The Origin of Fe II Emission in Active Galactic Nuclei

We used a very large set of models of broad emission line region (BELR) clouds in active galactic nuclei to investigate the formation of the observed Fe II emission lines. We show that photoionized BELR clouds cannot produce both the observed shape and observed equivalent width of the 2200-2800 Å Fe II UV bump unless there is considerable velocity structure corresponding to a microturbulent velocity parameter vturb≥100 km s-1 for the locally optimally emitting cloud models used here. This could be either microturbulence in gas that is confined by some phenomenon such as MHD waves or a velocity shear such as in the various models of winds flowing off the surfaces of accretion disks. The alternative way that we can find to simultaneously match both the observed shape and equivalent width of the Fe II UV bump is for the Fe II emission to be the result of collisional excitation in a warm, dense gas. Such gas would emit very few lines other than Fe II. However, since the collisionally excited gas would constitute yet another component in an already complicated picture of the BELR, we prefer the model involving turbulence. In either model, the strength of Fe II emission relative to the emission lines of other ions such as Mg II depends as much on other parameters (either vturb or the surface area of the collisionally excited gas) as it does on the iron abundance. Therefore, the measurement of the iron abundance from the Fe II emission in quasars becomes a more difficult problem

The Variable Stars of the Draco Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy - Revisited

We present a CCD survey of variable stars in the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy. This survey, which has the largest areal coverage since the original variable star survey by Baade & Swope, includes photometry for 270 RR Lyrae stars, 9 anomalous Cepheids, 2 eclipsing binaries, and 12 slow, irregular red variables, as well as 30 background QSOs. Twenty-six probable double-mode RR Lyrae stars were identified. Observed parameters, including mean V and I magnitudes, V amplitudes, and periods, have been derived. Photometric metallicities of the ab-type RR Lyrae stars were calculated according to the method of Jurcsik & Kovacs, yielding a mean metallicity of = -2.19 +/- 0.03. The well known Oosterhoff intermediate nature of the RR Lyrae stars in Draco is reconfirmed, although the double-mode RR Lyrae stars with one exception have properties similar to those found in Oosterhoff type II globular clusters. The period-luminosity relation of the anomalous Cepheids is rediscussed with the addition of the new Draco anomalous Cepheids.Comment: Accepted to AJ. 61 pages, 14 figures, 10 table

An extensive photometric study of the Blazhko RR Lyrae star MW Lyr: II. Changes in the physical parameters

The analysis of the multicolour photometric observations of MW Lyr, a large modulation amplitude Blazhko variable, shows for the first time how the mean global physical parameters vary during the Blazhko cycle. About 1-2 percent changes in the mean radius, luminosity and surface effective temperature are detected. The mean radius and temperature changes are in good accordance with pulsation model results, which show that these parameters do indeed vary within this order of magnitude if the amplitude of the pulsation changes significantly. We interpret the phase modulation of the pulsation to be a consequence of period changes. Its magnitude corresponds exactly what one expects from the detected changes of the mean radius assuming that the pulsation constant remains the same during the modulation. Our results indicate that during the modulation the pulsation remains purely radial, and the underlying mechanism is most probably a periodic perturbation of the stellar luminosity with the modulation period.Comment: 10 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

The Blazhko behaviour of RR Geminorum I - CCD photometric results in 2004

Extended CCD monitoring of RR Gem revealed that it is a Blazhko type RRab star with the shortest Blazhko period (7.23d) and smallest modulation amplitude (Delta Mmax<0.1 mag) currently known. The short period of the modulation cycle enabled us to obtain complete phase coverage of the pulsation at each phase of the modulation. This is the first multicolour observation of a Blazhko star which is extended enough to define accurate mean magnitudes and colours of the variable at different Blazhko phases. Small, but real, changes in the intensity mean colours at different Blazhko phases have been detected. The Fourier analysis of the light curves shows that, in spite of the mmag and smaller order of the amplitudes, the triplet structure is noticeable up to about the 14th harmonic. The modulation is concentrated to a very narrow, 0.2 phase range of the pulsation, centred on the supposed onset of the H emission during rising light. These observational results raise further complications for theoretical explanation of the long known but poorly understood Blazhko phenomenon.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

The fading of Cassiopeia A, and improved models for the absolute spectrum of primary radio calibration sources

Based on five years of observations with the 40-foot telescope at Green Bank Observatory (GBO), Reichart & Stephens (2000) found that the radio source Cassiopeia A had either faded more slowly between the mid-1970s and late 1990s than Baars et al. (1977) had found it to be fading between the late 1940s and mid-1970s, or that it had rebrightened and then resumed fading sometime between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s, in L band (1.4 GHz). Here, we present 15 additional years of observations of Cas A and Cyg A with the 40-foot in L band, and three and a half additional years of observations of Cas A, Cyg A, Tau A, and Vir A with GBO's recently refurbished 20-meter telescope in L and X (9 GHz) bands. We also present a more sophisticated analysis of the 40-foot data, and a reanalysis of the Baars et al. (1977) data, which reveals small, but non-negligible differences. We find that overall, between the late 1950s and late 2010s, Cas A faded at an average rate of $0.670 \pm 0.019$ %/yr in L band, consistent with Reichart & Stephens (2000). However, we also find, at the 6.3$\sigma$ credible level, that it did not fade at a constant rate. Rather, Cas A faded at a faster rate through at least the late 1960s, rebrightened (or at least faded at a much slower rate), and then resumed fading at a similarly fast rate by, at most, the late 1990s. Given these differences from the original Baars et al. (1977) analysis, and given the importance of their fitted spectral and temporal models for flux-density calibration in radio astronomy, we update and improve on these models for all four of these radio sources. In doing so, we additionally find that Tau A is fading at a rate of $0.102^{+0.042}_{-0.043}$ %/yr in L band.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, accepted to MNRA

The all-sky GEOS RR Lyr survey with the TAROT telescopes. Analysis of the Blazhko effect

We used the GEOS database to study the Blazhko effect of galactic RRab stars. The database is continuously enriched by maxima supplied by amateur astronomers and by a dedicated survey by means of the two TAROT robotic telescopes. The same value of the Blazhko period is observed at different values of the pulsation periods and different values of the Blazhko periods are observed at the same value of the pulsation period. There are clues suggesting that the Blazhko effect is changing from one cycle to the next. The secular changes in the pulsation and Blazhko periods of Z CVn are anticorrelated. The diagrams of magnitudes against phases of the maxima clearly show that the light curves of Blazhko variables can be explained as modulated signals, both in amplitude and in frequency. The closed curves describing the Blazhko cycles in such diagrams have different shapes, reflecting the phase shifts between the epochs of the brightest maximum and the maximum O-C. Our sample shows that both clockwise and anticlockwise directions are possible for similar shapes. The improved observational knowledge of the Blazhko effect, in addition to some peculiarities of the light curves, have still to be explained by a satisfactory physical mechanism.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomical Journa

Light Curves and Period Changes of Type II Cepheids in the Globular Clusters M3 and M5

Light curves in the B, V, and I_c passbands have been obtained for the type II Cepheids V154 in M3 and V42 and V84 in M5. Alternating cycle behavior, similar to that seen among RV Tauri variables, is confirmed for V84. Old and new observations, spanning more than a century, show that V154 has increased in period while V42 has decreased in period. V84, on the other hand, has shown large, erratic changes in period that do not appear to reflect the long term evolution of V84 through the HR diagram.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figure

CoRoT light curves of RR Lyrae stars. CoRoT 101128793: long-term changes in the Blazhko effect and excitation of additional modes

The CoRoT (Convection, Rotation and planetary Transits) space mission provides a valuable opportunity to monitor stars with uninterrupted time sampling for up to 150 days at a time. The study of RR Lyrae stars, performed in the framework of the Additional Programmes belonging to the exoplanetary field, will particularly benefit from such dense, long-duration monitoring. The Blazhko effect in RR Lyrae stars is a long-standing, unsolved problem of stellar astrophysics. We used the CoRoT data of the new RR Lyrae variable CoRoT 101128793 (f0=2.119 c/d, P=0.4719296 d) to provide us with more detailed observational facts to understand the physical process behind the phenomenon. The CoRoT data were corrected for one jump and the long-term drift. We applied different period-finding techniques to the corrected timeseries to investigate amplitude and phase modulation. We detected 79 frequencies in the light curve of CoRoT 101128793. They have been identified as the main frequency f0, and its harmonics, two independent terms, the terms related to the Blazhko frequency, and several combination terms. A Blazhko frequency fB=0.056 c/d and a triplet structure around the fundamental radial mode and harmonics were detected, as well as a long-term variability of the Blazhko modulation. Indeed, the amplitude of the main oscillation is decreasing along the CoRoT survey. The Blazhko modulation is one of the smallest observed in RR Lyrae stars. Moreover, the additional modes f1=3.630 and f2=3.159 c/d are detected. Taking its ratio with the fundamental radial mode into account, the term f1 could be the identified as the second radial overtone. Detecting of these modes in horizontal branch stars is a new result obtained by CoRoT.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, 2 long tables. Accepted for publication in A&

GRB 120711A: an intense INTEGRAL burst with long-lasting soft gamma-ray emission and a powerful optical flash

A long and intense gamma-ray burst (GRB) was detected by INTEGRAL on July 11 2012 with a duration of ~115s and fluence of 2.8x10^-4 erg cm^-2 in the 20 keV-8 MeV energy range. GRB 120711A was at z~1.405 and produced soft gamma-ray emission (>20 keV) for at least ~10 ks after the trigger. The GRB was observed by several ground-based telescopes that detected a powerful optical flash peaking at an R-band brightness of ~11.5 mag at ~126 s after the trigger. We present a comprehensive temporal and spectral analysis of the long-lasting soft gamma-ray emission detected in the 20-200 keV band with INTEGRAL, the Fermi/LAT post-GRB detection above 100 MeV, the soft X-ray afterglow from XMM-Newton, Chandra, and Swift and the optical/NIR detections from Watcher, Skynet, GROND, and REM. We modelled the long-lasting soft gamma-ray emission using the standard afterglow scenario, which indicates a forward shock origin. The combination of data extending from the NIR to GeV energies suggest that the emission is produced by a broken power-law spectrum consistent with synchrotron radiation. The afterglow is well modelled using a stratified wind-like environment with a density profile k~1.2, suggesting a massive star progenitor (i.e. Wolf-Rayet). The analysis of the reverse and forward shock emission reveals an initial Lorentz factor of ~120-340, a jet half-opening angle of ~2deg-5deg, and a baryon load of ~10^-5-10^-6 Msun consistent with the expectations of the fireball model when the emission is highly relativistic. Long-lasting soft gamma-ray emission from other INTEGRAL GRBs with high peak fluxes, such as GRB 041219A, was not detected, suggesting that a combination of high Lorentz factor, emission above 100 MeV, and possibly a powerful reverse shock are required. Similar long-lasting soft gamma-ray emission has recently been observed from the nearby and extremely bright Fermi/LAT burst GRB 130427A.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Colour variations in the GRB 120327A afterglow

Aims. We present a comprehensive temporal and spectral analysis of the long Swift GRB 120327A afterglow data to investigate possible causes of the observed early-time colour variations.Methods. We collected data from various instruments and telescopes in X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared bands, and determined the shapes of the afterglow early-time light curves. We studied the overall temporal behaviour and the spectral energy distributions from early to late times.Results. The ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared light curves can be modelled with a single power-law component between 200 and 2 × 104 s after the burst event. The X-ray light curve shows a canonical steep-shallow-steep behaviour that is typical of long gamma-ray bursts. At early times a colour variation is observed in the ultraviolet/optical bands, while at very late times a hint of a re-brightening is visible. The observed early-time colour change can be explained as a variation in the intrinsic optical spectral index, rather than an evolution of the optical extinction