Context. As recently demonstrated, high-z submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) are the perfect background sample for tracing the mass density profiles of galaxies and clusters (baryonic and dark matter) and their time-evolution through gravitational lensing. Their magnification bias, a weak gravitational lensing effect, is a powerful tool for constraining the free parameters of a halo occupation distribution (HOD) model and potentially also some of the main cosmological parameters. Aims. The aim of this work is to test the capability of the magnification bias produced on high-z SMGs as a cosmological probe. We exploit cross-correlation data to constrain not only astrophysical parameters (Mmin, M1, and α), but also some of the cosmological ones (Ωm, σ8, and H0) for this proof of concept. Methods. The measured cross-correlation function between a foreground sample of GAMA galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the range 0.2 < z < 0.8 and a background sample of H-ATLAS galaxies with photometric redshifts > 1.2 is modelled using the traditional halo model description that depends on HOD and cosmological parameters. These parameters are then estimated by performing a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis using different sets of priors to test the robustness of the results and to study the performance of this novel observable with the current set of data. Results. With our current results, Ωm and H0 cannot be well constrained. However, we can set a lower limit of > 0.24 at 95% confidence level (CL) on Ωm and we see a slight trend towards H0 >  70 values. For our constraints on σ8 we obtain only a tentative peak around 0.75, but an interesting upper limit of σ8 ≲ 1 at 95% CL. We also study the possibility to derive better constraints by imposing more restrictive priors on the astrophysical parameters.

Aims. The main purpose of this work is to provide a proof-of-concept method to derive tabulated observational constraints on the halo mass function (HMF) by studying the magnification bias effect on high-redshift submillimeter galaxies. Under the assumption of universality, we parametrize the HMF according to two traditional models, namely the Sheth and Tormen (ST) and Tinker fits, derive posterior distributions for their parameters, and assess their performance in explaining the measured data within the Λ cold dark matter model. We also study the potential influence of the halo occupation distribution (HOD) parameters in this analysis and discuss two aspects regarding the HMF parametrization, namely its normalization and the possibility of allowing negative values for the parameters. Methods. We measure the cross-correlation function between a foreground sample of GAMA galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the range 0.2 < z < 0.8 and a background sample of H-ATLAS galaxies with photometric redshifts in the range 1.2 < z < 4.0 and carry out a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm in the context of Bayesian inference to check this observable against its mathematical prediction within the halo model formalism, which depends on both the HOD and HMF parameters. Results. Under the assumption that all HMF parameters are positive, the ST fit only seems to fully explain the measurements by forcing the mean number of satellite galaxies in a halo to increase substantially from its prior mean value. The Tinker fit, on the other hand, provides a robust description of the data without relevant changes in the HOD parameters, but with some dependence on the prior range of two of its parameters. When the normalization condition for the HMF is dropped and we allow negative values of the p1 parameter in the ST fit, all the involved parameters are better determined, unlike the previous models, thus deriving the most general HMF constraints. While all the aforementioned cases are in agreement with the traditional fits within the uncertainties, the last one hints at a slightly higher number of halos at intermediate and high masses, raising the important point of the allowed parameter range.

Context. The magnification bias is a gravitational lensing effect that produces an increase or decrease in the detection probability of background sources near the position of a lense. The special properties of the submillimetre galaxies (SMGs; steep source number counts, high redshift, and a very low cross-contamination with respect to the optical band) makes them the optimal background sample for magnification bias studies. Aims. We want to study the average mass density profile of tens to hundreds of clusters of galaxies acting as lenses that produce a magnification bias on the SMGs, and to estimate their associated masses and concentrations for different richness ranges. The cluster richness is defined as R = L200/L* with L200 as the total r-band luminosity within the radius r200. Methods. The background sample is composed of SMGs observed by Herschel with 1.2 < z < 4.0 (mean redshift at ∼2.3) while the foreground sample is made up of galaxy clusters extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III with photometric redshifts of 0.05 < z < 0.8 (mean redshift at ∼0.38). Measurements are obtained by stacking the SMG–cluster pairs to estimate the cross-correlation function using the Davis-Peebles estimator. This methodology allows us to derive the mass density profile for a wide range of angular scales, ∼2 − 250 arcsec or ∼10 − 1300 kpc for z = 0.38, with a high radial resolution, and in particular to study the inner part of the dark matter halo (< 100 kpc). In addition, we also divide the cluster sample into five bins of richness and we analyse the estimated cross-correlation data using different combinations of the most common theoretical mass density profiles. Results. It is impossible to fit the data with a single mass density profile at all scales: in the inner part there is a clear excess in the mass density profile with respect to the outer part that we interpret as the galactic halo of the big central galaxy. As for the outer part, the estimated average masses increase with richness from M200c = 5.8 × 1013 M⊙ to M200c = 51.5 × 1013 M⊙ (M200c = 7.1 × 1013 M⊙ for the total sample). With respect to the concentration parameter, its average also increases with richness from C = 0.74 to C = 1.74 (C = 1.72 for the total sample). In the small-scale regions, the obtained average masses fluctuate around M200c = 3 − 4 × 1013 M⊙ with average concentration values of around C ∼ 4. Conclusions. The total average masses are in perfect agreement with the mass–richness relationship estimated from the cluster catalogue. In the bins of lowest richness, the central galactic halo constitutes ∼40% of the total mass of the cluster and its relevance decreases for higher richness values. While the estimated average concentration values of the central galactic halos are in agreement with traditional mass–concentration relationships, we find low concentrations for the outer part. Moreover, the concentrations decrease for lower richness values, probably indicating that the group of galaxies cannot be considered to be relaxed systems. Finally, we notice a systematic lack of signal at the transition between the dominance of the cluster halo and the central galactic halo (∼100 kpc). This feature is also present in previous studies using different catalogues and/or methodologies, but is never discussed.

Context. The study of the magnification bias produced on high-redshift sub-millimetre galaxies by foreground galaxies through the analysis of the cross-correlation function was recently demonstrated as an interesting independent alternative to the weak-lensing shear as a cosmological probe. Aims. In the case of the proposed observable, most of the cosmological constraints mainly depend on the largest angular separation measurements. Therefore, we aim to study and correct the main large-scale biases that affect foreground and background galaxy samples to produce a robust estimation of the cross-correlation function. Then we analyse the corrected signal to derive updated cosmological constraints. Methods. We measured the large-scale, bias-corrected cross-correlation functions using a background sample of H-ATLAS galaxies with photometric redshifts > 1.2 and two different foreground samples (GAMA galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts or SDSS galaxies with photometric ones, both in the range 0.2 < z < 0.8). These measurements are modelled using the traditional halo model description that depends on both halo occupation distribution and cosmological parameters. We then estimated these parameters by performing a Markov chain Monte Carlo under multiple scenarios to study the performance of this observable and how to improve its results. Results. After the large-scale bias corrections, we obtain only minor improvements with respect to the previous magnification bias results, mainly confirming their conclusions: a lower bound on Ωm > 0.22 at 95% CL and an upper bound σ8 < 0.97 at 95% CL (results from the zspec sample). Neither the much higher surface density of the foreground photometric sample nor the assumption of Gaussian priors for the remaining unconstrained parameters significantly improve the derived constraints. However, by combining both foreground samples into a simplified tomographic analysis, we were able to obtain interesting constraints on the Ωm − σ8 plane as follows: Ωm = 0.50−0.20+0.14 and σ8 = 0.75−0.10+0.07 at 68% CL.

Resumen: La elección de una carrera universitaria supone el resultado de un proceso de autodescubrimiento en el que intervienen diversas variables. El objetivo central de la presente investigación es analizar cuáles son los motivos que llevan a los estudiantes de Bachillerato a elegir unos determinados estudios. Para ello, se ha diseñado una escala que permite medir los motivos de elección de estudios universitarios. Participaron 2005 estudiantes (46.10% hombres y 53.90% mujeres) de segundo curso de Bachillerato con edades comprendidas entre los 17 y los 24 años (M = 17.56; DT = .77) que suponen el 44.95% del total de los centros educativos asturianos que imparten diferentes ramas de Bachillerato: Ciencias y Tecnología (54.4%), Ciencias Sociales (30%), Humanidades (14.2%) y Artes (1.4%). La nueva escala presenta unas adecuadas propiedades psicométricas y ha permitido comprobar qué tipo de motivos tienen un mayor peso en la elección de estudios universitarios. Las motivaciones intrínsecas relacionadas con las preferencias personales de los estudiantes fueron las más influyentes. Sin embargo, motivaciones de tipo extrínseco como la tradición familiar o la facilidad de la carrera, fueron las que menos influyen en la elección de un determinado grado universitario.Palabras clave: Grado Universitario, Motivos, Cuestionario, Bachillerato, Orientación Vocacional. What motives have high school students for choosing a college degree?Abstract: Choosing a college degree is the result of a self discovery process in which many variables are involved. The main aim of the present research is to analyze what motives lead to high school students to choose a college career. To this end, a scale was designed in order to measure the motives of choosing a college degree. 2005 high school students (46.10% males y 53.90% females) aged 17 to 24 (M = 17.56; DT = .77) participated in the study and represent 44.95 % from the total of school centers of the Principality of Asturias). These centers teach the post-compulsory education which is divided into different branches, depending on the focus of study: Science and Technology (54.4%), Social Sciences (30%), Humanities (14.2%), and Arts (1.4%). The new scale has adequate psychometric properties and it has allowed to check the main motives for choosing a college degree. The most influential intrinsic motivations are those related to personal preferences of students. On the other hand, the extrinsic motivations such as family tradition or the ease of the course were the least influential motivations when choosing a university degree course.