Monday, October 31, 2011

arXiv: 1 November 2011

Extragalactic point source detection in WMAP 7-year data at 61 and 94 GHz
 The detection of point sources in Cosmic Microwave Background maps is usually based on a single-frequency approach, whereby maps at each frequency are filtered separately and the spectral information on the sources is derived combining the results at the different frequencies. On the contrary, in the case of multi-frequency detection methods, source detection and spectral information are tightly interconnected in order to increase the source detection efficiency.
In this work we apply the \emph{matched multifilter} method to the detection of point sources in the WMAP 7yr data at 61 and 94 GHz. This linear filtering technique takes into account the spatial and the cross-power spectrum information at the same time using the spectral behaviour of the sources without making any a priori assumption about it. We follow a two-step approach. First, we do a blind detection of the sources. Second, we do a refined analysis at their positions to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. At 94 GHz we detect 157 $5\sigma$ objects at $|b|>5^\circ$ (excluding the Large Magellanic Cloud region); 111 of them lie outside the WMAP Point Source Catalog mask. 28 of our detections are known Galactic sources or lie in regions of intense Galactic emission. All the other 129 have counterparts in lower frequency radio catalogues and are presumably extragalactic; 18 of them are not included in the WMAP 7yr catalogue. Our results constitute a substantial improvement over the WMAP Five-Band Point Source Catalog, which contains 87 $5\sigma$ detections at 94 GHz.
 
Environment Dependence of Dark Matter Halos in Symmetron Modified Gravity
 We investigate the environment dependence of dark matter halos in the symmetron modified gravity scenario. The symmetron is one of three known mechanisms for screening a fifth-force and thereby recovering General Relativity in dense environments. The effectiveness of the screening depends on both the mass of the object and the environment it lies in. Using high-resolution N-body simulations we find a significant difference, which depends on the halos mass and environment, between the lensing and dynamical masses of dark matter halos similar to the f(R) modified gravity. The symmetron can however yield stronger signatures due to a freedom in the strength of the coupling to matter.
 
 An Extended Excursion Set Approach to Structure Formation in Chameleon Models
Authors: Baojiu Li (Cambridge and Durham), George Efstathiou (Cambridge)
 In attempts to explain dark energy, a number of models have been proposed in which the formation of large-scale structure depends on the local environment. These models are highly non-linear and difficult to analyse analytically. N-body simulations have therefore been used to study their non-linear evolution. Here we extend excursion set theory to incorporate environmental effects on structure formation. We apply the method to a chameleon model and calculate observables such as the non-linear mass function at various redshifts. The method can be generalized to study other obervables and other models of environmentally dependent interactions. The analytic methods described here should prove useful in delineating which models deserve more detailed study with N-body simulations.
 
 

Sunday, October 30, 2011

arXiv: 28 October 2011

On the cosmological evolution of the black hole - host galaxy relation in quasars
 Quasars are useful tracers of the cosmological evolution of the black hole mass - galaxy relation. We compare the expectations of Semi-Analytical Models (SAM) of galaxy evolution, to the largest available datasets of quasar host galaxies out to z=3.
Observed quasar hosts are consistent with no evolution from the local M(BH) - L(host) relation, and suggest a significant increase of the mass ratio Gamma = M(BH)/M(host) from z=0 to z=3. Taken at face value, this is totally at odds with the predictions of SAM, where the intrinsic Gamma shows little evolution and quasar host galaxies at high redshift are systematically overluminous (and/or have undermassive BH). However, since quasars preferentially trace very massive black holes (10^9-10^10 Msun) at the steep end of the luminosity and mass function, the ensuing selection biases can reconcile the present SAM with the observations. A proper interpretation of quasar host data thus requires the global approach of SAM so as to account for statistical biases.
 
Running Spectral Index and Formation of Primordial Black Hole in Single Field Inflation Models
 A broad range of single field models of inflation are analyzed in light of all relevant recent cosmological data, checking whether they can lead to the formation of long-lived Primordial Black Holes (PBHs). To that end we calculate the spectral index of the power spectrum of primordial perturbations as well as its first and second derivatives. PBH formation is possible only if the spectral index increases significantly at small scales, i.e. large wave number $k$. Since current data indicate that the first derivative $\alpha_S$ of the spectral index $n_S(k_0)$ is negative at the pivot scale $k_0$, PBH formation is only possible in the presence of a sizable and positive second derivative ("running of the running") $\beta_S$. Among the three small-field and five large-field models we analyze, only one small-field model, the "running mass" model, allows PBH formation, for a narrow range of parameters. We also note that none of the models we analyze can accord for a large and negative value of $\alpha_S$, which is weakly preferred by current data.
 
The central dark matter distribution of NGC 2976
 We study the mass distribution in the late-type dwarf galaxy NGC 2976 through stellar kinematics obtained with the VIRUS-P integral-field spectrograph and anisotropic Jeans models as a test of cosmological simulations and baryonic processes that putatively alter small-scale structure. Previous measurements of the H-alpha emission-line kinematics have determined that the dark matter halo of NGC 2976 is most consistent with a cored density profile. We find that the stellar kinematics are best fit with a cuspy halo. Cored dark matter halo fits are only consistent with the stellar kinematics if the stellar mass-to-light ratio is significantly larger than that derived from stellar population synthesis, while the best-fitting cuspy model has no such conflict. The inferred mass distribution from a harmonic decomposition of the gaseous kinematics is inconsistent with that of the stellar kinematics. This difference is likely due to the gas disk not meeting the assumptions that underlie the analysis such as no pressure support, a constant kinematic axis, and planar orbits. By relaxing some of these assumptions, in particular the form of the kinematic axis with radius, the gas-derived solution can be made consistent with the stellar kinematic models. A strong kinematic twist in the gas of NGC 2976's center suggests caution, and we advance the mass model based on the stellar kinematics as more reliable. The analysis of this first galaxy shows promising evidence that dark matter halos in late-type dwarfs may in fact be more consistent with cuspy dark matter distributions than earlier work has claimed.
 
 Isocurvature Perturbations and Non-Gaussianity of Gravitationally Produced Nonthermal Dark Matter
Gravitational particle production naturally occurs during the transition from the inflationary phase to the non-inflationary phase. If the particles are stable and very weakly interacting, they are natural nonthermal dark matter candidates. We show that such nonthermal dark matter particles can produce local non-Gaussianities large enough to be observed by ongoing and near future experiments without being in conflict with the existing isocurvature bounds. Of particular interest is the fact that these particles can be observable through local non-Gaussianities even when they form a very small fraction of the total dark matter content.
 
 

arXiv: 26 October 2011

Far-Infrared Properties of Lyman Break Galaxies from Cosmological Simulations
Authors: Renyue Cen (Princeton University Observatory)
Utilizing state-of-the-art, adaptive mesh-refinement cosmological hydrodynamic simulations with ultra-high resolution (114h-1pc) and large sample size (>3300 galaxies of stellar mass >10^9Msun), we show how the stellar light of Lyman Break Galaxies at z=2 is distributed between optical/ultra-violet (UV) and far-infrared (FIR) bands. With a single scalar parameter for dust obscuration we can simultaneously reproduce the observed UV luminosity function for the entire range (3-100 Msun/yr) and extant FIR luminosity function at the bright end (>20Msun/yr). We quantify that galaxies more massive or having higher SFR tend to have larger amounts of dust obscuration mostly due to a trend in column density and in a minor part due to a mass (or SFR)-metallicity relation. It is predicted that the FIR luminosity function in the range SFR=1-100Msun/yr is a powerlaw with a slope about -1.7. We further predict that there is a "galaxy desert" at SFR(FIR) < 0.02 (SFR(UV)/10Msun/yr)^2.1 Msun/yr in the SFR(UV)-SFR(FIR) plane. Detailed distributions of SFR(FIR) at a fixed SFR(UV) are presented. Upcoming observations by ALMA should test this model. If confirmed, it validates the predictions of the standard cold dark matter model and has important implications on the intrinsic SFR function of galaxies at high redshift.
 
 Conceptual Problems in Cosmology
 In this essay a critical review of present conceptual problems in current cosmology is provided from a more philosophical point of view. In essence, a digression on how could philosophy help cosmologists in what is strictly their fundamental endeavor is presented. We start by recalling some examples of enduring confrontations among philosophers and physicists on what could be contributed by the formers to the day-time striving of the second ones. Then, a short review of the standard model Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walter (FLRW) of cosmology is given. It seems apparent that cosmology is living a golden age with the advent of observations of high precision. Nonetheless, a critical revisiting of the direction in which it should go on appears also needed, for misconcepts like "quantum backgrounds for cosmological classical settings" and "quantum gravity unification" have not been properly constructed up-to-date. Thus, knowledge-building in cosmology, more than in any other field, should begin with visions of the reality, then taking technical form whenever concepts and relations inbetween are translated into a mathematical structure. It is mandatory, therefore, that the meaning of such concepts be the same for all cosmologists, and that any relationship among all them be tested both logically as well as mathematically. In other words, the notorius feature of improbability of our universe, as is well-known, assures to cosmologists a priviledged degree of freedom for formulating interpretations and theories. However, at the same time, it demands for their formulations and conclusions to be considered in the light of data taken from astrophysical observations.
 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

arXiv: 26 October 2011

Constraints on dark energy from H II starburst galaxy apparent magnitude versus redshift data
 In this paper we use H II starburst galaxy apparent magnitude versus redshift data from Siegel et al. (2005) to constrain dark energy cosmological model parameters. These constraints are generally consistent with those derived using other data sets, but are not as restrictive as the tightest currently available constraints.
 
Ram pressure drag - the effects of ram pressure on dark matter and stellar disk dynamics
We investigate the effects of ram pressure stripping on gas-rich disk galaxies in the cluster environment. Ram pressure stripping principally effects the atomic gas in disk galaxies, stripping away outer disk gas to a truncation radius. We demonstrate that the drag force exerted on truncated gas disks is passed to the stellar disk, and surrounding dark matter through their mutual gravity. Using a toy model of ram pressure stripping, we show that this can drag a stellar disk and dark matter cusp off centre within it's dark matter halo by several kiloparsecs. We present a simple analytical description of this process that predicts the drag force strength and its dependency on ram pressures and disk galaxy properties to first order. The motion of the disk can result in temporary deformation of the stellar disk. However we demonstrate that the key source of stellar disk heating is the removal of the gas potential from within the disk. This can result in disk thickening by approximately a factor of two in gas-rich disks.
 
 Probing Dark Energy with Alpha Shapes and Betti Numbers
 We introduce a new descriptor of the weblike pattern in the distribution of galaxies and matter: the scale dependent Betti numbers which formalize the topological information content of the cosmic mass distribution. While the Betti numbers do not fully quantify topology, they extend the information beyond conventional cosmological studies of topology in terms of genus and Euler characteristic used in earlier analyses of cosmological models. The richer information content of Betti numbers goes along with the availability of fast algorithms to compute them. When measured as a function of scale they provide a "Betti signature" for a point distribution that is a sensitive yet robust discriminator of structure. The signature is highly effective in revealing differences in structure arising in different cosmological models, and is exploited towards distinguishing between different dark energy models and may likewise be used to trace primordial non-Gaussianities.
In this study we demonstrate the potential of Betti numbers by studying their behaviour in simulations of cosmologies differing in the nature of their dark energy.
 
 

arXiv: 25 October 2011

 Deformed Distance Duality Relations and Supernovae Dimming
 The basic cosmological distances are linked by the Etherington cosmic distance duality relation, $\eta (z) = D_{L}(z)(1+z)^{-2}/D_{A}(z) \equiv 1$, where $D_{L}$ and $D_{A}$ are, respectively, the luminosity and angular diameter distances. In order to test its validity, some authors have proposed phenomenological expressions for $\eta(z)$ thereby deforming the original Etherington's relation and comparing the resulting expressions with the available and future cosmological data. The relevance of such studies is unquestionable since any violation of the cosmic distance duality relation could be the signal of new physics or non-negligible astrophysical effects in the usually assumed perfectly transparent Universe. In this letter, we show that under certain conditions such expressions can be derived from a more fundamental approach with the parameters appearing in the $\eta(z)$ expression defining the cosmic absorption parameter as recently discussed by Chen and Kantowski. Explicit examples involving four different parametrizations of the deformation function are given. Based on such an approach, it is also found that the latest Supernova data can also be explained in the framework of a pure cold dark matter model (Einstein-de Sitter). Two different scenarios with cosmic absorption are discussed. Only if the cosmic opacity is fully negligible, the description of an accelerating Universe powered by dark energy or some alternative gravity theory must be invoked.
 
 TeVeS/MOND is in harmony with gravitational redshifts in galaxy clusters
 Wojtak, Hansen and Hjorth have recently claimed to confirm general relativity and to rule out the tensor-vector-scalar (TeVeS) gravitational theory based on an analysis of the gravitational redshifts of galaxies in 7800 clusters. But their ubiquitous modeling of the sources of cluster gravitational fields with Navarro-Frenk-White mass profiles is neither empirically justified out to the necessary radii in clusters, nor germane in the case of TeVeS. Using MONDian isothermal sphere models consistently constructed within MOND (equivalent to TeVeS models), we can fit the determined redshifts no worse than does general relativity with dark halos. Wojtak, Hansen and Hjorth's work is further marred by confusion between the primitive mu-function of TeVeS and the MOND interpolation function.
 
The missing matter problem: from the dark matter search to alternative hypotheses
Dark matter is among the most important open problems in both astrophysics and particle physics. We review the status of art of dark matter search at theoretical and experimental level discussing also alternative hypotheses.
 
 Towards singularity and ghost free theories of gravity
 We present the most general ghost-free gravitational action in a Minkowski vacuum. Apart from the much studied f(R) models, this includes a large class of non-local actions with improved UV behavior, which nevertheless recover Einstein's general relativity in the IR.
 
 

Sunday, October 23, 2011

24 October 2011

 The imprint of the relative velocity between baryons and dark matter on the 21-cm signal from reionization
 The post-recombination streaming of baryons through dark matter keeps baryons out of low mass (<10^6 solar masses) halos coherently on scales of a few comoving Mpc. It has been argued that this will have a large impact on the 21-cm signal before and after reionization, as it raises the minimum mass required to form ionizing sources. Using a semi-numerical code, we show that the impact of the baryon streaming effect on the 21-cm signal during reionization (redshifts z approximately 7-20) depends strongly on the cooling scenario assumed for star formation, and the corresponding virial temperature or mass at which stars form. For the canonical case of atomic hydrogen cooling at 10^4 Kelvin, the minimum mass for star formation is well above the mass of halos that are affected by the baryon streaming and there are no major changes to existing predictions. For the case of molecular hydrogen cooling, we find that reionization is delayed by a change in redshift of approximately 2 and that more relative power is found in large modes at a given ionization fraction. However, the delay in reionization is degenerate with astrophysical assumptions, such as the production rate of UV photons by stars.
 
 Horizon-preserving dualities and perturbations in non-canonical scalar field cosmologies
We generalize the cosmological duality between inflation and cyclic contraction under the interchange $a \leftrightarrow H$ to the case of non-canonical scalar field theories with varying speed of sound. The single duality in the canonical case generalizes to a family of three dualities constructed to leave the cosmological acoustic horizon invariant. We find three classes of models: (I) DBI inflation, (II) the non-canonical generalization of cyclic contraction, and (III) a new cosmological solution with rapidly decreasing speed of sound and relatively slowly growing scale factor, which we dub {\it stalled} cosmology. We construct dual analogs to the inflationary slow roll approximation, and solve for the curvature perturbation in all three cases. Both cyclic contraction and stalled cosmology predict a strongly blue spectrum for the curvature perturbations inconsistent with observations.

arXiv: 21 October 2011

 Prospects for determination of thermal history after inflation with future gravitational wave detectors
Thermal history of the Universe between inflation and big-bang nucleosynthesis has not yet been revealed observationally. It will be probed by the detection of primordial gravitational waves generated during inflation, which contain information on the reheating temperature as well as the equation of state of the Universe after inflation. Based on Fisher information formalism, we examine how accurately the tensor-to-scalar ratio and reheating temperature after inflation can be simultaneously determined with space-based gravitational wave detectors such as the DECI-hertz Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (DECIGO) and the Big-Bang Observer (BBO). We show that the reheating temperature is best determined if it is around 10^7 GeV for tensor-to-scalar ratio of around 0.1, and explore the detectable parameter space. We also find that equation of state of the early Universe can be also determined accurately enough to distinguish different equation-of-state parameters if the inflationary gravitational waves are successfully detected. Thus future gravitational wave detectors provide a unique and promising opportunity to reveal the thermal history of the Universe around 10^7 GeV.
 
 

arXiv: 20 October 2011

 Clustering of Primordial Black Holes. II. Evolution of Bound Systems
 Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) that form from the collapse of density perturbations are more clustered than the underlying density field. In a previous paper, we showed the constraints that this has on the prospects of PBH dark matter. In this paper we examine another consequence of this clustering: the formation of bound systems of PBHs in the early universe. These would hypothetically be the earliest gravitationally collapsed structures, forming when the universe is still radiation dominated. Depending upon the size and occupation of the clusters, PBH merging occurs before they would have otherwise evaporated due to Hawking evaporation.
 
 

Friday, October 21, 2011

arXiv: 19 October 2011

Ambiguous Tests of General Relativity on Cosmological Scales
 There are a number of approaches to testing General Relativity (GR) on linear scales using Parameterized Post-Friedmann (PPF) methods. It is generally assumed that the details of any given parameterization are unimportant if one uses it as a diagnostic for deviations from GR. In this brief report we show that this is not so by taking two particular parameterizations and analyzing a subset of the current cosmological data. We argue that any PPF approach should always be accompanied by a characterization of the class of modified gravity models it is seeking to approximate.
 
 

arXiv: 18 October 2011

 Cepheid Period-Luminosity Relations in the Near-Infrared and the Distance to M31 from the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3
Authors: Adam G. Riess (JHU/STScI), Juergen Fliri (OBSPM), David Valls-Gabaud (OBSPM)
 We present measurements of 68 classical Cepheids with periods from 10 to 78 days observed in the near-infrared by the PHAT Program using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The combination of HST's resolution and the use of near-infrared measurements provides a dramatic reduction in the dispersion of the Period--Luminosity relation over the present optical, ground-based data. Even using random-phase magnitudes we measure a dispersion of just 0.17 mag, implying a dispersion of just 0.12 mag for mean magnitudes. The error in the mean for this relation is 1% in distance. Combined with similar observations of Cepheids in other hosts and independent distance determinations, we measure a distance to M31 of mu_0=24.42 +/- 0.05 (statistical) +/- 0.03 (systematic), 765 +/- 28 kpc, in good agreement with past measurements though with a better, 3% precision here. The result is also in good agreement with independent distance determinations from two detached eclipsing binaries allowing for an independent calibration of the Cepheid luminosities and a determination of the Hubble constant.

arXiv: 17 October 2011

 Non-Gaussianity from Step Features in the Inflationary Potential
We provide analytic solutions for the power spectrum and bispectrum of curvature fluctuations produced by a step feature in the inflaton potential, valid in the limit that the step is short and sharp. In this limit, the bispectrum is strongly scale dependent and its effective non-linearity attains a large oscillatory amplitude. The perturbations to the curvature power spectrum, on the other hand, remain a small component on top of the usual spectrum of fluctuations generated by slow roll. We utilize our analytic solutions to assess the observability of the predicted non-Gaussian signatures and show that, if present, only very sharp steps on scales larger than ~ 2 Gpc are likely to be able to be detected by Planck. Such features are not only consistent with WMAP7 data, but can also improve its likelihood by 2 Delta ln L ~ 12 for two extra parameters, the step location and height. If this improvement were due to a slow roll violating step as considered here, a bispectrum or corresponding polarization power spectrum detection would provide definitive checks as to its primordial origin.
 
Clustering and redshift-space distortions in interacting dark energy cosmologies
 We investigate the spatial properties of the large scale structure (LSS) of the Universe in the framework of coupled dark energy (cDE) cosmologies. Using the public halo catalogues from the CoDECS simulations -- the largest set of N-body experiments to date for such cosmological scenarios -- we estimate the clustering and bias functions of cold dark matter (CDM) haloes, both in real- and redshift-space. Moreover, we investigate the effects of the dark energy (DE) coupling on the geometric and dynamic redshift-space distortions, quantifying the difference with respect to the concordance LambdaCDM model. At z~0, the spatial properties of CDM haloes in cDE models appear very similar to the LambdaCDM case, even if the cDE models are normalized at last scattering in order to be consistent with the latest Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data. At higher redshifts, we find that the DE coupling produces a significant scale-dependent suppression of the halo clustering and bias function. This effect, that strongly depends on the coupling strength, is not degenerate with sigma8 at scales r<5-10 Mpc/h. Moreover, we find that the coupled DE strongly affects both the linear distortion parameter, beta, and the pairwise peculiar velocity dispersion, sigma12. Although the models considered in this work are found to be all in agreement with presently available observational data, the next generation of galaxy surveys will be able to put strong constraints on the level of coupling between DE and CDM exploiting the shape of redshift-space clustering anisotropies.
 
A Generalized Theory of Varying Alpha
 In this paper, we formulate a generalization of the simple Bekenstein-Sandvik-Barrow-Magueijo (BSBM) theory of varying alpha by allowing the coupling constant, \omega, for the corresponding scalar field \psi\ to depend on \psi. We focus on the situation where \omega\ is exponential in \psi\ and find the late-time behaviours that occur in matter-dominated and dark-energy dominated cosmologies. We also consider the situation when the background expansion scale factor of the universe evolves in proportion to an arbitrary power of the cosmic time. We find the conditions under which the fine structure `constant' increases with time, as in the BSBM theory, and establish a cosmic no-hair behaviour for accelerating universes. We also find the conditions under which the fine structure `constant' can decrease with time and compare the whole family of models with astronomical data from quasar absorption spectra. Finally, we show that spatial variations on sub-horizon scales can dominate over the cosmological time evolution at late times, and we examine the effects on the external gravitational fields of spherical masses.
 
 Counter-Orbiting Tidal Debris as the Origin of the MW DoS
 The Milky Way satellite galaxies show a phase-space distribution that is not expected from the standard scenario of galaxy formation. This is a strong hint at them being of tidal origin, which would naturally explain their spacial distribution in a disc of satellites. It is shown that also their orbital directions can be reproduced with the debris of galaxy collisions. Both co- and counter-orbiting satellites are formed naturally in merger and fly-by interactions.
 
 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

arXiv: 14 October 2011

The inflating curvaton
The primordial curvature perturbation \zeta may be generated by some curvaton field \sigma, which is negligible during inflation and has more or less negligible interactions until it decays. In the current version of this scenario, the curvaton starts to oscillate while its energy density \rho_\sigma is negligible. We propose a radically different version, in which \rho_\sigma drives a few e-folds of inflation before the oscillation begins. In the simplest case we find f_NL ~ -1 for the non-gaussianity parameter, which may eventually be observable.
 
A multiwavelength study of near- and mid-infrared selected galaxies at high redshift: ERGs, AGN-identification and the contribution from dust
Authors:Hugo Messias
The main focus of this thesis is the IR spectral regime, which since the 70's and 80's has revolutionised our understanding of the Universe. A multi-wavelength analysis on Extremely Red Galaxy populations is first presented in one of the most intensively observed patch of the sky, the Chandra Deep Field South. By adopting a purely statistical methodology, we consider all the photometric and spectroscopic information available on large samples of Extremely Red Objects (EROs, 553 sources), IRAC EROs (IEROs, 259 sources), and Distant Red Galaxies (DRGs, 289 sources). We derive general properties: redshift distributions, AGN host fraction, star-formation rate densities, dust content, morphology, mass functions and mass densities. The results point to the fact that EROs, IEROs, and DRGs all belong to the same population, yet seen at different phases of galaxy evolution. The second part of this thesis is dedicated to the AGN selection in the IR, with particular relevance to the James Webb Space Telescope, to be launched in 2018. We develop an improved IR criterion (using K and IRAC bands) as an alternative to existing IR AGN criteria for the z<2.5 regime, and develop another IR criterion which reliably selects AGN hosts at 0<z<7 (using K, Spitzer-IRAC, and Spitzer-MIPS24um bands, KIM). The ability to track AGN activity since the end of reionization holds great advantages for the study of galaxy evolution. The thesis then focus on the importance of dust. Based on deep IR data on the Cosmological Survey, we derive rest-frame 1.6, 3.3, and 6.2um luminosity functions and their dependency on redshift. We estimate the dust contribution to those wavelengths and show that the hot dust luminosity density evolves since z=1-2 with a much steeper drop than the star-formation history of the Universe. Future prospects are finally discussed in the last chapter.
 
Light Loop Echoes and Blinking Black Holes
Authors:Latham Boyle (CITA, Perimeter), Matthew Russo (CITA)
Radiation emitted near a black hole reaches the observer by multiple paths; and when this radiation varies in time, the time-delays between the various paths generate a "blinking" effect in the observed light curve L(t) or its auto-correlation function xi(T)= <L(t)L(t-T)>. For the particularly important "face-on" configuration (in which the hole is viewed roughly along its spin axis, while the emission comes roughly from its equatorial plane -- e.g. from the inner edge of its accretion disk, or from the violent flash of a nearby/infalling star) we calculate the blinking in detail by computing the time delay Delta t_{j}(r,a) and magnification mu_{j}(r,a) of the jth path (j=1,2,3,...), relative to the primary path (j=0), as a function of the emission radius r and black hole spin 0<a/M<1. The particular geometry and symmetry of the nearly-face-on configuration enhances and "protects" the blinking signal, making it more detectable and more independent of certain astrophysical and observational details. The effect can be surprisingly strong: e.g. for radiation from the innermost stable circular orbit ("ISCO") of a black hole of critical spin (a_{crit}/M = 0.853), the j=1,2,3 fluxes are, respectively, 27%, 2% and 0.1% of the j=0 flux.
 
 

arXiv: 13 October 2011

Searches for Particle Dark Matter: An Introduction
Authors:Pat Scott
The identity of dark matter is one of the key outstanding problems in both particle and astrophysics. In this thesis, I describe a number of complementary searches for particle dark matter. I discuss how the impact of dark matter on stars can constrain its interaction with nuclei, focussing on main sequence stars close to the Galactic Centre, and on the first stars as seen through the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. The mass and annihilation cross-section of dark matter particles can be probed with searches for gamma rays produced in astronomical targets. Dwarf galaxies and ultracompact, primordially-produced dark matter minihalos turn out to be especially promising in this respect. I illustrate how the results of these searches can be combined with constraints from accelerators and cosmology to produce a single global fit to all available data. Global fits in supersymmetry turn out to be quite technically demanding, even with the simplest predictive models and the addition of complementary data from a bevy of astronomical and terrestrial experiments; I show how genetic algorithms can help in overcoming these challenges.
 
Dwarf Galaxies in the Coma Cluster: I. Velocity Dispersion Measurements
Authors:E. Kourkchi (1, 2), H. G. Khosroshahi (1), D. Carter (3), A.M. Karick (3), E. Mármol-Queraltó (4), K. Chiboucas (5, 6), R. B. Tully (5), B. Mobasher (7), R. Guzmán (8), A. Matković (9), N. Gruel (10) ((1) School of Astronomy (IPM), Tehran, Iran, (2) Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, (3) Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, UK, (4) Departamento de Astrofśica, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain, (5) Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, USA, (6) Gemini Observatory, Northern Operations Center, Hawaii, USA, (7) Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, USA, (8) Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, USA, (9) Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, USA, (10) Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón, Spain.)
We present the study of a large sample of early-type dwarf galaxies in the Coma cluster observed with DEIMOS on the Keck II to determine their internal velocity dispersion. We focus on a subsample of 41 member dwarf elliptical galaxies for which the velocity dispersion can be reliably measured, 26 of which were studied for the first time. The magnitude range of our sample is $-21<M_R<-15$ mag.
This paper (paper I) focuses on the measurement of the velocity dispersion and their error estimates. The measurements were performed using {\it pPXF (penalised PiXel Fitting)} and using the Calcium triplet absorption lines. We use Monte Carlo bootstrapping to study various sources of uncertainty in our measurements, namely statistical uncertainty, template mismatch and other systematics. We find that the main source of uncertainty is the template mismatch effect which is reduced by using templates with a range of spectral types.
Combining our measurements with those from the literature, we study the Faber-Jackson relation ($L\propto\sigma^\alpha$) and find that the slope of the relation is $\alpha=1.99\pm0.14$ for galaxies brighter than $M_R\simeq-16$ mag. A comprehensive analysis of the results combined with the photometric properties of these galaxies is reported in paper II.
 
Dwarf Galaxies in the Coma Cluster: II. Spectroscopic and Photometric Fundamental Planes
Authors:E. Kourkchi (1 and 2), H. G. Khosroshahi (1), D. Carter (3), B. Mobasher (4) ((1) School of Astronomy (IPM) - Tehran - Iran., (2) Department of Physics - Sharif University of Technology - Tehran - Iran., (3) Astrophysics Research Institute - Liverpool John Moores University - UK., (4) Department of Physics and Astronomy - University of California - USA.)
We present a study of the fundamental plane, FP, for a sample of 71 dwarf galaxies in the core of Coma cluster in magnitude range $-21 < M_I <-15$. Taking advantage of high resolution DEIMOS spectrograph on Keck II for measuring the internal velocity dispersion of galaxies and high resolution imaging of HST/ACS, which allows an accurate surface brightness modeling, we extend the fundamental plane (FP) of galaxies to $\sim$1 magnitude fainter luminosities than all the previous studies of the FP in Coma cluster. We find that, the scatter about the FP depends on the faint-end luminosity cutoff, such that the scatter increases for fainter galaxies. The residual from the FP correlates with the galaxy colour, with bluer galaxies showing larger residuals from FP.
We find $M/L \propto M^{-0.15\pm0.22}$ in F814W-band indicating that in faint dwarf ellipticals, the $M/L$ ratio is insensitive to the mass. We find that less massive dwarf ellipticals are bluer than their brighter counterparts, possibly indicating ongoing star formation activity. Although tidal encounters and harassment can play a part in removing stars and dark matter from the galaxy, we believe that the dominant effect will be the stellar wind associated with the star formation, which will remove material from the galaxy resulting in larger $M/L$ ratios. We attribute the deviation of a number of faint blue dwarfs from the FP of brighter ellipticals to this effect.
We also study other scaling relations involving galaxy photometric properties including the photometric plane. We show that, compared to the FP, the scatter about the photometric plane is smaller at the faint end.
 
 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

arXiv: 12 October 2011

Galaxy cluster number count data constraints on dark energy
We use data on massive galaxy clusters (M_cluster > 8 10^14 h^(-1) M_solar within a comoving radius of R_cluster = 1.5 h^(-1)Mpc) in the redshift range 0.05 < z < 0.83 to place constraints on the dark energy equation-of-state parameters (w_0,w_a), as well as on the nonrelativistic matter density parameter Omega_m, on the amplitude of mass fluctuations sigma_8, on the index n of the power-law spectrum of the density perturbations, and on the Hubble constant H_0. We show that present data weakly constrain (w_0,w_a) around the values corresponding to a cosmological constant, i.e. (w_0,w_a) = (-1,0). Cluster data alone prefer low values of the amplitude of mass fluctuations, sigma_8 < 0.69 (1 sigma C.L.), and large amounts of nonrelativistic matter, Omega_m > 0.38 (1 sigma C.L.), in slight tension with the LambdaCDM concordance cosmological model (the results are however compatible with LambdaCDM at 2sigma). We derive a sigma_8 normalization relation, sigma_8 Omega_m^(1/3) = 0.49 \pm 0.06 (2 sigma C.L.), and we find that the fit to data is almost independent of n and only very weakly dependent on H_0. Combining cluster data with baryon acoustic oscillation observations, cosmic microwave background data, Hubble constant measurements, Hubble parameter determination from passively-evolving red galaxies, and magnitude-redshift data of type Ia supernovae, we find sigma_8 = 0.73^(+0.03)_(-0.03), Omega_m = 0.28^(+0.03)_(-0.02), w_0 = -1.14^(+0.14)_(-0.16), w_a = 0.85^(+0.42)_(-0.60), H_0 = 69.1^(+1.3)_(-1.5) km/s/Mpc (all 1 sigma C.L. errors), in substantial agreement with the concordance cosmological model. Very similar results are found in the case of time-evolving dark energy with a constant equation-of-state parameter w = const (the XCDM parametrization). Finally, we show that the impact of bounds on (w_0,w_a) is to favor top-down phantom models of evolving dark energy.
 
Supersonic baryon-CDM velocities and CMB B-mode polarization
Authors:Simone Ferraro (1), Kendrick M. Smith (1), Cora Dvorkin (2) ((1) Princeton University, (2) Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton)
It has recently been shown that supersonic relative velocities between dark matter and baryonic matter can have a significant effect on formation of the first structures in the universe. If this effect is still non-negligible during the epoch of hydrogen reionization, it generates large-scale anisotropy in the free electron density, which gives rise to a CMB B-mode. We compute the B-mode power spectrum and find a characteristic shape with acoustic peaks at l ~ 200, 400, ... The amplitude of this signal is a free parameter which is related to the dependence of the ionization fraction on the relative baryon-CDM velocity during the epoch of reionization. However, we find that the B-mode signal is undetectably small for currently favored reionization models in which hydrogen is reionized promptly at z ~ 10, although constraints on this signal by future experiments may help constrain models in which partial reionization occurs at higher redshift, e.g. by accretion onto primordial black holes.
 
Halo Scale Predictions of Symmetron Modified Gravity
We offer predictions of symmetron modified gravity in the neighborhood of realistic dark matter halos. The predictions for the fifth force are obtained by solving the nonlinear symmetron equation of motion in the spherical NFW approximation. In addition, we compare the three major known screening mechanisms: Vainshtein, Chameleon, and Symmetron around such dark matter sources, emphasizing the significant differences between them and highlighting observational tests which exploit these differences. Finally, we demonstrate the host halo environmental screening effect ("blanket screening") on smaller satellite halos by solving for the modified forces around a density profile which is the sum of satellite and approximate host components.
 
 

arXiv: 11 October 2011s

The key role of the Calan/Tololo project in the discovery of the accelerating Universe
Authors:Mario Hamuy
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 has just been awarded to three astronomers: Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt, and Adam Riess, for their amazing discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe. Without diminishing the achievement of our community's laureates, here I elaborate on the role of the C&T project in this discovery.
 
 

Monday, October 10, 2011

arXiv: 10 October 2011

Testing Inflation with Dark Matter Halos
Cosmic inflation provides a mechanism for generating the early density perturbations that seeded the large-scale structures we see today. Primordial non-Gaussianity is among the most promising of few observational tests of physics at this epoch. At present non-Gaussianity is best constrained by the cosmic microwave background, but in the near term large-scale structure data may be competitive so long as the effects of primordial non-Gaussianity can be modeled through the non-linear process of structure formation. We discuss recent work modeling effects of a few types of primordial non-Gaussianity on the large-scale halo clustering and the halo mass function. More specifically, we compare analytic and N-body results for two variants of the curvaton model of inflation: (i) a "tauNL" scenario in which the curvaton and inflaton contribute equally to the primordial curvature perturbation and (ii) a "gNL" model where the usual quadratic fNL term in the potential cancels, but a large cubic term remains.
 
Evolution of the Galaxy - Dark Matter Connection and the Assembly of Galaxies in Dark Matter Halos
Authors:Xiaohu Yang (SHAO), H.J. Mo (UMass), Frank C. van den Bosch (Yale), Youcai Zhang (SHAO), Jiaxin Han (SHAO)
We present a new model to describe the galaxy-dark matter connection across cosmic time, which unlike the popular subhalo abundance matching technique is self-consistent in that it takes account of the facts that (i) subhalos are accreted at different times, and (ii) the properties of satellite galaxies may evolve after accretion. Using observations of galaxy stellar mass functions out to $z \sim 4$, the conditional stellar mass function at $z\sim 0.1$ obtained from SDSS galaxy group catalogues, and the two-point correlation function (2PCF) of galaxies at $z \sim 0.1$ as function of stellar mass, we constrain the relation between galaxies and dark matter halos over the entire cosmic history from $z \sim 4$ to the present. This relation is then used to predict the median assembly histories of different stellar mass components within dark matter halos (central galaxies, satellite galaxies, and halo stars). We also make predictions for the 2PCFs of high-$z$ galaxies as function of stellar mass. Our main findings are the following: (i) Our model reasonably fits all data within the observational uncertainties, indicating that the $\Lambda$CDM concordance cosmology is consistent with a wide variety of data regarding the galaxy population across cosmic time. (ii) ... [abridged]
 
Mapping the Universe: The 2010 Russell Lecture
Redshift surveys are a powerful tool of modern cosmology. We discuss two aspects of their power to map the distribution of mass and light in the universe: (1) measuring the mass distribution extending into the infall regions of rich clusters and (2) applying deep redshift surveys to the selection of clusters of galaxies and to the identification of very large structures (Great Walls). We preview the HectoMAP project, a redshift survey with median redshift z = 0.34 covering 50 square degrees to r= 21. We emphasize the importance and power of spectroscopy for exploring and understanding the nature and evolution of structure in the universe.
 
ECOSMOG: An Efficient Code for Simulating Modified Gravity
Authors:Baojiu Li (Durham and Cambridge), Gong-Bo Zhao (Portsmouth), Romain Teyssier (Zurich and CEA Saclay), Kazuya Koyama (Portsmouth)
We introduce a new code, ECOSMOG, to run N-body simulations for a wide class of modified gravity and dynamical dark energy theories. These theories generally have one or more new dynamical degrees of freedom, the dynamics of which are governed by their (usually rather nonlinear) equations of motion. Solving these non-linear equations has been a great challenge in cosmology. Our code is based on the RAMSES code, which solves the Poisson equation on adaptively refined meshes to gain high resolutions in the high-density regions. We have added a solver for the extra degree(s) of freedom and performed numerous tests for the f(R) gravity model as an example to show its reliability. We find that much higher efficiency could be achieved compared with other existing mesh/grid-based codes thanks to two new features of the present code: (1) the efficient parallelisation and (2) the usage of the multigrid relaxation to solve the extra equation(s) on both the regular domain grid and refinements, giving much faster convergence even under much more stringent convergence criteria. This code is designed for performing high-accuracy, high-resolution and large-volume cosmological simulations for modified gravity and general dark energy theories, which can be utilised to test gravity and the dark energy hypothesis using the upcoming and future deep and high-resolution galaxy surveys.
 
 

arXiv: 7 October 2011

Anti-de-Sitter spacetime and its uses
Authors:G.W. Gibbons
This is a pedagogic account of some of the global properties of Anti-de-Sitter spacetime with a view to their application to the AdS/CFT correspondence. Particular care is taken over the distinction between Anti-de-Sitter and it's covering space.
Written version of lectures given at 2nd Samos Meeting held at at Pythagoreon, Samos, Greece, 31 August - 4 September 1998 and published as Anti-de-Sitter spacetime and its uses, in Mathematical and Quantum Aspects of Relativity and Cosmology. Proceedings of the 2nd Samos Meeting on Cosmology, Geometry and Relativity, S Cotsakis and G W Gibbons eds, {\it Lecture Notes in Physics}\, {\bf 537} (2000)}
 
On the Effects of Line-of-Sight Structures on Lensing Flux-ratio Anomalies in a LCDM Universe
The flux-ratio anomalies observed in multiply-lensed quasar images are most plausibly explained as the result of perturbing structures superposed on the underlying smooth matter distribution of the primary lens. The cold dark matter cosmological model predicts that a large number of substructures should survive inside larger halos but, surprisingly, this population alone has been shown to be insufficient to explain the observed distribution of the flux ratios of quasar's multiple images. Additional contributions from other halos (and their own subhalos) projected along the line of sight to the primary lens have been considered as a possible explanation, with inconclusive results so far. We use ray tracing through the Millennium II simulation to investigate the importanceof projection effects due to halos and subhalos of mass m>1E8 Msun/h and extend our analysis to lower masses, m>1E6 Msun/h, using Monte-Carlo halo distributions. We find that violations of the cusp-caustic relation caused by line-of-sight haloes are comparable to (or even larger than) those caused by intrinsic substructures. The magnitude of the violation depends strongly on the density profile and concentration of the intervening halos, but clustering plays only a minor role. For a typical lensing geometry (lens at redshift 0.6 and source at redshift 2), background haloes (behind the main lens) are more likely to cause a violation than foreground halos. The combined effect of substructures within the lens and along the line of sight in a LCDM universe results in a cusp-violation probability from lensing flux-ratio observations of ~20%. This is enough to reconcile the model with current data, but larger samples are required for a stronger test of the theory.
 
 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

arXiv: 6 OCtober 2011

GCG Parametrization for Growth Function and Current Constraints
We study the linear growth function $f$ of the large scale structures in a cosmological scenario where Generalised Chaplygin Gas (GCG) serves as the dark energy candidate. %Along the line of Wang and Steinhardt \cite{ws:98}%, In doing so, we parametrize the growth index parameter as a function of redshift and do a comparative study between the theoretical growth rate and the proposed parametrization. Moreover, with this new parametrization, we demonstrate the growth rate of a wide range of dark energy models and compare their actual behaviour with our proposed parametrization. We show that our proposed parametrization accurately represents the growth rate for a number of different dark energy models. Finally we compile a data set consisting of 28 datapoints within redshift range (0.15,3.8) to constrain the growth rate. It includes direct growth data from various projects/surveys including the latest data from the Wiggle-Z measurements. It also includes data constraining growth indirectly through the rms mass fluctuation $\sigma_8(z)$ inferred from Ly-$\alpha$ measurements at various redshifts. By fitting our proposed parametrization for $f$ with these data, we show that the growth history of the large scale structure of the universe may prefer a transient late time acceleration.
 
Metric-Palatini gravity unifying local constraints and late-time cosmic acceleration
We present a novel approach to modified theories of gravity that consists of adding to the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian an f(R) term constructed a la Palatini. Using the respective dynamically equivalent scalar-tensor representation, we show that the theory can pass the Solar System observational constraints even if the scalar field is very light. This implies the existence of a long-range scalar field, which is able to modify the cosmological and galactic dynamics, but leaves the Solar System unaffected. We also verify the absence of instabilities in perturbations and provide explicit models which are consistent with local tests and lead to the late-time cosmic acceleration.
 
 

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

arXiv: 5 October 2011

Properties of Dark Compact Ultra Dense Objects
We consider compact astrophysical objects formed from dark matter fermions of mass 250 GeV to 100 TeV or from massless fermions hidden by vacuum structure of similar energy scale. These macroscopic objects have maximum stable masses of sub-planetary scale (asteroids) and radii of micron to centimeter scale. We describe the surface gravity and tidal forces near these compact ultra dense objects, as pertinent to signatures of their collisions with visible matter objects.
 
The imprint of cosmological non-Gaussianities on primordial structure formation
We study via numerical N-body/SPH chemistry simulations the effects of primordial non-Gaussianities on the formation of the first stars and galaxies, and investigate the impact of supernova feedback in cosmologies with different fnl. Density distributions are biased to higher values, so star formation and the consequent feedback processes take place earlier in high-fnl models and later in low-fnl ones. Mechanical feedback is responsible for shocking and evacuating the gas from star forming sites earlier in the highly non-Gaussian cases, because of the larger bias at high densities. Chemical feedback translates into high-redshift metal filling factors that are larger by some orders of magnitude for larger fnl, but that converge within one Gyr, for both population III and population II-I stellar regimes. The efficient enrichment process, though, leads to metallicities > 0.01 Zsun by redshift ~9, almost independently from fnl. The impact of non-Gaussianities on the formation of dark-matter haloes at high redshift is directly reflected in the properties of the gas in these haloes, as models with larger fnl show more concentrated gas profiles at early times. Non-Gaussian signatures in the gas behaviour are lost after the first feedback takes place and introduces a significant degree of turbulence and chaotic motions.
 
 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

arXiv: 4 October 2011

Precision cosmography with stacked voids
We present a purely geometrical method for probing the expansion history of the Universe from the observation of the shape of stacked voids in spectroscopic re dshift surveys. Our method is an Alcock-Pasczinsky test based on the average sphericity of voids posited on the local isotropy of the Universe. It works by comparing the temporal extent of cosmic voids along the line of sight with their angular, spatial extent. We describe the algorithm that we use to detect and stack voids in redshift shells on the light cone and test it on mock light cones produced from N-body simulations. We establish a robust statistical model for estimating the average stretching of voids in redshift space and quantify the contamination by peculiar velocities. Finally, we assess the capability of this approach to constrain dark energy parameters in terms of the figure of merit (FoM) of the dark energy task force and in particular of the proposed Euclid mission which is particularly suited for this technique since it is a spectroscopic survey. The FoM due to stacked voids from the Euclid wide survey is double that of all other dark energy probes derived from Euclid data alone (combined with Planck priors). In particular, voids outperform Baryon Acoustic Oscillations by an order of magnitude. This result is consistent with simple estimates based on mode-counting. The Alcock-Paczinsky test based on stacked voids is therefore a potentially significant addition to the portfolio of major dark energy probes and the systematics that affect it should be studied in detail.
 
Astrophysical Constraints on Dark Matter
Authors:Charling Tao
Astrophysics gives evidence for the existence of Dark Matter and puts constraints on its nature. The Cold Dark Matter model has become "standard" cosmology combined with a cosmological constant. There are indications that "Cold" Dark Matter could be "warmer" than initially discussed. This paper reviews the main information on the Cold/Warm nature of Dark Matter
 
Modeling the evolution of infrared galaxies : clustering of galaxies in the Cosmic Infrared Background
Star-forming galaxies are a highly biased tracer of the underlying dark matter density field. Their clustering can be studied through the cosmic infrared background anisotropies. These anisotropies have been measured from 100 \mum to 2 mm in the last few years. In this paper, we present a fully parametric model allowing a joint analysis of these recent observations. In order to develop a coherent model at various wavelengths, we rely on two building blocks. The first one is a parametric model that describes the redshift evolution of the luminosity function of star-forming galaxies. It compares favorably to measured differential number counts and luminosity functions. The second one is a halo model based description of the clustering of galaxies. Starting from a fiducial model, we investigate parameter degeneracies using a Fisher analysis. We then discuss how halo of different mass and redshift, how LIRGs and ULIRGs, contribute to the CIB angular power spectra.
From the Fisher analysis, we conclude that we cannot constrain the parameters of the model of evolution of galaxies using clustering data only. The use of combined data of C\ell, counts and luminosity functions improves slightly the constraints but does not remove any degeneracies. On the contrary, the measurement of the anisotropies allows us to set interesting constraints on the halo model parameters, even if some strong degeneracies remain. Using our fiducial model, we establish that the 1-halo and 2-halo terms are not sensitive to the same mass regime. We also illustrate how the 1-halo term can be misinterpreted with the Poisson noise term. Conclusions. We present a new model of the clustering of infrared galaxies. However such a model has a few limitations, as the parameters of the halo occupation suffer from strong degeneracies.
 
 

Monday, October 3, 2011

arXiv: 3 October 2011

Variation of fundamental parameters and dark energy. A principal component approach
Authors:L. Amendola (ITP, U. Heidelberg), A.C.O. Leite (U. Porto), C.J.A.P. Martins (CAUP, U. Porto), N.J. Nunes (ITP, U. Heidelberg), P.O.J. Pedrosa (U. Porto), A. Seganti (U. Roma "La Sapienza")
We discuss methods based on Principal Component Analysis for reconstructing the dark energy equation of state and constraining its evolution, using a combination of Type Ia supernovae at low redshift and spectroscopic measurements of varying fundamental couplings at higher redshifts. We discuss the performance of this method when future better-quality datasets are available, focusing on two forthcoming ESO spectrographs -- ESPRESSO for the VLT and CODEX for the E-ELT -- which include these measurements as a key part of their science cases. These can realize the prospect of a detailed characterization of dark energy properties all the way up to redshift 4.
 
Segue 1: the best dark matter candidate dwarf galaxy surveyed by MAGIC
Despite the interest in Dark Matter (DM) searches is currently more focused on underground experiments, a signature of DM annihilation/decay in gamma-rays from space would constitute a smoking gun for its identification. In this contribution, we start with a brief review of the efforts of the ground-based MAGIC Cherenkov telescopes system to detect DM signatures from dwarf satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way halo. We then present the recent survey of Segue 1, considered by many as possibly the most DM dominated satellite galaxy known in our galaxy. No significant gamma-ray emission was found above the background in around 30 hours of observation. This is the largest survey ever made on a single dwarf by Cherenkov telescopes. We present a novel analysis that fully takes into account the spectral features of the gamma-ray spectrum of specific DM models in a Supersymmetric scenario. We also discuss the prospects of detection after the Fermi observation of similar objects at lower energies.