49 research outputs found
An X-ray investigation of the NGC 346 field in the SMC (3): XMM-Newton data
We present new XMM-Newton results on the field around the NGC346 star cluster
in the SMC. This continues and extends previously published work on Chandra
observations of the same field. The two XMM-Newton observations were obtained,
respectively, six months before and six months after the previously published
Chandra data. Of the 51 X-ray sources detected with XMM-Newton, 29 were already
detected with Chandra. Comparing the properties of these X-ray sources in each
of our three datasets has enabled us to investigate their variability on times
scales of a year. Changes in the flux levels and/or spectral properties were
observed for 21 of these sources. In addition, we discovered long-term
variations in the X-ray properties of the peculiar system HD5980, a luminous
blue variable star, that is likely to be a colliding wind binary system, which
displayed the largest luminosity during the first XMM-Newton observation.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures (in gif), accepted by ApJ, also available from
http://vela.astro.ulg.ac.be/Preprints/P89/index.htm
Three New Long Period X-ray Pulsars Discovered in the Small Magellanic Cloud
The Small Magellanic Cloud is increasingly an invaluable laboratory for
studying accreting and isolated X-ray pulsars. We add to the class of compact
SMC objects by reporting the discovery of three new long period X-ray pulsars
detected with the {\it Chandra X-ray Observatory}. The pulsars, with periods of
152, 304 and 565 seconds, all show hard X-ray spectra over the range from 0.6 -
7.5 keV. The source positions of the three pulsars are consistent with known
H-alpha emission sources, indicating they are likely to be Be type X-ray binary
star systems.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
An Investigation of Be/X-ray Pulsars with OGLE-III Data
We have studied five seasons of OGLE-III data for eight SMC Be/X-ray pulsars
for which no other survey data were available. We have determined orbital
periods for four of these binary systems, one of which also shows nonradial
pulsations. Optical identification of SMC X-2 is reconsidered, but no periods
were found for either of the two possible candidates
Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph slitless observations of Small Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae: a study on morphology, emission line intensity, and evolution
A sample of 27 Planetary Nebulae (PNs) in the Small Magellanic Clouds (SMC)
have been observed with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph
(HST/STIS) to determine their morphology, size, and the spatial variation of
the ratios of bright emission lines. The morphologies of SMC PNs are similar to
those of LMC and Galactic PNs. However, only a third of the resolved SMC PNs
are asymmetric, compared to half in the LMC. The low metallicity environment of
the SMC seems to discourage the onset of bipolarity in PNs. We measured the
line intensity, average surface brightness (SB), and photometric radius of each
nebula in halpha, hbeta, [O III] lambda4959 and 5007, [NII] 6548 and 6584, [S
II] lambda6716 and 5731, He I 6678, and [OI] 6300 and 6363. We show that the
surface brightness to radius relationship is the same as in LMC PNs, indicating
its possible use as a distance scale indicator for Galactic PNs. We determine
the electron densities and the ionized masses of the nebulae where the [S II]
lines were measured accurately, and we find that the SMC PNs are denser than
the LMC PNs by a factor of 1.5. The average ionized mass of the SMC PNs is 0.3
Msun. We also found that the median [O III]/hbeta intensity ratio in the SMC is
about half than the corresponding LMC median. We use Cloudy to model the
dependence of the [O III]/hbeta ratio on the oxygen abundance. Our models
encompass very well the average observed physical quantities. We suggest that
the SMC PNs are principally cooled by the carbon lines, making it hard to study
their excitation based on the optical lines at our disposal.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 30 pages, 13
figures, 6 tables. For high resolution version of Figs 1 to 6, see
http://archive.stsci.edu/hst/mcpn/home.htm
Methicillin resistance is not a predictor of severity in community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus necrotizing pneumonia—results of a prospective observational study
AbstractStaphylococcal necrotizing pneumonia (NP) is a severe disease associated with Panton–Valentine leucocidin (PVL). NP was initially described for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) infection, but cases associated with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection have increased concomitantly with the incidence of community-acquired MRSA worldwide. The role of methicillin resistance in the severity of NP remains controversial. The characteristics and outcomes of 133 patients with PVL-positive S. aureus community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) were compared according to methicillin resistance. Data from patients hospitalized for PVL-positive S. aureus CAP in France from 1986 to 2010 were reported to the National Reference Centre for Staphylococci and were included in the study. The primary end point was mortality. Multivariate logistic modelling and the Cox regression were used for subsequent analyses. We analysed 29 cases of PVL-MRSA and 104 cases of PVL-MSSA pneumonia. Airway haemorrhages were more frequently associated with PVL-MSSA pneumonia. However, no differences in the initial severity or the management were found between these two types of pneumonia. The rate of lethality was 39% regardless of methicillin resistance. By Cox regression analysis, methicillin resistance was not found to be a significant independent predictor of mortality at 7 or 30 days (p 0.65 and p 0.71, respectively). Our study demonstrates that methicillin resistance is not associated with the severity of staphylococcal necrotizing pneumonia
Hubble Space Telescope Images of Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae
We present images and slitless spectra which were obtained in HST surveys of
Planetary Nebulae (PNe) in both the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, using
the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. These new data on 59 PNe (54 in the
LMC and five in the SMC) permit us to determine the nebular dimensions and
morphology in the monochromatic light of several emission lines: Halpha, [N II]
lambda 6583 and [O III] lambda 5007, plus others of varying ionization,
including [O I], He I, and [S II]. We describe the nebular morphology and
related features in detail. This survey, when combined with similar data from
our prior HST programs and other archived PN images, brings the total of
nebulae imaged with HST to 114 in the LMC and 35 in the SMC. We describe
various basic properties for the sample, including sizes, morphologies,
densities, and completeness. Trends in [O III] lambda 5007 flux, surface
brightness, and electron density with physical radius suggest that many
nebulae, particularly those with bipolar morphology, may be optically thick
even at large size. Bipolars also show the most extreme values of [N II]/Halpha
flux ratios, which is a rough indicator N enrichment.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 65 pages, 26
figures, 6 tables. For a high resolution version of Figs 4 to 19, see
http://archive.stsci.edu/hst/mcpn/home.htm
An XMM-Newton view of Planetary Nebulae in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The X-ray luminous central star of SMP SMC 22
During an X-ray survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud, carried out with the
XMM-Newton satellite, we detected significant soft X-ray emission from the
central star of the high-excitation planetary nebula SMP SMC 22. Its very soft
spectrum is well fit with a non local thermodynamical equilibrium model
atmosphere composed of H, He, C, N, and O, with abundances equal to those
inferred from studies of its nebular lines. The derived effective temperature
of 1.5x10^5 K is in good agreement with that found from the optical/UV data.
The unabsorbed flux in the 0.1-0.5 keV range is about 3x10^{-11} erg cm^-2
s^-1, corresponding to a luminosity of 1.2x10^37 erg/s at the distance of 60
kpc. We also searched for X-ray emission from a large number of SMC planetary
nebulae, confirming the previous detection of SMP SMC 25 with a luminosity of
(0.2-6)x10^35 erg/s (0.1-1 keV). For the remaining objects that were not
detected, we derived flux upper limits corresponding to luminosity values from
several tens to hundreds times smaller than that of SMP SMC 22. The
exceptionally high X-ray luminosity of SMP SMC 22 is probably due to the high
mass of its central star, quickly evolving toward the white dwarf's cooling
branch, and to a small intrinsic absorption in the nebula itself.Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy and Astrophysic
A Search for Wolf-Rayet Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud
We conducted an extensive search for Wolf-Rayet stars (W-Rs) in the SMC,
using the same interference filter imaging techniques that have proved
successful in finding W-Rs in more distant members of the Local Group.
Photometry of some 1.6 million stellar images resulted in some 20 good
candidates, which we then examined spectroscopically. Two of these indeed
proved to be newly found W-Rs, bringing the total known in the SMC from 9 to
11. Other finds included previously unknown Of-type stars (one as early as
O5f?p)),the recovery of the Luminous Blue Variable S18, and the discovery of a
previously unknown SMC symbiotic star. More important, however, is the fact
that there does not exist a significant number of W-Rs waiting to be discovered
in the SMC. The number of W-Rs in the SMC is a factor of 3 lower than in the
LMC (per unit luminosity), and we argue this is the result of the SMC's low
metallicity on the evolution of the most massive stars.Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal. Postscript version available via
ftp.lowell.edu/pub/massey/smcwr.ps.gz Revised version contains slightly
revised spectral types for the Of stars but is otherwise unchange
Spectrophotometry of HII Regions, Diffuse Ionized Gas and Supernova Remnants in M31: The Transition from Photo- to Shock-Ionization
We present results of KPNO 4-m optical spectroscopy of discrete emission-line
nebulae and regions of diffuse ionized gas (DIG) in M31. Long-slit spectra of
16 positions in the NE half of M31 were obtained over a 5-15 kpc range in
radial distance from the center of the galaxy. The spectra have been used to
confirm 16 supernova remnant candidates from the Braun & Walterbos (1993)
catalog. The slits also covered 46 HII regions which show significant
differences among the various morphological types (center-brightened, diffuse,
rings). Radial gradients in emission-line ratios such as [OIII]/H and
[OII]/[OIII] are observed most prominently in the center-brightened HII
regions. These line ratio trends are either much weaker or completely absent in
the diffuse and ring nebulae. The line ratio gradients previously seen in M31
SNRs (Blair, Kirshner, & Chevalier 1981; 1982) are well reproduced by our new
data. The spectra of center-brightened HII regions and SNRs confirm previous
determinations of the radial abundance gradient in M31. We use diagnostic
diagrams which separate photoionized gas from shock-ionized gas to compare the
spectral properties of HII regions, SNRs and DIG. This analysis strengthens
earlier claims (Greenawalt, Walterbos, & Braun 1997) that the DIG in the disk
of M31 is photoionized by a dilute radiation field.Comment: 45 pages, 9 figures, 7 tables, to appear in the Astronomical Journal
(December 1999
Two long-period X-ray pulsars detected in the SMC field around XTE J0055-727
An XMM-Newton target of opportunity observation of the field around the
transient 18.37 s pulsar XTE J0055-727 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)
revealed two bright, long-period X-ray pulsars in the EPIC data. A new pulsar,
XMMU J005517.9-723853, with a pulse period of 701.7 +/- 0.8 s was discovered
and 500.0 +/- 0.2 s pulsations were detected from XMMU J005455.4-724512 (= CXOU
J005455.6-724510), confirming the period found in Chandra data. We derive X-ray
positions of RA = 00h5455.88s, Dec = -72d45m10.5s and RA = 00h55m18.44s, Dec =
-72d38m51.8s (J2000.0) with an uncertainty of 0.2'' utilizing optical
identification with OGLE stars. For both objects, the optical brightness and
colours and the X-ray spectra are consistent with Be/X-ray binary systems in
the SMC.Comment: A&A Letters, in pres