Assignment 5: Dark Matter

(Due: Week of 25 April 2021)

Instructions: Show each step of your calculations. Define the symbols you use. Lay
out your arguments logically and in full.

1. Make a plot showing relationship between velocity (in units of km/s, along the
ordinate) and redshift (from z = 0 to z = 10, along the abscissa) in both linear and
logarithmic scale for velocity, and linear scale for redshift in both cases (in steps for
redshift of 1). [20]

2. What transition of the hydrogen atom corresponds to the Lyman-α line, and what is
the rest wavelength of this line? The Lyman-α is one of the brightest lines emitted by
star-forming galaxies. If searches for this line are conducted at optical wavelengths,
spanning 400 to 700 nm, from ground-based observatories, over what redshift range
can such galaxies be discovered? [20]

3. One of the most distant galaxy yet discovered, dubbed GN-z11, has a redshift of z
= 11.1 (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/0004-637X/819/2/129/pdf).
Compute the recession velocity of this galaxy using the non-relativistic approximation
and the full relativistic formula. Can you now understand why we need to use the full
relativistic formula when computing the recession velocities of distant objects? [20]
4. Using the virial theorem, compute the mass of the Coma cluster for a velocity
dispersion of ~1000 km/s and a radius of ~3 Mpc, the values from modern
observations. [10]

5. From the rotation curve of the Milky Way, compute the mass of our Galaxy
adopting a spherically symmetric mass distribution. How does this mass compare
with that for an estimated mass in stars of ~5 × 1010 M¤ and in gas of ~5 × 109 M¤?
[10]

6. Compute the same as in Q5 but for the Andromeda galaxy. [10]

4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 kpc
7. Compute what General Relativity predicts for how much the apparent position of a
star would change by if light from this star just grazes the limb of the Sun, and if it
passes by the Sun at twice the solar radius? [10]

8. From the animation shown in the lecture notes, it is apparent that the configuration
of lensed images depends both on the position of the background lensed source with
respect to the foreground lensing object, as well as on the (distribution in) mass of the
foreground lensing object. To appreciate how astronomers use gravitational lensing
to determine the mass distribution of a foreground lensing object, light from the
background lensed source can be assumed to be deflected at the sky plane of the
foreground lensing object as drawn in the figure below (known as the thin lens
approximation). Consider now a background lensed source at an even larger distance
than that show in the figure below: draw two rays from this source to the Earth
directed towards opposite sides of the foreground lensing object. Where will the
images of this background lensed source appear relative to the lensed images of the
background lensed source drawn below? How can astronomers determine which
source is more distant? [20]
9. If the Earth, foreground lensing object, and background lensed source are perfectly
aligned along the line of sight, and the foreground lensing object has a spherically
symmetric mass distribution, an Einstein ring is produced as drawn in the figure
below. In the specific case were the distance, D, between the Earth and the
foreground lensing object is the same as the distance, D, between the foreground
lensing object and the background lensed source, the angular radius of the Einstein
ring is given by:

where M is the mass of the foreground lensing objecg. Compute the angular radius of
the Einstein ring for lensing by a:
(i) star with a mass of 1 M¤ at a distance of 100 pc and 1 kpc
(ii) galaxy with a mass of 1012 M¤ at a distance of 100 Mpc and 1000 Mpc
(iii) a galaxy cluster with a mass of 1015 M¤ at a distance of 100 Mpc and 1000
Mpc

Using skyview (https://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/current/cgi/query.pl), extract an optical

image of the:
(i) doubly-lensed quasi-stellar object QSO 0957+561, and determine the angular
separation between the two lensed images
(ii) the Cosmic Horseshoe, and determine the angular radius of this near-complete
Einstein ring
(iii) the giant arcs around the galaxy cluster RCS2 032727-132623 as shown below
(the blue arcs) in an image from the HST, and determine the angular
separation of these arcs
When comparing the images you extract from those shown on the Web, keep in mind
that optical astronomers are notorious for orienting images according with their
artistic tastes!