13 research outputs found
Planetary nebulae and their mimics: the MASH-MEN Project
The total number of true, likely and possible planetary nebulae (PN) now
known in the Milky Way is about 3000, approximately twice the number known a
decade ago. The new discoveries are a legacy of the recent availability of
wide-field, narrowband imaging surveys, primarily in the light of H-alpha. The
two most important are the AAO/UKST SuperCOSMOS H-alpha survey - SHS and the
Isaac Newton photometric H-alpha survey - IPHAS, which are responsible for most
of the new discoveries. A serious problem with previous PN catalogues is that
several different kinds of astrophysical objects are able to mimic PN in some
of their observed properties leading to significant contamination. These
objects include H II regions and Stromgren zones around young O/B stars,
reflection nebulae, Wolf-Rayet ejecta, supernova remnants, Herbig-Haro objects,
young stellar objects, B[e] stars, symbiotic stars and outflows, late-type
stars, cataclysmic variables, low redshift emission-line galaxies, and even
image/detector flaws. PN catalogues such as the Macquarie/AAO/Strasbourg
H-alpha Planetary Nebula catalogue (MASH) have been carefully vetted to remove
these mimics using the wealth of new wide-field multi-wavelength data and our
100% follow-up spectroscopy to produce a compilation of new PN discoveries of
high purity. During this process significant numbers of PN mimics have been
identified. The aim of this project is to compile these MASH rejects into a
catalogue of Miscellaneous Emission Nebulae (MEN) and to highlight the most
unusual and interesting examples. A new global analysis of these MEN objects is
underway before publishing the MEN catalogue online categorizing objects by
type together with their spectra and multi-wavelength images.Comment: 2 pages, IAU 283: An Eye To The Future proceeding
The narrow Fe K line and the molecular torus in active galactic nuclei - an IR/X-ray view
The narrow component of the iron K is an almost ubiquitous feature in
the X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and is believed to originate
in neutral material, possibly located in the molecular torus. This would imply
a tight connection between the Fe K equivalent width (EW) and the
physical properties of the torus. In a recent work we have shown that the
decrease of the covering factor of the torus with the luminosity, as expected
by luminosity-dependent unification models, would be able to explain the
decrease of Fe K EW with the luminosity (i.e., the X-ray Baldwin
effect). Recent developments in the study of the mid-IR (MIR) spectrum of AGN
allow important parameters of the torus to be deduced, such as its covering
factor () and equatorial column density (),
by applying clumpy torus models. Using XMM-Newton/EPIC observations of a sample
of 24 type-I AGN, we investigate the relation between the physical parameters
of the torus obtained by recent MIR works and the properties of the Fe
K line. We correct the values of the Fe K EW by taking the
inclination angle, the photon index, the equatorial column density, and
half-opening angle of the torus into account using a physical torus model of
X-ray reprocessed radiation. We find that the relation between Fe K EW
and shows a slope that is consistent with the expected value,
albeit with a low statistical significance. A trend that is consistent with the
theoretical prediction is also found when comparing the Fe K EW to
. Our work seems to confirm that the bulk of the narrow Fe
K line is produced by the same material responsible for the MIR
emission.Comment: A&A in press, 15 pages, 5 Figures, 3 tables - Few references update
A small satellite version of a soft x-ray polarimeter
We describe a new implementation of a broad-band soft X-ray polarimeter, substantially based on a previous design. This implementation, the Pioneer Soft X-ray Polarimeter (PiSoX) is a SmallSat, designed for NASA’s call for Astrophysics Pioneers, small missions that could be CubeSats, balloon experiments, or SmallSats. As in REDSoX, the grating arrangement is designed optimally for the purpose of polarimetry with broad-band focussing optics by matching the dispersion of the spectrometer channels to laterally graded multilayers (LGMLs). The system can achieve polarization modulation factors over 90%. For PiSoX, the optics are lightweight Si mirrors in a one-bounce parabolic configuration. High efficiency, blazed gratings from opposite sectors are oriented to disperse to a LGML forming a channel covering the wavelength range from 35 Å to 75 Å (165 - 350 eV). Upon satellite rotation, the intensities of the dispersed spectra, after reflection and polarizing by the LGMLs, give the three Stokes parameters needed to determine a source’s linear polarization fraction and orientation. The design can be extended to higher energies as LGMLs are developed further. We describe examples of the potential scientific return from instruments based on this design
A Small Satellite Version of a Broad-band Soft X-ray Polarimeter
We describe a new implementation of a broad-band soft X-ray polarimeter,
substantially based on a previous design. This implementation, the Pioneer Soft
X-ray Polarimeter (PiSoX) is a SmallSat, designed for NASA's call for
Astrophysics Pioneers, small missions that could be CubeSats, balloon
experiments, or SmallSats. As in the REDSoX Polarimeter, the grating
arrangement is designed optimally for the purpose of polarimetry with
broad-band focussing optics by matching the dispersion of the spectrometer
channels to laterally graded multilayers (LGMLs). The system can achieve
polarization modulation factors over 90%. For PiSoX, the optics are lightweight
Si mirrors in a one-bounce parabolic configuration. High efficiency, blazed
gratings from opposite sectors are oriented to disperse to a LGML forming a
channel covering the wavelength range from 35 to 75 Angstroms (165 - 350 eV).
Upon satellite rotation, the intensities of the dispersed spectra, after
reflection and polarizing by the LGMLs, give the three Stokes parameters needed
to determine a source's linear polarization fraction and orientation. The
design can be extended to higher energies as LGMLs are developed further. We
describe examples of the potential scientific return from instruments based on
this design.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Proceedings SPIE, volume 1144
X-ray emission mechanisms in active galactic nuclei
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are compact regions at the centre of active galaxies which are visible across the full electromagnetic spectrum. Their radiation comes from the accretion of matter onto a supermassive black hole. They are particularly bright in X-rays, showing several components in their spectra. The origin of some components is still very debated, for example the nature of the excess of emission often detected in unobscured AGN below 2keV (“soft-excess”), or the location where reflection features are produced. A unified model, describing the global anatomy of an AGN, is commonly used to explain the different classes of these objects. Nevertheless, the structure of their inner regions is still uncertain, as well as the nature of their outflows. My PhD dissertation is dedicated to the study of AGN emission mechanisms and structure, in particular through multiwavelength analyses of the archetypal Seyfert 1 galaxies Mrk 509 and NGC 5548, and through statistical studies
A hard X-ray view of the soft excess in AGN
An excess of X-ray emission below 1 keV, called soft excess, is detected in a large fraction of Seyfert 1–1.5s. The origin of this feature remains debated, as several models have been suggested to explain it, including warm Comptonization and blurred ionized reflection. In order to constrain the origin of this component, we exploit the different behaviors of these models above 10 keV. Ionized reflection covers a broad energy range, from the soft X-rays to the hard X-rays, while Comptonization drops very quickly in the soft X-rays. We present here the results of a study done on 102 Seyfert 1s (Sy 1.0, 1.2, 1.5 and NLSy1) from the Swift BAT 70-Month Hard X-ray Survey catalog. The joint spectral analysis of Swift/BAT and XMM-Newton data allows a hard X-ray view of the soft excess that is present in about 80% of the objects of our sample. We discuss how the soft-excess strength is linked to the reflection at high energy, to the photon index of the primary continuum and to the Eddington ratio. In particular, we find a positive dependence of the soft excess intensity on the Eddington ratio. We compare our results to simulations of blurred ionized-reflection models and show that they are in contradiction. By stacking both XMM-Newton and Swift/BAT spectra per soft-excess strength, we see that the shape of reflection at hard X-rays stays constant when the soft excess varies, showing an absence of link between reflection and soft excess. We conclude that the ionized-reflection model as the origin of the soft excess is disadvantaged in favor of the warm Comptonization model in our sample of Seyfert 1s
A small satellite version of a soft x-ray polarimeter
© 2020 SPIE We describe a new implementation of a broad-band soft X-ray polarimeter, substantially based on a previous design. This implementation, the Pioneer Soft X-ray Polarimeter (PiSoX) is a SmallSat, designed for NASA's call for Astrophysics Pioneers, small missions that could be CubeSats, balloon experiments, or SmallSats. As in REDSoX, the grating arrangement is designed optimally for the purpose of polarimetry with broad-band focussing optics by matching the dispersion of the spectrometer channels to laterally graded multilayers (LGMLs). The system can achieve polarization modulation factors over 90%. For PiSoX, the optics are lightweight Si mirrors in a one-bounce parabolic configuration. High efficiency, blazed gratings from opposite sectors are oriented to disperse to a LGML forming a channel covering the wavelength range from 35 Å to 75 Å (165 - 350 eV). Upon satellite rotation, the intensities of the dispersed spectra, after reflection and polarizing by the LGMLs, give the three Stokes parameters needed to determine a source's linear polarization fraction and orientation. The design can be extended to higher energies as LGMLs are developed further. We describe examples of the potential scientific return from instruments based on this design