We explore how the slopes and scatters of the scaling relations of disk galaxies (Vm-L[-M], R-L[-M], and Vm-R) do change when moving from B to K bands and to stellar and baryonic quantities. For our compiled sample of 76 normal, non-interacting high and low surface brightness galaxies, we find some changes, which evidence evolution effects, mainly related to gas infall and star formation (SF). We also explore correlations among the (B-K) color, stellar mass fraction fs, mass M (luminosity L), and surface density (SB), as well as correlations among the residuals of the scaling relations. Some of our findings are: (i) the scale length Rb is a third parameter in the baryonic TF relation and the residuals of this relation follow a trend (slope ~-0.15) with the residuals of the Rb-Mb relation; for the stellar and K band cases, R is not anymore a third parameter and the mentioned trend disappears; (ii) among the TFRs, the B-band TFR is the most scattered; in this case, the color is a third parameter; (iii) the LSB galaxies break some observed trends, which suggest a threshold in the gas surface density Sg, below which the SF becomes independent of the gas infall rate and Sg. Our results are interpreted and discussed in the light of LCDM-based models of galaxy evolution. The models explain not only the baryonic scaling relations, but also most of the processes responsible for the observed changes in the slopes, scatters, and correlations among the residuals when changing to stellar and luminous quantities. The baryon fraction is required to be smaller than 0.05 on average. We detect some potential difficulties for the models: the observed color-M and surface density-M correlations are steeper, and the intrinsic scatter in the baryonic TFR is smaller than those predicted. [abridged]
Most models for the central engine of gamma-ray bursts involve a stellar mass black hole surrounded by a thick disk formed after the merging of a system of compact objects or the collapse of a massive star. Energy released from the accretion of disk material by the black hole or from the rotation of the hole itself extracted by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism powers a relativistic wind along the system axis. Lorentz factors of several hundreds are needed to solve the compactness problem in the wind which implies the injection of a tremendous power into a very small amount of matter. The Blandfo…
Models of X-ray production in black-hole sources are reviewed and compared with recent observations. Possible diagnostics of the hot-disk and disk-corona models are discussed in the light of spectral and temporal data. A new model of a small-scale inviscid accretion disk is presented.
Radiatively-driven transfer flow perpendicular to a luminous disk is examined in the relativistic regime of $(v/c)^2$, taking into account the gravity of the central object. The flow is assumed to be vertical, and the gas pressure as well as the magnetic field are ignored. Using a velocity-dependent variable Eddington factor, we can solve the rigorous equations of the relativistic radiative flow accelerated up to the {\it relativistic} speed. For sufficiently luminous cases, the flow resembles the case without gravity. For less-luminous or small initial radius cases, however, the flow velocity…
We present new Chandra X-ray observations of the luminous X-ray cluster, MS0451.6-0305, at z=0.5386. Spectral imaging data for the cluster are consistent with an isothermal cluster of 10.0 - 10.6 +/-1.6 keV and an Fe abundance of 0.32-0.40 +/-0.13 solar. The systematic uncertainties, arising from calibration and model uncertainties, of the temperature determination are nearly the same size as the statistical uncertainties. We discuss the effects of the ACIS absorption correction on the spectral fitting. The effects of statistics and fitting assumptions of 2-D models for the X-ray surface brigh…
$Λ$CDM numerical simulations predict that the "missing baryons" reside in a Warm-Hot gas phase in the over-dense cosmic filaments. However, there are now several theoretical and observational arguments that support the fact that galactic disks may be more massive than usually thought, containing a substantial fraction of the "missing baryons". Hereafter, we present new N-body simulations of galactic disks, where the gas content has been multiplied by a factor 5. The stability of the disk is ensured by assuming that the ISM is composed out of two partially coupled phases, a warm phase, correspo…
We analyze MegaZ-LRG, a photometric-redshift catalogue of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) based on the imaging data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 4th Data Release. MegaZ-LRG, presented in a companion paper, contains 10^6 photometric redshifts derived with ANNz, an Artificial Neural Network method, constrained by a spectroscopic sub-sample of 13,000 galaxies obtained by the 2dF-SDSS LRG and Quasar (2SLAQ) survey. The catalogue spans the redshift range 0.4 < z < 0.7 with an r.m.s. redshift error ~ 0.03(1+z), covering 5,914 deg^2 to map out a total cosmic volume 2.5 h^-3 Gpc^3. In this stud…
Radiatively-driven transfer flow perpendicular to a luminous disk is examined in the subrelativistic regime of $(v/c)^1$, taking into account the gravity of the central object. The flow is assumed to be vertical, and the gas pressure is ignored, while internal heating is assumed to be proportional to the gas density. The basic equations were numerically solved as a function of the optical depth, and the flow velocity, the height, the radiative flux, and the radiation pressure were obtained for a given radius, an initial optical depth, and initial conditions at the flow base (disk ``inside''), …
The Ultra-luminous Compact X-ray Sources (ULXs) in nearby spiral galaxies and the Galactic super-luminal jet sources share the common spectral characteristic that they have extremely high disk temperatures which cannot be explained in the framework of the standard accretion disk model in the Schwarzschild metric. We examine several possibilities to solve this ``too-hot'' disk problem. In particular, we have calculated an extreme Kerr disk model to fit the observed spectra. We found that the Kerr disk will become significantly harder compared to the Schwarzschild disk only when the disk is high…
We present a detailed study of the structural properties of four gravitationally lensed disk galaxies at z=1. Modelling the rotation curves on sub-kpc scales we derive the values for the disk mass, the reference dark matter density and core radius, and the angular momentum per unit mass. The derived models suggest that the rotation curve profile and amplitude are best fit with a dark matter component similar to those of local spiral galaxies. The stellar component also has a similar length scale, but with substantially smaller masses than similarly luminous disk galaxies in the local universe.…
We have found a correlation betwen the M/L global gradients and the structural parameters of the luminous components of a sample of 19 early-type galaxies. Such a correlation supports the hypothesis that there is a connection between the dark matter content and the evolution of the baryonic component in such systems.
We present mass models of a sample of 19 low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies and compare the properties of their constituent mass components with those of a sample of high surface brightness (HSB) galaxies.We find that LSB galaxies are dark matter dominated. Their halo parameters are only slightly affected by assumptions on stellar mass-to-light ratios. Comparing LSB and HSB galaxies we find that mass models derived using the maximum disk hypothesis result in the disks of LSB galaxies having systematically higher stellar mass-to-light ratios than HSB galaxies of similar rotation velocity. Th…
We present the distribution of luminous and dark matter in a set of strong lensing (early-type) galaxies. By combining two independent techniques - stellar population synthesis and gravitational lensing - we can compare the baryonic and dark matter content in these galaxies within the regions that can be probed using the images of the lensed background source. Two samples were studied, extracted from the CASTLES and SLACS surveys. The former probes a wider range of redshifts and allows us to explore the mass distribution out to ~5Re. The high resolution optical images of the latter (using HST/…
This paper constructs an analytic framework for calculating the assembly of galactic disks from the collapse of gas within dark matter halos, with the goal of determining the surface density profiles. Gas parcels (baryons) fall through the potentials of dark matter halos on nearly ballistic, zero energy orbits and collect in a rotating disk. The dark matter halos have a nearly universal form, as determined previously through numerical simulations. The calculation is first carried out for a variety of pre-collapse mass distributions and rotation profiles, including polytropic spheres in hydrost…
For a compiled sample of disk galaxies with available photometry (B and K bands), velocity line-widths and HI integral fluxes, several parameters which trace the luminous, baryonic and dark matter contents were inferred. We investigated how these parameters do vary with different galaxy properties, and confronted the results with predictions of galaxy evolutionary models in the context of the LCDM cosmogony. The ratio of disk-to-total maximum circular velocity, vd/vt, depends mainly on the central disk surface density Sig_d (or surface brightness, SB), increasing roughly as Sig_d^0.15. While a…
We report on the results of detailed spectral studies of the ultra-luminous X-ray source (ULX), M81 X-9 (Holmberg IX X-1), made with XMM-Newton on 2001 April 22 and with ASCA on 1999 April 6. On both occasions, the source showed an unabsorbed 0.5-10 keV luminosity of ~2E40 erg/s (assuming a distance of 3.4Mpc) and a soft spectrum apparently represented by a multi-color disk model with an innermost disk temperature of 1.3-1.5 keV. Adding a power-law model further improved the fit. However, as previously reported, the high luminosity cannot be reconciled with the high disk temperature within a f…
We find a new two-temperature hot branch of equilibrium solutions for stationary accretion disks around black holes. In units of Eddington accretion rate defined as $10L_{\rm Edd}/c^2$, the accretion rates to which these solutions correspond are within the range $\dot{m}_1 \la \dot{m} \la 1$, here $\dot{m}_1$ is the critical rate of advecti$. In these solutions, the energy loss rate of the ions by Coulomb energy transfer between the ions and electrons is larger than the viscously heating rate and it is the advective heating together with the viscous dissipation that balances the Coulomb coolin…
Ultra-luminous Compact X-ray Sources (ULXs) in nearby spiral galaxies and Galactic superluminal jet sources share the common spectral characteristic that they have unusually high disk temperatures which cannot be explained in the framework of the standard optically thick accretion disk in the Schwarzschild metric. On the other hand, the standard accretion disk around the Kerr black hole might explain the observed high disk temperature, as the inner radius of the Kerr disk gets smaller and the disk temperature can be consequently higher. However, we point out that the observable Kerr disk spect…
The $Λ$CDM scenario to form galaxies encounters many problems when confronted with observations, namely the prediction of dark matter cusps in all galaxies, and in particular in dwarf irregulars, dominated by dark matter, or the low angular momentum and consequent small size of galaxy disks, or the high predicted number of small systems. We will consider the hypothesis that the baryonic dark matter could be in the form of gas and could be continuously involved in the galaxy formation scenario. Through cold gas accretion all along a galaxy life, angular momentum could be increased, galaxy disks…
Radiatively driven transfer flow perpendicular to a luminous disk was examined under a fully special relativistic treatment, taking into account radiation transfer. The flow was assumed to be vertical, and the gravity, the gas pressure, and the viscous heating were ignored. In order to construct the boundary condition at the flow top, the magic speed above the flat source was re-examined, and it was found that the magic speed above a moving source can exceed that above a static source ($\sim 0.45~c$). Then, the radiatively driven flow in a luminous disk was numerically solved, from the flow ba…
Spectral studies of a luminous X-ray source, NGC 253 X21, are presented based on archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data. The Chandra observation on 1999 December 16 detected the source at a bolometric luminosity of 0.3 x 10^39 erg/s (assuming isotropic emission), while an XMM-Newton observation on 2000 June 3 revealed a short-term source variation in the range of (0.6--1.3) x 10^39 erg/s. All spectra from these observations were successfully modeled by emission from an optically thick accretion disk. The average inner disk radius was kept constant at 63 x (cos 60/cos i)^(1/2) km, where i is the …
The Baryonic Tully-Fisher relation (BTF) can be substantially improved when considering that the galactic baryonic mass is likely to consist not only from the detected baryons, stars and gas, but also from a dark baryonic component proportional to the HI gas. The BTF relation is optimally improved when the HI mass is multiplied by a factor of about 3, but larger factors up to 11-16 still improve the fit over the original one using only the detected baryons. The strength of this improved relation is quantified with up-to-date statistical tests such as the Akaike Information Criterion or the Bay…
This paper explores the dynamical interaction between extended halo and spheroid components of a disk galaxy and an environmental disturbance. One finds that resonant interaction between a galaxy and passing interlopers or satellite companions can carry the disturbance inward, deep inside the halo, where it can perturb the disk. Applied to the Milky Way for example, the LMC and SMC appear to be sufficient to cause the observed Galactic warp and possibly seed other asymmetries. A polar satellite orbit produces the largest warp and therefore the inferred LMC orbit is nearly optimal for maximum w…
Emission spectra of hot accretion disks characteristic of advection dominated accretion flow (ADAF) models are investigated for comparison with the brightest ultra-luminous source, X-1, in the galaxy M82. If the spectral state of the source is similar to the low luminosity hard state of stellar mass black holes in our Galaxy, a fit to the {\it Chandra} X-ray spectrum and constraints from the radio and infrared upper limits, require a black hole mass in the range of $9 \times 10^4 - 5 \times 10^5 \msun$. Lower black hole masses ($\la 10^4 \msun$) are possible if M82 X-1 corresponds to the high …
Radiatively-driven flow in a luminous disk is examined in the subrelativistic regime of $(v/c)^1$, taking account of radiation transfer. The flow is assumed to be vertical, and the gravity and gas pressure are ignored. When internal heating is dropped, for a given optical depth and radiation pressure at the flow base (disk ``inside''), where the flow speed is zero, the flow is analytically solved under the appropriate boundary condition at the flow top (disk ``surface''), where the optical depth is zero. The loaded mass and terminal speed of the flow are both determined by the initial conditio…
Stars with masses in the range from about 1.3 to 3.5 Mo pass through an evolutionary stage where they become carbon stars. In this stage, which lasts a few Myr, these stars are extremely luminous pulsating giants. They are so luminous in the near-infrared that just a few of them can double the integrated luminosity of intermediate-age (0.6 to 2 Gyr) Magellanic Cloud clusters at 2.2 microns. Astronomers routinely use such near-infrared observations to minimize the effects of dust extinction, but it is precisely in this band that carbon stars can contribute hugely. The actual contribution of car…
These lectures provide an overview of the theory of accretion disks with application to bright sources containing black holes. I focus on the fundamental physics of these flows, stressing modern developments and outstanding questions wherever possible. After a review of standard Shakura-Sunyaev based models and their problems and uncertainties, I describe the basic principles that determine the overall spectral energy distribution produced by the flow. I then describe the physics of angular momentum transport in black hole accretion disks, stressing the important role of magnetic fields. Final…
I describe the disk mass-rotation velocity relation which underpins the familiar luminosity-linewidth relation. Continuity of this relation favors nearly maximal stellar mass-to-light ratios. This contradicts the low mass-to-light ratios implied by the lack of surface brightness dependence in the same relation.
We have studied the effect of adopting different values of the total baryonic mass surface density in the local disk at the present time in a model for the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. We have compared our model results with the G-dwarf metallicity distribution, the amounts of gas, stars, stellar remnants, infall rate and SN rate in the solar vicinity, and with the radial abundance gradients and gas distribution in the disk. This comparison strongly suggests that the value of the total baryonic mass surface density in the local disk which best fits the observational properties should lie …
In this letter, deep radio observations of the quasar PKS 0743$-$67 are presented that reveal a central engine capable of driving jets with enormous kinetic luminosity, $Q>4.1 \times 10^{46}\mathrm{ergs/s}$. This result is significant because archival optical spectral data indicates that the accretion disk has a thermal luminosity, $L_{bol}>2\times 10^{47}\mathrm{ergs/s}$. Furthermore, estimates of the central black hole mass from line widths indicate that $L_{bol}/L_{Edd}\approx 1$. This suggests that neither a large $L_{bol}$ nor $L_{bol}/L_{Edd}$ suppresses jet power in quasars, despite cla…
We present new models for the formation of disk galaxies that improve upon previous models by following the detailed accretion and cooling of the baryonic mass, and by using realistic distributions of specific angular momentum. Under the assumption of detailed angular momentum conservation the disks that form have density distributions that are more centrally concentrated than an exponential. We examine the influence of star formation, bulge formation, and feedback on the outcome of the surface brightness distributions of the stars. Whereas the models are succesful in reproducing high surface …
The Herbig Ae/Be star LkHalpha 101 has been imaged at high angular resolution at a number of wavelengths in the near-infrared (from 1 to 3 microns) using the Keck 1 Telescope, and also observed in the mid-infrared (11.15 microns) using the U.C. Berkeley Infrared Spatial Interferometer (ISI). The resolved circular disk with a central hole or cavity reported in Tuthill et al. (2001) is confirmed. This is consistent with an almost face-on view (inclination < 35 deg) onto a luminous pre- or early-main sequence object surrounded by a massive circumstellar disk. With a multiple-epoch study spanning …
We analyze 26 Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs) in the HST/ACS Ultra Deep Field (UDF) at z ~ 0.2-1.3, to determine whether these are truly small galaxies, or rather bright central starbursts within existing or forming large disk galaxies. Surface brightness profiles from UDF images reach fainter than rest-frame 26.5 B mag/arcsec^2 even for compact objects at z~1. Most LCBGs show a smaller, brighter component that is likely star-forming, and an extended, roughly exponential component with colors suggesting stellar ages >~ 100 Myr to few Gyr. Scale lengths of the extended components are mos…
We decompose the rotation curves of 34 bright spiral galaxies into baryonic and dark matter components. Stellar mass profiles are created by applying color-M/L relations to near-infrared and optical photometry. We find that the radial profile of the baryonic-to-dark-matter ratio is self-similar for all galaxies, when scaled to the radius where the contribution of the baryonic mass to the rotation curve equals that of the dark matter (R_X). We argue that this is due to the quasi-exponential nature of disks and rotation curves that are nearly flat after an initial rise. The radius R_X is found t…
Using Fourier frequency resolved X-ray spectroscopy we study short term spectral variability in luminous LMXBs. With RXTE/PCA observations of 4U1608--52 and GX340+0 on the horizontal/normal branch of the color-intensity diagram we show that aperiodic and quasiperiodic variability on ~ sec-msec time scales is caused primarily by variations of the luminosity of the boundary layer. The emission of the accretion disk is less variable on these time scales and its power density spectrum follows Pdisk(f) ~ 1/f law, contributing to observed flux variation at low frequencies and low energies only. The …
We investigate the time evolution of luminous accretion disks around black holes, conducting the two-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamic simulations. We adopt the alpha prescription for the viscosity. The radial-azimuthal component of viscous stress tensor is assumed to be proportional to the total pressure in the optically thick region, while the gas pressure in the optically thin regime. The viscosity parameter, alpha, is taken to be 0.1. We find the limit-cycle variation in luminosity between high and low states. When we set the mass input rate from the outer disk boundary to be 100 L_E/c^2,…
A star forms when a cloud of dust and gas collapses. It is generally believed that this collapse first produces a flattened rotating disk, through which matter is fed onto the embryonic star at the center of the disk. When the temperature and density at the center of the star pass a critical threshold, thermonuclear fusion begins. The remaining disk, which can still contain up to 0.3 times the mass of the star, is then sculpted and eventually dissipated by the radiation and wind from the newborn star. Unfortunately this picture of the structure and evolution of the disk remains speculative bec…
To understand the bursting behavior of the microquasar GRS 1915+105, we calculate time evolution of a luminous, optically thick accretion disk around a stellar mass black hole undergoing limit-cycle oscillations between the high- and low- luminosity states. We, especially, carefully solve the behavior of the innermost part of the disk, since it produces significant number of photons during the burst, and fit the theoretical spectra with the multi-color disk model. The fitting parameters are $\Tin$ (the maximum disk temperature) and $\Rin$ (the innermost radius of the disk). We find an abrupt, …
Oxygen abundances [12+log(O/H)] in the interstellar medium of a large sample of distant (z>0.4) luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) were estimated from their extinction corrected emission-line ratios, on the basis of the VLT/FORS2 spectra with good S/N and moderate resolution. These LIRGs were selected from ISOCAM deep survey fields (CFRS, UDSR, UDSF). They show oxygen abundances ranging from 8.36 to 8.93, with a median value of 8.67, which is 0.5 lower than that of the local bright disks (i.e., L*) at the given magnitude. A significant fraction of distant large disks are indeed LIRGs. Such mas…
The rotational properties of the visible and dark components of low-mass disk galaxies (vrot<=100 km/s) are investigated using the Swaters sample. The rotational parameter lambda'=lambda_DM*(j_d/m_d) is determined, where lambda_DM is the dark halo spin parameter and j_d/m_d is the ratio between the specific angular momentum of the disk and that of the dark halo. The distribution of lambda' is in excellent agreement with cosmological predictions of hierarchical clustering if j_d/m_d=1, that is if the protogalactic gas did not loose a significant amount of specific angular momentum due to dynami…
We have analyzed the archival XMM-Newton data of the bright Ultra-Luminous X-ray Source (ULX) M82 X-1 with an 105 ksec exposure when the source was in the steady state. Thanks to the high photon statistics from the large effective area and long exposure, we were able to discriminate different X-ray continuum spectral models. Neither the standard accretion disk model (where the radial dependency of the disk effective temperature is T(r) \propto r^-3/4) nor a power-law model gives a satisfactory fit. In fact, observed curvature of the M82 X-1 spectrum was just between those of the two models. Wh…
The Ultra Luminous X-ray Sources (ULXs) are unique in exhibiting moderately bright X-ray luminosities, $L_{\rm x} \sim 10^{38-40} {\rm erg~s^{-1}}$, and relatively high blackbody temperatures, $\Tin \sim 1.0-2.0 {\rm keV}$. From the constraint that $L_{\rm x}$ cannot exceed the Eddington luminosity, $L_{\rm E}$, we require relatively high black-hole masses, $M\sim 10-100 M_\odot$, however, for such large masses the standard disk theory predicts lower blackbody temperatures, $\Tin < 1.0$ keV. To understand a cause of this puzzling fact, we carefully calculate the accretion flow structure shinin…
A fine balance between dark and baryonic mass is observed in spiral galaxies. As the contribution of the baryons to the total rotation velocity increases, the contribution of the dark matter decreases by a compensating amount. This poses a fine-tuning problem for \LCDM galaxy formation models, and may point to new physics for dark matter particles or even a modification of gravity.
Gas-rich dwarf and disk galaxies overlap in numerous physical quantities that make their classification subjective. We report the discovery of a separation between dwarfs and disks into two unique sequences in the mass (luminosity) versus scale length plane. This provides an objective classification scheme for late-type galaxies that only requires optical or near-IR surface photometry of a galaxy. Since the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation for these samples produces a continuous relation between baryonic mass and rotational velocity, we conclude that the difference between dwarfs and disks must …
We explore the Tully-Fisher relation over five decades in stellar mass in galaxies with circular velocities ranging over 30 < Vc < 300 km/s. We find a clear break in the optical Tully-Fisher relation: field galaxies with Vc < 90 km/s fall below the relation defined by brighter galaxies. These faint galaxies are however very gas rich; adding in the gas mass and plotting baryonic disk mass Md = M* + Mg in place of luminosity restores a single linear relation. The Tully-Fisher relation thus appears fundamentally to be a relation between rotation velocity and total baryonic mass of the form Md = A…
I investigate the Baryonic Tully-Fisher relation for a sample of galaxies with extended 21 cm rotation curves spanning the range 20 < Vf < 300 km/s. A variety of scalings of the stellar mass-to-light ratio are considered. For each prescription for M/L, I give fits of the form Md = A Vf^x. Presumably, the prescription that comes closest to the correct value will minimize the scatter in the relation. The fit with minimum scatter has A = 50 solar masses/(km/s)^4 and x = 4. This relation holds over five decades in mass. Galaxy color, stellar fraction, and M/L are correlated with each other and wit…
The results of a spectral analysis, using {\it XMM-Newton} and {\it Chandra} data of the brightest ultra luminous X-ray source in the nearby galaxy M82, are presented. The spectrum of M82 X-1, was found to be unusually hard (photon spectral index $Γ\approx 1$) with a sharp cutoff at $\approx 6$ keV. Disk black body emission model requires a nonphysically high temperature. Instead, the spectrum is better described, with a lower reduced $χ^2$, as emission due to nearly saturated Comptonization of photons in an optically thick ($τ\approx 10-30$, depending on the geometry) plasma having a temperat…
We present photometrically calibrated images and surface photometry in the B, V, R, J, H, and K-bands of 25, and in the g, r, and K-bands of 5 nearby bright (Bo_T<12.5 mag) spiral galaxies with inclinations between 30-65 degrees spanning the Hubble Sequence from Sa to Scd. Data are from The Ohio State University Bright Spiral Galaxy Survey, the Two Micron All Sky Survey, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Second Data Release. Radial surface brightness profiles are extracted, and integrated magnitudes are measured from the profiles. Axis ratios, position angles, and scale lengths are measured fro…
We have performed a detailed study of the broadband spectra of the luminous globular cluster X-ray sources using BeppoSAX. With the exception of X2127+119, located in NGC7078, all the other spectra are well represented by a two component model consisting of a disk-blackbody and Comptonized emission. The measured low-energy absorptions are in good agreement with those predicted from optical measurements of the host globular clusters. This implies that there is little intrinsic X-ray absorption within the binaries themselves, and that the above spectral model provides a good representation of th…
We summarize the HI properties of early-type galaxies, in particular the differences in HI morphologies observed in early-type galaxies of different luminosities. We find that in low-luminosity early-type galaxies the HI is almost always in a disk-like structure, with central surface densities high enough for star formation to occur. In a few luminous early-type galaxies the HI is also in a disk or in a ring-like structure, but in most luminous early-type galaxies the HI has a relatively irregular morphology. The surface densities in the HI disks in luminous early-type galaxies are lower than …
We have analyzed an XMM-Newton observation of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 1313, which contains two "ultra-luminous" X-ray (ULX) sources. We measure isotropic luminosities of L_X = 2.0 * 10^(40) erg/s and L_X = 6.6 * 10^(39) erg/s for NGC 1313 X-1 and X-2 (0.2-10.0 keV, assuming a distance of 3.7 Mpc). The spectra statistically require soft and hard spectral components to describe the continuum emission; some prior studies of ULXs have claimed cool soft components with lower statistics. The improvement over several single-component models exceeds the 8 sigma level of confidence for X-1; the im…
We study the origin of cores and density profiles of gaseous baryonic structures in cosmology. By treating the baryons as a viscous gas, we find that both spheres and disks are possible solutions. We find analytically that the density profiles have inner and outer solutions, which in general are different. For disks we identify a central core, with density profile rho_d = constant, and the outer profile rho_d ~ r^{-3}. For spherical structures we find the profile rho_s ~ r^{-6}. In the presence of a dominating central black hole we find the inner profile rho ~ r^{-3/2}. When the mass is domina…
Accretion disk winds browing off perpendicular to a luminous disk are examined in the framework of fully special relativistic radiation hydrodynamics. The wind is assumed to be steady, vertical, and isothermal. %and the gravitational fields is approximated by a pseudo-Newtonian potential. Using a velocity-dependent variable Eddington factor, we can solve the rigorous equations of relativistic radiative hydrodynamics, and can obtain radiatively driven winds accelerated up to the {\it relativistic} speed. For less luminous cases, disk winds are transonic types passing through saddle type critica…
Studies were made of ASCA spectra of seven ultra-luminous compact X-ray sources (ULXs) in nearby spiral galaxies; M33 X-8 (Takano et al. 1994), M81 X-6 (Fabbiano 1988b; Kohmura et al. 1994; Uno 1997), IC 342 Source 1 (Okada et al. 1998), Dwingeloo 1 X-1 (Reynolds et al. 1997), NGC 1313 Source B (Fabbiano & Trinchieri 1987; Petre et al. 1994), and two sources in NGC 4565 (Mizuno et al. 1999). With the 0.5--10 keV luminosities in the range 10^{39-40} ergs/s, they are thought to represent a class of enigmatic X-ray sources often found in spiral galaxies. For some of them, the ASCA data are newly …
Molecular gas in the merging starburst galaxy NGC 3256 has been imaged with the Submillimeter Array at a resolution of 1'' x 2'' (170 x 340 pc at 35 Mpc). This is the first interferometric imaging of molecular gas in the most luminous galaxy within z=0.01. There is a large disk of molecular gas (r > 3 kpc) in the center of the merger with a strong gas concentration toward the double nucleus. The gas disk having a mass of ~3*10^9 Msun in the central 3 kpc rotates around a point between the two nuclei that are 850 pc apart on the sky. The molecular gas is warm and turbulent and shows spatial var…
We calculate the broadband radio--X-ray spectra predicted by microblazar and microquasar models for Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), exploring the possibility that their dominant power-law component is produced by a relativistic jet, even at near-Eddington mass accretion rates. We do this by first constructing a generalized disk--jet theoretical framework in which some fraction of the total accretion power Pa is efficiently removed from the accretion disk by a magnetic torque responsible for jet formation. Thus, for different black hole masses, mass accretion rates and magnetic coupling st…
The origin and nature of Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) is a contentious and controversial topic. There are ongoing debates about the masses of the objects responsible, their sources of mass for accretion, and their relation to stellar populations in galaxies. A new picture of these objects is proposed in which they are intermediate-mass black holes confined to the disks of their host galaxies and accreting from the interstellar medium. They are then preferentially found in or near molecular clouds. This model correctly predicts the shape of the observed luminosity function and requires o…
We study the 2-D, time-dependent hydrodynamics of radiation-driven winds from accretion disks in which the radiation force is mediated by spectral lines. If the dominant contribution to the total radiation field comes from the disk, then we find the outflow is intrinsically unsteady and characterised by large amplitude velocity and density changes. Both infall and outflow can occur in different regions of the wind at the same time. On the other hand, if the total luminosity of the system is dominated by the central star, then the outflow is steady. In either case, we find the 2-D structure of …
We study the distribution of baryonic and luminous matter within the framework of a hierarchical scenario. Using an analytical model for structure formation which has already been checked against observations for galaxies, Lyman-$α$ clouds, clusters and reionization processes, we present its predictions for the bias of these objects. We describe its dependence on the luminosity (for galaxies or quasars) or the column density (for Lyman-$α$ absorbers) of the considered objects. We also study its redshift evolution, which can exhibit an intricate behaviour. These astrophysical objects do not tra…
We present the 3D real space clustering power spectrum of a sample of \~600,000 luminous red galaxies (LRGs) measured by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), using photometric redshifts. This sample of galaxies ranges from redshift z=0.2 to 0.6 over 3,528 deg^2 of the sky, probing a volume of 1.5 (Gpc/h)^3, making it the largest volume ever used for galaxy clustering measurements. We measure the angular clustering power spectrum in eight redshift slices and combine these into a high precision 3D real space power spectrum from k=0.005 (h/Mpc) to k=1 (h/Mpc). We detect power on gigaparsec scales…
We investigate the relative importance of starbursts and AGN in nuclear activities of ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) based on chemodynamical simulations combined with spectrophotometric synthesis codes. We numerically investigate both the gas accretion rates (m_acc) onto super massive black holes (SMBHs) and the star formation rates (m_sf) in ULIRGs formed by gas-rich galaxy mergers and thereby discuss what powers ULIRGs. Our principal results, which can be tested against observations, are as follows. (1) ULIRGs powered by AGN can be formed by major merging between luminous, gas-ric…
