98 research outputs found
Swift/UVOT Photometry of the Planetary Nebula WeBo 1: Unmasking A Faint Hot Companion Star
We present an analysis of over 150 ks of data on the planetary nebula WeBo 1
(PN G135.6+01.0) obtained with the Swift Ultraviolet Optical Telescope (UVOT).
The central object of this nebula has previously been described as a late-type
K giant barium star with a possible hot companion, most likely a young
pre-white dwarf. UVOT photometry shows that while the optical photometry is
consistent with a large cool object, the near-ultraviolet (UV) photometry shows
far more UV flux than could be produced by any late-type object. Using model
stellar atmospheres and a comparison to UVOT photometry for the pre-white dwarf
PG 1159-035, we find that the companion has a temperature of at least 40,000 K
and a radius of, at most, 0.056 R_sun. While the temperature and radius are
consistent with a hot compact stellar remnant, they are lower and larger,
respectively, than expected for a typical young pre-white dwarf. This likely
indicates a deficiency in the assumed UV extinction curve. We find that higher
temperatures more consistent with expectations for a pre-white dwarf can be
derived if the foreground dust has a strong "blue bump" at 2175 AA and a lower
R_V. Our results demonstrate the ability of Swift to both uncover and
characterize hot hidden companion stars and to constrain the UV extinction
properties of foreground dust based solely on UVOT photometry.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure, accepted to Astronomical Journa
Monitoring Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients with Swift. Results from the first year
Swift has allowed the possibility to give Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients
(SFXTs), the new class of High Mass X-ray Binaries discovered by INTEGRAL, non
serendipitous attention throughout all phases of their life. We present our
results based on the first year of intense Swift monitoring of four SFXTs, IGR
J16479-4514, XTE J1739-302, IGR J17544-2619 and AX J1841.0-0536. We obtain the
first assessment of how long each source spends in each state using a
systematic monitoring with a sensitive instrument. The duty-cycle of inactivity
is 17, 28, 39, 55% (5% uncertainty), for IGR J16479-4514, AX J1841.0-0536, XTE
J1739-302, and IGR J17544-2619, respectively, so that true quiescence is a rare
state. This demonstrates that these transients accrete matter throughout their
life at different rates. AX J1841.0-0536 is the only source which has not
undergone a bright outburst during our campaign. Although individual sources
behave somewhat differently, common X-ray characteristics of this class are
emerging such as outburst lengths well in excess of hours, with a multiple
peaked structure. A high dynamic range (including bright outbursts) of 4 orders
of magnitude has been observed. We performed out-of-outburst intensity-based
spectroscopy. Spectral fits with an absorbed blackbody always result in
blackbody radii of a few hundred meters, consistent with being emitted from a
small portion of the neutron star surface, very likely the neutron star polar
caps. We also present the UVOT data of these sources. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 20 pages, 9 figures, 8 table
Ultraviolet number counts of galaxies from Swift UV/Optical Telescope deep imaging of the Chandra Deep Field South
Deep Swift UV/Optical Telescope (UVOT) imaging of the Chandra Deep Field
South is used to measure galaxy number counts in three near ultraviolet (NUV)
filters (uvw2: 1928 A, uvm2: 2246 A, uvw1: 2600 A) and the u band (3645 A).
UVOT observations cover the break in the slope of the NUV number counts with
greater precision than the number counts by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer
(GALEX), spanning a range from 21 < m_AB < 25. Number counts models confirm
earlier investigations in favoring models with an evolving galaxy luminosity
function.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, accepted to Ap
Multi-Wavelength Properties of the Type IIb SN 2008ax
We present the UV, optical, X-ray, and radio properties of the Type IIb SN
2008ax discovered in NGC 4490. The observations in the UV are one of the
earliest of a Type IIb supernova (SN). On approximately day four after the
explosion, a dramatic upturn in the u and uvw1 (lambda_c = 2600 Angstroms)
light curves occurred after an initial rapid decline which is attributed to
adiabatic cooling after the initial shock breakout. This rapid decline and
upturn is reminiscent of the Type IIb SN 1993J on day six after the explosion.
Optical/near-IR spectra taken around the peak reveal prominent H-alpha, HeI,
and CaII absorption lines. A fading X-ray source is also located at the
position of SN 2008ax, implying an interaction of the SN shock with the
surrounding circumstellar material and a mass-loss rate of the progenitor of
M_dot = (9+/-3)x10^-6 solar masses per year. The unusual time evolution (14
days) of the 6 cm peak radio luminosity provides further evidence that the
mass-loss rate is low. Combining the UV, optical, X-ray, and radio data with
models of helium exploding stars implies the progenitor of SN 2008ax was an
unmixed star in an interacting-binary. Modeling of the SN light curve suggests
a kinetic energy (E_k) of 0.5x10^51 ergs, an ejecta mass (M_ej) of 2.9 solar
masses, and a nickel mass (M_Ni) of 0.06 solar masses.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letters, 14 pages, 3 figures, 2 table
UV+IR Star Formation Rates: Hickson Compact Groups with Swift and Spitzer
We present Swift UVOT (1600-3000A) 3-band photometry for 41 galaxies in 11
nearby (<4500km/s) Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs) of galaxies. We use the
uvw2-band (2000A) to estimate the dust-unobscured component, SFR_UV, of the
total star-formation rate, SFR_T. We use Spitzer MIPS 24-micron photometry to
estimate SFR_IR, the dust-obscured component of SFR_T. We obtain
SFR_T=SFR_UV+SFR_IR. Using 2MASS K_s band based stellar mass, M*, estimates, we
calculate specific SFRs, SSFR=SFR_T/M*. SSFR values show a clear and
significant bimodality, with a gap between low (<~3.2x10^-11 / yr) and high
SSFR (>~1.2x10^-10 / yr) systems. All galaxies with MIR activity index a_IRAC
0) are in the high- (low-) SSFR locus, as expected if high levels of
star-formation power MIR emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
molecules and a hot dust continuum. All elliptical/S0 galaxies are in the
low-SSFR locus, while 22 out of 24 spirals/irregulars are in the high-SSFR
locus, with two borderline cases. We divide our sample into three subsamples
(I, II and III) according to decreasing HI-richness of the parent galaxy group
to which a galaxy belongs. Consistent with the SSFR and a_IRAC bimodality, 12
out of 15 type-I (11 out of 12 type-III) galaxies are in the high- (low-) SSFR
locus, while type II galaxies span almost the full range of SSFR values. Unlike
HCG galaxies, galaxies in a comparison quiescent SINGS sub-sample are
continuously distributed both in SSFR and a_IRAC. Any uncertainties can only
further enhance the SSFR bimodality. These results suggest that an environment
characterized by high galaxy number-densities and low galaxy
velocity-dispersions, such as the one found in compact groups, plays a key role
in accelerating galaxy evolution by enhancing star-formation processes in
galaxies and favoring a fast transition to quiescence.(abridged)Comment: Accepted by ApJ. [8 Tables, 16 Figures. Color figures have reduced
size for ArXiv - emulateapj v. 2/16/10
GRB 081203A: Swift UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst
We present the earliest ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) as observed with the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). The GRB 081203A spectrum was observed for 50 s with the UV-grism starting 251 s after the Swift-Burst-Alert-Telescope (BAT) trigger. During this time, the GRB was â13.4 mag (u filter) and was still rising to its peak optical brightness. In the UV-grism spectrum, we find a damped Lyα line, LyÎČ and the Lyman continuum break at a redshift z= 2.05 ± 0.01. A model fit to the Lyman absorption implies a gas column density of log NH i= 22.0 ± 0.1 cmâ2, which is typical of GRB host galaxies with damped Lyα absorbers. This observation of GRB 081203A demonstrates that for brighter GRBs (vâ 14 mag) with moderate redshift (0.5 < z < 3.5) the UVOT is able to provide redshifts, and probe for damped Lyα absorbers within 4â6 min from the time of the Swift-BAT trigger
Faint NUV/FUV Standards from Swift/UVOT, GALEX and SDSS Photometry
At present, the precision of deep ultraviolet photometry is somewhat limited
by the dearth of faint ultraviolet standard stars. In an effort to improve this
situation, we present a uniform catalog of eleven new faint (u sim17)
ultraviolet standard stars. High-precision photometry of these stars has been
taken from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Galaxy Evolution Explorer and
combined with new data from the Swift Ultraviolet Optical Telescope to provide
precise photometric measures extending from the Near Infrared to the Far
Ultraviolet. These stars were chosen because they are known to be hot (20,000 <
T_eff < 50,000 K) DA white dwarfs with published Sloan spectra that should be
photometrically stable. This careful selection allows us to compare the
combined photometry and Sloan spectroscopy to models of pure hydrogen
atmospheres to both constrain the underlying properties of the white dwarfs and
test the ability of white dwarf models to predict the photometric measures. We
find that the photometry provides good constraint on white dwarf temperatures,
which demonstrates the ability of Swift/UVOT to investigate the properties of
hot luminous stars. We further find that the models reproduce the photometric
measures in all eleven passbands to within their systematic uncertainties.
Within the limits of our photometry, we find the standard stars to be
photometrically stable. This success indicates that the models can be used to
calibrate additional filters to our standard system, permitting easier
comparison of photometry from heterogeneous sources. The largest source of
uncertainty in the model fitting is the uncertainty in the foreground reddening
curve, a problem that is especially acute in the UV.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal. 31 pages, 13
figures, electronic tables available from ApJ or on reques
Paper II: Calibration of the Swift ultraviolet/optical telescope
The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) is one of three instruments onboard
the Swift observatory. The photometric calibration has been published, and this
paper follows up with details on other aspects of the calibration including a
measurement of the point spread function with an assessment of the orbital
variation and the effect on photometry. A correction for large scale variations
in sensitivity over the field of view is described, as well as a model of the
coincidence loss which is used to assess the coincidence correction in extended
regions. We have provided a correction for the detector distortion and measured
the resulting internal astrometric accuracy of the UVOT, also giving the
absolute accuracy with respect to the International Celestial Reference System.
We have compiled statistics on the background count rates, and discuss the
sources of the background, including instrumental scattered light. In each case
we describe any impact on UVOT measurements, whether any correction is applied
in the standard pipeline data processing or whether further steps are
recommended.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 15 pages, 21 figures, 4 table
The origin of the early time optical emission of Swift GRB 080310
We present broadband multi-wavelength observations of GRB 080310 at redshift
z = 2.43. This burst was bright and long-lived, and unusual in having extensive
optical and near IR follow-up during the prompt phase. Using these data we
attempt to simultaneously model the gamma-ray, X-ray, optical and IR emission
using a series of prompt pulses and an afterglow component. Initial attempts to
extrapolate the high energy model directly to lower energies for each pulse
reveal that a spectral break is required between the optical regime and 0.3 keV
to avoid over predicting the optical flux. We demonstrate that afterglow
emission alone is insufficient to describe all morphology seen in the optical
and IR data. Allowing the prompt component to dominate the early-time optical
and IR and permitting each pulse to have an independent low energy spectral
indices we produce an alternative scenario which better describes the optical
light curve. This, however, does not describe the spectral shape of GRB 080310
at early times. The fit statistics for the prompt and afterglow dominated
models are nearly identical making it difficult to favour either. However one
enduring result is that both models require a low energy spectral index
consistent with self absorption for at least some of the pulses identified in
the high energy emission model.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures, 12 tables. Accepted to MNRA
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