5), about one magnitude lower than the value in early type galaxies and bright QSOs. Adopting a simple unified formation scheme for QSOs and Seyferts, we will discuss in this letter the dependence of the black hole to bulge mass ratio in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) on the environmental parameters of the host galaxies. We show a broad distribution of the mass correlation could be due to different velocity dispersion of the accreting gas from different Formation mechanism, and the mass ratio in normal galaxies and bright QSOs is probably a limit case of black hole evolution by merger enhanced accretion close to Eddington limit.

title: A CHANDRA STUDY OF TEMPERATURE SUBSTRUCTURES IN INTERMEDIATE-REDSHIFT GALAXY CLUSTERS
abstract: By analyzing the gas temperature maps created from the Chandra archive data, we reveal the prevailing existence of temperature substructures on ~100 h –1 70 kpc scales in the central regions of nine intermediate-redshift (z ≈ 0.1) galaxy clusters, which resemble those found in the Virgo and Coma Clusters. Each substructure contains a clump of hot plasma whose temperature is about 2-3 keV higher than the environment, corresponding to an excess thermal energy of ~1058-1060 erg per clump. If there were no significant nongravitational heating sources, these substructures would have perished in 108-109 yr due to thermal conduction and turbulent flows, whose velocity is found to range from about 200 to 400 km s–1, we conclude that the substructures cannot be created and sustained by inhomogeneous radiative cooling. We also eliminate the possibilities that the temperature substructures are caused by supernova explosions, or by the nonthermal X-ray emission due to the inverse-Comptonization of the cosmic microwave background photons. By calculating the rising time of active galactic nucleus (AGN)-induced buoyant bubbles, we speculate that the intermittent AGN outbursts (≥1060 erg per burst) may have played a crucial role in the formation of the high-temperature substructures. Our results are supported by the recent study of McNamara and Nulsen, posing a tight observational constraint on future theoretical and numerical studies.

title: A possible mechanism for the mass ratio limitation in early type galaxies
abstract: There is an interesting correlation between the central objects and their host galaxies in recent high resolution HST photometry of early type galaxies and Near-IR images of nearby quasar hosts. It has been shown that a) the hosts of these very luminous quasars are likely to be early type galaxies and that b) the mass ratio of central black holes (BHs) and their host spheroidal components (M-bh/M-spheroid) is similar to 0.002 within a factor of three. Using the hierarchical galaxy evolution scheme for the formation of early-type galaxies, we present here a general viscous accretion disk model to trace the star formation and central engine evolution before and after mergers. In our model, starbursts and AGN coexist; these two activities compete for the gas supply, interact with each other, probably feed back on each other and lock into a final status. They thus constrain the ratio of central black hole mass and its host spheroidal mass to a universal value of order 10(-3).

title: Experimental measurement of the mass of the tau lepton at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPC)

title: Flux-averaging Analysis of Type Ia Supernova Data
abstract: Because of flux conservation, flux-averaging justifies the use of the distance-redshift relation for a smooth universe in the analysis of Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) data. We have combined the SN Ia data from the High-z SN Search and the Supernova Cosmology Project and binned the combined data by flux-averaging in redshift intervals of Δz = 0.05 and Δz = 0.1. We find that the unbinned data yield a Hubble constant of H0 = 65 ± 1 km s-1 Mpc-1 (statistical error only), a matter density fraction of Ωm = 0.7 ± 0.4, and a vacuum energy density fraction of ΩΛ = 1.2 ± 0.5. The binned data for Δz = 0.1 yield H0 = 65 ± 1 km s-1 Mpc-1 (statistical error only), Ωm = 0.3 ± 0.6, and ΩΛ = 0.7 ± 0.7. Our results are not sensitive to the redshift bin size. Flux-averaging leads to less biased estimates of the cosmological parameters by reducing the bias due to systematic effects such as weak lensing. Comparison of the data of 18 SNe Ia published by both groups yields a mean SN Ia peak absolute magnitude of MB = -19.33 ± 0.25. The internal dispersion of each data set is about 0.20 mag in the calibrated SN Ia peak absolute magnitudes. The difference in analysis techniques introduces an additional uncertainty of about 0.15 mag. If the SNe Ia peak absolute luminosity changes with redshift due to evolution, our ability to measure the cosmological parameters from SN Ia data will be significantly diminished. Assuming power-law evolution in the peak absolute luminosity, (1 + z)β, we find a strong degeneracy between the evolution power-law index β and the matter density fraction Ωm. For Ωm = 0.3, we find that the unbinned data yield H0 = 65 ± 1 km s-1 Mpc-1 (statistical error only), ΩΛ = 1.4 ± 1.1, and β = 0.5 ± 1.6, and the binned data (with Δz = 0.1) yield H0 = 65 ± 1 km s-1 Mpc-1 (statistical error only), ΩΛ = 0.6 ± 1.4, and β = 0.0 ± 1.0.

title: Model-independent Constraints on Dark Energy Density from Flux-averaging Analysis of Type Ia Supernova Data
abstract: We reconstruct the dark energy density X(z) as a free function from current Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) data, together with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) shift parameter from CMB data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), Cosmic Background Imager (CBI), and Arcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver (ACBAR), and the large-scale structure (LSS) growth factor from the Two-Degree Field (2dF) galaxy survey data. We parameterize X(z) as a continuous function, given by interpolating its amplitudes at equally spaced z-values in the redshift range covered by SN Ia data, and a constant at larger z [where X(z) is only weakly constrained by CMB data]. We assume a flat universe and use the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique in our analysis. We find that the dark energy density X(z) is constant for 0<~z<~0.5 and increases with redshift z for 0.5<~z<~1 at a 68.3% confidence level, but is consistent with a constant at a 95% confidence level. For comparison, we also give constraints on a constant equation of state for the dark energy. Flux averaging of SN Ia data is required to yield cosmological parameter constraints that are free of the bias induced by weak gravitational lensing. We set up a consistent framework for flux-averaging analysis of SN Ia data, based on the work of Wang. We find that flux averaging of SN Ia data leads to slightly lower m and smaller time variation in X(z). This suggests that a significant increase in the number of SNe Ia from deep SN surveys on a dedicated telescope is needed to place a robust constraint on the time dependence of the dark energy density.