31 research outputs found
Investigation of CTA 1 with Suzaku Observation
We report on an 105 ks Suzaku observation of the supernova remnant CTA 1
(G119.5+10.2). The Suzaku soft X-ray observation was carried out with both
timing mode and imaging mode. A ~ 10' extended feature, which is interpreted as
a bow-shock component of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN), is revealed in this deep
observation for the first time. The nebular spectrum can be modelled by a
power-law with a photon index of ~ 1.8 which suggests a slow synchrotron
cooling scenario. The photon index is approximately constant across this
extended feature. We compare and discuss our observations of this complex
nebula with previous X-ray investigations. We do not obtain any significant
pulsation from the central pulsar in the soft (0.2-12 keV) and hard (10-60 keV)
X-ray data. The non-detection is mainly due to the loss of the precise imaging
ability to accurately determine the source contribution. The spectra of XIS and
HXD can be directly connected without a significant spectral break according to
our analysis. Future observations of NuSTAR and Astro-H would be able to
resolve the contamination and provide an accurate hard X-ray measurement of CTA
1.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted by MNRA
Multi-Wavelength Observations Of A New Redback Millisecond Pulsar 4FGL J1910.7-5320
We present the study of multi-wavelength observations of an unidentified
Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) source, 4FGL J1910.7-5320, a new candidate
redback millisecond pulsar binary. In the 4FGL 95% error region of 4FGL
J1910.7-5320, we find a possible binary with a 8.36-hr orbital period from the
Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey (CRTS), confirmed by optical spectroscopy
using the SOAR telescope. This optical source was recently independently
discovered as a redback pulsar by the TRAPUM project, confirming our
prediction. We fit the optical spectral energy distributions of 4FGL
J1910.7-5320 with a blackbody model, inferring a maximum distance of 4.1 kpc by
assuming that the companion fills its Roche-lobe with a radius of R = 0.7R_sun.
Using a 12.6 ks Chandra X-ray observation, we identified an X-ray counterpart
for 4FGL J1910.7-5320, with a spectrum that can be described by an absorbed
power-law with a photon index of 1.0+/-0.4. The spectrally hard X-ray emission
shows tentative evidence for orbital variability. Using more than 12 years of
Fermi-LAT data, we refined the position of the {\gamma}-ray source, and the
optical candidate still lies within the 68% positional error circle. In
addition to 4FGL J1910.7-5320, we find a variable optical source with a
periodic signal of 4.28-hr inside the 4FGL catalog 95% error region of another
unidentified Fermi source, 4FGL J2029.5-4237. However, the {\gamma}-ray source
does not have a significant X-ray counterpart in a 11.7 ks Chandra observation,
with a 3-{\sigma} flux upper limit of 2.4*10^-14 erg cm^-2 s^-1 (0.3-7 keV).
Moreover, the optical source is outside our updated Fermi-LAT 95% error circle.
These observational facts all suggest that this new redback millisecond pulsar
powers the {\gamma}-ray source 4FGL J1910.7-5320 while 4FGL J2029.5-4237 is
unlikely the {\gamma}-ray counterpart to the 4.28-hr variable.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
The Greenland Telescope: Antenna Retrofit Status and Future Plans
Since the ALMA North America Prototype Antenna was awarded to the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), SAO and the Academia Sinica Institute of
Astronomy & Astrophysics (ASIAA) are working jointly to relocate the antenna to
Greenland. This paper shows the status of the antenna retrofit and the work
carried out after the recommissioning and subsequent disassembly of the antenna
at the VLA has taken place. The next coming months will see the start of the
antenna reassembly at Thule Air Base. These activities are expected to last
until the fall of 2017 when commissioning should take place. In parallel,
design, fabrication and testing of the last components are taking place in
Taiwan
A ring-like accretion structure in M87 connecting its black hole and jet
The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a prime target for studying black hole accretion and jet formation1,2. Event Horizon Telescope observations of M87 in 2017, at a wavelength of 1.3 mm, revealed a ring-like structure, which was interpreted as gravitationally lensed emission around a central black hole3. Here we report images of M87 obtained in 2018, at a wavelength of 3.5 mm, showing that the compact radio core is spatially resolved. High-resolution imaging shows a ring-like structure of [Formula: see text] Schwarzschild radii in diameter, approximately 50% larger than that seen at 1.3 mm. The outer edge at 3.5 mm is also larger than that at 1.3 mm. This larger and thicker ring indicates a substantial contribution from the accretion flow with absorption effects, in addition\ua0to the gravitationally lensed ring-like emission. The images show that the edge-brightened jet connects to the accretion flow of the black hole. Close to the black hole, the emission profile of the jet-launching region is wider than the expected profile of a black-hole-driven jet, suggesting the possible presence of a wind associated with the accretion flow
A ring-like accretion structure in M87 connecting its black hole and jet
The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a prime target for studying black hole
accretion and jet formation^{1,2}. Event Horizon Telescope observations of M87
in 2017, at a wavelength of 1.3 mm, revealed a ring-like structure, which was
interpreted as gravitationally lensed emission around a central black hole^3.
Here we report images of M87 obtained in 2018, at a wavelength of 3.5 mm,
showing that the compact radio core is spatially resolved. High-resolution
imaging shows a ring-like structure of 8.4_{-1.1}^{+0.5} Schwarzschild radii in
diameter, approximately 50% larger than that seen at 1.3 mm. The outer edge at
3.5 mm is also larger than that at 1.3 mm. This larger and thicker ring
indicates a substantial contribution from the accretion flow with absorption
effects in addition to the gravitationally lensed ring-like emission. The
images show that the edge-brightened jet connects to the accretion flow of the
black hole. Close to the black hole, the emission profile of the jet-launching
region is wider than the expected profile of a black-hole-driven jet,
suggesting the possible presence of a wind associated with the accretion flow.Comment: 50 pages, 18 figures, 3 tables, author's version of the paper
published in Natur
Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network
Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects
Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo
Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level