265 research outputs found
The Atomic Physics Underlying the Spectroscopic Analysis of Massive Stars and Supernovae
We have developed a radiative transfer code, CMFGEN, which allows us to model
the spectra of massive stars and supernovae. Using CMFGEN we can derive
fundamental parameters such as effective temperatures and surface gravities,
derive abundances, and place constraints on stellar wind properties. The last
of these is important since all massive stars are losing mass via a stellar
wind that is driven from the star by radiation pressure, and this mass loss can
substantially influence the spectral appearance and evolution of the star.
Recently we have extended CMFGEN to allow us to undertake time-dependent
radiative transfer calculations of supernovae. Such calculations will be used
to place constraints on the supernova progenitor, to place constraints on the
supernova explosion and nucleosynthesis, and to derive distances using a
physical approach called the "Expanding Photosphere Method". We describe the
assumptions underlying the code and the atomic processes involved. A crucial
ingredient in the code is the atomic data. For the modeling we require accurate
transition wavelengths, oscillator strengths, photoionization cross-sections,
collision strengths, autoionization rates, and charge exchange rates for
virtually all species up to, and including, cobalt. Presently, the available
atomic data varies substantially in both quantity and quality.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space
Scienc
Probing Electron-Capture Supernovae: X-Ray Binaries in Starbursts
Presenting population models of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) formed after
bursts of star formation, we investigate the effect of electron-capture
supernovae (ECS) of massive ONeMg white dwarfs and the hypothesis that ECS
events are associated with typically low supernova kicks imparted to the
nascent neutron stars. We identify an interesting ECS bump in the time
evolution of HMXB numbers; this bump is caused by significantly increased
production of wind-fed HMXBs 20-60 Myr post starburst. The amplitude and age
extent of the ECS bump depend on the strength of ECS kicks and the mass range
of ECS progenitors. We also find that ECS-HMXBs form through a specific
evolutionary channel that is expected to lead to binaries with Be donors in
wide orbits. These characteristics, along with their sensitivity to ECS
properties, provide us with an intriguing opportunity to probe ECS physics and
progenitors through studies of starbursts of different ages. Specifically, the
case of the Small Magellanic Cloud, with a significant observed population of
Be HMXBs and starburst activity 30-60 Myr ago, arises as a promising laboratory
for understanding the role of electron-capture supernovae in neutron star
formation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Published by ApJ in 07/0
Dynamics of shock propagation and nucleosynthesis conditions in O-Ne-Mg core supernovae
It has been recently proposed that the shocked surface layers of exploding
O-Ne-Mg cores provide the conditions for r-process nucleosynthesis, because
their rapid expansion and high entropies enable heavy r-process isotopes to
form even in an environment with very low initial neutron excess of the matter.
We show here that the most sophisticated available hydrodynamic simulations (in
spherical and axial symmetry) do not support this new r-process scenario
because they fail to provide the necessary conditions of temperature, entropy,
and expansion timescale by significant factors. This suggests that, either the
formation of r-process elements works differently than suggested by Ning et al.
(2007, NQM07), or that some essential core properties with influence on the
explosion dynamics might be different from those predicted by Nomoto's
progenitor model.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures; accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics;
significantly extended to account for referee's suggestions and question
Time, spatial, and spectral resolution of the Halpha line-formation region of Deneb and Rigel with the VEGA/CHARA interferometer
BA-type supergiants are amongst the most optically-bright stars. They are
observable in extragalactic environments, hence potential accurate distance
indicators. Emission activity in the Halpha line of the BA supergiants Rigel
(B8Ia) and Deneb (A2Ia) is indicative of presence of localized time-dependent
mass ejections. Here, we employ optical interferometry to study the Halpha
line-formation region in these stellar environments. High spatial- (0.001
arcsec) and spectral- (R=30 000) resolution observations of Halpha were
obtained with the visible recombiner VEGA installed on the CHARA
interferometer, using the S1S2 array-baseline (34m). Six independent
observations were done on Deneb over the years 2008 and 2009, and two on Rigel
in 2009. We analyze this dataset with the 1D non-LTE radiative-transfer code
CMFGEN, and assess the impact of the wind on the visible and near-IR
interferometric signatures, using both Balmer-line and continuum photons. We
observe a visibility decrease in Halpha for both Rigel and Deneb, suggesting
that the line-formation region is extended (1.5-1.75 R*). We observe a
significant visibility decrease for Deneb in the SiII6371 line. We witness time
variations in the differential phase for Deneb, implying an inhomogeneous and
unsteady circumstellar environment, while no such variability is seen in
differential visibilities. Radiative-transfer modeling of Deneb, with allowance
for stellar-wind mass loss, accounts fairly well for the observed decrease in
the Halpha visibility. Based on the observed differential visibilities, we
estimate that the mass-loss rate of Deneb has changed by less than 5%
Discovery of the Ultra-Bright Type II-L Supernova 2008es
We report the discovery by the Robotic Optical Transient Experiment
(ROTSE-IIIb) telescope of SN 2008es, an overluminous supernova (SN) at z=0.205
with a peak visual magnitude of -22.2. We present multiwavelength follow-up
observations with the Swift satellite and several ground-based optical
telescopes. The ROTSE-IIIb observations constrain the time of explosion to be
23+/-1 rest-frame days before maximum. The linear decay of the optical light
curve, and the combination of a symmetric, broad H\alpha emission line profile
with broad P Cygni H\beta and Na I \lambda5892 profiles, are properties
reminiscent of the bright Type II-L SNe 1979C and 1980K, although SN 2008es is
greater than 10 times more luminous. The host galaxy is undetected in
pre-supernova Sloan Digital Sky Survey images, and similar to Type II-L SN
2005ap (the most luminous SN ever observed), the host is most likely a dwarf
galaxy with M_r > -17. Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope observations in
combination with Palomar photometry measure the SED of the SN from 200 to 800
nm to be a blackbody that cools from a temperature of 14,000 K at the time of
the optical peak to 6400 K 65 days later. The inferred blackbody radius is in
good agreement with the radius expected for the expansion speed measured from
the broad lines (10,000 km/s). The bolometric luminosity at the optical peak is
2.8 x 10^44 erg/s, with a total energy radiated over the next 65 days of 5.6 x
10^50 erg. We favor a model in which the exceptional peak luminosity is a
consequence of the core-collapse explosion of a progenitor star with a low-mass
extended hydrogen envelope and a stellar wind with a density close to the upper
limit on the mass-loss rate measured from the lack of an X-ray detection by the
Swift X-Ray Telescope. (Abridged).Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 14 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, emulateapj,
corrections from proofs adde
Metallicity from Type II supernovae from the (i)PTF
Type IIP supernovae (SNe IIP) have recently been proposed as metallicity (Z) probes. The spectral models of Dessart et al. (2014, MNRAS, 440, 1856) showed that the pseudo-equivalent width of Fe ii λ5018 (pEW 5018 ) during the plateau phase depends on the primordial Z, but there was a paucity of SNe IIP exhibiting pEW 5018 that were compatible with Z < 0.4 Z â . This lack might be due to some physical property of the SN II population or to the fact that those SNe have been discovered in luminous, metal-rich targeted galaxies. Here we use SN II observations from the untargeted (intermediate) Palomar Transient Factory [(i)PTF] survey, aiming to investigate the pEW 5018 distribution of this SN population and, in particular, to look for the presence of SNe II at lower Z. We perform pEW 5018 measurements on the spectra of a sample of 39 (i)PTF SNe II, selected to have well-constrained explosion epochs and light-curve properties. Based on the comparison with the pEW 5018 spectral models, we subgrouped our SNe into four Z bins from Z â 0.1 Z â up to Z â 2 Z â . We also independently investigated the Z of the hosts by using their absolute magnitudes and colors and, in a few cases, using strong-line diagnostics from spectra. We searched for possible correlations between SN observables, such as their peak magnitudes and the Z inferred from pEW 5018 . We found 11 events with pEW 5018 that were small enough to indicate Z â 0.1 Z â . The trend of pEW 5018 with Z matches the Z estimates obtained from the host-galaxy photometry, although the significance of the correlation is weak. We also found that SNe with brighter peak magnitudes have smaller pEW 5018 and occur at lower Z. © ESO, 2016
The Type Ib SN 1999dn: One Year of Photometric and Spectroscopic Monitoring
Extensive optical and near-infrared (NIR) observations of the type Ib
supernova 1999dn are presented, covering the first year after explosion. These
new data turn this object, already considered a prototypical SNIb, into one of
the best observed objects of its class. The light curve of SN 1999dn is mostly
similar in shape to that of other SNeIb but with a moderately faint peak
M_V=-17.2 mag). From the bolometric light curve and ejecta expansion
velocities, we estimate that about 0.11 Msun of 56Ni were produced during the
explosion and that the total ejecta mass was 4-6 Msun with a kinetic energy of
at least 5x10^{51} erg. The spectra of SN 1999dn at various epochs are similar
to those of other Stripped Envelope (SE) SNe showing clear presence of H at
early epochs. The high explosion energy and ejected mass, along with the small
flux ratio [CaII]/[OI] measured in the nebular spectrum, together with the lack
of signatures of dust formation and the relatively high-metallicity environment
point toward a single massive progenitor (M_ZAMS>=23-25 Msun) for SN 1999dn.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. MNRAS accepted; This version matches the
published on
X-ray variation statistics and wind clumping in Vela X-1
We investigate the structure of the wind in the neutron star X-ray binary
system Vela X-1 by analyzing its flaring behavior. Vela X-1 shows constant
flaring, with some flares reaching fluxes of more than 3.0 Crab between 20-60
keV for several 100 seconds, while the average flux is around 250 mCrab. We
analyzed all archival INTEGRAL data, calculating the brightness distribution in
the 20-60 keV band, which, as we show, closely follows a log-normal
distribution. Orbital resolved analysis shows that the structure is strongly
variable, explainable by shocks and a fluctuating accretion wake. Analysis of
RXTE ASM data suggests a strong orbital change of N_H. Accreted clump masses
derived from the INTEGRAL data are on the order of 5 x 10^19 -10^21 g. We show
that the lightcurve can be described with a model of multiplicative random
numbers. In the course of the simulation we calculate the power spectral
density of the system in the 20-100 keV energy band and show that it follows a
red-noise power law. We suggest that a mixture of a clumpy wind, shocks, and
turbulence can explain the measured mass distribution. As the recently
discovered class of supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXT) seems to show the
same parameters for the wind, the link between persistent HMXB like Vela X-1
and SFXT is further strengthened.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&
The Type II supernovae 2006V and 2006au: two SN 1987A-like events
Supernova 1987A revealed that a blue supergiant (BSG) star can end its life
as a core-collapse supernova (SN). SN 1987A and other similar objects exhibit
properties that distinguish them from ordinary Type II Plateau (IIP) SNe, whose
progenitors are believed to be red supergiants (RSGs). Similarities among
1987A-like events include a long rise to maximum, early luminosity fainter than
that of normal Type IIP SNe, and radioactivity acting as the primary source
powering the light curves. We present and analyze two SNe monitored by the
Carnegie Supernova Project that are reminiscent of SN 1987A. Optical and
near-infrared (NIR) light curves, and optical spectroscopy of SNe 2006V and
2006au are presented. These observations are compared to those of SN 1987A, and
are used to estimate properties of their progenitors. Both objects exhibit a
slow rise to maximum and light curve evolution similar to that of SN 1987A. At
the earliest epochs, SN 2006au also displays an initial dip which we interpret
as the signature of the adiabatic cooling phase that ensues shock break- out.
SNe 2006V and 2006au are both found to be bluer, hotter and brighter than SN
1987A. Spectra of SNe 2006V and 2006au are similar to those of SN 1987A and
other normal Type II objects, although both consistently exhibit expansion
velocities higher than SN 1987A. Semi-analytic models are fit to the UVOIR
light curve of each object from which physical properties of the progenitors
are estimated. This yields ejecta mass estimates of about 20 solar masses,
explosion energies of 2 - 3 x 10^51 erg, and progenitor radii of 75 - 100 solar
radii for both SNe. The progenitors of SNe 2006V and 2006au were most likely
BSGs with a larger explosion energy as compared to that of SN 1987A.Comment: 21 pages,15 figures, accepted for publication in A&A, 25 October 201
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