321 research outputs found
A photometric search for active Main Belt asteroids
It is well known that some Main Belt asteroids show comet-like features. A
representative example is the first known Main Belt comet 133P/(7968)
Elst-Pizarro. If the mechanisms causing this activity are too weak to develop
visually evident comae or tails, the objects stay unnoticed. We are presenting
a novel way to search for active asteroids, based on looking for objects with
deviations from their expected brightnesses in a database. Just by using the
MPCAT-OBS Observation Archive we have found five new candidate objects that
possibly show a type of comet-like activity, and the already known Main Belt
comet 133P/(7968) Elst-Pizarro. Four of the new candidates, (315) Constantia,
(1026) Ingrid, (3646) Aduatiques, and (24684) 1990 EU4, show brightness
deviations independent of the object's heliocentric distance, while (35101)
1991 PL16 shows deviations dependent on its heliocentric distance, which could
be an indication of a thermal triggered mechanism. The method could be
implemented in future sky survey programmes to detect outbursts on Main Belt
objects almost simultaneously with their occurrence.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A on December 20,
201
Evidence for Cosmic Acceleration is Robust to Observed Correlations Between Type Ia Supernova Luminosity and Stellar Age
Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are powerful standardizable candles for
constraining cosmological models and provided the first evidence of the
accelerated expansion of the universe. Their precision derives from empirical
correlations, now measured from SNe Ia, between their luminosities,
light-curve shapes, colors and most recently with the stellar mass of their
host galaxy. As mass correlates with other galaxy properties, alternative
parameters have been investigated to improve SN Ia standardization though none
have been shown to significantly alter the determination of cosmological
parameters. We re-examine a recent claim, based on 34 SN Ia in nearby passive
host galaxies, of a 0.05 mag/Gyr dependence of standardized SN Ia luminosity on
host age which if extrapolated to higher redshifts, would be a bias up to 0.25
mag, challenging the inference of dark energy. We reanalyze this sample of
hosts using both the original method and a Bayesian hierarchical model and find
after a fuller accounting of the uncertainties the significance of a dependence
on age to be and after the removal of a single
poorly-sampled SN Ia. To test the claim that a trend seen in old stellar
populations can be applied to younger ages, we extend our analysis to a larger
sample which includes young hosts. We find the residual dependence of host age
(after all standardization typically employed for cosmological measurements) to
be consistent with zero for 254 SNe Ia from the Pantheon sample, ruling out the
large but low significance trend seen in passive hosts.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Linear spectropolarimetry of 35 Type Ia supernovae with VLT/FORS: an analysis of the Si ii line polarization
Spectropolarimetry enables us to measure the geometry and chemical structure of the ejecta in supernova explosions, which is fundamental for the understanding of their explosion mechanism(s) and progenitor systems. We collected archival data of 35 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), observed with Focal Reducer and Low-Dispersion Spectrograph (FORS) on the Very Large Telescope at 127 epochs in total. We examined the polarization of the Si II λ6355 Å line (pSiII) as a function of time, which is seen to peak at a range of various polarization degrees and epochs relative to maximum brightness. We reproduced the Δm15−pSiII relationship identified in a previous study, and show that subluminous and transitional objects display polarization values below the Δm15−pSiII relationship for normal SNe Ia. We found a statistically significant linear relationship between the polarization of the Si II λ6355 Å line before maximum brightness and the Si II line velocity and suggest that this, along with the Δm15−pSiII relationship, may be explained in the context of a delayed-detonation model. In contrast, we compared our observations to numerical predictions in the Δm15−vSiII plane and found a dichotomy in the polarization properties between Chandrasekhar and sub-Chandrasekhar mass explosions, which supports the possibility of two distinct explosion mechanisms. A subsample of SNe displays evolution of loops in the q–u plane that suggests a more complex Si structure with depth. This insight, which could not be gleaned from total flux spectra, presents a new constraint on explosion models. Finally, we compared our statistical sample of the Si II polarization to quantitative predictions of the polarization levels for the double-detonation, delayed-detonation, and violent-merger models
A mid-term astrometric and photometric study of trans-Neptunian object (90482) Orcus
From time series CCD observations of a fixed and large star field that contained the binary trans-Neptunian object (90482) Orcus (formerly 2004 DW), taken during a period of 33 days, we have been able to derive high-precision relative astrometry and photometry of the Orcus system with respect to background stars. The right ascension residuals of an orbital fit to the astrometric data revealed a periodicity of 9.7 ± 0.3 days, which is what one would expect to be induced by the known Orcus companion (Vanth). The residuals are also correlated with the theoretical positions of the satellite with regard to the primary. We therefore have revealed the presence of Orcus’ satellite in our astrometric measurements, although the residuals in declination did not show the expected variations. The oscillation in the residuals is caused by the photocenter motion of the combined Orcus plus satellite system around the barycenter along an orbital revolution of the satellite. The photocenter motion is much larger than the motion of Orcus around the barycenter, and we show here that detecting some binaries through a carefully devised astrometric technique might be feasible with telescopes of moderate size. We discuss the prospects for using the technique to find new binary trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and to study already known binary systems with uncertain orbital periods. We also analyzed the system’s mid-term photometry in order to determine whether the rotation could be tidally locked to the satellite’s orbital period. We found that a photometric variability of 9.7 ± 0.3 days is clear in our data, and is nearly coincident with the orbital period of the satellite. We believe this variability might be induced by the satellite’s rotation. In our photometry there is also a slight hint for an additional very small variability in the 10 h range that was already reported in the literature. This short-term variability would indicate that the primary is not tidally locked and therefore the system would not have reached a double synchronous state. Implications for the basic physical properties of the primary and its satellite are discussed. From angular momentum considerations we suspect that the Orcus satellite might have formed from a rotational fission. This requires that the mass of the satellite would be around 0.09 times that of the primary, close to the value that one derives by using an albedo of 0.12 for the satellite and assuming equal densities for both the primary and secondary.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica
A mid-term astrometric and photometric study of Trans-Neptunian Object (90482) Orcus
From CCD observations of a fixed and large star field that contained the
binary TNO Orcus, we have been able to derive high-precision relative
astrometry and photometry of the Orcus system with respect to background stars.
The RA residuals of an orbital fit to the astrometric data revealed a
periodicity of 9.7+-0.3 days, which is what one would expect to be induced by
the known Orcus companion. The residuals are also correlated with the
theoretical positions of the satellite with regard to the primary. We therefore
have revealed the presence of Orcus' satellite in our astrometric measurements.
The photocenter motion is much larger than the motion of Orcus around the
barycenter, and we show here that detecting some binaries through a carefully
devised astrometric technique might be feasible with telescopes of moderate
size. We also analyzed the system's mid-term photometry to determine whether
the rotation could be tidally locked to the satellite's orbital period. We
found that a photometric variability of 9.7+-0.3 days is clear in our data, and
is nearly coincident with the orbital period of the satellite. We believe this
variability might be induced by the satellite's rotation. There is also a
slight hint for an additional small variability in the 10 hr range that was
already reported in the literature. This short-term variability would indicate
that the primary is not tidally locked and therefore the system would not have
reached a double synchronous state. Implications for the basic physical
properties of the primary and its satellite are discussed. From angular
momentum considerations we suspect that the Orcus satellite might have formed
from a rotational fission. This requires that the mass of the satellite would
be around 0.09 times that of the primary, close to the value that one derives
by using an albedo of 0.12 for the satellite and assuming equal densities for
both objects.Comment: in Press at A&
Visible and near-infrared observations of asteroid 2012 DA14 during its closest approach of February 15, 2013
Near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 made its closest approach on February 15, 2013,
when it passed at a distance of 27,700 km from the Earth's surface. It was the
first time an asteroid of moderate size was predicted to approach that close to
the Earth, becoming bright enough to permit a detailed study from ground-based
telescopes. Asteroid 2012 DA14 was poorly characterized before its closest
approach. We acquired data using several telescopes on four Spanish
observatories: the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and the 3.6m Telescopio
Nazionale Galileo (TNG), both in the El Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
(ORM, La Palma); the 2.2m CAHA telescope, in the Calar Alto Observatory
(Almeria); the f/3 0.77m telescope in the La Hita Observatory (Toledo); and the
f/8 1.5m telescope in the Sierra Nevada Observatory (OSN, Granada). We obtained
visible and near-infrared color photometry, visible spectra and time-series
photometry. Visible spectra together with color photometry of 2012 DA14 show
that it can be classified as an L-type asteroid, a rare spectral type with a
composition similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites. The time-series
photometry provides a rotational period of 8.95 +- 0.08 hours after the closest
approach, and there are indications that the object suffered a spin-up during
this event. The large amplitude of the light curve suggests that the object is
very elongated and irregular, with an equivalent diameter of around 18m. We
obtain an absolute magnitude of H_R = 24.5 +- 0.2, corresponding to H_V = 25.0
+- 0.2. The GTC photometry also gives H_V = 25.29 +- 0.14. Both values agree
with the value listed at the Minor Planet Center shortly after discovery. From
the absolute photometry, together with some constraints on size and shape, we
compute a geometric albedo of p_V = 0.44 +- 0.20, which is slightly above the
range of albedos known for L-type asteroids (0.082 - 0.405).Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Accepted in A&A (June 17 2013
Spatially resolved analysis of superluminous supernovae PTF 11hrq and PTF 12dam host galaxies
Superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) are the most luminous supernovae in the Universe. They are found in extreme star-forming galaxies and are probably connected with the death of massive stars. One hallmark of very massive progenitors would be a tendency to explode in very dense, UV-bright and blue regions. In this paper, we investigate the resolved host galaxy properties of two nearby hydrogen-poor SLSNe, PTF 11hrq and PTF 12dam. For both galaxies Hubble Space Telescope multifilter images were obtained. Additionally, we perform integral field spectroscopy of the host galaxy of PTF 11hrq using the Very Large Telescope Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (VLT/MUSE), and investigate the line strength, metallicity and kinematics. Neither PTF 11hrq nor PTF 12dam occurred in the bluest part of their host galaxies, although both galaxies have overall blue UV-to-optical colours. The MUSE data reveal a bright starbursting region in the host of PTF 11hrq, although far from the SN location. The SN exploded close to a region with disturbed kinematics, bluer colour, stronger [O III] and lower metallicity. The host galaxy is likely interacting with a companion. PTF 12dam occurred in one of the brightest pixels, in a starbursting galaxy with a complex morphology and a tidal tail, where interaction is also very likely. We speculate that SLSN explosions may originate from stars generated during star formation episodes triggered by interaction. High-resolution imaging and integral field spectroscopy are fundamental for a better understanding of SLSNe explosion sites and how star formation varies across their host galaxies
Large Interstellar Polarisation Survey. LIPS I: FORS2 spectropolarimetry in the Southern Hemisphere
Polarimetric studies of light transmitted through interstellar clouds may
give constraints on the properties of the interstellar dust grains.
Traditionally, broadband linear polarisation (BBLP) measurements have been
considered an important diagnostic tool for the study of the interstellar dust,
while comparatively less attention has been paid to spectropolarimetric
measurements. However, spectropolarimetry may offer stronger constraints than
BBLP, for example by revealing narrowband features, and by allowing us to
distinguish the contribution of dust from the contribution of interstellar gas.
Therefore, we have decided to carry out a Large Interstellar Polarisation
Survey (LIPS) using spectropolarimetric facilities in both hemispheres. Here we
present the results obtained in the Southern Hemisphere with the FORS2
instrument of the ESO Very Large Telescope. Our spectra cover the wavelength
range 380--950\,nm at a spectral resolving power of about 880. We have produced
a publicly available catalogue of 127 linear polarisation spectra of 101
targets. We also provide the Serkowski-curve parameters, as well as the
wavelength gradient of the polarisation position angle for the interstellar
polarisation along 76 different lines of sight. In agreement with previous
literature, we found that the best-fit parameters of the Serkowski-curve are
not independent of each other. However, the relationships that we obtained are
not always consistent with what was found in previous studies.Comment: Accepted by A&A (replaced on 12 October 2017 simply to correct a
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