231 research outputs found
The Ulysses Supplement to the BATSE 3B Catalog of Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts
We present Interplanetary Network localization information for 218 gamma-ray
bursts in the 3rd BATSE catalog, obtained by analyzing the arrival times of
these bursts at the Ulysses and Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO)
spacecraft. For any given burst observed by these two spacecraft, arrival time
analysis (or "triangulation") results in an annulus of possible arrival
directions whose half-width varies between 7 arcseconds and 32 arcminutes,
depending on the intensity and time history of the burst, and the distance of
the Ulysses spacecraft from Earth. This annulus generally intersects the BATSE
error circle, resulting in an average reduction of the error box area of a
factor of 30.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Supplemen
X-ray Detection of the Primary Lens Galaxy Cluster of the Gravitational Lens System Q0957+561
Analysis of several recent ROSAT HRI observations of the gravitationally
lensed system Q0957+561 has led to the detection at the 3sigma level of the
cluster lens containing the primary galaxy G1. The total mass was estimated by
applying the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium to the detected hot
intracluster gas for a range of cluster core radii, cluster sizes and for
different values of the Hubble constant. X-ray estimates of the lensing cluster
mass provide a means to determine the cluster contribution to the deflection of
rays originating from the quasar Q0957+561. The present mass estimates were
used to evaluate the convergence parameter kappa, the ratio of the local
surface mass density of the cluster to the critical surface mass density for
lensing. The convergence parameter, kappa, calculated in the vicinity of the
lensed images, was found to range between 0.07 and 0.21, depending on the
assumed cluster core radius and cluster extent. This range of uncertainty in
kappa does not include possible systematic errors arising from the estimation
of the cluster temperature through the use of the cluster
luminosity-temperature relation and the assumption of spherical symmetry of the
cluster gas. Applying this range of values of kappa to the lensing model of
Grogin & Narayan (1996) for Q0957+561 but not accounting for uncertainties in
that model yields a range of values for the Hubble constant:67<H_0<82 km s^-1
Mpc^-1, for a time delay of 1.1 years.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 25 pages, 9 figure
Mid-infrared selection of AGN
Since a large fraction of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is missed in common
UV-excess surveys and is even hard to find in radio, near-IR and X-ray surveys,
we have used a new AGN selection technique which is expected to be not affected
by extinction. Within the scientific verification of the ISOCAM Parallel Survey
at 6.7 micron we have discovered objects with exceptional mid-infrared (MIR)
emission. They are essentially not detected on IRAS-ADDSCANs and only very few
of them show up in the NVSS and FIRST radio surveys. Various colour criteria of
the 6.7 micron data with 2MASS and optical wavebands show that the sources
reach more extreme IR colours than the sources in the Hubble Deep Field-South
and the ELAIS survey. The comparison with known object types suggests that we
have found AGN with a pronounced MIR emission, probably due to circum-nuclear
dust. First results from optical spectroscopy of ten candidates corroborate
this interpretation showing four AGN, two reddened LINER and four extremely
reddened emission-line galaxies with MIR/FIR flux ratios higher than for known
pure starburst galaxies. The results will make a significant contribution to
the debate on the entire AGN population.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication as Letter in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Red Parkes-Quasars: Evidence for Soft X-ray Absorption
The Parkes Half-Jansky Flat Spectrum Sample contains a large number of
sources with unusually red optical-to-near-infrared continua. If this is to be
interpreted as extinction by dust in the line-of-sight, then associated
material might also give rise to absorption in the soft X-ray regime. This
hypothesis is tested using broadband (0.1-2.4 keV) data from the {\it ROSAT}
All-Sky Survey provided by Siebert et al. (1998). Significant (
confidence level) correlations between optical (and near-infrared)--to--soft
X-ray continuum slope and optical extinction are found in the data, consistent
with absorption by material with metallicity and a range in gas-to-dust ratio
as observed in the local ISM. Under this simple model, the soft X-rays are
absorbed at a level consistent with the range of extinctions (
magnitudes) implied by the observed optical reddening. Excess X-ray absorption
by warm (ionised) gas, (ie. a `warm absorber') is not required.Comment: 23 pages of text, 3 figures, to appear in Jan 10 (1999) issue of The
Astrophysical Journa
Multi-Wavelength Studies of the Optically Dark Gamma-Ray Burst 001025A
We identify the fading X-ray afterglow of GRB 001025A from XMM-Newton
observations obtained 1.9-2.3 days, 2 years, and 2.5 years after the burst. The
non-detection of an optical counterpart to an upper limit of R=25.5, 1.20 days
after the burst, makes GRB 001025A a ``dark'' burst. Based on the X-ray
afterglow spectral properties of GRB 001025A, we argue that some bursts appear
optically dark because their afterglow is faint and their cooling frequency is
close to the X-ray band. This interpretation is applicable to several of the
few other dark bursts where the X-ray spectral index has been measured. The
X-ray afterglow flux of GRB 001025A is an order of magnitude lower than for
typical long-duration gamma-ray bursts. The spectrum of the X-ray afterglow can
be fitted with an absorbed synchrotron emission model, an absorbed thermal
plasma model, or a combination thereof. For the latter, an extrapolation to
optical wavelengths can be reconciled with the R-band upper limit on the
afterglow, without invoking any optical circumburst absorption, provided the
cooling frequency is close to the X-ray band. Alternatively, if the X-ray
afterglow is due to synchrotron emission only, seven magnitudes of extinction
in the observed R-band is required to meet the R-band upper limit, making GRB
001025A much more obscured than bursts with detected optical afterglows. Based
on the column density of X-ray absorbing circumburst matter, an SMC gas-to-dust
ratio is insufficient to produce this amount of extinction. The X-ray tail of
the prompt emission enters a steep temporal decay excluding that the tail of
the prompt emission is the onset of the afterglow (abridged).Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures, ApJ in pres
Influence of Surface Modified MWCNTs on the Mechanical, Electrical and Thermal Properties of Polyimide Nanocomposites
Polyamic acid, the precursor of polyimide, was used for the preparation of polyimide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite films by solvent casting technique. In order to enhance the chemical compatibility between polyimide matrix and MWCNTs, the latter was surface modified by incorporating acidic and amide groups by chemical treatment with nitric acid and octadecylamine (C18H39N), respectively. While the amide-MWCNT/polyimide composite shows higher mechanical properties at low loadings (<3 wt%), the acid-MWCNT/polyimide composites perform better at higher loadings (5 wt%). The tensile strength (TS) and the Youngâs modulus (YM) values of the acid-MWCNT/polyimide composites at 5 wt% MWCNT loadings was 151 and 3360 MPa, respectively, an improvement of 54% in TS and 35% in YM over the neat polyimide film (TS = 98 MPa; YM = 2492 MPa). These MWCNT-reinforced composites show remarkable improvement in terms of thermal stability as compared to that for pure polyimide film. The electrical conductivity of 5 wt% acid modified MWCNTs/polyimide nanocomposites improved to 0.94 S cmâ1(6.67 Ă 10â18 S cmâ1for pure polyimide) the maximum achieved so far for MWCNT-polyimide composites
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