Related papers: Direct Extragalactic Distance Determination Using …
The extragalactic distance scale is fundamental to our understanding of astrophysics and cosmology. In recent years, the surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) method, applied in the near-IR, has proven especially powerful for measuring…
We present the results of a search for extended X-ray sources and their corresponding galaxy groups from 800-ks Chandra coverage of the All-wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS). This yields one of the largest X-ray…
In addition to cosmological tests based on the mass function and clustering of galaxy clusters, which probe the growth of cosmic structure, nature offers two independent ways of using clusters to measure cosmic distances. The first uses…
With the superb angular resolution of the Chandra Observatory, it is now possible to detect X-ray point sources, either embedded in galaxy clusters or along the cluster line of sight, which could not be resolved by previous instruments.…
We compare a deep (37 ks) Chandra ACIS-S image of the M31 bulge to deep [O III] Local Group Survey data of the same region. Through precision image alignment using globular cluster X-ray sources, we are able to improve constraints on…
Gamma-ray bursts are promising tools for tracing the formation of high redshift stars, including the first generation. At very high redshifts the reverse shock emission lasts longer in the observer frame, and its importance for detection…
The Local Group galaxies constitute a fundamental step in the definition of cosmic distance scale. Therefore, obtaining accurate distance determinations to the galaxies in the Local Group, and notably to the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), is…
Long-duration gamma-ray bursts are the manifestations of massive stellar death. Due to the immense energy release they are detectable from most of the observable universe. In this way they allow us to study the deaths of single (or binary)…
Recent X-ray surveys have now resolved most of the X-ray background (XRB) into discrete sources. While this represents a break- through in the understanding of the XRB, the astrophysical nature of these sources still remains mysterious. In…
A well constrained estimate of the distance remains one of the main factors to properly interpret the observations of accreting X-ray pulsars. Since these objects are typically well studied, multiple distance estimates obtained with…
The X-ray regime is a largely underused resource for constraining interstellar dust grain models and improving our understanding of the physical processes that dictate how grains evolve over their lifetimes. This is mostly due to current…
The detection of astrophysical Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) has always been intertwined with the challenge of identifying the direction of the source. Accurate angular localization of better than a degree has been achieved to date only with…
We report on the result of an extensive search for X-ray counterparts to Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB) using data acquired with the Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) on-board the Einstein Observatory. We examine background sky fields from all…
Due to their relation to massive stars, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) allow pinpointing star formation in galaxies independently of redshift, dust obscuration, or galaxy mass/size, thus providing a unique tool to investigate the…
Accurate distances to celestial objects are key to establishing the age and energy density of the Universe and the nature of dark energy. A distance measure using active galactic nuclei (AGN) has been sought for more than forty years, as…
Blue supergiant stars can be exceptionally bright objects in the optical, making them prime targets for the determination of extragalactic distances. I describe how their photometric and spectroscopic properties can be calibrated to provide…
A new method for a simultaneous search for clusters of galaxies in X-ray photon maps and optical galaxy maps is described. The merging of X-ray and optical data improves the source identification so that a large amount of telescope time for…
We calculate the scattering of X-rays by interstellar dust, for a dust model that reproduces the observed wavelength-dependent extinction and polarization of starlight. On interstellar sightlines that produce appreciable starlight…
We examine the possibility of using near-infrared scattering to constrain the local radiation field and the dust properties, for example, the size distribution of the grains, and maximum grain size. We use radiative transfer modelling to…
A dust scattering model was recently proposed to explain the shallow X-ray decay (plateau) observed prevalently in Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) early afterglows. In this model the plateau is the scattered prompt X-ray emission by the dust located…