646 research outputs found
Search for exoplanets in M31 with pixel-lensing and the PA-99-N2 event revisited
Several exoplanets have been detected towards the Galactic bulge with the
microlensing technique. We show that exoplanets in M31 may also be detected
with the pixel-lensing method, if telescopes making high cadence observations
of an ongoing microlensing event are used. Using a Monte Carlo approach we find
that the mean mass for detectable planetary systems is about .
However, even small mass exoplanets () can cause
significant deviations, which are observable with large telescopes. We
reanalysed the POINT-AGAPE microlensing event PA-99-N2. First, we test the
robustness of the binary lens conclusion for this light curve. Second, we show
that for such long duration and bright microlensing events, the efficiency for
finding planetary-like deviations is strongly enhanced with respect to that
evaluated for all planetary detectable events.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures. Paper presented at the "II Italian-Pakistani
Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysics, Pescara, July 8-10, 2009. To be
published in a special issue of General Relativity and Gravitation (eds. F.
De Paolis, G.F.R. Ellis, A. Qadir and R. Ruffini
The puzzling symbiotic X-ray system 4U1700+24
Symbiotic X-ray binaries form a subclass of low-mass X-ray binary systems
consisting of a neutron star accreting material from a red giant donor star via
stellar wind or Roche lobe overflow. Only a few confirmed members are currently
known; 4U 1700+24 is a good candidate as it is a relatively bright X-ray
object, possibly associated with the late-type star V934 Her. We analysed the
archive {\it XMM}-Newton and Swift/XRT observations of 4U 1700+24 in order to
have a uniform high-energy ( keV) view of the source. We confirmed the
existence of a red-shifted O VIII Ly- transition (already observed in
the 2002 {\it XMM}-Newton data) in the high-resolution spectra collected via
the RGS instruments. The red-shift of the line is found in all the analysed
observations and, on average, it was estimated to be . We also
observed a modulation of the centroid energy of the line on short time scales
(a few days) and discuss the observations in the framework of different
scenarios. If the modulation is due to the gravitational red-shift of the
neutron star, it might arise from a sudden re-organization of the emitting
-ray matter on the scale of a few hundreds of km. Alternatively, we are
witnessing a uni-polar jet of matter (with typical velocity of km
s) possibly emitted by the neutron star in an almost face-on system. The
second possibility seems to be required by the apparent lack of any modulation
in the observed -ray light curve. We also note also that the low-resolution
spectra (both {\it XMM}-Newton and Swift/XRT in the keV band) show the
existence of a black body radiation emitted by a region (possibly associated
with the neutron star polar cap) with typical size from a few tens to hundreds
of meters. The size of this spot-like region reduces as the overall luminosity
of 4U 1700+24 decreases.Comment: In press on A&
Messier 81's Planck view vs its halo mapping
This paper is a follow-up of a previous paper about the M82 galaxy and its
halo based on Planck observations. As in the case of M82, so also for the M81
galaxy a substantial North-South and East-West temperature asymmetry is found,
extending up to galactocentric distances of about . The temperature
asymmetry is almost frequency independent and can be interpreted as a
Doppler-induced effect related to the M81 halo rotation and/or triggered by the
gravitational interaction of the galaxies within the M81 Group. Along with the
analogous study of several nearby edge-on spiral galaxies, the CMB temperature
asymmetry method thus is shown to act as a direct tool to map the galactic
haloes and/or the intergalactic bridges, invisible in other bands or by other
methods.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, in press in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Main
Journa
Apoastron Shift Constraints on Dark Matter Distribution at the Galactic Center
The existence of dark matter (DM) at scales of few pc down to pc around the centers of galaxies and in particular in the Galactic
Center region has been considered in the literature. Under the assumption that
such a DM clump, principally constituted by non-baryonic matter (like WIMPs)
does exist at the center of our galaxy, the study of the -ray emission
from the Galactic Center region allows us to constrain both the mass and the
size of this DM sphere. Further constraints on the DM distribution parameters
may be derived by observations of bright infrared stars around the Galactic
Center. Hall and Gondolo \cite{hallgondolo} used estimates of the enclosed mass
obtained in various ways and tabulated by Ghez et al.
\cite{Ghez_2003,Ghez_2005}. Moreover, if a DM cusp does exist around the
Galactic Center it could modify the trajectories of stars moving around it in a
sensible way depending on the DM mass distribution. Here, we discuss the
constraints that can be obtained with the orbit analysis of stars (as S2 and
S16) moving inside the DM concentration with present and next generations of
large telescopes. In particular, consideration of the S2 star apoastron shift
may allow improving limits on the DM mass and size.Comment: in press on Phys. Rev.
Planck view of the M82 galaxy
Planck data towards the galaxy M82 are analyzed in the 70, 100 and 143 GHz
bands. A substantial north-south and East-West temperature asymmetry is found,
extending up to 1 degree from the galactic center. Being almost
frequency-independent, these temperature asymmetries are indicative of a
Doppler-induced effect regarding the line-of-sight dynamics on the halo scale,
the ejections from the galactic center and, possibly, even the tidal
interaction with M81 galaxy. The temperature asymmetry thus acts as a
model-independent tool to reveal the bulk dynamics in nearby edge-on spiral
galaxies, like the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect for clusters of galaxies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, in press on A&
Planck revealed bulk motion of Centaurus A lobes
Planck data towards the active galaxy Centaurus A are analyzed in the 70, 100
and 143 GHz bands. We find a temperature asymmetry of the northern radio lobe
with respect to the southern one that clearly extends at least up to 5 degrees
from the Cen A center and diminishes towards the outer regions of the lobes.
That transparent parameter - the temperature asymmetry - thus has to carry a
principal information, i.e. indication on the line-of-sight bulk motion of the
lobes, while the increase of that asymmetry at smaller radii reveals the
differential dynamics of the lobes as expected at ejections from the center.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Letter to the Editor
(in press
Planck's confirmation of the M31 disk and halo rotation
Planck's data acquired during the first 15.4 months of observations towards
both the disk and halo of the M31 galaxy are analyzed. We confirm the existence
of a temperature asymmetry, previously detected by using the 7-year WMAP data,
along the direction of the M31 rotation, therefore indicative of a
Doppler-induced effect. The asymmetry extends up to about 10 degrees (about 130
kpc) from the M31 center. We also investigate the recent issue raised in Rubin
and Loeb (2014) about the kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect from the diffuse hot
gas in the Local Group, predicted to generate a hot spot of a few degrees size
in the CMB maps in the direction of M31, where the free electron optical depth
gets the maximum value. We also consider the issue whether in the opposite
direction with respect to the M31 galaxy the same effect induces a minimum in
temperature in the Planck's maps of the sky. We find that the Planck's data at
100 GHz show an effect even larger than that expected.Comment: 4 pages, 1 table, 2 figures, in press as a Letter in A&
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