2,625 research outputs found
Radio and X-ray Observations of the Type Ic SN 2007gr Reveal an Ordinary, Non-relativistic Explosion
We present extensive radio and X-ray observations of the nearby Type Ic SN
2007gr in NGC 1058 obtained with the Very Large Array and the Chandra X-ray
Observatory and spanning 5 to 150 days after explosion. Through our detailed
modeling of these data, we estimate the properties of the blastwave and the
circumstellar environment. We find evidence for a freely-expanding and
non-relativistic explosion with an average blastwave velocity, v~0.2c, and a
total internal energy for the radio emitting material of E ~ 2 x 10^46 erg
assuming equipartition of energy between electrons and magnetic fields
(epsilon_e=epsilon_B=0.1). The temporal and spectral evolution of the radio
emission points to a stellar wind-blown environment shaped by a steady
progenitor mass loss rate of Mdot ~ 6 x 10^-7 solar masses per year (wind
velocity, v_w=10^3 km/s). These parameters are fully consistent with those
inferred for other SNe Ibc and are in line with the expectations for an
ordinary, homologous SN explosion. Our results are at odds with those of Paragi
et al. (2010) who recently reported evidence for a relativistic blastwave in SN
2007gr based on their claim that the radio emission was resolved away in a low
signal-to-noise Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observation. Here we
show that the exotic physical scenarios required to explain the claimed
relativistic velocity -- extreme departures from equipartition and/or a highly
collimated outflow -- are excluded by our detailed Very Large Array radio
observations. Moreover, we present an independent analysis of the VLBI data and
propose that a modest loss of phase coherence provides a more natural
explanation for the apparent flux density loss which is evident on both short
and long baselines. We conclude that SN 2007gr is an ordinary Type Ibc
supernova.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Ap
The Yale Lar TPC
In this paper we give a concise description of a liquid argon time projection
chamber (LAr TPC) developed at Yale, and present results from its first
calibration run with cosmic rays.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, NuInt07 Conference Proceeding
A Radio Flare from GRB 020405: Evidence for a Uniform Medium Around a Massive Stellar Progenitor
We present radio observations of GRB 020405 starting 1.2 days after the
burst, which reveal a rapidly-fading ``radio flare''. Based on its temporal and
spectral properties, we interpret the radio flare as emission from the reverse
shock. This scenario rules out a circumburst medium with a radial density
profile \rho ~ r^{-2} expected around a mass-losing massive star, since in that
case the reverse shock emission decays on the timescale of the burst duration
t~100 s. Using published optical and X-ray data, along with the radio data
presented here, we further show that a self-consistent model requires
collimated ejecta with an opening angle of 6 degrees (t_j~0.95 days). As a
consequence of the early jet break, the late-time (t>10 days) emission measured
with the Hubble Space Telescope significantly deviates from an extrapolation of
the early, ground-based data. This, along with an unusually red spectrum, F_\nu
\~ \nu^{-3.9}, strengthens the case for a supernova that exploded at about the
same time as GRB 020405, thus pointing to a massive stellar progenitor for this
burst. This is the first clear association of a massive progenitor with a
uniform medium, indicating that a \rho ~ r^{-2} profile is not a required
signature, and in fact may not be present on the lengthscales probed by the
afterglow in the majority of bursts.Comment: Submitted to ApJ; 14 pages, 2 tables, 3 figure
Constraints on Off-Axis GRB Jets in Type Ibc Supernovae From Late-Time Radio Observations
It has been suggested that the peculiar properties of the luminous Type Ic
supernova SN 1998bw and its low-energy gamma-ray burst GRB 980425 may be
understood if they originated in a standard gamma-ray burst explosion viewed
far from the axis of the relativistic jet. In this scenario, strong radio
emission is predicted from the jet on a timescale 1 to 10 years after the
explosion as it decelerates and spreads into our line of sight. To test this
hypothesis we have carried out late-time radio observations of SN 1998bw at
years, yielding upper limits which are consistent with the continued
fading of the supernova. We find these limits to be consistent with an off-axis
jet only if the progenitor mass loss rate is
M yr (for a wind velocity km s) or the
fraction of the shock energy in magnetic fields is . These values are low relative to those inferred for cosmological
GRBs. We combine the SN 1998bw measurements with existing observations for a
sample of 15 local Type Ibc supernovae to estimate that at most 6% produce
collimated, relativistic outflows.Comment: Revised version, as it appears in ApJ
A Broader Perspective on the GRB-SN Connection
Over the last few years our understanding of local Type Ibc supernovae and
their connection to long-duration gamma-ray bursts has been revolutionized.
Recent discoveries have shown that the emerging picture for core-collapse
explosions is one of diversity. Compiling data from our dedicated radio survey
of SNe Ibc and our comprehensive HST survey of GRB-SNe together with
ground-based follow-up campaigns, I review our current understanding of the
GRB-SN connection. In particular, I compare local SNe Ibc with GRB-SNe based on
the following criteria: (1) the distribution of optical peak magnitudes which
serve as a proxy for the mass of Nickel-56 produced in the explosion, (2) radio
luminosity at early time (few days to weeks) which provides a measure of the
energy coupled to on-axis relativistic ejecta, and (3) radio luminosity at late
time (several years) which constrains the emission from GRB jets initially
directed away from our line-of-sight. By focusing on these three points, I will
describe the complex picture of stellar death that is emerging.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. To appear in the proceedings of the 16th Annual
October Astrophysics Conference in Maryland "Gamma Ray Bursts in the Swift
Era", eds. S. Holt, N. Gehrels & J. Nouse
VLBI Observations of SN 2008D
We report on two epochs of very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI)
observations of the Type Ib/c supernova SN 2008D, which was associated with the
X-ray outburst XRF 080109. At our first epoch, at t = 30 days after the
explosion, we observed at 22 and 8.4 GHz, and at our second, at t = 133 days,
at 8.4 and 5.0 GHz. The VLBI observations allow us to accurately measure the
source's size and position at each epoch, and thus constrain its expansion
velocity and proper motion. We find the source at best marginally resolved at
both epochs, allowing us to place a 3sigma upper limit of ~0.75c on the
expansion velocity of a circular source. For an elongated source, our
measurements are compatible with mildly relativistic expansion. However, our
3sigma upper limit on the proper motion is 4 micro-arcsec/day, corresponding to
an apparent velocity of <0.6c, and is consistent with a stationary flux
centroid. This limit rules out a relativistic jet such as an gamma-ray burst
jet away from the line of sight, which would be expected to show apparent
proper motion of >c. Taken together, our measurements argue against the
presence of any long-lived relativistic outflow in SN 2008D. On the other hand,
our measurements are consistent with the nonrelativistic expansion velocities
of <30,000 km/s and small proper motions (<500 km/s) seen in typical
supernovae.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter
Radio Monitoring of the Tidal Disruption Event Swift J164449.3+573451. I. Jet Energetics and the Pristine Parsec-Scale Environment of a Supermassive Black Hole
We present continued radio observations of the tidal disruption event
SwiftJ164449.3+573451 extending to \sim216 days after discovery. The data are
part of a long-term program to monitor the expansion and energy scale of the
relativistic outflow, and to trace the parsec-scale environment around a
previously-dormant supermassive black hole (SMBH). The new observations reveal
a significant change in the radio evolution starting at \sim1 month, with a
brightening at all frequencies that requires an increase in the energy by about
an order of magnitude, and an overall density profile around the SMBH of rho
\propto r^{-3/2} (0.1-1.2 pc) with a significant flattening at r\sim0.4-0.6 pc.
The increase in energy cannot be explained with continuous injection from an L
\propto t^{-5/3} tail, which is observed in the X-rays. Instead, we conclude
that the relativistic jet was launched with a wide range of Lorentz factors,
obeying E(>Gamma) \propto Gamma^{-2.5}. The similar ratio of duration to
dynamical timescale for Sw1644+57 and GRBs suggests that this result may be
applicable to GRBs as well. The radial density profile may be indicative of
Bondi accretion, with the inferred flattening at r\sim0.5 pc in good agreement
with the Bondi radius for a \sim10^6 M_sun black hole. The density at \sim0.5
pc is about a factor of 30 times lower than inferred for the Milky Way galactic
center, potentially due to a smaller number of mass-shedding massive stars.
From our latest observations (\sim216 d) we find that the jet energy is
E_{iso}\sim5x10^{53} erg (E_j\sim2.4x10^{51} erg for theta_j=0.1), the radius
is r\sim1.2 pc, the Lorentz factor is Gamma\sim2.2, the ambient density is
n\sim0.2 cm^{-3}, and the projected size is r_{proj}\sim25 microarcsec.
Assuming no future changes in the observed evolution we predict that the radio
emission from Sw1644+57 should be detectable with the EVLA for several decades,
and will be resolvable with VLBI in a few years.Comment: Submitted to ApJ; 22 pages, 2 tables, 9 figure
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