341 research outputs found
The 2016-2017 peak luminosity of the pre-main sequence variable V2492 Cyg
V2492 Cyg is a young pre-main sequence star presenting repetitive brightness
variations of significant amplitude (Delta R > 5 mag) whose physical origin has
been ascribed to both extinction (UXor-type) and accretion (EXor-type)
variability, although their mutual proportion has not been clarified yet.
Recently, V2492 Cyg has reached a level of brightness ever registered in the
period of its documented activity. Optical and near-infrared photometry and
spectroscopy have been obtained in October 2016 and between March and July
2017. The source has remained bright until the end of May 2017, then it started
to rapidly fade since the beginning of June at a rate of about 0.08 mag/day. On
mid-July 2017 the source has reached the same low-brightness level as two years
before. Extinction and mass accretion rate were derived by means of the
luminosity of the brightest lines, in particular Halpha and Hbeta. A couple of
optical high-resolution spectra are also presented to derive information on the
gas kinematics. Visual extinction variations do not exceed a few magnitudes,
while the mass accretion rate is estimated to vary from less than 10^-8 up to a
few 10^-7 M_sun/yr. This latter is comparable to that estimated on the previous
high-state in 2010, likely occurred under more severe extinction conditions.
The combined analysis of the optical and near-infrared (NIR) observations
extends to the present event the original suggestion that the V2492 Cyg
variability is a combination of changing extinction and accretion.Comment: Accepted by A&
On the 2015 outburst of the EXor variable star V1118 Ori
After a long-lasting period of quiescence of about a decade, the source V1118
Ori, one of the most representative members of the EXor variables, is now
outbursting. Since the initial increase of the near-infrared flux of about 1
mag (JHK bands) registered on 2015 September 22, the source brightness has
remained fairly stable. We estimate DeltaV about 3 mag with respect to the
quiescence phase. An optical/near-IR low-resolution spectrum has been obtained
with the Large Binocular Telescope instruments MODS and LUCI2, and compared
with a spectrum of similar spectral resolution and sensitivity level taken
during quiescence. Together with the enhancement of the continuum, the outburst
spectrum presents a definitely higher number of emission lines, in particular
HI recombination lines of the Balmer, Paschen, and Brackett series, along with
bright permitted lines of several species, forbidden atomic lines, and CO
ro-vibrational lines. Both mass accretion and mass loss rates have
significantly increased (by to about an order of magnitude, mass accretion rate
= 1.2-4.8 10^-8 M_sun/yr, mass loss rate = 0.8-2 10^-9 M_sun/yr) with respect
to the quiescence phase. If compared with previous outbursts, the present one
appears less energetic. Alternatively, it could already be in the fading phase
(with the maximum brightness level reached when the source was not visible),
or, viceversa, still in the rising phase.Comment: Accepted ApJ Letter
Evidence for T Tauri-like emission in the EXor V1118 Ori from near-IR and X-ray data
We present a near-IR study of the EXor variable V1118 Ori, performed by
following a slightly declining phase after a recent outburst. In particular,
the near-IR (0.8 - 2.3 micron) spectrum, obtained for the first time, shows a
large variety of emission features of the HI and HeI recombination and CO
overtone. By comparing the observed spectrum with a wind model, a mass loss
rate value is derived along with other parameters whose values are typical of
an accreting T Tauri star. In addition, we have used X-ray data from the XMM
archive, taken in two different epochs during the declining phase monitored in
IR. X-ray emission (in the range 0.5 - 10 keV) permits to derive several
parameters which confirm the T Tauri nature of the source. In the near-IR the
object maintains a low visual extinction during all the activity phases,
confirming that variable extinction does not contribute to brightness
variations. The lack of both a significant amount of circumstellar material and
any evidence of IR cooling from collimated jet/outflow driven by the source,
indicates that, at least this member of the EXor class, is in a late stage of
the Pre-Main Sequence evolution. In the X-ray regime, an evident fading is
present, detected in the post-outburst phase, that cannot be reconciled with
the presence of any absorbing material. This circumstance, combined with the
persistence (in the pre- and post-outburst phases) of a temperature component
at about 10 MK, suggests that accretion has some influence in regulating the
coronal activity
A long-lasting quiescence phase of the eruptive variable V1118 Ori
V1118 Ori is an eruptive variable belonging to the EXor class of Pre-Main
Sequence stars whose episodic outbursts are attributed to disk accretion
events. Since 2006, V1118 Ori is in the longest quiescence stage ever observed
between two subsequent outbursts of its recent history. We present
near-infrared photometry of V1118 Ori carried out during the last eight years,
along with a complete spectroscopic coverage from 0.35 to 2.5 um. A longterm
sampling of V1118 Ori in quiescence has never been done, hence we can benefit
from the current circumstance to determine the lowest values (i.e. the zeroes)
of the parameters to be used as a reference for evaluating the physical changes
typical of more active phases. A quiescence mass accretion rate between 1--3
10 M_{\sun} yr can be derived and the difference with
previous determinations is discussed. From line emission and IR colors analysis
a visual extinction of 1-2 mag is consistently derived, confirming that V1118
Ori (at least in quiescence) is a low-extinction T Tauri star with a bolometric
luminosity of about 2.1 L_{\sun}. An anti-correlation exists between the
equivalent width of the emission lines and the underlying continuum. We
searched the literature for evaluating whether or not such a behaviour is a
common feature of the whole class. The anti-correlation is clearly recognizable
for all the available EXors in the optical range (H and H
lines), while it is not as much evident in the infrared (Pa and
Br lines). The observed anti-correlation supports the accretion-driven
mechanism as the most likely to account for continuum variations.Comment: 6 figures, 5 tables, accepted on Ap
Recent outburst of the young star V1180 Cas
We report on the ongoing outburst of the young variable V1180 Cas, which is
known to display characteristics in common with EXor eruptive variables. We
present results that support the scenario of an accretion-driven nature of the
brightness variations of the object and provide the first evidence of jet
structures around the source. We monitored the recent flux variations of the
target in the Rc, J, H, and K bands. New optical and near-IR spectra taken
during the current high state of V1180 Cas are presented, in conjunction with
H2 narrow-band imaging of the source. Observed near-IR colour variations are
analogous to those observed in EXors and consistent with excess emission
originating from an accretion event. The spectra show numerous emission lines,
which indicates accretion, ejection of matter, and an active disc. Using
optical and near-IR emission features we derive a mass accretion rate of ~3 E-8
Msun/yr, which is an order of magnitude lower than previous estimates. In
addition, a mass loss rate of ~4 E-9 and ~4 E-10 Msun/yr are estimated from
atomic forbidden lines and H2, respectively. Our H2 imaging reveals two bright
knots of emission around the source and the nearby optically invisible star
V1180 Cas B, clearly indicative of mass-loss phenomena. Higher resolution
observations of the detected jet will help to clarify whether V1180 Cas is the
driving source and to determine the relation between the observed knots.Comment: Accepted as Letter in A&A; 4 pages, 3 figure
Simultaneous monitoring of the photometric and polarimetric activity of the young star PV Cep in the optical/near-infrared bands
We present the results of a simultaneous monitoring, lasting more than 2
years, of the optical and near-infrared photometric and polarimetric activity
of the variable protostar PV Cep. During the monitoring period, an outburst has
occurred in all the photometric bands, whose declining phase (J
3 mag) lasted about 120 days. A time lag of 30 days between
optical and infrared light curves has been measured and interpreted in the
framework of an accretion event. This latter is directly recognizable in the
significant variations of the near-infrared colors, that appear bluer in the
outburst phase, when the star dominates the emission, and redder in declining
phase, when the disk emission prevails. All the observational data have been
combined to derive a coherent picture of the complex morphology of the whole PV
Cep system, that, in addition to the star and the accretion disk, is composed
also by a variable biconical nebula. In particular, the mutual interaction
between all these components is the cause of the high value of the polarization
( 20%) and of its fluctuations. The observational data concur to
indicate that PV Cep is not a genuine EXor star, but rather a more complex
object; moreover the case of PV Cep leads to argue about the classification of
other recently discovered young sources in outburst, that have been considered,
maybe over-simplifying, as EXor.Comment: Accepted for publication on Ap
Discovery of the heavily obscured supernova 2002cv
On the 13th of May 2002, supernova 2002cv was discovered using a
near-infrared camera working at the AZT-24 1.1m telescope at Campo Imperatore
(AQ-Italy). After the infrared detection a simultaneous photometric follow-up
was started at optical wavelengths. The preliminary results confirm a heavily
obscured object with a V-K color not lower than 6 magnitudes, making SN 2002cv
the most reddened supernova ever observed. This finding, along with the recent
discovery of another obscured supernova, suggests a critical revision of the
rates known to date. The estimate of the visual extinction and the light curves
are provided here. These latter indicate that our SN 2002cv observations are
the earliest available for a type-Ia supernova at IR wavelengths.Comment: 4 page
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