Astr/Phys 328/428 Homework #1
1. Volume of the
Universe
Step 1: Find
the volume of the
Universe out to a comoving distance r. Using the Robertson-Walker
metric, we can define the differential volume element as
which means the volume out to a comoving distance r is given by
Solve for V(r) for k=-1,0,1.
Step 2: Find the relationship between comoving distance r (which you've
calculated the volume for, but is unobservable) to redshift z (which is
observable).
Start by using the R-W metric and integrating along the path of a light
ray. Do this exercise
using a flat, matter dominated OmegaM=1 universe. While
this cosmology is almost certainly not the correct one, it is a useful
"benchmark" to compare to (and it is analytically tractable!). This
should give you a relationship
like this: r=f(R,t0). Then use the Lemaitre equation to turn it into
r=f(z,t0).
Step 3: Combine the relationship
in steps 1 and 2 to show that
- V(z) is different in different universes. For
example, using the same techniques, but with messier math, we can show
that for an empty (non-Lambda) universe, the volume is
While for positively curved, OmegaM=2 universe
we have
- Plot the volume (in Mpc3) out to
a redshift z in each universe.
- If the distribution of galaxies in the universe
is completely
homogeneous, now plot the
relative number of galaxies you see (per unit redshift) at a redshift z as a function
of redshift in each case.
- In the absence of magnitude selection effects
(yeah, right!),
if you could see all the bright galaxies in the universe out to a
redshift of
z=2, what would the median
redshift of the galaxies be in these three universes? Explain
qualitatively why this makes sense.
- Why is this test (called the count-redshift
test) a
difficult
test to perform?
2. Lookback Times and Age Constraints
Use the
"Cosmo" applet for this exercise.
- It's 1990. You are a good, party-line
cosmologist
and "know"
that Omega=1, and that there is no such thing as the cosmological
constant.
You also "know" that globular clusters are 14-16 Gyr old. What can you
say about H0?
- A few years later, you decide that the
measurements of H0
are getting better, so you need to believe them. So take H0=55, and
tell
me what constraint you can place on Omega. What about if you believe
H0=65?
H0=75?
- And then Hipparcos comes along (around 1997)
and
tell us
that GCs are further away -- this means the ages of the globular
clusters get revised
downwards to 11-13 Gyr. Why does
the further distance mean a younger age? At the same time, you
decide, for better or worse,
that you like H0=65. Now what
constraints can you place on Omega?
- Later, in 1998 the high redshift galaxy
LBD53W091
was discovered.
It lives at a redshift of z=1.55, and its was determined to have a
minimum
age of 3.5 Gyr. How does this
change your constraints on Omega?
- Six months later, the age of LBD53W091 was
revised downwards,
and became 1.7 +/- 0.3 Gyr. NOW
how do your constraints on Omega change?
- Finally, this wacky Lambda idea starts to
take
off, so you
have to consider OmegaL as well. Given
your GC ages and H0, pick values
of OmegaL and, for those values, place limits on OmegaM. Make a plot of
your results on an OmegaL-OmegaM plane, showing regions of "allowed
cosmology" given
your GC age constraints.
3.
Observed properties of distant
objects
In Lambda=0
universes, the "luminosity distance" (ie the distance measure
you use when calculating brightnesses of objects) can be expressed
analytically, and is given by
Use this to derive an expression
for the magnitude-distance relationship m-M=fn(z,q0,H0).
Now plot the apparent magnitude
of M87 as a function of redshift (out to a redshift of, say, z=2)
for q0=0, 0.5, 1. Ignore K-corrections for
this calculation, but describe qualitatively
what the K-correction will do to your plot (and let's say you are
observing in rest frame V band).
Next, plot the observed effective radius of M87 as a
function of redshift.
Finally, combine your two calculations to calculate and plot the
effective surface brightness (in mags/arcsec^2; mu=m+2.5*log(area),
where area is in arcsec^2) as a function of redshift.
Discuss your results in terms of the effects of q0 and the
observability of distant objects.
4.
Distant objects
(For
this calculation, assume a flat matter dominated universe.)
One of the most distant radio galaxies is 8C 1435+63, at a redshift of
z=4.25. Answer the following:
- How old was the universe at this redshift? Give the answer
both in years and in fraction of the age of the universe today.
- What is the present proper distance in Mpc?
- What was the proper distance when the light we see was
emitted?
- What is the luminosity distance?
- What is the angular size distance? If the angular size of
the nucleus is 5", what is the linear size (in kpc) of the nucleus?
PHYS 428 additional items:
- Read the following (books on reserve in the Astronomy
Library):
- Magnitudes & Colors: Zeilik, Gregory, and Smith
"Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics", Chapter 11
- Stars: Zeilik, Gregory, and Smith "Introductory Astronomy
and
Astrophysics", Chapter 13-3
- Galaxies: Longair: 3.1-3.4, 3.7 (dont worry about the
subsections), 3.8
- A star cluster is made out of 106 solar-type
stars,
and is located 12 kpc from the Sun. It has a radius of 5 pc. Calculate
the following:
- Its absolute V-band magnitude.
- Its apparent V-band magnitude.
- Its angular size (in arcseconds).
- The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4874 sits at the center of
the
Coma cluster, has an apparent V magnitude of 11.73, and a B-V color of
0.87. Its effective radius is about 32 kpc. The recession velocity of
the Coma cluster is 7190 km/s. Calculate the following for NGC 4874:
- Its distance modulus.
- Its B band luminosity (in solar luminosities).
- Its V band effective surface brightness (in magnitudes per
square arcsecond).
