# Posts Tagged mass ratio

## Today's Postings

### HT Cas - eclipsing dwarf nova during its superoutburst in 2010

We present results of a world-wide observing campaign of the eclipsing dwarf nova – HT Cas during its superoutburst in November 2010. Using collected data we were able to conduct analysis of the light curves and we calculated $O-C$ diagrams. The CCD photometric observations enabled us to derive the superhump period and with the timings of eclipses the orbital period was calculated. Based on superhump and orbital period estimations the period excess and mass ratio of the system were obtained.

### Satellite galaxies around present-day massive ellipticals

Using the spectroscopic and photometric catalogues of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS DR7), we have explored the satellite distribution around $\sim$1000 massive (M$_\star$$\gtrsim2\times10^{11}M_\odot) visually classified elliptical galaxies down to a satellite mass ratio of 1:400 (i.e. 5\times$$10^{8}$$\lesssimM_{sat}$$\lesssim$2$\times$10$^{11}$M$_\odot$). Our host galaxies were selected to be representative of a mass complete sample. The satellites of these galaxies were searched within a projected radial distance of 100 kpc to their hosts. We have found that only 17-23% of the massive ellipticals has at least a satellite down to a mass ratio 1:10. This number increases to 40-52% if we explore satellites down to 1:100 and is $>$55-70% if we go further down to 1:400. The average projected radial distance of the satellites to their hosts is $\sim$59 kpc (which can be decreased down to 49-51 kpc if we account for incompleteness effects). The number of satellites per galaxy host only increases very mildly at decreasing the satellite mass. The fraction of mass which is contained in the satellites down to a mass ratio of 1:400 is 7.4% of the total mass contained by the hosts. Satellites with a mass ratio from 1:2 to 1:5 (with $\sim$27% of the total mass of the satellites) are the main contributor to the total satellite mass. If the satellites eventually infall into the host galaxies, the merger channel will be largely dominated by satellites with a mass ratio down to 1:10 (as these objects have 66% of the total mass in satellites).

### High-order post-Newtonian contributions to the two-body gravitational interaction potential from analytical gravitational self-force calculations

We extend the analytical determination of the main radial potential describing (within the effective one-body formalism) the gravitational interaction of two bodies beyond the 4th post-Newtonian approximation recently obtained by us. This extension is done to linear order in the mass ratio by applying analytical gravitational self-force theory (for a particle in circular orbit around a Schwarzschild black hole) to Detweiler’s gauge-invariant redshift variable. By using the version of black hole perturbation theory developed by Mano, Suzuki and Takasugi, we have pushed the analytical determination of the (linear in mass ratio) radial potential to the 6th post-Newtonian order (passing through 5 and 5.5 post-Newtonian terms). In principle, our analytical method can be extended to arbitrarily high post-Newtonian orders.

### Accretion disks around binary black holes of unequal mass: GRMHD simulations near decoupling [Cross-Listing]

We report on simulations in general relativity of magnetized disks onto black hole binaries. We vary the binary mass ratio from 1:1 to 1:10 and evolve the systems when they orbit near the binary-disk decoupling radius. We compare (surface) density profiles, accretion rates (relative to a single, non-spinning black hole), variability, effective $\alpha$-stress levels and luminosities as functions of the mass ratio. We treat the disks in two limiting regimes: rapid radiative cooling and no radiative cooling. The magnetic field lines clearly reveal jets emerging from both black hole horizons and merging into one common jet at large distances. The magnetic fields give rise to much stronger shock heating than the pure hydrodynamic flows, completely alter the disk structure, and boost accretion rates and luminosities. Accretion streams near the horizons are among the densest structures; in fact, the 1:10 no-cooling evolution results in a refilling of the cavity. The typical effective temperature in the bulk of the disk is $\sim 10^5 (M/10^8 M_\odot)^{-1/4} (L/L_{\rm edd})^{1/4} {\rm K}$ yielding characteristic thermal frequencies $\sim 10^{15} (M/10^8 M_\odot)^{-1/4} (L/L_{\rm edd})^{1/4}(1+z)^{-1}{\rm Hz}$. These systems are thus promising targets for many extragalactic optical surveys, such as LSST, WFIRST, and PanSTARRS.

### Accretion disks around binary black holes of unequal mass: GRMHD simulations near decoupling

We report on simulations in general relativity of magnetized disks onto black hole binaries. We vary the binary mass ratio from 1:1 to 1:10 and evolve the systems when they orbit near the binary-disk decoupling radius. We compare (surface) density profiles, accretion rates (relative to a single, non-spinning black hole), variability, effective $\alpha$-stress levels and luminosities as functions of the mass ratio. We treat the disks in two limiting regimes: rapid radiative cooling and no radiative cooling. The magnetic field lines clearly reveal jets emerging from both black hole horizons and merging into one common jet at large distances. The magnetic fields give rise to much stronger shock heating than the pure hydrodynamic flows, completely alter the disk structure, and boost accretion rates and luminosities. Accretion streams near the horizons are among the densest structures; in fact, the 1:10 no-cooling evolution results in a refilling of the cavity. The typical effective temperature in the bulk of the disk is $\sim 10^5 (M/10^8 M_\odot)^{-1/4} (L/L_{\rm edd})^{1/4} {\rm K}$ yielding characteristic thermal frequencies $\sim 10^{15} (M/10^8 M_\odot)^{-1/4} (L/L_{\rm edd})^{1/4}(1+z)^{-1}{\rm Hz}$. These systems are thus promising targets for many extragalactic optical surveys, such as LSST, WFIRST, and PanSTARRS.

### Black hole remnant of black hole-neutron star coalescing binaries with arbitrary black hole spin

A model for determining the dimensionless spin parameter and mass of the black hole remnant of black hole-neutron star mergers with arbitrary initial black hole spin angular momentum, binary mass ratio, and neutron star mass and cold equation of state is formulated. Tests against numerical-relativity results are carried out, showing that both the dimensionless spin parameter and the final mass are accurately reproduced. For the first time, the behaviour of both quantities and of the l = 2, m = 2, n = 0 quasinormal mode frequency is inspected throughout the parameter space. Predictions of this frequency may be exploited to guide gravitational wave modelling and detection efforts, and to extract physical information from detected gravitational wave signals that would help us break degeneracies between binary black hole and black hole-neutron star systems, improve our understanding of compact binary formation, and constrain the neutron star equation of state.

### Black hole remnant of black hole-neutron star coalescing binaries with arbitrary black hole spin [Cross-Listing]

A model for determining the dimensionless spin parameter and mass of the black hole remnant of black hole-neutron star mergers with arbitrary initial black hole spin angular momentum, binary mass ratio, and neutron star mass and cold equation of state is formulated. Tests against numerical-relativity results are carried out, showing that both the dimensionless spin parameter and the final mass are accurately reproduced. For the first time, the behaviour of both quantities and of the l = 2, m = 2, n = 0 quasinormal mode frequency is inspected throughout the parameter space. Predictions of this frequency may be exploited to guide gravitational wave modelling and detection efforts, and to extract physical information from detected gravitational wave signals that would help us break degeneracies between binary black hole and black hole-neutron star systems, improve our understanding of compact binary formation, and constrain the neutron star equation of state.

### The puzzle of the CNO abundances of {\alpha} Cygni variables resolved by the Ledoux criterion?

Recent stellar evolution computations show that the blue supergiant (BSG) stars could come from two distinct populations: a first group arising from massive stars that just left the main sequence (MS) and are crossing the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) towards the red supergiant (RSG) branch, and a second group coming from stars that have lost considerable amount of mass during the RSG stage and are crossing the HRD for a second time towards the blue region. Due to very different luminosity-to- mass ratio, only stars from the second group are expected to have excited pulsations observable at the surface. In a previous work, we have shown that our models were able to reproduce the pulsational properties of BSGs. However, these models failed to reproduce the surface chemical composition of stars evolving back from a RSG phase. In this paper, we show how the use of the Ledoux criterion instead of the Schwarzschild one for convection allows to significantly improve the agreement with the observed chemical composition, while keeping the agreement with the pulsation periods. This gives some support to the Ledoux criterion.

### Conditions for Sustained Orbital Resonances in Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals

We investigate the possibility of sustained orbital resonances in extreme mass ratio inspirals. Using a near-identity averaging transformation, we reduce the equations of motion for a particle moving in Kerr spacetime with self-force corrections in the neighbourhood of a resonant geodesic to a one dimensional equation for a particle moving in an effective potential. From this effective equation we obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions that the self-force needs to satisfy to allow inspiralling orbits to be captured in sustained resonance. Along the way we also obtain the full non-linear expression for the jump in the adiabatic constants of motion incurred as an inspiral transiently evolves through a strong resonance to first-order in the mass ratio. Finally, we find that if the resonance is strong enough to allow capture in sustained resonance, only a small fraction (order of the square root of mass-ratio) of all inspirals will indeed be captured. This makes observation of sustained resonances in EMRIs—if they exist—very unlikely for space based observatories like eLisa.

### The growth of galactic bulges through mergers in LCDM haloes revisited. II. Morphological mix evolution

The mass aggregation and merger histories of present-day distinct haloes selected from the cosmological Millennium Simulations I and II are mapped into stellar mass aggregation and galaxy merger histories of central galaxies by using empirical stellar-to-halo and stellar-to-gas mass relations. The growth of bulges driven by the galaxy mergers/interactions is calculated using analytical recipes. The predicted bulge demographics at redshift z~0 is consistent with observations (Zavala+2012). Here we present the evolution of the morphological mix (traced by the bulge-to-total mass ratio, B/T) as a function of mass up to z=3. This mix remains qualitatively the same up to z~1: B/T<0.1 galaxies dominate at low masses, 0.1<B/T<0.45 at intermediate masses, and B/T>0.45 at large masses. At z>1, the fractions of disc-dominated and bulgeless galaxies increase strongly, and by z~2 the era of pure disc galaxies is reached. Bulge-dominated galaxies acquire such a morphology, and most of their mass, following a downsizing trend. Since our results are consistent with several recent observational studies of the morphological mix at different redshifts, a LCDM-based scenario of merger-driven bulge assembly does not seem to face significant issues. However, if the stellar-to-halo mass relation changes too little with redshift, then some tensions with observations appear.

### Love can be Tough to Measure

The waveform phase for a neutron star binary can be split into point-particle terms and finite-size terms (characterized by the Love number) that account for equation of state effects. The latter first enter at 5 post-Newtonian (PN) order (i.e. proportional to the tenth power of the orbital velocity), but the former are only known completely to 3.5 PN order, with higher order terms only known to leading-order in the mass-ratio. We here find that not including point-particle terms at 4PN order to leading- and first-order in the mass ratio in the template model can severely deteriorate our ability to measure the equation of state.

### Love can be Tough to Measure [Cross-Listing]

The waveform phase for a neutron star binary can be split into point-particle terms and finite-size terms (characterized by the Love number) that account for equation of state effects. The latter first enter at 5 post-Newtonian (PN) order (i.e. proportional to the tenth power of the orbital velocity), but the former are only known completely to 3.5 PN order, with higher order terms only known to leading-order in the mass-ratio. We here find that not including point-particle terms at 4PN order to leading- and first-order in the mass ratio in the template model can severely deteriorate our ability to measure the equation of state.

### Resonant periodic orbits in the exoplanetary systems

The planetary dynamics of $4/3$, $3/2$, $5/2$, $3/1$ and $4/1$ mean motion resonances is studied by using the model of the general three body problem in a rotating frame and by determining families of periodic orbits for each resonance. Both planar and spatial cases are examined. In the spatial problem families of periodic orbits are obtained after analytical continuation of vertical critical orbits. The linear stability of orbits is also examined. Concerning initial conditions nearby stable periodic orbits, we obtain long-term planetary stability, while unstable orbits are associated with chaotic evolution that destabilizes the planetary system. Stable periodic orbits are of particular importance in planetary dynamics, since they can host real planetary systems. We found stable orbits up to $60^\circ$ of mutual planetary inclination, but in most families the stability does not exceed $20^\circ$-$30^\circ$, depending on the planetary mass ratio. Most of these orbits are very eccentric. Stable inclined circular orbits or orbits of low eccentricity were found in the $4/3$ and $5/2$ resonance, respectively.

### Resonant periodic orbits in the exoplanetary systems [Replacement]

The planetary dynamics of $4/3$, $3/2$, $5/2$, $3/1$ and $4/1$ mean motion resonances is studied by using the model of the general three body problem in a rotating frame and by determining families of periodic orbits for each resonance. Both planar and spatial cases are examined. In the spatial problem, families of periodic orbits are obtained after analytical continuation of vertical critical orbits. The linear stability of orbits is also examined. Concerning initial conditions nearby stable periodic orbits, we obtain long-term planetary stability, while unstable orbits are associated with chaotic evolution that destabilizes the planetary system. Stable periodic orbits are of particular importance in planetary dynamics, since they can host real planetary systems. We found stable orbits up to $60^\circ$ of mutual planetary inclination, but in most families, the stability does not exceed $20^\circ$-$30^\circ$, depending on the planetary mass ratio. Most of these orbits are very eccentric. Stable inclined circular orbits or orbits of low eccentricity were found in the $4/3$ and $5/2$ resonance, respectively.

### Dust May Be More Rare Than Expected in Metal Poor Galaxies

‘Normal’ galaxies observed at z>6, when the Universe was <1 billion years old, thus far show no evidence of the cold dust that accompanies star formation in the local Universe, where the dust-to-gas mass ratio is 1%. A prototypical example is ‘Himiko’ (z=6.6), which a mere 840 Myr after the Big Bang is forming stars at a rate of 30-100 Msun/yr, yielding a mass assembly time M^{star}/SFR 150×10^6 yr. Himiko is estimated to have a low fraction (2-3% of the Solar value) of elements heavier than helium (metallicity), and although its gas mass cannot be asserted at this time its dust-to-stellar mass ratio is constrained to be <0.05%. The local galaxy I Zw 18, with a metallicity 4% solar and forming stars less rapidly than Himiko but still vigorously for its mass (M^{star}/SFR 1.6×10^9 yr), is also very dust deficient and perhaps one of the best analogues of primitive galaxies accessible to detailed study. Here we report observations of dust emission from I Zw 18 from which we determine its dust mass to be 450-1800 Msun, yielding a dust-to-stellar mass ratio \approx 10^{-6}-10^{-5} and a dust-to-gas mass ratio 3.2-13×10^{-6}. If I Zw 18 is a reasonable analog of Himiko, then Himiko’s dust mass is \approx 50,000 Msun, a factor of 100 below the current upper limit. These numbers are considerably uncertain, but if most high-z galaxies are more like Himiko than like the quasar host SDSS J114816.64+525150.3, then the prospects for detecting the gas and dust in them are much poorer than hitherto anticipated.

### Binary Black Hole Accretion From a Circumbinary Disk: Gas Dynamics Inside the Central Cavity

We present the results of 2D hydrodynamical simulations of circumbinary disk accretion using the finite-volume code DISCO. This code solves the 2D viscous Navier-Stokes equations on a high-resolution moving mesh which shears with the fluid flow, greatly reducing advection errors in comparison with a fixed grid. We perform a series of simulations for binary mass ratios in the range 0.026 < q < 1.0, each lasting longer than a viscous time so that we reach a quasi-steady accretion state. In each case, we find that gas is efficiently stripped from the inner edge of the circumbinary disk and enters the cavity along accretion streams, which feed persistent "mini-disks" surrounding each black hole. We find that for q > 0.1, the binary excites eccentricity in the inner region of the circumbinary disk, creating an overdense lump which gives rise to enhanced periodicity in the accretion rate. The dependence of the periodicity on mass ratio may provide a method for observationally inferring mass ratios from measurements of the accretion rate. We also find that for all mass ratios studied, the magnitude of the accretion onto the secondary is sufficient to drive the binary toward larger mass ratio. This suggests a mechanism for biasing mass ratio distributions toward equal mass.

### Analysis of Molecular Hydrogen Absorption toward QSO B0642-5038 for a Varying Proton-to-Electron Mass Ratio [Replacement]

Rovibronic molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) transitions at redshift $z_{\rm abs} \simeq 2.659$ towards the background quasar B0642$-$5038 are examined for a possible cosmological variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio, $\mu$. We utilise an archival spectrum from the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph with a signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$35 per 2.5-km$\,$s$^{-1}$ pixel at the observed H$_2$ wavelengths (335–410 nm). Some 111 H$_2$ transitions in the Lyman and Werner bands have been identified in the damped Lyman $\alpha$ system for which a kinetic gas temperature of $\sim$84 K and a molecular fraction $\log f = -2.18\pm0.08$ is determined. The H$_2$ absorption lines are included in a comprehensive fitting method, which allows us to extract a constraint on a variation of the proton-electron mass ratio, $\Delta\mu/\mu$, from all transitions at once. We obtain $\Delta\mu/\mu = (17.1 \pm 4.5_{\rm stat} \pm3.7_{\rm sys})\times10^{-6}$. However, we find evidence that this measurement has been affected by wavelength miscalibration errors recently identified in UVES. A correction based on observations of objects with solar-like spectra gives a smaller $\Delta\mu/\mu$ value and contributes to a larger systematic uncertainty: $\Delta\mu/\mu = (12.7 \pm 4.5_{\rm stat} \pm4.2_{\rm sys})\times10^{-6}$.

### Where angular momentum goes in a precessing black hole binary [Replacement]

We evolve a set of 32 equal-mass black-hole binaries with collinear spins (with intrinsic spin magnitudes $|\vec{S}_{1,2}/m^2_{1,2}|=0.8$) to study the effects of precession in the highly nonlinear plunge and merger regimes. We compare the direction of the instantaneous radiated angular momentum, $\hat{\delta J}_{\rm rad}(t)$, to the directions of the total angular momentum, $\hat{J}(t)$, and the orbital angular momentum, $\hat{L}(t)$. We find that $\hat{\delta J}_{\rm rad}(t)$ approximately follows $\hat{L}$ throughout the evolution. During the orbital evolution and merger, we observe that the angle between $\vec{L}$ and total spin $\vec{S}$ is approximately conserved to within $1^\circ$, which allows us to propose and test models for the merger remnant’s mass and spin. For instance, we verify that the \hangup effect is the dominant effect and largely explains the observed total energy and angular momentum radiated by these precessing systems. We also verify that the total angular momentum, which significantly decreases in magnitude during the inspiral, varies in direction by less than $\sim 5^\circ$. The maximum variation in the direction of $\vec J$ occurs when the spins are nearly antialigned with the orbital angular momentum. Based on our results, we conjecture that transitional precession, which would lead to large variations in the direction of $\vec J$, is not possible for similar-mass binaries and would require a mass ratio $m_1/m_2\lesssim1/4$.

### Where angular momentum goes in a precessing black hole binary [Replacement]

We evolve a set of 32 equal-mass black-hole binaries with collinear spins (with intrinsic spin magnitudes $|\vec{S}_{1,2}/m^2_{1,2}|=0.8$) to study the effects of precession in the highly nonlinear plunge and merger regimes. We compare the direction of the instantaneous radiated angular momentum, $\hat{\delta J}_{\rm rad}(t)$, to the directions of the total angular momentum, $\hat{J}(t)$, and the orbital angular momentum, $\hat{L}(t)$. We find that $\hat{\delta J}_{\rm rad}(t)$ approximately follows $\hat{L}$ throughout the evolution. During the orbital evolution and merger, we observe that the angle between $\vec{L}$ and total spin $\vec{S}$ is approximately conserved to within $1^\circ$, which allows us to propose and test models for the merger remnant’s mass and spin. For instance, we verify that the \hangup effect is the dominant effect and largely explains the observed total energy and angular momentum radiated by these precessing systems. We also verify that the total angular momentum, which significantly decreases in magnitude during the inspiral, varies in direction by less than $\sim 5^\circ$. The maximum variation in the direction of $\vec J$ occurs when the spins are nearly antialigned with the orbital angular momentum. Based on our results, we conjecture that transitional precession, which would lead to large variations in the direction of $\vec J$, is not possible for similar-mass binaries and would require a mass ratio $m_1/m_2\lesssim1/4$.

### Error-analysis and comparison to analytical models of numerical waveforms produced by the NRAR Collaboration [Replacement]

The Numerical-Relativity-Analytical-Relativity (NRAR) collaboration is a joint effort between members of the numerical relativity, analytical relativity and gravitational-wave data analysis communities. The goal of the NRAR collaboration is to produce numerical-relativity simulations of compact binaries and use them to develop accurate analytical templates for the LIGO/Virgo Collaboration to use in detecting gravitational-wave signals and extracting astrophysical information from them. We describe the results of the first stage of the NRAR project, which focused on producing an initial set of numerical waveforms from binary black holes with moderate mass ratios and spins, as well as one non-spinning binary configuration which has a mass ratio of 10. All of the numerical waveforms are analysed in a uniform and consistent manner, with numerical errors evaluated using an analysis code created by members of the NRAR collaboration. We compare previously-calibrated, non-precessing analytical waveforms, notably the effective-one-body (EOB) and phenomenological template families, to the newly-produced numerical waveforms. We find that when the binary’s total mass is ~100-200 solar masses, current EOB and phenomenological models of spinning, non-precessing binary waveforms have overlaps above 99% (for advanced LIGO) with all of the non-precessing-binary numerical waveforms with mass ratios <= 4, when maximizing over binary parameters. This implies that the loss of event rate due to modelling error is below 3%. Moreover, the non-spinning EOB waveforms previously calibrated to five non-spinning waveforms with mass ratio smaller than 6 have overlaps above 99.7% with the numerical waveform with a mass ratio of 10, without even maximizing on the binary parameters.

### Gravitational recoil in nonspinning black hole binaries: the span of test-mass results [Replacement]

We consider binary systems of coalescing, nonspinning, black holes of masses $m_{1}$ and $m_{2}$ and show that the gravitational recoil velocity for any mass ratio can be obtained accurately by extrapolating the waveform of the test-mass limit case. The waveform obtained in the limit $m_1/m_2\ll 1$ via a perturbative approach is extrapolated in $\nu= m_{1} m_{2}/(m_{1}+m_{2})^{2}$ multipole by multipole using the corresponding, analytically known, leading-in-$\nu$ behavior. The final kick velocity computed from this $\nu$-flexed waveform is written as $v(\nu)/c = 0.04457 \nu^2\sqrt{1-4\nu}\,(1-2.07106\nu + 3.93472\nu^2 -4.78404\nu^3+2.52040\nu^{4})$ and is compatible with the outcome of numerical relativity simulations

### Massive quiescent cores in Orion. IV. Their supercritical state revealed by high resolution ammonia maps

We present combined VLA and GBT images of \ammonia\ inversion transitions (1,1) and (2,2) toward OMC2 and OMC3. We focus on the relatively quiescent Orion cores, which are away from the Trapezium cluster and have no sign of massive protostars nor evolved star formation, such as IRAS source, water maser, and methanol maser. The 5\arcsec\ angular resolution and $0.6 \rm{}km s^{-1}$ velocity resolution of these data enable us to study the thermal and dynamic state of these cores at $\sim{}0.02 \rm{}pc$ scales, comparable to or smaller than those of the current dust continuum surveys. We measure temperatures for a total of 30 cores, with average masses and radii of $11 \Ms$ and $0.039 \rm{}pc$, respectively. Compared to other Gould Belt dense cores, the Orion cores have an unusually high gravitational-to-inetic energy ratio (virial mass ratio $R_{vir} > >1$), resembling results for other clouds forming high–mass stars. This results from Orion cores having velocity dispersions similar to those in, e.g., Perseus and Ophiuchus, but higher masses for given sizes. 12 out of 30 cores are associated with embedded YSOs, which are identified by Spitzer. These Prostellar cores have a mean mass of $16.5 \Ms$ versus $7.3 \Ms$ for that of the starless cores. 14 of starless massive Orion cores are supercritical (mass-to-critical-mass ratio R$_c > 1$). These massive Orion starless cores will likely collapse or fragment relatively quickly and can thus be considered direct precursors to protostars.

### The Viscous Evolution of White Dwarf Merger Remnants

The merger of two white dwarfs (WDs) creates a differentially rotating remnant which is unstable to magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. These instabilities can lead to viscous evolution on a time-scale short compared to the thermal evolution of the remnant. We present multi-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the evolution of WD merger remnants under the action of an $\alpha$-viscosity. We initialize our calculations using the output of eight WD merger simulations from Dan et al. (2011), which span a range of mass ratios and total masses. We generically find that the merger remnants evolve towards spherical states on time-scales of hours, even though a significant fraction of the mass is initially rotationally supported. The viscous evolution unbinds only a very small amount of mass $(< 10^{-5} M_\odot)$. Viscous heating causes some of the systems we study with He WD secondaries to reach conditions of nearly dynamical burning. It is thus possible that the post-merger viscous phase triggers detonation of the He envelope in some WD mergers, potentially producing a Type Ia supernova via a double detonation scenario. Our calculations provide the proper initial conditions for studying the long-term thermal evolution of WD merger remnants. This is important for understanding WD mergers as progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, neutron stars, R Coronae Borealis stars and other phenomena.

### Is black-hole ringdown a memory of its progenitor? [Cross-Listing]

We have performed an extensive numerical study of coalescing black-hole binaries to understand the gravitational-wave spectrum of quasi-normal modes excited in the merged black hole. Remarkably, we find that the masses and spins of the progenitor are clearly encoded in the mode spectrum of the ringdown signal. Some of the mode amplitudes carry the signature of the binary’s mass ratio, while others depend critically on the spins. Simulations of precessing binaries suggest that our results carry over to generic systems. Using Bayesian inference, we demonstrate that it is possible to accurately measure the mass ratio and individual spins of the progenitor even when the binary itself is invisible to a detector. Our results could have tremendous implications for gravitational astronomy by facilitating novel tests of general relativity using merging black holes.

### Observable Consequences of Merger-Driven Gaps and Holes in Black Hole Accretion Disks

We calculate the observable signature of a black hole accretion disk with a gap or hole created by a secondary black hole embedded in the disk. We find that for an interesting range of parameters of black hole masses (~10^6 to 10^9 Msun), orbital separation (~1 AU to ~1 pc), and gap width (10–180 disk scale heights), the missing thermal emission from a gap manifests itself in an observable decrement in the spectral energy distribution. We present observational diagnostics in terms of powerlaw forms that can be fit to line-free regions in AGN spectra or in fluxes from sequences of broad filters. Most interestingly, the change in slope in the broken powerlaw is almost entirely dependent on the width of gap in the accretion disk, which in turn is uniquely determined by mass ratio of the black holes, such that it scales roughly as $q^{5/4}$. Thus one can use spectral observations of the continuum of bright active galactic nuclei to infer not only the presence of a closely separated black hole binary but also the mass ratio. When the black hole merger opens a hole in the inner disk, the broad band SED of the AGN or quasar may serve as a diagnostic. Such sources should be especially luminous in optical bands but intrinsically faint in X-rays (i.e., not merely obscured). We briefly note that viable candidates may have already been identified.

### A Fresh Catch of Massive Binaries in the Cygnus OB2 Association

Massive binary stars may constitute a substantial fraction of progenitors to supernovae and gamma-ray bursts, and the distribution of their orbital characteristics holds clues to the formation process of massive stars. As a contribution to securing statistics on OB-type binaries, we report the discovery and orbital parameters for five new systems as part of the Cygnus OB2 Radial Velocity Survey. Four of the new systems (MT070, MT174, MT267, and MT734 (a.k.a. VI Cygni #11) are single-lined spectroscopic binaries while one (MT103) is a double-lined system (B1V+B2V). MT070 is noteworthy as the longest period system yet measured in Cyg OB2, with P=6.2 yr. The other four systems have periods ranging between 4 and 73 days. MT174 is noteworthy for having a probable mass ratio q<0.1, making it a candidate progenitor to a low-mass X-ray binary. These measurements bring the total number of massive binaries in Cyg OB2 to 25, the most currently known in any single cluster or association.

### The abundance of (not just) dark matter haloes

We study the effect of baryons on the abundance of structures and substructures in a Lambda-CDM cosmology, using a pair of high resolution cosmological simulations from the GIMIC project. Both simulations use identical initial conditions, but while one contains only dark matter, the other also includes baryons. We find that gas pressure, reionisation, supernova feedback, stripping, and truncated accretion systematically reduce the total mass and the abundance of structures below ~10^12 solar masses compared to the pure dark matter simulation. Taking this into account and adopting an appropriate detection threshold lowers the abundance of observed galaxies with maximum circular velocities below 100 km/s, significantly reducing the reported discrepancy between Lambda-CDM and the measured HI velocity function of the ALFALFA survey. We also show that the stellar-to-total mass ratios of galaxies with stellar masses of ~10^5 – 10^7 solar masses inferred from abundance matching of the (sub)halo mass function to the observed galaxy mass function increase by a factor of ~2. In addition, we find that an important fraction of low-mass subhaloes are completely devoid of stars. Accounting for the presence of dark subhaloes below 10^10 solar masses further reduces the abundance of observable objects, and leads to an additional increase in the inferred stellar-to-total mass ratio by factors of 2 – 10 for galaxies in haloes of 10^9 – 10^10 solar masses. This largely reconciles the abundance matching results with the kinematics of individual dwarf galaxies in Lambda-CDM. We propose approximate corrections to the masses of objects derived from pure dark matter calculations to account for baryonic effects.

### Photometric Redshifts of Submillimeter Galaxies

We use the photometric redshift method of Chakrabarti & McKee (2008) to infer photometric redshifts of submillimeter galaxies with far-IR (FIR) $\it{Herschel}$ data obtained as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) program. For the sample with spectroscopic redshifts, we demonstrate the validity of this method over a large range of redshifts ($4 \ga z \ga 0.3$) and luminosities, finding an average accuracy in $(1+z_{\rm phot})/(1+z_{\rm spec})$ of 10%. Thus, this method is more accurate than other FIR photometric redshift methods. This method is different from typical FIR photometric methods in deriving redshifts from the light-to-gas mass ($L/M$) ratio of infrared-bright galaxies inferred from the FIR spectral energy distribution (SED), rather than dust temperatures. Once the redshift is derived, we can determine physical properties of infrared bright galaxies, including the temperature variation within the dust envelope, luminosity, mass, and surface density. We use data from the GOODS-S field to calculate the star formation rate density (SFRD) of sub-mm bright sources detected by AzTEC and PACS. The AzTEC-PACS sources, which have a threshold $850 \micron$ flux $\ga 5 \rm mJy$, contribute 15% of the SFRD from all ULIRGs ($L_{\rm IR} \ga 10^{12} L_{\odot}$), and 3% of the total SFRD at $z \sim 2$.

### Numerical simulations of shocks encountering clumpy regions

We present numerical simulations of the adiabatic interaction of a shock with a clumpy region containing many individual clouds. Our work incorporates a sub-grid turbulence model which for the first time makes this investigation feasible. We vary the Mach number of the shock, the density contrast of the clouds, and the ratio of total cloud mass to inter-cloud mass within the clumpy region. Cloud material becomes incorporated into the flow. This "mass-loading" reduces the Mach number of the shock, and leads to the formation of a dense shell. In cases in which the mass-loading is sufficient the flow slows enough that the shock degenerates into a wave. The interaction evolves through up to four stages: initially the shock decelerates; then its speed is nearly constant; next the shock accelerates as it leaves the clumpy region; finally it moves at a constant speed close to its initial speed. Turbulence is generated in the post-shock flow as the shock sweeps through the clumpy region. Clouds exposed to turbulence can be destroyed more rapidly than a similar cloud in an "isolated" environment. The lifetime of a downstream cloud decreases with increasing cloud-to-intercloud mass ratio. We briefly discuss the significance of these results for starburst superwinds and galaxy evolution.

### High-Level Magnetic Activity on a Low-Mass Close Binary: GSC 02038-0293

Taking into account results obtained from light-curve analysis and out-of-eclipse analyses, we discuss the nature of GSC 02038-00293 and also its magnetic activity behaviour. We obtained light curves of the system during observing seasons 2007, 2008 and 2011. We obtained its secondary minimum clearly in I-band observations in 2008 for the first time. Analysing this light curve, we found the physical parameters of the components. The light-curve analysis indicates that the possible mass ratio of the system is 0.35. We obtained the remaining V-band light curves, extracting the eclipses. We modelled these remaining curves using the spotmodel program and found possible spot configurations of the magnetically active component for each observing season. The models demonstrated that there are two active longitudes for the active component. The models reveal that both active longitudes migrate in the direction of decreasing longitude. We also examined the light curves in out-of-eclipse phases with respect to minimum and maximum brightness, amplitude, etc. The amplitude of the curves during out-of-eclipse phases varies in a sinusoidal way with a period of ~8.9yr the mean brightness of the system is dramatically decreasing. The phases of the deeper minimum during out-of-eclipse periods exhibit a migration toward decreasing phase.

### The Nature of the Light Variation of the Unique Binary DK CVn

We present BVR observations of DK CVn from 2007 and 2008. We analysed the BVR light curves of the system and obtained the system’s parameters. Using the `q-search’ method, we measured the mass ratio of the system (q) as 0.55. Taking the temperature of the primary component as 4040K, the temperature of the secondary was found to be 3123K. Several flares were detected, and the distributions of flare equivalent duration versus flare total duration were modelled using the One-Phase Exponential Association Function for these flares. The parameters of the model demonstrated that the flares are the same as those detected from UV Ceti stars. We also demonstrate that the variation at out-of-eclipse must be caused by some cool spot(s) on one of the components. The star is found to show two active longitudes in which the spots are mainly formed. Consequently, this study reveals that DK CVn should be a chromospherically active binary star.

### Galaxy Zoo: Quantifying Morphological Indicators of Galaxy Interaction

We use Galaxy Zoo 2 visual classifications to study the morphological signatures of interaction between similar-mass galaxy pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that many observable features correlate with projected pair separation; not only obvious indicators of merging, disturbance and tidal tails, but also more regular features, such as spiral arms and bars. These trends are robustly quantified, using a control sample to account for observational biases, producing measurements of the strength and separation scale of various morphological responses to pair interaction. For example, we find that the presence of spiral features is enhanced at scales < 70 h^-1 kpc, probably due to both increased star formation and the formation of tidal tails. On the other hand, the likelihood of identifying a bar decreases significantly in pairs with separations < 30 h^-1 kpc, suggesting that bars are suppressed by close interactions between galaxies of similar mass. We go on to show how morphological indicators of physical interactions provide a way of significantly refining standard estimates for the frequency of close pair interactions, based on velocity offset and projected separation. The presence of loosely wound spiral arms is found to be a particularly reliable signal of an interaction, for projected pair separations up to \sim 100 h^-1 kpc. We use this indicator to demonstrate our method, constraining the fraction of low-redshift galaxies in truly interacting pairs, with M_{\ast} > 10^9.5 M_\odot and mass ratio < 4, to be between 0.4 – 2.7 per cent.

### How do minor mergers promote inside-out growth of ellipticals, transforming the size, density profile and dark matter fraction?

There is observational evidence for inside-out growth of giant elliptical galaxies since $z \gtrsim 2-3$. Many of the $\sim 10^{11} M_{\odot}$ systems at high redshift have small sizes $\sim 1kpc$ and surface brightness profiles with low Sersic indices n. The most likely descendants at $z = 0$ have, on average, grown by a factor of two in mass and a factor of four in size. They also have surface brightness profiles with $n \gtrsim 5$. This evolution can be qualitatively explained on the basis of two assumptions: compact ellipticals predominantly grow by collisionless minor ‘dry’ mergers, and they are embedded in massive dark matter halos which support the stripping of merging satellite stars at large radii. We draw these conclusions from idealized collisionless mergers spheroidal galaxies – with and without dark matter – with mass ratios of 1:1, 1:5, and 1:10. For minor mergers of galaxies embedded in dark matter halos, the sizes grow significantly faster and the profile shapes change more rapidly than for major mergers. After only two 1:5 mergers the Sersic index has increased to $n > 8$, reaching a final value of $n = 9.5$ after doubling the stellar mass. This is accompanied by a significant increase ($\gtrsim 80$ per cent) of the dark matter fraction within the half-mass radius, driven by the strong size increase probing larger, dark matter dominated regions. We conclude that only a few minor mergers ($\sim 3-5$ with mass-ratios of 1:5) of galaxies embedded in massive dark matter halos can result in the observed concurrent inside-out growth and the rapid evolution in profile shapes. Apart from negative stellar metallicity gradients and, eventually, positive age gradients, such a minor merger scenario also predicts significantly lower dark matter fractions for $z \sim 2$ compact quiescent galaxies and their rare present day analogues (abbreviated).