Search

This paper proposes a framework for the stability analysis and control testing of marine hybrid power systems with DC power architecture. The dynamics of such active systems are increasingly influenced by interactive modes such as the highly dynamic loads and varying load sharing scenarios, electro-mechanical modes, and integration of energy storage systems (ESS). Hence, a dynamic model of the entire system is developed including the power electronics and ESS, electro-mechanical systems, different controllers–low level and high level– and propulsion loads. The proposed analytical model is used to establish not only the small-signal stability analysis but also time-domain simulations. Then, a set of dynamic analyses and tests has been performed to identify the stability challenges that a vessel may be exposed to during a real operation. The suggestions for improving the system performance are given as the control modification at different levels. To emulate the real operation, a ship operational profile is used for the tests. Finally, the proposed dynamic model is verified with the experimental results conducted in a full-scale hybrid power systems laboratory. The results show that the system dynamics can be affected significantly by the interaction of the high-level and low-level control of the converters, which is usually neglected in conventional models.

We present a new empirical template for iron emission in active galactic nuclei (AGN) covering the $4000-5600$ A range. The new template is based on a spectrum of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 493 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. In comparison with the canonical iron template object I Zw 1, Mrk 493 has narrower broad-line widths, lower reddening, and a less extreme Eddington ratio, making it a superior choice for template construction. We carried out a multicomponent spectral decomposition to produce a template incorporating all permitted and forbidden lines of Fe II identified in the Mrk 493 spectrum over this wavelength range, as well as lines from Ti II, Ni II, and Cr II. We tested the template by fitting it to AGN spectra spanning a broad range of iron emission properties, and we present a detailed comparison with fits using other widely used monolithic and multi-component iron emission templates. The new template generally provides the best fit (lowest $\chi^2$) compared to other widely used monolithic empirical templates. In addition, the new template yields more accurate spectral measurements including a significantly better match of the derived Balmer line profiles (H$\beta$, H$\gamma$, H$\delta$), in contrast with results obtained using the other templates. Our comparison tests show that the choice of iron template can introduce a systematic bias in measurements of the H$\beta$ line width, which consequently impacts single-epoch black hole mass estimates by $\sim0.1$ dex on average and possibly up to $\sim0.3-0.5$ dex individually., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJS. download the new template file at https://github.com/DaeseongPark/Iron_Template

Photoionization modeling of active galactic nuclei (AGN) predicts that diffuse continuum (DC) emission from the broad-line region makes a substantial contribution to the total continuum emission from ultraviolet through near-infrared wavelengths. Evidence for this DC component is present in the strong Balmer jump feature in AGN spectra, and possibly from reverberation measurements that find longer lags than expected from disk emission alone. However, the Balmer jump region contains numerous blended emission features, making it difficult to isolate the DC emission strength. In contrast, the Paschen jump region near 8200 \r{A} is relatively uncontaminated by other strong emission features. Here, we examine whether the Paschen jump can aid in constraining the DC contribution, using Hubble Space Telescope STIS spectra of six nearby Seyfert 1 nuclei. The spectra appear smooth across the Paschen edge, and we find no evidence of a Paschen spectral break or jump in total flux. We fit multi-component spectral models over the range $6800-9700$ \r{A} and find that the spectra can still be compatible with a significant DC contribution if the DC Paschen jump is offset by an opposite spectral break resulting from blended high-order Paschen emission lines. The fits imply DC contributions ranging from $\sim$10% to 50% at 8000 \r{A}, but the fitting results are highly dependent on assumptions made about other model components. These degeneracies can potentially be alleviated by carrying out fits over a broader wavelength range, provided that models can accurately represent the disk continuum shape, Fe II emission, high-order Balmer line emission, and other components., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, and 3 tables; ApJ in press

The electrical power system in ships can be traced to the 1880s, when lightbulbs were installed on SS Columbia. Since then, electricity has been a crucial part of marine vessels. Research and development initiatives resulted in innovations including the ac motor and transformer, turboelectric power, submarines, dieselelectric propulsion, modern solidstate power electronics, the use of liquified natural gas (LNG) as fuel, and pure electric and hybrid ferries with pluggedin and wireless charging from shore.

For the stable operation of the shipboard hybrid DC power systems, the DC bus voltage should be controlled within the recommended range by the regulations. However, the challenge comes from the load variations, and it makes the main bus voltage fluctuate. This paper proposes a control approach based on hybrid dynamical modeling of the DC-DC converter for the battery interface. In this method, the switching signal of the DC-DC converter is calculated to satisfy the Lyapunov stability criteria, and the reference power of the battery is generated for the peak-shaving of the load changes to stabilize the voltage. The effectiveness of the controller is evaluated with real ship load data which has a transient profile. The performance of the proposed control strategy is presented, and the results show that the proposed method can provide significant advantages in terms of fast and stable control performance, as well as the peak-shaving function by the battery to operate the diesel generators at the best efficiency point. © 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.

This paper presents a design concept to overview the feasibility of utilizing modern energy storage systems as substitution of conventional machinery auxiliaries, which are necessarily installed to support internal combustion engines' operation. For example, the common compressed air system required for engine starting and emergency stopping occupies substantial space in the machinery space of the ship. Owing to increased capacity and reduced price of batteries nowadays, electric motors and solenoid valves can supersede the compressed air system, and we can save space and reduce capital expenditures as well. The cranking torque for engine starting, motor driving current, the optimal control system is simulated to validate the performance of the engine starting system, in line with the simulation of charging and discharging of an energy storage system. © 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.

The development of marine integrated power systems has enabled all-electric ship, with electric propulsion systems to be powered from diesel-generators. In addition, vessels with DC hybrid power sources such as fuel cell, super-capacitor, and battery have been emerging in recent decades. Despite several studies related to hybrid-electric vessels, the integration of hybrid power systems and its application for the marine industry still requires additional research tasks since marine power concepts have unique features, which are different from well-known hybrid vehicle concepts in respect of the number of generators & size, system response, and load profile characteristic. Especially, efficient power management in terms of load sharing among different hybrid power sources is one of the critical issues in the marine hybrid system. In this paper, the load frequency-based approach is proposed for power management and load sharing in DC hybrid electric ships. The main idea is that each power source has distinctiveness with respect to response time. By the application of several low-pass filters, an acceptable range of load frequency for each power source can be classified and distributed to each power controller. The integrated modeling & simulation of the DC hybrid powered vessel is developed to verify the proposed method. The simulation test is implemented as a feasibility study of the proposed load-sharing model for marine applications. As a result, the load frequency-based power management provides an effective load distribution scheme in terms of charging/discharging intervention of hybrid systems, and it is able to protect the generator from the sudden load variation which leads to tears & wears in mechanical systems as well as poor quality of power in electrical systems. © 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.

Although onboard DC power systems bring values for the power and propulsion system of the future hybrid ships, the main barrier for the development of such systems for large scale vessels is the technical operational issues such as stability and power quality and how to satisfy the related standards and regulations. In the advanced ship power systems, the conventional diode rectifiers are being replaced with active front end (AFE) rectifiers providing the control flexibility but at higher cost. However, to make such devices more profitable, the ship control system can be reconfigured to unlock the potentials of AFEs for the general system stability. This paper is dealing with the stability issue of hybrid DC power systems proposing a predictive control approach to improve the voltage regulation and better use of converters. The proposed method replaces the conventional direct power control (DPC) of AFE rectifiers with a model predictive control (MPC) and integrates the DC-DC converters in the same control platform. In this method, optimal control commands for the rectifiers and the DC-DC converter are calculated by the predictive control to minimize the DC bus voltage fluctuations, especially under the fast load changes. The controller is then extended to regulate the load sharing between the different energy units. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated in simulation with a typical ship load profile as well as a real ship profile which have several operating modes such as steep load increase & decrease, high speed, and maneuvering operation. The performance of the proposed control strategy is compared with conventional controllers, and the results show that the new method can provide significant advantages in terms of fast and stable control performance, as well as the steady-state voltage regulation and enhancing the power smoothing function of the battery. Laboratory experimental data are also used for validation. © 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.

Correlations between the mass of a supermassive black hole and the properties of its host galaxy (e.g., total stellar mass (M*), luminosity (Lhost)) suggest an evolutionary connection. A powerful test of a co-evolution scenario is to measure the relations MBH-Lhost and MBH-M* at high redshift and compare with local estimates. For this purpose, we acquired HST imaging with WFC3 of 32 X-ray-selected broad-line AGN at 1.2, Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 28 pages, 14 figures, 7 tables

This paper presents the dynamic modeling and stability analysis of the onboard DC power system, applicable to hybrid electric ships. The system topology is established with a special focus on the integration of the energy carriers with power electronic converters. The modeling of the AC/DC rectifier, DC/DC converter, filters and energy storage systems (ESS), such as battery and supercapacitor, is investigated. AC/DC rectifier is modeled with decoupling control through an LCL filter, and the DC/DC converter modeling is compared with the state-space averaging method and generalized averaging method. The performance of the integrated model is presented both in charging mode and in discharging mode of the energy storage system and the results show the effectiveness of the controllers and the power regulation of the ESSs. In the end, the limitation of the load is obtained by the stability analysis. © 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.

Reverberation mapping probes the structure of the broad emission-line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGN). The kinematics of the BLR gas can be used to measure the mass of the central supermassive black hole. The main uncertainty affecting black hole mass determinations is the structure of the BLR. We present a new method for reverberation mapping based on regularized linear inversion (RLI) that includes modelling of the AGN continuum light curves. This enables fast calculation of velocity-resolved response maps to constrain BLR structure. RLI allows for negative response, such as when some areas of the BLR respond in inverse proportion to a change in ionizing continuum luminosity. We present time delays, integrated response functions, and velocity-delay maps for the $\rm{H}\,\beta$ broad emission line in five nearby AGN, as well as for $\rm{H}\,\alpha$ and $\rm{H}\,\gamma$ in Arp 151, using data from the Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2008. We find indications of prompt response in three of the objects (Arp 151, NGC 5548 and SBS 1116+583A) with additional prompt response in the red wing of $\rm{H}\,\beta$. In SBS 1116+583A we find evidence for a multimodal broad prompt response followed by a second narrow response at 10 days. We find no clear indications of negative response. The results are complementary to, and consistent with, other methods such as cross correlation, maximum entropy and dynamical modelling. Regularized linear inversion with continuum light curve modelling provides a fast, complementary method for velocity-resolved reverberation mapping and is suitable for use on large datasets., Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, accepted to MNRAS

We provide an updated calibration of CIV $\lambda1549$ broad emission line-based single-epoch (SE) black hole (BH) mass estimators for active galactic nuclei (AGNs) using new data for six reverberation-mapped AGNs at redshift $z=0.005-0.028$ with BH masses (bolometric luminosities) in the range $10^{6.5}-10^{7.5}$ $M_{\odot}$ ($10^{41.7}-10^{43.8}$ erg s$^{\rm -1}$). New rest-frame UV-to-optical spectra covering 1150-5700 \AA\ for the six AGNs were obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Multi-component spectral decompositions of the HST spectra were used to measure SE emission-line widths for the CIV, MgII, and H$\beta$ lines as well as continuum luminosities in the spectral region around each line. We combine the new data with similar measurements for a previous archival sample of 25 AGNs to derive the most consistent and accurate calibrations of the CIV-based SE BH mass estimators against the H$\beta$ reverberation-based masses, using three different measures of broad-line width: full-width at half maximum (FWHM), line dispersion ($\sigma_{\rm line}$) and mean absolute deviation (MAD). The newly expanded sample at redshift $z=0.005-0.234$ covers a dynamic range in BH mass (bolometric luminosity) of $\log\ M_{\rm BH}/M_{\odot} = 6.5-9.1$ ($\log\ L_{\rm bol}/$erg s$^{\rm -1}=41.7-46.9$), and we derive the new CIV-based mass estimators using a Bayesian linear regression analysis over this range. We generally recommend the use of $\sigma_{\rm line}$ or MAD rather than FWHM to obtain a less biased velocity measurement of the CIV emission line, because its narrow-line component contribution is difficult to decompose from the broad-line profile., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

We search for misclassified type 1 AGNs among type 2 AGNs identified with emission line flux ratios, and investigate the properties of the sample. Using 4\,113 local type 2 AGNs at $0.02, Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, JKAS in press

We present rest-frame optical spectra of 12 nitrogen-loud quasars at z ~ 2.2, whose rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectra show strong nitrogen broad emission lines. To investigate their narrow-line region (NLR) metallicities, we measure the equivalent width (EW) of the [OIII]5007 emission line: if the NLR metallicity is remarkably high as suggested by strong UV nitrogen lines, the [OIII]5007 line flux should be very week due to the low equilibrium temperature of the ionized gas owing to significant metal cooling. In the result, we found that our spectra show moderate EW of the [OIII]5007 line similar to general quasars. This indicates nitrogen-loud quasars do not have extremely metal-rich gas clouds in NLRs. This suggests that strong nitrogen lines from broad-line regions (BLRs) are originated by exceptionally high abundances of nitrogen relative to oxygen without very high BLR metallicities. This result indicates that broad-emission lines of nitrogen are not good indicators of the BLR metallicity in some cases. On the other hand, we also investigate virial black-hole masses and Eddington ratios by using the Hbeta and CIV1549 lines for our sample. As a result, we found that black-hole masses and Eddington ratios of nitrogen-loud quasars tend to be low and high relative to normal quasars, suggesting that nitrogen-loud quasars seem to be in a rapidly-accreting phase. This can be explained in terms of a positive correlation between Eddington ratios and nitrogen abundances of quasars, that is probably caused by the connection between the mass accretion onto black holes and nuclear star formation., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are arguably one of the key AGN subclasses in investigating the origin of the black hole mass - stellar velocity dispersion (M-sigma) relation because of their high accretion rate and significantly low black hole mass. Currently, it is under discussion whether present-day NLS1s offset from the M-sigma relation. Using the directly measured stellar velocity dispersion of 93 NLS1s at z, 13 pages, 9 figures, typos corrected, accepted by ApJ

To investigate the validity of the assumption that quiescent galaxies and active galaxies follow the same black hole mass - stellar velocity dispersion relation, as required for the calibration of M_BH estimators for broad line AGNs, we determine and compare the M-sigma relations, respectively, for quiescent and active galaxies. For the quiescent galaxy sample, composed of 72 dynamical M_BH measurements, we update sigma for 28 galaxies using homogeneous H-band measurements that are corrected for galaxy rotation. For active galaxies, we collect 25 reverberation-mapped AGNs and improve sigma measurement for two objects . Combining the two samples, we determine the virial factor $f$, first by scaling the active galaxy sample to the M-sigma relation of quiescent galaxies, and second by simultaneously fitting the quiescent and active galaxy samples, as f=5.1_{-1.1}^{+1.5} and f=5.9_{-1.5}^{+2.1}, respectively. The M-sigma relation of active galaxies appears to be shallower than that of quiescent galaxies. However, the discrepancy is caused by a difference in the accessible M_BH distribution at given sigma, primarily due to the difficulty of measuring reliable stellar velocity dispersion for the host galaxies of luminous AGNs. Accounting for the selection effects, we find that active and quiescent galaxies are consistent with following intrinsically the same M-sigma relation., ApJ in press, 10 pages, 4 figures

We present dynamical modeling of the broad line region (BLR) for a sample of five Seyfert 1 galaxies using reverberation mapping data taken by the Lick AGN Monitoring Project in 2008. By modeling the AGN continuum light curve and H$\beta$ line profiles directly we are able to constrain the geometry and kinematics of the BLR and make a measurement of the black hole mass that does not depend upon the virial factor, $f$, needed in traditional reverberation mapping analysis. We find that the geometry of the BLR is generally a thick disk viewed close to face-on. While the H$\beta$ emission is found to come preferentially from the far side of the BLR, the mean size of the BLR is consistent with the lags measured with cross-correlation analysis. The BLR kinematics are found to be consistent with either inflowing motions or elliptical orbits, often with some combination of the two. We measure black hole masses of $\log_{10}(M_{\rm\,BH}/M_\odot)=6.62^{+0.10}_{-0.13}$ for Arp 151, $7.42^{+0.26}_{-0.27}$ for Mrk 1310, $7.51^{+0.23}_{-0.14}$ for NGC 5548, $6.42^{+0.24}_{-0.18}$ for NGC 6814, and $6.99^{+0.32}_{-0.25}$ for SBS 1116+583A. The $f$ factors measured individually for each AGN are found to correlate with inclination angle, although not with $M_{\rm\,BH}$, $L_{5100}$, or FWHM/$\sigma$ of the emission line profile., Comment: 21 pages, 24 figures, 3 tables, Accepted for publication in MNRAS, corrected masses for NGC 5548 and NGC 6814 in the abstract

To calibrate stellar velocity dispersion measurements from optical and near-IR stellar lines, and to improve the black hole mass (MBH)- stellar velocity dispersion (sigma) relation, we measure stellar velocity dispersions based on high quality H-band spectra for a sample of 31 nearby galaxies, for which dynamical MBH is available in the literature. By comparing velocity dispersions measured from stellar lines in the H-band with those measured from optical stellar lines, we find no significant difference, suggesting that optical and near-IR stellar lines represent the same kinematics and that dust effect is negligible for early-type galaxies. Based on the spatially-resolved rotation and velocity dispersion measurements along the major axis of each galaxy, we find that a rotating stellar disk is present for 80% of galaxies in the sample. For galaxies with a rotation component, velocity dispersions measured from a single aperture spectrum can vary by up to ~20%, depending on the size of the adopted extraction aperture. To correct for the rotational broadening, we derive luminosity-weighted velocity dispersion within the effective radius of each galaxy, providing uniformly measured velocity dispersions to improve the MBH-sigma relation., To be published in ApJ, 12 pages, 9 figures

We present the single-epoch black hole mass estimators based on the CIV (1549 A) broad emission line, using the updated sample of the reverberation-mapped AGNs and high-quality UV spectra. By performing multi-component spectral fitting analysis, we measure the CIV line widths (FWHM_CIV) and line dispersion (sigma_CIV) and the continuum luminosity at 1350 A (L_1350) to calibrate the CIV-based mass estimators. By comparing with the Hbeta reverberation-based masses, we provide new mass estimators with the best-fit relationships, i.e., M_BH \propto L_1350 ^ (0.50+-0.07) sigma_CIV ^2 and M_BH \propto L_1350 ^ (0.52+-0.09) FWHM_CIV ^ (0.56+-0.48). The new CIV-based mass estimators show significant mass-dependent systematic difference compared to the estimators commonly used in the literature. Using the published Sloan Digital Sky Survey QSO catalog, we show that the black hole mass of high-redshift QSOs decreases on average by ~0.25 dex if our recipe is adopted., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, ApJ in press, figure revised

A sample of 102 local (0.02 < z < 0.1) Seyfert galaxies with black hole masses MBH > 10^7 M_sun was selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and observed using the Keck 10-m telescope to study the scaling relations between MBH and host galaxy properties. We study profile changes of the broad Hbeta emission line within the ~3-9 year time-frame between the two sets of spectra. The variability of the broad Hbeta emission line is of particular interest, not only since it is used to estimate MBH, but also since its strength and width is used to classify Seyfert galaxies into different types. At least some form of broad-line variability (in either width or flux) is observed in the majority (~66%) of the objects, resulting in a Seyfert-type change for ~38% of the objects, likely driven by variable accretion and/or obscuration. The broad Hbeta line virtually disappears in 3/102 (~3%) extreme cases. We discuss potential causes for these changing-look AGNs. While similar dramatic transitions have previously been reported in the literature, either on a case-by-case basis or in larger samples focusing on quasars at higher redshifts, our study provides statistical information on the frequency of H$��$ line variability in a sample of low-redshift Seyfert galaxies., 22 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

Young radio galaxies (YRGs) provide an ideal laboratory to explore the connection between accretion disk and radio jet thanks to their recent jet formation. We investigate the relationship between the emission-line properties, the black hole accretion rate, and the radio properties using a sample of 34 low-redshift (z < 0.4) YRGs. We classify YRGs as high-excitation galaxies (HEGs) and low-excitation galaxies (LEGs) based on the flux ratio of high-ionization to low-ionization emission lines. Using the H{\alpha} luminosities as a proxy of accretion rate, we find that HEGs in YRGs have \sim1 dex higher Eddington ratios than LEGs in YRGs, suggesting that HEGs have higher mass accretion rate or higher radiative efficiency than LEGs. In agreement with previous studies, we find that the luminosities of emission lines, in particular H{\alpha}, are correlated with radio core luminosity, suggesting that accretion and young radio activities are fundamentally connected., Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

We investigate the calibration and uncertainties of black hole mass estimates based on the single-epoch (SE) method, using homogeneous and high-quality multi-epoch spectra obtained by the Lick Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) Monitoring Project for 9 local Seyfert 1 galaxies with black hole masses < 10^8 M_sun. By decomposing the spectra into their AGN and stellar components, we study the variability of the single-epoch Hbeta line width (full width at half-maximum intensity, FWHM_Hbeta; or dispersion, sigma_Hbeta) and of the AGN continuum luminosity at 5100A (L_5100). From the distribution of the "virial products" (~ FWHM_Hbeta^2 L_5100^0.5 or sigma_Hbeta^2 L_5100^0.5) measured from SE spectra, we estimate the uncertainty due to the combined variability as ~ 0.05 dex (12%). This is subdominant with respect to the total uncertainty in SE mass estimates, which is dominated by uncertainties in the size-luminosity relation and virial coefficient, and is estimated to be ~ 0.46 dex (factor of ~ 3). By comparing the Hbeta line profile of the SE, mean, and root-mean-square (rms) spectra, we find that the Hbeta line is broader in the mean (and SE) spectra than in the rms spectra by ~ 0.1 dex (25%) for our sample with FWHM_Hbeta < 3000 km/s. This result is at variance with larger mass black holes where the difference is typically found to be much less than 0.1 dex. To correct for this systematic difference of the Hbeta line profile, we introduce a line-width dependent virial factor, resulting in a recalibration of SE black hole mass estimators for low-mass AGNs., Accepted for publication in ApJ. 18 pages, 17 figures

The size distribution of mini-filaments in voids has been derived from the Millennium Run halo catalogs at redshifts z=0,0.5,1 and 2. It is assumed that the primordial tidal field originated the presence of filamentary substructures in voids and that the void filaments have evolved only little, keeping the initial memory of the primordial tidal field. Applying the filament-finding algorithm based on the minimal spanning tree (MST) technique to the Millennium voids, we identify the mini-filaments running through voids and measure their sizes at each redshift. Then, we calculate the comoving number density of void filaments as a function of their sizes in the logarithmic interval and determine an analytic fitting function for it. It is found that the size distribution of void mini-filaments in the logarithmic interval has an almost universal shape, insensitive to the redshift: In the short-size section it is well approximated as a power-law, while in the long-size section it decreases exponentially. We expect that the universal size distribution of void filaments may provide a useful cosmological probe without resorting to the rms density fluctuations., MNRAS in press, revised version, two different definitions of void size considered, chi^2 tests of the universality included, more discussions on the universality of the void size distribution added

We investigate alignments between the spin axes of cosmic voids and the principal axes of nearby superclusters using the Millennium Run simulation of a LCDM cosmology. The concept of void spin was first introduced by Lee and Park in 2006 to quantify the tidal effect on voids from the surrounding matter distribution. Our numerical analysis reveals that the void spin axes are strongly aligned with the supercluster minor axes, but anti-aligned with the major axes, and have no correlations with the intermediate axes. We provide physical explanations to this numerical results on the basis of tidally induced correlations. It is expected that our work will provide a new insight into the characterization of the cosmic web on the largest scale., accepted by ApJ, revised version, improved analysis and discussion, 4 more figures added, 18 pages, 8 figures

Our universe is observed to be accelerating due to the dominant dark energy with negative pressure. The dark energy equation of state (w) holds a key to understanding the ultimate fate of the universe. The cosmic voids behave like bubbles in the universe so that their shapes must be quite sensitive to the background cosmology. Assuming a flat universe and using the priors on the matter density parameter (Omega_m) and the dimensionless Hubble parameter (h), we demonstrate analytically that the ellipticity evolution of cosmic voids may be a sensitive probe of the dark energy equation of state. We also discuss the parameter degeneracy between w and Omega_m., Comment: ApJL in press, growth factor corrected, parameter degeneracy calculated

Author(s): Bennert, VN; Treu, T; Auger, MW; Cosens, M; Park, D; Rosen, R; Harris, CE; Malkan, MA; Woo, JH | Abstract: We create a baseline of the black hole (BH) mass (MBH).stellar-velocity dispersion () relation for active galaxies, using a sample of 66 local (0.02 l z l 0.09) Seyfert-1 galaxies, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Analysis of SDSS images yields AGN luminosities free of host-galaxy contamination, and morphological classification. 51/66 galaxies have spiral morphology. Out of these, 28 bulges have Sersic index n l 2 and are considered candidate pseudo-bulges, with eight being definite pseudo-bulges based on multiple classification criteria met. Only 4/66 galaxies show signs of interaction/merging. High signal-to-noise ratio Keck spectra provide the width of the broad Hβ emission line free of Fe II emission and stellar absorption. AGN luminosity and Hβ line widths are used to estimate MBH. The Keck-based spatially resolved kinematics is used to determine stellar-velocity dispersion within the spheroid effective radius (σspat,reff). We find that σ can vary on average by up to 40% across definitions commonly used in the literature, emphasizing the importance of using selfconsistent definitions in comparisons and evolutionary studies. The MBH-σ relation for our Seyfert-1 galaxy sample has the same intercept and scatter as that of reverberation-mapped AGNs as well as that of quiescent galaxies, consistent with the hypothesis that our single epoch MBH estimator and sample selection function do not introduce significant biases. Barred galaxies, merging galaxies, and those hosting pseudo-bulges do not represent outliers in the MBH-σ relation. This is in contrast with previous work, although no firm conclusion can be drawn on this matter due to the small sample size and limited resolution of the SDSS images.

Cosmic voids refer to the large empty regions in the universe with a very low number density of galaxies. Voids are likely to be severely disturbed by the tidal effect from the surrounding dark matter. We derive a completely analytic model for the void ellipticity distribution from physical principles. We use the spatial distribution of galaxies in a void as a measure of its shape, tracking the trajectory of the void galaxies under the influence of the tidal field using the Lagrangian perturbation theory. Our model implies that the void ellipticity distribution depends sensitively on the cosmological parameters. Testing our model against the high-resolution Millennium Run simulation, we find excellent quantitative agreement of the analytic predictions with the numerical results., final version, published in PRL, all typos corrected in Fig.1 and the reference

We present a theoretical study of void spins and their correlation properties. The concept of the spin angular momentum for an unbound void is introduced to quantify the effect of the tidal field on the distribution of matter that make up the void. Both the analytical and numerical approaches are used for our study. Analytically, we adopt the linear tidal torque model to evaluate the void spin-spin and spin-density correlations, assuming that a void forms in the initial region where the inertia momentum and the tidal shear tensors are maximally uncorrelated with each other. Numerically, we use the Millennium run galaxy catalog to find voids and calculate their spin statistics. The numerical results turn out to be in excellent agreement with the analytic predictions, both of which consistently show that there are strong spatial alignments between the spin axes of neighbor voids and strong anti-alignments between the void spin axes and the directions to the nearest voids. We expect that our work will provide a deeper insight into the origin and properties of voids and the large scale structure., accepted version, ApJ in press, the concept of void spins explained, typos corrected

We investigate the cosmic evolution of the black hole (BH) mass -- bulge luminosity relation using a sample of 52 active galaxies at $z \sim 0.36$ and $z \sim 0.57$ in the BH mass range of $10^{7.4-9.1} M_{\odot}$. By consistently applying multi-component spectral and structural decomposition to high-quality Keck spectra and high-resolution HST images, BH masses ($M_{\rm BH}$) are estimated using the H$\beta$ broad emission line combined with the 5100 \AA\ nuclear luminosity, and bulge luminosities ($L_{\rm bul}$) are derived from surface photometry. Comparing the resulting $M_{\rm BH}-L_{\rm bul}$ relation to local active galaxies and taking into account selection effects, we find evolution of the form $M_{\rm BH} / L_{\rm bul} \propto (1+z)^{\gamma}$ with $\gamma=1.8\pm0.7$, consistent with BH growth preceding that of the host galaxies. Including an additional sample of 27 active galaxies with $0.5, Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 33 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables

Determining the virial factor of the broad-line region (BLR) gas is crucial for calibrating AGN black hole mass estimators, since the measured line-of-sight velocity needs to be converted into the intrinsic virial velocity. The average virial factor has been empirically calibrated based on the M-sigma relation of quiescent galaxies, but the claimed values differ by a factor of two in recent studies. We investigate the origin of the difference by measuring the M-sigma relation using an updated galaxy sample from the literature, and explore the dependence of the virial factor on various fitting methods. We find that the discrepancy is primarily caused by the sample selection, while the difference stemming from the various regression methods is marginal. However, we generally prefer the FITEXY and Bayesian estimators based on Monte Carlo simulations for the M-sigma relation. In addition, the choice of independent variable in the regression leads to ~0.2 dex variation in the virial factor inferred from the calibration process. Based on the determined virial factor, we present the updated M-sigma relation of local active galaxies., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJS. 13 pages, 9 figures