35 research outputs found
The SMC SNR 1E0102.2-7219 as a Calibration Standard for X-ray Astronomy in the 0.3-2.5 keV Bandpass
The flight calibration of the spectral response of CCD instruments below 1.5
keV is difficult in general because of the lack of strong lines in the on-board
calibration sources typically available. We have been using 1E 0102.2-7219, the
brightest supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud, to evaluate the
response models of the ACIS CCDs on the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), the
EPIC CCDs on the XMM-Newton Observatory, the XIS CCDs on the Suzaku
Observatory, and the XRT CCD on the Swift Observatory. E0102 has strong lines
of O, Ne, and Mg below 1.5 keV and little or no Fe emission to complicate the
spectrum. The spectrum of E0102 has been well characterized using
high-resolution grating instruments, namely the XMM-Newton RGS and the CXO
HETG, through which a consistent spectral model has been developed that can
then be used to fit the lower-resolution CCD spectra. We have also used the
measured intensities of the lines to investigate the consistency of the
effective area models for the various instruments around the bright O (~570 eV
and 654 eV) and Ne (~910 eV and 1022 eV) lines. We find that the measured
fluxes of the O VII triplet, the O VIII Ly-alpha line, the Ne IX triplet, and
the Ne X Ly-alpha line generally agree to within +/-10 % for all instruments,
with 28 of our 32 fitted normalizations within +/-10% of the RGS-determined
value. The maximum discrepancies, computed as the percentage difference between
the lowest and highest normalization for any instrument pair, are 23% for the O
VII triplet, 24% for the O VIII Ly-alpha line, 13% for the Ne IX triplet, and
19% for the Ne X Ly-alpha line. If only the CXO and XMM are compared, the
maximum discrepancies are 22% for the O VII triplet, 16% for the O VIII
Ly-alpha line, 4% for the Ne IX triplet, and 12% for the Ne X Ly-alpha line.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, to be published in Proceedings of the SPIE
7011: Space Telescopes and Instrumentation II: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray 200
Pan-chromatic observations of the remarkable nova LMC 2012
We present the results of an intensive multiwavelength campaign on nova LMC
2012. This nova evolved very rapidly in all observed wavelengths. The time to
fall two magnitudes in the V band was only 2 days. In X-rays the super soft
phase began 135 days after discovery and ended around day 50 after
discovery. During the super soft phase, the \Swift/XRT and \Chandra\ spectra
were consistent with the underlying white dwarf being very hot, 1 MK,
and luminous, 10 erg s. The UV, optical, and near-IR
photometry showed a periodic variation after the initial and rapid fading had
ended. Timing analysis revealed a consistent 19.240.03 hr period in all
UV, optical, and near-IR bands with amplitudes of 0.3 magnitudes which
we associate with the orbital period of the central binary. No periods were
detected in the corresponding X-ray data sets. A moderately high inclination
system, = 6010^{\arcdeg}, was inferred from the early optical
emission lines. The {\it HST}/STIS UV spectra were highly unusual with only the
\ion{N}{5} (1240\AA) line present and superposed on a blue continuum. The lack
of emission lines and the observed UV and optical continua from four epochs can
be fit with a low mass ejection event, 10 M, from a hot
and massive white dwarf near the Chandrasekhar limit. The white dwarf, in turn,
significantly illuminated its subgiant companion which provided the bulk of the
observed UV/optical continuum emission at the later dates. The inferred extreme
white dwarf characteristics and low mass ejection event favor nova LMC 2012
being a recurrent nova of the U Sco subclass.Comment: 18 figures, 6 tables (one online only containing all the photometry
IACHEC CROSS-CALIBRATION OF CHANDRA, NuSTAR, SWIFT, SUZAKU, XMM-NEWTON WITH 3C 273 ANDPKS 2155-304
On behalf of the International Astronomical Consortium for High Energy Calibration, we present results from the cross-calibration campaigns in 2012 on 3C 273 and in 2013 on PKS 2155-304 between the then active X-ray observatories Chandra, NuSTAR, Suzaku, Swift, and XMM-Newton. We compare measured fluxes between instrument pairs in two energy bands, 1–5 keV and 3–7 keV, and calculate an average cross-normalization constant for each energy range. We review known cross-calibration features and provide a series of tables and figures to be used for evaluating cross-normalization constants obtained from other observations with the above mentioned observatories.United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Contract SV3-73016)United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (Grant NNX09AE58G
IACHEC Cross-Calibration of Chandra, NuSTAR, Swift, Suzaku, and XMM-Newton with 3C 273 and PKS 2155-304
On behalf of the International Astronomical Consortium for High Energy Calibration, we present results from the cross-calibration campaigns in 2012 on 3C 273 and in 2013 on PKS 2155-304 between the then active X-ray observatories Chandra, NuSTAR, Suzaku, Swift, and XMM-Newton. We compare measured fluxes between instrument pairs in two energy bands, 1–5 keV and 3–7 keV, and calculate an average cross-normalization constant for each energy range. We review known cross-calibration features and provide a series of tables and figures to be used for evaluating cross-normalization constants obtained from other observations with the above mentioned observatories
SNR 1E 0102.2-7219 as an X-ray calibration standard in the 0.5−1.0 keV bandpass and its application to the CCD instruments aboard Chandra , Suzaku , Swift and XMM-Newton
Context. The flight calibration of the spectral response of charge-coupled device (CCD) instruments below 1.5 keV is difficult in general because of the lack of strong lines in the on-board calibration sources typically available. This calibration is also a function of time due to the effects of radiation damage on the CCDs and/or the accumulation of a contamination layer on the filters or CCDs.
Aims. We desire a simple comparison of the absolute effective areas of the current generation of CCD instruments onboard the following observatories: Chandra ACIS-S3, XMM-Newton (EPIC-MOS and EPIC-pn), Suzaku XIS, and Swift XRT and a straightforward comparison of the time-dependent response of these instruments across their respective mission lifetimes.
Methods. We have been using 1E 0102.2-7219, the brightest supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud, to evaluate and modify the response models of these instruments. 1E 0102.2-7219 has strong lines of O, Ne, and Mg below 1.5 keV and little or no Fe emission to complicate the spectrum. The spectrum of 1E 0102.2-7219 has been well-characterized using the RGS gratings instrument on XMM-Newton and the HETG gratings instrument on Chandra. As part of the activities of the International Astronomical Consortium for High Energy Calibration (IACHEC), we have developed a standard spectral model for 1E 0102.2-7219 and fit this model to the spectra extracted from the CCD instruments. The model is empirical in that it includes Gaussians for the identified lines, an absorption component in the Galaxy, another absorption component in the SMC, and two thermal continuum components with different temperatures. In our fits, the model is highly constrained in that only the normalizations of the four brightest lines/line complexes (the O vii Heα triplet, O viii Lyα line, the Ne ix Heα triplet, and the Ne x Lyα line) and an overall normalization are allowed to vary, while all other components are fixed. We adopted this approach to provide a straightforward comparison of the measured line fluxes at these four energies. We have examined these measured line fluxes as a function of time for each instrument after applying the most recent calibrations that account for the time-dependent response of each instrument.
Results. We performed our effective area comparison with representative, early mission data when the radiation damage and contamination layers were at a minimum, except for the XMM-Newton EPIC-pn instrument which is stable in time. We found that the measured fluxes of the O vii Heαr line, the O viii Lyα line, the Ne ix Heαr line, and the Ne x Lyα line generally agree to within ±10% for all instruments, with 38 of our 48 fitted normalizations within ± 10% of the IACHEC model value. We then fit all available observations of 1E 0102.2-7219 for the CCD instruments close to the on-axis position to characterize the time dependence in the 0.5−1.0 keV band. We present the measured line normalizations as a function of time for each CCD instrument so that the users may estimate the uncertainty in their measured line fluxes for the epoch of their observations
miR-132/212 knockout mice reveal roles for these miRNAs in regulating cortical synaptic transmission and plasticity
miR-132 and miR-212 are two closely related miRNAs encoded in the same intron of a small non-coding gene, which have been suggested to play roles in both immune and neuronal function. We describe here the generation and initial characterisation of a miR-132/212 double knockout mouse. These mice were viable and fertile with no overt adverse phenotype. Analysis of innate immune responses, including TLR-induced cytokine production and IFNβ induction in response to viral infection of primary fibroblasts did not reveal any phenotype in the knockouts. In contrast, the loss of miR-132 and miR-212, while not overtly affecting neuronal morphology, did affect synaptic function. In both hippocampal and neocortical slices miR-132/212 knockout reduced basal synaptic transmission, without affecting paired-pulse facilitation. Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by tetanic stimulation was not affected by miR-132/212 deletion, whilst theta burst LTP was enhanced. In contrast, neocortical theta burst-induced LTP was inhibited by loss of miR-132/212. Together these results indicate that miR-132 and/or miR-212 play a significant role in synaptic function, possibly by regulating the number of postsynaptic AMPA receptors under basal conditions and during activity-dependent synaptic plasticity
Swift X-Ray Observations of Classical Novae. II. The Super Soft Source sample
The Swift GRB satellite is an excellent facility for studying novae. Its
rapid response time and sensitive X-ray detector provides an unparalleled
opportunity to investigate the previously poorly sampled evolution of novae in
the X-ray regime. This paper presents Swift observations of 52
Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae. We included the XRT (0.3-10 keV) X-ray
instrument count rates and the UVOT (1700-8000 Angstroms) filter photometry.
Also included in the analysis are the publicly available pointed observations
of 10 additional novae the X-ray archives. This is the largest X-ray sample of
Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae yet assembled and consists of 26 novae with
super soft X-ray emission, 19 from Swift observations. The data set shows that
the faster novae have an early hard X-ray phase that is usually missing in
slower novae. The Super Soft X-ray phase occurs earlier and does not last as
long in fast novae compared to slower novae. All the Swift novae with
sufficient observations show that novae are highly variable with rapid
variability and different periodicities. In the majority of cases, nuclear
burning ceases less than 3 years after the outburst begins. Previous
relationships, such as the nuclear burning duration vs. t_2 or the expansion
velocity of the eject and nuclear burning duration vs. the orbital period, are
shown to be poorly correlated with the full sample indicating that additional
factors beyond the white dwarf mass and binary separation play important roles
in the evolution of a nova outburst. Finally, we confirm two optical phenomena
that are correlated with strong, soft X-ray emission which can be used to
further increase the efficiency of X-ray campaigns.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Supplements. Full data for Table 2 and Figure 17
available in the electronic edition. New version of the previously posted
paper since the earlier version was all set in landscape mod
Swift XRT Observations of the Afterglow of GRB 050319
Swift discovered the high redshift GRB 050319 with the Burst Alert Telescope
and began observing with its narrow field instruments only 225 s after the
burst onset. The afterglow X-ray emission was monitored by the XRT up to 28
days after the burst. The light curve shows a decay with three different
phases, each characterized by a distinct slope: an initial steep decay with a
power law index of ~ 5.5, a second phase characterized by a flat decay slope of
\~ 0.54, and a third phase with a decay slope of ~ 1.14. During the first phase
the spectral energy distribution is softer than in the following two phases and
the photon index is consistent with the GRB prompt spectrum. The extrapolation
of the BAT light curve to the XRT band suggests that the initial fast decaying
phase of the XRT afterglow might be the low energy tail of the prompt emission.
The second break in the afterglow light curve occurs about 27000 s after the
burst. The spectral energy distribution before and after the second break does
not change and it can be tentatively interpreted as a jet break or the end of a
delayed or continuous energy injection phase.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Swift XRT and VLT Observations of the Afterglow of GRB 041223
The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer, launched on 2004 November 20, is a
multiwavelength, autonomous, rapid-slewing observatory for gamma-ray burst
(GRB) astronomy. On 2004 December 23, during the activation phase of the
mission, the Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT) was pointed at a burst discovered
earlier that day by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. A fading, uncataloged
X-ray source was discovered by the XRT and was observed over a period of about
3 hours, beginning 4.6 hours after the burst. The X-ray detection triggered a
VLT observation of the optical/NIR counterpart, located about 1.1 arcseconds
from the XRT position. The X-ray counterpart faded rapidly, with a power law
index of -1.72 +/- 0.20. The average unabsorbed X-ray flux 4.6-7.9 hours after
the burst was 6.5 x 10^{-12} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1} in the 0.5-10 keV band, for a
power-law spectrum of photon index 2.02 +/- 0.13 with Galactic absorption. The
NIR counterpart was observed at three epochs between 16 and 87 hours after the
burst, and faded with a power-law index of -1.14 +/- 0.08 with a
reddening-corrected SED power-law slope of -0.40 +/- 0.03. We find that the
X-ray and NIR data are consistent with a two-component jet in a wind medium,
with an early jet break in the narrow component and an underlying electron
index of 1.8-2.0.Comment: 16 pages, including 4 figures. Accepted by Astrophysical Journal
(Letters) on 15 February 200