Day 173

Friday.  Get some more work on the GGLens!  I *was* depressed yesterday, and it showed during JC.  I really don't like alcohol.  Or maybe I should fight this, and train my body by drinking more.


1201.0993
New Evidence supporting cluster membership for the keystone calibrator delta cephei
Majaess, Turner, Gieren


* Delta Cephei: prototype of Cepheid variable stars, among the closest to the Sun.


New and existing UBVHJKs, spectroscopic, NOMAD, HST and HIP observations employed to determine properties for delta Cep and its host star cluster.  E(B-V), log(t), and distance (272 pm 8 pc) inferred.  Cluster has turnoff near B6.  More potential cluster members found (~30).  Foster better Galactic Cepheid calibration.


1201.0994
EVLA observations constrain the environment and progenitor system of Type Ia SNe 2011 fe
Chomiuk et al


Radio observations of SN 2011fe (Type Ia) to put direct constraints on the density of the surrounding medium, and hence the progenitor system.  Rule out symbiotic progenitor system, and system characterized by high accretion rate onto the WD.  Rule out the most popular single degenerate progenitor models for this SNe: leaving a limited phase space inhabited by some double degenerate systems and exotic progenitor scenarios.


1201.0995
Photo-z performance for precision cosmology II: Empirical verification
Bordoloi, Lilly, Amara, Oesch, Bardelli, Zucca, Vergani, Nagao, Murayama, Shioya, Taniguchi


Study the effect of "template error" by generating simulated photometric data set from actual COSMOS photometry.  Use the trick of simulating redder photometry of galaxies at higher redshifts by using a bluer set of passbands on low z galaxies with known redshifts.  Find "template error" is a rather small factor in photo-z performance, at the photometric precision and filter component expected for all-sky surveys.  Photoz accuracy can attain 0.002(1+z).