We present X-ray data for a complete sample of 44 luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs), obtained with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. These are the X-ray observations of the high luminosity portion of the Great Observatory All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS), which includes the most luminous infrared selected galaxies, log (L ir /L ) ≥ 11.73, in the local universe, z ≤ 0.088. X-rays were detected from 43 out of 44 objects, and their arcsec-resolution images, spectra, and radial brightness distributions are presented. With a selection by hard X-ray colour and the 6.4 keV iron line, AGN are found in 37% of the objects, with higher luminosity sources more likely to contain an AGN. These AGN also tend to be found in late-stage mergers. The AGN fraction would increase to 48% if objects with [Ne v]λ14.3 μm detection are included. Double AGN are clearly detected only in NGC 6240 among 24 double/triple systems. Other AGN are found either in single nucleus objects or in one of the double nuclei at similar rates. Objects without conventional X-ray signatures of AGN appear to be hard X-ray quiet, relative to the X-ray to far-IR correlation for starburst galaxies, as discussed elsewhere. Most objects also show extended soft X-ray emission, which is likely related to an outflow from the nuclear region, with a metal abundance pattern suggesting enrichment by core collapse supernovae, as expected for a starburst.

The Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) consists of a complete sample of 202 Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) selected from the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample (RBGS). The galaxies span the full range of interaction stages, from isolated galaxies to interacting pairs to late stage mergers. We present a comparison of the UV and infrared properties of 135 galaxies in GOALS observed by GALEX and Spitzer. For interacting galaxies with separations greater than the resolution of GALEX and Spitzer (∼ 2 − 6 ′′ ), we assess the UV and IR properties of each galaxy individually. The contribution of the FUV to the measured SFR ranges from 0.2% to 17.9%, with a median of 2.8% and a mean of 4.0 ± 0.4%. The specific star formation rate of the

We present an analysis of 15 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) at redshift > z 1 (9 at < < z 1.5 2.3) recently discovered in the CANDELS and CLASH Multi-Cycle Treasury programs using WFC3 on the Hubble Space Telescope. We combine these SNeIa with a new compilation of ∼1050 SNeIa, jointly calibrated and corrected for simulated survey biases to produce accurate distance measurements. We present unbiased constraints on the expansion rate at six redshifts in the range < < z 0.07 1.5 based only on this combined SNIa sample. The added leverage of our new sample at > z 1.5 leads to a factor of ∼3 improvement in the determination of the expansion rate at z=1.5, reducing its uncertainty to ∼20%, a measurement of2.69 0 0.52 0.86 . We then demonstrate that these six derived expansion rate measurements alone provide a nearly identical characterization of dark energy as the full SN sample, making them an efficient compression of the SNIa data. The new sample of SNeIa at > z 1.5 usefully distinguishes between alternative cosmological models and unmodeled evolution of the SNIa distance indicators, placing empirical limits on the latter. Finally, employing a realistic simulation of a potential Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope SN survey observing strategy, we forecast optimistic future constraints on the expansion rate from SNeIa.